Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters.
Enjoy!
A couple of days after the mine incident, Nicholas was having his usual evening stroll through town. Feeling happy, Nicholas decided to pop in Granny's for a cup of coffee and say hi to his friends. As he walked in, he saw some of the customers watching Graham hit a bull's eye on the diner's dart board.
"Nice shot, chief." Sidney complimented from his booth, "Bet ya twenty bucks you can't do that again." he dared.
Graham took another shot from Ruby and threw another dart hitting the exact same spot as the last two. "Next round's on him." he said to Ruby as Emma came from the restroom. Though she didn't seem too happy to see the sheriff.
"Emma, what can I get you?" Ruby asked.
"Nothing." she replied as she glared at Graham. As she walked past him, he took one of the darts and threw it in her direction and hit the door frame.
"What the hell?" she asked, "You could have hit me."
"I never miss." Graham defended with a slight slur in his voice, "You've been avoiding me since last night when you saw me."
"Leaving the mayor." Emma finished bluntly.
"Oh, boy." Nicholas muttered.
"And, yes, that is a euphemism. I'm not avoiding you, Graham. I just have no interest in having this conversation." she defended, "It's your life, and I really don't care."
As Emma left, Graham followed her. Nicholas waited a few moments before heading outside just to make sure his old buddy didn't do anything he would regret the next morning. What he saw next was a shocker, he saw Graham pull Emma into a kiss.
"The hell was that?!" she asked as Nicholas came over.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
"Did you see that?" Graham asked looking shocked and somewhat scared.
"How much have you been drinking?" Emma asked, "That was way over the line."
"I'm sorry. I just-"
"What? You what?"
"I need to feel something."
"Graham, buddy, listen to me." Nicholas coaxed, "You're drunk and full of regret. We get that. But whatever it is you are looking to feel, I can tell you one thing. Emma's not gonna let you get it with her. Am I right?" he asked the deputy.
"Oh, hell yeah." she nodded as she walked away in a huff
"Emma, I'm sorry!" Graham called out only to be ignored.
"Come on, man. Let's get you home." Nicholas said to his friend only to be shrugged away.
"Oh, I'm fine." Graham whined, "I-I don't feel anything with Regina, Nicholas. I'm sorry, I don't. I'm just so confused and lost right now. All I want is to feel something for a change."
"Hey, look at me." Nicholas coached, "You have nothing to be sorry for. Okay? If you don't feel anything, then break things off. Your happiness counts too, ya know."
"Thank you." Graham said as he pulled Nicholas into a hug, "Thank you, Nicholas. You're a true friend."
"I've always got your back, Graham." he said as he patted him on the back, "Now go home and get some rest. And no detours. Got it?"
"Right." Graham nodded. Unfortunately, he did make a detour to Regina and kept themselves preoccupied for the night.
In the Enchanted Forest, Queen Regina looked down from the balcony and watched as her step-daughter placed flowers on her father's grave. "Goodbye, Father." Snow said as tears began to form in her eyes.
It was then that the queen with her brother at her side walked up behind her and offered their condolences. "We're so sorry, Snow." lied Regina.
"I loved him so much." Snow whispered as the tears began to fall.
Regina then pulled her into a hug and continued her act. Only Nicholas actually felt sorry for his step-niece as she sobbed in his sister's embrace. "So did I, dear. So did I. The loss I feel for my husband must be nothing compared to the loss you feel for your father. If there is anything we can do, please let us know. We may only be your mother and uncle through marriage, but we're here for you, dear. Truly and forever."
Snow White believed every word and pulled her step-mother into another hug. After they left Snow to her grief, they returned inside to the lounge. "Congratulations." said the magic mirror, "Your revenge is almost complete, my queen."
"One down. One to go." she said in triumph as Nicholas plopped at his desk with a sigh.
"She has no idea, does she?" the mirror asked.
"That I'm responsible for his passing?" Regina asked, "She sought comfort with me. Sickening." she spat, "I could have ended her miserable existence right there. Believe me it was tempting."
Nicholas just shook his head as he began to jot down more of his research notes as his sister spoke. "The kingdom's still loyal to her, however. They would turn on me if anything had happened to her. They don't know the wretchedness inside her as I do. They don't know what she did to me. We must be delicate in this next phase. Her demise must be handled with care."
"Are you going to give the task to one of your knights, then?" Nicholas asked not looking up from his notes.
"No." she replied, "I need someone adept at murder, bereft of mercy."
"Someone with no heart." the mirror summed up.
"Now you understand."
"Sounds like you need a huntsman." Nicholas suggested in a bored tone. The mirror then showed the queen a huntsman mercilessly kill two men in a nearby tavern in an instant.
"He's perfect." smiled Regina wickedly, "Bring him to me."
In Storybrooke, Emma walked into Granny's and found Nicholas sitting in the corner booth reading the paper and drinking coffee. "Hey." she greeted as she walked up to him.
"Hey."
"Did you know Graham was sleeping with your sister?" Emma asked getting to the point.
"Well, that's definitely not something a younger brother wants to hear as he enjoys his coffee." Nicholas said in disgust, "But to answer your question, I knew they were…an item, if you can call it that."
"Why didn't you tell me when you learned I'd taken the job as Graham's deputy." she asked grinning at the look on his face.
"Well, what guy wants to discuss his big sister and best friend's sex life?" Nicholas asked bluntly, "Besides, it wasn't my place to spread the word on that and I figured either Graham would tell you as soon as he felt guilty enough or whenever Regina decided to flaunt it in your face."
"Sounds about right." Emma nodded, "Though I would've preferred either of those instead of watching him climb out her window the other night."
"Trying having to hear them go at it. Before Henry came along, they would often forget I was in the house, if you catch my drift." Nicholas said bluntly.
"Yeah, I-I got it." Emma said growing disgusted as well, "By the way, have you seen Graham? Mary Margaret called earlier and told me he's been wondering around town looking sick all day."
"Nope, haven't seen him. He might be at the animal shelter, doing his rounds, or maybe waiting for Regina back at our place. I think he might be breaking it off with her soon." he informed.
"You think he might be there?"
"Maybe." Nicholas shrugged.
"As long as your sister's not there, then that's where I'll head first. You coming?"
"Can't. I got a couple of errands to run before it gets dark. Though, call me if Graham gets too out of control."
"Right. See ya later." Emma said as she left the dinner.
As night fell, both Nicholas and Regina, each holding a bouquet of flowers walked up to their family mausoleum. As they got closer, Nicholas noticed one of the doors was open and the sound of voices could be heard and the light from a flashlight could be seen.
Regina, however, managed to see who was inside; it was Graham and Emma for some reason. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked them from outside.
"What are you two doing here?" Emma asked as they came out.
"Bringing flowers to our father's grave like we do every Wednesday." Regina replied.
"Don't blame her." Graham defended, "It's my fault. I wanted to look in there."
"Why's that?" Nicholas asked, "What were you looking for?"
"Nothing." Graham replied, though it was clearly a lie, "It was, uh…nothing.
"You don't look well, dear." Regina observed, "Let's take you home." she as she tried to pull him along.
"No, I-I don't want to go home." Graham refused as he pulled away, "Not with you."
"Oh? But you'll go with her?" Regina asked.
"Hey, this is between you two. Leave me out of it." Emma said.
"She's right." Graham replied, "It's between us, and things have to change."
"And I wonder why that is all of a sudden."
"It has nothing to do with her." he defended, "You know, I've realized that I don't feel anything, Regina, and I know now it's not me. It's you."
"So you're leaving me for her." Regina accused.
"I'm leaving you for me."
"Graham, you're not thinking straight." Regina tried to reason.
"Actually, for the first time, I am. I'd rather have nothing than little for less. Nothing is better than what we have. I need to feel something, Regina, and the only way to do that is to give myself the chance."
"Graham." Regina begged.
"I'm sorry. It's over." he said looking her in the eyes.
Regina took in what just happen and directed her glare over at the blonde across from her, "I don't know what I ever did to you, Ms. Swan, to deserve this. To have you keep coming after everything I hold dear." she said on the verge of tears.
"I told you, it's not her." defended Graham.
"None of this happened until she got here." Regina argued.
"I'm sorry, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe the problem isn't with me, but with you?" Emma asked having enough of Regina's accusations.
"Excuse me?" Regina asked.
"I don't like where this is going." Nicholas thought.
"Henry came and found me. Graham kissed me. Both were miserable. Maybe, Madam Mayor, you need to take a good, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why that is. How long do you think it's going to take before even Nicholas decides to leave you? Why is everyone running away from you?" Emma asked.
"Now hold on just a min-" Nicholas began to say only to stop as he watched his sister throw a punch at the deputy's jaw. "Regina!" he shouted with Graham as Emma got back up and slugged his sister in the face before pinning her against the mausoleum.
Just as she was about to punch her again, Nicholas grabbed her fist, twisted it behind her back and pulled her away while pressing his other hand against Regina to keep her in place. "Enough! Both of you!" he shouted, "Sheriff, take Deputy Swann anywhere but here. And you," he said to his sister, "You and I are going to drop these off, pay our respects to father and then you're going back to your office. Understand?!" he asked them as he let them go.
Emma huffed for a moment before walking off, "Not worth it." she spat at Regina as she and Graham left.
In the Evil Queen's bedchamber, the Huntsman laid awake in her bed covered with sweat and feeling a bitter emptiness inside. The woman who hired him to take a life, the woman sleeping next to him, ended up being the to take his life; only not giving him the freedom of death. Instead of bringing her the heart of Snow White, he brought her the heart of a stag instead because he showed the princess mercy. So the queen retaliated by taking his own heart and used him as her own personal pet.
"Psst." he heard coming from the open balcony doors, "Psst!"
Wondering what the noise was, the Huntsman climbed out of bed and went outside. He looked around and saw nothing and just as he was about to return to bed, something pulled him over the balcony and made him fall into the bushes below.
"Thank goodness you decided not to yell on the way down." Nicholas said as he approached the confused hunter. In one hand were the Huntsman's clothes and weapons, and in the other his red, glowing heart. "You may want to put these on before you catch something." he said as he tossed him his clothes.
"Wait, I-I don't understand." the Huntsman said in confusion, "Why, why are you helping me?" he asked as he got dressed.
"If there's one thing in this world I can't stand, it's any innocent creature being kept a slave against his will." Nicholas replied, "Trust me, I speak from experience. Being someone's property is a lowly feeling. I made a vow to myself that if I could help it, I would free any person who deserves freedom from their enslavement."
"Even if I do manage to escape, the queen will just find me again. And I don't think she'll be willing to keep me alive next time."
"Don't worry about, I've already made sure that she won't be able to find you any time soon. That mirror of hers is exactly the bravest of souls." Nicholas smirked before shoving the heart back into his chest, "Now get out of here while there's still time."
"Thank you." the Huntsman said happily as he made his escape.
"Regina," Nicholas said as he looked up at the balcony above, "What have you become?"
As Nicholas and his sister placed their flowers on their father's grave, Regina walked around to its side with an angry look on her face. "What are you doing?" he asked as Regina began to push it. Beneath the coffin, a hidden stair case was revealed and Regina made her way down them with Nicholas at her heels.
As she walked into the depths of her secret vault, Regina went over to her heart collection and pulled out one of the many she owned. Nicholas didn't need to ask who it belonged to, he already figured it out.
"You took it back?" he asked in horror.
"Just before the curse hit, I found our dear Huntsman in the woods and decided to re-add him to my collection." Regina replied with a grin Nicholas hadn't seen since the Enchanted Forest, "And I wasn't about to let your compassion rob me of the leverage I had over him. He failed me when I asked him to kill Snow White, so told him if he ever disobeyed me, all I had to do was squeeze."
And squeeze she did. Nicholas tried to stop his sister, but he hadn't realized she was squeezing it the whole time she was talking. So just as he was about to take it from her, it was reduced to dust. Nicholas sighed in defeat, for he knew that his friend was now dead and if Emma was still with him, he would be receiving a call from her in tears any second.
"You may have had me worried about all the dirt you had on me for a while, Nicholas." his sister admitted, "But then I remembered that while I have none one you, there was something I could use against you should you ever decided to turn against me. Your love of the people in this town and your ridiculous idea of the 'friendships' you've made with them." she said in his ear.
"Now, I may not have the hearts of all your so-called friends, but I'm still mayor of this town. And if I wanted to, I could make anyone of them disappear and no one would be none the wiser. So if you ever feel like threatening your big sister again, just remember, I run this town. And everyone in it." Regina spat as she walked past him.
"Hey, Regina," Nicholas said as she walked up the first few step.
"What?" she barked.
"You might wanna clean your lip up a little bit. You still got some blood on it thanks to Ms. Swan." he mocked dryly as she stormed off. As soon as she left, his phone went off, he didn't need to look at the caller ID, he just answered it.
"Hello?" he asked hoarsely.
"Nicholas," Emma said through her tears, "Graham-Graham's dead!" she wailed.
"I'll be over there soon, Emma." he said to his friend still lacking emotion in his voice.
After the funeral several days later, Nicholas stood alone before Graham's grave. While he had only encountered him the one time in the Enchanted Forest, he had twenty-eight years of friendship with the man in Storybrooke.
He didn't shed a single tear since he saw his sister crush his friend's heart. The last time he allowed himself to cry was when Regina killed their father in order to enact the curse. Before that was…well, when his life changed tremendously thanks to someone he thought was his friend.
As Nicholas stared at the tombstone lost in thought, he heard the soft sound of whimpering coming from a wolf sitting by his leg. It was gray and had two unique eyes, one red as blood, the other black as night. It was the Huntsman's old companion.
"Yeah," Nicholas said as he gently rubbed the wolf's head to comfort it, "I miss him too."
While Nicholas was known to be a gentle soul, he could feel a raging fire of anger in his stomach. While he loved his sister, he knew that she needed to be stopped. While he knew he wasn't the one to do it, he knew who was and as long as his Regina kept taking action the way she was, he knew it wouldn't be long before Emma Swan, the Savior, would break the curse.
All he had to do was wait and then he could set his own plans in motion.
Nicholas remembers?! Just what exactly are his plans for after the curse? Stay tuned and you'll find out.