Another amazing response from you all! I'm so grateful, so as promised here is chapter seven. Enjoy!
They had been in the car for several hours, August and Henry had been chatting idly about anything and everything. They were currently on the subject of Henry's school.
"I guess I like it, my teacher Ms Blanchard is nice. She gave me a book actually, I think you'd like it August." Henry said happily while digging around in his bag.
"Oh yeah, what's it about?" The man asked, Emma could tell that he wasn't just humouring the boy, like many adults do when talking to kids. He actually had an interest in what Henry was saying.
"I have it with me, look at it." Henry passed a large brown book to August who was in the front seat beside Emma.
The man was quiet for a few minutes as he flicked through the pages of the big book. The only sounds were soft gasps and muttered words of amazement.
"What is it?" Emma asked breaking the silence.
"Is she ready?" Henry asked the man, not one of them bothering to answer Emma's question.
"I'm not sure." August said, closing the book and passing it back to Henry. "You could try her." August suggested, he wasn't sure how much Emma still believed about the truths he told her, or if she even believed at all.
"It's a book of stories. I guess some people would call them fairy-tales." Henry began quite hesitantly while Emma suppressed an eye roll. More fairy-tales!?
"Except, everything in this book actually happened." Henry stopped there waiting for her to respond.
"Did you put him up to this? Did you write that book?" She asked, anger bubbling in her stomach.
"What?! No!" August looked hurt and a little angry at Emma's accusation but she could hear the truth in his words, he hadn't put Henry up to this.
"Fine, I'm sorry." Emma muttered, not wanting to fight with August.
"You really should believe. You're in this book, it's all true. The evil queen cursed everyone and now they're wondering around Storybrook with no idea who they actually are! Only you can break the curse, you're the saviour." Emma's chest tightened as she heard that word. She had spent the last ten years trying to forget all about the stories she had heard as a child and how someday she was supposedly expected to break some magic curse.
"Have you ever met or spoken to August before today kid?" She asked, feeling a little dizzy.
"I have a name you know, it's Henry and no I haven't. I just met him today. What's that got to do with anything?" He spoke the truth; Emma could sense it in his voice.
"Nothing Henry, it doesn't matter." Emma was barley concentrating on the road, how did her kid, know about the curse. That stupid book, how did she end up in a storybook in Maine?!
"Emma maybe you should pull over and let me drive for a while?" She nodded numbly at August and did as he instructed.
"Can I look at it?" Emma asked quietly after she climbed in the back to sit by Henry.
"Sure. Look this is where you come in." He had flipped to the back of the book and was showing her the illustrated version of the story that August had told her hundreds of times during the eighteen years they were together.
"That's Snow White and Prince Charming; you do know they're your parent's right?" He pointed to a picture of a raven haired woman and a blond man crying, while cradling a baby, a baby with an exact copy of Emma's blanket wrapped around the small infant. Henry sounded excited when he spoke and Emma wondered how often he chatted about this with other people; at least anyone who he thought had a chance of believing him.
"Yeah, so I've heard." She sighed looking at the book. It was so similar to what August had told her.
"Why don't you read it?" Henry handed her the book and then turned to face out of the window, giving her as much privacy as possible in her small bug.
Emma finally looked up from the book as the trio passed the 'Welcome to Storybrook' sign.
"Home sweet home, huh?" August said, taking in the sights around him, while driving up the road.
"This is too crazy." Emma muttered to herself. "Which street is yours kid?"
"How about 'I'm not telling you street'?" Henry tried to play it cool but inside he was afraid that they were going to drop him off at home and then he'd never see them again. He couldn't go home yet, not until he made her believe or at least agree to stay.
"Ok stop the car." Emma demanded in a no nonsense voice that August obeyed.
Emma climbed out of the car, slamming the door in the process.
"Look, it's been a long night and it's almost… 8:15?" Henry and August both looked up at the clock with the tired woman.
"Calm down, Grandma." August joked rolling his eyes.
"That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here."
"Oh great it gets worse." Emma said crossing her arms.
"So in the last twenty-eight years, time hasn't moved here?" August looked amazed at the seemingly normal small town.
"Nope the evil Queen sent everyone from the enchanted forest here, I've already told you." Henry said impatiently.
"So if this Queen is so evil why doesn't everyone just leave?" Emma couldn't quite believe that she was even talking about this.
"The Evil Queen is probably prevented them from doing that in some way." August suggested offhandedly. Emma could tell the man wasn't really paying attention to her and the boy instead was looking at a figure that was approaching with a dog.
"Exactly. If they try to leave bad things happen." It was odd hearing something so grave come out of a ten year olds mouth.
"Henry!" The man shouted hurrying towards the three of them. "What are you doing here, is everything all right?" The man asked shooting Emma and August suspicious looks.
"I'm fine Archie." Henry smiled petting the dog.
"Who are your friends?"
"Just two people giving him a ride home." Emma said, wanting nothing more than for this man to walk away.
"She's my mom, Archie and this is her friend August." Henry announced rather casually.
"Oh I see." August stood staring at the tall man, who glanced back at him for a moment before turning to Emma who had begun speaking.
"Do you know where he lives?" She asked hopefully.
"Yeah sure, just keep following the road and turn left. You can't miss it; the Mayor's house is the biggest on the block." Archie replied. Emma didn't know him but she could tell he was a good person; he seemed to genuinely care for Henry.
"You're the Mayors kid?" Her kid had it great here, a Rich Mayor for a parent and a quaint little town where people seemed to care for him. Now if he could only get fairy-tales out of his head he could be really happy here.
"Maybe." Henry shrugged not meeting Emma's eyes.
"Where were you today, Henry? I missed you at our session?" The man glanced at Emma, before looking back at Henry.
"Oops I forgot to tell you, I erm, went on a field trip." Emma could tell August was supressing a laugh, Henry was almost a worse liar than she was.
"Henry what did I tell you about lying? Giving into ones dark side never accomplishes anything." August gasped now knowing for certain who this man really was.
"Okay, we should really be getting him home." Emma forced a smile. Maybe if his shrink stopped talking about 'ones dark side' then Henry wouldn't be so interested in fairy tales.
"Yes well, have a good night and you be good Henry." With that Archie walked away leaving August gawking in his wake.
"So that was your shrink?" Emma asked. Was it possible for two people to make up the same world? Maybe August had seen the same book as Henry had when he was a child?
"I'm not crazy!" Henry was mad that she'd even consider the fact he was insane.
"I didn't say that." Emma said holding up her arms. "He just doesn't seem cursed to me. He just seems to want to help you." She shrugged.
"He is the one who needs help." Henry pressed on, trying to make her believe. "He just doesn't remember, none of them do."
"That they're all fairy-tale characters?" Emma felt like she was Henry's age again thinking over the possibility of the curse being real.
"Emma he's telling the truth." August muttered getting back into the car. This time he took the back seat, allowing Emma and Henry to ride in the front.
"Sure ok, I'll play. Who's he supposed to be?" Emma asked laughing without much humour.
"Jiminy Cricket." Henry and August chorused.
Emma ignored the weirdness of August's voice and how strange it was that the man seemed to know what the boy was going to say.
"Right the lying thing, I thought your nose grew a little bit." Emma said, trying desperately to make a joke out of the situation. She saw August roll his eyes; he had always hated that part of the Pinocchio story. When she was younger she used to tease him about it.
"I'm not Pinocchio." Henry cried, strapping himself in.
"Of course you're not, that would be ridiculous. August is Pinocchio." Emma felt as though she needed to scream.
"What? Really?" Henry's smile grew huge and then confused as August nodded, apparently confirming what Emma had said.
"But how did you get here?" August quickly ran through the story of the wardrobe and Geppetto's betrayal.
"Your father's called Marco here, he and Archie- I mean Jiminy, are still friends." August smiled his eyes filling at this small piece of information. He wanted desperately to find his father but promised himself that that could wait. First he had to make sure that Emma and Henry were settled first.
"Is this it?" Emma asked pulling up in front of a large white house.
"Please don't make me go back there." Henry begged but Emma got out the car not listening to his pleas.
"You have to go back; your parents will be worried sick about you." Emma tried to reason, what could possibly be so bad about growing up here?
"I don't have parents, just a mom and she's evil!" Emma stopped and faced the boy. August stood beside them with a bewildered look on his face, obviously not quite sure how to help in this situation.
"Evil? That's a bit extreme isn't it?" Emma would have given anything for a mother that cared for her as a child, Henry was obviously over reacting… right?
"She is. She doesn't love me, she just pretends to." It broke Emma's heart hearing in Henry's voice that he really believed he was unloved.
"Kid I'm sure that's not true." Emma wanted to hug him but before she had the chance the front door on the house was flung open and out ran a dark haired woman dressed in a smart tanned coloured dress.
"Henry!" She shouted running towards the boy.
Emma heard August gasp in shock but she was too focussed on the little boy beside her.
"Are you ok? Where have you been? What happened?" The woman asked, completely glancing at Emma and August. A man stood beside her looking relieved at the sight of Henry unharmed.
"I've found my real Mom!" He shouted before pushing past her and running into the house.
"You're Henry's birth mother?" Tears glistened in the woman's eyes and Emma couldn't help but feel bad for her.
"Hi." She felt intrusive; she shouldn't have been here, ruining this poor woman's life that she had set up for herself and her son.
"I'll just go check on the lad, make sure he's ok." The man said leaving Emma and August alone with the woman.
"How would you two like a glass of the best apple cider that you've ever tasted." The woman smoothed out her face and forced a smiled, showing her perfectly white teeth.
"Got anything stronger?" Emma joked, half hoping that the mayor might.
"Sadly not. Right this way…" She trailed off waiting for a name.
"I'm Emma Swan and he's August Booth." August nodded in a way of greeting; however Emma noticed that he seemed tense in this woman's presence.
"Regina Mills." She lead them into the grand house and through to the kitchen where she began getting out glasses for their apple cider.
"How did he find me?" Emma asked when no one made a move to speak.
"I have no idea, when I adopted him he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed, I was told the birth mother didn't want any contact, she only had one request." Emma gasped slightly, had she agreed?
"His middle name." Emma said nodding, remembering her tearful goodbye and her only wish for her baby. Regina handed them b
"And the father?" The woman said, glancing at August.
"Is not me." August smiled stiffly, trying to ignore the awkward tension in the room.
"Well should I be worried about him?" August rolled his eyes, the waste of space only ever worried about him.
"He doesn't even know Henry exists." Over the years Emma felt a little guilty about not telling him but she knew Henry was better off without either of them, especially him.
"And should I be worried about you Miss Swan?" Anger rose in August at this woman's silent threats, she clearly didn't like to be messed with, did she not think that Emma would fight for her kid now that she had had a chance to get to know him?
"Absolutely not." Emma said firmly, causing August to almost choke on the remains of his apple cider.
"Emma!" August started to argue but was soon cut off by the man from earlier coming back down the staircase.
"Madam Mayer you can relax, other than being a tired little boy, Henry is fine." Emma saw how much respect the man seemed to have towards his mayor.
"Thank you Sherriff." Regina said, dismissing the man before turning towards the two people still in her house.
"I'm sorry he dragged you both out of your lives. I honestly don't know what's gotten into him." She led them into a lounge and motioned for them both to sit.
"The kid's having rough time, it happens." Emma felt she needed to defend Henry; he wasn't being difficult, he just didn't feel loved.
"He seems fine to me." August muttered. He didn't trust this woman, Henry didn't say who she was but he had his suspicions.
"You have to understand ever since I became mayor things have been difficult to balance. You have a job I assume?" She directed her question to Emma, after all Regina knew that Emma was the main threat when it came to Henry.
"I keep myself busy." Emma replied, wondering where the woman was going with the convocation.
"Well imagine having another job on top of that, being a single mother." Emma shifted uncomfortably, she felt as though she was in school again, the teachers slyly telling her she would never be to amount to anything.
"Am I strict? Yes, but only because I want Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes me evil do you?" Emma had to admit that the mayor did seem to want the best for Henry.
"I'm sure he's just saying that because of his fairy-tale thing." She reasoned, trying to sooth the woman.
"What fairy-tale thing?" August swore quietly under his breath.
"You know how he thinks that everyone in town is a cartoon character from his-" August stood abruptly, pulling Emma up with him.
"Emma, maybe we should be heading off." August desperately wanted Emma to shut up. The woman must really be bad news if Henry had kept her in the dark about the whole curse and the storybook.
"I'm sorry I really have no idea what you're talking about. What fairy-tale thing?" Regina looked angry and Emma suddenly got an uneasy feeling about revealing Henry's secrets to her.
"I'm sorry it isn't any of our business, and August is right, we better get going." With that Emma and August headed out the front door and hurried towards Emma's car.
Emma stopped and turned around, having the feeling that she was being watched. There at the top window was Henry, his little face looked so sad that Emma wanted desperately to run back in the house and make him feel better but before she could Henry let the curtain fall as he backed away from the window.
"Come on." August said touching her arm lightly, trying to lead her away from the manor house. "I'm sure there will be a hotel or inn around here, somewhere."
"I don't want to stay in a hotel, I don't want to stay in this town, I want to go home." Emma pulled away and carried on towards her car.
"Emma, wait! Henry needs you; you can't leave him alone in this town with her." She ignored her old friend and strapped herself into the driver's seat.
"Fine, very mature. Ignore me." Huffed August, climbing in the passenger seat.
She still didn't talk to him; she started the car and drove through the town.
"Well I have a feeling you'll be going back to see the kid." August said a few minutes later, smirking slightly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked. How was he so sure of what she was going to do?
"Because even though you don't fully believe in the curse, you still care about Henry, and Henry cares about this book." He chuckled holding up the storybook.
"Where did you get that?" Emma asked suspiciously.
"It was on the seat when I climbed in, that's a smart kid you have there." Emma's chest tightened uncomfortably.
"He's not my kid. He's hers." Emma muttered, looking at August sternly. He had to accept that she had given up her rights when she gave him away.
"Emma, that's ridiculous. He's your son and nothing can- Emma!" August shouted, waving his arms in the direction of the road.
A wolf stood in the middle of the road. She swerved, gasping in horror. Her body flew forward and then back as the car smashed into something hard.
The last thing August was aware of before he passed out was Emma, slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious.
I hope you all liked it!