Regina stayed up most of the night worrying what was going to happen now that Mary Margaret knew that she was Emma's birth mother. Will the curse break, it may benefit her that Emma will hate Miss. Blanchard for giving her up especially after the talk they had earlier in her office. Regina knew that Miss. Blanchard will not be a threat to the curse, because if Emma hated her then she would not want anything to do with her, leaving Regina Emma's one and only mommy forever.
Regina knew without a doubt in her mind she loved her little girl, but Snow coming into Emma's life even if she is cursed can still cause trouble. Regina knew she had to keep a tight leash on Emma after she tells her, to make sure she doesn't get hurt in all this.
Regina made her way to her daughter's room, she was sleeping peacefully holding 'Henry' in her left arm firmly. Regina slowly walked over to her daughters sleeping form and just watched her sleep for hours into the night, she fell asleep in Emma's desk chair watching her.
Emma slowly opened her eyes, from the sunlight hitting her face from the window, she reached over to the bed side table next to her alarm clock to put on her hearing aids.
As soon as Emma turns them on she can hear the clock tower chime over the whole town, showing that it had started smiles happily thinking someone fixed the towns clock, she had never heard the clock tower chime before until now.
"Mom the clock tower is working again" Emma shouts at her mother who is sitting in a chair near her bed, but Emma doesn't realise she is right there. Emma got out quickly from under her sheets and went straight to her window to hear and look out onto the town. The sun was shining outside, the birds were chirping, the town seemed more awake than it usually was before. Emma notices this, the town always seem like it was asleep to her as long as she could remember. Now it was slowly waking up after eight years of sleeping, and so were the people inside it.
"What?!" Regina shot up from her sleep in the chair by her daughter's words, she sauntered to the window in alarm. She got even more worried when she heard the clock tower chime loud over the town.
"I guess someone fixed the time" Emma joked to her mother, but all she did was hold a look of anger and fear upon her face. Emma went away from the window, she went to her dresser to get ready for school she noticed that her mother was still by the window.
"Mom" Regina still didn't answer, she had a concentrated look on her face looking at the clock tower in the distance noticing the hands have moved. Time has started to move forward.
Mary Margaret Blanchard was eating her morning cereal, she heard the chime of the clock tower so she went to the window thinking she was imagining things. She sat down next to the window and looked out, she noticed the clock hands have moved and the tower was chiming.
She sat there wondering what was going to happen today, she had to teach today with Emma in her class. She suspected that they would move her because of their relation, but the school had said she had been placed in her class for the year and had no room to move her to a different teacher.
Today things were going to change.
The town was awake, people were out walking doing their normal routines but were different in some way. The people felt a sort of small freedom on the inside making the town more peaceful and cheerful in some way.
Sheriff Graham was out on his patrol of the town as sheriff, he waved to Archie Hopper who was walking his dog Pongo this fine morning like he always did, but this time there was an extra spring in his step. Archie and Pongo crossed the street, he lifted his head in acknowledgement to as he greeted him as the street in separate directions.
He glanced around the town studying it, learning.
Granny brought groceries from down the street, bringing it to the diner she passed her Granddaughter Ruby who was putting out the 'dinner open' sign outside before heading inside the diner following her grandmother to start the day. As they always did for eight years. Sheriff Graham had parked his squad car, to go in the diner to receive his morning cup of joe like normal.
Things were still 'Normal' in Storybrooke, but that was about to change for better or for worse. Take your pick.
Regina finally snapped out of her thought turning to Emma, who was holding her school uniform in her hand staring at her with a wondering look.
"Emma look at the time, were going to be late. Is cereal okay this morning?" Regina said quickly looking at Emma's alarm clock, then getting up to go to her room to get ready for the day.
Regina dressed herself in a gray long business dress for the day, she hurried to get ready to go to work as Emma got ready. Emma dressed herself in her school uniform, she stood in front of her oval body length mirror and brushed her hair she then put her hair up in a pony tail. Emma grabbed her purple backpack off of her desk, she put her desk chair back in its place. She was about to run out of her bedroom, when something inside her stopped her Emma went to her bed pillow and took out her blanket and put it in her back pack. Emma finally headed down the stairs into the kitchen where her mother was making coffee, she saw Emma and started to take out the cereal, milk, a spoon, and a bowl.
Emma started to eat her cereal, but her face saddened when regina came back over to her and put prunes in it. Emma made a disgusted, but agreeable face.
"Don't forget the prunes, you need to have something healthy with that cereal" Emma mustered in a small whisper so regina wouldn't hear 'but the cereal is all natural'. Emma ate her cereal, she thought of ways to get the taste of prunes out of her mouth. Grannies for Hot chocolate with Cinnamon before school.
"I'm done" Emma quickly got up from her chair, and brought her bowl over to the sink to clean up her mess. Regina looked at the clock she had some time before going to work, and Emma school she had a plan forming to give a good morning to .
"Emma let's go" Regina announced to her daughter, as she put apples in a basket going towards the door with Emma in tow.
Regina drove into town with Emma in the back seat of the car looking outside with a curious expression, regina had to distract her.
"Emma you remember what I said last night right?"
"Of course I love you too" Emma said genuinely looking at her from behind her, Emma smiled warmly at her mother which she returned. "Do you want to walk to school I can drop you off at Grannies and you can walk the rest of the way" Regina proposed turning down onto main street, in the direction of Grannies and the school.
"That will be swell, Thanks mom" Emma was happy, she could get her drink and then go to school.
"Okay I have to make a quick errand before work, is it okay that I leave you or do you want me to walk with you?"
"No, it's okay I can walk by myself, I do it everyday anyway what's different about today?"
"It's just since last night, I didn't want you to feel alone. I will never leave you, you know that right?" Regina was hoping she did, she wanted to have some words in with Miss. Blanchard so she doesn't tell Emma yet about their relation but wanted to be there for her daughter.
"I will be fine, you will see me later right?" Emma got out of the car and talked to Regina through the window.
"Of course, when you get home I will have a birthday cake all for you. How's that sound" Regina smiled at her, trying to cheer her up which did a little bit.
"Okay Bye" Emma waved as Regina started to drive away, as soon as she was gone Emma went straight for Grannies to get prune out of her mouth.
Mary Margaret was getting her purse, pencils, notebooks, and stickers ready for the day for the kids at the school. She heard a knock on the door and went to open it, she saw the mayor there with a smile on her face but it was a forced smile.
Mary noted that she had a basket full of Blood red shiny apples in her arms.
"Did you know the honey crisp tree is the most vigorous and hearty of all apple tree's" Mary Margaret had no idea what to say.
"It can survive temperatures as low as forty below and keep growing" Regina snuffled a laugh like it was some smart joke.
"It can whether any storm" Mary Margaret stated to wonder why she was at her door, then she knew why she was intimidated by her being Emma's birth mother.
"I have one that I have tended to since I was a little girl and to this day I have yet to taste something more delicious than the fruit it offers" Regina looked at all the apples, the picked one from the basket and putting it front of her to give to Mary Margaret.
"Thank You"
"The school informed me that Emma, is staying in my class"
"I don't think that is a good idea. Emma has enough issues she doesn't need you confusing her"
"All due respect Madam Mayor, the fact that you want Emma out of my class makes me want to be her teacher even more and someone would consider this a threat"
"Since when were apples a threat" Regina says in a sweet innocent voice trying to convince the school teacher.
"I can read between the lines, Sorry. You can't keep me from her"
"I assure you dear I can, when she finds out she will want to be taken out of your class herself"
'What does that mean"
"That means she will never love you Miss. Blanchard, see your someone she will hate when she finds out the truth"
"When Emma does find out, she will need her mother" Mary Margaret tried to fight back, for Emma she was not going to lose her not again.
"Take my advice Miss. Blanchard, only one of us knows what is best for Emma"
"I am starting to think you are right about that"
"I think you need to leave MY DAUGHTER alone"
"Or what, she is more mine than she is yours"
"Don't underestimate me Miss. Blanchard, you have no idea what I am capable of" Regina said warning her, Regina then turned on her heel and walked out towards her car and to her office for the day.
Mary Margaret shrugged off what the Mayor had said, she must be feeling that she was going to take away Emma from her. Regina had done wrong by coming to see her Mary Margaret by law had every right to have custody of Emma, but had to wait until the DNA test was taken to prove their relation to one another.
Emma walked into Grannies with her chin held high wanting to rid the god awful taste in her mouth from the prunes. 'Yuck'
Emma sat down at a booth near the door, she waited for Ruby to come by to take her order.
"Can I have a Hot Chocolate with-"
"Cinnamon coming right up" Ruby rushed away with her order, she soon came back with the cup of hot Chocolate.
"Thanks Ruby" Emma thanks thinking she was going to walk away, but it surprised her when the waitress sat down across from her.
"I heard it was your birthday yesterday, this one is on the house" Ruby tells her, then walks away before Emma can protest wanting to pay.
Emma drank her hot chocolate, slowly then when she was finished she put on her back pack and left the diner in the direction of the school.
Emma walked down the street like she normally did, but this time she saw things that were different the town looked more alive and not in a huge haze but a smaller one. Emma watched as everyone did the same thing they did every morning, she kept her head down the most she could without staring at people until she reached the school.
Mary Margaret was waiting outside the school by the busses, she always was on bus duty in the morning but today she was excited about it because she got to see Emma this morning before class wanted to take Emma in her arms and tell her that she was her mother, and tell her she loved her more than anything. Mary Margaret always wanted Emma ever since she found out she was pregnant, she didn't care how old she was when she had her and that her boyfriend disappeared the night she went into labor. She loved her little girl.
Mary Margaret perked up when she saw Emma, her happiness was short-lived when Emma ran past her without saying hello or good morning or anything basically and into the school building. Mary Margaret knew Regina hadn't told her yet about their relation she wanted to wait for the DNA result's, but she knew it was her daughter through and through.
Mary Margaret entered the school building shortly after all the student were off the busses, she headed to her classroom. The classroom had rows of desk lined up perfectly, the students were sitting down waiting for her to arrive.
Mary Margaret came in to her classroom to greet her student's and now secret daughter.
"Good morning everyone, today we are starting our new history unit" Mary Margaret walks over to her desk, as everyone sit's up straight in theirs. Emma sit's down in her desk putting her backpack on the desk chair, she soon pays attention to as she begins to write on the chalkboard. Emma watches as the chalk curves into letters, that's when it happened.
Emma's started hearing noises from outside, such as car horns, people talking and shouting, animals making noises, a women on the phone, kids tapping pencils on the desks, kicking into the desks, shuffling of chairs slowly moving on the floor. Emma starts looking around her in alarm, she started seeing bright lights dance across her eyes, it was very bright that her eyes turned bright white no one saw it. Emma tried to close her eyes, and cover her ears but it didn't help. Then it started to get painful, she looked around her in panic that's when Miss. Blanchard noticed her.
She Finished writing on the chalk board and patted her hand to get the excess chalk off, that's when she heard kids whispering loudly. She turned around and saw Emma looking frantically around the classroom, she looked to be having a panic attack or something worse. "Emma are you okay?" Mary Margaret walked over to her desk in worry, Emma didn't even seem to notice her at all.
"Emma?" Mary Margaret started getting more and more concerned for her daughter by the minute. Mary Margaret went to touch her, that's when Emma's head snapped in her direction. Emma quickly got up shoved her desk a little getting up and ran for the classroom door, she went for the handle. "Emma!?"
Emma ran down the hallway with her little feet, wishing for the sounds,colors, and pain to stop everything seemed so big to her and she felt so small. Emma took in everything at once, she couldn't concentrate at just one thing she was getting everything around her even if she didn't want it.
Emma ran for a janitor's closet down the hallway, she didn't even notice a school teacher running behind her in worry and wanting to know where she was going. Mary Margaret got very scared when Emma ran out of the classroom like that, she forgot about her class and acted on motherly instinct and impulse. Mary Margaret saw that Emma ran into a janitorial closet to hide, she noted that a bunch of other teacher came running after hearing of the incident, they walked to the door and checked on the child wanting to know why she had run off.
Emma sat on the floor of the dark janitors closet with her head in her knees with tears on her little face, she just wanted the pain to stop.
"Emma, Emma are you all right" A teacher reached for the door knob.
"Leave me alone!" Emma shouted, she lifted her head in anger and pain her eyes flashed bright white at the door knob.
"OWW!" The teacher retracted their hand from the door knob in pain like from being burned.
"Where's Miss. Blanchard?" A teacher said wondering where the child's teacher was.
"I'm here" Mary Margaret ran towards the group of teacher's, she went to the floor sitting in front of the door.
"Emma honey what's the matter?" Mary Margaret asked frantically, wanting to know why she acted like she did.
Emma's tear stained face lifted up from her lap in the closet at the teacher who was her best friend's voice, Emma knew that Miss. Blanchard always understood her even better than her mother.
"The worlds too big, Miss. Blanchard"
Mary Margaret heard her, she knew how to handle this situation now. Her daughter needed her, she was going to be there for her and no one would stop her from being Emma's mother Regina be damned.
"Then make it small"
"I can't it hurts" Mary Margaret's heart almost broke by the tone of her little girl words. She was going to try to be there for her daughter, she had to know what to say.
"Focus on my voice, you know the world pretend it's an island out in the ocean. Can you see it?" Mary Margaret tried to talk through the key hole hoping Emma had heard her voice.
Emma sat in the dark closet, her crying stopped as the pain and everything around her dissipated to finally be in control again. Emma was finally okay again, she smiled at her best friends calming voice imagining that island.
"I see it"
"Can you come out of the closet?" Mary Margaret asked hoping she would, she didn't get a reply which made her worried, but then.
Emma slowly got up from the floor and opened the door in search of her best friend. Mary Margaret saw Emma she opened her arms for her to hug. "Come here" Emma went into her arms, she hugged her daughter and dried her tears from her face.
"All better?" Mary asked worried for her little girl, she received a nod.
"Good let's go back to class all right" Emma took her hand as she escorted her daughter with her back to class, she smiled as her daughter gripped her hand walking next to her in the hallway. She missed out on holding her hand for eight years and she wasn't going to miss any more.
Mary Margaret continued the school day with the closet incident behind them all, she decided to conduct an art's and crafts project with the children.
"Okay today we are going to paint birdhouses for our art's and craft's today" Mary Margaret handed out plain birdhouses and paint to the children, who decorated them silently. Most were sloppy and all over the place with color most kids paint like that, but not Emma. No, Emma was something else.
"What's going on here?" Mary Margaret smiled at the child painting's she had painted on the bird house with wonderment. There were painting's of small little blue birds, on a white painted bird house, she looked it over admiring the work Emma had done.
"A bird house Miss. Blanchard" Emma answered her not knowing that she treasured her work.
"Why the blue birds?" Mary Margaret smiled at her, wondering what was going on in her daughter's mind for her to paint a bluebird.
"Well, this one bluebird always find me when I am in the forest alone" Emma whisper's in thought thinking about why she painted blue birds on the bird house.
"I think you are talking about Lawrence" Mary Margaret put her finger in the air, and a few seconds later a blue bird flew through the window onto it. Mary Margaret walked back to the window talking to the class.
"See class a bird is free, and will do what it will. This is for them not us, they are loyal creatures" Mary Margaret addressed the class then turned around putting her hand out the window, the kid awed as the blue bird flew from her finger and on the blue bird house outside in a tree across from the classroom.
Mary Margaret then turned around still talking to the class. "If you love them, and they love you they will always find you" Mary Margaret tried not to show it, but she kept glancing at Emma the entire time she said that. Emma was looking at her bird house, until she felt eyes on her so she looked at Miss. Blanchard they stared into each other's eyes. Then the bell rang, interrupting their moment.
"We'll pick this up after recess, No Running!" Kids got up from their desks in a hurry to go play and have lunch. Mary margaret retrieved her black purse from her desk, she wanted to go to the playground and watch Emma slowly cleaned up her desk of paint brushes and paint, Mary Margaret admired that she stayed to clean up after herself.
"Emma don't you want to play with your friends?"
Emma looked up from what she was doing, her head turned to Miss. Blanchard.
"I don't have any" Emma whispered to the teacher who's heart broke for her, Emma finished up cleaning and reached for school bag.
"I'm sorry, am I keeping you Miss. Blanchard?"
"Oh, No it's just..you know what I have something for you" Mary Margaret went towards her desk and opened an old drawer. She took out a rectangular object and hid it behind her back as she made her way towards Emma who was confused as to why she would give her something.
"It's a book, I have had for as long as I can remember. I haven't had a use for it, so I think you should hold onto it for a while" Emma seemed shock, and looked as if she was being joked.
"Really, why?"
"I heard it was your birthday yesterday, plus I know you will read anything you can get your hands on" Mary Margaret held out the book towards the blonde girl.
"Thanks, Thanks a lot" Emma said with a smile, her best friend remembered her birthday.
"Take good care of it, can I trust you?" Mary Margaret smiled knowing she would take care of the book really good.
"Of course, I will take good care of it. I promise" Emma held the book wrapped in her hands guarding it already. Mary Margaret smiled at the little girl, the time.
"You should head to Recess" Mary margaret took Emma by the shoulders leading her to the door when Mayor mills steps in looking for Emma.
"Miss. Mills what are you doing here?" Mary Margaret noticed that Emma stiffened when she saw her mother at the school in fright almost.
"I am here for my daughter" Regina reached for Emma's wrist, but Emma tugged back from her grip.
"Has something happened?"
"Do you think I would be here if there wasn't. I got a call from a teacher in the school, saying that Emma ran off during class into a closet. How do you call yourself a teacher if you cannot control your kids Miss. Blanchard" Regina bit back, she got scared when Emma tugged out of her reach. Emma felt sorry for her teacher, she had to do something soon before it got more ugly.
"What did you say to her?" Regina eyed Emma who was in front of Mary Margaret protectively, Emma seemed upset by her presence. Miss. Blanchard was corrupting her daughter.
"Nothing"
"If I find out-
"Enough what is going on?!" Emma shouts getting in between them to stop her mother from hurting her best friend.
"Mom what are you doing?" Emma looks at her mother confused and scared at the same time.
"Emma will you go to recess for me" Emma slowly walks away from Mary Margaret, as she does so she feel alone again so she grip the book in her hands and walks out side.
"What the hell is that?" Regina points to the leather-bound book in Emma's hands curious wondering why her daughter was holding it as she walks out the door into the hallway.
"Just some stories I gave her. As you well know Emma is a special girl, so smart, so creative, and as you might be aware lonely she needed it"
"What she needs is a dose of reality, this is a waste of time" Regina nods her head telling her off. Regina turns around quickly with her purse knocks over textbooks on one of the desks.
"We will see who is her real mother, this after noon. Have a nice recess" Regina says with no emotion before going out the door and out of the school back to work.
Mary Margaret bends down to pick up the books off the floor, as she is picking them up she notices small child hands picking up books across from her she notices it is Emma. "Sorry about her, she can be quiet-"
"Intimidating" Emma smiles at the finished sentence knowing that she wasn't the only one who saw her mother for who she was.
Mary Margaret smiles at her grateful, she can't help but look at the similarities between them. She has her eyes.
"How does the book help?" Mary Margaret and Emma stand up, the teacher put the books on a counter top and they started walking out the door into the hallway towards the playground.
"What do you think stories are for, these stories in that book the classics. There's a reason we all know them, there a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense, they make you feel like your not-"
"Alone" Emma supplied for her knowing what she was going to Margaret stopped walking and took Emma's arms in her hands, she stared at her sadly.
"Look Emma, I want you to know that you are not Alone anymore. When you have the book you won't be alone"
"Why is that?"
"Because this book, right here has the most important thing anyone can have" Mary Margaret pointed to the book in Emma's hands.
"What?"
"Hope" The teacher stared into her daughter's eyes and she did the same, as soon as Miss. Blanchard said that word Emma saw something in her eyes. If she had to guess she would say love, a spark igniting breaking down a layer inside the teacher soul kinda like an onion.
"If you ever need someone to talk to or just be around I will always be there for you" Mary Margaret fixed Emma's uniform for her out of habit.
"How do I know you will?"
"I will find you, I will always find you Emma" Mary Margaret hugged her, stroking her blonde hair trying to fight off tears to the best of her ability.
"I will find you too, we are best friends after all" Emma whispered to her through the hug, Mary Margaret smiled sadly. Mary Margaret knew she had to let her go, but she knew she would find Emma and Emma would find her always.
"Let's go to recess" Mary Margaret took Emma's hand in her's again and lead the way outside to the playground. Mary Margaret let go of the girl hand as she went to go play on the swing set alone, Emma opened the book she noted that it said 'Once upon a time'. Emma began to read the book.
