"Roland," Ms. Belle smiles. "I see you brought a visitor to story-time today."
He feels ten feet tall as he holds his new mother's hand, not certain why his Gina seems so nervous.
"Yeah," Roland grins. "I brought my Mama. I thought she could read a story to us."
A few of the children scoot back away from the pair of them, and he wonders why his Mama's hand is so cold.
"I understand if you think this is a bad idea," his Mama says. "If you'd like me to leave…"
"No," Ms. Belle cuts in."We'd love you to read a story to us, wouldn't we children?"
Nobody says a word. In fact, his friends scoot back even further. Roland thinks they must be in awe of his Mama. She used to be a queen, after all. and she is the mayor, which is kind of like a queen.
At least it seems that way to him.
"What book did you bring today?" Ms. Belle asks, and he feels his Mama's hand shake in his own.
"Ferdinand the Bull," Roland beams as his Mama holds it up for the other children to see. "It's my favorite."
"It's one of my favorites, too," Ms. Belle smiles, and Roland begins to bounce on his heels, more excited than he's been since the last time they got ice cream and played Mario Cart until way past his bedtime. "Would you like to sit here, Madame Mayor?"
Ms. Belle gets up and offers her big, soft chair, but his Mama just stands there, like she's not sure what to do. Roland smiles up at her and tugs on her hand, guiding her up to the seat and climbing up in her lap as soon as she sits down. The rest of the group scoots away from them another foot or so.
"Hello, children," his Mama begins, stopping to clear her throat. "Thank you for letting me visit you today."
She sounds scared, and his Mama never sounds scared. He doesn't like to see her this way.
"Don't be afraid, Mama," he tells her, turning to touch her cheeks. "They're just kids like me, not flying monkeys like the one you saved me from."
A gasp is heard from the carpet, and one little girl moves a bit closer.
"She saved you from a flying monkey?" Millie asks him.
"Yeah," Roland answers. "She turned him into a stuffed monkey for me to play with."
"You can turn monsters into toys?" George questions, and his Mama is surprised.
"Sometimes," she answers. "It depends on the monster."
"Can you turn my little brother into a puppy?" Caroline asks, and Ms. Belle steps in, clapping her hands like she does to get everybody quiet.
"Now children," Ms. Belle says. "Roland's mother is very busy, so I think we should let her read the story to us. Alright?"
The other kids nod, all except for Lucy. She raises her hand, and his Mama points at her.
"Does it have a happy ending?" Lucy asks, looking a little bit scared herself. "The story you're going to read?"
His Mama smiles then, really smiles, and he leans into her chest as he loves to do, feeling her kiss the top of his head.
"Of course," Mama answers, hugging him even closer. "Those are the only kind of endings allowed in Storybrooke."