Chapter 22
(The song Ris is refering to is "Until it's gone" by Linkin Park. Just pointing that out so that her line doesn't come out weird. It kind of inspired me to write the chap, so I had to give it some credit.)
"Are you going to keep staring at it, or are you gonna man up and put it on?" asked Ris. Emma had been staring at the sheriff's badge for way too long, almost as if she didn't want to wear it.
"Should I? Graham had been sheriff for a long time, wouldn't it be too soon for the rest of the Storybrooke people?" asked Emma.
"People love you here. You are the new girl with the red leather jacket, the crappy yellow bug and the insane friend that won't shut up. What's not to love?"
"Yeah, but as sheriff? Shouldn't there be more volunteers for the job?"
"For God's sake..." muttered Ris, and she grabbed the badge from her friend's hand. She grabbed Emma's jacket and randomly placed the badge on it. She took a few steps back to see if she got it right. It wasn't exactly how she expected it to look like.
"There. All perfect." she said with a proud smile.
"Right. Good luck with me trying to make Storybrooke trust me while wearing the badge like that." said Emma, and she took off the badge to place it correctly.
"As if anyone noticed it when Graham was wearing it..."
Someone cleared their throat from the sheriff station's entrance.
"Oh, sorry. That's not for you." said Regina's voice.
"You've got to be kidding me..." muttered Ris before she faced Regina. "Hey Gina. How is it going? How come you're at the sheriff's station now that your boyfriend's gone?" she said. It came out totally unsensitive and careless, and in a tone that had surely pissed Regina.
"Regina, it's been two weeks. The promotion is automatic." said Emma, driving the mayor's attention away from Ris.
"Unless the Mayor appoints someone else within the time period, which I'm doing today." said Regina, entering now the office.
"There are no volunteers. Who are you forcing to take the job?"
"After due reflection, Sidney Glass." said Regina. Ris couldn't help herself and let a small laugh escape her lips, pissing off Regina even more.
"Sydney works in a fucking newspaper. He can't even throw a dart properly at Granny's. Trust me, I've tried to teach him mutiple times." she said.
"She's right, how does making Sydney sheriff make any sense?" asked Emma.
"Well, he's covered the Sheriff's Office for as long as anyone can remember." explained Regina.
"Exactly. Covered. He knows nothing about the actual job, he'll just do whatever you want him to. You just cannot stand the fact that things have been getting better around here, can you?" said Emma.
"Better? Are you referring to Graham's death as 'better'?" asked Regina.
"Alright, now you're just putting words in her mouth." said Ris.
"Am I? Who is the one that benefits the most with his death? You would surely be next deputy if I hadn't interfered. Graham was a good man and a good sheriff. He made this town safe, and forgive me for saying it, Miss Swan, but you have not earned the right to wear his badge." said Regina.
"Graham picked me to be Deputy." said Emma.
"He was wrong." argued Regina.
"No. He knew what he was doing. He freed this office from your leash. So what if I make her deputy? At least she has studied police forces in London for a year, a lot more than the zero days that Sydney or anyone else has. You're not getting the office back." said Emma.
"Actually, I just did. Miss Swan, you're fired." said Regina. The mayor took the sheriff's badge from the desk, her satisfaction showing a little bit too much, and she left.
"Hey! Come back here, you can't just go around firing people!" said Ris, and she tried to go after Regina and give her a piece of her mind. But Emma held her back, not wanting any more trouble.
How dare she? Who gave her the right to fire Emma? Being the mayor normally would, but she put her personal gains and interests first. That was totally unproffessional.
"What a fucking bitch." said Ris. She looked at Emma, angrily. "Are you just going to let this go?" she asked.
"There's nothing that can be done right now. She's not giving me the job back no matter what."
"If I punch her in the face she will." said Ris, and she made for the door again. Emma held her back. Again.
"No, did you even listen to Henry this morning? We're good and we don't fight dirty." said Emma.
"Look where that got us. You are jobless, I lost my chances in being deputy and Henry is upset. Maybe good is overrated."
"First of all, I never said I would surely make you deputy, and secondly, I'll find another way." said Emma. Ris sighed in defeat.
"Alright. Let's get our brains working and kick Regina's ass. I know exactly what inspires me to think of something genius." said Ris.
"I can't find a screwdriver!" yelled Ris, so that her voice would be heard on top of the loud music playing on Mary Margaret's old stereo.
"Knife, screwdriver, what's the difference?" asked Emma, rhetorically, as she grabbed a knife and started randomly tinkering with the toaster.
"My toast plans didn't really go as I thought they would..." said Ris.
"Could you please turn up the volume? I love this song." said Emma.
"Since when?" asked Ris.
"Since it inspires me on how to murder the mayor." said Emma, giving up on the knife and hitting the toaster on the counter.
"You know, hitting her head with the toaster is not a bad idea now that I see you." said Ris, turning up the volume even more.
Right when Ris started pourring a drink for the two of them, Mary Margaret came back home, shocked to find her roomates acting like a bunch of agressive teenagers.
"Hey M&M! You got something strongeer?" asked Ris, loudly, so that the teacher would hear her. Mary Margaret turned the volume down, so that the three of them could have a normal converstation.
"Shouldn't you be at your session with Archie?" she asked Ris.
"I'm ditching today." replied Ris, turning the volume up again only to have the radio turned off completely by Mary Margaret,
"And why are you ditching?" she asked Ris, as if she was talking to a kid.
"Because I'm pissed and you know where Archie's umbrella is gonna end up inside if I take my anger out on him." she said and she dropped herself on the couch while having a sip of her drink. Mary Margaret turned to Emma, hoping that she would make more sense than Ris.
"What happened, why are you hitting the toaster?" she asked.
"Just taking out my anger. I really needed to hit something." replied Emma.
"What's going on, why are you two so upset?"
"Regina fired me."
"And she took away my chances of being deputy. And guess who's taking Emma's place." said Ris.
"Who?"
"Sydney Glass. Aka, lap dog number two. Well, number one now." said Ris.
"Aka, another one of her puppets, so that she will have the police office under her control again. It is my job." said Emma.
"I've never heard you so passionate about it before." said Mary Margaret.
"You don't know what you've got until it's gone." quoted Ris. "If only that was on the radio right now..." she said and reached for the stereo, but Mary Margaret beat her to it.
"What made you so upset about the loss of your job?" asked Mary Margaret.
"I don't know, I just know I want it back." said Emma.
"It's the motherly instinct again. Henry is upset and boom. She cares." commented Ris.
"It's not just that." said Emma, giving up on the toaster.
There was a knock on the door.
"I want to finally beat that bitch." added Emma, and she headed to the door.
"What did you buy?" asked Ris, looking through Mary Margeret's shopping bags.
"Fruits, vegetables..." started Mary Margaret.
"Really? Not a bag of M&Ms? Shame on you." said Ris, playfully. Mary Margaret let out a small laugh, but it disappeared once she looked at the door. Ris turned to look who the visitor was as well. It was no other than Mr Gold himself.
"Good evening Miss Swan. Sorry for the intrusion. There's something I'd like to discuss with you." he said. Emma threw Ris and Mary Margaret a look, silently telling them to go.
"I'll let you two talk." said Mary Margaret and he ran to her room.
"Yeah, I guess I'll go too..." said Ris. She didn't want to talk to Gold after their weird convertation at the cemetery. She was still creeped out by that.
"Miss Silver, I think that the matter concerns you too. I suggest you stay." said Gold as he entered the appartment.
"Why?" asked Ris carelessly, when Mary Margaret got to her room.
"Weren't you interested in being deputy?" asked Gold.
"It was a joke. I don't even have a certificate allowing me to become one."
"Unless the sheriff promotes you."
"I don't think Sydney Glass would ever take an order from Regina about promoting Ris." said Emma.
"Oh right, I heard about what happened. Such an injustice." said Gold.
"Yeah, well, what's done is done." said Emma.
"That's the spirit. Fight until the bitter end." mocked Ris, raising her fist us in the air.
"She's right. That's so unlike you."
"I don't know what chance I have. She's Mayor and I'm, well, me." said Emma, crossing her arms.
"Miss Swan, Miss Silver. Two people with a common goal can accomplish many things. Two people with a common enemy can accomplish even more. Not to mention that there's three of them in that case. How would you like a benefactor?" said Gold.
"Benefactor?" asked Ris.
"Would you mind?" asked Gold, gesturing at the table.
"I'm sensing a long converstation." muttered Ris, as she, Emma and Gold sat down on the table chairs. Gold placed the binder he was holding on the table and opened it up.
"You know, it really is quite shocking how few people study the town charter." he said, taking a book out of the binder.
"What's that?" asked Ris.
"Rules, authorities. Basically anything that has to do with this town." replied Gold, and he opened the book.
"Well, I haven't read anything since Harry Potter. I'm pretty sure everyone thinks the same way here as well."
"Well, I don't. The charter though is quite comprehensive. And the Mayor's authority? Well, maybe she's not quite as powerful as she seems." said Gold. Ris and Emma smirked at that statement.
"Discovering hidden weaknesses? I'm so in." said Ris, and she sat up, her interest officially caught.
New York
Two Years Ago...
August Booth tapped his foot on the floor impatiently, waiting for the appartment owner to open up the door. He never thought that he would need to meet that guy ever again, but after he returned from his trip to Phuket to check on Emma... It looked like fate was not something that anyone should mock. It also looked like befriending Emma Swan ran in the family. Neal had fallen in love with her and Clarissa had suddenly became her best friend. The last thing August needed was another member of that family driving Emma away from her destiny. After what had happened with Neal, August thought that she wouldn't trust anyone again. That she would be driven to Storybrooke without anything or anyone holding her back. And now that brat, Clarissa, was going to ruin it all... He knew that it wasn't her fault that she befriended the savior, but couldn't it be someone else? Was it totally impossible for him to live his life without anyone ruinning everything?
August's thoughts were interrupted when the door finally opened. Neal Cassidy made a face when he saw him, and he tried to smack the door on his face. August placed his foot in front of the door to prevent it from closing.
"Sorry for bothering." said August, not really meaning it.
"What do you want?" asked Neal, angrily.
"It concerns the curse I told you about a few years ago and another obstacle standing in the way."
"Look man, I'm done with this crap. I've done my part in your stupid job as Emma's 'guardian angel' and I still regret it. If you think I'm going to listen to anything you have to say, you can think again." said Neal, and he tried to close the door again. August held it open with his hand this time.
"This time it concerns someone else. Someone you care for even more than Emma." said August.
"What are you talking ab... Wait, are you talking about Rissy? What happened to her?" asked Neal, finally showing some interest.
"It's not really appropreate for me talking from outside the door. We might bother the neighbors." said August. Neal sighed in annoyance and anger mixed together, but he let him in.
"What about my sister?" asked Neal, closing the door behind him.
"I came back a few days ago from a trip." started August, as he made himself comfortable on Neal's couch. "And guess what I saw on my way home. Your dear sister, out of the orphanage. And guess what she was doing." he said and paused.
"What was she doing?" asked Neal, crossing his arms and loosing his patience.
"She was following your footsteps. Taking a page from a little book called 'How to jeopardize someone's destiny'. She was having coffe at Starbucks with, gues who, Emma."
Neal's face became serious after that statement.
"Emma and Rissy are friends?" he asked.
"Very. And now you and I are gonna have to change that."
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"I mean that I'm not ruinning my sister's friendship. Not when her birthday is approaching."
"And what will her gift be this year? You'll show up at her doorstep and announce her that you're her brother?"
"That was the plan since she got out of the orphanage."
"But your plan is getting in the way of another one that is more important. Breaking the curse."
"Screw the curse. Why do you even want it broken anyways? You can just go back to Phucket and do whatever the hell you were doing with no care in the world. Since you actually don't have any."
August sat up from the couch, more angry than before.
"My only family is in that cursed town, my father is there. And he has no memory of me or anything that happened back in our land. I promised him that the curse would be broken and it will be."
"Why now? Why couldn't you just stay with Emma and guide her towards her so called destiny?"
"I'm not perfect, I got tempted and as I've said before, I'm not good at saying no. But this is important. If you help me break their friendship, you can re introduce yourself to your sister and be the only person in her life. All you need to do is help me."
Neal considered this. All he ever wanted was a second chance with his sister. To tell her how sorry he was that he let Pan get to his mind and make him leave her. Just like he later did with Emma...
"Screw you." he finally said. August was loosing his patience, and his desperation was starting to show.
"Please, think about it."
"I'm not thinking about anything. I'll meet my sister and Emma. And I'll meke it up to both of them without ruinning their friendship. And you need to go." said Neal, and he pointed at the door.
Very well. Auguust thought as he walked out the door. There should be another way to drive Emma towards her destiny. At least he hoped so. He just needed to think...
Storybrooke
Present Time...
"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own homes." started Regina with a satisfied smile. Words could not express how much enjoyment firing Emma had brought her. If she thought that she and her bubbly friend could just go around changing things in HER town, they had it all wrong. It was bad having one person defying her, but two of them? That was way over the limits of her patience. Sydney was thankfully obedient to her, and he would do anything she told him to. It was a good choice. "That's why Sidney Glass is my choice for post of Sheriff. This man has put the needs of Storybrooke above his own for as long as any of us can remember as chief editor of the Storybrooke Daily Mirror. Please welcome your new Sheriff!" she added, and she turned to Sydney to place the badge on him.
"Hang on a second." said Emma's voice. Regina wished that she had her magic and make her disappear to the depths of Amazon. But since she couldn't do that, she would try to make her leave using her power as the mayor. It appeared that Clarissa had accompanied Emma as well. This was getting better and better...
"Oh, Miss Swan, Miss Silver, this is not appropriate." said Regina, angrily.
"Where's Archie to tell you this is 'highly inappropriate' when you need him... Anyways, the only thing not appropriate here is this ceremony." said Clarissa,
"Exactly. She doesn't have the power to appoint him." said Emma.
"The town charter clearly states the Mayor shall appoint..." started Regina.
"A candidate. You could appoint a candidate. It calls for an election." said Emma.
"These are the rules of Obama. You cannot defy Obama." said Clarissa, quite seriously.
"The term 'candidate' is applied loosely." said Regina.
"No it's not. This is how it's done in America." said Clarissa.
"It requires a vote. And guess what, Madam Mayor? I'm running." said Emma.
"Fine. So is Sydney." said Regina, stubbornly.
"I am?" asked Sydney. Regina threw him a frustrated look. "I am." he said, feeling threatened by ler look.
"And you want him to be the sheriff?" commetned Clarissa.
"Yes. And he has my full support. I guess we'll learn a little something about the will of the people." said Regina.
"I guess we will." said Emma, and she walked to the door.
"See, Storybrooke people? That is what I call badass. So when you come to vote in a few days time, base your votes on the level of badassness. We all know who'll win this one." said Clarissa, and she left. It appeared the war was on...
The pawn shop's bell was not Regina's favorite sound. But is wasn't her least favorite thing from there. No, that would be its owner. Gold was staring at the flame of a lighter, but he took it off as soon as Regina entered.
"Regina." he said.
Regina flipped the sign on the door to the 'closed' side.
"Shall I move some things? Make a bit of space for your rage?" he joked. Regina was not amused.
"You found that loophole in the town charter." stated Regina.
"Legal documents – contracts, if you like. Always been a fascination of mine." said Gold, not even bothering denying it.
"Yes, you love to trifle with technicalities."
"I like small weapons, you see. The needle, the pen, the fine point of a deal. Subtlety – not your style, I know."
"You're a bastard."
Gold only looked amused by Regina's anger.
"I think your grief's getting the better of you, Regina. Shame what happened to Graham." he mocked.
"Don't you talk about him. You know nothing."
"What is there to know? He died."
"Are you really going up against me?"
"Not directly. We are, after all, both invested in the common good. We're just picking different sides."
"And you chose her side."
"Well, I chose Miss Swan's side for the good of Storybrooke. I belive she would make a good sheriff."
"Not her. Clarissa. The one that you seem to have taken an interest at for no apparent reason. First you gave her a job at your shop and now you are siding with her and Miss Swan?"
"What happened to hospitality, Regina? There hasn't been a new resident in Storybrooke since... Well, forever."
"They are not residents. They are visitors. And it's one thing to try and be careful and another to put the whole town at stake."
"From what I've seen, Miss Swan is quite capable of doing the job."
"And if she gets elected, there's a chance that Miss Silver will be deputy. What is it about that girl that makes you want to support her? Who is she?"
"How am I supposed to know? I haven't been outside of Storybrooke, much like everyone else."
Regina was growing more mad each passing second. Lately, she had been wondering about that girl. Who she was and how she could see Storybrooke. She had been really busy trying to take Emma out of the picture that she didn't have a chance to consider it... And that imp was not being of help at all.
"Why do I even bother? She won't win anyways."
"Never underestimate someone who's acting for their child."
"He's not her child. Not legally."
"Oh, now who's trifling with technicalities?"
A/N: The last part might seem a little rushed, but I wanted to update today. Soooo, what do you think of my writing for Neal and August? Maybe I wrote August a little bit too cocky, but I think that's how he was in season 1... What will happen when August comes to Storybrooke an few chapters later? ;-) Thank you for the favorites/follows/reviews!:-) But let's make the reviews a little more this time, alright? I'm being sensitive:-). Please review, and until next time!:-)