A tad more light hearted, before things get rough. Thanks again for all your comments!
***
Emma had gone straight from August to Archie. She hated therapists. The fact that he was a cricket made her feel even more ridiculous, but yet here she was. She knocked on his door, hoping he was in the office instead of wherever he lived. She should have asked that in the census too.
The door opened but it was not Archie. It was James. He looked pale and drawn and behind him in the room, Archie look tired.
"I'll come back." Emma muttered quickly and turned to leave. That horrible group session she had envisioned, no way was that happening.
"Emma." James had spoken her name, just her name. But the longing that she often felt from Snow, who she realized she had been avoiding ever since this morning, was present in just that one word.
She froze. Stupid, stupid name. She should have changed her first name too, when she turned 18. She should have started over from scratch, like she swore she was going to.
But then Henry might not have found her. Then she wouldn't be here. Then her father, tender and patient might not be here, calling her name, like it was his lifeline.
Life would have been so much easier.
But Emma had long given up on easy.
Henry's father had been easy, too easy.
She had burned that bridge years ago. Maybe she had burned too many of them.
Shocked at her personal insight without having even stepped into the therapist's office, Emma turned around.
His eyes lit up. The way that Henry's did, when she gave in to his silly ideas, or called him her son, or just sought him out, just to sit with him. Emma sighed, she was being sucked in.
She didn't speak, but walked past her father into the office. Archie gave her a smile.
"How may I help you, Miss Emma?"
Emma sighed. "All my life, I have tried to see things logically. But it just isn't my nature, apparently. Which explains why I'm such a failure at it."
"Emma." James accosted her with just her name again. "You are not a failure."
Emma growled. "I told my kid I had a super power when we first met. About how I could tell when people were lying. I was very good at it, now I feel like there is nothing to work with. I have been lied to over and over again since I got here, and I have no way of knowing what to do next. Is it the curse, why has it suddenly deserted me?"
This was not what Emma had planned to talk about, but from previous forced attendance to such sessions in the foster care system, she knew that therapists had a super power too. Once you started talking, you ended up saying way too much. It was safest to keep your mouth shut.
And Emma hadn't quite given up on safe yet. But she was close.
Archie smiled. "Are you familiar with Superman?"
Emma raised an eyebrow. "The comic book superhero?"
Archie nodded. "He has all these super powers right? But when do they not work for him?"
Emma sighed. "When he is exposed to Kryptonite."
Archie nodded and encourage her to continue. "And where does Kryptonite come from?"
James interrupted from his spot on the couch. "Krypton, right? His home world."
Emma blinked. "So, it is the magic that it messing with me."
Archie smiled, but shook his head. "Kryptonite is still just a rock. It had no effect on the inhabitants of Krypton. Think bigger."
Emma frowned. "Just get to the point or I'm going home."
There was silence. "Where?" Archie prodded.
Emma blinked. In all her adult life, she had never once called any residence home. It was back to her flat, her apartment, her residence, her car. It was never home.
Emma began to laugh. It was dry at first, but it blossomed. Tears began to flow down her cheeks, but she was still laughing. "A fairy tale character just made a comic book analogy."
She flopped down on the couch. Her laughing slowed, but the smile remained.
"Did it work?" James asked a bit confused as to why this was funny.
Emma wiped the tears from her face.
"Yes."
Emma turned to Archie/Jiminy. "When I got here, I wanted certain things to be true and they were, even if they were not. Before, I didn't care what happened to those people who lied to me, so I saw their deception. But now I so desperately want certain things to be true, that I couldn't see whether they were or not. I wanted to be deceived."
"You want to be deceived?" James questioned.
Emma grinned and stood up. "First time in my life. Because I'm home. Never before has any place been home."
With a boldness that Emma wasn't sure she had originally possessed, she turned and placed a gentle kiss on her father's temple. "Hope you work through what you came here for. I'm going home, to talk to my mother."
Emma didn't care what spell had created her mother. A mother was still a mother. No matter where they came from.
Who knew, maybe even Superman existed somewhere. After all, fairies and werewolves and boys made of wood were turning out to be.
Emma jogged out of the room with a smile on her face.
***
Emma closed the door behind as she left. James just sat there stunned. Archie waited patiently for several minutes.
"She kissed me goodbye. I'm her father." It was all James could manage.
Archie smiled compassionately.
James shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I can't do this, Archie. What Rumpelstiltskin wants. Even if it works, the loss, it will destroy her. And poor Henry, he's a great kid. What's best for Snow, will not be best for them."
Archie sadly smiled. The joy of Emma's small breakthrough being pushed aside to handle the more serious topic.
"I can't tell you what to do, James." Archie sighed. "That isn't my job."
"What would you do, though?" James protested.
Archie sighed. "If you don't like the plan, then think of a new one. Because I already know what happens when you don't do anything. And now that you know too, about what I didn't do, perhaps this will help."
James folded his arms over his chest. "Who would help me come up with another plan?"
Archie smiled kindly. "Now that we can theorize about together."