Chapter 27

Ris gave one final push on her Kawasaki, so that it was right in front of Michael Tillman, the mechanic whom Emma had convinced to take in Ava and Nicolas. She stood behind it and crossed her arms, expecting to get a reaction from him. She had already asked him to fix her bike once, but he was asking for an impossible amount of cash. Not even Emma could pay for that.

"Miss Silver, I already told you, I can't fix your bike. I'm not familliar with its design and technology, it would take me weeks to figure out what to do. The time I'd spend on it requires some serious repayment." he said, and he walked past Ris and her bike to fix another car.

"Oh no buddy, you'll listen to me." said Ris, following behind him and not allowing him to get to his work in peace. "I had a pretty big part in the operation of helping your kids. I hate kids, and yet I allowed them to stay in my... Well, not my house, but I live there. I even kept them company and tought them how to properly swipe stuff from grocery stores. I think you owe me big time." she said, sounding quite proud of herself.

"You tought them how to 'swipe' stuff? And you expect me to help you?"

"Whoa there, daddy dearest. You haven't been a father for one day, chill." said Ris, laughing teasingly.

"Hand over the cash or you are done here." said Michael, and he pushed Ris aside in order to get beneath the car he was working on. Ris did not take that well. She had been keeping her anger during the few days that her bike had been broken down, she was trying to be a 'decent human being' for once, but it really wasn't worth it. She took off her earing and used its needle to pierce the car's wheel. At that moment, she was glad that she had chosen to wear those earings that the mysterious stranger had sent her three years ago. They were big enough to rip the tire and even make a pop noise. Michael heard that noise and he shot up from the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled.

"Haven't you heard? I'm the town's phyco now, so you'll either fix my bike or run for your life." replied Ris, pointing at him with her index finger.

"You are insane, I'm reporting you." he said.

"Too bad my best friend's the sheriff."

"She's sheriff, she'll do her job."

"Mr Gold is also on my side. Wouldn't mess with that one if I were you." said Ris. Michael actually looked threatened by that. Ris herself didn't know where the last part had came from, but it was always good to have the most feared man in town on her side. Actually... She didn't really know which side that man was on. Sometimes it appeared that he was on hers, but still something was off about him. She didn't even know what she should call him, her enemy, ally, aquintance or... dare she say her friend?

After she practically threatened Michael inside his own property, she turned and left, leaving her bike where it was. She knew Michael wouldn't fix it. But it at least would be safe from the storm that was about to come.

New York

Two Yeard Ago...

Ris was sitting on her seat on the plane to London. Emma had told her that the flight would last for about ten hours. She had traveled on a plane before, the orphanage had arranged a trip to Disneyland Paris when she was twelve years old, but her fear of heights still hadn't passed. And the fact that she had to sit between the window and a very annoying old hag who wouldn't stop barfing her plane food in plastic bags was making her situation even worse. It felt like she was in that plane for days, when it was only two hours.

The seat besides the old lady was avaiable, but she had taken over it as well, as if her own seat wasn't enough, she just had to lie down on two of them. Ris was stuck beside the window and she was trying to fall asleep, and maybe when she woke up the plane would have arrived to London. But how the hell was she supposed to sleep when the hag besides her had practically transformed her seat into a fucking luxury spa. She was lied down, fixing her nails while eating the plane food that she would surely barf out of her system in a few minuites. She had even asked for Ris's food, and Ris was more than happy to get rid of it.

The hag looked like she was about to barf once again.

"I swear to God, if you barf one more time, I'm smashing this window open and I'm throwing you out of this plane. You can't take the plane food so stop fucking eating it." yelled Ris, not that loudly, but loud enough to attract some attention from people sitting close to her. The lady... If anyone could call her a lady, threw her a glare, but she got off her seat and headed to the bathroom. Probably to barf some more. Ris let out a sigh of relief, and she tried to get more comfortable now that she could, cause her seat-mate wouldn't be gone forever.

"That's some tough luck you've got there." said a man's voice from the set of seats across her. She turned her head to check out who had spoken. It was a guy, probably in his mid twenties, quite handsome, who was sitting on his own next to the window.

"I swear, someone has placed bombs in her stomach." she replied, throwing the stranger a humorless smile. That caused some complaints from people that were close enough to hear her.

"Yeah, I know it's a forbidden word in a plane, so sue me." she said, losing her patience. She looked back at the stranger, who was actually grinning at her attitude. "Not funny." said Ris, and she leaned back at her seat.

"So... What are you doing in London?" asked the stranger.

"College. I still think it is a miracle that I passed."

"What are you studying?"

"And why should I tell you?"

"Cause I've been to London quite a few times. Well, I mostly spend my time in Phukett, but I travel a lot. I can tell you all you need to know about the city."

"No thanks. I would much rather not to talk to a stranger that might be a stalker."

"I heard they are serving pudding in two hours. I bet your seat-mate will love it." said the stranger with a smirk, and he looked away from her. Ris finally looked at him, throwing him a glare. But she then heard the bathroom door open over the chatting people. She made a sound of annoyance that the stranger actually had a point. She grabbed her backpack and got off her seat before the old hag got there. She dumped her bag next to the stranger's seat, and then sat at its left side. The guy looked satisfied by seeing her there, his smirk said that much.

"You are an ass." said Ris, and she took out her headphones and mp4. "Don't wake me untill we land." she said and closed her eyes after putting her headphones on her head.

"As you wish." said August, silently laughing to himself.

Storybrooke

Present Time...

"Fuck the storm, fuck my shitty bike, and fuck my life." said Ris as soon as set foot inside Granny's. Not many people were inside the dinner, but everyone that actually was there, it was for shelter. It was storming like a bitch outside, and Ris's slightly wet hair were proof of that. She was lucky that she was close to Granny's when that storm started, or she would end up like that poor little cat that she spotted a few miles away.

"Someone's in a mood today." said Leroy, taking a sip of his beer.

"Shut up, Leroy. Where's Ruby?" asked Ris.

"How am I supposed to know, sister?"

"Uh, cause you practically live here."

"I'm here." said Ruby, putting on a smiley face as she exited the kitchen. "What can I get you, Ris?" she asked.

"Anything that includes lots of fries." said Ris and she sat on a stool in front of the booth.

"I'll come up with something." said Ruby.

"Don't forget the ketchup!" yelled Ris as Ruby walked back in the kitchen. Ruby gave her an assuring thumbs up. Ris just lied her head on the booth while waiting for her order to arrive. She looked around the diner to pass the time when she spotted something very interesting. It was the stranger from last night, the one with the bike whose name she still didn't know. He was sitting at the table across her, exactly as mysterious as he was yesterday. She studied him closely as he drank his coffee, with his little wooden box by his side. He still looked annoyingly familiar for some even more annoying reason.

"You are staring." he said, without looking away from his coffee.

"Duh, of course I am. I asked you if I knew you from somewhere and you came up with the most cryptic ass reply."

"Isn't it frustrating how a five lettered word like 'maybe' can cause so many unjustified suspicions?" said the stranger. Ris raised her head from the booth, curiously. The guy was actually mocking her. And Ris, being Ris, wouldn't have it. She quickly got off her seat, and took over the one across the stranger. He didn't look surprised that she actually did that, he just kept drinking his coffee.

"I don't trust you." said Ris, simply.

"Did I ever mention, during the five minuites we have spoken so far, that you have to?"

"Actually, no, you practically have a label that reads 'hey, I'm the new mysterious dude with the even more mysterious box, nothing to see here'. Smart talk your way out of that one." said Ris, grabbing the guy's coffee and having a sip of it.

"I think that your own label reads 'Way too curious about a new face that I'm making up excuses to find out more about said face'." said the stranger, taking his coffee back. Ris raised her eyebrow, cause it was actually rare for someone to keep up a converstation like that with her.

"Okay, you are good at this. But can you please cut the bullcrap and tell me if we have ever met before? Cause the mysterious stranger act you are trying to pull is pissing me off." asked Ris, getting really annoyed by the guy's attitude.

"Search deep inside your brain, and maybe you'll find out."

"Can't you just give me a straight answer? My head is way too wet right now to think clearly." said Ris, pointing at her wet from the storm hair. The stranger rolled his eyes, but admitted defeat.

"I guess I can give you a hint." he said.

"See? Wasn't that hard, right?" said Ris with a smirk.

"Plane food." he said, simply.

"What do you mean pl..." started Ris, but realization crossed her face before she finished. "No way. You are that asshole from the flight to London?" she asked.

"Yeah, from the flight to the country you should be at right now. I'm no proffesor, but I know it takes longer than two years to complete something like police forces studying."

"I quitted college. But that's not the point, are you stalking me?"

"Oh, it's the accusations part." said the stranger, rolling his eyes in amusement.

"Hell yeah it is, what are you doing in Storybrooke? And what is inside that box of yours?"

"Something that helps me with work."

"What is your work?"

"Is this the 21 questions?"

"Might as well be and I might as well make it the 100 questions."

The interogation was interrupted by the dinner's bell, which was accompanied by Emma's footsteps. She was wearing way more clothing than Ris was, so she hadn't gotten wet from the storm.

"Great, now Swan's here, an actual cop. Emma, come over please." she said, catching Emma's attention. The blonde walked towards her and the stranger, looking kinda mad.

"I've been looking everywhere for you and here you are, talking with the new guy."

"Why were you looking for me?"

"Because of a complaint I got from Michael Tillman. He said that you used your earing to pop a car's wheel." said Emma. The stranger grinned at that, finding it quite amusing.

"He'll get over it. I'm interrogating now and I need you as a witness." said Ris. That caused Emma to spare a look at the stranger.

"How convenient. The second person I was looking for today." she said. "We need to talk."

"Why?" asked the stranger.

"Because you are suspicious."

"Called it." said Ris, glad that someone was agreeing with her.

"I'm suspicious. Sitting here, out in the open, drinking coffee. I wonder what kind of hell I would've raised had I ordered a donut." said the stranger.

"Your mere presence here is raising hell. One day in Storybrooke and sheriff's already onto you."

"You were talking to Henry." said Emma.

"You mean the little kid who came up to me asking me questions? Is that unusual for him? Being curious and precocious?" said the stranger. He actually sounded like he already knew what Emma's answer would be.

"What were you doing outside his house?" asked Emma, still trying to find excuses to interogate the stranger.

"My bike broke down. It happens."

"At least someone knows of my pain..." said Ris, refering at her own bike's shitty state.

"Your mysterious box. What's in it?" asked Emma.

"This is really turning into 21 questions." said Ris.

"And the answer to that question you won't find out in one of them." said the stranger.

"Well, then the 22nd question will be accompanied by a punch in the face."

"It's awfully frustrating not knowing, isn't it?"

"Just tell us." said Emma.

"Why? Is it illegal to carry around a box in these parts?"

"No of course not."

"You really want to know what's inside it, don't you?"

"No." said Emma.

"Yes." said Ris, at the same time. Emma glared at Ris for that reply. "I wanna know what's in that box." said Ris, innocently. Emma sighed, and sat next to Ris.

"Okay, maybe." she admitted. Both women prepared for an answer to please their curiosity.

"I'm going to make you wait. You're going to have to wait a long time and watch me carry it around. Hauling it to strange and mysterious places. And with each passing moment, the mystery will become more tantalizing. Your imagination will inflame, but so will your frustration. Never knowing – only guessing – what could possibly be inside that box?" said the stranger, with confidence. Ris was sure that if it was possible, she would've turned into Hades and throw flames out of her head from anger. She put on her calmest face possible before she spoke.

"I'll make this clear. Open that box on this table, or I'm stabbing you with Leroy's fork." said Ris, pointing at a totally unaware Leroy.

"Well, If your friend could let me buy her a drink sometime, I'll tell you both right now." he said. Ris rolled her eyes at that.

"You wanna buy me a drink." stated Emma.

"Yes." said the stranger.

"Okay. A drink it is." said Emma. She must've been really curious.

The stranger looked satisfied. He reached for the box and placed it on their table.

"Halelujah." said Ris, as the stranger opened the box and revealed a... Typewritter?

"Are you fucking joking me?" asked Ris.

"Really?" asked Emma at the same time.

"I'm a writter."

"Really? I didn't cut you as the type during the flight to London."

"Always good to surprise."

"Wait, what?" asked Emma, confused.

"Long story, Swan. So, is this why you are in Storybrooke?" said Ris.

"I find this place provides…inspiration. Don't you?" said the stranger and closed the box.

"Wait. Have you been here before?" asked Emma.

"I didn't say that." he replied, and he got up to leave the dinner.

"And we are back to mystery talking." commented Ris.

"What about that drink?" asked Emma, before the guy left.

"I said sometime." he replied, and he left.

"Asshole." muttered Ris, having the rest of his coffee.

"So wait, you know that guy?"

"Not really. We were seat-mates during my flight to London. Kinda hard to forget, but I was sleeping almost the entire flight."

"I thought you said an old hag was your 'seat-mate'. You spent one hour describing every detail about how awful she was."

"Does it matter? You are the one he is having the drink with." said Ris, winking at Emma. The blonde rolled her eyes and moved to sit where the stranger was previously sitting.

"Have you ordered something?"

"Something with fries. Let's hope that Ruby hasn't died and that she is actually taking care of that."

A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR! :-D

Hello! Here's the update, hope you liked!:-)

1.) What do you think of the Ris/August interactions?;-)

2.) Ris was being a little bitch at the biginning of this chap. I loved it!
3.) I'm almost halfway through the season! The next episode will be done in one chap as well (cause Ris will not be joinning Emma and Sydney), so yay for that!:-)

4.) I hate fanfiction's technical problems... It won't show me my two last reviews and I really want to read them! I didn't even receive an email about them! So whoever reviewed and didn't receive a reply, that's the reason. Whatever... I hope it will be fixed soon.

5.) Hope you liked! Until next time!:-)