Chapter 37: A Home for My Son
"Please be safe," Belle tells us as we stand in front of the hotel.
Two of the cars are loaded and parked out front, ready to go home to Storybrooke. Tiana has allowed Ruby to drive her truck home with Henry and Belle in the cab of the truck as well. Hook, my dad, and Emma are taking the bug back. Everyone back home has been notified of our entire situation and are preparing for the early return of the traveling caravan.
"We will and the same applies to you," I say before hugging Belle. "Keep my step-sibling safe."
"Likewise for my grandchild," my dad says. I step towards my father. He looks at me in confusion before he reluctantly opens his arms to me. I embrace him and he shifts uncomfortably, clearly not used to the "closeness," but if he wants to be a good father, he's going to have to learn to hug his children.
"I love you, Dad," I say.
There's a pause. "Love you too."
I go over and hug Henry.
"Keep writing those stories," I say to him. "And stay safe."
"You too. Good luck with the courts," he nods before climbing into the cab of the truck along with Belle.
Ruby is next. I hug here extra long as a way to apologize to her for cutting her trip short.
"I'm sorry about how things turned out," I say.
"S'okay," Ruby shrugs. "The town's safety is more important than my own dreams of seeing the world." She can't help put play the guilt card just a little bit longer.
"Don't play that card. You're going to be one of the leaders when it comes to protecting the town. Be proud of that and be wary."
"I will," Ruby nods.
"And say hi to Dorothy for me."
I go over and hug Hook.
"Keep everyone safe," I say.
"Aye, I will and keep that pup inside you safe."
I roll my eyes.
"How long are you going to keep doing the werewolf jokes?" I mutter.
"As long as you are in love with one," Hook smirks. He pats me on the back affectionately. I roll my eyes.
I go to Emma.
"Keep them safe," I say, knowing it'll be her magic that's going to protect the town.
Emma doesn't say anything at first, she just hugs me tightly. I can feel the stress she might be under right now. Her brow is furrowed in anxiety and worry. A Saviour's work never seems to be done. If it were up to me, I'd be sharing some of the burdens with her, but I made a promise to Tiana and I intend to keep it. Brendan deserves a lot more than what he has.
"You'll be okay Emma," I say gently. "Your happy ending will come. I promise."
"Please don't make promises you can't keep," Emma says.
"Can't really help it can I?" I smile, pushing back to look at Emma. "I want to be a savior like you..."
"Trust me, you don't want my job," Emma says quickly.
"But I kind of already have it, don't I?" I smirk. "I'm helping Tia and Naveen get their happy ending."
Emma smiles. "Keep that baby safe and good luck with the courts."
"Thank you," I say. Emma then says goodbye to Mason before everyone climbs into the two vehicles. I feel heavy at that moment, watching my friends leave, back home where they belonged. I would give anything to be with them, but for now, my place is here. Mason puts his arm around me and we wave as Emma pulls from the curb and into traffic, followed by Ruby in the truck. We watch as the cars pull out of sight, back into the big city.
"They'll be okay," Mason says with some forced confidence. "I have faith in them."
"So do I, but I'm more worried about our situation here." I turn to him. "We have a lot of work to do."
"Indeed," Mason smiles before giving me a gentle kiss on the lips. I smile and pull my hand up to cup his face. He may be a werewolf, but he's my werewolf.
I then look over at Tiana and Naveen. They stand at some distance from each other, most likely tolerating each other's company, but then I motion for us to head for the car and the daycare.
...
Brendan is very happy to see Tiana and Naveen. He actually waves to them in excitement. The other kids are happy to see me too, glad that I've come back. It's easy for me to fall back into routine including activity time and story time. I smile practically the whole day, feeling so relaxed and happy. Despite being where I truly belonged in Storybrooke, I missed working here. The joy children will bring you can't be replaced and it kept me balanced with my dark side, looking out for a life more helpless than my own. I felt it was a way to try and make up for all my awful behavior in the past. I know I can't ever escape what I've done, but I can fill my mind with new memories. Much happier ones. I also think about what Mason said that I'm going to be a great mother; despite my reluctance of this statement at first, I'm starting to believe him.
Tiana seems to fit the mother role quite well too. It's obvious she was meant to care for a child, more specifically her own. She asks Bridges if it would be okay to volunteer at the daycare for a little while, just until I stopped working here. The "headmaster" was reluctant at first but since Tiana doesn't want any money she agreed. Naveen also offered to take over music time with the kids temporarily, with much arm-twisting from me. I can tell Bridges is reluctant to let any strangers into the care center, but all the kids come to love both Tiana and Naveen very quickly. Especially Brendan. By the end of the day, Brendan is smiling and he waits eagerly for the other children to leave so he can have a private lesson from his father.
Naveen shows him all the names of the keys and where the best places were to put his fingers. I watch Brendan's tiny hands press the white keys, with his father's nearby, prompting him when he needed it. He starts the boy out with basic tunes and shows him different tricks to remember the notes. The smile on Tiana's face is quite surprising as if the picture of her ex-boyfriend and her adopted son are the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. I see that look in her eye again. That glimmer of affection, but I can't tell if it's towards Naveen or her son. Maybe both?
I begin cleaning up by the piano and I see distinct bruises on Brendan's arms. I look up at his neck and there are finger marks there as well. My breath catches in my throat and I become angry. I try to keep my magic under control. What kind of monster would try to strangle a child?
Soon Brendan's nanny comes to pick him up. She's an aged woman with a sour expression and greasy gray hair pulled back into a bun. She glares at all of us and stands in the doorway, waiting for her charge to get his things.
"Let's go!" she barks at the little boy at the piano.
I see Brendan's happy face contort with fear and he even leans into Naveen, trying to hide a bit. I can tell he wants to avoid being near this woman.
"Please Olga, can't I stay five more minutes?" the kid says.
"No!" she says in a thick Russian accent. "Your mother is coming home and she wants you home too."
Brendan looks over at Naveen.
"Will you come back tomorrow?" he asks, grabbing Prince from the bench.
"Yes," Naveen says gently. "Now go pack your things."
Brendan nods and does as he is told. Olga stands in the doorway, her arms crossed and she's tapping her foot impatiently. Once her charge is finally ready to go, Olga grabs Brendan by the arm very hard and begins pulling him towards the exit. I can see the pain on his face and the fear in his chocolate brown eyes... Tiana's eyes.
I clench my fists angrily. I want to separate the two of them. No one should be manhandling a child like that. I take a few deep breaths and remind myself that we will help him.
But Tiana beats me to it. She rushes out the door after Olga. I realize that this could mean trouble, so I race out after her, Naveen not too far behind.
"Hey!" she barks. "That's a child you're holding, maybe you should be a little gentler."
Olga stops and turns to face Tiana, Brendan still firmly in her grip.
"Do not tell me how to handle children, I've been doing it longer than you have been alive. I've had three of my own and now I watch this one for his mother."
"And look how he's turned out!" Tiana snaps back. "He's afraid of you. He's shy and he won't go near other kids!"
"Tiana..." I say warningly. This kind of stuff should be fought about in court and not in front of the child.
"Children need to learn discipline and to respect their elders," Olga growls.
"But not by manhandling them. There are better ways to teach a child to be nice!" Tiana yells back. She's just a few moments from bursting into tears. Her eyes keep going from Olga's face to Brendan's.
"And you happen to know how to raise a child?"
"Yes, I do. I've had one myself."
"And where might this child be?"
Oh no! I gasp
Naveen reaches over to grab Tiana, but we're too late.
"You're holding him right now!" she barks angrily.
The room goes quiet. Olga's face contorts into confusion and even more. Brendan's eyes go wide for a moment.
"Mommy?" he says softly.
"That is absolute nonsense!" Olga says. "Ms. Gallhager has had this child for five years..."
"And I gave birth to him!" Tiana interrupts tears in her eyes. I know she wants nothing more than to pick up Brendan and carry him away. She wants to take him back to Storybrooke where he can lead a comfortable and loving life. She turns to the five-year-old.
"Brendan honey, I'm you mother and Naveen here is your father. We want to take you home."
Tears are streaming down Brendan's face. I can tell he's confused and scared. He tries to fight Olga's grasp a bit more.
"You are insane. If you know that he is your son then..."
"I have the proof right here," Naveen pipes up. He stands next to Tiana and pulls the folder from my open bag. He holds the folder out and show's Brendan's birth information. He shoves it under Olga's nose. "His full name is Brendan Naveen, James Anderson. He is named after myself and Tiana's father. He was born at exactly 12:27 AM on June 11th, 2010 at Storybrooke General Hospital. He weighed seven pounds and fourteen ounces and came into the world with Tiana's eyes and my hair."
I'm utterly surprised that Naveen is actually standing up for Tiana, just as angry and just as passionate. Then I realize that he's trying to make up for the time he didn't stand beside Tiana, defending her when she was pregnant with Brendan. I can see the fire in his eyes as he glares at the nanny.
Olga takes a step back and actually release Brendan, to which he runs over and wraps his arms around Tiana's legs, dropping Prince in the process and crying the entire way.
"I knew you'd come back for me!" he wails. Tiana picks him up and holds him. "I knew my real mommy would come." He begins to sob again.
"Shhh, it's okay baby boy. It's okay. Mama' here..." Tiana says. I can tell she's been waiting a long time to say those words to him. She bounces him up and down and plants a kiss on his head. I immediately see the family portrait that should have existed from the beginning. Tiana should have always been Brendan's mother, end of the story, but circumstances changed and so did the people around them.
Naveen pats Brendan on the back. All three of them are crying. Brendan clings to Tiana and refuses to let go.
Olga is still processing everything as she looks at the file more closely. She then looks at the crying child.
"Storybrooke isn't a real place," the nanny says with glee in her face. "And unless there is a genetic test that proves otherwise, there is absolutely no way to show that you are this boy's biological parents."
Tiana glares at the woman hatefully and pulls Brendan even closer to her.
Olga smiles again, revealing some crooked front teeth. "It doesn't matter if you are his parents, he has been legally adopted and belongs to Ms. Gallhager."
"He was never meant to be adopted," I say finally. "The parental signatures were forged. Tiana never wanted to give up Brendan."
"You really wanted me, Mommy?" Brendan asks, looking at his real mother.
Tears roll down Tiana's face. "Of course I wanted you, baby. I've wanted you since the day you were born."
I can see Brendan smile.
"But unfortunately as of now, he doesn't belong to you," Olga says. She begins reaching over to grab Brendan from Tiana's arms. "Let's go, Brendan."
Brendan clings tightly to Tiana, refusing to let go.
"NO!" he screams so loudly that Bridges comes running out to see what the problem is.
"You belong to Ms. Gallhager and that is where we're going."
"NO!" he screams even louder. "I WANT TO BE WITH MY REAL MOMMY AND DADDY!"
Olga attempts to grab the boy's shoulders and the kid screams loud enough to wake the dead. He kicks at his nanny. I can tell she really wants to slap him. He tries climbing over into Naveen's arms and I can tell Tiana doesn't want to let him go.
"What's going on here?" Bridges demands.
"This woman is attempting to kidnap this child," Olga immediately says.
"I AM NOT!" Tiana yells as loud as her son. "He came to me and he wants to be with me."
My heart sinks when I realize that we don't have the legal action to take Brendan from his nanny. I feel overwhelmed with the emotions of sadness and fear of what might happen next.
"Do I need to have the police sort this out?" Bridges warns.
I want to badly to zap Bridges and shut her up. This isn't her problem.
Olga again tries to take Brendan and the kids screams his head off, grabbing at Tiana so hard that his fingers are leaving red marks on her skin. His face is a mess of sadness and fear.
I finally step in.
"Tia..." I say gently.
She glares at me, tears streaming down her face.
"Don't say it, Crystal! I don't care what the law says. He's my son and I can't let him be taken away by this monster."
Olga snarls at Tiana and tries to force Brendan off of Tiana, who's still screaming up a storm.
"Tia we don't have the legal action right now. I know you love him and I know you want to take him home, but for now... He has to be with Olga."
Tiana is fighting back more tears as the pain on her face intensifies. Olga is grinning ear to ear at my proclamation.
"Listen to your friend dearie..." she says satisfyingly. "She speaks the truth."
When I hear that word I want to explode outwards and attack this vile woman with my powers. it takes every ounce of strength within me not to fling her against a wall and hold her there. She said that word that is my kryptonite, the thing that sets me off and brings out my inner darkness. It's what makes me want vengeance.
I suck in a sharp breath. I see Bridges has her hands on her phone, ready to call at a moment's notice.
"Don't think that we won't be fighting for custody of him!" I say through gritted teeth. "I want him as far away from you and your abusive ways as possible."
Olga's face goes very pale. I can tell I've just revealed her evil secret.
"That's right," I say with a smile. "I know what you do to this boy. I know you've tried to strangle him and beat him when he's bad. It's why he's so shy and so afraid. You're the reason he suffers..."
Olga actually stops trying to fight for Brendan. Her eyes are filled with panic and dread at what I've just said.
"We will be bringing this to court and I'm sure you can be charged for child abuse." I feel so much satisfaction saying these words. No one should be allowed to hit a child and get away with it. "We will keep fighting until he's away from you and his adopted mother. None of you should be allowed near children and I want to make sure of that."
Olga's mouth opens for a moment like she wants to say something and then closes it. I've left her speechless. Oh, the pleasure of exposing a monster, I've done it before with my father and I'll do it again with this woman.
A few minutes go by as the scene remains tense, breaths held in, waiting for a move.
I look over at Tiana. I want more than anything to allow her to take her son home, but right now, we don't have that power. Tiana begins to sob ever harder and Naveen puts his arm around her. She leans into him and holds Brendan's head close to her chest. She cries even harder as she puts her son down and kneels down to his height. She lifts his head up so that they are eye to eye.
"Listen, Baby," she says through her sobs. "Daddy and I are going to bring you home really soon. You won't have to see this evil woman again, I promise." Tiana swallows hard. Naveen kneels down with them and grabs his son's hand.
"We will do everything to have you at home," Naveen says gently. Brendan looks miserably at them.
"You've got a Grandma at home, waiting to bake you cookies and read you stories at bedtime, but for now, you're going to have to go with Olga."
"No!" the child says stubbornly.
"Just for a little while Baby," Tiana says. "We promise we will come and get you."
"No, no, no, no!" Brendan whines. "I want to be with you now."
"I know you do, but if we take you right now, we'll get in trouble. I know you can't understand it and I can hardly understand it myself, but for now, be on your best behaviour for Olga and we will come for you. Okay?"
"Both of you?" I whisper gently. Naveen shoots me a look telling me to shut up. Brendan is crying again, he holds onto Tiana's and Naveen's hands tightly. I know he wants to stay with them, live a happier life with them, but...
"Promise?" Brendan whimpers.
"I promise," Tiana whispers.
"I promise," Naveen says gently.
Brendan leans forward and hugs Tiana tightly. He's crying again, never wanting to let go. I can tell the feeling is mutual. Tiana kisses her son on the head. Naveen goes over and picks up Prince from the floor, he's fighting back his own tears. Brendan goes over to Naveen and hugs him too. Naveen rubs his hand down his son's back and pats it gently to let him know he is loved by both his parents.
"This was mine growing up," Naveen says, handing the stuffed frog back over to the little boy. "I wanted to make sure that you had it. He kept me safe and happy when I was scared and I'm glad to know he's doing the same for you..."
Naveen wipes a few tears from his eyes and Brendan hugs Prince tightly.
"I'll miss you, Daddy," Brendan says in a barely audible voice.
"I'll miss you two Buddy," Naveen croaks.
I step forward and kneel down to face the little boy. I reach over from around my neck and remove the locket. I place it around his neck. His chocolate brown eyes light up in happiness and he manages a small smile.
"Remember to believe," I say gently.
He nods knowingly, I take his hand and guide him back to Olga. I feel like I'm tearing away a piece of Tiana and Naveen. Their beautiful boy from where he belongs. He picks up his bag and Olga grabs his hand a little more gently this time. I give her a warning look before the two turn and walk towards the door. I see him look back once before they disappear outside.
Tiana sobs loudly into her hands Naveen reaches over and hugs her. She gladly accepts it in the heat of the moment, leaning into her ex-boyfriend with no hate or resentment, just sadness. I can see she's grateful for the comfort.
Bridges mutters something before heading back into the classroom. I follow her and I scoop up my phone from the nearby table. I know what I have to do now. I have to call two places.
One, Children's Aid,
Two, Alisa's apartment.