Hook… I Will Always Find You
Chapter Forty-Five
Three mornings after the incident between Gold, Jim, and Kathryn inside Tony's Restaurant, Granny came out from her kitchen carrying plates covered with the French toast with fruit she whipped up, as well as another couple of dishes each holding scrambled and sunny side up eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausage, and finally toast as well to go along with the main meal, then walked around the diner's bar to set all the food down on one of the tables in front of Kathryn, Jim, Archie, and Henry. When she finally finished, she stepped away to return to the bar, then returned a minute later carrying a fresh pot of coffee for the married couple as she poured their first cups full, and two hot chocolates with cinnamon for Archie and Henry.
Henry looked up at the older woman with awe as he stated, "All of this looks really amazing, Granny. How do you do it?"
She held the tray she had carried the drinks out on at her side, then responded, "How do I do what? Make all this food that you and all the rest of my customers constantly want day in and day out? It's a lot of hard work and dedication. Not to mention, discipline. I don't have any volunteers looking to come work for me, so I have to do what I do on my own. I might complain about it, but the truth is… I do enjoy what I do. Eat hearty."
"Honestly, I never really thought that Granny could use any help," Kathryn replied to the others once the older woman walked away to return to serving more of her patrons. "She always made her job appear so easy. You don't suppose she would like any help, do you?"
"Are you considering asking her if she would like you to come work for her?" Jim asked after he took a bite of French toast, then turned his head to look over at her.
His wife shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of coffee, then she answered, "I don't know. Maybe part time at least. I wouldn't mind a little extra work. Not that I don't love the law classes I've been taking online. Because I do. But… I think I need a little more familiarity in my life because the law is so incredibly vast. And what's familiar is here. In Storybrooke, and Granny's…"
Jim reached out to take her hand in his and then responded, "Kathryn… if this is what you want, then I think it's wonderful. Go for it. I'm sure Granny would appreciate it. And besides, it's not like being a gym teacher brings in a whole lot of money these days. We could use the extra income, especially since law school is expensive."
"I know," she reluctantly replied. "But I am grateful you understand why becoming a lawyer is so important to me. Storybrooke could use a little law and order around here other than simply our two sheriffs. God… I really hope David and Emma, as well as the others are alright."
"I'm sure that they're all fine," Archie answered when he finally spoke, though he looked over at Henry sitting beside him, as the boy had been growing more and more worried for his family and their friends the longer they were away. "I don't doubt that they'll all be home any day now. With Killian."
Jim nodded in concurrence with feeling the same hope for their friends, then was about to say something more, until Gold walked inside the diner and when he saw the couple he had hoped to speak with, he walked up to their table and spoke with remorse saying, "I hoped that I would find you both here this morning. It's taken me a few days to try to come up with the right words to say about how I acted the other night towards the two of you… Jim and Kathryn. A simple apology hardly seems enough and yet… it appears it's all I really can say. I truly am sorry and I won't try to make up an excuse for saying those things I said."
Kathryn nodded, while Jim rose from the booth where he had been sitting beside his wife and reached out to shake the older man's hand, then with sincerity he responded, "We appreciate that, Gold. We really do. And your apology is accepted. Would you like to sit down and join us for breakfast? There's plenty of food."
"We would love to join you," a woman's voice replied from behind the shopkeeper, as Gold and everyone turned to find Belle standing there before them. "That is… if I'm welcome too of course?"
"Of course you're welcome to join us," Kathryn quickly answered when she rose from the booth as well to get her husband to move to the inside so that she could sit down next to her friend when the beauty joined them, while Gold moved around to sit beside Archie and Henry across from his own wife. "There's plenty of room."
Gold looked across from him into Belle's eyes and was about to apologize to her as well until she stopped him as she stated, "I heard your apology, Rumple. And I know that it was sincere. Which I truly appreciate. I'm glad that I walked in here this morning when I did."
He nodded and then responded, "I only wish that it wasn't ever necessary."
"We all make mistakes and so long as we make up for the things we regret, forgiveness will always come eventually," Jim replied.
"That's a pretty deep sentiment coming from you, honey," Kathryn said when she looked over at him in surprise. "Where did you hear that from?"
Her husband quickly reached out to slap Henry's shoulder and winked at him while he answered, "From one of my students not too long ago, actually. He was being bullied a little during gym class, until the other kid strangely apologized to Henry out of the blue for being a bully. That's what I heard Henry tell him… or something to that effect. I think Henry said it better though."
The teenager among them shrugged as he responded, "Actually, I got what I said from my grandma. She's always going on about things like that you know. Forgiveness and hope speeches are her specialty."
"That they are," Gold replied, then looked towards the direction of the juke box when he heard a slow ballad begin to play as Mary Margaret, who walked in a few minutes ago with Neal in her arms to order herself some breakfast to go, put in a coin to play a song that reminded her of David, then Gold reached his hand out to Belle for her to take. "Belle… would you do me the honor and have a dance with me?"
"I would love to," the beauty answered happily and took his hand, then together they began to dance, while Mary Margaret came over to join them as well until their friends were finished, or her food was ready.
The Princess watched them for a moment and then turned to Henry as she asked, "I was wanting to walk down on the beach this morning, Henry, and I was wondering if you would like to join me? It's such a beautiful day and I could use someone to talk to. You and I haven't really talked too much about what was troubling you a few nights ago. You know… about Killian? I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
The thirteen year old nodded and then responded, "I'm fine. Really. Archie's been helping me a lot."
"Just like you've been helping me," the doctor replied gently when he looked over at the boy too. "You have been a great blessing in my life, Henry. I hope you know that. I may be the town's therapist, but it doesn't mean I don't need help myself from time to time. You and Marco have been there for me and I truly appreciate it."
"I'm only trying to return the favor," Henry answered, as Archie patted his back, then Henry turned back to Mary Margaret again. "Of course I'll join you, Grandma. It is a beautiful day. And you know what… I have a feeling that today's the day everyone's going to make it home. And they will have Killian with them too. Everything's going to be okay again. You'll see."
