I had to do this chapter though it wasn't originally planned. I hope you find it as cute and fun as I did.
Emma Swan stared at her mother's flustered face and wondered what on earth possessed her the woman who had no deception in her blood to try to lie. While she was good at spotting a lie, a blind and deaf man could have seen it coming when Mary Margaret began spilling the details of a supposedly broken watch and a desperate need for dinner at Granny's. Even Belle, who was half distracted by her own circumstances, was wary of the woman blathering on about now being the perfect time to go since it would be crowded later.
"We can get hot chocolate," Mary Margaret said, linking her arm with her daughter and attempting to push the stroller at the same time. "I know you'll like that."
"It doesn't go with everything," Emma muttered, glancing back at Belle who was trudging behind them. "You just said you wanted meatloaf. Hot chocolate and meatloaf?"
"That does sound like a case for dietary distress," Belle noted, following the two past the abandoned patio and into the diner.
"But you love it," Mary Margaret said in a sing-song voice. "I know you do."
Bemused and wide eyed, Emma let her mother order from Ruby while balancing both a menu and the baby. She did not even comment when the watch that her mother had droned on about shone under the sweater. Her mother was obviously holding back a secret, but Emma was aware that her mother's reputation for all things goodness and light did include a penchant for spilling the details others wanted to keep quiet. She simply needed to bide her time.
Ruby's eyes turned to Emma with what could only be characterized as sympathy. The tall brunette tilted her head to the side compassionately and offered to make anything that Emma could possibly want to eat. She rattled off the daily specials, including mentioning that some of them would go wonderfully with a stiff drink.
"I get off in an hour or so," Ruby said after Emma ordered. "You and Belle could probably use a night out. Why don't the three of us go to the Rabbit Hole?"
Emma interrupted Belle's refusal with a brusque, "What the hell is going on?" directed at Ruby. The brunette shrugged her shoulders and headed back behind the counter to place their orders with the cook.
"Why is everyone acting so strange?" Emma asked Belle when Mary Margaret reached out to grab her hand. Her mother seemed to be inspecting it, pulling the appendage so close to her face that Emma was practically forced to stand. "Mom!?"
Mary Margaret dropped her hand and smiled pleasantly. "Sorry," she said. "I thought I saw something."
Ruby returned a moment later with their drinks, again suggesting that Emma might want something a little stronger. But before Emma could protest the idea again, the waitress was bouncing off to the counter where Leroy sat with some of his friends.
"There hasn't been another curse, has there?" Belle asked, placing her lips around the straw.
"I'm beginning to wonder," Emma answered, looking down at her vibrating cell phone. The message on the screen was a short one from Killian. "Down the street from the station. Love to see you. Dessert?"
Emma smiled widely and texted back that she was at Granny's, but she would gladly meet him for dessert after the awkward dinner with her mother. As she pressed send, she prayed that maybe her pirate would be normal.
"Where's David?" Leroy asked, tugging on his jacket as he and the others made their way to the door. The grizzly faced man stood at the end of the table looking every bit the grumpy man as the story book portrayed. His hands were on his hips and his chin jutted outward. "Sharpening his sword, I bet. Or maybe loading his gun."
Mary Margaret even looked puzzled over that remark and mumbled something about him working late. Leroy nodded with his lips in a firm line. "You know if you need me to do anything I'm at your disposal," he said, turning his attention to the wide eyed Emma next. "I have a good grip for my pick axe and I work in a mine. I know what to do with the body, sister."
Belle choked on her soda and Emma's mouth dropped a bit as she watched the man's frown turn to a smile as he left shooting her a pointed look and Ruby a cheerful wave. "Okay seriously," Emma said, straightening herself up in her seat. "Did someone put something in the water supply? People are losing their minds."
Ruby brought their food next, including a side dish of macaroni and cheese for both Emma and Belle. "It's good for a broken heart," she declared before moving to the next table.
Her fork hovering above the dinner, Emma frowned and leaned forward to sniff it. "I'm a little afraid to eat it," she admitted. "I might turn into a pod person too."
By the time Emma gathered her things to meet Killian, she had been hugged by three people, offered Granny's crossbow services, and even had two men ask her for a date. It was an odd night to say the least. She was still pondering it when she saw Killian waiting for her next to the bakery. His quick but hungry kiss made her smile.
"You kiss like Killian," she said, bracing her hands on his chest. "But are you a pod person too?"
"A pod person?" he asked, confusion melting over him.
"Never mind," Emma said with a laugh. "I've just had a rough day." She followed him into the bakery.
"Aye," he said. "I can imagine. Perhaps some chocolate might cheer you up? It usually does the trick."
She wasn't all that hungry, but settled for one of the baker's giant chocolate chip cookies that she could split with Killian. Together with the hot chocolate that she had not gotten with her mother, the two took their treats down toward the park. The streets were almost empty as night had fallen around the small town, but still Emma noticed the quizzical and even venomous looks shot in their direction as they walked.
"Have you noticed anyone acting strange?" Emma asked, pressing herself more into his side as he slung his arm across her shoulders.
He pondered the question for a moment. "I haven't seen anything too unusual," he said carefully. "I know that Elsa said something about people being rude and went home earlier."
Emma shook her head. "I guess I'm just being sensitive," she said. "I just feel like we're getting dirty looks right now. And earlier at the diner people were just plain strange."
Killian kissed the top of her head and laughed. "You live in a town with people you assumed were only characters in books," he said. "You said yourself that you'd never even heard of portals and time travel until you moved here. Your interpretation of strange is going to be a bit stricter than those of us without your background."
"True," she said, taking a sip of the drink. "I'm just overreacting." Killian released her as he bent down to remove a pebble from his shoe's sole. The two continued their walk side by side toward the bench where he said it would be perfect for their snack.
"Where is Elsa, anyway?" she asked. "I thought she was…"
"She's at the apartment with her sister," Killian explained. "They mentioned something about addressing invitations."
They were almost to the park when she saw Leroy approaching. The smile he had earlier was gone, his expression venom laced and dangerous. She tried to say hello to him, but his focus was on Killian. Walking briskly, he purposefully swerved into their path, knocking into Killian with a fair amount of force. Killian stopped and looked puzzled at Leroy's actions. "Leroy," Emma exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
He glared a moment longer at Killian before turning back to Emma. "Just remember, he said. "Pick axe and a mine. Nobody would ever miss him."
In between the wrapping of presents, the cooking, and the dealing with family, I'll try to post some more.
