It was a near silent ride to the far away town of Storybrooke. Eventually, even the radio felt too awkward. There was so much left unsaid between the adoptive siblings. Emma couldn't deny that she was still furious with August. However, he was still her brother. He had still looked out for her all those years. If it wasn't for him, she probably would have ended up in jail long before she eventually did, as much as she would never admit it to him.
August truly did feel terrible about failing Emma. He still carried the guilt of knowing that, if it wasn't for him, one of her parents could have come through the wardrobe with her. He might not have made the decision, but ultimately he still felt responsible. He felt like it was only fair he turned back to wood. He had not been honest, brave and true, and he had not protected the princess as he should have. He just hoped he could help her break the curse before he did.
It was getting close to midnight as they rolled into town. Emma looked around the dark streets as she slowly drove through Main Street, looking for a place to park. Her battered old VW bug didn't look out of place among the seemingly ancient relics the citizens of Storybrooke were driving. In fact, the whole place seemed a little…twee. Even the streetlights seemed outdated. Emma was used to the hustle and bustle of Boston. There were coffee shops, bars and takeaways open twenty-four/seven. Here there only seemed to be an old looking café with a feeble sign flickering in the window naming it as Granny's.
"Jeez. Has this place not changed at all since the eighties?" Emma asked her brother, astounded. She got this place was a little out of the way, but it seemed odd that there hadn't been any work on modernizing at all. She wondered if they even had WIFI. Or internet at all. August smirked.
"I did warn you." He said smugly. "It's the curse. Regina's froze this place in time. Nobody has aged at all in twenty five years." Emma rolled her eyes, getting out.
"Just because it's a little behind the times doesn't mean they've been stuck in some magical curse." Emma said grumpily. "Come on, I'm starving. Think this place is still open?"
"Oh yeah, Granny always was a bit of a night owl." August said with a smile. Or wolf. He thought privately. One step at a time. He knew if he overdone it Emma would up and run. She'd always been good at running away. Emma and August headed into Granny's Diner, and were relieved to see an elderly woman still standing behind the counter. She looked up as the bell tinkled. She looked a little startled.
"Hello there." She greeted them. "Don't get many visitors around here. Especially not so late. You two having car trouble?" August had to bite his tongue so as not to be overly familiar. He had to remember the curse had taken Granny's memories. Even if she did have them, it had been a quarter of a century since she'd last seen him.
"No ma'am. We're just passing through. I'm August, and this is my little sister, Emma. We couldn't help but notice how quaint your little town was. Thought we'd stop in for a couple of days and check it out. Do you happen to have any rooms spare for the night?" He asked politely. Granny nodded.
"Nice to meet you. Everyone just calls me Granny. Sure do, son. Like I said, not many visitors around Storybrooke. I'm afraid we don't have many tourist attractions to keep you occupied." She said bluntly.
"Oh, we're not interested in museums and fancy statues, are we sis?" August asked, looking over his shoulder at Emma.
"Nope." Emma responded, clearly tired. August laughed.
"Before we settle down for the night, I think my sister could use a midnight snack. Is the diner still open too?" Granny shrugged.
"Well, I'm up anyway." She told them. "Long as it isn't anything too tricky, I can rustle you something up. What can I get for ya?"
"Oh, I'll just have a black coffee and one of your lovely looking pastries. What you having Em?"
"Can I have a hot chocolate and a bear claw please?" She asked. She brought out her purse to pay. August gestured for her to put it away.
"My treat. It's still technically your birthday, after all." He pointed out.
"Oh, many happy returns." Granny said, not sounding all too joyful herself. Granny got the cakes and the hot drinks ready and brought it over to the booth the pair had settled at.
"I know it's a weird request, but do you have any cinnamon? It's for my hot chocolate."
"Yeah, I'll grab that for ya…huh." Granny thought to herself.
"What?" Emma asked her, seeing she clearly had something on her mind.
"Oh, nothing really. Just that there's someone else here in town who likes cinnamon on their hot chocolate. Mary Margaret, one of the local school teachers. You might bump into her if you're here long enough." She commented, getting the cinnamon and topping Emma's drink with it.
"Weird." Emma said, picking up her drink and inhaling the rich scent. The warm aroma filled her nostrils and brought about a sense of calm. "I've never met anyone else who liked it."
"Not that weird really, seeing as she's your mother." August said quietly. He didn't know if Granny's wolf senses were still lingering in a land without the magic to allow her to turn. Emma nearly choked on the drink.
"August, that's not funny." She grumbled. "You couldn't pick my mother out of a line up. We haven't seen our parents since we were kids. Drop it, would you?"
"Emma, I know how much it hurts you to think they abandoned you. I wouldn't mess around with that feeling. I wouldn't tell you I found them if I wasn't totally sure. Emma blinked hard. She refused to cry over them. She had cried enough over her lack of parents growing up. She quickly finished her drink and wrapped up her bear claw.
"I've suddenly lost my appetite." Emma said quietly. "I'm sure it'll still taste good for breakfast. Good night, August." Emma said, before taking the key Granny left on the counter and heading up to her room. August watched her go, lips pressed tightly together. He took a slow sip of his own drink. It was going to take some convincing to make Emma believe in the curse.
The next morning, Emma had only thawed so much. Truth be told, she had thought about bolting. Maybe her brother was a lost cause. She had only just convinced herself that abandoning him in a strange town with no way to get home was too cruel. If he kept going on about her parents she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop herself.
She sat quietly at the same booth from the night before, nibbling her bear claw while August wolfed down a bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice.
"So, what exactly are we doing today?" Emma asked him warily.
"I thought we'd take in the sights." August said cheerily.
"Didn't you listen to Granny yesterday? There aren't any sights."
"Not of the traditional sort, maybe. I'm sure we can find plenty to keep us entertained for the day." August said. He had to bite back a laugh. He forgot how much Emma hated mornings. Being up so early was almost torture to her. As he finished his breakfast, the bell to the diner rang.
"Good morning, Granny." Came a cheery voice. Emma looked up. Why did that voice sound familiar? Why did it make her feel…happy? August knew exactly why. He looked round and his suspicions were confirmed.
"Morning, Mary Margaret. I have your usual waiting. Sorry Ruby's not on shift. You know my granddaughter. Silly girl was out to all hours partying." Granny answered. Emma quickly put two and two together. She remembered what August told her the night before. She looked at him to see him staring at her hopefully.
"Don't start, August." She warned him. "You can't be serious, anyway. Look at her! She's the same age as me." Emma pointed out, trying to have her brother see sense.
"Frozen in time." August reminded her. Emma didn't argue. He was clearly deluded.
"Whatever. Let's just head out. The sooner you get your fill of this place, the sooner I can go home." Emma mumbled. August saw that as a mini victory. He knew if Emma was really pissed, she would have just left during the night without saying a word. He knew there was a chance that he would have woke up to her gone this morning, but he had to believe that Emma would live up to her destiny. August followed Emma as quickly as he could with a leg turning into more a trunk day by day. Just after leaving the diner, he stopped dead. Emma turned around and saw him looking down the road.
"What?" She asked him. "August, what's the matter?" August didn't say anything. He just waited. The Evil Queen was walking right towards them. Emma had to stand awkwardly as he brother just stood gawping like a fish at this woman. She came up to them and smiled coldly. Emma instantly felt uneasy about her.
"Well good morning." She greeted them. "I was told we had some visitors in town. My name is Regina Mills. I am the mayor of Storybrooke." She held out her hand. Emma quickly shook it. August just stared at it like it might suddenly set him on fire.
"August." Emma hissed.
"Sorry about my brother. He's not feeling too well." Emma said.
"August. What an unusual name." Regina said, smiling at him. "What's your name then?"
"Oh, I'm Emma." Emma answered. August saw the flicker of realisation in Regina's eye. She covered it quickly.
"It was Emma's birthday yesterday." August croaked. "Twenty-eight years old." Emma smiled awkwardly.
"Well, I'm sure you won't be stopping by for long. Not a lot to see here. There are bigger cities further along with more interesting things to see. Don't let us keep you." Regina said. Even Emma could hear the silent threat in her words. Why did she see them as some kind of danger? Whatever it was, it made Emma like the major less. It also made her want to stay in Storybrooke just a little longer to spite her.
"Oh, we don't mind small places. We're from a big city. It's nice to get away from it all." Emma answered, staring straight back. "Well, I'm sure you're very busy. It was nice to meet you, Madam Mayor." Emma answered, walking off. August hung back for a moment.
"Tick tock, your majesty." He said quietly, a small smile at the corner of his lips. Regina looked back.
"I don't know about where you're from, but we don't tend to call majors your majesty here." Regina answered him.
"What about evil queens?" He asked.
"Your sister was right. You don't seem very well, dear. Best be careful. Saying silly things like that can get a person a lovely little hospital stay. We have plenty of space in our psychiatric ward here at Storybrooke General." Regina threatened him. August wasn't the least bit frightened of her. Not when Emma was here. He knew that inside the queen was both terrified and livid. Her evil plans were about to unravel.
