Author's Note:
Inspiration for this story comes from both the show and the book that was made for season 1. This story starts on episode 3 and can skip around in regards to which episodes I choose to include (at least for season 1). However, I would be willing to go back and fill in the blanks if people want me to.
I hope I created an Emma that was believable. She's a hard character to write younger, because you want someone who is confident like older Emma but you have to acknowledge that she was not always like that – we've seen how she was as a teen. I tried my best to flesh her out and not seem to childish or too grown up.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Granny's Diner
October 24, 2011 – 8:35 PM
It was nights like these, with men like Dr. Whale, that Mary Margaret Blanchard remembered why she didn't go on dates that often. The man hadn't stopped talking about himself since the moment they had arrived and if he looked at Ruby's butt one more time, she was leaving.
"What was it you were saying earlier?" Dr. Whale asked, shaking Mary Margaret out of her reverie. "Something about you wanting fifteen kids?"
'Well, if you had bothered to listen the first time, you egomaniac, you might have actually heard.'
She smiled, politely. "No! Good lord, no. I meant in my class where I teach. You'll meet them tomorrow. They're coming to the hospital as part of the volunteer Outreach Program."
"Oh, yeah." Whale nodded, distractedly. "That is a great program."
Mary Margaret continued to rattle on. "I mean, obviously I don't want fifteen kids of my own. Um, I mean, not that I don't want kids. I do. I want kids, marriage, true love – I want it all. But that of course is…" she paused when she noticed that yet again, Dr. Whale had become otherwise distracted. She didn't need to turn around to know that he was ogling at Ruby. She refrained from rolling her eyes. "…Apparently of no interest to you. Ruby!"
Ruby's head popped up from where she had been clearing the table behind the unhappy couple. "Yes, Mary Margaret?"
"Check, please."
Mary Margaret sighed as she made her way down Main Street. It seemed that every attempt she made at love ended in disaster. Whale was just another chain in a long line of disappointments. What was it about her that people seemed to dislike? Was she boring? Shaking her head, she kicked a lose stone on the concrete sidewalk, venting her frustrations. Since she could remember, she had always had the worst luck with men. Maybe that dream of finding her happily ever after was just that: a dream.
She was about half way to her apartment when a familiar yellow Bug caught her eye, effectively breaking her out of her musings. From the back she could see a puff of blonde hair peeking out.
Without realizing it, her feet had already carried her across the street and she found herself knocking on the window.
Emma, who Mary Margaret could see was reading what appeared to be a heavily roughed up novel with a flashlight, jumped at the sudden noise. The teacher smiled apologetically when the teen turned her way but couldn't deny the warmth that spread throughout her body at the relief she saw flash on Emma's face when she recognized her.
The blonde took a second to turn off the flashlight before rolling down the window.
"Hey." Mary Margaret smiled, "You okay?"
"Oh!" Mary Margaret watched as the young girl's face became strained. "Yeah! Everything is fine! I've slept in my bug before."
Mary Margaret's eyes widened. "You're sleeping here?"
Emma shrugged, pretending not to care, but the teacher didn't fail to notice how red her face got, as if she was embarrassed at being caught. "It's not that big of a deal."
"You decided to stay for Henry." It wasn't a question.
Emma looked away. "Yeah, I guess." She shrugged again. "Figured there wasn't any harm in staying until someone figures out where I ran away to. It's weird…" she paused for a second, turning to look back at Mary Margaret, a pensive look on her face. "They are usually way faster at hunting me down; but it's been like four days and I haven't gotten even one phone call nor is anyone here busting my door down."
Mary Margaret chuckled. "Must be the curse."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't let Henry hear you say that."
"You know, you could stay at my place." Mary Margaret said suddenly. It surprised her, but as the offer hung in the air, she didn't find herself wanting to take it back. When the young girl didn't answer right away, the teacher offered a follow-up smile. "You know, if things get cramped."
"That's really nice of you Miss. Blanchard, but…" A slow, almost sad smile found its way onto Emma's face. "I doubt I'll be here for very long. The system will track me down eventually."
Mary Margaret tried her hardest not to let her disappointment show. Whatever twisted, paranoid story Regina had strung together in her head regarding Emma, the Mayor had gone too far. No child should be forced to camp out in a car. However, with that said, she couldn't help but admire Emma's tenacity. She knew first hand how frightening Regina could be, but the young girl had stood her ground. Not to mention the pure amount of courage it must have taken for her to have decided to stay. Mary Margaret didn't know much about the childcare system, but she knew that running away from a foster home was not something that she would be congratulated for upon returning.
In that moment, something struck Mary Margaret. While she usually considered herself a law-abiding citizen, she could feel an unfamiliar emotion brewing in the recesses of her mind at the mention of Emma's run in with the law; almost as if something was stirring awake. Was it… Pride? Certainly not the appropriate response to a child dodging the authorities, but still… It was this feeling that, despite her disapproval towards the situation, she had to respect Emma's decision. It's not like she could force the poor girl to move in with her.
Shaking her head slightly, Mary Margaret took a step back from the window. "Well… if you change your mind, the offer will still stand."
Though her mind was made up, Mary Margaret still found it hard to turn away.
Storybrooke General Hospital
October 25, 2011 – 8:45 AM
The next morning came and Mary Margaret found herself dreading the class trip to the hospital. As much as she loved the volunteer work her and the kids did there, she didn't look forward to the possibility of having to face Whale again. However, much to her disappointment, there simply wasn't any way she could cancel at such the last minute. Which is why, despite her awkwardness, she found herself in the very last place she wanted to be.
With a sigh, she casted a glance around, appreciating the amount of effort that her students were putting into decorating the room. All students except one, it would seem, when her eyes caught side of a familiar head of dark hair turning into one of the private rooms. She might have let it go if she hadn't recognized whose room he had entered.
Henry really hadn't set out to cause any trouble when he decided to venture into one of the many private rooms that stemmed from the central pod they had been decorating. In a ten-year-old's mind, he had very innocently thought it would be nice if he asked some of the patient's if they wanted any decorations in their rooms. However, those thoughts completely vanished when he saw the man in the bed.
As much as he liked to pretend that the storybook was all the proof he needed, he knew at the end of the day they were still just ink on a page and that besides him, they weren't enough to convince anyone of their true identity.
Henry raised a shaking hand, almost as if wanting to ensure that the man in front of him wasn't an illusion. He reached forward, but just as he was about to make contact, the door opened.
"Henry." Henry tensed at the sound of his name and turned, only to find his mother (though she still didn't believe it) standing in the doorway. His shoulders slumped, in relief, when he saw that she didn't look angry. "We could really use your help with the decorations."
Henry, slightly disappointed, dropped his hand. Not knowing what to say, he found himself staring at the name placard that was hung beside the man's bed. "John Doe…" He whispered to himself, looking back at the sleeping man with sad eyes. "Miss. Blanchard is Mr. Doe going to be okay?"
"Oh honey," Mary Margaret's face fell in a way that served only to increase Henry's concern. "His name's not actually John Doe. That's just what they call people when they don't know who they are."
"Do you know who he is?" He asked, deciding that there wasn't any harm in trying.
To his disappointment, Mary Margaret only shook her head. "Nope. I just bring him flowers on my rounds."
"What's wrong with him?"
Mary Margaret wished that she could give the boy the answers to the questions he had but found herself coming up short. "I… I mean, the doctors, don't know. He's been like this as long as I've been volunteering."
Henry looked at the man, inquisitively. "Does he have any family or friends?"
His teacher shook her head. "No one's claimed him."
Henry looked down, feeling a great amount of sadness. "So… so he's all alone?"
"Yes…" Mary Margaret nodded, not being able to stop the pressure that settled on her chest when her eyes settled on John Doe. "It's quite sad."
"You're sure you don't know him?" Henry asked again; and Mary Margaret didn't need to look at her student to feel the critical stare that was aimed at her back.
"Course I'm sure." She said finitely, effectively putting an end to the conversation. "We should go." She added, placing a hand onto his back and shuffling him out of the room. "We shouldn't even be here."
As the door closed behind them, Henry's mind was working in overdrive. Regardless of what his birth mother said about recognizing him, he was certain of two things. The first, was that the man in that bed was his father; he could feel it. The second, was that he had to tell Emma as soon as possible.
The Park
October 25, 2011 – 4:02 PM
Henry had barely managed to drop his things on the platform his sister was dangling her legs over before blurting out the news.
"I found our father – Prince Charming."
Emma's body froze, her voice coming out in a whisper. "I'm sorry, what? That isn't possible."
And it wasn't. Because she had tried to find them before. She had even snuck into her files once, a couple years ago, but there was nothing. Zilch. Whoever her parents were, really didn't want their children to find them, which would have explained the whole 'dumping them at the side of the road' thing.
"It is too! He's in the Hospital!" Henry shot back, insistently, pulling his book from the confinements of his backpack. "Look," He flipped to a particular page and pointed. "This is Prince Charming right after Snow White hits him with a rock and gets away after robbing his carriage."
Emma's eyes widened, ogling at the book. "What kind of twisted version of Snow White are you reading?"
"It's complicated, but not what's important." her brother said. "Do you see that scar?" Emma decided she might as well placate him and shifted to look at the picture. "There's a man at the Hospital who's in a coma. He has the same exact one."
Against her better judgement, Emma found herself examining the picture. The man was handsome, with blonde hair and a strong jaw – a jaw that was currently bleeding. She could see where her brother might have gotten the idea that they were related. She did look like him.
The thought made Emma pause. No, no, no, no, no. She was not doing this. Not again. She sighed, suddenly exhausted. "Henry…"
"I know what you're going to say," the young boy cut her off, "that lots of people of scars. But do they have them in the same place?" he doubted. "Don't you see what this means? The curse is keeping them apart with the coma. Now they're stuck without each other. We have to tell Mom that we found her Prince Charming." Emma stood to try and stop him, but the look he sent her caused her to pause. He spoke, only this time it was soft, nothing like the excited buzz that had come from his mouth moments ago. "I know… I know that you still don't believe what I'm telling you, but I do. Emma, please, this is important."
For a moment, Emma said nothing, turning her gaze to the water. "Fine."
The reply was so quiet, that Henry almost didn't hear. "Really?"
The blonde took a deep breath. "Yeah." She confirmed, nodding. "Look, maybe I don't buy into all of this fairy tale mumbo jumbo, but I do believe in you. If this is important to you, then it's important to me too. But… we'll do it my way."
Apartment 104, Mary Margaret's Residence
October 25, 2011 – 6:22 PM
Mary Margaret eyed Emma from beyond her cup of cocoa. "Let me get this straight." She said, placing her cup on the table. "You want me to read to a coma patient?"
"Yup," Emma confirmed, casually, taking a bite into the grilled cheese that Mary Margaret had insisted on making for her. "Henry thinks it will help him remember who he was." she explained.
"And, who does he think he was?"
"Prince Charming."
Mary Margaret paused. "And if I'm Snow White, he thinks me…and him…"
Sensing the woman's skepticism, Emma sighed. "Listen… I don't expect you to believe all of this and honestly, I don't either. But…" she her nail, nervously. "Henry really wants this, and I really want to be able to give it to him, regardless of the outcome."
The teachers heart clenched at the blonde's confession. Really, it made her decision quite easy. "Well then, you're in luck," she said brightly. "Since I happen to be volunteering tonight." She watched Emma's face change as the young girl realized that she was going to go along with the plan. "I'll read him the book tonight and how about we meet for breakfast tomorrow? I'll give you the full report."
A smile brightened Emma's face and Mary Margaret found that she loved that she was the one to put it there. Easy choice, indeed.
Storybrooke General Hospital
October 25, 2011 – 9:53 PM
That evening, when Mary Margaret sat herself down beside John Doe's bed, she still felt quite secure in her decision.
"Look, I know this is odd, but I'm doing it for a friend. So please, just bear with me." she said, feeling the need to explain. With that done, she made herself comfortable and opened the book.
And she read. Read the story about Snow White and Prince Charming and their love story. Mary Margaret found that the story was quite heartwarming. The couple had endured many hardships, but they always managed to overcome them in the end. "And as the Prince looked up to his future bride, he uttered the words that would define their relationship for the rest of time, 'Oh Snow… I will always find you.'"
As the final words fell from her lips, she felt something brush up against her left hand, that had been resting against the bed's edge. She froze, a breath stuck in her throat. Slowly, she turned her head towards the bed. There, cradling her hand was John Doe's own; and then he squeezed.
She stood quickly, the book falling helplessly to the floor. Not knowing what else to do, she ran to find Dr. Whale.
Granny's Diner
October 26, 2011 – 7:02 AM
Henry and Emma sat together at the diner, waiting for Mary Margaret to arrive.
"Thanks for the shirt. It's kind of big, but I can deal. I'm used to hand-me-downs." Emma said, before really getting a good look at it. "Wait… is this your mother's?"
Henry waved her off. "She'll never notice."
"Where does she think you are, anyway?"
"Playing Whac-A-Mole." Henry said.
"And she bought that?" Emma asked, dubiously.
Henry shrugged. "She wants to believe it, so she does. But that doesn't matter, what matters is getting Dad awake."
Emma kept quiet, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "We—"
"Emma! Henry!" They both looked up as Mary Margaret, looking more excited than Emma had ever seen her, burst into the diner and beelined to their table. "He woke up," she blurted, sliding into the booth.
Emma didn't even want to guess what kind of smile Henry was wearing. "What?" she said, because really that's all she could think of at the moment.
"I knew it!" Henry exclaimed, excitedly.
"I mean, he didn't 'wake up' wake up." Mary Margaret amended quickly. "But he grabbed my hand. Right at the end of the story."
"He's remembering," Henry said, nodding to himself, as if it made perfect sense.
"What did the doctor say?" Emma asked, pointedly ignoring Henry.
Mary Margaret frowned. "That I imagined it, but I'm not crazy. I know it happened."
Henry stood up from his seat. "We have to go back to the hospital. You have to read to him again." he said, running towards the door. "Come on!"
Mary Margaret only hesitated for a second before fallowing Henry. "Let's go."
Emma didn't understand what was going on. Everything was getting out of hand. John Doe wasn't – he wasn't supposed to wake up. Because this whole idea of a curse wasn't real. It wasn't. It couldn't be. Because if this whole thing was true, then… she was… and Mary Margaret and John Doe were…
Suddenly Emma felt very dizzy.
She was shaken from her reverie when Henry returned to their table, staring at her expectantly. "Well, aren't you coming?" he asked, nodding to the diner's door where Mary Margaret was waiting.
Not knowing what else to do, Emma stood shakily and followed her brother and Mary Margaret to the Hospital, feeling very numb.
Storybrooke General Hospital
October 26, 2011 – 7:44 AM
Emma, Henry, and Mary Margaret arrived at the hospital only to find John Doe's room empty and Sheriff Graham talking to the staff. Which did not help Emma's predicament at all. Henry, however, was completely ecstatic.
"You're right!" The boy in question said jumping up and down, completely buzzing with excitement. "He's waking up."
His excitement was cut short though when Graham walked over to stop them from moving any closer. His eyes glossed over all of them before settling on Henry. "Henry, you shouldn't be here." He turned to Emma. "Neither should you, in fact."
"What's going on?" Mary Margaret asked, anxiously, unintentionally saving Emma from having to answer. "Is it John Doe? Did they move him?"
"He's missing." Graham answered shortly.
Emma tensed when she heard the sound of clicking heels echoing down the hallway. She turned in time to see Regina stalking towards them. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, glaring at Emma. "And you –" she said, sounding hurt and turning to Henry. "I thought you were at the arcade. Now you're lying to me?"
"What happened to John Doe? Did someone take him?" Mary Margaret asked.
"We don't know yet." Graham said, leading them onto the floor. "His IVs were ripped out but there's no sign for sure there's a struggle."
"What did you do?" Henry demanded, turning on Regina.
Her face softened just a bit as she looked down at him, "You think I had something to do with this?" She asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Then why are you here?" The words were out of Emma's mouth before she could stop them.
Regina straightened her back and looked down at her, and the blonde cursed herself silently for her inability to shut up. "This coming from a child convict." She shot back. "And not that it's any of your business but I'm here because I'm his emergency contact."
"You know him?" Mary Margaret asked, breaking into the Mayor's stare down. "How?"
"I don't know him, I found him," Regina told them. "Years ago. On the side of the road."
"Mayor Mills saved his life." Whales added.
"Will he be okay?" Mary Margaret asked.
"He's been on feeding tubes for years, his legs are atrophied, and if he's conscious, he's disoriented and panicked. So, no. He's not okay. He needs to be back here immediately. I don't want to speculate on what could happen to him."
"Well then, you have to do something." Emma insisted, staring at the empty bed. "Maybe you could–"
Regina cut her off. "That's what we're doing. Just stay out of this, dear." she said, sinking into a sickly-sweet voice. "And since I clearly can't keep you away from my son, I guess I'm just going to have to keep my son away from you. Enjoy my shirt, because that's all you're getting. Sheriff, find John Doe. You heard Dr. Whale. Time is precious."
Protesting with his eyes, Henry looked at Emma knowingly before being dragged away. She knew what was in his head. Go find him, he was saying to her.
"Doctor, how long between your rounds since you last saw him?" Graham asked.
"Twelve hours or so."
"Then that's what we need to account for." Graham nodded. "You have security cameras, yes?"
Dr. Whale nodded. "Yeah, but not that many, considering the kind of funding we get." He added, offhandedly. "The footage goes back to our security room. It's down the hall and to the right."
Graham nodded, "Than that's where I need to go." He said, before making his way to the security room.
"U-um, Mr. Graham," Emma hesitated, hating how her voice faltered. "I-I was wondering, if – if maybe it was possible that I could come along?"
Graham considered her quietly, "I don't see why not. At this point more eyes can only be a good thing. Come on then."
The Woods
October 26, 2011 – 6:14 PM
Emma, Graham, and Mary Margaret stalked the woods for hours in the hope of finding the lost man, each of them scanning across the trunks of trees and the thick, prickly bushes.
Graham was a good tracker, and he'd managed to follow John Doe's trail for a decent distance before losing it again. Mary Margaret, Emma noted, seemed oddly emotional about it all; and the blond couldn't blame her.
This whole day had been one trying experience. She tried ardently to ignore all of the signs that pointed to Henry's Curse theory being true, but honestly? In the far back of her mind, she couldn't help but acknowledge that today's events were weird. And if she were being completely forthcoming, her entire stay in Storybrooke had been strange.
The Mayor's apple imagery aside, there had also been that whole thing with Ashley a couple of days ago. At the time she had rolled her eyes when her brother had rambled on and on about how the older girl was Cinderella, but now…
Emma clamped down on that thought. Yes, she could admit that something was seriously up with this place, but that didn't mean she had to buy into the magical theory, right?
Emma groaned, massaging her temples.
A rustling in one of the bushes jolted her from her thoughts.
"Who's there?" Graham said curtly, in the direction of the noise.
Without responding, Henry appeared in the clearing, trademark smile on his face.
"No, he did not," Emma muttered to herself in disbelief. "Henry," She hissed, moving towards him. "If your mother finds out you're with us, she is going to kill all of us, but probably me first."
"Have you found him?" Henry asked, pointedly ignoring Emma's scolding.
"Sorry, Henry," Graham said. "Not yet. And Emma is right—we need to get you home."
"I can help, though," Henry insisted. "I know where he's going."
"And where is that?" Mary Margaret asked. "How could you possibly have any clue what that man is thinking?"
"I know because I know the story already," Henry said, turning to look straight into her eyes. "He's looking for you."
He ran off before Emma could snag him by the back of his shirt, and after an awkward moment of dumbly looking at one another, the other three ran after him, calling his name.
'How is he so fast? I'm not even that fast now and I'm six years older,' Emma thought, dodging left and right to barely avoid tree trunks. She was running too fast to hold her light steady, so she only caught the occasional glimpses of Henry's big, bouncing backpack. "Henry!" she yelled. "Come on! Where're you going?" But Henry never slowed.
He led them through the forest until she and Graham emerged, panting, in the clearing at the shores of a river Emma had not yet seen. Henry stopped and turned, waiting for them to gather—Mary Margaret had fallen behind, and finally emerged as well. "It's the bridge," Henry said, pointing into the darkness. "Mary Margaret's the one who woke him up. She's the last one he saw. He wants to find her!"
Emma looked to where he was pointing. A few feet ahead a small white and rusted bridge laid over a trickling river, just like he said there would be.
Mary Margaret shook her head as she fallowed them. "Henry, it's not about me. I just… I think he's lost and confused. He's been in a coma a long time."
"But he loves you!" Henry insisted. "You need to stop chasing him and let him find you."
Mary Margaret was about to say something but was cut off by a worried Graham, who had run ahead. "Guys!"
"Oh my god," Mary Margaret said, hand over her mouth as they reached the river. "There," she said "He's there. I see him."
John Doe was there indeed. Facedown in the river, not moving, his hospital gown billowing up in a cloud around him.
It was then that Mary Margaret noticed the discoloration on his gown. "Is that…"
"Blood." Graham confirmed.
For a moment, Emma couldn't move. There was blood all over him.
Graham got to him first, wading into the river. He had John Doe upright in a flash and dragged him to the shore, then pulled his walkie-talkie from his belt and called for an ambulance.
"No, no, no, no, no! No, no, no! I found you!" Mary Margaret yelled kneeling down next to him and put a hand on John Doe's chest, slowly leaning over his face. "Come back to us," she whispered to him. "Come back to me."
Emma—terrified, fairly certain that the man was dead—watched grimly from above as Mary Margaret administered mouth-to-mouth. Emma didn't know what to make of it—any of it. She's said it before and she'll say it again, this place was weird. And was she crazy, or was Mary Margaret kissing John Doe?
Gross.
Before long, Henry was standing beside Emma, watching as well. She had the sisterly urge to cover his eyes but found herself still unable to move.
"He'll be all right," Henry said knowingly. "Don't worry. She has to kiss him to wake him up. It makes total sense. It's not gross."
"I hope he wakes up," she said, finally taking his hand in hers. "I don't care whether it makes sense or not."
Emma could hear the sirens in the distance now; Graham, watching sadly, seemed to be on the cusp of stopping Mary Margaret. He looked up Emma and Henry, just remembering that there were two kids watching this as well.
And then John Doe gasped.
Emma could feel Henry's excitement at the sound, as he squeezed her hand. She took a few steps towards them, Henry following behind. "She woke him up!" he said.
Emma let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She still didn't know what was going on but when she turned her light on John Doe's face, she found that she didn't care. Henry had shown her the picture in the book, and if the illustration had held some similarities with her, the man in front of her was a complete match.
His eyes were open, and he was staring at Mary Margaret as if she hung the stars. "You saved me. Thank you," he managed. He wiped his face, wet from the river, and looked around confusedly.
"My name is Mary Margaret. Do you know who you are?"
He stared at her, apparently trying to decide. "No," he said eventually. "I—I don't."
Mary Margaret smiled comfortingly. "It's okay. You're going to be okay."
Emma could only stare as Graham helped the man get into a more comfortable position, her mind working a mile a minute.
In her haze, it had only felt like minutes had passed when the ambulance arrived, and Dr. Whale along with the paramedics loaded John Doe into it.
Only when the ambulance had pulled away, did Emma feel herself become steadier.
She looked over at Mary Margaret, who was absentmindedly playing with her necklace. "We should go to the hospital and check on him," the teacher swallowed.
Emma felt herself nodding. "Yeah," she whispered, because how could she not after getting a good look at the man. "I'll go with you."
The trio trudged up the grass quietly and wound up at the bridge. Despite the possible realization that she was still reeling from, Emma couldn't help but smile a little when she saw the sign attached to the bridge. It said 'toll bridge' in simple black lettering. But someone had seen fit to scribble a little r between the t and the o. 'Troll bridge… How fitting,'
Storybrooke General Hospital
October 26, 2011 – 8:24 PM
They had to walk all the way back to Storybrooke's small hospital, and by the time they had arrived, Emma noted, a number of new vehicles were parked out front. She looked disdainfully at Regina's Mercedes, then up to the ambulance parked atop the emergency stripes near the door.
Inside, a number of nurses, as well as Dr. Whale, stood around John Doe's bed, examining him. Emma noticed another woman beside him, someone who did not look like a nurse or doctor. She was blond, tall, regal looking. Her face was the perfect visage of caring concern.
They had just been about to enter the room when Regina stepped in front of them. "I'm not sure what you think you're doing in this town, Nancy Drew," Regina said to Emma, "but I'm getting tired of the disruptions you've begun to cause." She glanced at Mary Margaret and continued, "There seem to be a whole lot more… conflicts in Storybrooke since you've been here, Ms. Swan. I don't think it's a coincidence."
"Maybe it's not," Emma muttered to herself. Her mind was still racing, but as she turned to face the Mayor she found herself finally gaining some courage. "Maybe you're right."
Regina took a step back, glaring. Emma herself wasn't quite sure what she was trying to imply, but she liked the reaction she'd gotten.
"Who is… that woman?" Mary Margaret said faintly, ignoring this stare down, ignoring Regina's anger. She was instead looking at the blond-haired women beside John Doe, who was now stroking his hair.
"Her name is Kathryn," Regina said. "John Doe's wife. And John Doe's name is David. David Nolan."
"Is this them?" Kathryn asked, looking over, a relieved smile still on her face. "Are you the people who found him? Thank you. Thank you so much." She left David's side and crossed the room. She took Mary Margaret's hands in her hands and said, "I don't know how to thank you."
"I don't understand," Mary Margaret said. "How could you not have known he was here? Before?"
A pall came over Kathryn's face; she slowly released Mary Margaret's hands and looked at the group. "We—we separated. A few years ago. It was under… terrible circumstances, a huge fight. And he stormed out and told me he was leaving town, moving to Boston, that the marriage was over. And all this time I've just assumed he was there, that he… moved on." She looked back at him; he was preoccupied with Dr. Whale. "All this time he's been right here," she concluded.
"You never once tried to find him?" Emma asked, unable to hide the skepticism in her voice. She didn't like this. She didn't like the smarmy look on Regina's face.
"Of course, I did," said Kathryn, turning back. "But no one knew where he was. There's only so long you can search for someone who doesn't want to be found in the first place." She looked at Regina and smiled warmly. "But the mayor put the pieces together and called this evening. It's unbelievable. This is—it's like we're starting over. We get a second chance."
"That's so lovely," Mary Margaret said, smiling at the woman. Emma doubted she was the only one in the room who could see through the false sentiment.
Kathryn went back to David's bedside.
"Come on, Henry," Regina said. "Time to go home."
As he passed by Mary Margaret, Henry looked up at her. He didn't try hard to lower his voice when he said, "Don't believe any of it. He woke up because of you. The story. True love. It's your destiny to be together."
"Henry," Regina called, but Henry darted from the room. Regina, shaking her head, followed after him. Henry was already out in the parking lot when Emma finally caught up to her.
"Excuse me," Emma called to her back. "Miss Mayor." Regina turned. "Can I ask you something before you go?"
Regina nodded. "It's sweet, isn't it? Love?" She asked. "I'm so happy that such a tragic story had a happy ending. That never happens."
"None of this particular story makes any sense," Emma said flatly.
"What is it that you think, then?" Regina asked, eyes alight, looking amused. "I'm using evil magic on that woman? Forcing her to lie?"
'At this point lady…' she thought idly, before shaking her head. "Maybe not magic, but something is up and whatever it is, stinks."
"You do know, Miss. Swan," Regina said, her words dripping with condescension as she strolled back in her direction, "that bad things happen. Even in small, ordinary towns like Storybrooke."
"No. It's not. Ordinary, I mean."
Regina's eyes turned to ice. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
Emma hesitated, a shiver running down her back. "I-I mean that this place is anything but ordinary. Something fishy is going on here. Call it magic or whatever you want, but I meant what I said: Something is up."
"I'm surprised you're not happier to see two people reunited," Regina said. "There is no curse in the world worse than being alone. Am I right?" Regina smiled and looked over her shoulder toward the parking lot. "I'm lucky to have Henry," she added. "It would be terrible to have no one at all. The only reason I haven't called child services on you is because of Henry. Don't fool yourself into thinking anything else."
Emma didn't even try to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.
Apartment 104 – Mary Margaret's Residence
October 26, 2011 – 10:44 PM
Mary Margaret sat alone at her own kitchen table, one hand half clasping a glass of water, the other resting in her lap. As her macaroni and cheese sat cooling in front of her, she thought through all that had happened since John Doe (his name is David, she reminded herself) had reached out to touch her hand.
She swirled a few pieces of macaroni in the orange sauce before setting the fork back down, choosing instead to twirl the ring on her middle finger.
When the knock on the door came, she knew that it couldn't be him. Right now, he was home with his wife, relearning his own history. She had seen their embrace.
She was busy try to convince herself that she wasn't hoping it would be him when she opened the door and saw Emma looking back.
For a second, they just stared at each other. Mary Margaret found herself smiling then – just a bit.
"Hello, Emma," she greeted.
The blonde girl raised a hand, lamely. "Hey."
"What can I—" She paused when she noticed the dried tracks of tears on the younger girl's cheek. "Is everything all right?"
"Everything's fine," Emma said, wiping away the last of her tears. "The mystery man is awake, and the Evil Queen is asleep in her tower. We're good."
Mary Margaret laughed a little and let the subject drop, opening the door a bit more. "Do you want to come in?" she offered. "I have some dinner I could share."
"I was actually wondering if that offer still stood," Emma asked, biting her lip. "About the room."
"Oh," Mary Margaret said, legitimately surprised. She'd managed to forget all about it in the excitement of the day, but she was glad Emma had not. "Absolutely. Come in."
Emma nodded and ducked into the room, rubbing her shoulders. Margaret felt better and she didn't want to think much about why.
"Nice place you got here," Emma commented, looking around. "Much nicer than the back seat of a car."
"That is true," Mary Margaret agreed, and the two laughed. "But I'm glad that you're here," she said. "Really, Emma. You'll always be welcome here."