"Last chance to back out, bud," Neal said, glancing over at Henry as he stood near the door of their hotel room. "You're sure you're okay with us moving here?"
Henry nodded, grinning. "Positive, Dad! It'll be a new adventure, like you and Mom always talked about."
Emma couldn't help but grin slightly, even if there was a knot in her stomach that threatened to make her scream that they were going back to Boston and to forget this little town. It would have been an adjustment to not having Audrey and Snoopy around, but they could have made it work - right?
But Emma didn't say anything, only giving Neal a quick peck on the lips. "Be careful, don't rush yourself getting everything packed."
"I'll be fine. I've already emailed a few friends to help me out," Neal said, squeezing her hand before ruffling Henry's hair. "Good luck, listen to your mom, and don't start complaining about your teacher before you've given them a chance, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I won't," Henry said with a roll of his eyes.
"I mean it, moving is a big deal. We don't want to start off on the wrong foot."
"Especially in a small town like this," Emma grumbled, before sighing. "C'mon kid. You're lucky the superintendent was willing to meet with us on a Sunday."
She gave Neal another quick kiss before heading out with Henry.
The school complex seemed enormous, although Emma supposed that's what happened in these small towns - they didn't have to travel miles from school to school because there weren't a ton of shops and houses in the way.
She was surprised to see a woman standing at the top step, waiting for them.
"Good morning! You must be Mrs. Cassidy," she said with a wide smile. "And this must be Henry."
"Ms. Jackson, right?" Emma said as Henry gave a nervous wave. "Thank you for meeting with us on a Sunday."
"Please, call me Olivia. And it's no trouble. It's not often we get new students enrolled here, so this is really exciting for us!" Olivia opened the door, guiding them inside. "Come right on in and we'll get you set up. When we're done with Henry's schedule and the other paperwork I'll give you a tour."
"Sounds great," Emma hummed, glancing around. It seemed like any other school she'd been in. A little older, even than the Boston schools Henry and Audrey attended, but it was that same sickly-sweet charming that the rest of Storybrooke seemed to have.
Olivia's office seemed normal though, and Emma felt herself relax slightly as she began rapidly typing on her computer.
"Alright then, Henry. I received your records a few minutes ago from Boston - "
"That quickly?" Emma interrupted. "Sorry, I just didn't expect them to be working on a Sunday."
Olivia shrugged. "When something like this pops up, sometimes the system actually moves like we want it to. Anyway, his records and notes from his teachers indicate he's a fan of art, is that right?"
Henry nodded. "It's my favorite class. And I was in a special art camp this summer."
"That's wonderful, Henry! I think I have an opening in the perfect class." A few more clicks of her keyboard, the sound of a printer, and she was sliding a schedule across the desk. "You'll be in Miss Blanchard's class. She does lots of art projects during her lessons to help students learn in a unique way."
"We met her yesterday!" Henry chirped. "She seemed really nice."
Emma couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief, knowing Henry would be with Mary-Margaret. "She did. She was volunteering at the hospital when we brought Audrey in."
"Oh! Yes, that's right, I heard about Audrey's return. It's a miracle, really. She's been gone as long as I can remember…" Olivia trailed off, seemingly lost in thought, before the bright smile returned as she reached into her desk. "So here's some information on the schools, and a map for Henry in case he needs it. You can find the pieces for the uniform pretty much anywhere, so don't worry about that. Although, I will need his size for the sweater."
Henry soured a little at the mention of a uniform.
"He's a medium," Emma said.
Olivia nodded, rising to her feet. "I'll grab one out of storage while we're on our tour, if you're ready?"
"Let's do it."
"The main menu for lunch rotates every day, and we're lucky to have a local farmer that donates much of the produce we use," Olivia explained as they wandered past a display of science fair projects. "Kids are welcome to eat inside or outside, weather permitting, and we have monitors in both areas."
"That's cool! We weren't allowed to eat lunch outside in Boston," Henry explained.
Emma couldn't help but raise a brow. "How'd you swing the farmer donating produce to the school?"
"Well, it helps that he's married to be one of our teachers," Olivia explained with a laugh. "Daphne teaches high school, so maybe in a few years Henry will be in her class. Or maybe Audrey. I'm going to be taking her schedule and information to the hospital later."
"I can take it to her, if you want. Henry and I are going to the hospital later this afternoon," Emma offered.
Olivia hummed, tapping her finger against her cheek. "Well, since you are technically listed as Audrey's parent on her school records, that will be fine. I'll get her schedule and information settled when we head back to the office. Do you happen to know what size she wears?"
"Sounds like a plan. And she's a medium as well."
"I'll get her sweater when we grab Henry's. Miss Blanchard's room is - oh, it looks like she's here. That's strange," Olivia frowned as they approached the open classroom door. "Mary-Margaret?"
Something thudded to the ground, and there was a startled yelp.
"Superintendent Jackson! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were here too."
"I'm showing Mrs. Cassidy and her son around… what brings you here?"
"I've been looking for my credit card. I tore my apartment apart but it's nowhere to be found. So I thought I would check here."
Olivia blinked. "Oh, I see. I'll run the security tapes and see if anything's come up. Nothing has been turned in at the Lost and Found, but that doesn't mean no one has it."
"Thank you, Olivia. I appreciate it."
Emma kept a hand on Henry's shoulder as they lingered in the doorway. "Hi, Mary-Margaret, I don't know if you remember - "
Mary-Margaret smiled slightly. "You're the family from the hospital. What brings you to the schools though?"
"You're my new teacher," Henry announced, glancing around the classroom. "Which one is going to be my desk?"
"I'm - sorry?" Mary-Margaret asked, stepping back as Henry pushed further into the room. "His new teacher?"
Emma sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry about that. We're uh, moving to Storybrooke. He was put in your class."
"Oh! Well come on in then. I'll get you caught up on what we're learning about. Henry, this will be your desk right here," she said, guiding Henry to a desk near the window. "I've been teaching them how to build birdhouses. It helps with building empathy and their math skills."
"Combining art and math. I wish I had a teacher like you when I was growing up. Maybe I would actually like math," Emma joked.
Mary-Margaret gave her a weak smile. "Math isn't my favorite subject either, but just know if Henry finds he's struggling, the high school has a great tutoring program."
"You guys sure thought of everything," Emma remarked.
"Well, we figured it'd be a good way for the older kids to earn a little credit, and help the younger students out. It's also part of the after-school program."
Emma smiled. "That all sounds great. It's really making me feel better that Henry's still going to get a good education, even if we're not in Boston."
"Storybrooke is… like a fairytale, Mrs. Cassidy. We may be small, but we prioritize education," Olivia explained. "Shall we continue the tour?"
Why did her phrasing sound so odd to Emma? Still, she managed a smile. "Sounds good. C'mon kid."
They saw the playground, the computer lab, and the library before Olivia led them to a small shop area. "And here we are. Two medium Storybrooke sweaters." They were presented as if they were made of gold, which had Emma biting back a laugh as she took them. "We'll just get Audrey's paperwork all settled and that'll be it. Unless you had any further questions?"
Emma wracked her brain. "No, I think that's it. But I'll contact you if I think of anything."
"Fantastic," Olivia said, returning to the office and setting up the same paperwork and schedule for Audrey. "It was very nice to meet you, Mrs. Cassidy. We'll see you tomorrow at 8:30 sharp then, Henry?"
"Yes Miss Jackson."
Emma guided him out of the office, hearing Olivia answer a phone call as they disappeared down the hall.
"Lacey, what's up? Yeah I can…"
Madalena was going to kill Rumplestiltskin if she ever got out of here.
No. When she got out of here. Because she would get out of here, of course. She was the Dark Queen Madalena after all! She could get out of here on her own… even if she had failed so far and she had no idea exactly how long she had even been trapped in this godforsaken book.
Her Handsome Hero. What a dumb name for a book. What a ridiculous idea for a plot.
If she had to watch Gideon the Great cut a spider in half one more time, she was going to scream.
And she had screamed multiple times already.
The worst part of living in a book was there being no plot for Madalena. The author hadn't put a Queen Madalena in it, so she was relegated to being in the back of crowd scenes, completely ignored and unable to do anything to end the sieges that plagued this village.
Not that she wanted to be a hero, of course. No, Madalena just wanted to save her own skin and had been caught in the crossfire one too many times.
"Fear not, Duchess Prudence, I, Gideon, shall slay the evil Sorceress!" the hero of the story says, dramatically flourishing his hands.
Madelena rolled her eyes and made a face. Just once, she'd like to be able to turn Gideon or one of the other townspeople into a toad, or a dog, or something. Anything to make this more bearable.
"Madalena?" a voice suddenly said from above. That wasn't right, and suddenly everything froze. "I don't recall you being in the story before."
"Hello?!"
Why could she move? Who was that voice? It was new, didn't come from any of the stale creatures around her… had someone from the real world finally picked up the book?
"Madalena, I free you from these pages."
She didn't have time to think before she felt herself being yanked up, landing hard on a carpeted floor.
"Oh gods, are you okay?" came the same voice, only this time, it was much closer.
Madelena felt the world tilting for a moment, before everything stilled and she lifted her head from the carpet, heaving in deep breaths and staring down at her hands. Free. She was… free? She pushed herself up into a sitting position, feeling the world tilt slightly again as she glanced around the room.
She knew this place. Rumplestiltskin's library.
She was free.
"Erm… hello?" the voice asked again, and Madelena jumped, glancing over. "Sorry, are you okay?"
That was a loaded question. Was she okay?
"I…" her voice was raspy. "How long… was I in there?"
"I don't know… you're Madalena of Keburg, aren't you?"
Her head shot over to the young woman who had spoken, eyes wide. They still spoke of her? Good. Then it must not have been all that long.
"I am. They deposed me two years ago."
The woman's eyes widened, and Madalena's heart sank. "No… not two years ago. They just celebrated their Decade of Peace."
Decade? Decade?!
"I've been in that book for eight years…" Madalena whispered. "Oh my gods…"
"I'm glad I got you out of there. What happened?"
Madalena rose to her feet, brushing invisible lint off her gown. "That bastard Rumplestiltskin locked me in there. All I wanted to do was learn some dark magic to take control of a kingdom, that's not too much to ask for, right?"
"Er… I'm probably not the best person to ask about that, but you're not the only evil queen in the realm."
"Oh, no, please don't call me evil, just dark," Madalena said, raising a brow. "Who are you, anyway?"
"My name is Belle. I'm Rumplestiltskin's housekeeper."
"May the gods have mercy on you then," Madalena said, rubbing her head. "Thank you for freeing me, Belle."
"You should hurry and get out of here. Rumplestiltskin will be home any moment."
Madalena nodded, raising her hand to disappear, before she paused. "I don't know where to go. I can't go back to Keburg, I can't stay in this kingdom…"
"I think you'll find allies here if you stay off Rumplestiltskin's radar. He's not exactly the most popular man here. Now hurry, go!"
"Thank you again for freeing me, Belle. I'll make sure to leave you in peace when I come to power," Madalena said, vanishing in a cloud of black smoke. Where she would go, she didn't know, but if what Belle said was true, perhaps there was a chance for her to find allies.
Maybe she could take down Rumplestiltskin and take his place.
That might be nice.
She landed in the middle of the woods, on some sort of carriage path. No matter which direction she looked, she couldn't see Rumplestiltskin's castle. Hopefully, that meant she was far enough away. Now all she had to do was find some food or shelter. Or, find some people to give her food and shelter. She was still a queen after all… even if she had fallen.
A small village wasn't too far from where she'd landed, and Madalena sighed, pushing herself into the nearest pub.
"The next round is on me!" a man shouted, lifting an empty stein into the air. "Grimsund shall prosper once again!"
There was a roar from the crowd, and Madalena gasped as a mug was shoved into her hand from the nearest barmaid.
"Oh, I - "
"No need to worry, Prince James paid for this round," she said with a grin. "He's just come back from a giant hunt."
A prince, huh?
Madalena could work with that.
"Thank you, then," she said to the barmaid. "Is that him over there?"
"Aye, that's him, but if you think you've got a chance with him, you may want to temper your expectations. The rumor is he's got a different woman in his bed every month," she explained. "Truth is, I don't know if he'll ever commit to one woman, even if the king forces an arrangement."
Ah, so it was that sort of deal, hm? Fine. Madalena could take out the competition.
"I see, thank you kindly," she said, sipping at her beer before sauntering over to the prince and dropping into the seat across from him.
He raised a brow. "And who might you be."
"I might be Queen Madalena of Keburg, I might be just a figment of your imagination," she smirked.
James furrowed his brow. "Weren't you deposed?"
"Details, details."
James looked her up and down. "Well, what can I do for fellow royalty?"
"That's just it. I'm not exactly royal anymore, and I just spent eight years trapped in a book thanks to the Dark One. As much as I hate to do this, I need help."
Setting his much on the table, James leaned forward. "And what can you do for me?"
Madalena waved her hand, magic gathering in it. "What do you need?"
"Here you go, Emma, grilled cheese and onion rings. Hey - you alright?" Ruby asked, setting the plate down in front of her.
Emma rubbed her eyes and looked up from the newspaper in front of her. "Yeah, thanks. I'm just trying to find a place for us to live, and it's not like there are a lot of options here."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "You're telling me. If there were more affordable houses here, I'd have moved out of the bed and breakfast a long time ago. That, and if Granny would ever let me meet with Victoria…"
The last part was said in a mumble, which had Emma raising a brow. "What do you mean?"
Ruby looked around, before digging through her apron and pulling out a card. "Victoria Belfrey-Polastel. She's a realtor in town. Wanted to buy Granny's not too long ago and make it more modern, instead of a dumpy diner and bed and breakfast. Granny hit the roof and refused to ever serve her, but she gave me a card if I ever needed it, but you and your family need it more than I do, so here. Just… don't tell Granny I told you about her."
Emma took the card, sliding it into her wallet. "Thanks Ruby. I owe you one."
"So long as you don't tell Granny, consider us even."
And that was how Emma found herself sitting in a way too spotless, modern office that afternoon after dropping Henry off at the hospital to hang out with Audrey.
Seriously, was this Victoria thinking she was selling to celebrities and the too-wealthy in New York City? What was with this place?
"Mrs. Cassidy, welcome."
Emma briefly considered reminding the woman that her name was Emma, but decided against it. "Thank you for meeting with me. I'm sorry it's on such short notice."
"Oh no need to apologize for something like that! This is my job after all, and it's not often I get a client with a family that needs to be moved. Everyone here just seems to be so settled that they never go anywhere. But what sort of house were you and your family looking for?" Victoria said, flourishing a pen and smoothing out the notepad in front of her.
Emma paused. What were they looking for in a house? They hadn't had many options when it came to apartments, aside from the location and the spectacular front door that Emma was going to miss.
"Er… at least three bedrooms, although four would be ideal, I guess, so Neal and I can have an office," she started, running her tongue along her teeth in an attempt to think. "Maybe a nice yard. We're from Boston and our son has never had a yard to play in."
Victoria was nodding, scribbling away. "I have two daughters. I get it."
"Maybe something updated? I don't know if we can handle moving all of our stuff and finding out the house needs new floors or a new bathroom."
"Ah!" Victoria suddenly said, tossing the pen onto her desk and rapidly typing on her computer. "I have the perfect house for you, Mrs. Cassidy. 715 Tenth Street. Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, nicely updated and a large backyard. It's an updated Victorian, and one of the best Storybrooke can offer. We can drive over now, if you want to see it?"
Emma nodded, her throat dry.
But Victoria was right, 715 Tenth Street was what she would call perfect for that family, and she signed on the dotted line in the spotless kitchen - her kitchen, and blinked in shock as Victoria passed her the keys.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Cassidy."