I did this once before but ended up deleting it.
Belle's hair was long and matted, her dress a dirty grey rag. She looked out the barred window of her cell. Purple smoke was consuming the land, moving quickly towards the Evil Queen's castle. Belle doubted that any could escape it. A tear ran down her face.
"Huntsman?" Her voice was hoarse from years of barely speaking. She had heard his footsteps outside her door earlier and knew that he was there for her, for her last moments. There was no reason to guard her now. Surely he couldn't have missed what was coming towards the castle.
"Belle." He said her name softly. If he still had a heart, he would have cried along with her.
"I don't blame you. Whatever she made you do. You have a kind heart, I can feel it." The Huntsman had used to bring her books and candlelight to read by. Sometimes scraps of paper to write on. It wasn't often, there was only so much that she could fit and hide in her cell.
The Huntsman wanted to scoff, he had no heart at all let alone a kind one. He watched her through the window of the cell door instead."Thank you."
The smoke reached the castle and Belle was flung back. The sounds of shattered glass echoed in her ears.
Lacey French was taking books from a cart and putting them on the shelves. She picked up a large book and looked it over. The cover read Once Upon A Time. She flipped through the book but couldn't find an author or any kind of credit.
Lacey went to the computer and checked the database, and then searched the net. There was no mention of it anywhere. She would have put it in the lost and found bin but something told her to keep it. She read through the book and smiled when she realised that she knew exactly who needed this kind of book.
At recess Lacey found Henry sitting by himself with his head down staring at the table. "Hello Henry."
Henry looked up at her. "Miss French."
"I have something for you." Lacey got the book out of her bag and set it on the table. "I found it while shelving books today. It's the oddest thing, the book doesn't seem to exist as far as records are concerned."
"Thank you." Henry picked up the book.
"It's not a problem. Stories can really help us when we feel lonely. Give us hope."
Ashley was always pregnant and never gave birth. He was the only one who ever moved up a grade and the only one who ever aged. He had thought he was going crazy, that there must be something wrong with him. Now all the pieces were sliding into place and it was thanks to the book. The realization was both freeing and terrifying.
He can't look at his mom the same way ever again.
He felt bad about taking Miss French's credit card but she would understand why soon enough. Henry stood on his toes to ring the doorbell.
"Uh? Can I help you?"
"Are you Emma Swan?"
"Yeah. Who are you?"
"My name's Henry. I'm your son." He pushed past her into the apartment, not giving her a chance to protest.
"Whoa! Hey, kid! Kid! Kid!" Emma followed after him as he walked further into her apartment. "I don't have a son! Where are your parents?"
Henry stopped before the kitchen counter where Emma's birthday cupcake stood forgotten. "Ten years ago. Did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me."
She was silent, unable to say anything and just stared at Henry for several moments. "...Give me a minute." Emma went into the bathroom to compose herself. She kept her hand on the closed door and breathed in and out deeply.
"Hey, you have any juice?" Henry yelled. "Never mind, found some."
This is not happening, she thought. How could he have found me?
She exited the bathroom, face composed into a serious expression and walked towards Henry. Henry was drinking juice straight from the bottle.
"You know, we should probably get going," Henry said.
Emma crossed her arms and looked over at him from the other side of the kitchen counter. "Going where?" First he invades my house and goes through my fridge and now he wants to go on a trip?
"I want you to come home with me."
"Okay, kid. I'm calling the cops." She walked over to the phone.
"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me."
Emma faced him with the phone, in hand. "And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother." Emma pressed a button on the phone.
"Yep."
"You're not going to do that.
"Try me."
"You're pretty good. But here's the thing – there's not a lot I'm great at in life. I have one skill. Let's call it a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying and you, kid, are." She continued to call the cops.
"Wait… Please don't call the cops. Please, come home with me." The desperation in Henry's eyes made Emma falter despite herself.
"Where's home?"
"Storybrooke, Maine."
"Storybrooke? Seriously?"
He made a hum of agreement and nodded his head.
"Alrighty, then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke."
Henry wished that Archie hadn't given Emma his address. They could have slept in her yellow bug or maybe Granny would have taken pity on them. He threw his bag onto the floor and flopped onto his bed. Soon he heard someone coming up the stairs. Graham opened the door and closed it after he entered Henry's room.
Graham walked over to Henry's bed and once there crouched down on his knees. "Henry?"
"Yes?" he mumbled against his pillow.
"You really worried has us worried. Anything could have happened to you."
Henry didn't miss that Graham said us. You should have just said I. She doesn't care about me, she's evil. After some silence Henry got the feeling that Graham was waiting for him to say something. Henry lifted his head up to look at Graham. He couldn't help feeling guilty when he realized how tired Graham looked.
"She has to be here, she's important."
Graham's smile was soft. "I'm sure she is."
Henry lied back down and faced the ceiling. He stifled a yawn, not wanting to fall asleep before he could see Emma leave. "I didn't mean to worry you. Everything's going to change soon, we'll have hope."
"There's always hope Henry." Graham stood up. "Get some sleep."
"Good night."
Graham closed the door softly behind him when he left. After assuring Regina that Henry was fine he waited outside to see Emma off.
Emma was walking down the pathway of Regina's house when she got the feeling that she was being watched. She stopped and looked back, catching Henry at an upstairs window before he scurried away.
"Sweet boy wouldn't you say?" a voice said. Emma spun around, the Sheriff was leaning against her car. "I'm Graham by the way."
Her patience was reaching it's limit. If he didn't move she might be prepared to move him herself. "Emma. I have a long drive ahead of me so if you could find somewhere else to lean."
"I think it might be better if you stayed the night."
"That's kind of forward." He was ruggedly handsome but the only thing she wanted to do tonight was drive home and sleep.
"I know Regina's drinks. I'd hate to get out the breathalyzer. There's a B&B up the road, Granny's. It's a lovely place."
"Well I hate to disappoint you," Emma moved in close to him, "but I've only had one drink and I'm way-" Emma paused for a moment, "well I'm not going to tell you but the point is right now I would blow a point o six way beneath the limit."
"Drive safely." He opened the car door for her and closed it after she got in.
The Evil Queen's castle was in chaos. Many of Regina's men were fleeing, trampling over each other as they went. The curse came without warning, devouring the land as it spread. Some hide in the underground of the castle where the cells where, not that it would do any good. There was no hiding from or out running this.
Her vault of hearts was likely unguarded but there was no way the Huntsman would remember which box his was in, especially not with so little time to spare. He ran up the stairs to Belle's tower instead. He could set her free if only for a moment. At the very least he could apologize to someone he wronged while under Regina's control.
Emma was driving out of Storybrooke when she looked at the passenger seat and saw Henry's book. She smiled. "Sneaky bastard."
When she looked back at the road a wolf was in front of her car. She swerved, hitting the entrance sign instead and blacking out.
Emma awoke to whistling. She looked over to the cell next to hers. A short scruffy looking man with a beard was whistling. Outside the cells a man was repairing a cabinet.
"What are you looking at, sister?"
"Hey, Leroy—manners!" the man fixing the cabinet said. "We have a guest!" Emma stood up and walked towards the bars, her footing felt unsteady. "So you are eh, Henry's mother. How lovely for him to have you back in his life." Emma touched her forehead, her head was throbbing. She tried not to think about the other time she had been thrown into jail.
"Actually, I was just dropping him off." How did he know that I was Henry's mother? Word really does get around in a small town.
"Tch, don't blame ya," Leroy said. "They're all brats, who needs 'em."
"Well, I'd give anything for one. My wife and I, we tried for many years. But, uh, he was not meant to be."
"Well cry me a river."
Sheriff Graham entered the room and unlocked Leroy's cell. "Leroy! If I'm going to let you out, you need to behave. Put on a smile and stay out of trouble." Leroy smiled sarcastically, and left.
"Seriously?" Emma had her face pressed against the bars, her arms rested outside the bars.
"Regina's drinks are a little stronger than we thought."
"I wasn't drunk. There was a wolf standing in the middle of the road."
"A wolf. Right."
Regina entered the room. "Graham! Henry's run away again. We have to…" Regina looked at Emma. "What is she doing here? Do you know where he is?"
"Honey, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house," Emma said. "And, I have a pretty good alibi."
"Yeah, well, he wasn't in his room this morning."
"Did you try his friends?"
"He doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner."
"Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be emailing them."
"And you know this how?"
"Finding people is what I do. Here's an idea. How about you guys let me out and I'll help you find him."
Regina, Emma and Graham were in Henry's room. Emma plugged a USB into Henry's computer and searched through his files. Graham stood next to her and Regina watched them.
"Smart kid," Emma said. As much as she disapproved she was impressed. Most kids wouldn't have thought things through that much, some criminals wouldn't have. "Cleared his inbox. I'm smart too, a little hard disk recovery utility I like to use."
"I'm a bit more old-fashioned, in my techniques," Graham said. "Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing."
"You're on salary," she reminded him. "I get paid for delivery. Pounding pavement is not a luxury that I get. Ah, there's a receipt for a website, —it's expensive. He has a credit card?"
"He's ten," Regina said.
"Well, he used one. Let's pull up a transaction record. Lacey French, who's Lacey French?"
"The town librarian and Henry's school teacher," Regina said.
Lacey stood in front of a classroom of young kids. The desks are put together in pairs of four and each kid has a bird house and paint supplies on their desk. Her hair was in a loose bun, she wore a pink cardigan, jeans, worn in sneakers and a large blue bag.
"It's important to remember that we're not keeping the birds caged," she said. "If you love them you'll let them be free. And they love you they will come back to you." The bell rang. "We'll pick this up after recess. No running!" A student handed her a pear before leaving. "Thank you." She put the pear in the front pocket of her handbag.
Regina shoved her way through the students leaving. Emma trailed in after her.
"Miss Mills?" Lacey asked. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Where's my son?" Regina demanded. Emma kept at the back, keeping a close eye on Lacey.
"When he didn't show up to class I assumed he was home sick with you." Lacey put her hand on her chest. "I can check the library."
She walked towards the door and Regina held out her arm to stop her. "Did you give him your credit card to find her?"
Lacey had barely noticed the woman when she first came in, too concerned with Regina. "Sorry but who are you?"
"I'm his... his," Emma stammered.
"The woman who gave him up for adoption," Regina said, glaring daggers. "If your hiding him remember that I can get that library shut down faster than-"
Emma pushed Regina's arm away. "You don't know anything about this do you?"
"Nothing," Lacey said. She went through her handbag and got out her wallet, Emma was sure that she saw a book in there. She looked through her wallet and realized her credit card was gone. "Clever boy. Maybe that book was a bad idea."
"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" Lacey jumped at Regina's tone.
"Just fairy-tales. Henry is so smart and creative, and lonely. He needed some adventure." Lacey cleared her throat. "In the literature form."
"What he needs is a dose of reality," Regina said. "This is a waste of time. I already checked the library."
"That would have been nice to know before we came here," Emma said. Regina turned and pushed past Emma, knocking over a pile of books as she left. Lacey rushed to pick the books up.
She looked back at Emma. "Have a nice trip back to Boston." She walked off.
"Sorry to bother you," Emma said. She walked over, knelled down and picked up a book. "You're..err, really passionate about books. How was a storybook supposed to help?"
"Fairy-tales are classics are a reason. We need a way to deal with a world that doesn't always make sense. We can adventures and get to know characters when there's no one else. Henry hasn't had an easy life."
"Yeah, she's kind of a hard-ass." Emma smiled, she wished the librarians she had known as a kid had possessed Lacey's unbridled enthusiasm. Hell under different circumstances she wouldn't mind taking Lacey out for a drink.
"It's more than her." Lacey put the books back onto the desk, Emma handed her the book she had picked up. "He's like any adopted child, wondering why anybody would ever give him away." Belle's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm sure you had your reasons. I don't mean to judge you."
"It's okay." I was dumb enough to get arrested. To trust someone.
"I gave Henry that book to give him hope in a happy ending. We should all have that."
Emma's eyes widened."You know where he is, don't you?"
"Check his castle."
Henry sat on a wooden playground castle while Emma walked up behind him with his storybook. She sat down next to him.
"You left this in my car." She handed Henry his storybook. They looked across at the clock tower. "Still hasn't moved, huh?"
"I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here. That the final battle will begin."
"I'm not fighting any battles, kid."
"Yes, you are. You're here because it's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings."
"Can you cut it with the book crap?"
"You don't have to be hostile. I know you like me, I can tell. You're just—pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay; I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance."
How is a kid so perceptive? Emma looked away. "How do you know that?"
"Because it's the same reason Snow White gave you away."
"Listen to me, kid." Emma looked back at him. "I am not in any book. I'm a real person. And I'm no savior. You were right about one thing, though. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me. C'mon, let's go." Emma hopped down from the castle and walked away.
"Please don't take me back there!" Henry went around to and down the stairs of the castle. He cut off her path. "Just stay with me for one week, that's all I ask! One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy."
"I have to get you back to your mom."
"You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks!"
"Oh, you wanna know what sucking is? Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway; my parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital!" With her voice breaking she continued, "I ended up in a foster system and I had a family until I was three but then they had their own kid so they sent me back... " Emma took time to collect herself. She bent down to look Henry in the eye. "Look. Your mom is trying her best. I know it's hard. And I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you. But at least she wants you."
"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway; that's just where you came through!"
"What?"
"The wardrobe. When you went through the wardrobe you appeared on the side of the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse."
"Sure they were. C'mon, Henry." Emma and Henry walked away from the castle. Henry took her hand.
Regina opened the door and saw Emma and Henry standing on her walkway. Henry ran past her into the house.
Regina was about to walk back inside but thought better of it. She turned around and walked outside onto the front deck. "Thank you."
"No problem."
"He's seemed to have taken quite a shine to you."
Emma smiled. "Ha. You know what's kind of crazy? Yesterday was my birthday and when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn't have to be alone on my birthday. And then, Henry showed up."
"I hope there's no misunderstanding here.
"I'm sorry?"
"Don't mistake all this as invitation back into his life."
"Oh…I..."
"Miss Swan, you made a decision ten years ago. And in the last decade, while you've been… Well, who knows what you've been doing. I've changed every diaper. Soothed every fever. Endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him, but he is my son."
"I was not…"
"No!" Regina put her hand on her hip. "You don't get to speak. You don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is?" Regina stepped off the porch and met Emma face to face. "It's what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry and you're going to be held to that. So, I suggest you get in your car, and you leave this town. Because if you don't, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye, Miss Swan." Regina walked back inside her house.
Who talks like that? "Do you love him?"
Regina turned around. "Excuse me?"
"Henry. Do you love him?"
"Of course I love him." Regina went back inside and closed the door on her.
Emma knew at that moment she had to stay in Storybrooke.
Henry lied on his bed. Regina watched over him with his storybook in hand.
Lacey was in the hospital walking wheeling a trolley filled with small vases of yellow roses between the patients. She put a vase by a patient's bedside table. He lifted his hand up and she held his hand in her own before moving on to a closed room. She put a vase on the bedside table of a comatose man.
She noticed the resemblance of Prince Charming from Henry's storybook but didn't consider it anymore than a coincidence.
Emma headed over to Granny's Bed and Breakfast. Some of the pots outside were broken and there were cobwebs and dust on the front table inside. An old woman who Emma assumed was Granny and a woman closer to Emma's age where walking down the stairs, arguing. The younger woman went to the dining room.
"Excuse me?" Emma asked. "I'd like a room."
"Really?" the woman asked as she stepped out of the dining room.
Emma nodded. How long has it been since anyone has been here?
"Would you like a forest view or a square view?" Granny asked as she went to find the ledger. She walked back into the room, ledger in hands. "Normally, there's an upgrade fee for the square but, as friends do, I'll wave it."
"Square is fine."
Granny dropped the ledger down which moved some of the dust. "Now, what's the name?"
An old man entered the inn and stood behind Emma.
"Swan, Emma Swan."
"Emma," the man said. Granny looked up and Emma looked behind. "What a lovely name."
"Thanks."
The man smiled. Granny got out a roll of dollar bills and held it out to the man. "It's all here."
He reached out and took the money. "Yes, yes, of course it is, dear. Thank you." He looked back to Emma. "You enjoy your stay…Emma." He said her name like he was testing the sound of it. The three of them watched him leave.
"Who's that?" Emma asked Granny. But it was the other woman who answered.
"Mr Gold. He owns this place."
"The inn?"
"No," Granny said. "The town." She composed herself and said cheerfully "So how long will you be with us?"
"A week. Just a week."
"Great." She got out a key and held it out for Emma.
Meanwhile Henry was in his room, looking out his window at the town clock. Emma took a room key and the clock started moving. Henry smiled.
I was going to add some of Rumple's thoughts at the end now that his memory is back but it wasn't coming out right.