Another day in this town. Emma began to feel more at home more and more. She now had a fixed place without fear of someone asking her to leave her. Mal was really funny and Evie was really sweet.
The three of them were in her apartment having breakfast while Emma unpacked her belongings.
You travel light from what I see_ commented Mal.
I'm not someone hoarder_ answered Emma without giving it much importance.
That makes escaping easier_ said Evie in an amused tone.
Emma ignored that comment.
E you came back late last night. Guard at the hospital?_
not in fact I went to Chad's. And speaking of that, we have decided to formalize our relationship_
That's great, _ Mal said with false joy.
Misunderstanding Chad is all I've ever looked for_
I don't think he's someone for you, but I guess you're an adult. I'm late for school_ he finished his last sip of coffee and stood up_
I'll go with you I promised Henry I'd see him_
The two girls left the apartment.
Emma met Henry at the bus stop, not caring if Audrey would see her.
She was happy to see him, excited about Enter the Dragon with Doug, and Emma listened to her chatter with glee. Audrey wasn't going to push her anymore. No longer.
After Henry waved and the bus pulled away, Emma had to stop in her tracks when the only patrol car in town pulled into a driveway and blocked her way on the sidewalk.
Lonnie appeared and nodded good morning.
You almost ran me over_Emma said.
I had to get her attention_ she said.
Are you going to arrest me again?_. _Let me guess. False accusations of reckless crossing._said Emma
She smiled and lowered her head, which Emma took as her way of acknowledging how unfair she had been treated here so far. She knew that Lonnie liked her, although she and Audrey seemed to have a friendship.
I want to offer you a job, actually," she said. I need a deputy. I know you are good. I think we would work well together_
Something tells me your boss wouldn't like that_Emma said.
She was surprised by the offer. Flattered too. She wouldn't mind working a few late hours with Lonnie either, now that she thought about it.
She said no. She asked him to think about it. She said she would, and he left, apparently pleased to get that out of her.
The next surprise came in the restaurant twenty minutes later, when Audrey slid into her table, she smiled her mischievous smile and said:
Good morning, Mrs. Thorne. Have a nice walk with my son?_
Of course you already know about that._
It's really not what I'm here to talk about. I don't care. I understand the urge; he is a lovely boy
What would you like to discuss?_ Emma said flatly.
Roots, Mrs. Thorne The Problem of Roots_
Estate?_
That's right_said Audrey. _You do not have any. You drift, you don't stay in the same place for long. Phoenix, Nashville, Tallahassee, Boston... and here you are now. No lease, living with Miss Blanchard. How long will it be before you leave again? See what I mean? I'm happy that Henry is happy, but I'm appealing to you. If you're honest, don't you think all of this will ultimately hurt Henry more than help him?_
Emma stared, feeling cold recognition of a fear she herself had had.
Audrey saw it and plunged the knife:
Eventualmente you will leave. People do not change. Why not forgive her son's feelings and rip off the Band-Aid?
The mayor got up and walked away. Emma was so flustered by the comment that she, too, stood up, trying to think of something to say in response. But the words did not come. All she managed to do was knock her hot chocolate over and spill it all over her sweater.
Great this was the only thing missing.
I ask the waitress if there is a laundromat nearby.
She already in the laundry she found a girl trying (unsuccessfully) to wash a set of white sheets, crying while she did it.
Emma gave her some advice based on her very limited knowledge of clothing:
Try bleach, miss _. But at the hint of a connection, the girl (Meg was her name) approached her like a lost puppy and soon told Emma all her sad story.
Nineteen years old, heavily pregnant, alone in the world, no plan, no way to make money. Where have I heard this story before? Emma thought, listening to the young woman's concerns.
I don't know, I don't know_ said Meg. _I just just feel like giving up sometimes._
You're already nineteen years old," Emma said. _I was eighteen years old_
Ashley looked up and realized what Emma was saying.
It gets easier," Emma lied. _But she listens. This is the important thing. You are the one who decides. You can choose. And if you choose that you can do it, you will. Because I am sorry to tell you that there are no fairy godmothers or Greek heroes who will save you_
Meg wiped her face, let this sink in.
Emma added: _Life is there to be taken. You have to take it. It doesn't seem like it could be that simple, but it is_
This seemed to strike a chord with Meg. Some of the clouds that had been obscuring her face lifted. Emma had been a bit surprised by the speech, but she had gotten this far. Be bold, be strong, there is no other way.
It would be a few hours before she discovered how literally Meg took her advice.
It was Saturday morning. Emma was in her apartment when the doorbell rang.
Mal answered and gasped a little when she saw who she was.
Mr H with a bandage on his head, darkened her door.
"Hello, miss," he said politely. _I'm looking for Mrs. Thorne_
Emma walked behind Mal. She remembered him from Granny's on his first night in town. A weird guy_
Yes?_was all Emma said.
Ah, Miss Thorne, hello_she said. _Maybe you remember meeting us? I'm Mr. H, a...local businessman_
I remember._
He nodded briefly and continued:
I've heard rumors that you're pretty good at tracking people. And since I have a need to locate someone, I thought I'd stop by and offer you some work._
Both she and Mal looked at him for a long moment. Mal then excused himself and retired to the apartment. Emma, wary but intrigued, shrugged and ushered him in.
Her name is Meghan Dimitrios_ she said as they both sat in the living room, _and she has stolen from me._
Why not use the police?_
Because this is a delicate matter. I don't want him to get into any trouble. I just need to get back what he stole_
What did she steal?_
I don't think it's important for you to know that_ she said. _Find it_
Emma didn't know what to think, but it wouldn't hurt to earn a little money. She hadn't earned a dime since she was there.
She burst into my tent last night, muttering something about taking control, choosing to take control of one's life, some nonsense_ she shrugged, touched the bandage on her head.
Okay._Emma found herself saying. "Okay. I'll find her.
Mr. H, apparently delighted, got up and thanked him. At the door, Henry nearly ran him over and bounded in with a big smile on his face. _I have until..._ Henry was exclaiming, but he stopped short when he saw Mr. H looking at him.
Hello, young man_said Mr. H_Em. Thorne and I were discussing a matter of business. I was leaving_
Henry looked terrified. And Emma knew why; she remembered from the book: Henry thought H was Hades.
-Hello, sir_ Henry said quietly, then walked into the apartment, head down.
Once Hades left, Emma sat down with Henry and told him that he couldn't keep showing up secretly, even though she wanted to see him. She explained that Audrey would find a way to use it against them. Henry assured her that he was fine, that he had until five o'clock and that her mother would never know. Emma didn't like it at all. However, before she could insist that she leave, Henry began asking questions about why Mr. H had been there.
"He asked me to find someone," he said. _A woman. It's just a job_.
What a Girl?_
I doubt you know her, boy_she said, regretting that she had said anything.
Henry sat down on the sofa and took off his backpack. He reached around and pulled the book out of him, started flipping through the pages. _ She is pregnant? "
Emma turned, her eyes wide. _How did you know?_
• • •
Emma's plan was simple. She never made a complicated plan unless she needed a complicated plan, the easiest thing was to start with friends. Emma didn't know much about Meg.
She and Henry went straight to the restaurant. When she saw that the waitress had a free moment, Emma led her to the back entrance and asked if she had any idea where Meg might have gone.
I don't know anything, I have to go back to the kitchen_
Don't you think the boyfriend could be involved?_
He would have to be alive to be involved_said the waitress. She doesn't talk much about it. It's still something that hurts
And where is Meg s family?_
"She doesn't really have one," said the girl. _Unless not a close one_
Henry tugged knowingly at Emma's jacket and nodded when she looked down. She shook her head and gave him a look.
not now, boy_
"You know, maybe you should go ask Phill," the girl said. _Maybe he knows something._ she took Emma's hand, lifted it, then pulled the pen out from behind her ear. I'm going to write the address.
• • •
A burly man in his fifties mowing the lawn from dawn to dusk in the front yard. Emma caught her eye.
Mr Phil. Good morning, I'm Emma... I'm an acquaintance of Meg_
That's how I remember her, Mr. Herkie's fiancée. I was a good friend of her family, you know, the poor girl was really so lost when he passed away and then the pregnancy. But thanks to Olympus we found a solution _
Meg has disappeared. She attacked Mr. H and no one knows anything about her_
What do you mean missing?_said Phill._What about the baby?_
I'm trying to find out. If she knows or thinks she knows where she is. He has to say it
I had everything prepared for that girl. She was ready. She agreed. Everything was very civilized. All she had to do was comply
What do you mean you 'had everything prepared' for Meg?_
I made an arrangement_
And then she realized.
H_ she said. _Of course._
Yes, of course H_she said. Isn't that the one who hired you? To bring her the baby? I thought you worked for him_
Emma closed her eyes; she should have guessed. H's possession that Meg had taken was…herself. Damn, Emma thought, turning around and running back to the VW.
Inside her, she started the engine. "We have to find this girl, Henry," Emma said, backing out of the driveway. _She panicked and she needs our help_
There's only one road out of town_ said Henry, _but._
Don't talk to me about a curse right now, kid," Emma said. _This is real. She is running and she is too far advanced to run_
Ten minutes later, feeling like she was having a bad nightmare, Emma rounded a curve in the highway on the outskirts of town and saw the bright red rear end of a Camaro sticking out of the ditch. It crashed, Emma thought, as she slammed on the brakes and ran for the car. Meg wasn't behind the wheel, which was a relief, actually. Emma looked up, scanned the forest. She heard the moans almost immediately.
Henry found her ten feet beyond the tree line, sitting on the ground, holding her belly. When he saw them, he looked up, eyes full of terror.
The baby!_she cried. _The baby is coming right now!_
Emma and Henry sat together in the Hospital waiting room while Meg gave birth in the hallway. Emma, looking nervously at her shoes, didn't notice when Henry looked up from her book.
"You're the only one," said Henry.
Emma looked up.
What did you say?_
"You're the only one who can leave Storybrooke," she said. _All of us are trapped here. You can go if you want. Do you know it well?_
What do you mean?_
The rules of magic. This is how the curse works. The people who are already here can never leave because bad things happen every time they try to leave the city. However, you are not stuck. You are special. You don't come from here. So you can go. It's fine I understand it_
He felt the need to reach out her hand, draw him to her, cradle her head against her chest. To protect him from things that didn't make sense. She steadied herself by reaching down and grabbing hold of the arm of her chair.
Anyone can boy_ she said. She saw the doctor coming toward them down the hall. _And besides her —she added, standing up— I'm not going anywhere. There are too many lost people around here_
The smile on the doctor's face told Emma everything she needed to know, even before she heard the details: almost six pounds, the girl and the mother both healthy and happy.
"Thank you," Emma said, the tension fading from her shoulders. She took the doctor's hand and shook it. "Thank you very much," she said. Henry had to be home by five o'clock if she wanted to avoid another puffing session with Audrey, so she told him to get her things and then walked across the room to the bathroom. Out of the corner of her eye, through the front window, she saw Mr. H approaching the hospital, merrily swinging his cane. He walked in, looked around.
She walked over to him, took his arm, and walked him to the vending machines.
"You should have told me," she said. _About the girl_. She is not a commodity and all this sucks_
Ah!_H said, delighted. She _ she Is she a girl, then she?
She keeps it. You can't choose. She chooses._
But she already chose, Mrs. Thorne _said H. _Months ago. We have a contract_
"Then go home and break it," Emma said.
They looked at each other for another moment. The tension was broken when Mr. H inclined his head, an admiring gleam in his eyes.
Very well, Mrs. Thorne. I'll leave you alone. But no debt remains unpaid. You will have to give me something in return_
How about if I buy you a plate of Musaka?_she said
You owe me a favor. A favor, she said, raising a finger. _Simple. You like it right_
She didn't like him, but she would.
"Okay," Emma said. She extended a hand. _Agreement_
Emma and Henry approached the room where Meg was nursing her newborn daughter.
Come in guys_
Congratulations Meg. You did magnificent, you will do magnificent _said Emma.
Thank you Emma, you don't know how much I appreciate it_
Hello_
said a voice from the hallway. It was Phil.
He had a teddy bear and a pink balloon that said "she's a girl."
Hello P Come in_
He's your Uncle Phil_ said Meg to La Niña.
Well, Meg, what's her name?_This time it was Emma.
Persephone_
Emma drove Henry home at 4:45, plenty of time, and she was back at Mal's ten minutes later, not knowing what to do with the day. What she did know: she wasn't going anywhere. She called Sheriff Li and told him that if the offer went through, she would take the job.
Protect and serve_ Emma said, looking up at the clock tower. _I'm kind of good at it_
Certainly you seem to be. _ I'll see you Monday morning, Emma_