"Te quiero pase lo que pase." Chris whispered to himself.
After they had lost her, they were all forced to continue working until all patients were dealt with. Everyone tried to keep it together, but it was midnight and all Chris could do was stare into her locker. She kept it neat, so there wasn't much in it. Just a few changes of clothes and hygiene products.
He stared at the little figurine he found in the back of the shelf. It was a cupcake keychain with huge eyes and a smile. They were carpooling home from work one day and noticed a festival. He had managed to get her to stop and they spent all night on rides. She managed to get him a small stuffed dog at the ring toss.
They laughed all night and stopped at a general store for candy and soda. He went to a coin machine and payed a quarter for the cupcake. She laughed it off, but he never knew that she had kept it.
Chris felt the tears sting in his eyes. He grabbed his bag and put the small toy in the pocket stopping as he noticed the blue sweater. A sob escaped his mouth as he had trouble breathing. His heart began beating erratically as he pulled out the sweater and held it to his chest.
"What's that?" Serena said sniffling at the doorway.
"It's… Umm… Her sweater." he said his breathing calming down.
"She left it at my house… This morning." he said the tears trailing down his red face.
"So, its true then. The rumour?" Serena asked walking over and sitting on the bench next to him.
"Yah, i guess." he said laughing through the wet tears.
"Te quiero pase lo que pase." he whispered again.
"What's that mean?" Serena asked, "I heard Eva say it, but I don't know what it meant." Chris laughed again.
"It means 'I love you no matter what happens.' After 3 years of knowing each other she had to say it on her damn deathbed." he said choking on his sobs. Serena began to rub his back, trying to comfort her. He put her sweater down onto his lap and noticed a small jingle noise. He reached into the pocket and found her house keys. He smiled to himself.
"Umm, could you do me a favour?" Chris asked Serena.
"Sure, anything." she asked.
"Could you come with me to her house? I thought that maybe we could have sort through her stuff." He asked finally making eye contact with his younger colleague.
"Definitely." she said as she stood up and helped him up as well. "We should both go home. Proctor said we could have the weekend off."
Chris placed his bike in the back seat of Serena's car awkwardly and she drove him home. He spent the night in tears taking sips from the scotch bottle under his sink. He hadn't made his bed since the morning and stared at it through the open bedroom door down the hallway as he sat on the floor.
"Damn it, Eva. What happened?" he said to himself.
The next morning Chris got up and took a long shower. He skipped breakfast knowing that the thought of what had happened the previous day would make him feel sick.
He dressed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans. Sitting at his dining room table he took out his phone.
Hey, you've reached Eva Zambrano. I can't pick up the phone right now, so please leave a message or call back in a few hours. Thank you. Beep.
He sighed knowing that this is what was left of her voice. He loved it every time she incorporated Spanish into her sentences. He didn't tell her that he tried to learn Spanish just so that he could understand her jokes.
A car horn beeped outside as he walked out to greet Serena.
"I thought that maybe we should just get this over with." she bit her lip as he got into her car and drove to Eva's house.
Her house was fairly large and elegant. She had a certain style that made her seem royal, but she still managed to grab a beer with the guys.
They parked in her driveway and Chris unlocked her front door. Serena gasped slightly as Chris fell to his knees at the door.
"She had everything packed up? Was she leaving?" Serena asked in disbelief. The card board boxes were stacked up neatly in the front foyer.
"What the hell Eva?" Chris yelled into the empty house. He just felt extremely angry for the fact that he was here and she was lying in some metal cooler.
"You can't just leave us with no answers!" he yelled again. Serena covered her mouth as she tried to stifle her sobs. She walked in and began to examine the house. After a few minutes Chris got up off the floor too and began looking around. Everything was packed.
Two years later Regina sat by her window in her old mansion on 108 Mifflin Street, Storybrooke. She had saved the universe from imploding, but she didn't care. The true curse was knowing. She couldn't forget a single memory and she didn't want to, but it eventually became too hard to live alone. She heard crying as she walked away from the window and picked up little Henry from his crib.
"Shhh, my little prince. It's alright." She said soothingly as she rocked him back and forth.
Regina had wanted a little baby and Rumple had complied. He managed to find a baby boy in need of a permanent home and drove to Boston to pick him up. It had been hard at first, but Regina made a potion to forget her worries. In the process she forgot the second life she had lived.
For years they were happy, but he found out he was adopted and didn't take it lightly. He had received the Storybook from his teacher, Ms. Blanchard, and insisted on the truth hidden within the pages.
The next morning Regina woke up and made Henry breakfast. He was being distant, but she just thought that he was still mad at her. She had to work later than usual and trusted him to walk home alone from the bus stop, but when she got home Henry was missing from his bedroom. Her motherly instinct took over and she assumed the worst.
"He's probably lying in some ditch half dead." She yelled at Graham.
"Don't worry. At least he went to school today. We know that he isn't as far as he could be. We'll find him. I promise." Graham said trying to reassure the frantic mayor. They had driven all over Storybrooke looking for the young boy, but no one had seen him.
The clock struck midnight as Graham suggested he go to the station to check if anyone called. Regina agreed as she led him to the door and opened it.
Henry had hoped on the first bus out of the small town just as the bell rung to signal the end of school. He had stolen Ms. Blanchard's credit card and bought tickets to Boston. He arrived at the apartment complex and knocked lightly at the door. He was slightly deterred as a man opened the door.
"Do you know where Emma Swan is?" he asked looking up at the man.
"Sorry kid. You got the wrong house, but I do know where Emma Swan lives." He said.
"Can you take me there?" he asked eagerly.
"Where's your parents? Shouldn't they be with you?" He asked the young boy.
"How about I ask the questions." he replied knowing that he shouldn't have even left home. The man just sighed.
"Okay, but at least tell me your name." he asked as he grabbed a sweater and locked his door behind him.
"I'm Henry." he said giving the man his hand to shake. The man took it hesitantly.
"Well Henry, I'm Chris. And you probably shouldn't be talking to strangers." He as they walked down the hall past four similar doors. Chris stopped and gestured to the green door and allowed Henry to knock for himself as he stood off the the side.
A blond women in a tight pink dress opened the door.
"Are you Emma Swan?" he asked.
"Umm, yah." Emma said looking at Chris who just shrugged.
"I'm Henry. I'm your son." he said bluntly. Emma stood in shock and tried to deny it, but she knew it was true.
She let both of the boys into her apartment as Henry talked.
"We need to get you home, kid." she said as she left the room to change into a more comfortable outfit.
"I don't want to go home. My life there sucks." he whined, but Emma wasn't taking no for an answer.
Emma's car was in the shop, so Chris offered to drive them both in his car. He insisted and soon enough they all sat in the car asking Henry where he lived.
"Storybrooke, Maine." he said hugging a large book to his chest.
"Storybrooke?" Emma said laughing.
"Yah, I've heard about it." Chris said as Emma and Henry both looked at him with strange expressions.
"You have?" Henry asked. Chris just nodded as he started his car and Henry began to rant about fairytale characters living in the real world.
Henry fell asleep about 30 minutes into the ride. For hours the car was silent as Chris thought about Storybrooke Maine. He couldn't believe he had even remembered that conversation from years ago.
Eva was leaving to visit some friends in Maine. He remembered teasing her about the name of the town the whole car ride to his house. Maybe he could meet Eva's friends. They probably already knew about what had happened.
He continued to drive the empty road until a town came into view. Emma looked up from her phone at the quaint village feel to it.
"Hey kid. What's your address?" Chris asked as Henry groggily named his street. He pulled up to the front of an expensive white mansion.
"Damn kid. You've been holding out." Emma said with her eyes wide.
They got out of the car as the front door began to open.
"Henry?" a voice called out in the night as a brunette woman ran up and hugged the young boy with Emma standing awkwardly next to him. Henry squirmed out of her grasp.
"I'm sorry, but I had to. I had to find my real mom." he said sadly as he ran into the house bypassing Graham at the doorway.
"Your his birth mother?" Regina asked with pain in her voice. Emma nodded as she looked towards the car and saw the man leaning against the door.
"And you are?" she asked. He stepped forward as his breath hitched at the sight of her. He knew it was impossible, but she looked exactly as she did twelve years ago.
"Uhh, I'm Chris Deleo and this is Emma Swan. I'm her neighbour." he managed to get out.
"Yah, he drove us here from Boston." Emma said finally finding her voice in the awkward situation.
"Boston? I see. Would you both like a drink. I'm sure that long drive has made you thirsty." Regina asked as she put on her mayoral stance.
They all walked in and sat in a small sitting room with shelves full of books. Regina handed everyone a cup of cider.
"You are Henry's adoptive mother?" Emma asked noticing how the woman looked barely older than her.
"Yes. I adopted him from infancy. Being the mayor has had its share of bad days, but Henry has brought back some light into my life. He recently found out that he was adopted and lashed out at me. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience that he may have caused." she explained looking at Chris for the last sentence.
"It was really nothing." he said, "Henry's a good kid."
"Yes, he is… What do you two do for a living?" she asked holding her drink with both hands like Eva used to.
"I'm a bail bonds woman." Emma said awkwardly, "And Chris is a trauma surgeon."
"Well, I used to be a trauma surgeon. I gave that up a few years ago. I'm just the doctor that hospitals call when they are low on staff." he said modestly. Chris looked at Regina's intrigued eyes.
"That is quite impressive nonetheless." she said sending him a close lipped smile.
"I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable with you two driving this late at night. There is an Inn located behind Granny's Diner. I'm sure she can spare a room." Regina said standing up from her seat.
Graham walked into the room and faced Regina, talking quietly.
"The boy has gone to bed now. I'll be on my way." he said placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Chris felt the jealously bubble within him, but he contained it. Graham held Regina's hand in his.
"Thank you Graham." Regina said sweetly as he walked away and let her hand go.
"We should probably go." Emma said getting up followed by Chris.
"Okay. Thank you for bringing him back. I'll call Granny's and tell her to open up two rooms." she said grabbing her landline and dialling the number as she escorted them out.
They waved goodbye to Regina as they walked down the long path.
"Do you know which way is Granny's?" Chris asked getting into his car.
"I saw it on main street. Just head right." Emma said as Chris put his keys into the ignition. The smiling cupcake staring at him from his keychain.
A/N
Hey! I know, it's been a while. I'm not sure when I last posted, but I went on a week long trip to Wasaga Beach with just my friends. I was planning on writing there, but I never got a chance. When I came home I just couldn't write for some reason so I'm very sorry. I know that's not a good excuse, but I plan on finishing both my fanfics.
Thank you everyone who has stuck with me!
