"Mary Marghareth Blanchard?" Emma shouted "Who is she?"
Graham frowned "Henry's schoolteacher, why?"
"Apparently Henry used her credit card to track me and to pay for the bus fare" Emma closed the laptop "Let's go find her, she's our best clue!"
Regina's face darkened while she went towards her car. Emma and Graham ran towards the police cruiser, not noticing her until they arrived at the school building and saw her stepping out of her car. Waiting for them to follow her towards Mary Margareth's classroom.
Regina's scowl worsened once she laid eyes on Mary Margareth. The teacher tensed while Regina walked towards the window and looked outside, deciding to observe. After hearing another "Hi" from the blonde woman, this time directed to the teacher, she turned her eyes while crossing her arms.
Mary Margareth's attention shifted towards Emma and her facial expression softened. Emma immediately sympathized with her "Did you by chance noticed something strange on your credit card receipts?" The teacher's sudden surprised and slightly panicked expression made her elaborate "Henry apparently used it to track me down, I'm Emma, his biological mother". Regina scoffed, but it got ignored. "He seems to be missing again, any idea where he might have gone to?"
Mary Margareth crossed her arms and apologized, "Henry is quite introverted in class and doesn't have much friends, so I have no idea" and she apologized again.
But the bounty hunter's inner lie detector told her something didn't add up, so she decided to play along. And suggested Graham to keep an eye out and Regina to stay home in case Henry might decide to go there. Regina threw her a death glare, feeling like she has been put aside, ordered her to find hem and leaves. Emma stayed behind, now alone with Mary Margareth, with a smug grin "Now without telling me a lie, please!"
The pixie haired women smiled, a bit ashamed, being busted on the lie. But she told Emma everything about the book, how Henry got it and where he possibly might be. Mary Margareth asked her to keep in touch, in case he wouldn't be in his hiding spot.
So the next thing Emma did, was fetching her bug in the garage and she drove towards the playground on the beach.
No surprise, she found him there, just as the teacher told her he would, sitting in the highest spot that he could reach, with a view on the ocean.
As stunning as the view was, he didn't pay any attention towards it. He felt alone, nobody believed him and his adoptive mother was the Evil Queen herself. The villain in the story, who he needed to get rid of to be happy and for everyone to be happy. Right?
He told Emma all about it. But the only response he got was her silence and a sad look. Emma opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out of it. Henry took this the wrong way, standing up and shouting she didn't believe him, that she was the savior and his mom didn't love him because she was Evil incarnated. And that she needed to be gone for everyone's happy endings to be back.
"HENRY! STOP!" Emma shouted. Silence... And shortly after that, very timid she said "Let me tell you a story, about me. A few stories maybe, it will take a while. Sit..." Henry sat down. And shuffled a bit closer when realizing his birth mother was actually on the brim of tearing up.
Emma shared with him her past, about how she felt in the foster system and went from one family to another. Never feeling at home, always uncertain and never being loved. "When I look at you, kid. You've got that! It might be in strange and a strict way, but your mom really loves you. What you have, I..." she swallowed, deciding to change the subject for now "I realize your mom might feel threatened by me being here. And you giving your love to me freely. Kid, I might be a creep!" Henry chuckled "You're not!"
Emma smiled softly "Kid, she loves you. Evil Queen or not, she loves you! And she's a great mom. Again, a bit strict, but still. And if I'm the savior, maybe she needs some sort of saving too?"
Henry eyed her, wondering where that all came from, knowing that his adoptive mom was scheming against Emma. So he was wondering "Would you do that?" Not seeming to be convinced. Emma nodded "Everyone deserves a second chance, kid. I got mine, getting to know you, I never expected that. But I'm glad I did". Henry smiled. He realized maybe she was right, but also if he continued his earlier rant, he might cause Emma to close up again. He enjoyed her being open and that she shared her past with him. So when she asked him to get in the car, so she could bring him home, he did.
During the short ride to the mansion, he smiled. When the bug halted, he gave her a hug. The front door opened as soon as he got out of the car.
Regina waited for Henry to go inside, turned towards the bug and saw Emma waving, before she drove away. "Smart move, miss Swan" she mumbled, glaring until the yellow danger on wheels was out of her sight, then going into the mansion and closing the door behind her.
The Mayor could help but noticing that Henry was already upstairs. So she decided starting preparing dinner. When the smell of the food reached his room, it didn't take long before Regina was knocking his door "Dinner's ready, help set the table?" Nodding and putting the book aside, he followed her downstairs and they where setting the table. Dinner was silent, Henry watching his adoptive mom as if he had new eyes. And Regina feeling conflicted about whether or not starting a conversation about him running away again, that she was convinced would lead to him rejecting her again, but she chose not to.
Which was leading up to her feeling quite frustrated. After dinner, he left the table and returned to his room. She cleaned the table, did the dishes and the frustration she felt about not talking about it, was still there. It was either talking with him or being unable to sleep, stuck in her mind, thinking about the worst scenario's possible.
She sighed, decided to get it over with and went upstairs to confront Henry and talk about what happened earlier today.
