Guest Comments

BossLady (x2): Hey sweetie! As for the skating thing, there is a fic where Graham is the skilled one by someone else and I wanted to try to circumvent that. Also, where would Graham have learned in the EF? lol, it made sense to me. And of course my dear Graham wants to be in tune with her, so she doesn't even need to ask :) You know I want him back soooo badddd, too. (well, kinda. I don't trust the writers with him)

Gremmashoelace: No worries about it being some time! I hope you really enjoy this chapter!

Title: Visitor
Summary: While Emma's gone, Graham's trying to focus on other things.
Note: Post The Fallout (finally). Based on two sentence prompts from lessawildmoon and anon. Just a short little thing to move us forward.

Graham unzipped the suitcase on the chair, digging around the pockets before sighing. He could have sworn he'd put the casefile in there before leaving. A chime in the distance told him Simmons was still texting about the new lead, but without the papers to remind him of where Higgins had been in the days before he was found, he was at a loss.

Henry raised his head from the corner of the room. "Need help?"

Graham shook his head with a frown. "You didn't see any files laying around, did you?"

Henry set his book down and took a glance around. "Nope."

Graham raised a brow in amusement at the kid's attempt to look. "It's fine. I'd rather you not go looking for it, anyway. I could've sworn I packed it, though."

"I saw you putting files in your bag when we left," Henry said helpfully.

His head bobbed absently in agreement as he picked through his clothes. He needed this distraction, one Simmons had been easy to convince to give. He knew Emma and Henry were both tangled in emotion after Neal's death, and he had been working to support them without allowing himself to fully feel his own frustration. When it was late, once Henry was asleep, he'd be able to talk about it with Emma quietly, to finally get a grip on his emotions and let her sort through hers. But hushed midnight talks were all they were allowed for now, in the stifling town. They didn't need to burden Henry any more, but they also couldn't let the boy out of their sight.

Especially now that the danger was so poignant.

The door rattled and a certain relief filled him. Emma had been gone longer that he would've liked in light of the situation. While his shoulders sagged, he lifted the comforter off the bed to check underneath. "Hey, have you seen the..? Oh."

He blinked, trying to discern if his eyes were playing tricks on him. But no, when they opened, Emma was still grinning, bags of food in hand, beside Maggie. "Guess who came to surprise us," Emma teased, her voice watery.

Henry was the first off his seat, flying into Maggie's grip so hard that he heard her huff as the air was knocked out of her lungs.

He rose to his feet cautiously, watching as the woman pushed back the hair on Henry's forehead lovingly. "So, this means you missed me?"

Henry said nothing, just dug his face further into her shoulder. Graham tried to catch Emma's eye, but she was focused on the pair, her gaze softened. It clicked inside him that Maggie was truly here. Their friend from Boston, the one that was like family. She was actually here. In Storybrooke.

He felt a creep of panic starting in his stomach, that realization that he'd have another person to protect. Zelena may feel threatened by exposure, may go after an innocent and ignorant outsider like Maggie. Keeping the secret of this place came second to these fears, as did the idea that more non-residents could make it into town, but that was building as well. "Maggie … how'd you get here?" he asked finally.

She tilted her head and pulled away from the kid. "You really think I wouldn't be looking after such a bomb?" she asked.

Graham's lip quirked, smiling despite himself. In truth, her dropping everything for Emma and Henry made perfect sense. "Must've been some trip," he murmured.

She shrugged carelessly. "Fairly quick considering. This damn town is really off the reservation. How did you end up working here in the first place, Humbert?"

Graham grimaced and collapsed onto the foot of the bed. "Long story."

She strode forward to embrace him, and the automatic reaction to hug her back was something so foreign. He'd been feeling so much closer to The Huntsman than Detective Humbert, especially in reaction to the danger, that sliding into that role again should have been much harder.

She ruffled his hair playfully like she would Henry, and he smirked down at her. She looked around, nose curling at the frilly interior of the room. "They weren't kidding with the 'Granny's,' were they," she muttered. She turned to him again. "Was your last foster home around here?" she asked curiously.

Emma finally looked at him, her expression darkened slightly. She looked guilty, and the fingers of her right hand tightened into a fist as she turned. "Maggie … we're just finishing up tying some loose ends. You really don't have to stay."

Graham shook his head. "You should stay the night, though," he cut in. He knew that he was offering all the support he had to his wife, but he also knew there was no replacing the comfort her best friend would bring her. A night would be containable, small inconsistencies made insignificant once they returned to their lives.

Maggie was looking between them both, brow raised almost comically high. "Are you two really trying to play me like that?" She looked down at Henry. "Kid, you know how long I'm here for."

Henry grinned. "Until you are damn well satisfied."

"Henry," Emma reprimanded, to which the boy only smiled sheepishly.

Maggie shrugged. "I taught the kid well."

Graham swallowed, mind racing as he started through the possibilities of Maggie staying longer. The magical presence was bound to be heavier with Zelena now exposed, and thus harder to hide to an outsider. But he also knew that even giving a hint that she should leave would only make her dig her heels in. "We should get you a room," he said thoughtfully.

Emma nodded, brushing her hands down her arms. "I'm sure there's some available."

Maggie looked up at her friend and then pulled Henry playfully in a headlock as he pulled his burger from the paper bag Emma was carrying. He giggled loudly when he realized he was stuck, half-heartedly trying to yank away. He looked so much younger with her, not as burdened. "Mind if I take the kid for the night?"

He felt a smile building at the question, at the subtle play Maggie was going for. Yes, he'd have to protect Maggie from the knowledge of this town, but having someone he trusted to help with Henry was truly a gift. "You sure? He's kind of a handful," he teased. A part of him was relaxing, Henry's reaction curling the feeling deep within his stomach.

Emma swiped at her cheeks. "Only if the kid's up to it."

"I'm up to it," he said, his voice muffled against the woman's jacket. But his next words let Graham knew that the kid was being as cautious as ever. "We should get a garden view."

Being that the options were usually forest or square, Graham knew the kid was trying to get the option that would be the least revealing in the event of a magical display. He leaned forward, squeezing the boy's shoulder appreciatively. Henry looked up with a secretive smile, and his heart swelled. The lad needed this just as much as Emma did, but he also would be smart about it.

Maggie grinned. "Sounds good, little man. C'mon, let's leave these guys and get me settled. I've got a bag in the car."

"You mean you actually prepared?" Henry asked, trailing after her.

She turned before leaving, setting her dark eyes on him. "I'll bring him back by breakfast. Then I'm going to steal my girl, okay?" she said.

Graham nodded in understanding. She was giving them some time alone, letting Henry process his feelings with her as he proved he needed with that phone call. But Maggie was also fully aware that Emma would need her friend's unencumbered support as well.

Emma jumped forward one more time before the door closed, tossing her arms around the taller girl's. Maggie leaned into her as best she could with Emma's belly between them, petting through her light hair. "I'll bring him back in one piece, I promise."

Emma nodded hastily, pulling back almost as quick. "You better. I know he'll keep you in line."

"Damn straight," she replied with a grin.

She shut the door behind them, and Emma turned to him. Her green eyes were sparkling, excited and worried all at once. She tugged her lip between her teeth, leaning heavily against the frame. "Thank you," she said.

He shuffled forward. "So … Maggie's here."

Her jaw tightened slightly, hands cupping the swell of her stomach. "Yeah, she's here," she replied, voice small.

He sighed, but a slow smile started on his face. He reached out, taking her hand between his palms. "I'm glad she's here."

He knew it was the right thing to say, because Emma absolutely beamed in response. She squeezed his hand and then tilted her head back with a contented expression. Her fear and sadness weren't resolved, but she was miles beyond where she had been. "I know it will be hard but … me, too."

He glanced around the suddenly empty room. His missing folder was in clear sight, haphazardly draped across the nightstand. His phone was still buzzing on the desk. He realized how little distraction from the outside mattered at this point when the tension was already draining out of him. Maggie's unflinching support, while potentially dangerous, had caused a whirl of optimism within him.

After all they'd been through in the past few days, all the pain and terror and frustration, Maggie's presence was something hopeful. They'd make it through this.

And now that they were alone, staring into her soft green eyes he knew she felt the same. With Henry safe and away, it meant they had a moment to … ground themselves again. He saw the moment their situation clicked in her mind, her eyes darkening as her lips curled up.

He strode forward, into her space, watching as her pupils dilated. She licked her lips, leaning closer. "What?" she asked playfully.

"You know," he said, tone low and suggestive. "If you keep looking at me like that we won't make it to a bed."

She made a pleased noise and her hands curled into his collar, tugging him to her lips. "Sounds like a challenge."

Time for talk could wait, because this was overdue.