A/N - thank you for all the lovely reviews! And yes, the wolf is addressed in this chapter. Enjoy!
With an exaggerated sigh of discontent, Ruby swept her way down the patio walkway to clean up the leaves that had kicked up over the last couple of days. It had been piling up and Granny had given her grief this morning to get it done before they opened. So here she was, freezing at weird o'clock in the morning, wishing she thought out her wardrobe a lot better. A white tank under a red and black checkered flannel tied at the bottom with skinny red jeans was not optimal fall weather fashion for a chilly Maine morning. She was too stubborn to change anyway, because the last thing Ruby needed to hear was more snark coming from her grandmother.
A sharp chill hit her straight through the bones, making the waitress shiver so hard that she dropped the broom.
"Oh, god damnit!" she cursed, petulantly kicking the wood handle with her high-heeled pump.
It scraped against the cement and plowed into the small pile of leaves she had collected. With hands on hips, she weighed her options as the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on edge. The sensation was strange. Ruby knew she wasn't alone, yet she wasn't scared at all. In fact, the feeling was familiar. She just couldn't place it!
With lips puckered together in concentration, she glanced around the immediate area and saw nothing. Heels clicked against the ground as she moved passed the gate to get a better view of Main Street and stopped in shock. A wolf padded up the street, sniffing the air and the sidewalk, moving along as if he absolutely belonged there. He came to a halt, mere feet away from Ruby, and sniffed again. Storybrooke had its wolves, but they always remained in the never ventured inside the town's limits.
The wolf sat back on his haunches, tilted his head back and howled. Then, it looked at Ruby expectantly.
Frozen in place, Ruby stared at the unexpected companion nervously. "Uh… hi?"
The wolf waited a moment, gazing at her, then sniffed and resumed its trot up Main Street. He wasn't here. But, he had been around here! The trail was fresh. The wolf kept moving and once there was a safe distance, Ruby stepped further onto the street to watch it go.
"I'm so done. So fucking done with this shit. Wolves on a full moon? Seriously?!" she muttered, walking back inside with her chore unfinished.
She rather face the wrath of Granny than deal with anymore weirdness right now.
Regina's brow was arched as she sat down at the conference room table with a fresh cup of coffee. She looked across the table at Graham, and then at Emma. Between the three of them, on the tabletop, were print-outs of balance sheets, itemized summaries, and further budget requests. These were the tedious details of office that she actually enjoyed, but the expressions on their faces suggested they could not have disagreed more.
She took a sip of coffee, then said, "Well, let's get back into these. Now that we've established that the department is running in the black - well done, by the way - we can prioritize your needs before this goes to the Town Council."
"That means you," Emma said, elbowing the Sheriff in the side. "Cuz there's no way I'm talking politics in front of some council. Hell! I barely even know what the hell we talked about right now."
"Yer being too hard on yerself, Emma," offered Graham with a faint smile. Ye did help to put the reports together."
"Yeah. By stapling them. Go me."
Regina chuckled. "I think you'd surprise and delight the Council."
Emma was dubious.
"She's right. You've been an excellent addition to the department and the town adores ye. Be nice to see the face that the Council only knows by name," Graham said with a casually smirk. "Yer reputation does precede ya, after all."
"Saver of cats and children?"
He nodded. "Precisely."
Savior of… Regina thought.
She didn't say what she was thinking and instead focused on the budgetary requests, organizing them by the likelihood she felt each one had of being approved. Graham was practical in his requests, so it was just a matter of the budget itself. While she worked on the paperwork, Regina hoped that Emma would try again at speaking with Graham about how he was feeling; he had been out of sorts since the curse had begun to weaken. But, she seemed reluctant to discuss anything like that in her presence.
I suppose that's fair, she had to concede.
"When's the meeting?" Emma's voice broke through Regina's thoughts.
Graham stood up to refresh his coffee. "Friday."
"Great. I get a few days to think of an excuse."
Regina looked up at her and smirked. "Now, we'll be wise to any attempts at that, dear."
Emma started coughing. "But I'm sick?"
The mayor rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Now… but not on Friday."
"It's a 72-hour bug. Whale can confirm it."
Graham chuckled, watching them banter. It no longer seemed awkward, interacting with the two of them together, which was good. And, in his view, whatever obstacles the mayor and the deputy had had… they seemed resolved.
"Are ye really going to make me show up in the squad car at Granny's and escort ya, Deputy?" Graham said with intent as he lifted his mug up for a sip.
"No way you'd do that," Emma said confidently, but the look in his eyes made her reconsider. "Right…?"
Regina chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I'll see to it that she shows, Graham. Don't worry."
"Well then. I leave the Deputy's attendance in yer capable hands, Mayor Mills."
With an audible harrumph, Emma crossed her arms and sighed. Regina smiled at her.
Graham watched them a moment, then set his half finished mug on the table. "If you've got that all organized, Mayor, I'll go ahead and start my patrols for the day."
"How about we meet at Granny's for lunch?" suggested Emma. "Since I'm being forced into this meeting, I could use some pointers for it."
"Sure. And a far more reasonable attitude, Deputy. See ye then." He gave them both a nod and grabbed his jacket before leaving the two of them alone.
Emma watched him leave the conference room before regarding Regina. "Figure I can probe him a bit more. But, he's always so evasive when we're talking about him."
Regina pursed her lips and nodded. "He seems like he's doing better than I expected of him, though."
"He puts up a good front when you're here. And you haven't seen him at Granny's. He got pretty drunk last night before heading out."
"Oh, I see." Regina frowned and nodded at that information. "Well, perhaps you'll have some luck at lunch then. We don't want Graham to come apart. You'd have to give the presentation for sure then."
She half-smiled at the opportunity to tease Emma.
Emma's hands fell to the table as she leaned forward in horror. "Not funny!"
The brunette chuckled, but then looked serious as she contemplated Graham. "Did talks with him about being a park ranger go anywhere?"
"Well…" Emma looked guilty. "That hasn't happened yet. I'm hoping to do that at lunch."
"Ah. I see."
Regina shrugged and busied herself with the paperwork for a moment. This was one of those moments, she thought, where she suspected that Emma purposely delayed conversations with Graham in order to keep the curse from breaking. They'd made a good deal of progress with happy endings in cursed Storybrooke, but Graham seemed to be a special case.
"You're mad." Emma stated it as fact, knowing she read the mayor correctly. "I was gonna do it this morning, but Sheriff Dodge the Question wanted to talk budget reports since you were coming today."
Regina looked up, met her gaze, and nodded. "I just hope you can get him talking. Or listening."
"That's the plan," she confirmed. "I'll let you know how it goes. Okay?"
"Please do. I'll be in my office all day," she replied.
"Cool," she said and rose, grabbing the budget binder. "My cue to go and catch up on all of this."
"Ahhhh!"
It was a beautiful morning and Graham took a moment to smile up into the sunshine. It felt good to be out and about, and he was glad the meeting with Regina and Emma was over, even while it had gone well. It just felt better to be outdoors. Twirling the cruiser's keyring on his finger, he ambled over to the car, climbing in with graceful ease. He put down both front windows and backed out of the parking lot, picking his route through Storybrooke and the surrounding countryside.
As usual, it was quiet as he puttered down the side street. Graham rolled up to the stop sign and checked both way on Main Street before crossing. He gasped, looking out the front window at the sight of a wolf in the crosswalk, staring at him. The wolf immediately stopped and excitedly growled at the Sheriff, hoping to get the attention of his lost packmate!
Graham stared, in awe and alarm. He felt disoriented and sick. "What the hell?"
Looking around, no one else seemed to notice a wolf standing there, wagging its tail and growling. He parked the cruiser and climbed out, head cocked in puzzlement as the wolf darted across the street. The wolf stopped when they were a foot apart and whined, ears alert as he bounced back and forth on his front paws with excitement.
"Who are ye, boy? What're you doing here in the middle o' the street?" he asked.
The wolf sat down and continued to whine with happiness at being reunited with Graham. The sheriff continued to look perplexed, drawn to the wolf, but he had no idea why.
"Well, ye can't stay out here. Some fool will run ye down. C'mon. Off to the walk at least."
He immediately stood up and darted to the sidewalk, waiting expectantly for him to follow. Graham walked over too, amazed that the animal seemed to understand. Almost like he understands me, the sheriff thought in wonder.
"Ye know the city's not the best place for the likes o' you," he commented to the wolf, feeling crazy for talking to him like this. "Ye ought to get back to the woods with your pack."
The wolf lightly growled and circled him before trotting off in the direction of the woods. He slowed when he felt that Graham wasn't following and gazed over his shoulder at the Sheriff. Bewildered, Graham followed because the summons was clear in the wolf's expression… even if that made no sense. He was compelled to keep going. With Graham's compliance, the wolf began to trot again, eager to bring his packmate back where he belonged…
Slowly nursing a glass of Coke inside Granny's, Emma looked over the menu as she thought on how to broach the subject of being Storybrooke's first ever park ranger. Different scenarios came to mind on how to bring the subject up after Ruby took her order, but now she was too busy being distracted by the texts going back and forth between her and Regina.
U sure I can't get a note from Dr. W?
Getting out of a city hall meeting was more pressing than Sheriff Graham's happy ending right now, because Emma Swan wanted a happy ending on Friday of sleeping in.
Positive. You can do this, Regina replied, absolutely unwilling to use "text speak" and abbreviate words.
Emma's response attempted for humor and sympathy against her plight: =(
In her office, Regina rolled her eyes but chuckled. She teased, Aren't you supposed to imagine your audience naked while public speaking?
Green eyes widened at that because the first thought that came to mind was an emphatic no, unless it was Regina. That floored her because she had willingly thought of the mayor in a sexual manner. She swallowed hard at that thought, her face slightly flushed with confusion at that as she replied.
Not into seeing old men asses.
Regina laughed aloud, unable to hold back. Good.
Then I can get a note?
No.
Please?
No. And, where is Graham for that matter? I thought you were having lunch, she wrote, frowning at the slowness of typing all that out.
Dunno. I got here not 2 long ago. Prolly b here soon, she typed with a sigh because Regina wouldn't budge on the meeting.
Regina nodded, then remembered that the non-verbal communication would be lost on Emma. Alright. Keep me posted.
Sure. So far, he's not here, she replied with a smirk.
That prompted another eye roll from the brunette. Fair enough.
Emma probably looked silly as she grinned down at the phone. Regina's lack of humor was making this hysterical. She had to continue and gave Ruby a half-hearted thanks when her grilled cheese arrived.
Regina? Guess what?
What? she wrote back, gaze shifting back to her phone from the report she'd opened.
The reply came back right away as if Emma had it prepared. Graham's still not here :D
Regina stared at the screen for a moment, closed her eyes and sighed. "Good heavens."
Alright. I wonder what's keeping him? she replied, taking her seriously.
Emma's phone was on the table within reach so it was easy to accept the texts as she munched on her sandwich. She hit reply and was in the middle of a response when her phone rang. It was Graham.
Quickly wiping grease off her fingers, Emma accepted the call. "Where the hell are you?"
"I… I'm… out in the woods. Reception's bad. Sorry I'll be late," Graham said, sounding distracted.
She didn't like that tone and reached for her jacket. In her mind there's no reason why Graham would be out in the woods unless something was wrong. "Where are you? What's going on?"
"I'm… downstream from the Toll Bridge… [static]... safe down here, I think…"
"Well 'you think' doesn't make me think it's safe," she shot back, sliding an arm into her red leather jacket as she got up from the booth.
"...wolf and I followed it…" he was explaining, but the connection was increasingly poor.
"Wait. Did you say a wolf?" she asked. "You're following an actual wolf and doing it willingly?"
"[static]... aye, saw it on [static]... and… something's… [static]."
Legs quickly carried her out of the diner and towards her Bug as Emma's voice escalated with concern. "Graham? Something what? Graham?"
The call disconnected.
When Emma failed to text back, Regina gave her phone a curious look, then went back to her work. She simply figured that the sheriff had finally arrived for lunch until Emma's call came through.
"Hello, Emma," Regina said smoothly. "Has Graham arrived yet?"
"No. He's off in the woods somewhere near the Toll Bridge. Following a wolf of all things. I'm going after him."
Regina heard a door slam over the phone, presuming Emma got into her car. She stared at her cell for a moment, mind racing.
"He saw a wolf? Emma, he traveled with a wolf back in our land," she said quickly. "He felt they were better than humans, preferred their company."
Keys in the ignition, Emma stopped turning the engine over and leaned back against the driver's seat in bewilderment. "So … this wolf is an old friend then?"
Regina looked around her office, as if for inspiration. She could only shrug. "Anything is possible."
"A'right. So ...do I go follow him or what? He didn't sound like he was in trouble on the phone. Just, ya know, wolf sets off all kind of alarms," she explained.
Regina countered, "What does your gut tell you?"
Emma squared her jaw and thought about the conversation in greater detail. The only part of the conversation that started her worrying was Graham thinking he was safe. Not that he said he was safe. Before that, the Sheriff was perfectly at ease speaking with her and a wolf following him.
"I dunno. I think he's okay. It's just … really fucking weird. But what else is new in this town?"
"Indeed." The smirk was unmistakable in her voice. "Perhaps follow up with him later then?"
"Alright. But if I don't hear anything from him in the next hour, I'm heading out there." she stated with absolute certainty.
Regina nodded to herself. "That sounds reasonable."
"Right." She sniffed and gazed out towards Main Street where nothing of interest was seen. It was the same old quiet town around here. "I'll update ya later."
"Alright, dear. Thank you," she replied. "Emma… be careful too."
She chuckled. "Careful of what? Boring monotony? Or if the wolf has a pack?"
"I don't know. Just careful in general," Regina said, sounding serious.
Emma canted her head, surprised to hear such genuine concern. There really was no reason for Regina to worry. The deputy found herself touched and it could be heard in her voice. "This is me. I'll be fine."
And, she was exactly that during patrol. Emma picked up where Graham left off, an easy feat since the patrol car remained parked on the side of the road not too far from the diner. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred, so her thoughts kept drifting to Graham, hoping her concern was in vain. It had been an hour and she had yet to hear back from him.
Henry appeared suddenly at the passenger door, staring in at her and being lost in thought, Emma didn't see him right away. Eyes began to wander and it felt as if he had magically appeared to the deputy.
"Henry!" she balked, lowering the window. "The hell you come from?!"
Henry jumped, then chuckled. "School! Scared you, huh?"
"Huh? No!" she objected while sitting straighter in the patrol car. "Just… on patrol. In front of the school."
That I forgot I was in front of.
"Uh-huh," he replied, dubious but grinning. "Looks like all's safe here. So, whatcha doin'?"
"Patrolling." She saw Henry was about to give her a scolding look. "Honest! Graham decided to run off into the woods after a wolf. Regina thinks it's the one he had back in the Enchanted Forest."
"What?!" Henry opened the passenger door and hopped in. "Seriously? His wolf is here?!"
"Sounds like it, but I don't know for sure. Been wanting to go after him since this is crazy, but… I'm pretty sure he's okay," she confided. "Just wish he let me know that."
Henry couldn't resist inviting himself in on this mission. "Should we go see?"
She chuckled. "Right. Like your mother would love knowing I'm taking you off into the woods to chase after wolves. She'd kill me, kid."
He sighed, but was glad that Emma was worried about upsetting his mother. That had to be a good sign, right?
"Alright. Well, it means something that he saw the wolf, right? Like he's starting to remember?" Henry asked.
"That's the theory."
"Cool." He grinned, lost in thought about this. "So, how long you going to wait before contacting him again? See what he remembers?"
"Actually, that's what I was thinking about," she confessed. "Been an hour now."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" he almost yelped.
She gave Henry an impish grin. "For you to get out of the car so I can."
"I can sit here while you use a phone, Emma," he replied with a roll of his eyes. He was not so naive or easily brushed off!
"Yeah, but the phone was all static-y when I last talked to him. I really need to go out there to see what's going on," she explained with an elbow on the wheel. "So, that's your cue to go."
Henry sighed but nodded. "Alright. But use the walkie if you find out something cool! We can show him my book if that'll help."
His enthusiasm was charming, which shouldn't be a surprise since his grandfather was Prince Charming. She shook that thought away and nodded. "Sure, kid. I promise to give ya a call if I learn anything new. Or if Graham wants to look at his story. Cool?"
"Cool." Henry grinned at her and climbed out of the patrol car. "Keep me posted."
While his mother was trying to remain optimistic, and working with Emma to help Sheriff Graham… Henry felt like Operation Spark needed something more after three days of nothing. Sheriff Graham had seen and followed his wolf friend. But, he was clammed up tighter than usual since the episode and that wasn't helping to break the curse! So, Henry wasn't sure what that "something" was to move their mission along, but that general feeling had brought him to Mr. Gold's shop after school. He stood outside the pawn shop, gazing into one of the windows, thinking about everything he knew about Mr. Gold - from who he really was, to how much his Mom did not trust him.
But, he wants the curse broken too… or else he wouldn't have made Mom send everyone here in particular, Henry reasoned.
And with that solidly in his mind, he opened the door, hearing the bell overhead tinkle and announce his arrival. Gold looked up from where he was polishing a cup.
"Ah, young Henry Mills! To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked with a friendly smirk.
Henry shifted his right shoulder, sliding his backpack off to set on the floor. It was unzipped and with practiced ease, he pulled the storybook free and set it atop the counter with a look that betrayed his upbringing.
"You and me have the same goal."
Gold glanced down at the storybook and then smiled blandly at the boy. "Ah, we do, do we?"
"Yep." He flipped the pages and stopped on the image of Rumpelstiltskin behind bars, face to face with the Evil Queen. "You want the curse broken. The one you made my mom cast."
Gold's smile deepened as he set his hands on the countertop, eyeing Henry. "That's quite a claim there, Henry. What is it you want, besides the curse broken?"
Henry wanted Emma and his mother to have a life together, where all three of them could live happily ever after. He wished he could wait and let things naturally play out, but the only thing that the two of them were doing were bringing the happy endings back. Reuniting families and loved ones - even Mary Margaret and David! As amazing as it was for Regina to undo what she created, it wasn't enough. It was more of a distraction and all his mothers talked about. What to do next to make the town happy when they weren't making each other happy together fast enough.
"What I want will happen if the curse is broken," he said firmly. "And I need your help."
At that, Gold chuckled softly. He knew what mess Regina had initially created for herself by trying to rid Storybrooke of Emma Swan. The fact that they had genuine feelings for each other - despite it all - was a curious twist of fate!
"Aye, and what exactly would you want of me? After all, if I had a way to break your mother's curse, I'd have done so myself a very long time ago," he pointed out.
Henry was giving himself a mental high five because Mr. Gold didn't deny it and was willing to work with him! He still had to be wary because the Dark One was the master of deals and manipulating events to his own liking.
"You have to know what happened between mom and Emma, right?"
"Aye, that I do. As usual, your mother took on a bit more than she was capable of managing," he said with a theatrical sigh. "She should've known magic would be unpredictable in this land, considering she too wanted her cursed destination to be a land without magic."
"Well… that's one thing the book got right. Mom reacting all the time without thinking much on it. But she's trying to be better," he said brightly, urging Mr. Gold to understand. "Because if she wasn't, Emma would still be cursed now."
He lifted an eyebrow, amused at Henry's depth of knowledge and his determination. Even he couldn't have imagined the lad would be this critical in the breaking of the curse!
"Ah, I see. So now, the original curse stands… and ye don't see any end in sight all over again," he mused.
"Right! Mom and Emma just don't talk about their feelings anymore. They're okay around each other and stuff, but it's not going to do anything to free the town."
He appreciated being candid with the Dark One - a trust he wouldn't take lightly.
"Something has to change. I just don't know what," he said, unable to hide the frustration in his tone.
Gold nodded. "It sounds like they've become complacent… comfortable with how things are. It's safe then. It sounds like we may need to… add a bit of spice, to play on your mother's love of baking, eh, Henry?"
Frustration melted into confusion, unable to get what the Dark One was referring to. "Huh?"
Mr. Gold gave Henry a patient look. "We may need to escalate matters, aye? If they are playing it safe, we need a wee bit of excitement. Giving you a quest may do just that."
The prospect of a quest was feeding into Henry's sense of adventure, but he still needed to know more about this plan. "What kind of quest can I do to help them? I mean, mom and Emma are doing all the questing that needs to be done right now."
He flashed a smile. "Did your mother ever tell you about the mines and elements of our old lives that lie down there?"
"No! There's… stuff from the Enchanted Forest down there just like here?!" he exclaimed.
Gold's smile was as wide as the Cheshire Cat's. "Aye. Perhaps procuring such an artifact for them could… trigger their memories and the bond they share."
That wasn't strictly true, but angling Henry Mills for the mines would help to achieve the goal they both had in mind: ending the curse! Unfortunately, Henry was a brilliant boy that found this idea puzzling.
"But… they don't need their memories triggered. Their memories are just fine."
"Henry, did you or did you not come to me for aid?" he asked pointedly.
"Well … yes. But aid that makes sense," he said defiantly.
"And what I'm suggesting to you does," Gold countered, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Henry stared back. "Then tell me how it does?"
"Trust me, young Henry, that you poking around with old magic in the mines will bring about what we both desire."
He was finding it hard to believe it was that easy, but Henry was naively eager to see this town happy again. "I want to trust you. But …"
Gold leaned over the counter, tilting himself so they were eye-to-eye, man-to-man. "Trust me that I want this curse to end too, Henry."
If he only had Emma's super power to know if Gold was hiding anything! Henry believed that they had the same goals, it was why he was here in the first place. As they locked gazes once again, he couldn't help wondering if there was another angle he was missing, but nothing came to mind.
With a sigh, he knew the curse wouldn't break itself if they continued to argue. "How do I get to the mines?"
At that, the Dark One smiled. "I thought you'd never ask…"
As if he'd known Henry was coming with this very question in mind, Gold produced a map of the town and lay it out on the counter. He presented him with a very clear path to the mines, while marveling to himself that the boy didn't already know where the easiest access point was. As adventurous as Henry was, Gold assumed he would have been familiar but that wasn't an area of curiosity for him. If Henry wanted to get away, it was always to his fort by the water.
Henry looked over the map pensively. "What do I need to get down there? Is there a ladder or something?"
"You'll be able to skirt past the shoddy 'Keep Out' fencing to get into the shaft. Then, it's just a matter of following the tracks where they lead," Gold replied. "Take a flashlight. Perhaps two. And just stick to the tracks."
He had the equipment at home, that was easy. Next step would be getting his mother to let him go out of the house for an errand and instead of doing that, sneak off to the mines. He would have liked to include her on this, but he knew his mother all too well. No way would she
trust a plan of Mr. Gold's!
"I'll do that." He looked up from the map to the pawnshop owner curiously, glad that he was right that Mr. Gold wouldn't force a deal out of Henry since their goals were the same. "I'll go as soon as I can."
Gold tipped his head, a mysterious smile on his lips. "You do that."
Excitedly, Henry stuffed the book back into his backpack and slipped it over his shoulders. There was so much to get ready for.
"Thank you, Mr Gold!" he said, not forgetting his manners, and ran out of the pawnshop.
Gold nodded, his expression looking unfathomably dangerous and smug at the same time, watching Henry go.