7:15 AM AU - Things go a bit differently in the cabin during 7:15 AM. With memories returned, how will this change things?
Welcome to my newest fic. I'm not sure how long this one will be yet, but I will be updating this one bi-weekly on Sunday nights(opposite FYA). Please enjoy and let me know what you think! Also, there is a love scene in this chapter. It's marked and can be skipped if that's not your thing. :)
Thanks to the great reviews and response to this new fic! Here are individual responses to reviews:
Traban16: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it! I think Neal will come around eventually. Neal will likely live here so hopefully that can happen. :)
JDubReaderWriter555: Glad you love it! Yep, things are moving a bit differently here. Neal arriving this early really throws a twist for sure. :)
Guest: Nope, I can't write anymore Star Wars fics. I am done writing Star Wars fics. I'm glad you like mine, but you're just going to have to accept that I've moved on. Thank you.
Number Ten: I never did either, but I think people are too hard on Emma for it and not hard enough on Regina for her lies. But that's just my opinion. No, not really too quick. Kids are pretty resilient. Emma was overwhelmed and that's why I give her a break on that. Neal actually reveals August's deeds in this chapter. :)
Jennifer Baratta: Thanks!
Guest: Thanks, glad you like it. Things will probably go differently here for Emma and Neal.
Grace5231973: Yep, an early reunion. Neal coming in this early will certainly change things. Ha, yeah things are about to get pretty messy. Glad you're enjoying it. :)
Ghostwriter: Yep, things are going to get a bit messy. Glad you're enjoying it! :)
Sexystarwarslover: I know, another cliffhanger, lol. Yeah, Emma was not ready for this and some truth bombs are about to be dropped. Yep, Regina is failing. Yep, that nice guy is none other than Neal Cassidy! Yep, they are all about to converge together in New York. I'm sure Jefferson will eventually switch sides. He hates Regina. Yep, everyone is now meeting! Gold is reunited with his son and Neal finds out he has a son! Yeah, Neal deserved that, mostly. I love how Neal jumped in and defended Snowing too. It is getting very interesting! Glad you're enjoying!
AnonSnowing: Yes, unfortunately Regina is catching on. Yeah, running into Neal definitely has to be an act of fate. Yep, Snow is a bad ass. Yep, Regina is on her way so that will mean fireworks. Yep, I get all swoony when David picks Snow up and spins her around. He's so dreamy. Lol, I love their banter too. Yep, a big surprise for Emma and Neal. Yeah...that was probably their first hug which is heart wrenching. Yep, they have all converged together. Glad you like the Grandpa Charming talk, I do too. Yeah, Emma will be a stubborn one, but hopefully she'll come around. Eventually. For now, Emma is in denial for sure. I know, I know, another cliffhanger. It happens that way most of the time it seems. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :)
Clarity
Chapter 7: Disbelief
"He's right, Emma…" Mary Margaret finally spoke, as the blonde turned to look at her best friend. But what she saw alarmed her. She had seen tell tale signs of this over the past few weeks since she and David had started their relationship amidst his divorce. She had seen a boldness and confidence in her best friend that had not been there before, but she had been reluctant to acknowledge it, since she had been hell bent on denying that David was good for her, let alone that their love might be real. Acknowledging that meant facing truths that Emma was not ready for
And seeing her best friend now look at her with watery eyes filled with more love than Emma had ever known was something she was also not ready for.
"It's true…" Mary Margaret said tearfully.
"She's right Mom...it's true and they have their memories back now!" Henry called, as he came out of the bathroom with David and ran up to her. He hugged her around the waist and she hugged him too.
"Henry...I know that you want it to be true, but it just can't be," Emma said.
"Why won't you believe? And why should I believe you when you lied to me?" Henry asked in frustration.
"Henry…" she started to say.
"It's real…" he said, as he opened the book to a page that showed Rumpelstiltskin and a young Baelfire.
"This is you, isn't it?" he asked. Neal smiled.
"Yeah…" he said, as he knelt beside him.
"Wow...you figured all this out on your own?" he asked in amazement. Henry shrugged.
"He is a very smart little boy," Mary Margaret said fondly.
"It got kind of obvious when I was the only kid growing and passing through grades, while all my friends stayed behind in the previous grade," he said.
"I'm sorry...that must have been hard," Neal replied.
"He's right," Mary Margaret interjected.
"I didn't realize it when I was cursed...but all my students, except Henry, have been in my class for twenty-eight years," she said in amazement.
"Do you hear yourself?" Emma snapped.
"This is insane!" she cried, as she looked at all of them.
"Emma…" David started to say.
"No...you're the last person I need to hear from! You dumped your wife to have an affair with my best friend!" Emma cried.
"That's not true!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.
"He is my husband...not Kathryn's," she said fiercely.
"She's right...I never stood at the altar with Kathryn, but I did stand at one with her, twice in fact," David replied. Emma scoffed.
"She's right...Regina panicked when David woke up and had marriage papers drawn up to keep them apart. I can confirm that and even removing all of the curse stuff, you know from your profession that faking marriage papers is not difficult," Gold reasoned. She sighed.
"You have to admit that even you were skeptical that night when Kathryn just showed up out of the blue, claiming to have no idea her husband had been in a coma for years," he added. That was definitely true and Regina being his emergency contact had never made any sense either.
"Emma...if you want scientific proof of all of this, why don't the three of you just do a DNA test?" Neal asked. They all looked at each other, wondering why none of them had really thought of that.
"That's...that's a really good idea," Mary Margaret agreed.
"Have you forgotten that Henry is with us and Regina has probably filed kidnapping charges against me? I don't think we have time to do a DNA test. We need to get back to Storybrooke," Emma said.
"I doubt she filed them with any law enforcement. She does not want that kind of attention on Storybrooke. Plus, if she did, she knows her adoption of him can come into question," Gold stated.
"What do you mean?" Neal asked.
"I mean that I arranged the adoption...and there were no home follow ups that are usually required with the adoption of a child from the system," Gold replied.
"Did you know he was my son?" Neal asked.
"No...that was all fate, I assure you," Gold replied.
"The system is overwhelmed...kids fall through the cracks all the time," Emma said.
"Yes...and Regina would want to keep it that way. An investigation from them would be bad for her, especially since the biological parents have resurfaced and one that didn't know about him," Gold reasoned.
"He's right...we have just as much leverage on her as she has on us. Maybe more," Mary Margaret agreed. David slipped his arms around her from behind and pulled her close.
"Then we use it. The town might still be cursed, but we're not. And she does not want everyone else to wake up," he said.
"She probably also doesn't want Henry's biological father stepping into the picture either. But I am," Neal said.
"Then you'll be returning to Storybrooke with us?" Gold asked.
"Not for you," Neal replied, as he looked down at his son.
"For him," he stated. That brought a smile to Mary Margaret's face.
"Don't I get a say in that?" Emma questioned.
"Of course you do...but I'm not abandoning him now that I know about him," Neal answered.
"No...just me, right?" she countered.
"I didn't want to!" he cried.
"Then why did you?" she demanded to know.
"Because August told me I had to!" he exclaimed. She pulled back.
"August...you know August?" she asked suspiciously.
"Not until he tracked me down, that night we were supposed to escape to Canada and told me everything," Neal revealed.
"Everything about what?" Emma asked. He rolled his eyes.
"The curse, Emma...the curse! He's from there too," Neal replied.
"Really? Who is he?" Henry asked.
"Uhh...he's Pinocchio," Neal answered. Emma snorted.
"Well, that explains the lying," she quipped.
"Wait...Pinocchio? That doesn't make any sense. How did he get here?" Snow asked. Neal looked at her and a bit uncomfortably.
"The same way Emma did," he answered.
"No...no, that's impossible, because the wardrobe only took one," Snow insisted and David closed his eyes, realizing it before she was willing to accept it.
"They lied to you...it took two," he said.
"I...I could have gone with her?" she croaked and then looked back at her husband.
"We both could have...if we had gone before I went into labor," she realized.
"Never trust a fairy," Gold said.
"I need a drink…" Emma commented, as she sighed.
"So Blue and Geppetto lied to us…" David realized, letting that sink in for a moment.
"So what now?" Henry asked, as they heard a noise at the door. David put his hand up to silence them all, as he crept to the door and put his ear to it. He could hear someone breathing, like they were anxious or out of breath, and opened the door. Jefferson stumbled and fell onto the floor, but David helped him up by picking him up by the shirt.
"I was hoping you'd show up," he growled, as he grabbed him by the collar.
"She made me do it!" Jefferson pleaded.
"So you just do whatever Regina tells you?" David growled, as Snow put her hand on his arm.
"David…" she soothed, as he deflated a little and lightly shoved Jefferson away.
"She told me that if I helped her that I could have my daughter back!" he claimed.
"You know that Regina will never give you what you want. She'll betray you every time. The only way to get your daughter back is for the curse to break," Gold said.
"Tell that to her!" Jefferson hissed, as he pointed at Emma.
"At this rate, the curse will never be broken!" he ranted.
"All the evidence is right in front of her and she won't open her eyes! She doesn't even believe her own son...or her parents," Jefferson added, glaring at her.
"Some Savior," he grumbled.
"Hey…I didn't ask for any of this crap!" she retorted.
"We know you didn't...we never wanted any of this," Snow said, as she grabbed the book and turned to a particular page.
"This…" she said, as she handed the book to the blonde.
"This was supposed to be our life," Snow said tearfully, as she showed her the nursery, which was full of toys and a crib, with a unicorn mobile. The same unicorn mobile in Gold's shop.
"This is insane…" Emma lamented.
"See...she's never going to believe!" Jefferson said.
"Hey!" David hollered.
"Back off...it's a lot and no matter what, even if she doesn't believe it, she's our daughter and you're not going to talk to her like that!" David snapped, surprising Emma.
"And you're lucky that I haven't punched your lights out for kidnapping my wife," he added.
"I told you why I did it! For my daughter! We both have kids we'd do anything for! Don't you think we can find common ground in that?" Jefferson asked.
"Oh so now you want to work with us?" David questioned.
"Do I have much choice? It's either you or the Queen...though I'm starting to question if you really are the lesser of two evils," Jefferson retorted. David snorted.
"Well, keep pondering if you must, but I say we get home to Storybrooke and deal with her head on," he said.
"No need," a voice said coolly, as they all turned to find Regina standing in the doorway.
"Uh oh…" Henry said.
"Uh oh is right, young man," Regina said sternly.
"Emma didn't know I was in the car," Henry told her.
"But when she found out...she didn't turn around and bring you back," Regina accused.
"Excuse me, but I was a little busy looking for Mary Margaret, whom you had kidnapped by your goon!" Emma accused her back.
"Hey…I'm not a goon," Jefferson interjected, but he was ignored, as the two women glared daggers at each other. Regina smirked and then looked at Snow and David.
"If you two think I made your lives hell before...you haven't seen anything yet," she warned, as she looked at Emma.
"If you break my curse, Miss Swan, there will be a war unlike anything you've ever seen," she threatened.
"Mom please…" Henry pleaded.
"You are in enough trouble," she snapped to him.
"He's my son...I have legal custody and there will be no more visitation. I've been nice up until now...but that's over," Regina said. Emma snorted.
"Really? That was nice? Bring it and maybe you don't have as much leverage as you think," Emma argued.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"She means me," Neal interjected, as he stepped forward.
"And you are?" she asked. He smirked.
"Henry's biological father...who didn't know about him," Neal replied.
"Who just happens to also be my son," Gold added, enjoying the look of disbelief and the tell tale sign of fear on her face.
"You're joking…" she refuted.
"Oh not at all, dearie. It seems that your little ploy in abducting...Mary Margaret has blown up in your face, spectacularly so," Gold goaded.
"It forced my hand early and led me to my son. Imagine my surprise when it became known that he and Snow and Charming's daughter had a child. The child which you adopted," he said.
"You...you knew…" she accused.
"Oh no...that was fate stepping in and since my son had no idea that Henry existed, he intends to fight for his right to custody or at the very least, visitation," Gold said.
"You can't do this…" Regina hissed.
"Oh we can...so you might want to rethink your little war you intend to wage," he warned. She glared back at him.
"We'll see who wins this war. The curse isn't breaking...not if you want peace," she said.
"Don't worry...your curse is fine or whatever," Emma said, as she looked at David and Mary Margaret.
"It's not like I believe it anyway," she said. Those words crushed them and Henry, as she stormed out.
"Henry...let's go," Regina snapped, as she left.
"Well...that will be an uncomfortable ride back," Gold said, as he looked at his son.
"Uh...give me a few minutes to pack and you two can ride back with me," Neal offered and the couple nodded.
"What about him?" David asked.
"He can ride back with me and Miss Swan, assuming he's ready to pick the right side, because make no mistake, Hatter...you've instigated a war," Gold stated.
"You know I hate her...and if these two are really ready to fight to break this stupid curse, then I'm in too. On your side," Jefferson replied.
"We're going to do whatever it takes to get our daughter to believe and get her back," David assured, as he threaded his fingers with Snow's.
"I hope you mean that...because things may get very ugly," Gold warned ominously, as they prepared to return to Storybrooke.