7:15 AM AU - Things go a bit differently in the cabin during 7:15 AM. With memories returned, how will this change things?
Wow! Such a great response to this fic, which has turned out to be even more amazing than I thought it would. The idea for this fic actually started as an idea in my head on a drive to work, way back in January or February when I actually still drove to work. I work from home now like most and am glad this idea came to fruition. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the twists and turns. Season 1 can be very fun to play with. Enjoy this latest and keep reviewing! Here are individual responses to reviews:
Ghostwriter: Thanks, glad you like Emma and Neal together. Yeah, August got a raw deal. Glad you're enjoying all the twists and changes! :)
Jennifer Baratta: Thanks!
Number Ten: Yeah, Henry is the best. He just tells it like it is. Emma is very frustrating right now. Yeah, August is helping. It's for himself, but it may help our heroes a bit. Glad you're enjoying. :)
Grace5231973: Fortunately, David is okay and the custody trial should be interesting. Regina does love him, but you're right, in season 1, she was not good for him. With Neal in the mix early here, things could go very differently. Neal stepped up right away when he found out about him. Glad you're enjoying it. :)
Sexystarwarslover: Yeah, Emma is very stubborn, but she may slowly be coming around. Yeah, the last chapter was a bit of a nail biter. Yeah, neither of them want to see or talk about Whale and yep, Regina is still his emergency contact, but that's changed now. August is up to help himself. It just may actually end up helping our heroes too. Yep, Daddy Charming saved his baby princess and it wasn't the first time. Emma just isn't ready to deal with it yet. Yep, same blood type! But I'm sure it doesn't mean anything, wink wink. Yes, the custody battle should be very interesting. Glad you're enjoying!
AnonSnowing: Yes, Regina is going to deserve it. Yes, Snow wants to scream it from the rooftops, because they do belong together. Yep, Emma's denial is very strong. Yep, Regina wants David's heroics painted in a negative light, but doubt that will work. August is helping himself, but it actually might end up helping our heroes too. Yeah, somehow, even with David getting stabbed, their Valentine's Day here is better than what happened in the show. Yeah, Emma is in denial. Neal has a really good chance at custody since he didn't know about Henry. It should be interesting to see how that goes. I hope Emma's walls are beginning to crack too. Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it! :)
Clarity
Chapter 12: Blood Ties
Snow cuddled against him in the hospital bed, resting her head in the nape of his neck and he gently rested his free hand on the small of her back, while the other arm was hooked up to the IV drip.
"Do you think they'll yell at me for being in bed with you?" she asked softly.
"If they do...I'll yell back, because you're exactly where I want you," he replied, as he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
"I can't lose you again…" she said, choking back a sob.
"You won't," he assured.
"But I did...I lost you and our daughter for twenty-eight years. The only reason I survived that was that I didn't have my memories," she sniffed.
"I know...but if you think about it, there's no magic here. We defeated her when she did have magic at first and I think we can do it again without magic," David replied.
"She runs this whole town...she got me fired with one phone call," she reminded him.
"True...but she's not the only with power," he said. She cocked her head to the side.
"You really think Rumpelstiltskin will help us? You were the one that got upset with me when I went to him when you were living down by the Toll bridge," she countered.
"I was...but things are a bit different now. We share a grandson and he's trying to be on his best behavior since Neal doesn't approve of any of his usual antics. That makes Regina his enemy as much as ours and I kind of understand him now," David admitted.
"You?" she asked skeptically.
"I scanned the book a while back and he was a poor farmer before he was the Dark One. I realized that we're not as different as I thought," he replied.
"I don't approve of all his methods or any of the ruthless things he's done...but I get why he did them now. He did them to find his son. And I think that you and I both know that I would do anything and go through anyone, for that matter, to find you and Emma," he whispered. She sniffed and kissed him passionately. Both were unaware of the eyes on them.
Emma watched them curiously from the doorway, near the nurses desk, while she waited. Her gaze was full of scrutiny and skepticism and maybe a tiny glimmer of hope that she would deny vehemently if it were to be pointed out. She almost rolled her eyes when Mary Margaret climbed into the bed with him, but then watching them together became fascinating. It was impossible...and pure insanity to think that they could be her parents. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the nurse arrived and attention was drawn to her.
"Emma…" Mary Margaret said, as she sat up.
"Uh...yeah, I'm here to donate blood. Turns out that I'm the same type as David," Emma replied and she did not miss the smile that brought to the pixie haired woman's face.
"Oh," she said simply.
"Emma...that's very generous of you. Thank you," David said.
"Yes...thank you," Mary Margaret agreed.
"Don't read into it. Having the same blood type doesn't mean what you think it means," Emma said flatly.
"Understood," David said, as Mary Margaret reluctantly got out of the bed and watched the nurse hook up an IV between Emma and David. The blonde had pulled up the recliner in the room and was now seated in it. Once they were hooked up, the nurse left and there was silence between them. Fortunately, that silence was broken by the one person that had brought them all together.
"Gramps!" Henry called, as he ran into the room and Neal could instantly tell that Emma wanted to correct their son, but didn't.
"Hey kid," David said, as he ruffled the boy's hair.
"Are you okay?" Henry asked in concern.
"Yeah...I'm fine," he promised.
"You had a hole in your side and now stitches," Mary Margaret reminded him.
"And it's just another scar to go with my collection," he said. She was about to fuss over him more, but Henry looked up at her and she hugged him.
"I miss you at school...my mom shouldn't have done that," he said.
"I miss you too, sweetie," Mary Margaret replied.
"But Grandpa Gold is going to help my dad get custody of me!" he announced. That surprised David and Mary Margaret.
"You're suing Regina for custody?" Mary Margaret asked. He nodded.
"It's what he wants...and apparently, my father is a lawyer," Neal replied.
"And…Emma is filing with us," he added.
"Yes, it looks better to the courts when the birth parents file together, even if they are not together," Gold confirmed.
"You think you have a chance in our courts?" David asked.
"Your skepticism for our corrupt district attorney is warranted. But I doubt Regina will like it if I appeal to an outside court and shine the light on her and this town," Gold replied.
"Then you think you have a good chance?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Very much so…" he confirmed.
"Then Dad says I can see you both whenever I want," Henry said. They smiled.
"We'd like that, Henry," she confirmed.
"I still think we're getting ahead of ourselves. Regina is going to lose her shit when she gets those papers," Emma said.
"Which should be about now," Gold replied.
Sidney winced, as his office door flew open and crashed against the wall.
"What the hell is this!?" Regina questioned, as she stormed into his office.
"Madam Mayor…" he started to say.
"I told you to spin the bar story in a negative light...not write a fluff piece on the heroics of David Nolan!" Regina cried.
"I don't know how that article ended up in my paper!" he insisted.
"Well, apparently August W. Booth found a way into your office and tampered with your paper! How could you be so careless? How could you not notice!?" she demanded to know.
"He must have come in when I went to get coffee last night. I had the paper done then and when I got back, I published it. I had already checked everything before then and nothing was amiss," Sidney explained. Regina scoffed.
"Did you read his story?" she asked.
"Um...no, I haven't had the chance," Sidney replied, as he skimmed the article.
"Oh my...he's claiming the marriage certificate between Kathryn and David is a forgery, designed by you to keep him away from Mary Margaret. Those are some scandalous accusations," Sidney said.
"You think!?" she screeched.
"Now some of the town's opinion against them is shifting! He's a hero and she's his darling girlfriend now that is no longer a home-wrecking tramp!" Regina hollered.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked.
"Write a retraction to the story! Insist that the marriage between David and Kathryn was real!" she yelled.
"I could suggest that it's even a conspiracy to clear their names. That Mary Margaret put August up to writing the article in her favor!" Sidney suggested. Regina smirked.
"Excellent...make sure you really drive home what a lying little tramp she is," she said deviously, as a young man appeared in the doorway.
"Madam Mayor?" he asked nervously.
"What is it?" she snapped.
"Um...you've been served," he replied, as he scurried off. Her brow furrowed, as she tore open the envelope and extracted the papers. Her nostrils flared and she clutched the papers tightly.
"What is it?" Sidney asked.
"Custody of my son is being challenged by his biological parents…" she growled, as she stormed out.
"I'm going to kill them all…" she hissed, as she got into her car and the tires squealed, before she headed for the hospital.
Tamara parked her car on Main Street near the Inn and got out, as she looked around.
"This is it?" she muttered, feeling underwhelmed at what looked like a small town that had gotten left behind in time. She took out her phone and dialed a number.
"I'm here...it's all here, just like they said," she said.
"Good...find your boyfriend and make good with him and his family. Wait for further instructions," the voice on the other end of the phone said.
"Will do," Tamara said, as she dialed another number.
"Hey…" Neal answered.
"Hi sweetie...you'll never guess where I am," she said.
"Our favorite bar, having a drink without me?" he guessed.
"No…I'm here. In Storybrooke," Tamara said. There was silence on the other end.
"Neal?" she asked.
"Uh...how did you find it?" he questioned.
"Well, it wasn't easy. Do you know this place isn't even on a map?" she asked.
"Yeah…" he answered, sounding a bit nervous.
"Anyway...you weren't kidding when you said it was in the middle of nowhere. I just kept driving for a while through the woods and there it was all the sudden," she lied.
"Uh...that's great," Neal said.
"So where are you?" she asked.
"I'm at the hospital," he replied.
"Are you okay?" she asked in concern.
"Yeah...I'm fine, just visiting a friend. I have a room at the Inn. Maybe wait at the diner for me and I'll be there soon," Neal replied. She smirked and hung up the phone, before casually walking toward the diner.
Neal hung up the phone and stared at it for a few moments, wondering what he was going to do. He had told Tamara that he was going to a place called Storybrooke, Maine and that it was where his son, the one he had only just discovered lived. He didn't give her any directions or vicinity at all and somehow, she had found it when no one else, save for Emma, seemed to be able to do so. His fiance was resourceful for sure, but he was racking his brain as to how this was possible.
He hadn't told anyway, especially Henry, that he was engaged and he wasn't sure how his son was going to take it. Add to that, he wasn't sure how he was going to explain all this to Tamara. There was no way she was going to believe that this town was full of people from fairy tales. He sighed and stepped back into the room.
"Everything okay?" Emma asked.
"Uh yeah...just checking on a few things in New York," he fibbed.
"A job? You never did tell us much about your life in New York," she mentioned. He sighed and knew he had to come clean with her...with them all and tell them about Tamara. An outsider in Storybrooke was bound to increase the already palpable tension between them.
"Listen...there is something I need to tell you," he said, as they heard the hospital door open with a swing.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Regina cried, as she stormed in, clutching the papers she had been served with.
"Oh good...I see that you have been served," Gold said nonchalantly.
"If you think that you're going to get away with this...you have another thing coming," Regina replied.
"I believe that is for the court to decide," Gold stated calmly.
"I warn you, Mr. Cassidy...I'm not someone that you want to cross," she threatened.
"Yeah…I've seen your handiwork, but you wouldn't be anywhere without my father's manipulation. I'll take my chances and I wouldn't do something like this unless it was something my son wanted," Neal replied.
"Henry…" she feigned a wounded expression.
"You said that I couldn't see my dad or my real mom! Or David and Mary Margaret and you got Mary Margaret fired!" Henry accused.
"No Henry...Mary Margaret got fired, because she's a terrible person and unfit to be around children," Regina said snidely.
"Get the hell out," David growled.
"I would be careful with the heroics, Mr. Nolan...one of these days, you might not recover from them," she said.
"Don't you dare threaten him!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.
"I've destroyed your reputation, Miss Blanchard and I'm just getting started, believe me," Regina promised.
"Let's go Henry...you're grounded for sneaking out," she said.
"But I don't want to go with you!" Henry cried.
"That's not your choice. I am your mother and your legal guardian," she reminded them.
"She's right, kid...go on and I'll see you later," Neal said, as he knelt in front of him.
"But I want to stay with you," he said sadly.
"I know...I want that too and we'll make it happen. Unfortunately, it's going to take time," he replied, as he hugged him. Henry sadly hugged him and the others in the room, before reluctantly leaving with Regina.
"Well...that was about as bad as I thought it might be," Emma commented.
"Yeah...there's something else that you need to know," Neal said, as he prepared to tell them about Tamara, but he wouldn't have to.
"There you are…" she said from the doorway, catching him off guard again. His mouth hung open and he cursed inwardly. He had a feeling this wasn't going to go well either...