7:15 AM AU - Things go a bit differently in the cabin during 7:15 AM. With memories returned, how will this change things?
Face Claim for Narcissa: Eileen Davidson
Face Claims for the three good fairies:
Flora: Maggie Smith
Fauna: Linsey Godfrey
Merryweather: Jackee Harry
Thanks for the amazing response to this story. It's a lot of fun. 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:
Grace5231973: Yep, Ruby is right. She's 100% cold hearted bitch. Glad you're enjoying!
Sarah Zitter: This story is updated every other Sunday on a schedule. I don't really like when you tell me not to give Emma siblings. I am always going to give Emma siblings. If you don't like that, then my stories aren't for you. But I'm not going to change, just because you want it. You shouldn't just demand things like that from an author. That's not how this works. Snow and David deserve to have more children if they want them. Most likely, they will have a baby eventually in this story. I hope you can continue to enjoy.
AnonSnowing: Yep, she hated her even before she was born. It's pretty irrational. I know, I loved that family hug. A first family hug for them. Yep, Ruby did really good and we'll find out just a little of what's on that flash drive. Yep, Snowing will always be in the honeymoon phase. Yeah, the mirrors are weird. Yeah, Emma is at least free on bail and Gold took care of the bail. Glad you're enjoying!
Number Ten: Yep, Ruby is on the case and she won't know it yet, but she got a lot of enlightening information. She's cursed now, but may find her strength in this. I'm glad Gold is helping too with Emma's bail. It makes Neal happy so he did it without question. Yep, Narcissa is unbearable and a true villain. Yep, that's a good comparison. :)
HaniMoony: Thanks, glad you like it. This story is updated regularly, every other Sunday. Thanks!
Jennifer Baratta: Solana is Merryweather. The entity in the mirror realm is something else and was stabbed by Narcissa.
Ghostwriter: Yep, Regina better wise up and get on team Snowing fast. Actually, I think it will last between Neal and Emma. They do have a son. Glad you're enjoying.
Sexystarwarslover: Yep, score 1 for the Charmings. Unfortunately, that means that Narcissa and the rest will be on the warpath. Yeah, Snow was better off not knowing about her Aunt. Yep, someone erased all memory of her too. Yep, Ruby is right, she's a bitch and it will be interesting to see what is on that flash drive. Yep, some Snowing love and they will always be in the honeymoon phase. Yeah, family comes first to David, even if breaks the rules. Yep, Emma and Neal are going thru that awkward faze of re-discovering their love. Yep, she got bail and Gold took care of it for them. Yep, Charming always has faith and is a moral compass. Glad you enjoyed it!
Clarity:
Chapter 35: Stunning Revelations, Pt 1
"Here we go…" Granny said, as she delivered burgers, fries, onion rings, and cocoas to their table.
"Mmm...this taste so much better when you're not in a jail cell," Emma muttered, as she dug in.
"Thank you again, Solana…" Mary Margaret said, as she and David sat across from her and Emma.
"You're very welcome...but as you know, this is only the beginning. We still have the trial and I'm sure the Judge will be setting the start date any day now," she said, as they proceeded to eat.
"Well...hopefully, between now and then I can prove Emma didn't do this and the whole thing can be thrown out," David said.
"Mmhmm...amen to that, honey," Solana replied.
"Emma was framed...we know that. We just have to figure out how to prove it," Mary Margaret said.
"But we have to prepare ourselves for the possibility that we can't," Emma replied, as she met their eyes.
"Even if we can't, the prosecution's evidence is circumstantial at best, but I think you and I need to talk, Mr. Cassidy. You knew Tamara best...you were engaged," Solana said.
"Yeah...what do you want to know?" Neal asked.
"Did she have a family? Friends? Anyone else that the prosecution might blindside us with?" Solana questioned.
"Uh...well, this is going to sound odd, but no, she never introduced me to any family. She mentioned a grandmother that died from cancer, but never wanted to talk about her parents," Neal confessed.
"And you didn't find that odd?" Solana asked. He shrugged.
"A little...but honestly, I never wanted to talk about mine either. They both abandoned me and I figured her parents were a sore spot too," Neal replied.
"Any friends?" she asked.
"She mentioned a few, mostly co-workers, but nothing beyond a first name," he replied.
"That's all you have?" Solana asked. He winced.
"I know...it's bad. I'm pretty much still reeling from the fact that Tamara and I were going through the motions. I should have been way more upset when she dumped me...but I wasn't," he admitted, as he and Emma's eyes locked.
"Ohhhkay...we need to hash this out now then, because Albert Spencer is going to go for the torrid love affair angle with you two," she said.
"We're not…" Emma said, but Solana held up her hand.
"Doesn't matter honey...he's gonna go there. You have a son and he's going to exploit that to the fullest extent possible," she said.
Okay...well, we have a son, but there's nothing going on between us," Emma replied.
"She's right...Tamara gave me an ultimatum, because I was insistent on moving here for Henry," Neal said.
"And Tamara didn't want to move?" Solana asked. He shook his head.
"No...she insisted that once I won custody that we could move back to New York and Henry would get used to it. I refused and she told me it was her or Storybrooke," he said, pausing for a moment.
"I took that to mean a choice between her or my son. I chose my son without thinking," he added.
"This is good...we need just this when we put you on the stand, but you'll need to be ready for Albert Spencer," she said. He nodded.
"I will," he promised, as he and Emma shared another look.
"Okay…I'm going to get back to the office. Thank you for a wonderful lunch," she said, as she took out her billfold.
"Oh please...lunch is on us," Snow said. Solana smiled.
"Thank you, sweetness...we'll be in touch," she said, as she blew a kiss and was off.
"Any idea who she was back in our land?" Neal asked curiously. They shook their heads.
"No...but she's a good person. I can feel it," Snow said, as David pressed a kiss to her hair. As they finished up, Ruby came rushing in and a cool look passed between her and Granny, before she went to sit at their table.
"Hey Ruby...did you find something?" he asked.
"I didn't know how much time I had, so I just copied her whole hard drive," she replied, as she handed him a flash drive.
"That's great...let's start going through it," Neal said.
"How are we all going to go through this entire flash drive together?" Emma asked.
"Easy…" he said, as he got up and got his coat.
"I'll go get two more flash drives and copy the contents of this onto the others. Then we can all look through it," he suggested.
"Okay...guess we're working tonight. Meet us back at the station," Emma said, as David paid their check and the three of them headed back to the station.
Narcissa stormed back into her store and into the back room. Ruby was gone for lunch it seemed and she fumed silently. Emma was free on bail and her niece was happy. She hated the look of sheer relief and joy on Snow's face. It was bad enough that she had her loving, handsome husband by her side, but now she had her daughter free, who seemed to be slowly accepting that she wasn't just her friend, but in reality her mother.
She sat down at her computer and accessed some of her files. She had been diligent in tracking Emma's whereabouts through the years, taking pleasure that her niece's precious little one had been abandoned and treated like dirt by this world.
Emma should have hated Snow, but instead, she had come to Storybrooke and unknowingly become friends with her. She was delighted when Emma rejected her parents at first, upon learning the truth, but the framing of murder seemed to push them closer. Perhaps framing Emma for murder had been a horrible miscalculation. Perhaps not taking custody of Emma when she could have was also a miscalculation.
Early on, she had considered doing so. Proving relations by blood wouldn't have been hard and by the time Emma was five, she had married a wealthy tycoon and inherited his fortune. She had then established her business and became an overnight fashion sensation. She had considered adopting Emma, but she loathed the idea of having to deal with a child, even if she would have had staff to do so. But now she was realizing that not taking the opportunity to poison Emma against Snow had been a mistake.
Perhaps all was not lost though. She had kept impeccable records on Emma's whereabouts over the years and those she had interacted with.
She pulled up a photo and remembered Ingrid, who had wanted to adopt Emma. After the blow up between them, she had confronted Ingrid and the other blonde had confessed that she was the Snow Queen of Arendelle. Seeing her as a threat to making Emma and Snow pay, Narcissa had surprised her and took care of that little problem. Though her disdain for Snow and Charming was attractive, her love for Emma was troublesome. Plus, Narcissa considered herself the only Queen and made a point to always eliminate her rivals, both in business and in her personal life. Ingrid the Snow Queen would never darken anyone's door again, thanks to her.
But there were many others that Emma had encountered over the years that could definitely make waves in her new life. Perhaps it was time to bring more outsiders to Storybrooke. She heard the door chime and she stood up, only to see Ruby returning from a quick run to the diner.
"Oh, you're back...I just ran to get a quick bite before I get back to it," she said.
"It's okay...you've worked quickly. You completed all the morning reports very efficiently," Narcissa replied.
"That helps an otherwise bleak day," she said.
"Did something else happen?" Ruby asked curiously.
"Not with the business, but a Judge saw fit to release a murderer on bail. Emma Swan killed my dear friend, so as you can imagine, I'm not at all happy," Narcissa replied.
"That's unfortunate...but I mean, from what I've heard, all the evidence points to her. I'm sure justice will be served in the end," Ruby said.
"Oh it will...one way or another," Narcissa replied, as she grabbed her purse.
"I'm going to take my afternoon board meeting at my home office. Close the doors at five and email me the afternoon reports before you leave for the day," she said, as she left. Once she was gone, Ruby blew out a breath. She hoped David and Mary Margaret could find something from the information that she copied from her computer, because the woman was on a warpath. And if she didn't get a guilty verdict, Ruby feared what she would do, but even more disturbing was the fact that, even if she did get a guilty verdict, Ruby still feared what she would do, despite that…
"Man...this woman has her tentacles in everything," Neal mentioned.
"Did you find something?" David asked. They had been looking through all the files on four separate computers for several hours now and the amount of information and business transactions was staggering.
"Maybe…" he said, as he motioned them over.
"These names keep popping up in her business transactions, but neither of them have anything to do with fashion," he said.
"Lucian Blackwater and Malachi Wolfe," he said.
"Those are some names...what do they do?" Emma asked.
"Lucian appears to own several Casino hotels in the western plains. Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana. He's outspoken that his Casinos provide gainful employment for his people, but he has created a lot of controversy since it has been claimed that he also runs drugs, prostitution rings, and a money laundring scheme through them. But no law enforcement agency has been able to prove it. The three letter agencies don't have enough evidence and it's said that the local cops are bought off. But it's all hearsay," Neal said.
"And this Wolfe guy?" Emma asked.
"He owns a bar called the Wolf's Den in Portland, Maine, which is weird, because a small business like that would never produce the kind of money that a Casino does," Neal replied.
"There's some others too that are interesting too," Neal mentioned.
"How does a fashion tycoon like Narcissa Blake get mixed up with people like this?" David wondered.
"Yeah…it's a weird connection. I mean, she sounds like she made her own way in the business world and her focus has always seemed to be making you miserable," Emma said, looking at her mother.
"And by extension...you," Neal said.
"What?" Emma asked, as she honed in on what he was looking at.
"She has a file named Emma?" Snow asked. He nodded.
"She tracked you...your whole life," he replied, as he opened the file and they saw dozens of photos of Emma at various times in her life, including her time with him as evidence that he was in some of them. He pulled up one photo of Emma and it had to be around the time she was ten. He heard Snow gasp and saw the captivated looks on her and David's face. He suddenly realized that they had only ever seen Emma as a baby and as she was now.
"Oh Emma...look at you…" Snow uttered, as David put his arms around her and kissed her hair.
"Uh yeah...that's me I guess," Emma said awkwardly.
"Why would she do that?" the blonde wondered.
"I don't know...but with her, it can't be good," Neal replied.
"She's never met me or Emma though...why does she hate us?" Snow wondered.
"I don't know...but it looks like I found a digital journal," Neal said, as he clicked on the word document. It opened up and revealed that it was hundreds of pages long.
"Look at the date…" David said.
"October 23rd, 1983...the day Emma was born," Snow replied.
"Wait...you know my birthday?" Emma asked.
"Of course...I'd never forget that day. Time keeping was a little different in our land, but when I woke up from the curse, I figured the date out. Rumpelstiltskin said you'd return to us on your twenty-eighth birthday and you arrived in Storybrooke on October 23rd, 2011," Snow replied. Emma was a little stunned that she had worked all that out, but was slowly discovering that her parents didn't abandon her by choice. They thought they were saving her life and they did, even if she did have a crappy childhood, she was still alive.
"This thing is huge. I say we print it all out and separate it into four equal parts," Neal said.
"Agreed," David said, as he hit print and they waited. Once it was done, he split up the pages and it was still a lot of reading for one.
"Happy reading...think I'll take mine home," he said.
"Us too," David said, as he grabbed the keys and forwarded the phone to his cell, before the three of them headed home to the loft.