And this chapter marks the first two episodes of OUAT completed. Next up is Snow Falls. I'm pretty excited about it. And I love what I'm plotting with Mr. Gold, but we won't be seeing that come up for a while yet. But here we've got some Swan Believer bonding & Ada's getting in on Operation Cobra!

11/29/22 Edit: Folks, I am putting these dates in because the timeline is...a mess. I'm trying to keep myself on a somewhat schedule and holding myself accountable by putting the dates down, but watching these episodes is like...what is time? We switch from day to night so much my head spins and then sometimes it looks like things are happening the same day, but one appears to be taking place in the evening and then the next scene is in daytime? What? And the episodes for season 1 seem to mostly match their actual air dates but...not necessarily always because sometimes they seem to be very-next-day? So here's all my best guess of breaking this up into actual days.


October 26, 2011 Continued

"Picking apples, god, that's genius. Totally illegal, but genius," Ada tells Emma as she leans against the wall. They're back at the B&B, and Emma's chuckling as she unlocks the door to her own room.

"Miss Swan?" Both sisters look to see Granny standing in the hallway, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

"Granny?" Ada asks, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh my, this is terribly awkward. I need to ask you to leave," Both girls' faces show their shock. Granny explains further after shifting uncomfortably on her feet, "I'm afraid we have a "No felons" rule. It... it turns out it's a city ordinance."

"Let me guess," Emma muttered, "the Mayor's office just called to remind you."

Granny nods, looking incredibly apologetic. "You can gather your things," the kind-hearted woman says, "But I need to have your room key back."

Emma hands Granny her key and Ada reaches for her own.

"Here's mine, Granny," she says, handing it over. The old woman looks at Ada, stunned, and a bit confused.

"The ordinance doesn't apply…" she trails off.

"Yup, but where Emma goes, I go," the redhead informs the old woman, who looks at Ada with something like pride in her eyes, and respect.

"Ada, I get what you're doing here," Emma says, "But you're just going to make the bug more crowded than it already will be. Just…stay here. OK?"

Ada stares at Emma, who keeps eye contact. Granny watches with amusement as the two sisters have a competition over who will break first. Eventually Ada, who sees the wisdom in Emma's argument, even if she doesn't like it, huffs and takes her key back from Granny.

"I don't like it," she mutters to her sister.

"I know," the blonde replies, "But you'll do it anyways because you love me."

"Damn right I do," the redhead says, "Now, come on, I'll help you gather your stuff and we can keep some of it with me. Nothing prevents her from visiting me, right, Granny?"

"Nothing I know about," the old woman says jovially grinning at the two girls before leaving them to it.

"Thanks," Emma mutters as they pick up the few things she has on her- not much, all told, this was supposed to be a short one-night trip tops.

"No problem, but this is why I told you to always keep a spare bag in the bug with extra clothes. See, I'm not forced to wear the same outfit everyday because I thought ahead."

"That wasn't what I was talking about," Emma says with a shake of her head, "Though, thanks for that too. I was talking about the where-she-goes-I-go thing."

Ada stops what she's doing and turns to look at Emma. Not many people know Emma Swan well enough to read her, but Ada's Emma's sister, and has worked hard to gain her insight to the mind of Emma Swan. The blonde is sincerely astonished, sincerely thankful, and mostly just awed that someone cares for her so much.

With a healthy dose of awkward, of course, because Emma Swan does not do emotional.

Ada smiles softly before promising, "Someday, I'm gonna make it so you're not surprised when someone is willing to stick by you through thick and thin."

Emma returned the grin, but looked away, "I almost believe you."

Ada gave a happy little shrug, "Good enough for now."


When Ada and Emma get to the bug, both girls are more than a little annoyed to find it booted.

Emma's phone rings. "Yeah?" she answers.

"Miss Swan," says the voice of Regina Mills, "I'd be happy to keep demonstrating my power, but am I right in guessing your resolve to stay is only growing?"

"You have no idea," Emma seethes. Going after her is one thing- going after the bug is whole new level. This woman is a bully, straight and simple. Wielding all her power (illegally this time, since Emma's car had no reason to be booted) to get her way and intimidate everyone into dancing to her tune. Emma was not interested in playing along.

"Well then," Mayor Mills remarks, like she's commenting on the weather. "I think it's time we made peace. Why don't you drive over to my office," at that sentence, Emma slams the door shut to the bug, "Or walk, whatever suits you."

Emma hangs up and turns to Ada.

"Lemme guess," the redhead remarks dryly, leaning up against the car, "Queen Bitch herself?"

"She says she wants to "make peace.""

Ada straightens at that. "What?"

"Told me to come over."

"It's a trap."

Emma looks at her sister in shock, "You do realize there is a line, and you just crossed it into crazy paranoid territory?"

"Not like that," Ada shook her head, "But there is no way she's actually going to make peace with you. This is another ploy. To what end exactly, I don't know, but I do know that the end result of this meeting is going to be about as far from peace as you can get."

"You really think that's what this is?"

"Emma, she just booted the bug. She's got the upper hand currently, she's not going to fold now."

"Ok, so what could she be planning?"

"Recon at the most innocent? Drug and kidnapping at the least? I don't know! All I know is she is Queen Bitch crazy and I don't like her and she gives me bad prickings and there is no way this can end well."

"Alright, listen, either way I'm going, so I'll be careful."

"Watch what you say, you can be a bit impetuous. Don't give her any ammo."

"I promise I'll be careful."

"Ugh. I don't like this."

"I know you don't, you'll have to live with it."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Ada offers.

"So what?" Emma retorts, already walking away, "You can barf all over her upholstery? No, I'll handle this on my own."

"You will do no such thing- you will call me as soon as it is over and tell me everything that happened."

Emma rolled her eyes, but fifteen minutes later ended up doing just that as she stormed out of the Mayor's mansion.

"She brought Henry into it," she hissed over the line before her sister even had a chance to say hello.

"What?" Ada's voice goes into what Emma mentally refers to as the "danger register." It's a particular inflection that Ada only goes into when she is severely ticked off. It usually makes people who recognize it run for cover. Even if it's not aimed at them.

"She was talking to me, about Henry's curse theory, and she arranged it so Henry would be behind me and hear me say that the curse thing was crazy. Henry took that to mean I thought he was crazy. She has no soul. Forget me- how could she do that to Henry?"

"Archie said the word "crazy" would be very damaging, damn it! That bitch!"

"What do I do?" Emma asked.

Ada groaned, "Emma, I told you to watch your words not to give her ammo!"

"I know I know and you can say I told you so later but give me advice now!"

"You can't leave," Ada immediately says, knowing that Emma was automatically going to jump to that as Henry's best option.

"But this is all happening because I came here. I'm the one who used the damn "c" word and god, he's never gonna want to talk to me again after this."

"Emma Swan, if you leave that little boy now who do you think is going to protect him?"

Emma was silent.

"I know you love him. I know you love him more than life itself," Ada continued, "But if you leave, the only person he'd have batting for him, is his teacher, who, may I just point out, is just as bullied by Regina as Henry is. As this whole town is. Archie Hopper failed Henry when he turned you in. He did. No two ways about it. If his therapist is willing to turn his back on Henry at Queen Bitch's command, do you think she can't bully anyone into submission? You are the only person Henry has in his corner. Truly."

"There's you," Emma sighs into the phone.

"Emma, I'm in your corner. Always have been, always will be. If you do end up leaving tonight, I will lecture you for the rest of eternity. But I will follow you.

"After calling child protective services, of course," Ada adds after a pause.

Emma swallows back the few tears that spring to her eyes at her sister's words.

"I love you, Emma Swan. And, because of that, I love Henry. We can't leave him. We can't do to him what was done to us. He needs someone in his corner. And as long as you're around, he's got two. So, we need to talk to Henry. Specifically, you do, but I'll come along if you need me."

"He should be at therapy now."

"Well, I've already suitably frightened the therapist so… up to you."

"Did you lecture Archie Hopper for turning on me?" Emma laughed.

"You bet your ass I did. What? I was supposed to let him get away with it?" Ada scoffed, "As if."

"I'll meet you at his office in five minutes."

"Already on my way."


When the two women burst (again, in Ada's case) into Archie's office the man himself immediately stood up and began to attempt an explanation.

"Miss Swan. Look, I can explain. The Mayor forced me-"

Emma cut him off, "I know. Don't worry about it, I get it." Archie looked at Ada who raised her hand up between the two of them.

"Don't look at me. I still don't like you. Probably won't change my mind anytime soon so don't even try."

"Henry, I'm sorry," Emma says, crouching down before her son who sits on Archie's furniture.

"I don't want to talk to you," Henry says sullenly. Rightfully feeling betrayed.

"Miss Swan, Miss Ward, if she knew you were here-"

Ada cuts Archie off again, "To hell with her, there are things more important than her bullying campaign."

Emma sits near Henry and tries again, "Henry, there is one simple reason I stayed here- you. I wanted to get to know you."

"You think I'm crazy!" Henry shouts, angry.

"No," Emma clarifies, "I think the curse is crazy. And it is," she gives a sigh when she notices Ada's scolding look. "But that doesn't mean that it isn't true. It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in, but there are a lot of crazy things in this world. So, what do I know? Maybe it is true."

"But you told my mom-" Henry began, only to have Ada sit opposite Emma and smile at him.

"Exactly what she needed to hear. She's not going to suspect a thing if she thinks we're all non-believers. That's the only way to trick her so we can break the Curse."

"You believe?" Henry asks, eyes wide, "But you're not even in the book."

Ada shrugs and gives a cocky smile, "Yeah, but I think I'm pretty awesome anyways. Besides, I'm always on Emma's side. And now, that means, I'm on yours." She reaches out a hand to shake his. "Mind if I get in on the operation?"

Henry shoots a look at Emma who shrugs, "She's pretty much my sister," she tells the boy. Henry grins and takes Ada's hand.

"Brilliant!" Henry shouts, "You threw her off the trail now!"

"We both read the pages, Henry," Emma tells him, holding out the torn storybook pages, "And you're right- they are dangerous. There's only one way to make sure that she never sees them." With those words, Emma tosses the papers into Archie's fireplace, where they quickly burn.

"Now we have the upper hand," Ada tells the boy with a grin.

Henry gets up and hugs Emma, who Ada can tell is cherishing the embrace from her son, "I knew you were here to help me!" Henry exclaims into Emma's hair.

"That's right, kid," Emma tells him, hugging him back, "We both are." She pulls back from the hug to look him in the eyes, "And nothing, not even a curse, is gonna stop that."

Smiling, Henry just hugs his birth mother again.

The trio exit Dr. Hopper's office and stroll down main street together, Ada mostly silent as she watches Emma interact with Henry. Emma's son. Wow.

Things were certainly going to be changing for Henry. And, if she had any say, it would be for the better.


October 27, 2011

Mr. Gold, as he was known in this town, walked away from Mayor Regina Mills, as she was known in this world, casually tossing an apple behind him and leaving the Evil Queen standing in shock by her ruined apple tree.

Oh, things were changing, the future was shifting because of a new player.

And, ironically enough, it wasn't Miss Swan.

He'd predicted her coming, knew the rough outline of her path from the glimpses he'd seen of the future, but something had changed while he was under the curse before Miss Swan came to town. And that something was Miss Ada Ward. He'd done his research on the friend of the Savior, and he was intrigued. She was a new and interesting player, one he had not planned on. Normally that would annoy him, especially this close to the completion of his goal, but Miss Ward was exceptionally diverting, and he found himself amused.

The Evil Queen realized the Savior had come to town, or at least heavily suspected, but she didn't realize: Emma Swan's hidden weapon was Ada Ward. No one did.

Except Rumpelstiltskin.

And he always did like knowing things no one else knew.