That's two chapters in a semi-timely manner and thus we complete another season one episode. I'm going to be totally honest with you- I'm speeding up the plot. One, because having Ada there means double the amount of hands Emma has to use and double the amount of eyes noticing not-quite-right things around Storybrooke and double the overprotective bears guarding Henry (and, at this point, sweet Mary Margaret). Two, because I'm just so ready to get to certain parts of this story that I wanna break the curse now! But I will attempt to draw it out a teensy bit more. Not much, probably. I'm getting impatient.

Also- I'm announcing a poll here (though it will be on ). I'll put the details at the end of the chapter so you can get to the plot now and deal with the announcement later.

Well, enjoy the chapter!

11/29/22 Edit: The editing continues, and aside from mostly tightening up the dialogue and fixing spelling and grammar, not much has changed.


December 18, 2011

"Good morning," Mary Margaret greeted Ada as she sat beside the girl at the counter at Granny's. Ada was already half-way through her breakfast and on her third cup of coffee when Mary Margaret walked in.

"Listen to this," she whispered to the teacher with a small gesture towards Dr. Whale, who was bragging to anyone who would listen.

"I'm a hell of a doctor, huh?" he immediately told Mary Margaret when he noticed her. "No way he wakes up on someone else's watch."

"And what life-saving measures did you take that woke up the man from a coma?" Ada asked from the other side of Mary Margaret, who fiddled with her newspaper, trying to hold in her laughter.

Whale, however, ignored Ada in favor of continuing his discussion with Mary Margaret "So I heard you resigned from the hospital. I hope it wasn't because of me."

Mary Margaret was genuinely confused, "Why would it be because of you?"

"Well, our date," Whale clarified. Mary Margaret had almost totally forgotten it in light of recent events. "I never called you after," Whale continued, "I know, I know. It's not classy," he valiantly ignored Ada's raised eyebrows and outright chuckles at him as he made an ass of himself, "And I'm sorry, but if you could find a way to get over it, you know where to find me. Have a good day." And with that, mercifully, he was gone.

Mary Margaret turned to Ada, who had not stopped her laughing, and couldn't help but join in.

"Stop," she warned the redhead, still giggling herself, "Stop it, it's not funny!"

"No," Ada nodded, calming herself enough to take another sip of coffee, "It's hysterical. Does he seriously think he gets a second date with you after staring at Ruby's ass the entirety of the last one? And making you pay?"

"Let's not even mention that date, please" Mary Margaret ordered turning to Ruby, "A hot chocolate, please." The brunette settled in her seat and opened up her newspaper. Just as her order came, Regina Mills stalked into the dinner.

"Ms. Blanchard," she called out, honing in on Mary Margaret like a predator looked at prey, Ada tensed, ready for a fight, "May I have a word?"

Ada would've told her to shove it, but Mary Margaret, ever polite, said, "Of course."

"I wanted to talk to you about my friend Kathryn. But more specifically," Regina continued, her eyes narrowed on Mary Margaret's face, "I wanted to talk to you about her husband, David." Ada held herself back, "You don't belong together," Regina continued without pause. "He's not yours. He's taken. Find somebody else."

"I haven't done anything," Mary Margaret protested before Ada could really get going, and she settled back to let Mary Margaret handle this.

"Really? So he just up and left his wife on a whim?" Regina asked incredulously.

"He did what?" Mary Margaret gasped.

"You don't know," the Mayor raised a single eyebrow in disdain, "Well, I suspect you soon will, so listen carefully, dear. Because it's in your best interest. Stay away. He's in a fragile state. He doesn't know who he is or what he's doing, and you're this close to wrecking multiple lives. So before you do something that can't be undone," Regina hissed, "Let him remember who he was."

"Woh," Ada said, having had enough, and Regina stopped from her first step to leave the dinner in her pre-planned huff. "Stop right there, Madame Mayor. Before you go off in your obviously self-righteous huff, let me clarify a few things for you," Ada hopped off her stool to stand toe to toe with the other woman, "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled you've managed to finally make a friend and you want to defend her, but let's review our facts here.

"First off, your accusations- and make no mistake, what you just said was not only threatening, but accusing- are groundless. Mary Margaret has only ever interacted with David Nolan as a volunteer at the hospital where he was and on the occasion where she saved his life- something I think you and your friend would be grateful to her for. All of these occasions occurred with either multiple witnesses in a crowded hospital or while he was unconscious. And yet, you would still throw blame at a woman who is not only a respected and well-liked member of the community but also a well-loved school teacher. So have the decency to admit it's not about your friend's marriage, but about your continued dislike for Mary Margaret as an individual.

"Secondly, regardless of any attraction to any other person, it is not necessarily the sole cause or even a cause of David leaving his marriage. Kathryn herself said when David first came out of his coma that he had left and she had told him to. Just because Kathryn wants a reconciliation does not mean that even if David had all his memories he would want one as well. Also, I think it is a travesty that the poor man has to live not only with his estranged wife but a woman who as far as he's concerned is a total stranger who keeps trying to be romantic with him and is desperately waiting for his memories to return. Which brings me to my third point- David Nolan may never regain his memories. So, if the man wants to divorce his wife, get his own home, get his own job, and his own life, that is his decision. If, once his divorce has finalized, he wants to date Mary Margaret or anyone else that is that man's business, not yours, not even Kathryn's.

"Despite your inability to acknowledge that David makes his own choices, he is nonetheless an adult. He may not have his memories, but he is perfectly capable of making his own decisions, and if he's uncomfortable with Kathryn and wants not to return to the marriage he had, by Kathryn's own admission, already left he is allowed to make that choice. Treating him like a child is both insulting and degrading. So, keep to your own business Madame Mayor and stop attempting to drag Mary Margaret or anyone else you choose to dislike through the mud."

Ada, finally having run out of things to say on this, crossed her arms and stared down Regina, who was practically shaking in her fury. The entire dinner had gone silent, watching the show.

Ada had made an impression.

And it was true, Mary Margaret was well-liked. She was kind to everyone and loving. She even had a sweet smile for Leroy, who was standoffish and rude to everyone while perpetually drunk.

Watching Ada verbally lash out at the Mayor, slowly, an awareness began to trickle into some of Storybrooke's residents- Regina Mills was not all-powerful, and she could be taken.

Feeling the tides turning, Regina left the dinner in an even blacker mode than she had entered it.

"Oh my god," Ruby said, staring at Ada, "Did you just tell off Mayor Mills?"

"I seriously want to know how the hell she wins elections. How many times has she won?" Ada turned to look at Granny, who stood by the register.

"Oh, she's always won," the elderly woman said.

"Well, someone must've been Mayor before her," Ada objected, "She's only about what? Forty? Tops? So you must've known the Mayor before her."

"It's, well, it's a bit hazy," Granny trailed off. Ada looked around the dinner; everyone was in a similar confusion.

"None of you can tell me the name of the Mayor before her? Or how long Regina's been Mayor? Was she Mayor before she adopted Henry?"

"Of course we can," Archie assured her, "It was Mayor...oh," he stopped, "I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank. It'll come to me, I'm sure. It's on the tip of my tongue."

"Mayor Mills has always been Mayor," Ruby shrugged.

Ada was beginning to feel chills roll up and down her spine, and goosebumps broke out on her skin.

"Well, is there a library in town? I've finished all my books anyways, maybe I'll learn some town history."

"Oh, dear, the library's across there- the old clock tower, but it's closed down," Granny told her.

Ada looked out the window in the direction Granny had indicated. "How long has it been shut down?" she asked.

Granny shrugged, "It's always been shut down."

"Yeah," Ruby chimed in, "Ever since I can remember." But Ada was already staring out on the street, her eyes unfocused.

This was just too weird.


Ada approached the abandoned library, and took a quick glimpse up and down the street, only three Storybrooke citizens were wandering around- most people were busy at their jobs now that the lunch break was over or at home already, and the three who were wandering about were occupied by each other's conversation and hadn't noticed Ada.

She quickly began to jiggle the lock in front of her, wishing her arm was finally out of the cast. Ada hated mysteries and between the inconclusive answers she had pestered out of everyone she had run across today (asking things like "how many years have you lived here?" and "how long has Regina been mayor?" "what year did you graduate anyways?" and the like and not getting a single definite answer) and the never-ending soundtrack of Emma's voice in her head saying "Henry says it's like a haze to them," she was getting both paranoid and majorly freaked out.

Emma probably would've told her she was being silly.

Emma also would've been lying.

Ada figured if she couldn't get a definitive answer out of everyone, she'd investigate every single corner of Storybrooke- every place she wasn't supposed to be, she'd look; every lock, she'd pick; every toe, she'd step on it. Especially if it was Mayor Mills' toes. She'd stomp on those particular toes.

The lock released with a soft click, and Ada quickly ducked into the dusty and dark library of Storybrooke. She took in the room slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the faint light trickling in through the newspaper-covered windows. Dust motes swirled in the air, and the smell of must and old books pervaded the air. Rows and rows of bookshelves spiraled out, their books still sleeping softly on their shelves, ghosts tucked away in between the pages. The desk was abandoned, covered in a thick layer of the dust that surrounded Ada and seemed almost to be the darkest part of the room. A few doorways lead to more books and shelves and dust, no doubt. Ada took one cautious step forward.

And another.

She wandered over to the first shelf- filled with novels, the next was as well. She sought out anything that looked like it might contain some sort of town history- she figured most libraries must have them, but there was none to be found.

She glanced over to the wall across from the entrance. The wall was basic wood, but it was carved and painted with a rolling meadow ground and a large tree trunk reaching upwards and turning into foliage that was made by a mirror, cut to the shape of the tree's top, reflecting softly the light that filtered through, and stars were carved hanging above it all.

Ada had a brief thought that it was a shame the library was closed. It was a beautiful piece of artwork. She wondered if perhaps Marco had a hand in it. Odd what a simple tree can become.


Ada was still jittery while sitting outside with Mary Margaret while she was a break during school hours. They had arranged for this beforehand, but Ada wasn't focused.

"So- do you remember how you meet Archie?" Ada asked. "I'll bet there's a story somewhere," she tried to play off her questioning.

Mary Margaret thought for a moment, "No, I just...it seems like I've always known Archie."

"You don't have any funny how-I-met-so-and-so stories?" Ada laughed incredulously, her voice unnaturally high despite her attempts to play off her nerves. "Come on- I'll tell you how I met Emma if you give me a funny how-I-met story in return. Everyone's got one."

Mary Margaret paused in thought for what seemed to Ada to be an eternity, "No, I don't. I guess it's the hazard of a small town- everyone knows everyone."

"But- not everyone. You never met David before? Not even when you guys were in school? You're not that far apart in age."

Mary Margaret gave Ada a searching look, "Listen, Ada, are you-" but before she could complete her question, she noticed someone walking towards where the two women sat at the picnic bench. "Oh, gosh, it's him."

"Him?" Ada questioned, "Him who?"

Mary Margaret gave her a look that clearly said Who else? and Ada turned to spy David Nolan approaching.

"You can't be here," Mary Margaret automatically told him, still feeling the after effects of the Mayor's talk despite Ada's staunch defense.

"I need to see you," he told her, looking at her intensely.

"David," Ada tried to get her head back in the game, "Why don't you sit down? Mary Margaret has somethings to say to you. And I won't let her get too off topic, hopefully."

"You're...staying here?" David asked, clearly uncomfortable about having a private conversation in front of the redhead.

Ada shrugged, "Don't think it'll be anything new to me- I've already heard her practice this speech about fifty times in the last twenty four hours."

David's attention was immediately focused on the tiny school teacher, and Ada might as well have been background as Mary Margaret took a trembling deep breath and began.

"Listen- it's true, I do feel a connection with you. But I want to do this right. Which means some things need to happen first. You've just come out of not only a coma, but a marriage and I realize," she interrupted before David could begin, "that your amnesia makes leaving that marriage slightly different from when most couples separate, but it's still something monumental. You have divorce papers to fill out- you are," she suddenly choked a bit, "You are divorcing right?" David silently nodded, eyes never leaving Mary Margaret's face as she took her life in her own hands, "Well, that's good. Well, not good, I mean- it's never nice to talk about divorce, but I don't want you-" Ada cleared her throat, "But divorcing Kathryn is just the first part of it," Mary Margaret sat straighter, her chin sticking out, her eyes beginning to gain some sort of spark that before had only been buried in there, "You need to have some sort of life on your own before you can be in a successful relationship. You need to figure out who you are now, with or without your memories, and become comfortable with yourself. You need to find a place to live and a job you like and whether you like hot dogs or hamburgers better and all sorts of things, and some of that you need to figure out on your own to make it really mean something. I-" she sucked in another breath for courage, "I would love...very much like to be in a relationship with you, but I want to do it right. So I'm saying...not yet."

"But yes? Yes but not yet?" David confirmed, and Ada, even still feeling the aftershocks of her freaky day, couldn't help but smirk a little at how his heart truly seemed to be in his eyes as he stared, unabashedly, with some sort of awe, at Mary Margaret Blanchard, in her sweet button down shirt, flowery skirt and pink sweater.

"Yes," she grinned, "But not yet. You need to figure out you first before we can figure out us."

The man gave a small chuckle, "Okay, I like that."

"Good," Mary Margaret practically whispered, as the last reserves of her bravery were spent, and she ducked her head down, failing entirely to hide her blush.

Ada said nothing, didn't even make a sound as she got up from the picnic table to leave the two idiots who were sitting there in the sunshine, smiling at each other without saying a word.

The recess bell would ring soon enough and snap them out of it; in the meantime, she'd make a strategic retreat.

There's only so much sappiness a girl can stand, after all.

She waited patiently within eye sight, but not within hearing range, as she watched the school bell ring and the two lovebirds jump up with a start. Mary Margaret quickly rushed over to Ada, grinning, "I've got to tell Emma!" she practically squealed as she grinned the widest grin Ada had ever seen on her face.

"After school's over," Ada told her, pointing her in the direction of her students.

"Yes," Mary Margaret came back to earth, "Yes, of course," but it seemed her head was still in the clouds as the teacher practically skipped into the school to finish her day.


"Sometimes," Graham's voice interrupted Emma's perusal of Storybrooke's police files. "The clichés are true."

Emma cast a suspicious glance over the box full of bakery goodies Graham was currently presenting her with a winsome smirk. "Okay, what do you want?"

Graham sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly, but still holding out the box, "Remember when I said no night shifts? I need you to work tonight. Just this once."

"Why?" Emma questioned further, sounding even younger than Henry as she whined.

"I volunteer at an animal shelter. And the supervisor is sick, and someone needs to feed the dogs," he raised his eyebrows and pouted in what no doubt he considered an irresistible puppy dog face.

Emma was by no means going to tell him it was.

"You're very luck you brought a bear claw," she muttered to him, taking the pastry.

At that moment Mary Margaret came rushing in, and Graham, seeing the impending conversation had little to do with him (thankfully), retreated to his office as Mary Margaret burst with her news.

"Oh, good lord- is this really happening?" Mary Margaret ended her tale with a sparkling smile and practically bounced where she stood.

Emma just smirked, "You tell me."


Ada examined the patrons of Granny's dinner before her. Aside from a few exceptions (Leroy), most citizens of the small town were very willing to talk with her about anything she might like.

Today, she was asking questions.

"Hey, Mr. Clark," she slides into the booth across from the drug store owner, "Maybe you can answer a question for me, it's been driving me nuts all day, and no one can answer it for me."

"Well," the man paused to sneeze as Ada considered the irony of a drug store owner who seemed to suffer from either the worst allergies she had ever seen or a perpetual cold, "I'll try."

She gave a grin, "Great. Now- here's the question, you ready for it?" the man nodded with another sneeze, "Who was the Mayor before Mayor Mills?"

Mr. Clark thought for about a minute (or five sneezes, two of which were in succession) before telling her, "I don't," he gave another sneeze (Six Ada had time to absently think) "remember. It's a bit of a haze."

Ada was really beginning to hate that word.


Emma drove through Storybrooke, patrolling for the night, bored. Until she noticed someone exiting the Mayor's house via the window. She pulled over immediately, her thoughts immediately flying to Henry, and exited the vehicle.

She had already given the shadowy figure a solid hit to the gut with her baton when she recognized who it was.

"This is volunteering?" she incredulously asked as Graham tried to pick himself up, groaning, off the ground.

"Plans changed. Regina needed me to-"

Emma cut him off there, "Sleep with her?"

"No," Graham denied, but Emma was, as Ada had described, "a human lie detector."

And that hurt- she had missed the lie Graham had sold her earlier. She had swallowed it, not even knowing it was false. She had blindly trusted him, and the last man who she didn't notice when he was lying to her-

Well, she would be on guard now.

"Why were you sneaking out the window?" Emma interrogated, but her voice wasn't hard like she would've liked, wasn't strong. She hated him a little bit for that.

Graham finally righted himself, one hand still braced against where he'd surely have a bruise tomorrow, "Because," he released a sigh, "She didn't want Henry to know."

Emma's jaw dropped, "You did this with Henry in the house?" her mind raced.

"He was sleeping," Graham justified, "He doesn't know."

"Oh my god. I wish I was Henry right now," Emma wanted Ada. She wanted her sister right then, and it was all Graham's fault. So he was going to pay. It was small considering he had made her feel the need to run to her sister, but she'd take what she could get. "This is disgusting."

What was really disgusting her was how quiet, how soft her voice was. She didn't want to scream, that would give too much away, just like this soft voice did, but she wanted her voice to cut. Each syllable with a hardened edge that would dig into him and attach like a burr and never come out.

"I really do work at an animal shelter," Graham whispered to her, his eyes begging her to stop looking at him like that, stop speaking in that soft voice, to just...stop.

Emma tossed him the keys, and he caught them on reflex. "You're finishing my shift," she told him, "I'm done working nights."

And with that, she walked away, leaving him standing there in the dark.


And that's the Shepherd completed. Wow. Oh, that was such an intense episode- especially with that scene with Emma and Graham. Jennifer Morrison is just an amazing actress, and she conveyed so much in...well, every scene, really, but that one got to me. And Graham, oh my poor darling Graham, who can't control his actions since Regina controls his heart, and who doesn't understand why because of Regina's curse, but who KNOWS he doesn't want this.

Just...wow.

But I made it so David wouldn't regain his curse memories! Gasp! Plot divergence! Will I have David regain his fairy tale memories before Emma breaks the curse? Is Ada beginning to realize there is more to Storybrooke than there seems? She's certainly starting to get wigged out. All...well, not all, but some will be revealed in the next chapter!

Now, for the poll (which will be on my account): I'm thinking of adding some romance for Ada. So, the way I'm thinking here is three options, all of which will be available for you to vote on. If you feel particularly passionate about any one option, please message me your reasons why because, frankly, I can't decide. Convince me.

Option one: no romance at all. This was the original plan (and I use the word "plan" very loosely because...there really isn't one), but on the other had, gives me less Ada-centric plots to work with and will keep Ada kinda side-character-ized. Also, it seems a tad weird to keep Ada single and romance-free in a show that is all about finding your happy ending and having love be a big part of that. On the other hand, who said it had to be romantic love? Ada and Emma love each other and Ada is growing to love Henry as her family as well, and I'm sure eventually she'll let in a few other people. So option one, is: no, we don't want Ada romance, we want her to stay single.

Option two: Jefferson. Now, with this option we could potentially get some cute Jefferson-Ada-Grace bonding (since Jefferson is a single father) and I'm already planning on changing certain aspects of the plot that include (spoiler alert) Jefferson no longer drugging and kidnapping Emma. I won't say what happens instead, but that will no longer occur. Which makes this an option because, let's face it- Ada would never trust someone who did that to Emma let alone start something romantic with them.

Option three: I'm hesitant to offer this one because while I kind of like the idea of it, I'm uncomfortable taking this particular character away from his canon relationship even though it's a relationship that makes no sense to me and I think was sloppily done.

So option three is Robin Hood. Of course, it's not going to be Robin Hood as we see him in the show now. I think they did a terrible job converting that legend (one of my favorites and therefore all the more painful with their sloppy characterization and writing) into the character on the show and I'd keep some elements, but do Robin Hood my own way. This, of course, means there would be no Outlaw Queen (not that there was going to be any anyways in this story- in fact, I was kinda planning on not using Robin at all here). Which makes me uncomfortable. I don't normally take one character from a canon relationship and pair him with an OC. It's not something I've ever done before so I'm a little hesitant on how you guys will feel about that.

So, the poll is up, please go vote, and don't forget to message me your opinions (like, please, do- I'm so torn over this all, and I'd want to know what you guys think) if you guys feel particularly passionate about one option or another.

Review please?