Hey, all! Long time no see. Or, type. Or...whatever. Been awhile- Happy belated holidays and New Year! I'm pretty busy starting a new semester at college and trying to figure out what I'm doing with my life after graduation (wow- I cannot believe how old I am!) so I'm not sure how frequently I'll be updating, but we'll see how things go. Here's the final chapter in the True North saga- which ended up being quite a bit longer than I had thought it would be. Whew.
January 18, 2012
"You're sure this plan will work?" Emma asked Ada as she stood beside the bug, ready to go to Marco's.
"Emma," Ada sighed, unable to keep herself from rolling her eyes, before she softened her voice and looked sympathetically at the blonde, "Why didn't you look at Henry when he was born?"
"Because I knew I'd keep him," Emma answered automatically.
Ada just raised her eyebrows and waited.
"Ok- that is not to say that every parent will react that way," Emma argued.
"No," Ada agreed, "But I'm willing to bet Michael Tillman is that kind of parent. As soon as he sees his kids, he won't be able to look away. Same as you with Henry. Besides, whether he wants to or not- those kids deserve to find out who he is either way. They want to see him at least once."
And with that, Ada slid into the passenger seat of the bug, clearly done waiting for Emma to make up her mind about Ada's plan. Emma sighed- she knew there was no more stalling now. Ada had made a choice, and she was going through with it come hell or high water, with or with out Emma's help.
She was about to step into the bug herself when she heard her least favorite sound in the world.
"Sheriff- what is this phone call I got about the Zimmer children being delayed in their journey to Boston?"
It was, of course, Mayor Mills.
"I think that it was a phone call about the twins staying in town for a little while longer while I looked into some leads on their father."
Regina's nostrils flared slightly in annoyance as she stared down Emma, "You went over my head."
"Actually," Emma couldn't seem to hold herself back from sniping at the Mayor today. She was just the cherry on top of a very crappy sundae, and Emma was fed up. "Ada did. And, in case you were interested: yes, we did find the father."
"And does he want to keep the children?" Regina asked, as if she already knew the answer. Indeed, she gave Emma a beat of silence before continuing on, "Delaying the inevitable here is only hurting those children more in the long run, Miss Swan. You can't just give them false hope of a happy family and then take it away. My plan for them to go to Boston was for the best- it didn't give them hope only to cruelly take it away. Did you promise them, Miss Swan?" Regina gave a small smirk, "You should know better than to make promises you can't keep. If their father doesn't want them, I expect them to be on the road to Boston. Tonight. Mr. Tillman has made his decision, and you need to do your job."
With that, Regina sashayed off, leaving Emma fuming.
"Interesting," Ada commented, "On how she apparently knew Tillman is the father. Either she's having us followed or..." Ada trailed off.
"She knew the whole time," Emma concluded her sister's train of thought. The word curse hung unspoken in the air.
"Either way," Ada gritted out as Emma settled into the bug, "I'm not pleased with it."
Emma blew out a breath, "You and me both." She started the car.
Ada carefully deposited the compass back into Ava's waiting hands. She and Nicholas stood before her and Emma watching them warily, wondering. Marco stood a few feet behind them, pretending to be busy with his work but really just there in case he was needed.
He was a good sort, Marco.
"We found him," Ada told the twins, bending down so she was on eye level with them, "And we told him about you."
"Does he want us?" Nicholas spoke up, and the shock that he was the one to open his mouth first temporarily stymied Ada before she continued on.
"He's pretty scared," she admitted, "He doesn't think he'll be a good dad. But, I want to introduce you guys. Whatever happens with this, you deserve to know who he is. And even if he decides that he can't be a dad, I will work something out. I promise. Remember- I work for you guys."
Ava carefully looked at her broken compass before she lifted it up and placed it around her neck. "So we'll get to see him?" she asked Ada solemnly.
"Yes," Ada grinned, "And I think you'll like this part."
The Zimmer twins were sitting in the back of the bug, which Ada had insisted on using rather than the Patrol car. They carefully drove past Regina when they spotted her on the street, and Ada tried not to literally growl when she saw the smug look the Mayor had on her face.
Well, she'd wipe that look off the Mayor's face rather quickly.
Hoping out of the car once the Mayor was out of sight, Ada carefully popped the bug's hood, staring down at the engine.
"I almost feel like I should apologize for this," she said to Emma, but then shrugged and took out a small cup, and popped the lid.
"What is that?" Emma asked, concerned for her car, but sure Ada wouldn't do any lasting damage.
"Olive oil," she grinned, "It burns at pretty low temps, so I'm going to put some on the engine, it'll make it smoke, and then by time Tillman comes to repair the car, the oil will have burned away."
Emma stared at her sister for a couple of heartbeats, "You are so..."
"Ingenious?" Ada supplied with a grin, "Clever? Capable?"
"Twisted," Emma flatly corrected, albeit with a small smirk. She climbed back into the bug, unable to actually watch Ada attempt to do something with her beloved car's inner workers.
She hoped Ada knew what she was doing.
The last curls of smoke were just dissipating perfectly as Michael Tillman pulled up beside the bug. Emma walked up to his truck and Ada leaned against the bug, carefully watching.
"Nicholas, look!" Ada turned to look at the twins with Ava's exclamation, and watched as the two stared, shocked, as their compass began to turn. Following the point, they saw their father for the first time.
In this life at least.
"Those are them?" Michael asked Emma as she stood before him, arms crossed.
"Those are them," she confirmed, watching as the man's eyes fell on his children. She really hoped Ada was right about this. She hoped seeing them would be enough to break through whatever part of the curse was keeping them separate.
Michael gave a small smile, but it looked choked, "I thought for a second there wasn't actually something wrong with the car- but...well, smoke."
"Olive oil," Emma admitted, since the smoke show was mostly in case Regina was watching. "Listen, I didn't think I could do it either. I gave up Henry 'cause I wanted to give him his best chance. When I saw that he didn't have it, I couldn't leave. I was just as scared, more, probably. But once I saw him, get to know him, I couldn't go back."
"You're taking them? To Boston?"
Emma shrugged, "I don't have to."
Michael Tillman looked at his children, who looked at him. The curse weakened, and his eyes glued to his family, he told Emma the words she wanted to hear: "No, you don't have to."
Ada passed the father's path as he walked over to his children, who had lowered the window of the bug so they could talk with him. Ada smiled at Emma and linked arms with her sister and gave a little jump.
"I love days like this."
"That olive oil better not have hurt my bug," Emma warned her sister. Ada just rolled her eyes.
"Enjoy the moment, Emma. After this, we'll actually have to deal with the whole curse...thing."
Emma turned to look at the reunited family, "After this."
Mary Margaret was out to dinner with David, so they had the loft to themselves. The sisters sat across from each other at the table, a bottle of scotch within easy reach of both and Henry's storybook open on the page that showed Snow White caught in Prince Charming's net.
The had very quickly decided not to bother with glasses tonight.
Emma twisted the cap off the bottle and took a swig.
"So this is happening," Ada commented dryly, her eyes glued to the book.
Emma was glad that Ada was there- she had been the one who had borrowed the book off Henry again (and she did it without getting the kid suspicious or worried: she just gave Henry and wink and a smile and he was happy to loan out his precious book); she was the one who had gotten the bottle; she had sat Emma down in the chair when they entered the loft and hadn't let her sister move.
Emma swallowed hard, "Are we sure we're not hallucinating or having some sort of psychotic break?"
"Do people usually share hallucinations and psychotic breaks? Cuz if it was just one of us then...but we both saw those kids."
"And you saw the newspapers, and asked everyone, and..." Emma trailed off.
It was Ada's turn to take a swallow from the bottle, "And there were the hints Gold kept dropping."
"Hints?" Emma asked, having not noticed them.
Ada shrugged, "He called you Charming when we had that whole thing with Ashley. And he's said some stuff to me, too. About...time, mostly."
"So Gold knows?"
"He has to," Ada shook her head. "There's no way he doesn't with the way he's been playing things. I just can't figure out his motive."
"Maybe we need to figure out who he is," Emma half-heartedly joked. But Ada took her seriously. The redhead stood and, taking a pad and pencil from one of Mary Margaret's various drawers of supplies, returned to the table.
"Let's do this," she said, poised to write.
Emma groaned, "This is not how I imagined dealing with this."
"I know, you thought you'd get drunk and go to bed, but it'll still be like this in the morning and the only thing that'll make you feel better is understanding and then getting a plan together."
Emma pulled the bottle back to her, "So I guess we can assume anything Henry told us is right?"
Ada took pencil to paper, muttering as she wrote, "Marco, Geppetto; Archie Hopper, Jiminy Cricket; Ashley Boyd, Cinderella; Sean Herman, Prince...whatever the name was; Ava and Nicholas, Gretel and Hansel; Tillman, the Woodcutter." She took a deep breath and a glance at Emma before reciting the hardest names, "Regina Mills, Evil Queen; David Nolan, Prince Charming; Mary Margaret Blanchard, Snow White; Graham, the Huntsman."
They were both quiet after the last few names, unable to meet each other's eyes. Emma had the scotch in her hand, but her hold was loose enough that a nudge would make her let go. She made no move to drink, but her other hand came up to rub lightly at the shoelace around her wrist.
"We just," Ada cleared her throat, "We need to figure out who some people are. Gold, for example. Um...are there any significant character...I mean, people, in the book we should make sure we know?"
Emma shrugged, "I guess...the Blue Fairy? Um...Red Riding Hood is Snow White's best friend."
"I think we can safely say that Ruby...is probably Red."
Emma looked at Ada for a moment, both uncomfortably aware that the ease in which they can identify these characters in the real world is not helping them deny how likely it was that Henry had known the truth this whole time.
"As for the Blue Fairy chick," Ada wrote the name down on the paper, "I've got no clue," she added a question mark next to the name.
"Maybe we haven't met her yet," Emma sighed. "But who is Gold?"
Ada ripped the top sheet off, placing it to the side, "What do we know about Gold?"
"He's a Pawnbroker," Emma immediately responded, but Ada shook her head.
"I mean about him, not his job. If Princesses become teachers and maids, then we can't really take much from careers."
Emma sighed and tried again, "He likes having people owe him; he's big on contracts, loopholes; he had a deal with Ashley before we even got here- that must've been from..." the sisters exchanged another glance, "Before."
Ada continued scribbling things down, "He's a manipulator," she contributed out loud, "A chess master; he gives me bad prickings, so I don't think we're looking for a hero here."
Emma reached for the book, before deciding she was unable to even contemplate paging through it at this point. She decided on taking another swallow of scotch instead and then handed the bottle to Ada, who quickly tossed some back as well.
"We'll move onto wine after this bottle," she promised herself, not wanting Mary Margaret to come home and find them with alcohol poisoning.
"We're planning on finishing the bottle?" Emma asked; Ada just raised a single eyebrow. "Good point," Emma nodded.
"He's awfully powerful," Ada pointed out, "He's gotten the Mayor to go his way a couple of times. He owns the town. Regina's Mayor, but I think the majority of property is owned by Gold. He's got a limp? Uh...manipulator, limp, power, bad guy, oh!" Ada took the book from the table, flipping the pages quickly, looking for something. She turned the book back around, showing Emma a picture of Rumpelstiltskin, with his golden scaly skin and his malevolent smirk.
"Gold does not have scales," was Emma's only comment.
"Of course not: curse," Ada replied and then took another swing as she realized what she had just said, "But look at his face- look at that expression. Don't tell me we both haven't seen that smirk on Gold's face before."
"Rumpelstiltskin?" Emma's voice was practically a whimper.
"Rumpelstiltskin," Ada groaned, pulling the first sheet of paper back to her and writing it down, "Mr. Gold, Rumple-fucking-stiltskin."
They both reached for the bottle. Emma got a hold of it first.
"Who else?" she sighed, putting her head down on the table as Ada took her turn with the drink.
"Well," her sister's voice came out wobbly, and a little too high-pitched, as she fiddled with the book, turning pages in an attempt to settle her nerves, "For some light-heartedness: we could figure out the Seven Dwarves."
"Please no."
"Then..." Ada sighed, "I'm going to insist we talk about the whole...parents thing."
"I think Mr. Clark is probably a dwarf."
"Emma," Ada's voice insisted.
"I just," Emma pulled her head up off the table and slowly examined the fairytale book in Ada's hands, "I never imagined this."
"You never thought you were a long-lost princess?" Ada teased. "Cuz I imagined it a few times growing up."
"Not...I mean," Emma waved to the current page- it was a picture of Snow White, obviously pregnant, and Prince Charming standing on the balcony of a nursery room, holding hands. A crib was in the corner, and everything in the room was light and airy. "They wanted me."
Ada reached across the table, ignoring papers, pencils, and scotch bottles, and a fairytale book, to grasp Emma's hands.
"They did," Ada nodded, "And they only gave you up because it was your best chance. The Evil Queen...Regina- she was going to kill you. Sending you through...was the only way to guarantee you'd live. And at least they had hope they'd see you again someday."
"I just- I never imagined," Emma huffed a nervous laugh, "I was found on the side of a highway for Christssake!" She was shouting now, getting hysterical, "No one ever wanted me- no one ever stayed- no one..." Emma's tirade died off in a whisper as she struggled to get her breathing under control.
"They did," Ada whispered back to her, "I do. Henry does. It was never you, Emma- it was always them. You have always been wanted- by your parents. They've forgotten, but I'll bet somewhere in them...they're wanting you. Maybe that's why Mary Margaret was so willing to post your bail when you had barely met, why she was willing to let you live with her, no matter what Regina might've done. They obviously still want each other," Ada pointed out, "I'll bet anything they want you too. And I've always wanted you, Emma. Always."
Emma's throat was working hard as her eyes blinked rapidly- trying to keep the tears at bay, "But I've spent so long thinking...I don't know what to do."
Ada shrugged, "You've spent twenty-eight years thinking they didn't want you. And knowing now that, that they did- it's not going to erase those twenty-eight years. Those feelings. But Emma- for the rest of your life, you will never have to think that again."
"But I'm not," she waved her hand, "I mean look at me- I'm damaged. You and I both know it. Even if they wanted me then- it doesn't mean they'll want me now."
"Emma," Ada cut in, her voice gone suddenly dry instead of her previously comforting tone, "Your parents are Snow freaking White and Prince freaking Charming. I think they're going to want you," she rolled her eyes slightly and then sighed, letting the moment of levity go, and her voice once again turned soothing, "Not to mention- how'd you feel if it was Henry? If Henry was you and you were them- would you still want him? Still love him?"
Emma's silence was deafening, because she knew: yes. She'd always love Henry. She always had, no matter how much it had cut into her whenever she saw mothers with babies, or how hollow she felt inside every August 15th.
She just didn't think the same feelings could possibly be applied to her.
"Emma- when I met you you were "damaged,"" Ada sneered the term, clearly not fond of it, but saving that battle for another day, "And I still wanted you. I'm still here, Emma. You've told me everything- every scar, every hurt, every crime. I'm still here. You think I'm going to hang around and Snow White and Prince Charming, your parents, the epitome of goodness and kindness and forgiveness and all those warm fluffy things, aren't? Emma, this is the Foster System, your Foster Parents, this is Neal, this is Regina talking. Tell them to shut the hell up."
Emma let the argument go, still not convinced, still unwilling to look any further into it. It was just...too much. Ada recognized this and opened the book to a random page, hoping for a distraction, and immediately regretted it.
Graham.
Both girls went silent as they stared at the picture of the Huntsman.
Suddenly, Emma gasped.
Ada looked up at her sister sharply just to watch as Emma's lips formed the words, "He remembered."
Ada sipped on some coffee she had made for herself using Mary Margaret's machine. She was about half way through the pot she'd made already- it had been an emotional night. Henry's books and the papers she had scribbled on were tucked away in Emma's room with Emma, who, exhausted, heartbroken, and a little drunk, had fallen into bed with some help from Ada.
Ada was waiting up for Mary Margaret- Snow White.
Emma's mother.
It was probably a little strange that that last title was the oddest of all for Ada. It seemed to be the hardest for Emma to wrap her head around, too.
Graham had remembered.
Ada wasn't sure exactly what that all had entailed, but she knew enough to feel heartbroken all over again.
Mary Margaret stumbled into the apartment at that moment, obviously high on life. Ada wondered how much of Snow White was really in the schoolteacher. The curse had obviously changed some things- Jiminy Cricket wasn't a cricket, Snow White and Prince Charming were separated. Prince Charming had been married to another woman. Ada wasn't sure how much of the badass princess she'd admired in the story book (before realizing Snow White was apparently real) was in the meek and sweet teacher of Storybrooke. The curse was supposed to take away everyone's happiness- did it change parts of their personalities? Make them...less then themselves? Almost like shadows? The storybook Ada had read showed a Snow White who would not back down- Mary Margaret was one to back down pretty easily, unless something really pushed her.
Storybrooke...storybook...god, it was right in front of them the whole time, wasn't it? She'd feel stupid if the whole curse thing wasn't so off the wall.
Mary Margaret's grin stretched across her face and she practically danced over to the table before collapsing into a seat beside Ada, who continued to drink her coffee.
"Ask me how it went," she breathed, stars in her eyes.
"How'd it go?" Ada obliged.
Mary Margaret's grin, if possible, got wider, "Wonderful. We talked and he was so...he's just so..."
"Charming?" Ada couldn't help but supply.
Mary Margaret's face scrunched up momentarily, as if something about that had struck her as odd, (or as if some part of her was, perhaps, trying to remember) but then she nodded, "He really is."
Ada gave a small grin. She's talking with Snow White about boys.
God, her life was going to get weird now, wasn't it?
"Did your plan work like you thought for the Zimmer twins?" Mary Margaret had asked.
"Mr. Tillman changed his mind," Ada gave a nonchalant shrug and took another sip of coffee.
Mary Margaret's eyes were shrewd as she looked at the redhead, "Changed his mind? Just like that?"
Ada's eyes were finding the bricks of Mary Margaret's wall fascinating as she dryly answered, "He might've had a nudge."
"They found their father," Mary Margaret leaned back in her chair, her face giving a sweet and peaceful smile. "That's great."
Ada looked carefully at the woman across from her- she was sweet, and kind, and the smile she currently wore was soft and full of hope.
She'd have been a good mother, Ada thought.
"Maybe Emma'll figure out what that feels like soon," she calmly said, trying to see what sort of reaction she might get.
Mary Margaret's smile softened even further, "She's got to hold onto hope," the schoolteacher nodded firmly, causing Ada to remember that maybe Mary Margaret and Snow White had more in common than a first glance suggested.
"It's hard to hold onto hope," Ada said, her lips pulling down. In recent years Emma hadn't said much about finding her biological parents. She'd comment on the futility of it, say how there were no leads, but Ada hadn't caught Emma examining the file she kept the newspaper clips and few leads she'd had. When they first started living together, she'd find Emma studying it in dim lights on lonely nights, hiding it. A few years in and Emma stopped hiding her search, but she still didn't take out the file in front of Ada. But in the past few years, Ada hadn't walked in on Emma paging through old newspaper clippings as often.
And now they'd found her parents after all. And Emma was worried they might not want her after all this time.
"Maybe there's an explanation," Mary Margaret said, her eyebrows coming together as her eyes drifted towards where Emma was sleeping out of sight.
"It'd have to be as crazy as Henry's," Ada slyly pointed out.
Mary Margaret grinned, "And what's that?"
"That Emma's parents put her in a magical wardrobe to save her from a terrible curse in hopes that someday she'd save them."
Mary Margaret gave a small chuckle, "Oh, and who does he think they are?"
"You and David, of course," Ada hid most of her face behind her coffee mug as she watched Mary Margaret absorb this.
The woman was still, her face suddenly going slack and her eyes unfocused. Ada briefly wondered if maybe, maybe, just suggesting it was going to be enough for Mary Margaret to have a break through and suddenly have Snow White there.
But, no, because the schoolteacher's face turned wistful and she practically whispered, "I have a kid, you'd think I'd remember that."
"You'd think," Ada muttered.
January 19, 2012
The next day was tough. Ada hug out in the Sheriff's station with Emma all day, both still a bit in shock over recent discoveries. Emma was mechanical in doing her work, and Ada's eyes often drifted away from the book she'd brought to absorb herself in (she hadn't turned a page since she'd first opened it).
They eventually managed to drag themselves to Granny's for lunch, where they crammed themselves deep into the booth and couldn't quite stop themselves from staring at the various townsfolk. They were so absorbed they didn't even notice a few people gossiping over Mary Margaret and David's date.
Unable to handle the questions, they fled back to the Sheriff's station fairly quickly and sat side-by-side on one of the cells' cots as they murmured back and forth.
There was a lot to say, but neither sister was quite sure how to articulate it.
Mary Margaret was used to returning to an empty loft. She'd lived alone for...well, it seemed like forever. But now she knew in a few hours Emma would turn up, back from working in the Sheriff's station all day. So it was a much more cheerful mood Mary Margaret found herself in nowadays coming home to an empty loft. She'd fallen into a routine of straightening up whatever needed straightening and then beginning on some dinner for herself and Emma. She always made enough for three since she never could tell when Ada would drop in (it was more often than not) and eat with them.
Mary Margaret had just re-fluffed the pillows on her couch to her satisfaction and was starting on some supper when she noticed a cardboard box sitting in the little nook that was off her kitchen area. She wandered over, figuring it was Emma's and she'd put in on the table for Emma to put away where ever she wanted when she got home. Picking it up, she accidentally jostled it to much and it fell slightly, spilling some of it's contents on the floor before she managed to catch it.
Sighing, and feeling a tad guilty for accidentally going through some of Emma's stuff, Mary Margaret bent down and picked up the manila envelope that had fallen out and pulled up short when she saw the other item that had fallen out.
It was a worn baby blanket, white yarn with a purple ribbon boarder and the name Emma stitched carefully in one corner where the ribbon was tied into a sweet bow. Mary Margaret reached out, carefully grasping the knitted yarn and pulling it towards her delicately, as if it were precious and fragile. This baby blanket probably had been through a lot- parts of it were worn where a younger Emma had evidently had a habit of holding onto it, and some of the yarn was beginning to fray from age and use.
She knelt there on the floor, and gently brought the blanket to her nose and breathed. For a moment there, the brunette could've sworn she smelled something- some lingering scent of baby. But she shook herself slightly, reminding that though it was a baby blanket, it had doubtless been many years and countless washes since it had been wrapped around one. There was no lingering scent.
Mary Margaret carefully folded the precious item and tucked it back into Emma's box, and then distractedly walked back to her kitchen island, trying to refocus herself on dinner.
She wasn't entirely successful.
It was only when Mary Margaret greeted the sisters when they returned to the loft that Emma and Ada were able to shake themselves out of their funk.
"What did you two do today?" she had asked as she stirred something on the stove-top. Dinner. "Ada- are you going to stay for dinner? I've made enough if you want to."
Emma was struck in how normal it felt. This was something that happened every day to people living with their parents. Emma briefly had the absurd thought that Mary Margaret was about to tell Ada to call her parents to let her know she was staying for dinner.
"Uh, sure," Ada responded, shaking her head lightly, breaking herself out of her daze. "Dinner sounds good."
Mary Margaret gave them both a smile over her shoulder, before her eyes settled on Emma once again. "By the way," she added, gesturing to the kitchen table, "I found that sitting down here, I figured it was yours, so you can put it where ever it belongs."
Emma nodded and went to fetch her box. She'd left it downstairs after she and Ada had spent the night drinking.
"I accidentally dropped it," Mary Margaret confessed quickly, her eyes conveying apologies, "I didn't want to go through it, but-" she trailed off.
"Oh," Emma said, before waving it off, "It's okay."
"It's a pretty blanket," Mary Margaret couldn't help but blurt out.
Emma turned to look at her, eyes filled with something the schoolteacher couldn't name. "Thanks," the blonde softly replied before gathering up her box and taking it upstairs.
Ada and Emma leaned against the bug, Emma examining some newspaper clips of her as a baby. Many of them decried her apparently negligent parents- leaving a beautiful newborn baby girl on the side of the road. For years Emma had believed what they had said- that her parents must've been horrible people, who just tossed her to the side of the road immediately after she was born. Couldn't even bother to go to the hospital.
"I think it's getting weaker," Ada commented, trying to get Emma to look away from those newspaper clips, "The curse," she added, unnecessarily, "I mean, I think...the more you do, the more you're here, the more roots you gain, the weaker it gets."
"Basically," Emma sighed, tossing the folder into the open window of the bug. "Anything that pisses off Regina."
"And that is what we call a fringe benefit," Ada joked.
"Hey," Henry's voice caused them both to turn, seeing him on the other side of the bug, standing there with a white bakery box in his hands.
"Hey, Henry," Ada responded, her eyes darting between Emma and the boy. She'd almost forgotten the drama of Henry asking about Neal in everything that had been going on.
"What's up?" Emma asked him, taking a few steps towards Henry as he rounded the car to lean against it with them.
"Pumpkin pie," Henry answered casually, "I thought you'd like some." Any semblance of offhandedness vanished though when he nervously inquired, even as Emma smiled at him, "It was pumpkin, right?"
"Yeah," Emma nodded, and if her voice was slightly breathless, only Ada noticed. "Listen, Henry, about your father-," Emma began, feeling a twinge of guilt. She'd lied. It was so Henry wouldn't be heartbroken, true. But Emma wondered if maybe a part of her hadn't wanted Henry to know because she'd spent her childhood and much of her adulthood thinking the worst of her parents, thinking that something must've been wrong with her, too, if she came from such obviously horrible people. She'd felt shame and disgust and a whole gauntlet of emotions that she hadn't wanted Henry to ever fathom. She'd thought things she never wanted Henry to imagine. Maybe a part of her had wanted and wished that someone had been there to tell her a story, true or not, so that she could've had some sort of imaginary parents worth being proud of. Or at least, imagine that they weren't something to be ashamed of.
Kids could be cruel, and Emma had been taunted many times about how terrible her parents must've been.
It still stung some days.
Wasn't it good that Henry wouldn't feel that? Especially with everything else going on in his life? With the curse, and Regina's emotional abuse, and her gaslighting, and Graham's death? With being unable to have any real friends? With already knowing that he'd been born in jail? That Emma wasn't perfect or much of a Savior at all?
But still, she'd lied.
Emma had always hated when people tried to lie to her.
Then Henry smiled- soft and happy and he chirped "Yeah?" and tilted his head slightly.
Emma's heart melted and her resolved firmed.
No, she would not be one more person to break Henry's heart. "I'm glad that I told you," she lied, and Henry's smile got wider.
Ada watched the two, remaining quiet as they shared their moment. She wasn't sure whether or not Emma was doing the right thing. It could be. Or it could be wrong. There was no manual on this, and even if there was, circumstances made it unlikely to be applicable to them. Seeing Henry happy, Ada couldn't regret Emma's actions. However, there was that niggling twinge that she knew Emma shared.
Because they were both lying.
Parents lied all the time- about Santa and the Easter Bunny, and how you shouldn't go swimming for a half hour after eating. Innocent lies. Good lies. Sometimes they were temporary lies. A six-year-old asks where babies come from and you give an appropriate explanation to be revised later.
Was this like Santa Claus? Would they stick to this story and let Henry believe as long as he would? Or was this a temporary lie? Would Emma be revising this story in a few years when Henry was a bit older and in a better place in life?
Ada didn't know, but Henry told Emma "Me too" and was hugging her warmly. Ada couldn't see Emma's face, but she could see a bit of Henry's where it wasn't pressed against Emma. His expression seemed calm. At peace.
Were they supposed to take that away for the sake of a truth that wouldn't change anything really? Neal was long gone, never coming back. He didn't even stick around long enough to find out about Henry. No matter what Emma told him, Henry was never going to meet his biological father.
Was it better to give him a fairytale?
Emma sighed as she and Henry released each other, and she smiled and said "Give me that," taking the pie from Henry's hand.
They settled against the bug again, and Henry stepped so he could be between Emma and Ada, surrounded by his new family on either side. Emma opened the pie box, and Henry looked up at both women.
"What you guys did, with Ava and Nicholas," he grinned, "You really are changing things."
"Well, be ready- cuz they'll keep changing," Ada assured him as she slug an arm around Henry. Emma passed one plastic fork to her son as the two of them split the pie.
"You want some pie?" Henry sweetly offered Ada, but she shook her head.
"I think this one is for you two," she assured him.
The three paused and turned to look down the road as they heard a rumbling noise. They each watched as a motorcycle pulled up opposite them and the man on the bike turned it off. Ada settled her hand more firmly on Henry's shoulder as Emma straightened up, examining the man who was taking off his helmet and then walking towards them. Ada's prickings were jangling slightly- nothing bad, but not good like she felt with Emma or Henry. Just enough to put her on alert.
"Hi," he greeted with a smile. Emma seemed to be a little dazed, examining his face carefully.
"Hi," she replied.
"Is this Storybrooke?" he asked, pronouncing the name slowly as if to be sure.
Emma's eyebrow's raised slightly and Ada unconsciously tightened her hold on Henry, who was trying to get a good look at whoever this was. "Yeah," Emma nodded.
"Any place to get a room around here?" the stranger inquired.
"Uh," Henry cut in, still held back by Ada and partially hidden by Emma's body, "You're staying?"
The stranger gave another smile, "That's the plan. I'm looking for a bed."
"Granny's Bed and Breakfast is up two blocks," Ada spoke, gesturing, "I'm staying there myself right now. I can show you, if you like."
"Thanks, but I can find my way," the stranger gave another nod and walked back to his bike.
"I didn't catch your name," Emma shouted after him.
"That's 'cause I didn't give it!"
The trio watched as his bike started and drove away. Emma looked at Henry, "I thought you said strangers don't come to Storybrooke."
"They don't," Henry replied solemnly.
Ada felt a chill run up her spine. Something strange was in the air.
Well, that's that chapter. It didn't have much action in it, but I wanted to take some time for the characters to deal with things (hence, the chapter title), and with Ada and Emma figuring out the curse, we kinda need a chapter where they just dealt with that. Or tried to.
But August has appeared! I've got no plans for him, to be totally honest- I'm playing that one by ear.
Thoughts?
