Hello all. Sorry for the long gap between posts: I've been pretty busy getting back into the swing of school and then my best friend had a very sudden death in her family, so I've been trying to spend as much time with her as I can so I'm there if she wants to talk or if she wants to sit in complete silence for awhile and not think.

But, no more sad things: we've got the start of episode 7:15 A.M. in this chapter. Things are ramping up in the emotional aspect: Emma knows. She KNOWS. Emma's freaking out, but Henry's on cloud nine, of course. We'll get to see Snow and Charming develop a bit more next chapter. Or, rather, Mary Margaret and David. They're really adorable, but this chapter (if you couldn't tell by the title) will mostly be focusing on mothers and then relationships between the female characters in general. Snowing will be waiting for us next chapter.

Hope you all enjoy the next chapter!


February 3, 2012

Regina Mills was not having a good week. She'd received reports about how that timid schoolteacher, Mary Margaret, and the coma patient David Nolan were going on what appeared to be dates. Dates. Plural. Regina had done her best to stall and stop the divorce papers the fool Nolan insisted on filing, but she was getting stretched thin now. The cricket was disobeying her, even the wretched old woman and her granddaughter were fighting less than usual. There was too much happening in her sleepy kingdom. People were waking up. She'd been getting judgmental looks from the Dwarves and other insipid residents. Before they came, no one would've dared glance in her direction unless commanded to. And now, as she exited her pristine and prestigious home she saw yet another worrying sight: a stranger.

Regina knew the citizens of Storybrooke like the back of her hand. Not only were they each selected by herself to be taken by the curse, not only were they her bitterest enemies, but she had spent twenty eight years watching them go about their miserable lives with her own perpetual glee. Well, her glee wasn't perpetual. She had been lonely, that's why she had tried to convince that sweet little Owen Flynn to stay with her, let her be his family. Of course, he'd run away from her, cursing her name, seeking that dirty...pointless father of his. She couldn't understand why that boy wanted the man when Regina had so much more to offer. It was a slap in the face, just as Hansel and Gretel's refusal all those years ago had been. But she'd hit upon a solution: adopt. Find a child who no one else had a claim to, find a baby, someone who would only ever have her, only ever need and want her. In some respects, she had been bitterly disappointed: Henry had only ever had her, and should only ever need her- she'd made sure that she was his entire world, but he had gone out, gone seeking, looking for others.

Emma Swan.

It was another slap to the face in a long line of them. First Hansel and little Gretel, then Owen, and now, Henry, the boy she had provided everything to. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and Regina refused to. She spat it out. Henry would be her own again- Emma Swan and Ada Ward were nothing, and her son would soon see that. She'd make sure of it.

And, yet, here he was: talking to a stranger. Regina knew the citizens of Storybrooke. This man, with his motorcycle, scruffy face, and leather jacket, was not one of them.

Was this yet another person to take Henry away? Miss Swan wouldn't call a birth father she had already said never even knew about Henry. Would she? Would the infuriating woman actually track down the old sperm donor just to further weaken Regina's claim to Henry?

No. That didn't seem to be Miss Swan's style. She'd already done enough damage as it was on her own. Add in a little help from the annoying Miss Ward, and Regina doubted the blonde felt nervous enough to go to that sort of length.

But...Miss Swan could be useful in this circumstance. She didn't know why no strangers came to Storybrooke, and this one...this one was talking to Henry. As much as Regina hated to admit it, Miss Swan did have a tendency of putting Henry's safety first. Regina could use that to get the Sheriff to do some investigating.

"Henry," she called out as the man drove away on his motorcycle, having evidently completed whatever repairs he was doing in front of her home, "Who was that?"

Henry just shrugged, and a part of Regina hated to admit she wasn't sure if the boy sincerely didn't know, or if he just didn't want to tell her. Mothers are supposed to know those things, right? Her mother did, at least; of course, she had no desire to be like her mother.

She shut down that train of thought before she was forced to face the irony of it.


Emma tried very hard not to stare at Mary Margaret as the woman...her mother...moved around the tiny apartment in a rush, toothbrush still in her mouth as the newscaster reported an incoming storm.

Emma was pretty sure she was failing. This was her mother, getting ready in a rush to go meet...her father.

For a date.

Even though they were actually married.

But they had no idea.

And they didn't know who she was.

Emma had always figured that if she had ever found her birth mother it would be complicated, but this was a whole new level. And she had found her father, too- something she had figured would never happen. After all, how many established couples that would remain together for decades after the fact, give up a baby? She figured she might've found a step father, or half-siblings.

She hadn't thought about those possible people much: the family that her birth mother would choose to keep, that she would want around.

Unlike Emma.

But here was her mother, chanting how late she was to meet David at Granny's, and there was no step father or half-siblings, because her mother had been in love with her father, would still be with him, would have kept Emma if not...for a curse.

"I'm sure if you're five minutes late he'll understand," Emma managed to get out and she slowly swirled her spoon in the cereal she had poured for herself and since lost her appetite for.

"Still," Mary Margaret paused long enough to flash Emma a blinding smile, "I don't want to miss a second." With that and a cheery wave, Mary Margaret, Emma's mother, left the apartment, leaving Emma sitting at the table with a mostly full bowl of cereal and no idea what to do with herself.

"You've missed quite a few," she acknowledged to the now empty room.


"Regina, do you have a minute?" Kathryn formerly-Nolan asked as she walked into the Mayor's office.

Regina quickly put away the papers she had been looking at, "Of course," she replied easily, standing up to meet with her friend.

Kathryn broke down, "It's over, I mean- I know it was over before, when we got the papers and signed everything, and all that, but now it's really over because-" her breath hitched, "I saw David with-."

"That little homewrecker," Regina cursed. Damn Snow White for, even now, ruining all of Regina's carefully placed plans. Mary Margaret was not supposed to be with David Nolan. She had very purposely left David Nolan in his loveless marriage to the former Princess Abigail for the delight and fun of the irony of it. Now, her carefully placed plans and the story she had built here was ruined.

"Oh, it's not-"

"She just couldn't stay away could she?" Regina sneered.

"Regina?"

"They had an affair, and now that he's left you he thinks it's okay for him to happily go off with his little side piece. Like she hadn't ruined a marriage."

"You mean they- while we were still- Regina do you know something?" Kathryn's teary eyes looked up at the Mayor, desperately seeking answers.

Regina sighed, ready to play this to the hilt. She could have photos faked easily- this was still her town, and it was still her game, so all she had to do was set up the board to her liking. "I... saw pictures. Sidney was always looking for scandal, it sells papers, he showed me. I buried them of course."

"Show me," Kathryn commanded, almost sounding like her former self, the cold Princess, daughter of King Midas.

Regina tried to remember what she had done with the obnoxiously loyal and chivalrous Frederick, but dismissed it as irrelevant. After all, they were her puppets, and she wanted Kathryn and David, not Kathryn and Frederick with David and Mary Margaret. The point of this all was to ruin Snow White's happiness. She couldn't pander to Kathryn's happiness if she wanted to achieve that- reuniting Kathryn with Frederick would only clear the way further for Mary Margaret and David, and that was not Regina's goal. She wanted them all miserable.

This was her happy ending.

Why did Emma Swan have to make it such hard work?


Ada examined the bracelet dangling from her wrist, instead of focusing on the paper she had been scanning for apartments. The bracelet was a thin, silver chain with a single charm on it: a Celtic tree.

It had been her mother's.

Ada tried, as she always did at the sight of the bracelet, to conjure up the increasingly blurring memories of her parents. She had lived most of her life, most of her childhood, without them, and while she could remember that she had inherited her vibrant red hair from her mother, she couldn't recall which parent had given her her eyes, or her smile. She remembered her father used to sing her lullabies, but couldn't remember the sound of his voice or the words he would sing.

She did remember the warm feeling of being loved by them, the unconditional feeling of it. Ada never questioned if her parents would be proud of her, or if they would love the woman she had become without them.

Emma had those questions; Ada was able to remember that warm, unconditional feeling.

But now, she faltered.

Not in the feeling that her parents would love her even now, but in the love of her current family.

Emma.

Ada stared at her mother's bracelet and wondered what was wrong with her, that part of her wished Emma's parents weren't so...everything.

Snow White and Prince Charming: they were everything Emma had ever convinced herself not to want and everything Emma deserved.

Ada just wasn't sure where she was going to fit into it all when everything came to light.

Emma's parents had always wanted her- had only given her up for her best chance, for her life.

Ada had never prepared to face that.

Ada had been prepared for Emma to perhaps someday find her birth mother, to perhaps even manage some sort of friendly relationship with her, in the very best of (rather unlikely) outcomes. But she had never thought Emma would actually get a mom. A mom, not a birth mother. She had always had the idea that, no matter how good a relationship Emma might be able to form with her birth mother, it wouldn't begin to touch the closeness, the bond between Emma and herself.

Ada wasn't sure she was liking the emotions that Emma's parentage was stirring up in her.

Emma had often wondered aloud what she would do without Ada- for so long Ada had been it: Emma's only family, her only real support, her only constant, the one person who Emma actually believed wouldn't leave her, the person who Emma didn't constantly question if she deserved to have in her life.

But Ada also needed Emma, because while she certainly wasn't as closed-off as her sister, Emma was it for her too. Emma was Ada's family. Emma was the one who had Ada's back when she bit off more than she could chew (which happened alarmingly frequently). Emma was it.

But with her parents coming into the picture, would Emma and Ada still be sisters? Or would they downgrade to best friends? Ada wouldn't have any family then.

Ada stared at her mother's bracelet and wondered.

Would she still have a family after all this was over? Or would she begin to feel like an orphan again?

And it wasn't right- Emma should have her parents, and Ada hated herself for feeling this way. So she shook herself and shoved the feelings away- she didn't need them. Ada refocused her eyes on the paper before her and defiantly send the hand with the bracelet forth to grab her coffee out of direct eyesight.

No matter what happened, Emma needed her now, and Ada would be there, come hell or high water.


Emma and Ada carefully loaded up the back of the cruiser with supplies for the storm coming through, the car was running with the radio playing, and the weatherman's voice was the focus of both girls as they carefully stockpiled the last of their food and batteries and any other supplies they considered essentials.

"Storybrooke is seeing wind gusts of up to six miles an hour," the weatherman chirped in that annoying voice it seemed all tv and radio announcers had, "Your best bet is to stay in the house-" the voice was suddenly shut off with a slight click as the last bag was loaded. Emma and Ada exchanged a quick, dry glance at the sudden silence.

They knew who had shut off the radio.

"Hello, Madame Mayor," Ada coolly said as she carefully shut the cruiser's trunk and turned to look at Regina. Emma straightened as well. "How are you today?"

The Mayor, as usual, cut directly to what she wanted to say, "I need you to look into something, Sheriff," she focused her laser-like attention on Emma, "Someone's in town—someone new."

"Yeah," Emma gave a small nod as she crossed her arms and leaned against the cruiser. "I know. We gave him directions to Granny's the other night."

"You talked to him?" Regina pounced on the information, "Well, what'd he say?"

Emma shrugged, attempting to be casual. They all knew why Regina was so concerned with having a stranger in her town. Ada cut in, "He asked for directions. What's the big deal? Is he somebody important?"

"I don't know. I asked around but no one seems to know anything. There's something about him—something familiar," Regina's gaze was slightly distant as the sisters exchanged a look, but decided to keep their mouths shut.

Regina was brought back to the present after Ada cleared her throat, "Sheriff, I need you to find out who he is, what he wants, and what he's doing here."

"You know," Ada chimed in, "As hard as you've tried to find it- there is no law against visiting Storybrooke. Otherwise, Emma and I would've been escorted to the boarder by you personally months ago."

"This isn't about the law, Miss Ward," she looked at Emma, "Miss Swan, you're gonna do this because I asked you to and because you'll see it's the right thing to do."

Ada muttered, "Oh, this'll be good."

"And why is that?" Emma asked, hoping Regina hadn't heard her sister's mutinous mutterings. Not that she probably hadn't heard worse from Ada before.

"Because he was in front of my house, taking a particular interest in the one thing we both care about—Henry."

Emma immediately straightened, "I'll look into him," Emma walked towards the front of the cruiser, Ada following, and thunder rumbled.


Kathryn dispassionately examined photographs that showed David and Mary Margaret meeting. There was no kissing caught on camera, but Kathryn had no doubt it had happened. Regina was the one to tell her everything, after Kathryn insisted she wanted the truth.

She was very lucky to have a friend like Regina- she was willing to take care of Kathryn when no one else was interested. Not David, at least. Regina put Kathryn's happiness first, and after so many years of isolating loneliness, it felt good.

Kathryn briefly wondered why she and Regina hadn't become friend sooner- they saw each other all the time around town after all, but the thought quickly vanished in a haze.


Ada held her tongue as Emma drove the car towards Granny's, and waited until Emma had put it in park before she reached across the console and gripped Emma's arm.

"What?" the blonde asked impatiently.

"I'm going to insist on just a moment to discuss our plan here. I want a logic moment."

"A logic moment?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Yes, a moment where we use our brains instead of rushing in half-cocked."

"He-"

"Talked to Henry, I know. But- maybe, instead of interrogating a complete stranger, we could go see Henry, assure ourselves with our own two eyes that he is safe and sound, ask him what the stranger said and how- the kid is pretty smart, but I think we both know it's entirely possible Henry walked up and introduced himself to a complete stranger. I'd like to avoid a moment where we put our foots in our mouths. Spit's not good for these shoes," she gestured to the blue heels she was wearing, "Now, I'd also like to point out- we don't know Regina's motive for having us check out this guy."

"Because Henry-"

"Yes, yes, I know. But here's the thing, Regina's...feelings aside, it's never really about Henry, is it? It's usually about what she wants from Henry. She wants him to only want or need her. She wants him to be the child she wants and nothing else. She wants him there when she wants to be with him, and wants him out of the way and not doing anything with anyone else when she'd rather go off and do her own thing. Yes?"

Emma was silent.

"So," Ada continued, "As much as I am normally a fan of the racing-off-into-the-unknown or the brashly-doing-whatever-I-feel-like-at-that-moment plan...I think we're going to have to play this differently with the whole...curse thing. Let's face it: strangers aren't supposed to be able to come to Storybrooke, and that's probably why Regina wants us checking out this guy. We don't even know for sure he talked to Henry at all, that might've just been something Regina said to get you to do what she wanted."

Emma sighed and leaned her head against the steering wheel, "You're right. God, I hate that."

Ada gave Emma a joking pat on the back, prompting the blonde to send her a glare. "Yeah," she shrugged. "Give it a minute- you'll be right then and I'll be wrong."

Emma smirked, "I like the sound of that. Let's go walk Henry home from school."

"Good plan, how'd you come up with it?" Ada said in a fake sweet voice.

Emma snorted, "Shut up."


Henry was pleased to see both Emma and Ada waiting for him when he exited the school that afternoon. The sky was dark and stormy, ready to open up and pour properly, no doubt. Henry was a bit amazed- the weather didn't change much in Storybrooke with the curse, but now that Emma was here, Mother Nature seemed to be ready to make up for all the rain the curse hadn't let her pour down on Storybrooke in one go.

Henry, despite the gloomy day, bounded over to the two sisters waiting for him with a broad grin.

"Hey!"

Emma and Ada both grinned immediately at the sight of him, and Henry felt that warm feeling he got whenever he noticed how easy it was to make Emma smile at him. He watched the girls carefully- eyes trained to pick up the slightest shift in body language or expression. He'd learned to watch and observe people- how else was he going to figure out who was really who? Emma's shoulders relaxed slightly- she had been worried about something, and Ada's eyes brightened a bit- she was happy to see him.

"Hey, kid," Emma immediately slung an arm around his shoulders as he came beside her. "How was school?"

"Pretty boring," Henry shrugged casually. Of course, lessons got more interesting now that time was moving and it wasn't the same thing day after day, but he wasn't about to tell Emma that- he knew she'd feel guilty for it. Why she would, he didn't really get, but he knew she would anyways.

"I heard something about making volcanoes," Ada chimed in, walking on his other side so he was bracketed by the women, "How could that be boring?"

"Well, we haven't made them yet- that's going to be tomorrow," and Henry was excited for that bit, he'd admit.

"Henry," Emma began, and he knew it was serious- she only ever used his full name when it was serious, "We kind of have to ask you something."

"Have you seen that stranger again?" Ada seamlessly picked up Emma's train of thought.

Henry nodded, "Yeah, this morning, why?"

"Well, your mom came to talk to me," Emma said, "She wants me to check him out, and she said he was outside your house talking to you."

Henry shrugged casually, "Yeah, he was fixing his bike. He said he was just visiting Storybrooke and that he had something to do- it was about that box he had."

"So," Ada clarified, "He was fixing his bike outside your house and you walked up and started talking to him?"

"Yeah," Henry nodded, "Do you think she wants you to find out who he is so she can find a way to get him to leave Storybrooke? Strangers aren't supposed to come here with the curse."

Emma sighed, "I don't know what she wants, kid, but I'll check out the guy a bit and see if I can figure out what he's doing here. Your mom'll want some information even if it's just: travel blogger."

Henry leaned forward, "So I made some progress with Operation Cobra," he whispered to the two sisters.

"Oh?" Ada asked, leaning in as well, "What?"

"I figured out who the Blue Fairy is."

"Really?" Ada's eyebrows raised, "I haven't been able to figure her out yet."

Henry nodded, "I don't think you've met her. She's Mother Superior- I think all the nuns are the fairies."

Emma made a face, "From fairies to nuns- that's quite a change."

Henry just shrugged, "It's the Evil Queen's curse: she makes the rules. But now you're here, and you can change them." And Henry gave Emma his most hopeful of smiles, and the blonde practically melted.

"Yeah," she promised softly.


Regina surveyed her kingdom. She smirked at the thought- she did love her little jokes with herself. It was one way to keep herself entertained over the repetitious years. That and Henry.

Things were turning around. Sure, she might need to make something...unfortunate happen to Kathryn, but David would go crawling back to his former betrothed. After all, she had made him cowardly in this world- she had taken away that legendary courage, buried it deep under the curse, covered it with a haze so if the man ever try to reach for it, he would loose track of his goals and take the easy way out. And Regina would watch Mary Margaret fall apart, just as she had fallen apart when the annoying Snow White blabbed, and cost Regina her beloved Daniel.

Regina avoided the question of what Daniel would think of her now. After all, this was all for him: literally in his name. Henry Daniel Mills was her tribute to those who had meant something to her, to those she had lost because of Snow White. First Daniel, then her darling father. Snow White tipped Regina's hand into casting this curse, and that had caused Henry's death. Regina would make sure Snow White remained lost inside Mary Margaret, and that she remained miserable.

It was for the two men who loved her, after all.


"So, let me get this straight," Ada dryly began, "You want me to be your honeypot?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "We're not in a James Bond movie, A- I just want you go casually strike up a conversation with the stranger, get a name- you..."

"Look less intimidating with my pretty floral skirt and high heels?" Ada immediately finished the thought, "Fine. I'll admit- my appearances are incredibly deceiving."

Emma just sighed as she waited for Ada to get her requisite commentary out of the way.

"Though I can be plenty intimidating when I want to," Ada continued as she put on her raincoat in preparation of heading to Granny's diner, where she and Emma assumed the stranger would be, "But after I report back to you, M., I'm going to go talk to the fairies."

"Not a James Bond movie," Emma repeated, "And if anyone would be M., it'd be you."

"Damn right."

"So fairies?" Emma asked casually.

"Just to scope things out, confirm Henry's guess."

Emma said nothing as her sister flounced out the apartment door, leaving the blonde sitting there, pretending not to be waiting for Mary Margaret to return home.


"So," Ada began, approaching the stranger sitting at a booth in Granny's. "I see you found the place alright."


And that's what I've got! Hope you guys enjoyed- it's a little thin, I think. Not terribly pleased with how this is flowing since it's difficult to balance the plot with Emma knowing now. This is pretty much a filler chapter, and I hate filler chapters even when they are necessary to get to the non-filler plot-driven chapters. Oh, well. What did you guys think? Drop a review!