Family Visit

Chapter Four

It had been decided that Emma and Esmeralda would visit the apprentice and try and get some answers. Killian hadn't wanted them to go alone, but it seemed more likely the old man would speak to the two women.

Quasi wasn't happy about the plan either. However, he also wasn't comfortable touring the strange town they were visiting either. When Henry offered to go through the story book with him, he relaxed a little. Perhaps the answers were still in the book and just needed a fresh pair of eyes to look at them.

The drive out to see the apprentice was a bit of a mission. Esmeralda had never ridden in a car and in the end Killian had explained it was like a ship but was operated by more than the wind. To say she was happy to get out of the vehicle was an understatement.

Then there was the apprentice himself. When he had last opened his door, he had ended up trapped in a hat. After Emma had knocked twice with no response, she had asked Esmeralda to stand in full view of one of the windows so he could see they weren't a threat to him. Only then was the front door opened.

"It's been a long time old man." Esmeralda noticed he hadn't changed much. "I've heard that things haven't been going very smoothly for you. But then, that's part of being Merlin's apprentice, isn't it?"

"You've come a long way just to see how I'm doing Gypsy." The old man stepped aside to allow the two women to come inside. "What is it you require my assistance with?"

"We believe you know the Author of the story book." Emma got straight to the point. "A friend would like a happy ending but doesn't think she'll get it because she used to be a villain."

"The Evil Queen." The apprentice nodded in understanding. "Did your Pirate not get his happy ending without asking for it?"

Emma didn't want to presume that she was Killian's happy ending. It was difficult to tell with Killian as it was rare that he didn't seem happy. "I'm not sure." All she could be sure of was that he was her happy ending.

Esmeralda was. She had never seen Killian as happy as he was with Emma and Henry. "So what you're telling us is that it's up to Regina to get her happy ending and that speaking to Merlin will make no difference."

"To a point. Regina had a number of opportunities to have her happy ending, but she allows her fear to get in her way." He turned to Emma. "What would make this time any different? Tinkerbelle led her to the tavern where her True Love awaited her and she ran away."

"She's different now." Emma couldn't guarantee that Regina wouldn't make the same mistake. However she owed Regina a happy ending and she was going to do whatever was needed to get it for her.

"That she is, but it's not going to make a difference if she doesn't have hope." It had always been the key factor in each of the stories and something the Evil Queen was sorely lacking.

"Would it really hurt to have Merlin take time to speak to Regina, Mickey?" Esmeralda had a feeling that a little reassurance would go a long way to assisting Regina.

"Hurt? No. But would it change her story? I seriously doubt it." The apprentice smiled sadly at the Gypsy. "I will ask though and get back to you, but be prepared for the answer to be no."

"That's all we ask for." Emma knew how difficult it was to have hope when every turn you took seemed to meet a dead end.

"We'll leave you to get back to whatever you were doing." Esmeralda nodded towards the door to indicate to Emma that they should go. Best not to wear out their welcome while the apprentice was being agreeable.

Emma would have like to stick around until they had an agreement with Merlin, but Esmeralda seemed to know the Sorcerer and his apprentice better than she did so she went with her judgement.

"Saviour." The old man stopped Emma at the door. "The Gypsy is the key to stopping Rumplestiltskin from wrecking more havoc on this town. He will be after her powers, but he can be stopped."

"Why are you telling me this?" Emma felt a little relieved that she wasn't the main ingredient to stopping the big evil this time.

"Because she will need your assistance and perhaps some of your power as well." He stepped back into his house and closed the door leaving Emma completely baffled by his cryptic message.

By the time they got home, their conversation with the apprentice was showing in the storybook. Regina wasn't exactly thrilled with the outcome. "So basically, I have to wait and be hopeful while Merlin considers granting me an audience."

"Why wait?" Quasi held open his arms and waited for Esmeralda to settle herself on his lap before wrapping her up in them. "He already gave you the answer. You have to have hope and not be afraid when you get what you want."

"Robin chose you Regina." Killian reminded her. "He'll find a way back to you." He knew it was possible. The blond Saviour in his arms was proof of that. "Marion already told you she didn't want him to stay with her out of a sense of duty. Besides, if the crocodile can find a way back into town, I don't see why a man can't find his way back to his true love."

Emma always knew that Killian had a way with words. But his words brought the one thing Regina needed for her happy ending into the light, the one thing Snow had been trying to get her to grasp onto for years: Hope. She could see it in her eyes. "So if Merlin agrees to speak to you it's a bonus. The apprentice told me we have the key to stopping Rumplestiltskin."

Belle had been reading the book with Quasi and Henry while Emma and Esmeralda were out. "How can we help?" It was time to permanently say good bye to her husband.