I am a piece of crap. I am sorry. I could say I'll update better, but we all know I'm a fickle shit life, school, and other things got in the way and so I put off finishing this chapter for a file. Still kind of slow burn here, but I don't want to end this story too soon so settle in...
Emma had had french toast before it was a universal constant that it was almost always good, unless it was soggy. Emma had also eaten good breakfast before, but Granny's was better, and she found herself not only devouring her plate of syrupy, golden goodness, but also asking for another side of bacon, because everything tasted so damn good.
Afterwards, Gold showed her around the town: the high school was a few blocks from the main street, and it looked surprisingly well kept for a small town school. The last one she'd been to was appallingly run down, and there was so much graffiti that even the teachers stopped bothering to wash it off, for it would just be repainted hours later. But this building was sturdy, its walls made of stone and its grass immaculately cut and green. Emma would start there on September third, almost two full months away, in her junior year. Her seventeenth birthday would happen a month and a half after that, by which time she would hopefully have settled in. Or Mr. Gold would get so tired of her bumming around all summer that she wouldn't even spend junior year here anything could happen.
Smiling wryly at herself, Emma scuffed the tip of one boot against the wood of the structure she was sitting on, legs curled up to her chest, head tipped back against the side of it. It was almost like a play house for kids, built with turrets like castle, a platform to sit on, and a little slide on the other side of it. It was set right on the beach next to a swing set, and amidst the driftwood and rocks by the shore. The wind was whipping Emma's hair into her face so hard that she wouldn't be surprised if there were welts later. Huffing, she pulled it back underneath her collar for the umpteenth time, folding her arms against the chill of the ocean breeze.
Gold was correct in saying that the distance from his home to the center of town was a five minute walk for Emma. Everything else in town was a ten minute walk from there, fifteen at the max, like the beach. Emma had found all three of the town's schools, a tiny clothes boutique, the docks, and on the outskirts a grungy looking pub. The day itself was pleasant enough, though a little chilly, especially nearer to the water.
''I own the pawnshop,'' Mr Gold had said, gesturing up towards the rather small storefront of Mr. Gold: Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer as he spoke. ''You'll have to forgive me, but it's a weekday. I must stay open for a few hours, at least.''
Explore the town at her leisure, just be careful, he'd said, not taking no for an answer when he'd slipped her a twenty dollar bill, insisting she buy herself lunch, or dinner, as he was likely to not be home early enough to whip anything together. Emma could count on one hand exactly how many times she'd been handed money without a catch none whatsoever. She accepted the money without too much complaint, although somewhere in her mind she was still waiting for the 'but...' to come up.
From overhead, a light rain began to trickle down. Shifting in her seat, Emma looked up with grim displeasure at the darkening clouds above the town. Within the minute it took her to leave the castle and ascend up the path to the parking lot above the beach, light drops had turned into a more moderate drizzle.
''Ah, hell,'' she groaned to herself as the drops came down even harder, and by the time she'd cleared the parking lot, she was nearly running in a desperate attempt to save her fast soaking sweatshirt and jeans.
Granny's was the nearest place she could think of to go to, and so she ducked in, trying not to drip too much onto the tiles, and offered a half smile at Ruby.
''It hasn't rained here in a long time,'' Ruby observed, glancing outside with a raised brow. ''Huh. I think someone's crops were starting to go dry, too. Must be our lucky charm, kid.''
Emma snorted, shaking her head with a laugh and sliding herself into a vacant booth facing the door. ''Hot chocolate?'' She requested, sighing and leaning back into the booth, combing her fingers through her damp, wind tangled hair with a pained wince as it jerked against her scalp.
Ruby set her steaming mug down with a smile and Emma almost immediately snatched it up, taking a greedy gulp of the too-hot liquid and relishing as she began to warm again from the dismal outdoors.
People were still watching her, she noted, resisting the urge to roll her eyes would they never get tired? She had thought that once nothing had happened and she proved to be just a normal kid, they'd lay off. Apparently they were yet to come to that.
Sighing, she sipped more at her cocoa.
Fifteen minutes earlier
''You know, I think it's going to rain.''
David was, to be honest, only half listening to everything Dr. Whale was saying for the past half hour the man had given up being an actual doctor in favor of trying to buddy up with David, prying at him with questions both innocuous and not, asking who the brunette who had visited him was, winking and nudging him with a 'you lucky dog', and then finally hinting that maybe David should delay his departure another day.
''Yeah, maybe.''
He was finally dressed. Out of hospital gowns for the first time in...well, sixteen years. There was a donation box from which Whale had fetched a slightly worn in pair of jeans, an old sweatshirt, and a pair of sneakers that were just barely David's size. They'd have to do until he had the chance to shop. For now, he was to rent a room at Granny's discounted, Whale had said, because he was a special case. David wasn't going to complain, for the only money he had came from a small account that the Mayor had given him access to the previous day. ''It's only a few hundred,'' she had said, shaking her head. ''What I found on you when you appeared that night.''
It was a few hundred that could maybe last him a week if he was careful after that, he had no idea what he'd do.
''You're sure you want to walk in this?''
Huffing out a small laugh, David lifted the small bag that carried another pair of ill fitting jeans and the remainder of his Hanes shirts. ''Whale, you sound a little concerned.''
Whale was staring outside at the ominous cloud coverage, frowning. ''You have been comatose for sixteen years, David. It does not hurt to play it safe.''
''Well, I'll play it safe out there.'' Letting the flimsy bag rest against his leg, he headed for the door. ''I'll see you tomorrow.''
''Two o'clock,'' Whale reminded. ''And don't forget to pace yourself!''
It was about as cold outside as it looked from above in the hospital. After pushing the double doors open at the entrance, and taking the steps down to the sidewalk, David stopped walking to stare around himself. The feeling of crisp air against his skin, the smell of rain, the feel of real clothing on his back all felt so foreign, despite the fact that he hadn't even been awake to miss any of it. It felt new, and fresh, and like no matter how many deep breaths he took he'd never get enough of it.
His first stop was going to be Granny's, he had decided earlier that morning. He needed to have a meal, and regroup himself, because if he failed to keep it together he was going to fall apart at the seams. It would be all too easy to do, considering he had virtually no memories, no one to turn to, and no home of his own to hide in when it all got to be too much. But he'd hold strong. Resolving to do just this, David began walking again, towards the middle of town, where Granny's was said to be unmistakable and ever present.
There would be a little sign on the sidewalk, Whale had said, and sure enough, as David approached the main block, he saw a stand up board with something unintelligible (from this distance, anyway) written on it. He was walking briskly enough to reach it within seconds, where he could decipher ''SOUP OF THE DAY: BUTTERNUT SQUASH'' written in loopy, red handwriting across the board.
Overhead, rain droplets began to dust his shoulders and so David left the sign, went up the walk, and pressed the door open. The bell jingled, and the girl behind the counter glanced up, double taking when she saw him.
''David!'' Her eyes were huge, and he must have looked completely baffled, for she blushed and waved him over to an empty seat. ''Sorry,'' she said, whipping out a pad and flicking a lock of hair behind her ear. ''I'm Ruby. I left you the food yesterday.''
It was then that David happened to notice Ruby wasn't the only one reacting to his presence; there were more than a few people staring over at them interestedly. Huh. Small towns.
''You'll have to forgive us,'' Ruby said with a smirk. ''You're kind of a town legend. Comatose man, and all. Everyone was pretty excited when we heard you woke up.''
''Yeah, I'm getting that.'' Shaking his head slightly this was almost more overwhelming than he thought it'd be David smiled up at Ruby. ''It's nice to meet you, Ruby. Can I get a cup of coffee? And...the soup. The squash one?''
''Cup of coffee and a bowl of butternut squash. You got it.'' Scrawling something onto her pad, Ruby beamed at him and twirled away. Her shorts were very short. So was her top. There was another, older woman behind the counter also staring at David, but when Ruby went back, she began to scowl at her and mutter a few things as she passed.
This was a strange town.
The rain was absolutely pouring now, and once David got his coffee, he focused on the small newspaper he had found abandoned on the counter and didn't look up until the door slammed open, the bell jingling loudly.
A girl, dripping wet, had come in, muttering softly to herself with an irritated furrow in her brow as she tried to discreetly shake water from her hair and face. She was just a kid, probably not even sixteen, with long (and damp) blond hair, beaten up tennis shoes, jeans, and a nondescript dark grey sweatshirt. Ruby, bracelets jingling, breezed by David's table with coffee, and called out to the girl as she did so: ''It hasn't rained here in a long time. Must be our lucky charm, kid.''
It was then that David noticed most everyone who had been staring at him was now staring at her, the new girl. She chuckled and shook her head, sliding into a booth near David's own table. ''Hot chocolate?'' She requested, and Ruby nodded with a smile, darting back behind the counter.
The sound of clinking mugs and an ancient milk steamer filled David's ears some of the most soothing, unoffensive background noise possible, and yet his head had started to ache a little.
Everyone was still looking at the girl. Ruby left the hot chocolate on the table, and the girl grinned up at her in thanks.
David had barely been in the waking world for hours now, he was wearing jeans that weren't his own, buying lunch on less than ten dollars, and didn't even know where the inn was he was supposed to be sleeping at. But he could swear, on his life, that he had seen this girl before.
Her entire face was just familiar, and as hard as he tried not to stare at her, he spent twenty minutes doing some pretty decent he thought spy work, sipping his coffee and poring over his newspaper, watching the girl discreetly. If she knew, she gave no sign, drinking her hot cocoa slowly and gazing around the room as if far away in her thoughts. Her eyes passed over him a few times, and even they were familiar, as if he'd seen them on someone else's face. Was she someone's daughter? He hardly knew anyone here: Whale and Ruby, and the Mayor. They were too young to have someone her age. And she looked nothing like them, really. Blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin. A little wan looking, maybe. Babyfaced still. Nothing like the aforementioned dark haired members of Storybrooke. Somehow, he couldn't picture Mayor Mills behind the motherly type, as kind as she'd been to him since he had woken.
Ruby filled his mug for the fourth time. ''Good to be back?''
Tearing his gaze away from the newspaper -from the girl David looked up at her, and smiled wistfully. ''I think so.''
Emma drank her hot chocolate as slowly as she could: that was two dollars out of the crisp twenty, and she now had a ten, a five, and some ones.
They felt heavy and strange in her pocket on her way home in a good way. The rain had stopped and now it was just foggy and crisp, seagulls screeching in the distance as Emma walked down the silent street to Gold's gently lit manor, wiping her feet on the rug before pushing the door open, almost hesitantly, as though she should knock before entering.
''Emma?''
Fiddling with her hair, Emma poked her head into the living room, offering a smile at Gold, who was sat in an armchair, a notebook and thick tome on his lap, and a steaming mug on the table beside him.
''Hi. How was your day?''
Sighing, Gold shook his head with a little smile. ''Boring, I'm afraid. The most tedious man came into the shop today; insisted I show him every hat I possessed in the store. Needless to say he took quite some time poring over them and then left. The people here can be quite strange.''
''Yeah, I'm getting that,'' Emma replied, sinking into the plush couch and thinking of all the looks she'd received in town that day. ''It's really pretty here, though.''
''Isn't it? Very quaint. Did you have a nice day?''
''Yes. I went to the beach, but it started raining, so I spent most of the time at Granny's - Ruby makes the best hot chocolate.''
''Good. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Oh,'' he said, as though just remembering something, ''did you hear of the man who woke from a coma yesterday?''
Frowning, Emma watched as he unfolded a newspaper and laid it on the coffee table. ''No a coma here? In Storybrooke?''
''Indeed. Sixteen years, I believe, give or take. They say he's doing well.''
Glancing over the tiny square that served as the story David Nolan, approximately thirty years of age, released from Storybrooke General after sixteen year long coma. Mayor Mills' official statement forthcoming.''
It clearly lacked substance, containing only the very barest of facts the reporter was able to glean from tight lipped doctors and the man himself, but Emma frowned, her mind going back to the diner.
''Hm. I saw a guy at Granny's today, looked kinda homeless. Wonder if it was him.''
If Emma had not been staring intently at the paper, trying to recall any detail she might have missed that day at the diner, she would probably have noticed Gold's slight smirk, and the almost smug way he sipped his tea. ''Dunno, dear. There aren't too many people in this town, it could quite possibly have been. I daresay you'll hear more about him, too Mayor Mills is quite talkative, and Sydney Glass that's who wrote this particular, er, piece likes to listen.''
''Yeah, it'll be interesting to follow.'' Tearing her intent eyes from the paper, Emma stood, grimacing down at her damp jeans. ''I'm gonna go change. It was pretty wet out there earlier.''
''Talk to you later,'' Gold hummed in assent, already taking back the paper to look again at the article himself.
David Nolan, awake at last. Gold wondered if he'd seen Emma at the diner. Was Charming going to be dense, or was he too sensing something?
It was happening very soon Gold had expected at least some work in setting these people up to notice each other, but it seemed that the young Swan was determined, however unconsciously, to meet her destiny. Good. Gold liked that drive, spunk, and inherent kindness were already evident in the girl, and despite his own reservations against getting too personal with this child, he found himself growing fond of her already.
His leg was twinging. Damn rain. Sighing, he stood and finished his cooling mug of tea another might help. So would the modern magic of painkillers.