Chapter Fifteen: Enter Emma Swan
It wasn't an instant after Emma blew out the candle on her birthday cupcake that there she heard the distinct ring of her doorbell. Which was odd, because she made sure to not be on a first name basis with any of her neighbors and certainly wasn't expecting her date from the evening to be stopping by. There was also the fact that she just wished she didn't have to be alone, but she chose to ignore that fact as mere coincidence.
She threw open the door with no one immediately in sight, only to glance down and see a boy standing there. Which was odd, because she had specifically picked this building due to the lack of children and knew no one on the floor had any kids. She looked him over quickly and awkwardly as he just stared up at her. He was a cute little guy, not that she'd ever admit it, dressed in a thick green coat with a matching knit cap. They both looked to be moderately expensive, making it clear someone cared about keeping the kid warm in the cold. Peeking out underneath was short brown hair and a distinct facial feature in the form of a round nose with black glasses perched on it. Behind them were a set of green eyes that looked oddly familiar. In fact, despite being positive she had never seen this kid before, something about him in all seemed familiar.
"Uh… can I help you?" she finally voiced after her once-over.
"Are you Emma Swan?" he inquired simply.
"Yeah," she answered back with slight annoyance. "Who are you?"
"My name's Henry. I'm your son," he added with a little hop onto his tip-toes. As Emma took a minute to make sure those words still meant what she thought they meant, he ducked under her arm and into the apartment with so much confidence it reminded her of… no. No.
"Whoa," she called after him, following him into her kitchen. "Hey. Kid. Kid! I don't have a son. Where are your parents?" He paused at the island, setting his backpack on the floor.
"One second. She needs to walk around a bit." Emma was about to question this when he removed a small dog with floppy ears from inside and set her on the floor. "This is Alice," he informed her as the dog ran straight for her.
"No. You can't. My building doesn't-"
"Ten years ago, did you give a baby up for adoption?" Henry cut in, adjust his glasses. She merely stared at him, now realizing why he was so familiar. "That was me." Neal. She could see all the pieces of Neal in him which were now practically screaming at her. She hadn't thought of him in a long time, Neal or the baby she had given up, but now the universe had decided to throw it all back in her face on her birthday. Typical.
She needed to take a minute. This-this was too much. This kid. This dog. "Give me a minute," she told him, heading for the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
"Okay!" Henry shouted after her. "I'm just going to call my parents so they know I made it here alright." She didn't process the words as she braced a hand on the door and just focused on breathing. It was a bit before she managed to gather her wits properly. She could handle this. Just get the kid home and you never have to see him again. "Hey, do you have any juice," his voice pierced through her thoughts. She heard the sounds of him opening her fridge. "Never mind, found some."
Emma pulled herself together and confidently exited the bathroom. He was a kid. She had the upper hand. Just get him home. The kid was pouring himself a glass of juice, phone sitting next to him on the counter. The dog was at his feet, wagging her tail eagerly. He saw her and smiled, drinking the whole glass in one sip. "You know, we should really get going. I told them we're on our way back, or at least I said that in my message."
"Going where?"
"I want you to come home with me," he said as if he was telling her the weather. Okay, that was it. She needed to nip this in the bud right now.
"Okay, kid, I'm calling the cops," she decided, reaching for the phone next to him. He predicted this move and pulled it to his chest, staring her down.
"I'll tell them you kidnapped me."
She let out a sigh, pulling back away from him. "And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother," she voiced, earning a proud nod from him. He was clever that was for sure. But all she had to do was look at him for the usual alarm to go off in her head that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. With a smile of superiority, she came around the island to stand next to him. "You're pretty good," she admitted, "but here's the thing. There's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have one skill." She could tell she had his full attention. "It's called a 'superpower'. I can tell when anyone is lying. And you, kid, are." With that, she managed to grab the phone from him and went to dial.
"Wait," he pleaded. "Please don't call the cops. Please come home with me." The desperation was clear in his voice and for some reason it threw Emma off. He needed her and it shouldn't matter… but it did. Something about how he was looking at her and the way he sounded was getting to her. She didn't care for it one bit.
"Where's home?" she questioned harshly, ignoring the smile creeping across his face.
"Storybrooke, Maine."
"Storybrooke? Seriously?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow, setting the phone back where it belonged. He nodded, gathering the dog in his arms, and she took a deep breath. She would certainly need a stiff drink after today. "Alrighty, then," she decided in the moment, giving in to whatever superpower this kid somehow had over her. "Let's get you back to Storybrooke."
XXX
"I don't know why I ever agreed to this," John Darling said with a loud yawn. He had agreed to take the night shift so Graham could go help out a bit in the animal shelter. Regina had been particularly… demanding these past few days of Graham's attention in a way that Graham felt he was neglecting his volunteer work. Nothing usually happened around Storybrooke at night which meant his mind wouldn't be very stimulated outside the usual vanishing paperwork.
"Because we're best friends," Graham answered with a smack to his deputy's shoulder. John could only smile at this, unable to argue. The concept of having a friend was honestly still foreign to him, having a best friend just seemed ridiculous. But here he was. He had to admit that he was pretty lucky that it was Graham of all people- someone he knew would always have his back. John didn't have that a lot and it was near impossible for him to fully trust someone other than his brother. But Graham almost made it seem easy because he was just that good of a person. He could only hope Graham felt the same way.
"I guess so," he groaned with a fake roll of his eyes, earning a laugh from Graham. He gave the Sheriff a playful shove on the back. "Go enjoy washing some Dalmatians." The Sheriff nodded and started for the door, only to pause as Michael came rushing in.
"John!" The older brother was instantly on his feet as Michael came rushing up to his desk, Graham following concerned. They could both tell from Michael's tone that something was seriously wrong. "John, its Henry!"
"Why? What happened at Jake's?" John questioned. "Is he okay?"
"He's not at Jake's," Michael informed him, trying to stay calm so his brother would. But it was clearly not working. "I got home from work and there was a voicemail. From Henry. So I called Jake's and he left as soon as he got there. They wanted to know if our family emergency was alright."
John started pacing, but Graham gently stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. "So where is he? Where did he call from?"
"John, just stay calm… he called from Boston. He went to meet Emma Swan." John suddenly ran to his desk, examining the calendar he kept hidden in his desk drawer. He let out a shuddering breath as he recognized the date. It was today. He hadn't even realized it had crept up on him so fast. He could have sworn they had another few months. He could tell Michael felt the exact same way from the look on his face as well.
But then it hit him just what his brother had said. Not only was the day here and Emma Swan was on her way, but Henry was outside Storybrooke. He had left town. Peter Pan could see him now, could grab him out of thin air and take him away. His little boy could be in Neverland right now living the nightmares his parents had vowed to protect him from.
Emma was coming. Henry could be lost. Emma was coming. Henry could be lost. Emma was coming…
"Who's Emma Swan?" Graham asked, a little lost. He saw John clutching the wood of his desk for balance and gently helped him into the chair, recognizing the symptoms. He ran to pull a brown paper bag out of a filing cabinet.
John felt the world spinning around him and his lungs just weren't functioning. He was having another panic attack- he was sure of it. Graham handed him the bag and he began breathing deeply, trying to steady his racing heartbeat.
"Emma Swan is Henry's birth mother," Michael explained. Graham's eyes widened at this. "He's been thinking about her for a while, but it was a closed adoption so we wanted to respect her privacy. But he found her and she's going to bring him home- is coming to Storybrooke to bring him back." He gave his brother a meaningful look. "It's time."
Graham reflected on this for a moment before grabbing the patrol car keys off the hook. "Let me call the animal shelter and then we'll head out to the town line to meet them. The second he's back you two can hold him and then ground him for the rest of his life." He gave John a pat on the back. "He's alright. Pull yourself together and I will meet you outside." With that, it was just the two brothers- John's breathing having calmed somewhat despite his heart not.
"I don't think I'm ready," he finally said to his younger brother with a wheeze, pulling the bag away. "I don't know if I'm ready to do this."
Michael took a beat, just staring out the window. "We have to be the heroes Henry thinks we are. Anything for him like always." He helped his brother to his feet. "And that means we do the right thing and go meet this head-on." John knew he was right and steeled his shoulders as the two headed out to the car, ready to meet the next chapter.
XXX
Henry stared out the window at the New England Highway, now a lot calmer that he was with someone he trusted. Alice was asleep in the backseat after a long day, though Emma had promised that if she ruined the interior she would have to walk back. He could tell she was lying though.
He knew it was weird to say he trusted someone he met an hour ago. He turned to Emma and took in her neutral expression as she piloted her bright yellow Bug down the road. In fact just looking at her she looked rather tough and sulky. But he just had a gut feeling that Emma was good. She was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming… and his mom. He was trying not to really think about that part too much, both for her sake and his parents. It was going to be hard enough for them as it was. But he had meant what he told them- they were his parents and he loved them no matter what Emma Swan decided to be in his life. He was really hoping she'd want to be his mom though.
She noticed him looking, so he abruptly turned back to the window. He was trying not to scare her so far, but he really needed to fill her in on her mission. He was about to say something when he felt his stomach rumble, making him remember he hadn't eaten all day. "I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere?" he asked, glancing down at the open book in his lap.
"This is not a road trip; we're not stopping for snacks."
Henry felt his stomach rumble again. "Why not?"
"Quit complaining, kid," Emma snapped at him. He was starting to grow annoyed with that. "Remember, I could've put your butt on a bus… I still could."
Well, he obviously wasn't getting anything until they got home. She was kind of prickly on the inside too, but he thought it was because she didn't know yet. The heroes always take a bit to get started in the stories. But he still felt a need to send some of her frustration back at her. "You know, I have a name? It's Henry. My parents gave it to me." She didn't say anything, so he returned to his book. He was currently on a mission to find the best place to start.
"You're an awfully strange runaway kid," she said with a chuckle, which confused him. "First you call your parents to tell them exactly where you are and now you're mentioning them again."
"I wasn't running away," he corrected her. "I was getting you and bringing you home. You'll get why soon enough."
"Come on. You came out to Boston to run away from your parents and hoped you could stay with me since I'm your birth mom. But now that I'm taking you back you're playing along," she said with a roll of her eyes which was making him upset. "You're forgetting I grew up in the system. I get it. They said or did something, probably lied to you, and it's making you think about things. You're realizing they don't care about you the way you want them to- like you think your real parents will. So you tracked me down."
"Pull over," Henry said, voice stone cold. It was so jarring that Emma actually did it. He barely waited for the car to stop before getting out. He stood on the shoulder of the road, ignoring that Alice was now barking.
"What the hell kid?!" Emma questioned him harshly as she leaned over to the passenger seat and rolled down the window.
"Let's get one thing straight," he told her, dead serious. He wasn't going to let her talk about them like that. "My parents are great people. I love them and they love me. They don't lie to me and they may disappoint me but I know they are doing the absolute best they can. They always will. So you don't get to talk about them like that. I'm sorry but I didn't grow up like you did. They have taken care of me for ten years and they will take care of me for the rest of my life. I don't need glasses. I've worn these since I was little because I look up to him that much. I won't let you talk about them like that- especially to them." He crossed his arms as she looked at him, floored by his outburst. "I didn't run away. I would never run away from my home. I came to find you."
"I'm… you're right, kid," she said finally, clearly unsure how to proceed. "I'm sorry. I didn't… they sound great. They sound like the perfect parents really. I won't say anything like that anymore." He stared at her, seeing if she was serious. "I promise. Now get in the car before you freeze... or your dog kills me."
He took a long while before accepting her apology with a nod. He climbed into the car and soon they were off again, sitting in an awkward silence as he examined the book- more flipping through pages rather than actually studying them.
"What's that?" he heard her ask after a long minute, trying to move on from their moment. He had hoped she would ask. His opening had just arrived, but he needed to play it cool.
"I'm not sure you're ready," he said casually, also choosing to put what had happened behind him as well. Just as long as she kept what he had said in mind.
"Ready for some fairy tales?" she questioned, again disbelieving.
"They're not fairy tales," he told her adamantly. "They're true. Every story in this book actually happened."
He heard her snort a bit. "Of course they did."
He was starting to wonder if he had the right Emma Swan, but again he reminded himself that every hero goes through this. It was bound to happen. "Use your superpower," he tried. "See if I'm lying."
Emma just stared at him a moment as he stared confidently back. "Just because you believe something doesn't make it true."
He shook his head, trying to encourage her. "That's exactly what makes it true. You should know that more than anyone."
"Why's that?"
Here we go. "Because you're in this book."
"Oh, kid. You've got problems," was all she said to his big revelation. But he took it in stride. She just needed time.
"Yup," he answered, returning to the book about the curse. "A lot of them," he continued as he remembered that he was wanted by Peter Pan. "And you're going to fix them."
XXX
Michael sat inside the back of the squad car, listening to the sound of John drumming on the dashboard. They were perched just outside the town line behind the sign, waiting for the sign of any car coming down the road. John had seemed to calm down slightly- the hyperventilating had become drumming. Both Michael and Graham were kind of getting annoyed by it, but neither of them had the heart to stop him if this was how he was handling his stress at the moment. They didn't want to have to break out paper bags again.
They waited for hours, shifting every few minutes, until lights appeared on the horizon. Graham moved into the middle of the road, stepping out of the car as a bright yellow Volkswagen Bug stopped in front of them. Henry stepped out of the passenger side and rushed to where Michael and John were scrambling out. He tackled them in a hug that nearly sent them all to the pavement, all of them laughing with relief that he was over the town line once again.
Michael looked up to see Sheriff Graham shaking the hand of a tall blonde woman in a red leather jacket. He recognized Emma Swan from her picture. After sharing a glance with John, the younger Darling took a deep breath and stepped forward to meet her. "You must be Emma Swan," he said with a smile, trying to ignore how uncomfortable she looked as he shook her hand. "I'm Michael Darling. Thank you so much for bringing this rascal back home safe and sound."
She shook his hand with the barest hint of a smile that quickly faded. "It wasn't a problem really. From what he's told me, home is a good place to be." She looked at the car again. "Is-is his mom here too or-"
An awkward silence fell over the group, Graham coughing loudly. Henry was just staring up at the two of them, happy to be back with them. "These are my parents," he announced as if it was obvious, gesturing at the both of them.
Emma's eyes widened for a minute but she quickly schooled her features. "Oh. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. That's perfectly fine. I just didn't realize the couple the adopted him-"
John elbowed the giggling Graham hard. "We're not a couple," he exclaimed hastily. "We're brothers. I adopted Henry and after some… events my younger brother came to live with me to help me raise him. He became so attached he never left." He took a step forward, clearly sizing the woman up. "I'm Deputy John Darling," he said as he shook her hand.
"But he calls you both his parents," Emma was clearly still a bit confused.
Michael saw John roll his eyes, but he desperately tried to be patient. This woman had her whole world turned upside down in a single night. What did they expect? "He calls me Uncle Michael, but since he is the greatest kid there ever was he still considers me to be his parent."
Henry rolled his eyes. "Well, you did raise me." They all then stood around for a moment in an awkward silence, Emma looking over her shoulder as if ready to take off at any moment. They had to get her to stay a bit longer. They had to get work on breaking this curse moving.
"You should come by for coffee," Michael said suddenly, earning almost a glare from John.
Emma shook her head, taking a few steps back. "I really should-"
"I insist," he pushed. "You drove all this way. You should stay for a few minutes. Graham will drive us back and you can follow." He started for the car so as to give her no time to say no. Sure enough, she climbed back into her Bug and began to follow them as Graham started back for their house. They had all piled in the back- John wanting to be next to his son.
"You are so unbelievably grounded," was the first thing John uttered. "We're considering getting you one of those leashes for little kids so you stop pulling stuff like this."
"You know I had to," Henry countered. "Nothing happened."
"Doesn't mean it couldn't have," John reminded him. "You had us really worried about you."
"I'm sorry about that part," Henry told them sincerely, hugging John's arm. "I really am. But now I'm not going anywhere. She's here. Now we can get to work," he whispered, pulling the book from his backpack. "We can help her save everyone… like heroes. And then she can save us."
"Henry," John said with a deep breath, now whispering as well, "I don't mean to be rude, but she doesn't seem like the fairy tale type or the Savior type."
"She isn't," Henry easily admitted. "But that doesn't mean she won't be. And it's our job to help get her there."
XXX
Emma couldn't believe what she had agreed to do. Well, in her defense he really hadn't given her a choice. She'd have one cup and then get out of here. She'd done her part, done the right thing. She didn't know if she could stand to be around them much longer. It was clear everything Henry said was true. His parents loved him so much and he loved them. There was no place for her here, and any ill-conceived hope she had of belonging in his life needed to be buried promptly. This wasn't her wish being answered. This was a freaky coincidence.
She pulled into the driveway of what appeared to be a very nice house. Clearly the two did well from themselves or Storybrooke was a real estate bonanza. They had passed through the majority of town and the place seemed like the typical small cute place where everyone knew everyone's business. A place where everyone knew and looked out for Henry- further cementing the lack of need for her. She climbed out of her car and slammed the door, noticing a telephone pole spark behind her.
"Henry!" a voice shouted. She looked to see a woman had been waiting on the porch. She rushed forward and wrapped Henry in a tight hug. "Are you okay?" She looked at John and Henry behind her. "Where has he been? What happened?"
Emma couldn't help but notice how John and Michael schooled their features- there was something about this woman they didn't like but were trying to hide. John even gave a brief glare over his shoulder at the Sheriff who shrugged. Obviously it was him who had called her. "He went on a little journey to find his birth mom," John said, gesturing to Emma as she reached the group.
The dark-haired woman rose and regarded her coldly. She was impeccably dressed and clearly had an air of superiority about her judging by how much she was looking down on Emma right now. "You're Henry's birth mother?"
Emma gave a small wave, squirming under her gaze. "Hi."
Everyone stood on the porch for a moment before the Sheriff decided to take action. "I will escort Henry up to his room and tuck him in while you all have a little chat. Uncle Graham has a few words he'd like to put in about this running off business."
Henry groaned as John unlocked the door to an enormous foyer and the two started up the staircase. "You too?"
Michael clapped his hands and led everyone to the living room, gesturing for Emma to sit in a plush chair. He clearly seemed to be the caretaker of the two- much more how Emma pictured a true parent. He was warm, polite, and inviting while his brother seemed much more guarded. The woman was also still glaring at her. "How about that coffee?"
"Got anything stronger?" Emma couldn't help but ask. Michael just gave her an understanding nod and ducked into the condition. The other three sat in an unbearable silence until he returned and started pouring glasses. "How did he find me?" Emma asked suddenly, questioning how she got into this situation.
Michael went to answer, but John beat him to it with a shrug. "No idea. He talked to us about you after he found out, but we discouraged him as best we could." He took a sip of his drink. He was clearly weighing her, but for what she had no clue. "Since it was closed adoption and all. We assumed you wanted no contact."
Emma downed her drink in one gulp, caring little at this moment for looking proper. She was spending her birthday with some intense strangers and needed alcohol desperately. "You were told right," she assured him, the both of them. She had no intention of disrupting their family.
"And the father?" the woman cut in, earning a glare from both gentleman she refused to notice it seemed.
"There was one," Emma admitted, desperately wanting to stay off this topic.
"Do they need to be worried about him," she continued to pry, full glass still in her hand as if to spite Emma.
"Absolutely not," she assured the group of them. That she was positive of. They heard footsteps and saw the Sheriff descending the stairs.
"I gave him quite the talking to followed by a good bedtime story. He should be down for the night," he told the group with a smile. "I'm going to head out." John stood to give the man a hug- clearly the two of them were closer than just co-workers.
"I'm sorry you never made it to the shelter," he apologized. Graham just batted the comment away and started for the door. "Thank you so much again."
Emma put her glass down on the table, making more noise than she intended. "I should be heading out too." She needed to get out of the way of this woman who would not stop glaring at her.
John merely nodded at her while Michael looked a little disappointed. "Thank you again for driving him back, Ms. Swan. It means the world to us that you got him home safe."
She merely gave a nod before following the Sheriff out of the house. "Who was the Ice Queen in there?"
"Ah, that would be Regina. She's Henry's baby-sitter… and the Mayor of Storybrooke."
"His baby-sitter is the Mayor?" Emma questioned. Just how close-knit was this town?
"She has been since he was really small. She loves him like he was her own son. Don't worry about her though," Graham tried to comfort her. "She's just protective."
"I'm not," Emma promised as she reached her car. "I'm never going to see her again." She climbed into her car and started it. "It was a pleasure Sheriff." He nodded at her as she wasted no time in backing up and taking off back towards the town line.
It took a few minutes before she heard the bark. She looked to see the dog was still in her backseat. And she somehow just knew that this was on purpose- to force her to go back. "Sneaky bastard," she said with a glance to the dog. "Right?"
The dog merely yawned, so she turned back to the road only to see a wolf standing right in the middle. With a gasp she tried to avoid it, but merely sent the car spinning into the 'Welcome to Storybrooke' sign as the dog let out a yelp. Her head hit the steering well and everything suddenly went black.
XXX
John was sitting as his desk, trying to look like he was doing paperwork and not like he kept glancing at the unconscious Emma Swan. Graham had brought her in last night after she crashed, saying that drink must have been pretty strong. He had told them this as he dropped Alice off who had been in the Bug. Henry just gave them a smile as he told her she had been a good girl. John though had other suspicions though that the town had sent something to keep her from leaving. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful or upset. Emma Swan was not the woman Storybrooke needed and he could see that. She would take off the first chance she got. Just like Regina hoped in the hour and a half she spent talking about the woman after she left. They had been careful to avoid her name though, so she hadn't caught on to the whole charade quite yet- she just despised her on principle.
"What are you looking at, sister?" he heard Leroy question. John turned to see that Emma Swan was now awake and staring the man in the cell next to her.
"Hey, Leroy-manners!" Marco chastised from where he was repairing a cabinet as he did every morning. John quite liked the older gentleman- he always brought them breakfast and was more than happy to dish out some life advice to himself and Graham. "We have a guest! So you are eh, Henry's mother." How word had traveled so fast John had no clue, though he suspected Graham and his big mouth in Granny's Diner this morning. "How lovely for you to have him back in his life."
"Actually, I was just dropping him off," Emma insisted. She noticed John watching her from his desk, but turned back to the two other men. It seemed she wasn't impressed with him either. Michael did always make the better first impression.
Leroy scoffed. "Don't blame ya. They're all brats," he said with a glance to John to assure him he was kidding. Leroy loved Henry, but then again it was hard to find someone who didn't.
Marco didn't seem to catch it was a joke though. "Well, I'd give anything for one. My wife and I, we tried for many years, but… it was not meant to be." John felt his heart drop as he rose to approach Emma. They had never spotted Pinocchio or even a sign of him anywhere around town. He only hoped the boy was out there somewhere and could reunite with Marco after the curse.
At the moment, Graham strolled in from early patrol and unlocked Leroy's cell as he did every morning. "Leroy! I'm going to let you out; you need to behave. Put on a smile and stay out of trouble." He ushered Leroy out and upon seeing John approaching Emma decided to follow the glowering Leroy out the door, taking Marco with them. He was giving them a moment.
Emma grabbed the bars. "Seriously?"
"Apparently Graham is under the impression that drink was a little stronger than we thought," he said without humor.
"I wasn't drunk," she argued. "There was a wolf, standing in the middle of the road." So the town had taken care of it. "Is the dog okay?" He raised an eyebrow. "Henry's dog was in the backseat. He left her there and she was back there when I spun out."
"Graham dropped her off this morning," he answered, surprised at the question and especially how she seemed to give a little sigh of relief. "Has-has Henry told you why he brought you here?"
"Something about a fairy tale that I'm in. He didn't really go into too many details."
John nodded. Maybe this was a good time. It might help hearing it from an adult. "Henry believes time is frozen here- that the Evil Queen did it with her curse." He pulled up a chair so he could sit in front of her. "She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."
"Hang on," Emma said with a laugh. "He thinks the Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here?"
She clearly wasn't buying this at all, just like he suspected. "Yes," he tried to tell her seriously. "And now they're trapped."
"Frozen in time," she said dramatically, still laughing. "Stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. I don't know, the people around here don't seem cursed to me," she followed up, gesturing towards the door the others had exited through.
"That's because they don't know."
"That they're fairytale characters," she iterated, starting to grate on his nerves.
"None of them do," except Jefferson, but he wouldn't get into that. "They don't remember who they are. He thinks you can fix that." He paused. "He's a really good kid. And I may not… I do the absolute best I can. I know I don't come off the strongest, especially compared to my brother, but I love my son. He's happy."
"I can see that," she answered honestly. "I absolutely do. I just wish more kids in the system ended up like him." John debated for a moment before rising. He may not believe in Emma Swan quite yet, but he believed in his son always.
"I'm going to let you out," he decided, knowing he would have to deal with Graham later. But he could handle it. "Henry gets off school in an hour. Would you take him to Regina's for me… give him some closure to this whole affair. I'm kind of worried he might just take off again." He unlocked the cell and Emma stepped out, nodding slightly.
"And then I'll be on my way." She started for the door without looking back. John could only hope that Henry could deliver and convince the woman to stay. He walked to the window to see the clock was still frozen. This was their chance and they couldn't blow it. The whole town was counting on them.
XXX
Henry sat waiting in the classroom with Mary Margaret, troubled. Emma had been forced to stay the night, but it seemed nothing was moving forward. It had been just another frozen day. That and his dad didn't seem to like her very much which wasn't good. He had been hoping they could all get along.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" he heard his teacher ask. He turned to see Emma Swan standing in the doorway. His dad must have pulled some strings, but Henry never doubted him for an instant. He looked between the two, realizing this was Emma meeting her mom for the first time though neither realized it.
"I'm-I'm his-"
"This is my birth mother," Henry cut in to spare her. "She's going to take me to Regina's today, right?" Emma gave the smallest of nods and he jumped up to stand next to her, clutching the book to his chest. "I'll be waiting outside," he told her, before ducking just outside the door to listen in.
"He never goes anywhere without that book does he?" he heard Emma comment, clearly trying to make things less awkward.
"I gave it to him when he turned one. He's become very attached to the stories. I always wanted him to have the most important thing growing up: hope." Henry couldn't help but smile at how much she sounded like Snow White right now. "Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."
He heard Emma coming towards the door, so he took off down the hallway so she wouldn't know he had been listening in. She met him at the entrance to the building a minute later, gesturing for him to lead the way. "I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here. That the final battle would begin," he said after a moment of silence.
"I'm not fighting any battles, kid. As soon as I drop you off I'm going back to Boston."
"You're going to. You're here because it's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings," he stated as if it was fact.
"Listen, your dad told me everything. Just cut it with the book crap," Emma snapped. He just glanced at her, recognizing the real reason for her frustration.
"You don't have to be hostile. I know you like me, I can tell. You just feel guilty right now… and a little bit sad. But I'm okay and I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance."
They walked in silence for a moment. "How do you know that?"
"The same reason Snow White gave you away."
She stopped, letting out a huff. He turned to face her and she knelt down so she was at eye level. "Listen to me… Henry. I am not in any book. And I'm no savior." She stood back up and they continued walking. "You were right about me wanting to give you your best chance though. And I can see that you have it with your parents. I'm not part of it."
A huge manor appeared down the block and Henry felt himself stop this time. "Just… stay with me for one week, that's all I ask!" he begged. "One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy!"
Emma didn't even think about it. "I need to get you to Regina before she starts to worry."
Henry kicked at the sidewalk, frustrated. "This sucks."
Emma frowned at this, becoming frustrated as well. "Oh, you wanna know what sucking is? Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway," she told him, getting emotional for the first time since he met her. "My parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system and I had a family until I was three. But then they had their own kid so they sent me back!" She seemed to realize she was flying off the handle and collected herself. "Look. Your parents love you so much and are trying their best. Just be happy that someone wants you."
Henry decided to latch onto one statement in that speech to continue to drive his point home. "Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway; that's just where you came through!"
"What?"
"The wardrobe. When you went through the wardrobe you appeared on the side of the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse."
She just stared at him like he had grown and extra head. "Sure they were. Come on." With that, she led him up the pathway to where Regina was waiting outside the door, glaring at her already. "John… Deputy Darling had me bring him today."
Regina just took her in with an icy look. "Thank you," she said, ushering Henry in the house and closing the door behind her. He could still hear though.
"No problem."
"He seems to have taken quite a shine to you."
He heard Emma laugh. "You know it seemed kind of crazy. Yesterday was my birthday. And- when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn't have to be alone-"
"I hope there's no misunderstanding here," Regina cut her off.
"I'm sorry?"
"Don't mistake all this as an invitation back into his life."
"Isn't that more the Darling's call than yours?" Emma couldn't help but challenge. Oh, that wasn't good. He could practically see the glare Regina was giving right now.
"You made a decision ten years ago," she said in her most frightening voice. He could hear Emma take a few steps back. "And in the last decade, while you've been- well, who cares what you've been doing- I've watched them change every diaper, soothe every fever, endure every tantrum. And I've been around to help. You may have given birth to him, but he is their son. And in some ways mine."
"I was not-"
"No," she cut her off once again. "You don't get to speak- you don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. I'm sure I don't have to explain the details of the closed adoption you asked his parents for. You have no legal right to Henry, and you're going to be held to that. So I suggest you get in your hideous car, and you leave this town. Because if you don't, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye…"
"Swan. Emma Swan," he heard Emma shoot at her while she walked away. And with that, Henry knew the cat was out of the bag. Regina was now a player in the curse game and things were about to get much more difficult.
XXX
"She didn't say anything," Michael asked again as the four of them sat around the dinner table at Jefferson's. The man had wanted to be filled in on the latest developments and the brothers were eager to get out of Regina's eyesight for a bit. "She found out it was Emma Swan and she didn't… look at you funny or anything?"
"No," Henry shook his head. "I paid attention. She seemed to be… ignoring it. That's good, right?"
Michael let out a sigh of relief. "It's great for now. She either isn't making the connection or she's trying to chalk it up as coincidence for your sake."
"We still won't have much time before she starts asking questions," John reminded them. "Everything's going to be kicked up to eleven now."
"Regina is a force of nature," Jefferson warned them, gesturing around. "She's smart and will find out, and you need to sprint because that is the only way you can ever be a step in front of her. Don't forget that." Everyone nodded.
"I did leave the book there though," Henry admitted. "I just forgot to grab it as I left… or she hid it when I wasn't looking. The important pages are ripped out and at home though." John nodded, head in his hands at the stress of all this. "It's going to be fine. I know she's not a hero now, but she will be. We'll help her." Both John and Michael exchanged a look, neither willing to contradict their son's hope.
Jefferson had at this point drifted away from the table towards the window. It was nothing personal- he just had a hard time sitting still for long periods given everything. "Guys!" he shouted suddenly, excitement they'd never heard before in his voice. "The clock! It's moving!"
They were all at the window in a moment, just in time to see the clock finish its minuscule movement from 8:14 to 8:15. It was such a small thing, but to them it was unbelievable and they started cheering from excitement bubbling out.
"She stayed!" Henry shouted. "We did it! She stayed!" Michael pulled him in for a hug. Jefferson looked about ready to cry, so John gave him a comforting pat on the back.
"It's finally happening," was all the Mad Hatter could whisper. "It's finally here."
Michael saw his brother look over their group, seeming to make a decision. "Alright, we can't get too ahead of ourselves though. We are going to do everything in our power to get Emma to believe and destroy this curse for good," he declared, making Henry beam with happiness. "I think we need to come up with some battle plans… strategize." He pointed to his son. "I also think we need a name."
Henry thought on this as Michael stared at John. His brother was serious. He was done stalling and dragging his feet. He was ready to step up and help Emma- be a hero for Henry. They were going to break a curse together and save all their friends. They could do it as long as the four of them worked together. Henry had the faith, Jefferson the inside knowledge, John had the leadership, and Michael… would make the snacks or something. The clock was moving forward, and now it was time that they do the same. "Operation Cobra," Henry finally spoke up, breaking their thinking. "No one will ever suspect what we're really up to."
"Operation Cobra," John repeated with a smile. "Well, let's get back to the table and get the first meeting underway. We've got a curse to break!"