Chapter Two: Doctor and Teacher

With no school and Emma away on her new job as sheriff of Storybrooke, Mary Margaret thought it would be an acceptable idea to whip herself up a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon and kick back on the couch with a good book. Within a short time, she had the hot chocolate and the book; all she needed was the couch in the living room. Of course, just as Mary Margaret was about to sit down on the couch, there was a knock at the door.

Sighing with agitation, Mary Margaret set her hot chocolate and book down on the table near the couch and went to the door. She opened it to find Emma standing in the hall outside with a man who was waving around an odd-looking device with a green lit tip. Surprised to see her roommate (and the new sheriff) back in the apartment, Mary Margaret asked, "Emma, what brings you back? I figured you'd be at the office or with Henry."

"Well, I did see Henry until you-know-who showed up."

Mary Margaret nodded in understanding, knowing exactly whom Emma was referring to. "I see." She then focused on the man accompanying Emma and inquired, "Who's your new friend?"

As if on cue when he heard himself being referenced, the Doctor went right up to Mary Margaret and gently shook her hand. "I'm the Doctor. You must be Snow White. It's a pleasure, Miss White…I should I call you 'Snow'…whichever you prefer."

Completely lost on his greeting, Mary Margaret blankly looked to Emma, who simply smiled as she provided a brief explanation for her. "He's talked to Henry." That was all it took for Mary Margaret to make sense of the Doctor's odd salutation.

Realizing his mistake, the Doctor corrected himself. "Sorry. I forget that you're all cursed, meaning you go by a name different than 'Snow White.' Mary Margaret, I presume." Again, the Doctor extended his hand out to Mary Margaret, and she shook it hesitantly.

"Yes…Doctor…?"

"Just 'The Doctor' is fine." He then walked into Mary Margaret's apartment, again scanning the area with his device. "Miss Swan tells me that you're willing to offer some assistance."

Mary Margaret looked once more to Emma for clarification.

"We're 'investigating' the 'curse'." Emma used air quotes to emphasize the words "investigating" and "curse" to Mary Margaret, who nearly burst with laughter.

The Doctor soon stopped scanning the room and placed his device back into his coat pocket, approaching Emma and Mary Margaret. "Where's the one area of this town that's seen the most activity?"

"W-What kind of activity?" Mary Margaret queried.

"Seismic, to be precise." The Doctor answered. "My Sonic Screwdriver is detecting shifts in the construct of this building, which can only mean that there was recently a tremor or an earthquake – very big earthquake."

Emma and Mary Margaret briefly exchanged an intrigued glance. The Doctor, who had never stepped foot in Storybrooke until that very day, was starting to know as much about the town as they did. He seemed to have gotten some of his information from that device of his, which Emma and Mary Margaret hardly got much of an eyeful of.

In response to the Doctor's deduction, Mary Margaret confirmed for him, "Yes…there was recently a situation with a sinkhole near town. Henry went inside the old mine there a couple of months ago. He thought that the sinkhole might've been tied to the curse."

The Doctor focused heavily on Mary Margaret after she gave this bit of info.

"Take me to this sinkhole." He requested.

The Doctor received a massive amount of readings off his Sonic Screwdriver upon scanning the sinkhole area from the edges to where the entrance to the mineshaft was prior to its collapse from the events that Mary Margaret depicted. The area had been closed off from the townspeople, but Emma figured her new authority as sheriff would allow her, Mary Margaret, and the Doctor to be there. The Doctor certainly did take his time in scanning every inch of the sinkhole as morning soon turned into afternoon, which then turned into dusk. The entire time he was there in the sinkhole, Emma and Mary Margaret stood by Emma's squad car and had a quiet discussion about the mysterious visitor known as just "The Doctor."

"What's his real name?" Mary Margaret wondered aloud.

"The hell if I know." Emma remarked. "Henry is the first person to have talked to him. Maybe he knows more about him than we do."

"He's definitely very strange from someone who comes from England."

"How can we know he actually comes from there?"

Emma's question inspired some serious apprehension within Mary Margaret, who was already uncomfortable over the Doctor's presence as it was. She glanced over to him with a deep frown as he concluded his prolonged scanning session and plucked something off of the ground. The Doctor analyzed the item for a brief moment, even scanning it a little with his Sonic Screwdriver, and then pocketed it.

The Doctor returned to the two women, seeming to be incredibly satisfied with his findings. "Well, I believe I've gathered enough to do some brilliant research for the evening. I should get back into my TAR…phone box in town."

Mary Margaret raised a puzzled eyebrow. "Phone box?"

Emma grinned. "Another mystery behind our new 'friend.'" The mystery suddenly reminded Emma to ask the Doctor a vital question. "Hey, Doc. Are you gonna be stayin' in Storybrooke? 'Cause, if you are, Granny's Bed & Breakfast is a great spot for you."

Pondering on the name of the inn, the Doctor said, "Granny…Granny…As in Little Red Riding Hood's Granny?"

Emma nodded with uncertainty. "Uh, yeah…I guess."

"And, in this world, Little Red Riding Hood is Ruby…meaning Ruby is Little Red Riding Hood…" Recalling this detail, courtesy of Henry, as well as his unsettling encounter with Ruby earlier that morning, the Doctor came to a practical choice: "The police box will suffice for me. Thanks."