Down at the marina...
Hook had lain low since his arrival into Storybrooke and had been very carefully watching Rumpelstiltskin, trying very stealthily to nail down the mans routine.
He'd walk to work around 7:45, stopping at Granny's for coffee along the way.
He'd arrive at his shop around 8 am.
Belle would come and bring him lunch at exactly noon when he'd close the shop for an hour.
Shop would re-open at 1 and then it would close for the night at 8pm.
Then, he would walk the short walk home.
It was a pretty simple routine. Sometimes he would change it up here and there, but Hook had the basics down.
Today, Rumpelstiltskin had received a visit from Emma Swan and another young woman whom Hook had never seen in town before. It was his understanding that Storybrooke never received visitors and this gave him cause to want to check this woman out. To make sure it was just a coincidence that she had come to town and not yet another roadblock on his path to revenge.
Nothing would stop him from getting his vindication. He owed it to Milah.
Wendy was on her way to the station when she decided to stop at Granny's for a cup of coffee. She pulled her truck up to the curb and got out. It was a cloudy, dreary day in the strange town. She felt eyes on her everywhere she went.
Determined to make today a good day, she held her head high and walked into the diner.
Henry looked up from the story book when he saw Officer Darling come in through the front door. He smiled as he watched her approach the counter, briefly conversing with Ruby before sitting down.
"Miss Wendy!" Henry smiled as he walked up to her and tugged on her jacket.
The brunette turned and looked down at the boy beside her.
"Hey there, don't you have school, kid?" She smiled.
"In a little, I always stop here for breakfast and hot chocolate. Wanna sit with me?" Henry asked eagerly.
"Sure, why not. I don't have to be at the station for a while." Wendy replied just as Ruby brought out her buttered croissant and coffee. Henry smiled and led her to the table.
"Awfully big book you got there, kid." Wendy noticed as she sat down. The large book rested on the table beside his backpack and was flipped open to a particular page of interest.
"It's not just a book." Henry smiled as if knowing something she didn't. Wendy chuckled and took a sip of her coffee.
"I know who you are." Henry replied matter of factly.
"Oh? Who exactly am I?" Wendy asked, curious.
"Wendy Darling...you're in this book, you know." He replied easily as he pointed at the book beside him. Wendy's brow furrowed as she glanced at the book entitled "Once Upon a Time". It looked worn and well used, like it was ancient.
"What do you mean in it?" She asked.
"You have to know the story of Peter Pan? Lost Boys? Tinkerbell? Wendy?" Henry pressed eagerly. She laughed slightly and shook her head.
She had gotten this most of her life. She sometimes hated her parents for giving her this name. Everywhere she went, someone would mention the story of the boy who never grew up. It was silly. They were just fairytales.
"It's just a name. I'm not the "real" Wendy...if she were real, that is." Wendy assured the boy.
"Shows how much you know..." He said under his breath.
"So...your mother, Emma...is she always so..." Wendy began.
"Yea, she is...but, don't worry, she'll warm up to you." The boy replied with a reassuring smile. Wendy nodded slowly and reconsidered her cup of coffee.
"Wanna walk me to the bus?" Henry asked as he shut the book and scarfed down the rest of his bagel.
"Sure." She said as she took another sip of coffee and got up. Henry slipped on his backpack and clutched his book under his arm. Wendy grabbed her croissant off the plate and took it with them as they walked out the front door.
"Did my mom tell you why you're here?" Henry asked.
"Not quite...I think she is going to brief me today...actually, I'll be late if I don't head over there soon." Wendy replied as she walked him towards the bus stop where his classmates had gathered.
"I'll see you around." Henry smiled as he waved goodbye, rushing towards the bus. Wendy smiled and waved back before walking to her truck and heading to the station.
It was 8:06 and Emma was standing in front of the station. What little patience she had was already wearing thin. She knew she should probably cut her some slack, but for some reason...she just couldn't. Maybe it was the fact that she was Hook's true love from another time...not that it made her jealous or anything...
...she just hated that this newbie had an advantage that she did not.
At that moment, Wendy's truck pulled up in front of the station.
"Sorry, sorry...stopped for coffee, met up with your boy and we got to talking...he wanted me to walk him to the bus stop." Wendy explained immediately as she got out, clutching a half eaten croissant in her hand.
"Henry does like to stall on the way to school..." Emma nodded. That did sound like something Henry would do so she let it slide.
"Kid has a vivid imagination..." Wendy chuckled as she walked up the front steps and past Emma whose jaw hung open before following her inside.
What had he told her?