Chapter 3
Waking up to Graham's strong arms around her, Emma felt the exact opposite of the anxiousness she'd felt last night; she was calm and collected.
"Morning." She smiled sleepily.
"Morning gorgeous." He said.
Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm the opposite of gorgeous right now." She quipped. "Had to get up like forty times to calm Scar back down."
"You still look amazing to me." He said, rolling over on top of her and peppering her neck with kisses.
"We're gonna be late." Emma murmured.
"What are you gonna do, fire me Sheriff?" Graham said. He had a point there.
"Well, we did finish the paperwork…" She said.
Just as Emma began to kiss back, they heard Scarlett's soft cries, which would surely turn into loud screams if no one responded.
"Duty calls." Emma said, pushing him off. She paused at the door. "Aw, don't look so sad Huntsman. We'll pick this up later." She winked, sauntering off to Scarlett's room. Sometimes she could hardly believe how comfortable she'd become with Graham. It had been so long since she'd truly let someone in.
"Hey, Scar." Emma said, lifting the toddler from the crib. "You hungry?"
Scarlett's cries confirmed that she was. Emma headed to the kitchen, where she deposited Scar in her high chair along with a bowl of applesauce.
"Hurry up Henry!" Emma called down the hallway. It was already 7:15. "You're gonna be late!"
Henry came rushing down the hall, followed by Graham.
"See you later." Graham said, kissing her on the cheek, grabbing his jacket, and then rushing out the door.
"C'mon, kid." Emma said, picking up the toddler. "Let's go."
Every morning, Emma dropped Scarlett off at Mary Margaret's, and then headed to Granny's with Henry for breakfast before going to work.
"Bye Scar." Emma said, handing her daughter off to her mother. Scarlett waved bye with her bear, smiling happily at her mother and brother.
Suddenly, just as they were about to open the door to Granny's, Pongo came rushing up to them, barking madly.
"Hey boy. What's wrong?" Henry immediately bent down to scratch the dog's ears, for he was very familiar with Archie's dog.
"Where's Archie?" Emma looked around, half expecting the cricket turned therapist to come running from around the corner. He was rarely seen without his dog.
Just then, Ruby came running up to them. "Emma. Something's wrong."
"How…oh, right. Wolf thing." Emma answered her own question. She turned to Henry, handing him a twenty. "Sorry, kid, but you'll have to eat without me."
Henry shrugged. "I hope everything's ok." He said, heading inside the diner.
Ruby sniffed the air. "I smell something strange." She sniffed some more. "This way!"
They ran down the street, Emma extremely grateful that she was accustomed to sprinting, for Ruby ran way faster than a normal person in boots could. They reached the door to Archie's office, which was open.
"That's strange." Emma said, noting the wide open door. Usually it was tightly closed to protect patients' privacy.
"Look." Ruby pointed at the corner. Something lay there, partially shrouded by shadows. Cautiously, Emma tiptoed over to the corner, Ruby right behind.
"Archie!" Emma said, immediately dropping to her knees. The therapist lay lifelessly on the floor, much paler than normal. She pressed two fingers to his wrist and neck, checking for a pulse, a flutter, anything. Slowly, she realized the inevitable truth. She looked up at Ruby.
"No!" Ruby gasped, her face immediately crumpling up. "He's dead?"
Emma nodded grimly. So much for having nothing to do at work today.
~Long Gone~
Cora and Regina watched in sick satisfaction as they watched from behind a tree the paramedics carry out "Archie's" body in a body bag. Their smiles grew even wider as they saw the tear streaked faces on Ruby and Emma's faces. Phase 1 of their grand master revenge plan was now complete.
"Oh look. Here comes Graham." Cora said, rolling her eyes as the Huntsman turned deputy ran up to Emma, concern etched all over his handsome face. "How sweet." She mocked.
"Stupid bitch." Regina muttered, turning away from the happy couple. She didn't know why the sight of them made her so mad. She didn't even like Graham. He was just nothing more than something she'd used to pass time. Nothing more than a plaything. Still, it was a reminder of everything Emma had taken away from her.
The ambulance drove away, and the crowd around Archie's office slowly dispersed, everyone shaking their heads in disbelief.
"Quick! Someone's coming this way!" Cora said, grabbing her daughter's hand. In a puff of purple smoke, they were gone.
Author's note: Soooo what did y'all think? Please review! It lets me know what you think, and I'm always open to suggestions! The story's just being written now so I can still put whatever I want in. So please review!