Chapter 7 The truth comes out

Word Count 1733

Emma awoke excited. Finally, she would return to Storybrooke and perhaps she could get the chance to learn a little bit more about the Queen's son. She had awoken to the smell of breakfast. They didn't have much so had built a small garden with some vegetables and fruits. James had brought home chickens and a lamb for milk. Emma smiled through the meal creating chatter about the possible names for her horse masking the true excitement of Storybrooke.

Even when Emma had left the house she tried to mount her horse but her father refused. "I know you venture out in the woods with Princess I can't let Noname go with you just yet,"

"Please must you call him Noname?" Emma frowned she lowered her leg which she had already tried to lift around the large body of the horse.

James smiled patting the horse on the snout, "Until he has one yes. But even than Emma you need to learn to ride him and you need to learn to care for him. You can't go into the woods with him alone till you've achieved that."

Emma nodded slowly, "I understand." Emma turned to walk into the woods Cleo following her footsteps.

"Don't venture to—" James shouted, "—far." His little girl vanished into the woods and he couldn't help but wonder where she went.

Emma walked with Cleo through the thickets, the short time where she could be a human. They laughed together as Cleo told her stories about her former life.

"Were you a Princess?" Emma asked as they neared Storybrooke.

"I was Queen in my Kingdom." She smiled at her, "Though as a kitten I could see why you chose Princess. We're getting in to town now Emma." She returned into a cat and they finished the walk into Storybrooke.

Emma walked to the diner hearing the jingles on the door as she entered. Cleo stayed outside because of something called a health code.

"Hi Emma!" Ruby said excited, "Henry's been coming in all week talking about you." The way Ruby talked about Henry sort of made Emma feel uncomfortable. It felt like she was implying there was something more than friendship between them and Emma didn't want anything more than friendship. Emma sat at the booth and looked at Ruby, sorrow clouding her face. "What's wrong kid?" Ruby asked.

Emma sighed, "The thing is you talk about Henry like there is something going on…" Emma wasn't sure how to explain it, "Like my parents, how they look at each other and stuff… you make it sound like that's how Henry and I think about each other."

Ruby cocked her head to the side and looked at the teenager, "That isn't how you look at him?"

"No." Emma admitted, "To be honest he's the first boy I've ever been around but—"she paused, "I just don't think I could ever like someone like that for a really long time." Emma had only been around her parents and she wasn't going to start liking the first person she came across. She knew that people were the one thing in her life she was missing the most but she wasn't about to ruin it.

Ruby nodded, "I get you kid." She smiled, "I get boys coming in here constantly trying to hit on me and there isn't a single one that I want, you know?" A small frown encompassed Ruby's face before she masked it with a smirk, "It feels like my guy is in another land if you know what I mean."

"I think I do." Emma said, Storybrooke felt like another land to her, and maybe like Red said her guy was here but she was too young for any of that right now. "You don't think that…" Emma trailed off unsure of how to phrase if Ruby thought that Henry had liked her.

Ruby laughed, "I don't know Emma. Boys are very mysterious. But if you're not interested, best thing is to let him know." She smiled as she heard the door chime. They both turned to see Henry entering the diner, "Good luck." Ruby grinned before leaving to go wipe down tables.

"Hey Emma!" Henry said as he reached her, "I'm so glad you made it!" He took a seat in the bar stool next to her. "I have a secret hide out in town, want to go?" He asked.

Emma contemplated but agreed, she was in for whatever Storybrooke had to offer. "Sure."

They both waved bye to Ruby and left the diner heading towards Storybrooke's docks. Cleo trailed behind them but Henry didn't make any notion that it was weird. "So where are we going?" Emma asked as they neared the ocean.

"My castle." Henry smirked. As they neared the play structure made of wood. Emma was concerned that maybe Henry had no knowledge of what a real castle looked like. "I know it isn't much." Henry admired, "But it's my special fortress." He turned to her over his shoulder, "Not even my mother knows about this."

Emma paused to take in the wooden castle and the ocean behind it. She hadn't ever seen a body of water that large. She followed Henry through the sand and sat on the edge floor of the fortress. "It's amazing." She said watching the rise and fall of the water against the sand. "I see why you like it so much." She took a glance at Henry who seemed suddenly sullen. "What's wrong?" Emma questioned.

"Well…" Henry paused, "I don't know you'll think I'm crazy." He lowered his head in embarrassment, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought you here."

"I don't get it, I thought you said you wanted to tell me something, or show me something."

He brushed the blonde hair off his face and frowned, "I did—I do. It just-"

"—sounds crazy?" Emma laughed, "Because a girl who didn't know what a phone or what the weekend was, that's not crazy?" Cleo meowed loudly, obviously disapproving of Emma's choice for conversation.

Henry lifted his head looking at her, "But you made it sound like you just lost track of the days."

Emma lifted her eyebrows playfully, "Did I?" They sat in silence for a second longer, Cleo jumping atop one of the wooden towers to get a better look at the children, "So Henry… are you going to tell me whatever it is you wanted to tell me? I promise I won't call you crazy."

Henry took a few moments mulling over all his thoughts. "Okay. You know how I said we don't get any visitors here?" Emma nodded, "Well, that's sort of weird right? A whole town that no one ever visits," he paused and looked at her, "no one even leaves." Emma cocked her head slightly but didn't say a word. "So that's weird, but what about this? The kids that were in the fifth grade when I was in kindergarten class are still the kids in the fifth grade class! This is the even crazier part, I'm not saying they had to retake the school year, I'm saying that they are still the same age they were five years ago when I was 5!" Henry looked at Emma, "They all stayed in the fifth year and I continued on like everything was normal. But, it's not just the kids. It's everyone. Nobody ages here."

Emma had already known all of this because of Jefferson but she figured it must've been very confusing for Henry when he figured out he was the only one here who aged. "That's crazy!" Emma shook her head quickly, "I don't mean you're crazy, I just mean the situation. I believe you."

"You do?" Henry questioned, "Why?"

The question caught Emma off guard, of course he would want to know why someone would believe him because clearly the situation is unbelievable. "Let's just say…" She slowly searched for words as Cleo meowed and arched her back, "That I have a few things in my life you'd find crazy too."

Henry nodded understanding, "I have to say that isn't all though Emma." He pushed himself away from the wooden floor and hit the sand landing on his feet. "There is something else I need to show you." Emma watched as he pulled a small shovel from underneath the slide. He began shoveling into the sand.

"Could you use any help?" Emma questioned as he shook his head no. She had seen her father do this same thing many times before so decided she wouldn't help, instead she sat mesmerized by the ocean.

"Here it is." She finally heard Henry say moments later as he placed a large object on her lap, "It's a story book."

Emma looked at the cover, she smelt the perfect leather from the cover and opened it. The very first page was an illustrated picture of her parents. There was an opening to the book explaining how these stories were the most pure and true form of the story. It also said to always have faith and hope that magic could always be used for good and that good would always win. It said that true love would always prevail. Emma turned the pages capturing the same stories her mother had told her in written form and in pictures. "Where did you get this?" She asked in awe.

Henry took a seat next to her and smiled, "From Archie." He grinned as she had turned the page of a story about Pinocchio. "He told me that it would be good to absorb myself in stories." As Emma turned the page to an illustration of her father holding her as a baby she paused. "He told me that I could relieve tension this way."

Emma turned to him. This was the first time she had seen realistic illustrations of the stories her mother had told her. Though she was very explicit on what had happened it seemed so different seeing these graphic illustrations. Tears escaped Emma's eyes before she could control them.

"Why are you crying?" Henry asked concerned.

Emma wiped the tears from her eyes quickly. "You're getting a hang of it Henry… but there is so much you don't understand." Cleo howled in response, "Let me explain. And I'll start with this. I'm the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White."