Chapter Three
Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also this story is a sequel to the original "Thicker than Water", which was written by La Lisboa.
David woke up the next morning with Snow wrapped around him, as usual. He leaned over her beautiful face and gave her a leisurely good morning kiss. "Hi," he smiled at her as she opened her eyes.
"Hi," she replied, smiling at him as she caressed his cheek with her hand. Then she leaned up and gave him another kiss, rubbing his chest as she did so. He hissed, although not for the reason Snow probably thought.
"Don't forget we have company," David warned her as they broke the second kiss. He nodded toward Emma, Red, and Henry.
"Of course," Snow replied, backing away from him. She caressed his chest again, and he tried to bite back the pain. He had received a burn on that area from the fire room. Unfortunately, David should've known he couldn't keep anything from Snow; she knew him too well. "What's the matter?" she asked softly. "Charming, I know that look. It means you're in pain. What is it?"
David sighed. He really didn't want her to see this…but…He sat up and carefully lifted his shirt (he had worn a shirt to bed because of the mixed company) and showed her the burn on his chest. Snow sighed as she looked at it, careful not to touch the blisters, since that made them hurt more. "You're still getting the nightmares, I see." He nodded. She shook her head. "I hate that you have to go through that, too."
David shrugged. The nightmares were a pain (literally), but he could live with them. "I don't mind. I kind of like that I understand a little more about what you went through. And Emma told me I used the sleeping curse to talk to you. Apparently I wasn't able to do it any other way. Anything that helps me talk to you is always worth it."
Snow smiled at him again, full of love. "Okay. I'd still like to help you with the burns, though. When I had them, you made me see Doc. We can't really do that here…" She shook her head sadly. She obviously missed the older dwarf. David missed him too, of course. Doc had been a warm, compassionate healer for Snow and him and all their friends. But for Snow, who considered the dwarf a brother, not just a close friend, it had to be much worse. "Maybe Emma will know how to treat it," Snow continued, trying to move on. "Or at least who to ask. She's not a healer, but she knows more about this world than the rest of us."
"Snow," David touched her chin gently. "It's okay to miss him. Remember what you told Emma about Henry yesterday?"
Snow nodded, understanding. She sighed again. "I do miss him, Charming." She leaned up against his arm, obviously being careful not to lean against his chest. "I miss his warm smile. I miss his wisdom…I miss knowing I had a healer who I could trust."
She stretched her arms and climbed out of the bed, softly since they were the only ones up right now. "I should bathe myself. Can you show me how this 'shower thing' works, or do we have to wait for Emma?"
David thought for a minute, trying to remember how to work the shower. "Yeah, I think I can manage it." They both walked into the washroom. He tried to concentrate on working the controls, not on being alone with his wife. Any minute now Snow was going to remove her clothes and water would slide down her body - He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Now wasn't the time. The others would be up soon. Besides, they wouldn't be able to enjoy anything like that until the burn on his chest healed.
"There. You're all set," he told her as he finally managed to turn on the water. Emma had even showed him how to get hot water out of the hose. He shook his head. This world had certainly made more advancements than theirs. Then he left the room before he faced any more temptations.
When Snow emerged from the washroom, Red was up. "Hi," she commented to them as she stretched and climbed out of the bed she was sleeping in.
"Hi," Snow replied cheerfully. "How'd you sleep?"
Red shrugged. "Not bad."
"Would you like to bathe yourself? This shower thing is pretty neat. Charming just showed me how to use it. Emma explained it to him last night well you were still…at work." Red sighed and nodded. It was obvious Red's new job was going to be a sore spot between the two of them. Not that David approved of it either. Snow told him how that…thing (he refused to call him a man) acted toward all of them. But Red and Snow had always been very close…best friends, almost like sisters. He hoped Red's decision wouldn't hurt their friendship. But Snow and Red went into the washroom, apparently happy to spend time together for now.
Red came out of the washroom about fifteen minutes later, all dressed again. They still needed Emma before they could start their day, though. She was the only one who knew how to deal with this strange world. Unfortunately, Emma was still sleeping. "She's not going to wake up until someone forces her to do it," Red commented, as they all looked at Emma's still sleeping form. "Yesterday Henry had to drag her out of bed for at least five minutes. You guys remember how she cane to breakfast later than everyone else, right?"
David and Snow nodded. "Still, we got up a lot earlier yesterday. She should be fine today, right?" He leaned over his daughter and shook her gently. "Time to get up, Emma," he whispered in her ear. Emma rolled over and continued sleeping. David tried again, using a little more force. She groaned a little bit, but continued sleeping. He sighed trying to think of a way to wake her up. Having grown up on a farm, David was used waking up when the sun rose. Getting up, therefore, was never difficult for him.
He was at a loss to how to wake someone who didn't get up easily.
"I have an idea," Snow announced. She stood on one side of the bed and motioned for David to stand on the other side. Then she leaned in next to Emma. David, understanding what his wife was trying to do, leaned in next to her on the other side. They both shook her and told her "time to get up."
Emma did wake up that time, screaming, "Go away and leave me alone!"
At Emma's scream, Henry finally woke up, yawning. He climbed out of bed with no trouble, but without the excited expression David had seen on his face yesterday. Emma and Snow were right. Regina's death was getting to the boy. What should they do about it? Keep trying to find things that should excite him, like Emma had tried to do yesterday? That made sense to David. When his mother had died, he tried to concentrate on what was still good in his life. Still, what Snow had tried to explain made sense, too. Sometimes it was okay to be sad.
In the meantime, Emma was finally awake, but she certainly wasn't happy about it. She continued to groan and grumble about getting up and insist she needed to go back to sleep. "Emma we're going to need your help today. We were supposed to find a place to live, remember?" Snow commented, trying to reason with her daughter.
At that, Emma finally climbed out of the bed. She mumbled about needing something called "coffee."
About twenty minutes later, they all arrived in the breakfast room of the temporary sleeping residence. Emma spotted the "coffee" (whatever that was), and grabbed the jug immediately. They all ate a breakfast of biscuits, pastries, juices, and something called "cereal." After that, they returned to the room they had used the night before to discuss where they might live from now on.
"Let's look in the newspaper again," Emma commented, spreading out the copy they had bought the day before. "One bedroom, one bedroom, one room, one room… We need at least a two - bedroom apartment."
"What about this one?" David asked pointing to a notice, much like all of the others, that discussed an available apartment. "It says two bedrooms; washer/dryer hookup, whatever that means; full basement; and, the best part, a full back yard!" David was hoping wherever they lived would have a large yard.
But Emma shook her head. "It's too expensive. $600 a month is more than we can afford right now. Between all of us, we only have $325 in the bank, and we'd need a security deposit. Besides, it's too far away from the supermarket. The bus only goes to one location in Hamden remember. We don't have a car to carry all of our stuff yet. We'd have to take the bus."
David nodded, trying not to pout too much. He'd really hoped they could have a large yard if they had to live in this land. It would make him feel a little more at home. Still, the important thing was that all of his family would be together. He smiled at Emma and Snow and Henry. At least all of his family was in this world. And they would all live together. Red, too. David would be happy to have her with them. Even the dwarves and Granny weren't that far away.
They all kept looking. "Henry, wouldn't you like to help us find an apartment? What about operation tarantula?" Emma asked her son, who was looking at the group from across the room. "I thought you were excited about this?"
"Oh, yeah." Henry was obviously trying to act more cheerful than he was again. He came over to look at the paper, but still didn't say anything. Emma looked at him, concerned again. But she still returned to looking at the newspaper.
"What about this one?" Snow pointed to another notice. "Two bedrooms…only $350 for a security deposit. That's not that bad."
Emma nodded. "Not bad at all. We might be able to give the rest of the security deposit in cash. We'd still need to look at it though. Make sure it's in a good neighborhood and all. How about that, Kid? Are you ready for the next stage in operation tarantula? Are you ready to see the apartment?"
"Sure," Henry replied, once again trying to sound more cheerful than he really was. Emma leaned over and gave her son a hug. At that, he gave her a real smile. Maybe Henry would be okay, after all. Emma called the number on the notice and arranged to meet the owner at the apartment in half an hour. Then they gathered their belongings and left the temporary residence.
They quickly found another bus stop and soon boarded a bus. More strangers were also boarding as well. It was strange to be traveling with people he didn't know, David thought to himself. Still, none of them seemed to be causing problems.
The group got off the bus at the address. It was large brick building that looked very comfortable. David thought he'd be okay with his family living here, even if it didn't have much of a yard.
A woman with short brown hair and glasses greeted them. It seemed women in this world often had shorter hair than they did at home. It was good to know; hopefully Snow wouldn't feel so self – conscious about her now short hair. David knew it bothered her, although she hadn't said anything to him yet. Of course he thought Snow was gorgeous either way, but…
"So," the woman said, "I'm Mrs. Donaldson. You're interested in this apartment?"
"Maybe," Emma replied as she looked around the outside of the building. "We'd like to see it anyway."
The woman nodded cheerfully and led them around to the back of the building. She unlocked the side door and led them inside. It led to a large, rectangular room with white walls. David was a little confused why there was no fire place. How were they supposed to stay warm when it got cold? He was about to ask when he noticed Emma didn't seem concerned about it at all. He remembered how this world had a new way of lighting the buildings. Maybe they had a new way of heating as well.
Meanwhile, Snow was examining the kitchen. As he walked in behind her, he could tell she thought it was rather small. Still, it would probably fit a small table for all of them. It wasn't bad. "You can still cook in here, darling," he whispered to her.
"I know," she whispered back. "I just miss…" They both closed their eyes thinking of the full – sized kitchen she used in the palace. Snow was able to bake three or four things at once with all of the ovens she had available. That is, when the chefs weren't trying to shove her out. They didn't really think the queen should spend her time cooking. Of course Snow showed them how much she disagreed with that by returning to the kitchen again and again.
"Here you won't have anyone telling you not to cook," he told her, trying to get her to see the bright side, as he always did.
"That's true." She smiled at him.
Red and Emma were looking at the other two rooms. "It looks like the bedrooms are fine. Both are big enough for what we need," Emma commented.
"What's this room?" Red asked noticing a small room next to one of the bedrooms.
"That's the bathroom," Emma replied, looking in as well. "Looks fine. A little small, but okay." David peeked into the washroom. It was a little smaller than he was used to, but not much smaller than the one they had used in the temporary residence.
There was one other problem that David noticed, though. As he sniffed the air he smelled a faint odor of fish. "What about that smell?" he whispered to the others.
Snow, Emma, and Red sniffed the air and made a face. "Yuck!" Red grumbled. "Is that going to be around…all the time?"
"It's definitely offensive," Snow agreed.
"Why does the place smell like fish?" Emma asked Mrs. Donaldson.
The woman took a deep breath. "Well, the people who lived here last owned a fish market. I…can't seem to get the smell to disappear completely. I'm sure you can find a way around that, though."
Emma shrugged. "We can probably buy some air freshener at the store," she commented to David, Snow, and Red.
Red and Snow looked a little uncertain. David had to admit he was a little uncertain himself. It wasn't an extremely offensive odor…but could they really live with it on a regular basis?
"Look," Emma told them. "That smell is probably why the price of this place is so low. We can't afford most of the other two – bedroom apartments around here. And we need to find a place soon, or we'll spend too much money paying for motel rooms. Plus, I need to get Henry enrolled in school. It will be starting soon."
They sighed. Emma did have some good points, and they had agreed they needed to follow her lead in this world. "You really think this 'air freshener' will help with the smell?" Red asked.
"Sure," Emma replied. "So, Henry, do you like the place? The fish smell isn't that bad, is it?" Emma asked, once again trying to get her son interested in what they were doing.
"Sure, it's fine," he replied shrugging. They could all tell he was still faking it.
"So what are the neighbors like?" Emma asked Mrs. Donaldson. "I have a son, as you can see, so I need to make sure there aren't a lot of noises late at night or…anything like that."
"I think the neighbors should be fine," she replied. "They're just two divorced women trying to share expenses." Emma nodded.
Emma looked at everyone else, who was nodding. This place looked pretty nice. "I think we'll take it."
Mrs. Donaldson smiled. "Then let's fill out the paper work."
She had all of the adults fill out several forms which asked for "photo IDs" and "social security numbers," and phone numbers, much like the forms they filled out to apply for jobs. She also asked for a source of income. Unfortunately, only Red had a source of income right now, since the rest of the group was still waiting to find jobs. Mrs. Donaldson wasn't happy about that, but since Red proved she could pay the rent with her income, the woman agreed to let them live in the apartment. They split the cost of the security deposit between them, as Emma had suggested, and Mrs. Donaldson shook their hands. They now had a permanent residence…Too bad it smelled like fish.
"So what now? You said something about air freshener, Emma?" Red asked.
"We were also wondering how to treat a burn in this world," Snow added. "If we could we'd see Doc but…" her voice trailed off. David squeezed her arm, comforting her.
Emma nodded, understanding. "We should take the next bus to the local Wal – Mart. They'd have air freshener, and first aid supplies, as well as basic supplies for the apartment." Everyone nodded.
"Ru…Red, I hope you don't mind if we use your money. You're the one who has cash right now. We have some credit cards, but I don't know if it's wise to use them if we don't have jobs yet."
Red nodded. "No problem."
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Snow was getting used to traveling with strangers on these buses, as well as the speed they moved. But she still hung on to the railing, just in case. Within about ten minutes, they arrived at a building called a "Wal – Mart." According to Emma, it was kind of like a supermarket, only they sold a lot of other things besides food.
As they went inside, they were met by a nice man who said hello to them. Snow thought that was pretty nice. This world had seemed kind of impersonal so far, but maybe some people were still friendly.
As they turned the corner into the story, however, Snow got the surprise of her life. Right in front of her was a big picture of…her? Across the front, it said, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Buy the DVD. What in the Enchanted Forest was that about? How did the people in this world even know her name? And why did this picture of her look so…fake? "Emma," Snow whispered, "What is this about? How could they have…all this stuff about me when I just got here? She looked around at the other shoppers, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to her. If there were stories about her here, was she famous? Was she going to be stopped everywhere she went, like when she was the queen? She appreciated some friendliness, but she wasn't sure she wanted that kind of attention. "Does anyone else…" she looked around, "know it's me?"
Emma sighed and shook her head. "No, they don't know it's you. You're Mary Margaret in this world; remember that's what your ID says your name is. As far as why the stuff is here…well, there are a lot of stories, movies, and toys about people from your world here."
Well, it was reassuring that people here didn't know she was Snow White. She didn't need all of that attention while she was still trying to get to know her family and understand this strange world. But still…how long would it take before they did realize who she really was? Surely it wouldn't take long if there were a lot of stories and toys about her. Would people be upset at her for giving them a name that wasn't really hers? Should she be introducing herself as Snow right away? "Okay, but if there're stories and things about me here, won't they figure out who I really am soon? Should I bother using a different name?"
But Emma shook her head again, her blond hair flying all over her face. "No, they won't. People here don't see you… or anyone you know from the Enchanted Forest as real people. If you introduce yourself as Snow White, they'll either think you're joking or lock you back up, like you were when I first found you."
Snow gulped, thinking of that terrible place. It wasn't as if they mistreated her there; on the contrary, everyone had been kind. But it had been so lonely without her family and friends nearby. She hadn't even known where they were! Besides that, everyone insisted there was something wrong with her. She was treated like a child not an adult. She never wanted to see that place again. Charming took her hand and squeezed it, obviously noticing she was upset. He was really good at that. He could comfort her way before she indicated she needed it.
Out loud, she commented, "Okay, I'll have to remember my name is Mary Margaret here, then." They walked on toward the rest of the store. Snow glanced at the picture of herself again, dancing. That's how this world believed she looked? What was with that dress? Why was her hair so short? What was with this world's obsession with short hair? She thought as she patted her own too – short hair. If that picture was this world's idea of Snow White, it was no wonder they all believed she wasn't real. Then she shrugged and hurried to catch up with Emma and the others.
"We need to buy some soap," Emma was saying, picking up a brick of something wrapped in paper. "This looks fine." She placed it in the large metal cart that she had obtained when they came in. "And shampoo." She picked up a bottle that looked much like a container of liquor and placed that in the cart. Then she moved down a few aisles.
"Here's some stuff for David's burn," Emma continued, picking up a package of white bandages and a bottle of some clear liquid. Snow was happy Emma remembered that. "I should buy some band – aids in case Henry needs them, too." She picked up a box of brown…somethings. Those were bandages? Snow shook her head. This world was strange.
"What about food?" Red asked. "Can we buy that here, too?
Emma nodded. "Most Wal – Marts these days sell food, too. But first we need some other stuff on this side of the store. Like…underwear and stuff. And some stuff to sleep on."
"Here are some air mattresses." She picked up three small packages. "That should do to sleep on for now." Snow looked at them for a minute. She had decided to trust Emma about her decisions concerning this world. After all Emma was the one who knew the most about this land. But…how was anyone supposed to sleep on this? It was too small even for Henry!
"Emma…don't take this the wrong way…but how are we supposed to sleep on these?" She held one package up in the air, confused.
Emma smiled at Snow, although her face looked kind of funny. "There're called "air mattresses" because you fill them with air. You take them out of the package, unfold them, and blow them up. Then they feel almost like regular mattresses. We can't buy any bed frames yet, but that's the way it is." The tone in Emma's voice was almost challenging. Did Emma think she had a problem sleeping without a real bed?
Please! Snow had no problem sleeping on the ground in a cave; had Emma forgotten that?
"That's fine, Emma. I don't mind sleeping without a bed. And I'm sure the others don't mind, either."
Emma nodded, looking relieved. Then she said to Henry, "We're going to sleep on air mattresses. Doesn't that sound like fun? Kind of like a camp out? Just think of the adventure!"
Henry nodded. "Of course." He was using that fake cheerful voice again; the one that didn't fool anyone. Emma shook her head and squeezed her son's shoulder.
"Do we want to check out some underwear and maybe some cheap clothes now?" Everyone shrugged. "David, would you do me a favor and take Henry with you?" Charming nodded and took Henry to the boy's and men's clothes. Then the three women headed toward the women's section.
Snow and Red looked at the undergarments for several minutes. "Where are the corsets?" Red asked confused, examining a cup – thing that looked sort of like a corset. Actually Snow was wearing one of the cup things now; maybe they were the corsets in this world?
Emma chuckled and shook her head. "In this world, women usually wear pants. Even when women do wear dresses, we don't wear them so tight that we need a corset. We've decided it was better to be comfortable than to look thinner than is physically possible." Emma's tone of voice showed exactly what she thought of corsets. Personally, Snow agreed with Emma. She had always found corsets to be a giant pain in the neck. One of the biggest problems of retaking the kingdom was that she had to wear corsets again.
"I think that sounds great," she told her daughter, picking up one of the cup - things.
Red nodded, understanding what they were saying. "Okay, but then…what's this for?" She held up another one of the cup – things.
Emma smiled. "It's called a 'bra.' It's to support your breasts. Usually women have two or three of them." She picked up two of them, one in white and one in tan.
Red picked up one in pink and two in white. It was weird. Snow had never known Red to be a fan of pink, but she supposed it didn't matter.
Snow picked up one in white and then paused examining a black one and a bright green one with lace. Would Charming like her in one of these? They had a private room again. When his burn healed, they could…Not that she actually needed to wear anything fancy to get him interested, but it might be fun to try something different. She looked at both of them again, and put down the black one. It reminded her too much of Regina. Of course, Regina had redeemed herself in the end, but she still wasn't someone Snow wanted think about when she was in bed with Charming.
Then Emma also picked up a package of waist – level undergarments. Snow and Red shrugged and picked some of those up as well.
Then Emma noticed a rack that said "clearance" with a collection of shirts on it. "We can pick out a shirt, too. These are only $5 a piece." Emma picked up a blue shirt with no sleeves and held it against her chest. "What do you think?"
Snow shrugged. Her instinct was to say a shirt with no sleeves was not appropriate, but she reminded herself the rules concerning clothes seemed different here. "It looks nice, Emma." Emma nodded and put it in the cart.
Red picked out a bright red shirt (surprise, surprise) with black stripes. Its sleeves cut at the upper arm. Snow settled on a light blue one with sleeves cut at the upper arm as well.
Charming and Henry returned as well. Charming had bought him some waist – level undergarments. He also bought him new pair of pants that cut at the knee and a plain brown shirt. "Did you pick out the clothes, or did Henry pick them out?" Emma asked Charming quietly. She obviously wanted to know how involved Henry had been when he was with Charming.
Charming shrugged. "He had to show me where the undergarments were, because I didn't know what to look for. In my world, men didn't wear that stuff. But other than that…not much."
Emma nodded. "That's what I thought. I suppose we'll have to just keep trying."
The rest of them all nodded. "Don't forget what I told you, too Emma," Snow added. "Sometimes it's okay for him to be upset."
Emma nodded, but she was afraid it didn't really register for her. Why was it so hard for her to accept that Henry just needed time to be upset?
They picked up some milk, a ham with rice that Snow could make for dinner, a box of corn flakes, and the most important item, as far as Emma was concerned, coffee.
"Oh!" Red exclaimed as they got in line to pay for the items. "Didn't you say something about some stuff that would get rid of the fish smell?
Emma's eyes widened. "Air freshener! Of course!" With that, Emma dashed back to the store to pick it up.
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OOOOOOO
After they all returned to their new apartment with their purchases (including cinnamon - smelling – air freshener) Emma realized she should look into enrolling Henry in school. They had a place to live now, after all. She was hoping to do this as soon as possible, even though public school wouldn't start for about another month. Emma wanted to know her son was all set to begin school, she was still pretty sure the routine and the other kids would be good for him. Besides, as soon as she knew which school this neighborhood attended, maybe Henry could get involved with some local activities for kids, even before school began. Emma was desperate to do something to make her son feel better.
So Emma picked up a phone book she had found somewhere and called the local superintendent (whom Emma figured would still be in office even though the schools were closed). "Hello," she said as soon as someone answered the phone. "My name is Emma Swan. I've just moved to this area, and I need to enroll my son in school."
"Okay," the woman on the other line answered brightly. "How old is your son?"
"Twelve," Emma replied, glancing at Henry. He was staring out the window, obviously still upset. How could she help him be…Henry again? She remembered what Ma – Snow had told her before. Maybe Henry just needed time to be upset and deal with Regina's death. But Emma still wanted to do something for him. And Emma still wasn't comfortable with him being upset. From her experience, it allowed people to take advantage of you. Emma would never let anyone take advantage of Henry. Hopefully getting him started with school would help.
"That would mean he would attend one of the middle schools." The woman on the other end of the line continued, snapping Emma back to the phone conversation. "Where do you live?"
"15 Madison Drive," Emma replied, reading the address on the top of their lease that was still lying on the kitchen counter.
The woman on the other end of line paused for a minute. "Okay, then he would attend Marshall Middle School. Come down to the office and fill out some paper work when you get a chance, okay?"
"I'm free right now," Emma said nonchalantly.
"That fine, then. I'll need a proof of residence, a photo ID, and your child's birth certificate." Then the woman hung up.
Emma stared at the phone in disbelief. She had to stop herself from shaking. A birth certificate. She had no birth certificate for Henry. What was worse was even if she were able find Henry's birth certificate (there was probably something in the State of Maine Records even though Storybrooke had been destroyed), it would say Regina was Henry's mother, not Emma. This was not going to go well. Why had she said she could fill out the paper work right now? She could have given herself time to come up with a plan! Anything! She hunched over, trying to think of something in three minutes.
"Emma?" Snow called from the next room. "Is something the matter? You look a little…upset."
"No, I'm fine," Emma replied making a snap decision. Her family couldn't help her with this. "I'm going to go over to the school department to fill out some paper work for Henry. You guys stay here. And keep an eye on Henry for me, please," she added in a low voice. She glanced at Henry, who was still staring out the window.
"Sure" David replied. "Hey, Henry! How about we tell you some more stories about the Enchanted Forest?"
"Sure," Henry replied in the same fake – cheerful voice they were all familiar with now. At least he turned around to face his grandparents and Red. Emma left the apartment and headed for the bus stop. Hopefully the birth certificate wouldn't cause too many problems.
Emma quickly checked another map so she'd know where the superintendent's office was and boarded the bus. Could she do this? She had to. At least she still had a photo ID and a copy of their lease.
The bus arrived at her destination way too quickly. She should run, she told herself. She should really run. Except Emma didn't do that anymore. Running away wasn't being a good mother at all. She had to do this. Maybe they wouldn't care about the birth certificate.
"Hello," she said when she walked into the office. "I'm Emma Swan." Her voice sounded a lot more comfortable than she was.
"Of course," said the woman behind the desk. She had shoulder – length mouse - eye brown hair. "We just talked on the phone. I'm Ms. Simpson. I have the forms for you right here." She pushed the papers and pen toward Emma. "Can I see your photo ID?"
Emma nodded, relieved that they started with something easy. She pulled her driver's license out of her wallet. The woman nodded and wrote something down. "How about your proof or residence?" Emma handed her the lease. The woman smiled and wrote something down again. "And the birth certificate?"
Emma gulped. As confidently as she could she replied, "I'm afraid I can't find Henry's birth certificate right now. Would it be okay if I brought it in next week?"
Mrs. Simpson smiled warmly. It was going to be fine! "We aren't supposed to do this, but I know what's it's like to lose things. I know someone who is in charge of documents for the state of Maine. Your son was born in Maine, right? When was your son's birthday?" She reached for the phone.
"June 25th" Emma replied, trying not to sound too nervous. Then she began staring at the floor. This was it. It was all coming to an end. They'd find Henry's birth certificate; even though he wasn't born in Maine, his last legal residence was in Maine. It would show Regina was his legal mother. Maybe they wouldn't find anything, Emma thought hopefully. Maybe Regina didn't have any records stored in the State of Maine. Maybe it would be okay.
The woman talked on the phone for at least ten or fifteen minutes. Emma didn't really hear what she was saying, beyond "uh – huh" and "really." Of course, she wasn't really trying to listen, either. She knew it probably wasn't good news for her. "Well," Mrs. Simpson said when she finally hung up. "My friend didn't find a Henry Swan born on June 25. He did, however, find a Henry Mills who was born twelve years ago on June 25. The thing is, this Henry was adopted. Could that be your son?" The woman's voice showed barely concealed anger.
"Yes…but you have to understand…his adopted mother is dead! Regina wanted me to take care of him when she died!" Emma pleaded for the woman to understand. Surely they wouldn't take Henry away from her! Not after all the time she had spent in Storybrooke reconnecting with Henry and getting to know him. Not after all the trouble they had gone through after Storybrooke had been destroyed, trying to be reunited with their family!
Mrs. Simpson shook her head. "I don't know anything about that. The only thing I do know is that you are currently taking care of a child that you don't have custody of. I'm going to call social services to talk to you. You can explain your circumstances to the social worker. Wait here." The woman's voice was no longer warm. In fact, everything about her, including her face, her voice, and her mannerisms, was cold. Emma would get no support from this woman. And she couldn't even run, because Mrs. Simpson had told her to wait.
OOOOOOOOOOO
Emma waited for at least a couple of hours, although it felt like days to her. Finally, a woman walked in the door, holding a few files. She wore glasses and had blond hair, although Emma thought it looked a little too bright to be natural. "Are you Emma Swan?"
Emma stood up, trying to appear confident. They had to allow her to keep Henry. "Yes."
"I'm Miss Jordan. I'm a social worker. Let's talk privately." She led Emma outside the building, where there were some benches for students to use during the school year. "First of all, I understand that Henry Mills is your biological son, but you gave him up for adoption twelve years ago?"
Emma nodded. "Yes but you see –" she began. She had to explain. Henry belonged with her!
"I also checked out the state records, and you're right. Regina Mills died a week and a half ago, of trauma from injuries, I understand?"
Emma nodded, eagerly. This was going better than she had thought it would. Maybe it would be okay. "Yes. Henry and I were there when she died. Henry's been…pretty upset over losing his adoptive mother. I'm trying to be there for him."
Miss Jordan nodded again, looking one of her files. "She also has no will concerning what to do with her son. We like to try to keep children in families, but it doesn't seem Miss Mills had much of a family."
No, Regina had lost most of her family, one way or another. All she had left was Henry. "Henry was all she had left," Emma commented sadly. She and Regina had their problems in the past, and Emma knew a lot of Regina's family had been pushed away by Regina herself. But still…Emma felt sorry for her. After all, Emma knew what it was like to have no one. That was exactly why she was so determined to make sure it never happened to Henry. "Regina said she wanted me to take care of Henry if she didn't make it."
The woman nodded. "And since you are his birth mother that would make you his family….But with all due respect, we have no record of that. The adoption was closed. You forfeited all rights and contact with your son when you made that decision."
Emma was becoming angry. How many times did that decision have to be thrown back in her face? "Yes, but Henry found me anyway! He wanted me in his life, so I moved! For him! I lived the town he and Regina lived in! We spent time together!"
The woman sighed. "I might be able to award you temporary custody, for now. There really doesn't seem to be many other options for Henry. What's your income?"
Emma opened her mouth to state the income she had when she was the sheriff of Storybrooke. Then she remembered that - she didn't have that job anymore. Storybrooke didn't exist. That's why they were in this mess in the first place. "Well…we've been relocating. I'm kind… of between jobs right now. But I've applied to a lot of places. I should hear from somewhere soon."
The woman looked at her sternly through her glasses. "I see. How do you expect to care for your son if you have no money to do so?"
"I have a roommate who already has a job," Emma replied firmly, looking straight at the other woman. "And like I said, I should get a job myself soon."
"A roommate?" Miss Jordan asked interested. "Can I see your lease, please?"
Emma handed her the lease. Would she be okay with Henry staying with their family? She had to be!
The woman looked at the paper and shook her head. "This is a two bed room apartment for four people. Tell me something, does Henry have his own room?"
"No, not really, we can't afford a larger apartment right now. What does that have to do with anything?"
The woman shook her head again, sadly. "Children aren't allowed to share a room with adults. I'm afraid, under these circumstances I can't give you even temporary custody of Henry. I'll have to look into a foster home for him."
At the phrase, "foster home" Emma jumped off the bench, horrified. "No! No! You can't do that! I grew up in foster care, and I don't want that for my son! I never wanted that for him! You have to understand, of the reason why I gave him up for adoption in the first place was to make sure he never spent any time in foster homes. I…wasn't able to take care of him right away, so I decided out right adoption would be better than a few months in a foster home. Please, you can't do this to him. Regina asked me to take care of him if she died."
But the woman still shook her head. "Look I'm sorry this has happened, but part of my job is to make sure people follow the rules. Furthermore, Miss Mills may have said she wanted you to take care of Henry, but she didn't put anything in writing. All I have is your word which…under these circumstances; it isn't enough."
"No! I don't accept this!
Miss Jordan stood up as well. "Look Miss Swan, I wish there was something else I could do; I really do. But if you don't want to follow the rules, the state will never allow you custody of Henry. We don't want children growing up in homes where the adults take the law in their own hands. If you are willing to calm down and listen, I'll explain to you how you can get custody of Henry eventually."
Emma sighed and gestured for the woman to continue. "I'm going to find Henry a foster home, which he will be brought to by tomorrow. Then I'm going to get you a court date with a judge about your custody. I'll mail you a letter when I get the date. In the meantime, I want you to do the following. First," she said, holding up one finger. "Take a blood test, and I'll have Henry do the same as soon as possible. This will prove you're his birth mother. Second," she continued, holding up another one. "Make sure you can find a job that will provide you with a good income to support your son. "Third, find a three bedroom apartment, or have your 'roommates' find someplace else to live. I'll call you tomorrow when I'm ready to take Henry to his foster home. I'll also be willing to let you have supervised visits with Henry, probably once a week, while you wait for your court date. I really do think he's better off with family. I'll inform you more about this tomorrow."
Emma nodded, although she was pretty close to attacking her right now. That woman! As she walked off to her car Emma headed for the bus stop. She had already decided she wouldn't give Henry to this woman and her…foster home! She'd take Henry back to the cave they were staying at before. Henry would probably like that better, anyway. He'd be closer to Regina's grave, and they could have more adventures. Emma didn't know much about surviving in the forest, but Mary – Snow did. She'd calm down soon and catch all kinds of rabbits and other critters for them to eat. Snow, Red, and David would probably like that better. They only came into town because Emma had insisted.
So how many readers realized that the custody of Henry would be a problem outside of Storybrooke? I'm interested to hear your responses! (And your reactions to the rest of the story, of course.)