Chapter Six
Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also this is a sequel to "Thicker than Water" which was written by La Lisboa.
Henry knew foster care would be difficult. He'd have to live away from his family for a while. Plus, Mom had already mentioned the hard times she'd experienced in foster homes. But Henry would do anything to help his family stay together. Even if that meant he had to live away from his family for a while.
Still, this family was…different. The first time Henry noticed it was Sunday morning. All of the boys got up before the grown – ups and ate candy bars for breakfast.
"Help yourself, kid," said the brown – haired boy to Henry. His name was Tim. He was eating a Kit – Kat bar. Henry didn't really like it when he called him "kid." It was the way he said it more than anything. Mom called him "Kid" all the time; she had been doing it since he met her in Boston. But when she said it, it was affectionate. Henry was Emma's kid, and Henry knew that's why she used that nickname. When this…Tim called him "kid," he said it like he didn't care what Henry's name was at all.
"I think there might be one more in the cupboard," added the blond - haired boy. His name was Evan. He gestured to the cupboard behind him. "Get it if you want to eat." He was munching on a Crunch bar.
"Candy? For breakfast?" Henry asked, confused.
"Mr. and Mrs. Collard don't care," one of the red – haired boys commented. His name was Ronald. He was munching on a Hershey's bar.
The other red haired boy nodded. "I hate not being home, but as long as I'm here…eating candy bars for breakfast is pretty neat." His name was Bobby. He was also munching on a Crunch bar.
"If you don't hurry up, kid, I'll eat that last candy bar myself," warned Tim. "Then you won't have any candy bars at all. You'll be stuck with boring old toast."
Henry shrugged and went to the cupboard. Evan was right. There was one more candy bar left. It was another Hershey's bar. He looked at it for a second. Candy for breakfast sounded tasty, but Henry wasn't sure it was a good idea. His mother Regina was extremely strict and wouldn't let him eat candy at all. His mother Emma allowed him candy now and then, but never for breakfast.
"Hey are you going to eat that or stare at it?" Evan asked. "Are you some kind of freak who doesn't eat candy, or something?"
"Freak! Freak! Freak! Freak!" Tim began to chant. He shoved the last bit of Kit – Kat bar into his mouth and lunged for the candy bar in Henry's hand.
"No! It's mine!" Evan countered, also lunged for Henry's Hershey bar.
Henry looked horrified as the two older boys came at him. He let go of the candy bar and stepped aside. Candy wasn't worth a fight like this. The boys hit each other at the same time instead.
"I called it first!" Tim cried as he punched Evan's face.
"You had the extra one last week!" Evan countered, hitting the other boy's shoulder.
The boys fought for several minutes before Tim was considered the winner. "Just you wait," Evan threatened him, waving a bruised arm. "One of these days…"
"Yeah?" Tim grunted munching on the extra candy bar. "One of these days what?"
"I'm going to teach you a lesson, that's what! You just wait."
Henry shook his head at their bizarre behavior. Beating on each other over a candy bar? He reached for the bread. Toast was fine.
Just then, Mrs. Collard walked into the kitchen. Henry waited for her to comment on Tim and Evan's bruises and cuts. It was obvious they had been fighting. But the woman simply began brewing coffee, without batting an eye.
Henry shook his head again as he made his toast.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Another thing Henry noticed was that the boys spent most of their days watching TV. Henry liked TV as much as anyone, and there were times he enjoyed watching certain shows. Or just flipping through the channels when there was nothing else to do could be fun, too. But Henry had no desire to watch TV all day long.
Henry longed to go outside. Outside he could practice sword fighting (even though he had lost his wooden sword when Storybrooke blew up, he could still use a tree branch or something). He might even be able to learn how talk to birds, like Grandma did. But Portland wasn't a small town like Storybrooke, or even a small city like Bangor. There was no place to play outside at all.
Since outside wasn't an option, Henry would've liked to play video games. At least with video games, he could take an active role in the story. Henry remembered one time when his mother Regina had bought him a video game, a Game Boy actually. It was after his mother Emma had come to town. Henry didn't think Regina really loved him at all then. After all, she was the Evil Queen, so how could she love anyone? But his mother Regina had bought him a video game for no reason except as she said, "I love you." And she even let him see Emma after that, briefly at the sheriff's station. It was the first time Henry had wondered if Mom Regina loved him a little, after all.
Henry really wished he still had that Game Boy now. Not only would it be more interesting than Bugs Bunny but it was an example of how much Mom Regina really had cared for him. He missed her. Still, wherever she was now, Henry hoped she was okay. She had redeemed herself before she died, so she should go to the good place, right? Where no one was hurt?
But what about his other Mom? And his grandparents? Were they okay? Were his grandparents adjusting to life in this world? How was Mom handling the fact that he was in a foster home? Henry knew his purpose in this mission was to live in this foster home for now. And Henry was determined to fulfill that purpose. It had given his life meaning again. But Henry couldn't stop worrying about his family. Henry had been…almost excited that he had his own personal adventure now. But he had forgotten the lesson he learned when the failsafe went off and he had been separated from both his Moms. No one tells you about the emotional toll those adventures take. This personal adventure, this foster home was a lot harder than he had thought it would be.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Henry found out that even though Tim and Evan were…troublesome, Bobby and Ronald were pretty nice. They were kind of young for Henry to play with all the time, but sometimes they could be alright. Thursday afternoon, while Tim and Evan were still watching TV, Henry, Bobby, and Ronald were singing children's songs. They sang, "The Wheels on the Bus," "On Top of Spaghetti," and "Old McDonald had a Farm."
"I wish I lived on a farm with Old McDonald," Ronald grumbled as they finished singing. "I bet Old McDonald is really nice and lets you play with all the animals. I bet he pays attention to you, too."
Henry nodded. Ronald had inadvertently pinpointed Henry's problems with Mr. and Mrs. Collard. They weren't bad people; they went to work every day like they were supposed to. They didn't yell at the boys or hit anyone. But they never paid any attention to the boys in their charge. That was why the other boys had candy bars for breakfast on Sunday. It was because the Collard's didn't care that it wasn't healthy. That was why Tim and Evan watched TV all day. The Collard's didn't tell them to find something else to do. Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Collard also didn't provide them with anything else to do. They never mentioned taking the boys to a local park, or a library, or providing them with anything else to play with. And when they arrived home, they didn't ask the children how their day went, or talk about funny things that happened that day. Most importantly, they didn't explain to Tim and Evan why they shouldn't fight each other or punish them for doing so. As a result, Henry had witnessed one other fight so far this week. And Henry knew the Collards' had at least heard it. They just didn't care at all. This foster home was a lonely place. Henry couldn't wait to see his family on Saturday.
"I don't need to live on a farm," Bobby commented. "I just need my family back. Someday my mom will get better and come get me. I know she will."
Henry wondered what was wrong with Bobby's Mom but he didn't ask. Instead he said, "Me too. I want my family back, too. Although…a farm would be nice. I wish we could go outside more." He looked around the apartment and the concrete outside. "Grandpa grew up on a farm. I bet he'd like to live on a farm, again."
Ronald and Bobby looked at Henry with interest. "You have a grandpa?" they asked at the same time.
Henry nodded.
"What is he like? Does he play catch with you? Does he tell you stories? I always wanted a grandpa to do that." Ronald commented
Before Henry could answer, Bobby asked, "If you have a grandpa why aren't you staying with him while you're waiting for you Mom?" He sounded confused.
Henry smiled. "I was supposed to live with Grandma and Grandpa and my mom, as well as a friend of theirs. But the lady…she said the apartment was too small or something for all of us. So Mom and Grandpa and Grandma and I decided to fight her with her rules. They'd find a bigger place and some jobs, and I'd go to the foster home until they were ready. Then the woman can't stop us from living together again." Henry got excited again as he explained the plan and how he was going to help with it.
But Ronald and Bobby just looked at Henry, even more confused.
Maybe he should just talk about other things, Henry thought to himself. "Grandpa tells me lots of stories," Henry continued. "About his life on the farm, about him and Grandma, and about how they defeated their enemies." Henry was careful to keep the details of these stories vague. These boys might be pretty young, but Henry knew there might be problems if he told them who his grandparents really were and what those stories entailed.
Still, Ronald and Bobby seemed interested as he talked about Grandpa. They both nodded. "What else does he do with you? Does he play catch with you? Or take you swimming or something?"
Henry shrugged. "I'm sure he'd do those things if I asked him. But I like to practice sword fighting with Grandpa. It's fun and he's a great teacher. He used to be really good at it. We used to have these great wooden swords…before our home was destroyed."
Ronald nodded. "Sounds like fun. Maybe you could teach us someday."
Henry shook his head. "We'd have to go outside. I don't see that happening anytime soon."
They both nodded sadly.
OOOOOOOOOOO
When Henry got up on Saturday morning, he bounced with excitement. He was going to visit his family today! Would Mom have a new job yet? How were his grandparents doing? Was Red's boss still looking at her funny? After he ate breakfast (everyone ate toast, because there were no candy bars in the house) and put on his new shirt, he was ready. All he had to do was wait for the woman to arrive.
And wait. And wait. And wait. When would she get here?
Henry began flipping through one of Mrs. Collard's magazines, looking for something to do while he passed the time. Tim walked into the living room after a few minutes. He burst out laughing when he saw Henry. "I knew you were a freak!" he crowed. "You won't eat candy, you play with little boys, and you read women's magazines!" He flopped himself in front of the TV and turned it on. Henry shook his head and reminded himself to be strong. Soon he'd see his family again.
About an hour later, Henry heard someone walking toward the apartment. Was this her? Was he finally going to see his family? The Collards' must have heard her coming as well because their behavior was suddenly very different. Two minutes ago, Mr. Collard was just watching the morning show that Tim had turned on. Now, he suddenly moved to the couch to sit next to the boy. Mrs. Collard had been flipping through one of her magazines. But when she heard someone coming in, she put the magazine down and began talking to Henry. "Do you think that's Miss Jordan, Henry? I bet it is."
So when the woman finally opened the door, the woman saw two involved parent – figures that cared about the boys. Henry shook his head. They were better actors than Mr. Gold and Mom Regina. "Hello, Henry," the woman said brightly. "Are you ready to go? We need to leave a little early because I need you to take a blood test before we leave."
Henry nodded eagerly. The sooner he left to see his family, the better.
"Well, have fun, Henry," Mrs. Collard called cheerfully as he walked off with the woman.
"We'll see you when you get back," Mr. Collard added. Yes, unfortunately he would have to return to this lonely place later today. But Henry tried not to think about that right now.
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OOOOOOOOOO
Friday afternoon, as Red was getting ready for work, she suddenly realized something. Tonight would be a full moon. She hadn't seen her hood in a long time. Could it be back in the cave? Did she have time to look for it? Maybe she should just call in sick. Then she could just wait for the change to happen and go running in the forest. She hated to do that, after all her friends depended on her tips for money. But how could she explain that she would be changing into a wolf to her boss or the other waitresses?
She reached for her communication device. "I think I'm going to call the restaurant and tell them I won't be in tonight. It's a full moon, you know." Snow, who had been reading some papers she had found at the hospital, nodded.
Emma, however, ran out of their bedroom. "Actually, you really don't need to do that. There's no magic in this world, so you can't turn into a wolf anymore."
Red was completely shocked. It made sense; if there wasn't any magic in this world of course she couldn't be a wolf. But changing into a wolf on the full moon had been a part of her life for so long, it seemed as much a part of her as her brown hair. "Are you sure?" she asked Emma. "I mean, I know people don't perform magic in this world, but changing into a wolf…it's different. It's not really a spell or a potion I drink or anything. It's a part of me."
Emma nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. You didn't change into a wolf until after Storybrooke became magical. So you won't change here."
Red nodded. "Okay, I guess I should go to work then." She tried to sound cheerful as she headed out the door to her bus. This was a good thing, right? It meant she could still work tonight. She could still get tip money that her family could use. Plus, how many times had she wished she wasn't a werewolf over the years? Then she wouldn't have killed Peter. She wouldn't be that monster everyone feared.
But as Red boarded the bus, she couldn't shake the feeling that a part of her was missing. She wouldn't be able to run around the forest anymore, feeling the wind rushing against her fur. She couldn't throw her head back and howl, just for the fun of it. She couldn't have all those natural weapons to defend her family if she needed to.
When Red arrived at The Hot Spot and changed into her uniform, Mr. Jenison looked her up and down and gave her rear as squeeze, as usual. Red sighed as she began waiting on customers (many who also enjoyed the way she looked). She knew her surrogate family didn't approve of her working here, even though the tips did provide them with money. If they knew what her uniform looked like, they would like her job even less. That's why she kept her uniform at the restaurant and dressed there. She understood their point of view. Mr. Jenison shouldn't be looking at women who worked for him like this, much less touching them like that.
Honestly, the only man who had ever touched her breast was Peter, and that was only once. So it wasn't like Red was in the habit of men…doing that to her. But for some reason, it just didn't bother her. Red knew the way Mr. Jenison acted should make her uncomfortable. But it didn't. She needed a job, and her family needed money. Now she had a job and her family had the money they needed. That's all there was too it.
What was making her uncomfortable was watching the sky darken. But nothing would happen to Red. She would never transform into a wolf ever again.
"Ma'am?" asked one of the customers, a slightly overweight man with brown hair. "I asked for some ice!"
Red nodded. She had been so distracted by the sky, she had forgotten about the man's request for ice! "Of course. Right away, sir," she replied. She picked up his glass, filled it with ice and returned it to him.
A half hour later, as she was writing down two men's order for double cheeseburgers and fries, she saw the moon out of the corner of her eye. It was shining through the window, and the light hit her skin. But Red's skin did not turn to fur. It was official. She would never be a werewolf again.
Red tried to hold her head high. She'd be okay. She needed to move on and stop caring about becoming a wolf. She looked back at the two men, expecting them to yell at her to take care of their orders. That's what she was supposed to do, right? It was her job. But the men were too busy examining her breasts to care. She shrugged. It didn't really matter. At least they didn't care that she'd been daydreaming. "So that's two double cheeseburgers with fries and two cokes, right?" she asked.
"Uh – huh," they both replied, still staring at her chest. She chuckled as she went to give their orders to the cook. If she gave them fish burgers with rice instead, would they even care?
XXXXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOOO
Emma woke up on Saturday with one thing on her mind: seeing Henry. After a week of spending most of her days in her bedroom, Emma would be able to see the person who gave her life joy. Would Henry be okay? She hoped so. Some foster parents could be abusive. What if he had been put in one of those homes? If Henry came home mistreated, no one could stop her from running away with him in the woods. Not her parents, who didn't want her to run away from problems; not that woman who insisted she "follow the rules"; not even Henry himself, who was determined to do his part in this fight. Nothing was more important to Emma than Henry's safety.
As she poured herself a cup of coffee (as excited as Emma was about today, it was morning, so it still required coffee), Ruby had the paper sprawled over the counter. "So, I have about $65 for us to spend today. Which of these yard sales do we want to go to?" Oh. Right. They were supposed to go to the yard sales today. It was probably a good idea.
"How about this one?" Emma pointed to an ad for one of the yard sales in the newspaper. "It's right on Hampden Main street, so it' shouldn't be very hard to find." The others nodded.
"How about this one? It says it has lots of clothes for sale," Mar – Snow asked.
Emma looked at the address. "I think that street is right near the Shop'N Save. It shouldn't be that hard to find, either."
"We should go to the bus stop soon, or we'll miss our chance to go to these yard sales," David commented, looking outside. "Remember, the buses only go to that Hampden town a few times a day." Emma sighed. He was probably right. They all quickly went to the bedrooms to change their shirts and undergarments. Hopefully, soon they would have pants as well.
As they boarded the bus fifteen minutes later, Emma decided she'd rather have Henry have more clothes. She pictured his face when she presented him with new clothes. Maybe she'd even find him a new Game Boy or a new book.
The bus dropped them off in front of the same gas station they had been dropped off at last week. "Let's go to the one near the Shop'N Save first. It's the closest."
So they did. There were a lot of clothes at this yard sale, as it advertised. Emma admired some blue shorts marked at $1. Some of the days were pretty warm right now. It might be nice to have some shorts. They looked like they would fit her. Then she remembered Henry. How could she be thinking of buying clothes for herself when Henry didn't have more than one change of clothes? Henry also had no books or Game Boys. She put the shorts down. If Henry had to be in a foster home, the least Emma could do was make sure she bought things for him before she worried about herself.
Mary – Snow examined a pair of grey pants and a green and brown shirt. She held them up in front of herself nodding. "That looks nice. I think that would fit you pretty nicely," Emma commented, nodding approval.
David, who had been looking at some silverware sets, looked up and laughed. "I love it! It brings back memories."
Snow smiled at him and laughed as well. "Good. That's what I was hopping. I think a little bit of home is a good idea, don't you?" David nodded, obviously happy with the idea. Emma, on the other hand, looked from one parent to the other, trying to figure out what they were talking about. How could an outfit like that remind them of the Enchanted Forest? Didn't they wear ball gowns and suits back there? After all, they were a princes and princesses, right?
Emma was about to ask what they meant when the woman who was running the yard sale looked up as well. "That looks nice on you, Ma'am," she said to Snow. "The pants are $1 and the shirt is $.75." Snow nodded as Red handed the lady her money. But Emma couldn't believe how close she had come to asking about something that she shouldn't be asking in public. And after she had cautioned her mother over and over about that very thing! She'd have to be careful what she said from now on as well.
Red also bought a few pairs of grey and black pants for herself and the one of the silverware sets David had been looking at. They spent about $5. "Emma, why didn't you get those blue pants, well sort – of pant – things - you were looking at earlier?" Snow asked her as they walked away from that yard sale.
Emma shrugged. "I have enough clothes for now, and I'd rather get some things for Henry. He's the one who has to be away from his family right now. He should get all the new things."
Snow nodded. "That makes sense. But Emma, we have quite a bit of money, and things at these 'yard sales' are pretty cheap. There's no reason why you can't get one thing, at least for yourself."
Emma shrugged again. "I'd just like to know Henry has everything he needs first."
Snow sighed. "And I'd like to know you have everything you need. We had so much we wanted to give you back in the Enchanted Forest…a crib, a unicorn mobile, beautiful clothes, teddy bears…the list goes on." Emma nodded. She remembered seeing all of that when she and Snow were in the castle ruins. It was the main thing that really showed her how much her parents had loved her and wanted the best for her when they put her in the wardrobe.
Out loud she replied, "I'll think about it. Hopefully the next yard sale will have some stuff for Henry." Emma opened up the newspaper to see what other yards sales were available in the area. After all, they had only decided on two before they had to hurry to get on the bus.
"Here's another one up the street, near the schools. Toys, games, and hardware. I wish I knew what kind of toys and games they were talking about. What else is there? There's still that other one on Main Street. Why don't we go that way? That one has books, DVDs and clothes. We could try it."
So they all began walking in the other direction. It was tiresome but Emma was getting more used to walking. About half way to their desired location, however, they spotted another sale, inside a garage. "Let's see what this one has first," David suggested. They all agreed.
It had a lot of stuff for a kid, including clothes, games, and books, but they were mostly for a girl. Emma did find some children's detective novels she thought Henry might be interested in, though. He really enjoyed figuring out the secrets of Operation Cobra, after all. Maybe he'd like these, too. The books cost $. 50 all together.
They finally made it to the other yard sale on Main Street. Unfortunately, most of the clothes for the women were a little big. David found several pants and shirts that would probably fit him, however. Mar - Snow didn't seem to mind there weren't any clothes for her. She was too busy admiring the clothes David was looking at. "I think the brown one looks nice," she commented as he held up a brown shirt with short sleeves. "And the blue. I love blue on you," she added as she put a blue buttoned – down shirt in front of him. "It really brings out your eyes."
Emma rolled her eyes and tried to tune them out. Of course she was happy that they were happy, especially after all of the problems they had during the Curse. But sometimes, seeing them act like that…it got a bit much. What else was available to look at here? Ruby was examining some books; they looked like romance novels. Emma shook her head. She had little patience for reading drivel like that. There must be something that would interest Emma on one of these tables. Otherwise, she'd have to keep listening to her parents.
"…What about these?" Snow was saying, holding up a one pair of blue jeans for David, and one pair of dark blue pants. "I think they'd look great on you."
Emma turned around again and desperately looked for something else to concentrate on. She really wished they had some clothes for Henry here. Then suddenly, Emma spotted something in a corner, behind some jewelry displays. Mugs!Perfect. It was a bit warm for hot cocoa right now, but Emma knew Snow would want some in a few months, with cinnamon of course. Which one would she like best? There was one with a dog, but Emma didn't really think her mother was a dog person. There was one that was solid green. It was pretty, but not really Snow. There was one with hearts on it. She might like that. Emma picked it up. $.25. Not bad. She picked up the one with the dog on it. Henry might like this one. After all, he always loved Pongo. And Henry would probably want cinnamon cocoa when it got colder, too.
Then Emma looked at the green one. She had been known to drink cinnamon cocoa herself, especially when she was talking to her mother. Plus, she drank coffee by necessity every morning. She still felt funny, buying something for herself, when she still hadn't found Henry any clothes. But Emma had found some things for Henry to enjoy. And she remembered what Snow had said earlier. There was no reason why she couldn't get at least one thing for herself. The mugs were only $.25 a piece. "Hey Ruby, what do you think of these?" Emma asked, holding up the mugs.
Ruby shrugged, still looking at the romance novels. Snow looked up from admiring David and the clothes she was helping him pick out. "They're nice for your coffee, Emma. But honestly, I don't enjoy coffee, and I don't think anyone else here does either. We probably won't need that many."
Emma smiled and chuckled. "I figured that. But mugs can be used for more than just coffee. Like say, hot cocoa, for example?"
Snow's eyes lit up as she understood what Emma was saying. "Of course! Yes, I think that's a great idea."
Emma smiled back. "I found one for Henry, too. I think he'd like to have his own mug when he comes home for good and the weather gets colder, don't you?"
Snow's eyes lit up even more. "Definitely." Emma knew Snow wasn't just happy Emma had found a mug for Henry. She was happy Emma believed Henry would live with them again.
In the end, Ruby bought a whole pile of romance novels, the three mugs, and four pairs of pants and a few more shirts for David. They spent about $7. "Where should we go next?" Ruby asked Emma, who was still holding the newspaper.
Emma skimmed the paper, looking for other yard or garage sales. "There's one, but it's all the way out on the other side of town. We wouldn't be able to walk there and walk back in time to catch the bus…There's another one, but it says it has mostly baby items… Here's one that should be close by. But it doesn't say what they're selling. Do you guys want to check it out, anyway?"
"Sure," the others all replied.
So they set out for the next sale. It was located on a street just off the main road and the house was the third one in. Emma immediately found what she had been looking for all day: boy's clothes. She pounced on the baskets of clothes in excitement. The first basket had clothes that would be too small for Henry. But the second basket was perfect! Emma picked out several pairs of shorts for Henry, in brown, in green, and in black. Then she found some short sleeve shirts in grey, in blue, and green. She also found a pair of grey pants that would be nice for Henry when it became cooler.
Emma couldn't wait to see Henry's face this afternoon when she showed him all the new things she had bought him. New clothes, new books, and a mug for cocoa when the weather became chilly. Hopefully it would cheer him up while he had to be away from their family.
Emma looked up and saw the others were looking at a table, complete with chairs. "It's not very big, but we only need a table for five people," David was saying.
"It definitely needs to be washed, but I think I could handle that," Mar – Snow added. Emma picked up the clothes she had chosen for Henry and went over to inspect the table.
"What do you think, Emma?" Snow asked, pointing to the table. Emma looked closely. Snow was right; it would need to be washed. She was pretty sure the table was supposed to be green, but it had so much muck on it, it didn't really look green. Still, it wouldn't be that hard to wash it. It also came with five chairs; enough for everyone in their family.
"It would be nice to have a table to eat at instead of eating at the counters," Emma commented, nodding. "But how would we get it back to the apartment? We certainly can't fit it on the bus!"
Snow shrugged. "I hadn't thought of that." The rest of the group stared at the table, pondering what to do.
A tall man with glasses stepped forward. "Are you folks interested in the table?"
Ruby nodded. "We are, but we don't have any way to get it home."
The man nodded. "I have a truck. Could I deliver it for you? It'll cost you an extra $20."
They pondered this. They had about $50 left and the table cost $15. An extra $20 for delivery would leave them with $15. Would it be worth it, to have a table, or should they wait until they could find on with a cheaper delivery? Finally they all nodded slowly. "Would you be willing to wait until around 5:00 or 6:00 PM? We have company coming this afternoon," Emma asked, not wanting the man delivering the table to get in the way of Henry's visit.
The man nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can do that. I'll just put a "sold" sticker on it for you." They nodded again.
Before they left, Emma also chose a pair of blue pants, in addition to the clothes she picked out for Henry. David also found a copy of Sorry! which he thought they could all enjoy playing. Emma wasn't so sure, but she knew Henry would love it, so she agreed. They left the sale with only $4.
But they all agreed it was time to return to the bus stop anyway. So they began the walk back to the gas station.
OOOOOOOOOO
About an hour after they arrived home, that woman and, more importantly Henry walked in the door. Emma ran to him immediately and hugged him fiercely. "How are you doing, Henry?" she asked after she finally let go. "Are they treating you okay in that…foster home?" Emma all but spat out the word. She still couldn't believe she had to let her son live in one of those. If they hurt him in any way…
Henry gave Emma his brave smile. "I'm okay, Mom. I'm doing my part in this fight."
Emma sighed. That was her Henry. But while she admired his bravery, she wanted to know how things really were there. "I'm proud of you Henry…but I need to know. Are they hurting you there?"
Henry shook his head. "No, they're not. It's okay, Mom. Really." Emma looked over her son's body, trying to be discreet, checking for bruises, just in case. There were none. And Henry sounded honest when he said they weren't hurting him. Maybe he was okay.
Then Henry turned to David and Mary Margaret. "Gr –" he began. Then he stopped, seeming to remember that woman was still there, watching them in the background. "Aunt Mary Margaret!" he exclaimed instead, hugging her. She hugged her grandson back and David wrapped his arm around Henry as well.
"I'm glad to see you again, Henry," Mary Margaret told him.
"I found some things at some yard sales for you today, Henry" Emma announced, eager to see his face when she should him his new stuff.
"Here's some new clothes. You can take them back to the…foster home with you." Emma grumbled the word foster home.
Henry looked at them for a second, nodding. "They're nice Mom. Thanks." Henry was obviously like most boys. He understood clothes were necessary, but he didn't really get excited about them. Still he seemed appreciate Emma's gesture.
"And here are some detective books. You can take those back with you, too." Henry spent a few minutes looking at the books; evidently they interested him more than the clothes.
"I thought…since you enjoyed figuring everything out in Storybrooke, you might enjoy reading these," Emma explained as he skimmed a Sherlock Homes novel.
Henry looked up at her, looking confused. She had hoped Henry could figure out what she meant by himself; usually he could. Talking about their lives was very difficult with an outsider present. She couldn't very well explain about Operation Cobra and what it involved with that woman listening to everything Emma said!
"You know…how you knew what was happening in Storybrooke before anyone else. You put it all together, Henry. Like a detective."
Henry looked at her and beamed. "I did, didn't I?" He looked at his books with new interest.
The woman came up to Emma from the background. "So you seem to be interacting with your son well. I had Henry take his blood test this morning. Have you taken yours yet?"
Emma eyes widened in shock. With everything going on this past week including getting used to Henry's absence, helping her family get used to this new world, making sure they didn't say anything they shouldn't in public, making sure she didn't say anything they shouldn't in public, and getting used to her mother's new job, Emma hadn't really thought about the blood test she was supposed to take. She slowly shook her head.
The woman sighed. "I can't recommend you for custody of Henry until you can prove you're his mother, Miss Swan. I suggest you get that blood test soon."
Emma nodded. She'd do that as soon as possible. Mary Margaret worked at the hospital now; she could go with her.
"So have you found a job yet?" the woman continued.
Emma sighed. This wasn't going well. She had thought she was doing so well, since Mary Margaret got a job and she found some things for Henry at the yard sale. But now…what if she'd couldn't get Henry back? "No, not yet. But I still have a lot of applications out," Emma promised. "I should hear from someone soon."
The woman looked at Emma, disappointed. "You should get your court date for the custody hearing mailed to you soon. I suggest you use this time to get your act together. I can tell you really care for your son, and he cares for you, as well as the people you're living with. But unless you can follow the rules and provide for him…he can't stay here."
Emma took a deep breath and reminded herself not to punch the woman. Henry was right to step in front of her last week. It wouldn't help. She thought of something else that might help her case.
"My…sister," Emma began gesturing to Mary Margaret, "got a job at the hospital recently. The money should help us get a bigger place." She had been calling Mary Margaret her roommate, but when she thought about it, it made more sense to call her a sister. Henry called her an "aunt," people were always telling her they looked alike, and it would show this woman they were all Henry's family.
The woman's eyebrows rose. "Really? Your sister, huh?" She looked at Mary Margaret. Emma looked at Mary Margaret, pleading for her go along with this.
Fortunately, Mary Margaret had caught on and seemed to understand it was best to trust Emma's ideas now. "Yes, I'm her sister. Mary Margaret. Henry's close to me, too, as you can see."
The woman smiled positively and wrote something down. Maybe, just maybe…
But now that Henry was done looking at his new books, he seemed at loss what to do or say. Several times, he opened his mouth to say something to someone, only to close it again. Was Henry self – conscious about talking in front of a stranger? Was he worried about talking about…certain things in front of an outsider? Or was he still bothered by Regina's death and unsure how to act around his family? One thing was certain, that woman was watching them and she seemed to like it when Henry acted positively around his family. Would she use this awkwardness against them? Emma couldn't allow that!
She grabbed the copy of Sorry! that David had found earlier. "Hey why don't we all play this? We bought this at the yard sales, too, Henry."
Henry's eyes lit up. "Great! I want to be blue!"
Ruby smiled and sat down as they spread out the game board. "I think I'll be red."
Mary Margaret smiled as well. "I can be green."
"And I'll be yellow." Emma looked over at David. "There's only four colors so…" She hated to leave him out; after all, buying the game was his idea. But what were they going to do if it was only a four player game?"
But Mary Margaret smiled. "He can share with me." David's eyes lit up as he sat down next to her. Emma rolled her eyes. Of course. Why didn't she think of that? But Henry seemed to love the idea of his grandparents sharing a color even more than the idea of all of them playing a game. So Emma let it go.
For the next two hours they played the game. They had so much fun, they forgot all about the woman in the background watching them. Finally the woman announced it was time for Henry to go. After a lot of hugs, Henry disappeared again, clutching his bag of detective novels. Emma also made sure he had his new clothes with him.
Emma sighed. At least it was a little easier to watch him leave than it was last time. He had some gifts that would remind him of Emma. And Henry said the foster family wasn't hurting him. Hopefully that would remain the case. But still…watching him disappear from her sight…Everything in Emma wanted to run back to Henry and take him away from that woman! She sighed.
Just as they had last Saturday, her parents wrapped their arms around Emma as she stared out the window. When Emma finally turned around, Mary Margaret grinned. "So I'm your sister, huh?"
Emma sighed. "Oh. About that. Look, I know you'd rather tell people who you really are. You know that your my…um…mother. But in this world…no one would believe it. It's a lot easier to say we're sisters. That way we can still say we're family. People would believe that. After all we look a lot alike."
Mary Margaret smiled. "Don't worry. I think it's a good idea."
"Well, you can thank Henry for it, not me. I didn't get the idea until he called you "Aunt." He's pretty smart, you know." Emma's voice glowed with pride in her son.
"I'm getting that idea," David smiled as well. "But I think you're pretty smart yourself, Emma."
I'd really be interested in what my readers think of these chapters, so I'd love some more reviews. Thanks for those who have already reviewed, followed, and favorited the story.
If you are interested, the outfit Snow bought at the yard sale was supposed to be similar to the one she wore in "Snow Fall" when she met Charming. Only it looked more street dress/modern and less furs Emma didn't know that because, in my mind, she didn't read her parents story.