Chapter Seven
Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also this is a sequel to the original "Thicker than Water" written by La Lisboa.
Emma took the bus to the hospital about mid – morning to do her blood test. She had thought about riding in with Mary – Snow, but her shift started at 8:00AM. That was a little early for Emma to get up and ready if she didn't have to. She was fine going in at 10:00 AM, instead.
She went in the main entrance and marched up to the front desk to ask where the lab was. The sooner she got this blood test taken care of, the sooner Henry could really be hers. She was directed to take the stairs down the hall, and then follow the arrows marked "laboratory."
As Emma made her way through the hospital, she thought about how strange it was that her mother had a job cleaning this place. Especially since she was Snow White, not Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret was a great schoolteacher, of course. But she kept a clean apartment and she was so cautious and quiet. Exactly how Emma always pictured a maid to be. But Snow White? She was strong and forceful. She was a princess. Emma knew her mother was just happy to have a job so she could help Emma get Henry back, and she was grateful. But still…it was really hard to picture Princess Snow White as a maid. The image of her in a ball gown, scrubbing floors and washing windows appeared in Emma's mind. Emma shook her head and chuckled.
After that image cleared from her mind, Emma paused to make sure she was still following the arrows so she could find the lab. Then she sighed. It occurred to her how little she really knew about her parents' past. Henry knew a lot more than she did, after all the time he spent reading their stories in his fairytale book. But Emma had never really bothered to read much of it. In the beginning, Emma hadn't believed in the Curse. As much as she knew the book was important to Henry, and she humored him about the Curse, she didn't want to spend too much time discussing it. After the Curse broke…well the first few weeks Emma and Snow had been stuck in the Enchanted Forest. Then, there had been so much going on, with Regina's framing, finding Neal/Balefire, and dealing with Cora, and then Tamara that Emma didn't have much time to breathe, much less read.
Emma paused again to find the arrows on the ground. She shook her head again. That wasn't the whole truth, actually. She did look over the book last year a little. She just didn't bother with her parents' story. As much as she learned to care…and even love them, reading their story was just too overwhelming. Seriously, Snow White and Prince Charming? How could she deal with that? Still, Snow's casual attitude about her job…it made Emma wonder. What was her parents' life like back in the Enchanted Forest? Emma knew the basics. They had problems with King George and Regina. Regina had forced her mother to hide in the forest in order to survive. Regina poisoned her mother with an apple. David woke her up and they "took back the kingdom" and set up residence in the castle Snow that showed Emma the ruins of. But what else? How did Snow White become so skilled with bows and arrows? What was David's childhood like? Maybe someday, she'd be brave enough to ask.
Emma finally reached the laboratory and marched right up to the desk. "I need to take a blood test. To prove I'm the biological mother of my son."
The woman at the desk nodded. She was an older woman, in her fifties, maybe with graying hair and glasses perched on the end of her nose. She handed Emma a form and a pen. "You need to fill this out. When you're done, give it back to me and someone will be right with you."
Emma began filling out basic information such as name, date of birth, and social security number. But when she got to payment, she stopped short. It said DNA tests were not covered by insurance (not that it mattered, since she didn't currently have health insurance). But the test cost $500! Where was she going to get that kind of money? Ruby didn't even have it! All of Ruby's pay checks had to be saved to pay the rent, and most of her tip money had to be saved for buying food and doing laundry. Furthermore, her cell phone bill was coming up. She had a little left over, but certainly not enough to pay $500!
Emma slammed her form on to the lady's desk, unfinished. "I can't do this, after all," she snapped at the woman. Then she left the hospital as fast as she could without running into anyone. It was official. She was never going to get Henry back. No one she knew had that kind of money, and that woman made it very clear she couldn't win the custody fight without a DNA test.
Somehow, instead of going home, Emma ended up sitting down on a bench outside the hospital. The area was set up like a small park, with a few trees, many brightly colored flowers, and a stone walkway. She stared at the sky for what it seemed like hours, trying not to cry. Henry wasn't coming home. She couldn't do it. Maybe she'd do what she should have done to begin with. Take Henry back to the woods and simply live there. It would be better than forcing Henry to live with that…foster home forever!
But as Emma got up, she realized she had no idea where Henry's foster home was. She'd have to wait until Saturday to see him. She sat back down on the bench. Of course, taking Henry back to the woods with that woman watching Emma's every move would be difficult, but she'd figure something out. Maybe she'd just punch the woman's lights out and take off.
As Emma continued think of ideas of how she could bring Henry with her to the forest again, her cell phone rang. She almost dropped it, she was so surprised. But instead, she answered the call. "Hello, Emma Swan," she said into the receiver.
"Hello, Miss Swan," replied an unfamiliar voice. "This is the Chief of the Hampden Police Department. Are you still interested in a job with the Hampden PD?"
Emma's mouth dropped open. Here she was, preparing to run away like a criminal, and the police department still wanted to hire her? "Yes, of course, I'm interested," she replied after a few seconds.
"Okay," replied the police chief. "In that case, we'd like you to come down to the station for an interview tomorrow at 11:00AM."
"Of course," Emma agreed happily. Then she paused for a minute. The Hampden Police Department. Wasn't that the department that didn't think she could do the job just because she was a woman? "No disrespect or anything," Emma began. "But didn't you make it perfectly clear you didn't think I could join your department because of my gender? If you still believe that, I'm not going to waste my time coming down for an interview."
The man on the other end sighed. "That's true. I did. And I'm still not used to hiring females. But the truth is… your attitude about how you could do the job impressed me, Miss Swan. I need officers that aren't afraid to take any junk."
Emma nodded. "Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow." Then she hung up her phone. Things had definitely improved today. If she got a job at the police department, it would really impress the social worker. It would also help their family afford a bigger place. Could she possibly earn enough money to take the blood test herself? She smiled. She couldn't wait to tell Mary Margaret, or Snow or whatever.
Then Emma stopped short at that thought. Was that why she had stayed at the park? So she could talk to her mother? It certainly wasn't because of the scenery! Emma had been planning on living in the woods to keep Henry, but actually…outdoors, trees, flowers, it wasn't really her thing. Emma sighed. She had stayed so she could have comfort from her mother. She smiled. Snow would love to hear that. But now she could share something even better: great news. Emma was on her way to getting a job.
Now as Emma sat on the bench, she thought about how different her meeting with that woman would go this Saturday, especially if she did get a job. Emma would tell her she not only had a job, but a steady income. That income could be used to find a bigger apartment and pay for her blood test, as well as taking care of Henry. Mary Margaret was considered family now, and not just a roommate (she silently thanked her son for that idea), so Henry had a lot of family living with them. And it was obvious to anyone how much Henry adored David.
Suddenly Emma's thoughts stopped. David. Since she told the social worker Mary Margaret was Emma's sister, the woman would be looking into her background thoroughly, just as she had Emma's. She would soon realize Mary Margaret Blanchard wasn't married. And it was clear to anyone that Mary Margaret and David were in a relationship. Emma knew enough about foster care to know that a social worker would never place a child with a couple that wasn't married. Her parents were going to have to get married again. Soon.
Finally, Mary Margaret walked out the hospital, obviously heading right for the bus stop. Would she even notice Emma? But to her surprise, Mary Margaret's eyes landed on Emma's within a couple of minutes and she ran over, smiling. "Hi, Emma! Is it your turn to ride home with me?"
Emma wasn't sure what Mary Margaret was talking about. But it didn't really matter. "I came to the hospital to get that blood test the social worker wanted me to do. You know, to prove I'm Henry's biological mother." Mary Margaret nodded. "But I found out I can't do that today because it costs $500. Ruby doesn't even have that money to give me in a week. So I was pretty upset for a while about that –"
Mary Margaret cut her off. "There has to be some way we can get you the money, Emma. Maybe if we talk to Granny and the dwarves; they could pool their money together for you. We will get Henry back; don't worry."
Emma nodded, smiling as well. "That's actually not a bad idea. But while I was waiting, I got a call from the Hampden Police Department. They want me to come over for an interview tomorrow! I could have my own job soon. Maybe I'll even be able to pay for the blood test myself!" Emma eyes gleamed with excitement at that prospect.
Mary Margaret leaned over and gave her a hug. Emma felt slightly uncomfortable with that; after all they were still in public. But she let Mary Margaret do it anyway. Then they began walking to the bus stop. "Wait. The Hampden Police Department? Wasn't that the one that didn't think you could do the job because you're a woman?"
Emma nodded as they walked. "Yeah. I asked him about that. He said he doesn't usually hire women. But I impressed him when I made it clear I'd didn't care for chauvinists. He said he needed people that could…stand up against other people, I guess." Emma shrugged.
Mary Margaret smiled. "I found some knights were like that back in our land. They didn't think I could fight, but when I made it clear I could…they had a lot of respect for that."
Emma was about to ask more about that; she had decided she wanted to learn more about her parents' past, after all. But just then the bus drove up, and Emma closed her mouth. They couldn't talk about that in public.
XXXXXXXXXX
David was skimming the newspaper, looking for new job openings while Red was busy with one of her new books. He was a little concerned that Emma hadn't returned yet. She had left three hours ago to take that blood test. But surely she'd be finished with that by now. So where was Emma? Still, if she was really in trouble, she'd signal him with that communication device, right? Besides, Snow would be home soon. Maybe Emma would return with her. If she didn't, David would talk to Snow about looking for Emma.
He sighed. There didn't seem to be any new job openings today. Just then, Emma and Snow walked in. David broke into a wide smile. He was right! They were together. Emma was fine.
Or at least, he thought Emma was fine. The expression on her face was hard to read, especially since he unfortunately hadn't known Emma that long. She marched right in front of him and announced, "You guys are going to have to get married again."
David had no idea where that idea was coming from. From the look on her face, neither did Snow. "What?" he asked Emma. Snow just stared blankly at Emma.
"Look, I know you're married. And you," Emma pointed to him and Snow, "know you're married. But in this world, your identities are not…Snow White and Prince Charming. They're David Nolan and Mary Margaret Blanchard. And those identities aren't married."
David nodded, beginning to understand. He certainly didn't want others thinking Snow wasn't his wife. "Okay. That makes sense," Snow also agreed.
"Not only that," Emma continued. "But since I told that woman, the social worker that…Mary Margaret was my sister, she'll be looking more thoroughly into her background."
Snow looked confused. "What's wrong with my background? I thought you said know one in this world would be able to tell who we really were?"
Emma nodded. "They won't. She'll only look in your background as Mary Margaret Blanchard. But she will find out that Mary Margaret wasn't married. And that will make her question," Emma look at David, "why he's living here. It could lead to problems with Henry living with us again."
David eyes widened. He knew how important winning the fight about Henry was to Emma.
Snow nodded as well. "Don't worry, Emma. We'll do anything to help you get Henry back."
Emma looked immensely relieved. Did she really think they would have a problem with her request? "Okay, then let's go get a marriage license from city hall."
Red came in from the next room. "Okay, I overheard a little bit. I think you guys getting married again is a great idea. But how will we afford it? A wedding is costly. And with only two of us working right now..." Red shrugged uncertainly.
David shrugged. "I'm sure we'll figure out something. Emma says we need to do this to get Henry back. And I don't want to live in a world where I'm not married to Snow, anyway." His wife smiled at him at that comment.
Emma flipped her hand, indicating Red's concern wasn't an issue. "We don't have to have a big wedding, anyway. Just file a marriage license and ask a judge to perform the ceremony. It will cost something, yes, but nothing we can't handle. Especially since I may be getting a job soon. More about that later. Can we go down to city hall now and get this taken care of?"
They all marched down to the familiar bus station and quickly boarded a bus that would take them to Bangor City Hall. As soon as they arrived, they realized it would be a rather long wait, as the line went all across the room. Emma groaned. David had realized that Emma had a lot of Snow's impatience in her. Fortunately, he was used dealing with impatient women and knew how to handle them. "Emma," he whispered as they stood in the line. "Didn't you say you might have a job soon? What kind of job is it?
Emma nodded; looking a little surprised David appeared so interested in her life. It made David sad. Life had treated his daughter harshly. David knew that would be the case when Henry had told him he put Emma in the wardrobe by herself. But moments like these, showed David just how hard her life really had been. Was it really that hard to believe someone was interested in Emma's life and what she did with it?
Emma remained lost in thought for a couple of minutes. Finally, Snow's patience obviously won out. "Emma?" she asked softly, bringing Emma's mind back to the present. "David asked you what kind of job?"
Emma chuckled. "I know. I was just thinking about…some things." She didn't say what, but the way she said it indicated it had to do with things they agreed not to talk about in public. "Anyway, I might be getting a job in law enforcement. I got a call from the Hampden Police Department today. They want me to come in for an interview tomorrow."
"That's great," David replied, his eyes lighting up. "More than great, actually. Didn't you say that law enforcement was 'your place'?" This was wonderful news! His daughter may not just have a job to help her get Henry back, but one of the jobs she had said really fit her.
"Can I ask you a question, though?" David asked, remembering something. "While we were…separated," David began slowly, approaching this topic carefully. He to make sure he didn't say too much in public about the time after Storybrooke blew up. "Henry told me you used to be a bounty hunter. Why don't you do that again?" The others nodded, interested in her answer as well.
Emma smiled at David and the others. She was obviously enjoying having people interested in her. It was wonderful to see. "Because being a bounty hunter is a job that requires you to travel a lot, chasing the runaway criminals all over the place. That's not a job I want if I'm going to do the job that's most important to me right now: being Henry's mom. And they'd never let me have Henry back if I went back to bounty hunting, anyway. Because of what I just said. But I might be able to use my background as bounty hunter to get the job at the police department, if I'm lucky." She shrugged. "That's how I got the deputy's job in Storybrooke."
"I know you'll get that job, Emma. And you'll be great at it," David assured her. He made it clear he was talking about both jobs that were important to Emma: The job in the police department and being Henry's mom.
Snow looked at the line. "We're next." They stepped up to the desk.
"We need to file for a marriage license, please," Emma told the woman behind the desk. At the woman's confused look, she added, "They're planning on getting married." She pointed to David and Snow.
The woman, who looked to be about David's mother's age right before she died, smiled back at them in understanding. "You need to fill out this form." She handed them a sheet of paper that said "Application for a Marriage License." "When it's finished, return it here along with thirty dollars, in cash or check. I'll give you the license when you're done." David and the others nodded. That didn't sound too hard, although he had to wonder why this world seemed so obsessed with paperwork. Seriously, he needed permission to marry a woman he was already married to? It made no sense. But Emma said it was necessary and David trusted his daughter.
The group gathered around a small table in the office to fill out the form. He and Snow both filled out their names in this world; that was easy enough. But…date of birth? How did that work? "Do you know the answer for this?" David whispered to Emma, confused. "I was born on…well, I won't say it here, but it probably doesn't make sense in this world."
Snow nodded in agreement.
Emma looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. Then she discretely pulled the picture Snow kept in her bag out. "The date you were supposed to be born would be on this." Snow found the number and wrote it down. David nodded, remembering he had one of those pictures as well. He found the number that was listed as his date of birth and wrote that down as well. Interesting. According to his picture, he was thirty – one years old.
He and Snow continued taking turns filling out the form. Some of the questions David found to be pretty intrusive. Seriously, whose business was it whether he had been married before? But he hadn't, so it didn't really matter. But as he started on that question, Emma stopped him. "Actually…you're going to have to say yes to that question." David couldn't have been more shocked if he had been told his face was bright blue. What was Emma talking about? How could he have been married before?
As he started to ask (Snow seemed pretty interested in that question as well), Emma shook her head. "I'll explain later, with less prying ears," she whispered. "Right now all you need to know is that David was married before, and his divorce date was April 23, 2012." David grumbled and wrote that down. But seriously, he was married before? To someone who wasn't Snow? How was that possible and why didn't he remember it? Why would he ever marry anyone else?
"You," Emma pointed at Snow, "weren't married before, so you're fine." Well, that was good to know. It made it a little less complicated that Snow hadn't married anyone else. Among other things, David didn't have to worry about punching some other guy for doing…who knows what with his wife! Although from the look on Snow's face…some other woman may be getting punched soon. Why would he ever marry someone else? He shook his head in bewilderment.
They finally finished the form and got back in the line. Fortunately it was a lot shorter this time, so it only took a few minutes to get up to the front. They handed the woman the form, along with Red's thirty dollars. The woman smiled and nodded. She moved her fingers on something and then handed them another form. "This is the marriage license. You'll have to wait at least three weeks between today and when you have the ceremony performed. This," she pointed to one space, "is where the officiator will sign. You'll also need at least two witnesses for your marriage ceremony. They don't have to be eighteen but they do need to be old enough to understand what they are witnessing. This," she pointed to two spaces at the bottom of the piece of paper, "is where the witnesses sign." Do you understand?" No actually, David didn't understand. He didn't understand why this paperwork was necessary. He didn't understand how he possibly could have been married to anyone else. And he didn't understand why he had to wait three weeks to marry Snow, especially considering he was already married to her!
But that wasn't what the woman was asking. She meant did they understand how to fill out the form in order to get married. So he said, "Yes."
"Yeah, I understand," Snow added as well, nodding.
"Okay," said the woman behind the desk. "Then you're all set."
They all left for home. As soon as they arrived David hoped Emma would explain more.
After they all entered the apartment, Snow looked at Emma and said, "Well? Start talking. How could David have married someone else? And why didn't we know about it?" David put his hands on her, trying to calm her down. She was impatient, as always. But he hoped she remembered not take this situation out on Emma.
Snow smiled at him, and then turned back to Emma. "Sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. This is just…I mean…" her voice trailed off, apparently unable to form words of how she felt about this situation. David certainly didn't blame her. He couldn't figure out the right emotions, either.
Emma sighed. "It's okay." She took a deep breath and began. "Okay, so you know that Storybrooke was under Regina's Curse for twenty – eight years, right?"
They all nodded.
"So Regina gave you all fake memories of your lives," Emma continued.
They all nodded again. "So Regina gave Charming a different wife for twenty – eight years?" Snow asked, appalled. David wasn't thrilled about it either. It's too bad Regina was already dead. He'd like to kill her for making him spend twenty – eight years with a different wife! He reminded himself that Regina had regretted what she did before she died. Still, it was hard to remember that the more he was told about this Curse Regina had cast.
But Emma shook her head. "Actually…no, not really. David was injured…just before the Curse hit. He spent twenty – eight years in a coma in Storybrooke." They all nodded, indicating Emma should continue. "But when he woke up…that's when Regina gave him a different wife. And fake memories of a life with…that wife." Emma looked at the floor. She didn't appear to be enjoying talking about this anymore than they enjoyed hearing about it.
David decided to end this conversation now. Emma had told them enough. "Well, at least I ended the marriage, eventually," he commented, trying to look at the bright side.
Red nodded. "That's the important thing," she agreed.
Emma nodded. "Sure," she replied, carefully. It was obvious she was leaving something out, but David told himself it didn't matter.
"Who was this…other wife?" Snow asked, sounding a little possessive. She put her hands around him, as if she was trying to stake her claim. David smiled at Snow, showing her attitude didn't bother him. He actually thought it was cute.
"Her name was Kathryn in Storybrooke. I don't know who her name was in your world." Emma shrugged. "So we need to find a judge that could perform the ceremony in at least three weeks," she continued, getting them back to what was important. She picked up the phonebook and began skimming its pages.
The others nodded. "We should try to find a time when Henry is able to come, too," David commented as the thought occurred to him. He wanted to make sure his grandson still felt like a part of the family even though Henry wasn't living with them right now.
"Of course," the others agreed.
Emma stopped skimming through the phone book as she obviously realized something. "Oh! David…I know this should be up to you…but do you think maybe Henry could be one of the witnesses?" She held up the marriage license and pointed to the spot for witnesses to sign. "It really would mean a lot to him. He…ah…puts a lot of value on you guys and your relationship."
David nodded immediately. That was a wonderful idea! "Definitely," he replied. Snow nodded as well, her eyes lighting up as she did so.
"We'd have to take him shopping this weekend," Emma continued. "He'd need at least some dressier pants to wear to a wedding. I'll have to talk to the social worker about that."
Snow nodded. "It might be a good idea for us to look at some dresses, too," she commented, gesturing to the two other women in the group.
Emma made a face. Apparently she didn't like dressing up very much. Still, she nodded. "I suppose so. We should get you guys some rings, anyway."
David couldn't hide the disappointment on his face. What was wrong with the ring Snow already had? It was his mother's ring. It was how he had met his Snow.
Snow shook her head. "No. I'll go along with what we need to do for this wedding, Emma, but I'm not changing rings. This one," she twirled the ring on her finger. "It means too much." David's heart soared at his wife's words. That ring meant as much to her as it did to him.
Emma smiled at them. "Don't worry about that. You can keep wearing that ring if you want. The rings I was talking about getting are called wedding bands. They're plain gold, and they're used in the modern wedding ceremony. A lot of people wear them afterwards, too…to prove that they're married."
They shrugged. "That doesn't sound so bad, then," David commented, grinning. Snow smiled as well as Red.
Snow looked at Red, "I'll be getting my first pay check from the hospital soon, so I'll pay for the shopping this time. You shouldn't have to pay for everything anymore."
"Okay," Red replied, nodding.
Emma went back to skimming through the phone book, trying to find some judges they could call that would marry them. Finally she found the page. They spent the next twenty minutes trying to find a judge that would be willing to marry David and Snow on a Saturday (when Henry would be with them). But no judges were willing to work on a Saturday. Emma mentioned a pastor could do it on a Saturday, but they probably wouldn't be willing to perform the ceremony within a few weeks. And that meant they could have trouble getting Henry back if Snow and David weren't married by their hearing. A wedding at a church would cost a lot more, anyway. So that was out.
Finally, they settled on a Judge that would be willing to marry them (again) on Friday, September 14, at 4:30 in the afternoon. Emma was just going to have to make the social worker see reason. It was very important that Henry be able to attend this wedding, both to them and to him. Could Henry be allowed to come on Friday afternoon, just that one time? David knew Emma could do it. Emma was like him. She was very determined when there was something she wanted or needed. She could even reason with the woman who had taken her child.
The Judge's name was Sinclair and his court was in Brewer. It wasn't that far; only the next town over. He seemed very friendly. David was happy such a nice man would be marring him and Snow in this world. He even asked if he and Snow wanted to write their own wedding vows. David and Snow decided they'd like to almost immediately. There were so many things he'd like to say to Snow in vows that made sense only to the two of them. From the look on her face as they discussed it, she felt the same way.
Emma finally got off her phone, smiling. "It's okay! Henry can come to the wedding. I even got her to agree to let us take him shopping this Saturday. They're going to meet us in front of the Wal – Mart."
David, Snow, and Red beamed. "That's great Emma." David would've liked to give his daughter a hug, but he wasn't sure how she'd respond. It would be better, he figured, if she initiated the physical contact. So he settled for words. "I'm proud of you for reasoning with her. I know she's not a woman you like to deal with."
Emma smiled back. "Yeah. I don't. Thanks."
Red looked at the time. "I have to get to the restaurant. Se you guys later." They all nodded, trying not to think about what went on the place where Red worked.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Snow had called the dwarves after dinner. After all, Snow couldn't get married again without her brothers in attendance. They (and Granny) agreed to come immediately. So Snow was in a great mood that night. So was David, actually. There was plenty to be excited about. Emma had a job interview for a position she really wanted, he and Snow were going to marry and celebrate their love again, and all of their family was going to attend.
When they retired to their bedroom that night, Snow smiled slyly at him. "How are the burns?"
David smiled and shrugged, having a good idea where she was going with this. "I don't feel anything anymore. I think they're all gone."
"Let me see," Snow replied, taking off his shirt and then his bandages. Her smile grew even bigger at what she found. "You're all set, Charming." To double check, she ran her hands over the scar tissue, watching his face.
David would have pretended he was healed if he needed to, with what she obviously had in mind. But in reality, he didn't need to. His chest didn't hurt at all anymore. At least, not that kind of pain anyway. When Snow saw he really was okay, she grinned, her face full of mischief. Then she pushed him on their air mattress and jumped on top of him.
He laughed as he wrapped his arms around Snow. "Mmmhhhhmmm, I love it when you get aggressive." He crushed his lips against hers. They both began kissing and hands roamed for a couple of minutes.
Then Snow removed her lips from his and began planting kisses on the new scars on his chest. David meanwhile, attempted to take off her shirt. After a few minutes however, David noticed a change in his wife's enthusiasm. She was still kissing him…but it was like her mind was elsewhere. He quickly finished taking off her shirt, then he looked into her eyes. "Snow, what is it?"
She shrugged and looked away from him. "Nothing." Then she gave him another kiss, a little rougher this time.
He sighed. Her kiss was a little possessive, so he was beginning to have an idea what was upsetting her. But he still had to make sure. "Snow, tell me what's bothering you." He stroked her cheek.
She sighed and put her head on his chest. "It's silly….It's just…it occurred to me…since Emma said you were married to someone else during the Curse…that you probably…did this with someone else too."
He sighed, understanding why that would bother her. He ran his hand up and down her arm as he spoke. "Yeah. I suppose so. But that doesn't mean I loved her. I divorced her, too, remember? Sex can be just that: a physical act. Or it can be what we have: making love. I love you, Snow."
She smiled up at him, with her head still on his chest. "I love you, Charming."
He looked at her tenderly. "See, that's the difference. Now don't worry about that any more. It's not important. This is what's important." He pulled her face up to his and kissed her, long and deep as his hands worked on unfastening her bra.
"Mmmmhhhhhhmmm," Snow moaned as he continued kissing her and rubbing his hands over her breasts. "You're right," she agreed as they finally broke the kiss. She began undoing the fastener on his pants. "This is what's important."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOOO
Unfortunately for Emma, her interview for the Hampden Police department was at 11:00AM, but the buses only went to Hampden three times a day. Those times were 8:00AM, 12:00PM, and 5:00PM. So in order for her to be on time for interview, Emma had to get up a little earlier than she was used to, ride the bus, and then hang around the town for three hours. It was very thrilling. Or not, actually.
But Emma knew how important this interview was to her future. If this interview went well, she might be able to get the job. And the job could help her get Henry back permanently. It could also help her family with the finances. Finally, if Emma could get a job in law enforcement, she could help protect people,
as she had in Storybrooke. It was, as she had told David, a job that really fit her.
So Emma grumbled as she got up at 7:00AM that morning, searching for the coffee. After she managed to drink a cup, she quickly ate a bowl of cornflakes and put on a nice pair of grey pants that she had found at the yard sales the other day, as well as a blue blouse.
Her parents and Red wished her luck on her interview and Emma was off. She was dropped off at the gas station that her and her family was picked up at a week and half ago.
OOOOOOOOOO
About two hours later, it was finally time for Emma to walk up to the Hampden Police department. She folded the newspaper and put in her purse. She wasn't entirely sure what some of the articles were about, since she had been so busy thinking about her interview. Maybe she'd read it in a while.
She arrived at the police department about a half an hour later. "Hello," she said as she walked in. "I'm Emma. Emma Swan.
The man at the desk was the same guy who had given her a hard time before because she was a woman. She took a deep breath. The man had told her on the phone he was okay with that. She walked confidently over to him. "Hello, Emma. Thank you for coming in. I'm Charles Winslow; the Police Chief here." He held out his hand.
He certainly seemed civil enough now. Emma smiled slowly and shook his hand. "Let's go into the next room," he told her getting up and pointing to the door behind him. Emma nodded. As they sat down at in an interview room, the police chief looked at her squarely in the eye. "I have to warn you before we get started that as a requirement for this job, you will have to take a polygraph test. What we'll do is ask you a series of questions. Then we'll hook you up to the polygraph and ask you the same questions. It is imperative that you not lie on anything. Do you understand?"
Emma gulped. Getting her job as a bounty hunter had been much easier. All she had to do was prove she was able to find the criminals and was physically able to capture them. Getting this job would be a lot more difficult. What if they asked her about her troubled past? What if they asked her about her family or Storybrooke? How could she tell the truth about those things? For a second she considered forgetting about this job and getting in touch with the bounty hunters again. They had made it clear she could come back to them any time she wanted. Then she remembered Henry. For his sake, she had to try everything she could to get this job, or one with another police force. So she looked at the police chief in the eye and replied, "Yes. I understand."
"Okay. Then let's begin. Have you ever been in trouble with the law before?"
Emma gulped. This was exactly what she was hoping he wouldn't ask. If she said "yes," they probably wouldn't hire her. If she said "no", they would know she was lying when they used the polygraph. Still, maybe if she explained the circumstances, the man would be okay with it. "Yes. Once was when I was a minor. I got myself involved with…stealing some watches…for a friend of mine." Emma was trying not to think about that too much. She had tried to burry Neal and jail in her mind for years because it wasn't a time she was proud of. Now she was trying to burry Neal in her mind for different reasons.
The police chief nodded, showing no emotion. Should she mention the time she was arrested in Storybrooke, too? It wasn't as if it was a real arrest. But the polygraph… "And about two years ago, I was arrested in a town called Storybrooke. It was only a small crime, though, and I was set up." The police chief nodded again, still showing no emotion.
"Okay. Moving on…I understand from your resume that you used to be in the bail bonds business?"
Emma nodded. "That's correct."
"You help apprehend a lot of runaway criminals?" he continued.
Emma nodded again. "Yes," she replied confidently.
"What methods did you use?"
Emma shrugged. "A combination of putting pieces together to figure out where they were, undercover work, and physical force."
The police chief nodded and again showed no emotion, although he wrote something down. "Why did you quit the business? It would seem to me that job would be more exciting for you than being a police officer in a small town, not to mention easier to go back to."
"I quit because I wanted to spend more time with my son. And that's why I don't want to go back to it, either, even though it would be more exciting and easier to back to. That's not a good job for a mother, much less a single mother. I need a job where I don't have to travel all the time."
The police chief nodded again, writing something down. "Some of this job requires you to work night shifts. Would you be able to do that, since you have a son?"
Emma nodded. "I don't see a problem with that. I live with several other…roommates, who would still be with him." She and Mary Margaret had agreed to be sisters in this world, but if she called her that when she had to take a polygraph test, it could be a disaster. Best stick with "roommates" for now. "And my son is twelve years old now. He's quite mature. He could stay home alone for a couple of hours if he needed to."
The police chief nodded and wrote something down again, although he still showed no emotion. "Most of my officers today have four – year degrees. Why do you expect to get this job with no college experience at all?
Emma bit her lip, hoping she was discrete about it. She supposed it was a good question. But she couldn't show any nervousness, or she'd never get the job. "I may not have formal education, but I have a lot of experience in law enforcement. I worked for the bail bonds department, as you have already stated. I was a deputy's sheriff and then a full sheriff in Storybrooke for a about a year and a half. I was even able to use my…problems in the past to help some kids from making the same mistakes I did. I used my experience to apprehend a lot criminals, keep order, and protect innocent people." As Emma talked she thought about a lot of the criminals she helped apprehend as a bounty hunter and as a sheriff. She thought of the kids she helped, especially the Zimmers. (or should she say Hansel and Gretel?) If she got this job, she could do that again.
The chief of police nodded. "Okay, let's talk about the jobs in this Storybrooke. How were you able to get a job like a deputy sheriff and full sheriff with no college degree?"
Emma sighed. That was a complicated question. She had a feeling that part of the reason why she got the deputy's job was because Graham didn't really support Regina, even though he didn't think about it that way consciously. Still, there was an official answer to that question. "It was a small town, so there weren't many other people interested in law enforcement. There also weren't that many newcomers coming in." Actually, there were no newcomers in twenty – eight years except her. "I was the only one with any background in law enforcement at all when the sheriff offered me the deputy job. He had no deputy before that."
The police chief nodded and wrote something down. His face showed no emotion. "And about the sheriff's job? How did that happened?"
Emma sighed. Thinking about this still made her a little sad, although she had gotten over it a long time ago. "The sheriff died and the town elected me to replace him," she replied, giving the man the short answer.
The chief of police nodded again. "That brings me to why you left this Storybrooke. If you had a good, stable job in law enforcement there, why did you leave? Especially since you had a higher rank there than you would here?"
Emma looked at the ground for a second. As weird as Storybrooke could be, she would have rather stayed there. Her family was a lot more at home there. More importantly, Henry's custody wouldn't be an issue. But they didn't have a choice. Still, how could she explain this to a man who didn't understand magic? Especially since she couldn't answer these questions with even a little white lie? "Storybrooke was destroyed in an explosion, so we all had to leave," she answered, simply looking right in his eyes. Hopefully that was enough for the man.
The man nodded again. "Okay. That's all the questions I have. Now I'm going to hook you up to the polygraph and ask the same questions." He disappeared for a second and returned with a polygraph machine. Then he hooked it up to Emma's wrist. "Do you know how this works? I'm going to ask you two questions which you'll say yes to calibrate the machine, and then we'll begin." Emma nodded. "Is your name Emma Swan?"
"Yes," Emma replied calmly. The polygraph beeped and moved steadily as it measured her heart rate.
"Are you also the President of the United States?"
"Yes," Emma replied. The polygraph beeped excessively and moved all over the page as it measured her heart rate.
"Okay. No let's begin." Emma took a deep breath and reminded herself she was fine as long as she didn't tell any lies. He asked her the same questions he had before, and easily passed the polygraph test. "Thank you, Miss Swan. I'll let you know about the job later in the week."
"Thank you Chief," Emma replied shaking the man's hand. Hopefully she had impressed the chief enough for him to consider her for the job. It was kind of hard to tell, since he showed no emotion one way or the other during the entire interview.
So was that enough Snowing romance for you?
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