Thicker than Water Part II

by Sara K M

Sequel to the original Thicker than Water. The Charmings' have found each other (again), after Storybrooke was destroyed. Now they face even more challenges as they adjust to life in the real world. Pairings: Mostly Snowing and also minor Abirick. Eventual Captain Swan and Red/OC

11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also this is a sequel to the original "Thicker Than Water," which was written by La Lisboa. Furthermore, I don't own the rights to the book The Notebook which is mentioned in this chapter.

Warring: Some spoilers for the story The Notebook. (Either the book or the movie; the one that is mentioned is the book, but the scenes I discuss occur in the movie as well.)

I should probably thank La Lisboa again for betaing and letting me use her story as a starting point again. (I haven't mentioned that for a while.)

When David arrived at the farm on Monday morning, Bill Collins instructed him to go in the house. There, he would to fill out some paperwork now that he had the job officially. David was overjoyed to have the job officially, but he really wished he didn't have to worry about paperwork. It seemed all he had done since he remembered coming to this world was paperwork. So he grumbled and groaned as he filled out document after document. Enough all ready! He thought to himself. David wanted to be outside working with the animals again. At least he had filled out enough of these to know what to do, he supposed.

As he tried to finish writing the endless papers, David remembered something. "I need Saturday's off. We have…family business that day." David wasn't sure how many details he should give about people taking Henry away. He still didn't really understand how or why it happened, but Emma insisted it was legal and people accepted it. So if people accepted that children would be taken away, did it make them enemies in Henry's situation? David thought Bill Collins seemed nice, but he wasn't taking chances.

Bill nodded. "Of course. Emma mentioned you'd like at least Saturday afternoons off because her son visited that day."

"That's right," David replied, relieved. Apparently Emma had told the man some details about Henry's situation. Maybe he wasn't an enemy, after all. "I also need the afternoons of September 13 and the 27th off. September 13th for my wedding and the 27th for the…custody hearing."

Bill nodded again and wrote something down. "That's right Emma said you were engaged to her sister." David nodded again, trying not to bristle. He knew it was a good idea that they tell people that Snow and Emma were sisters. Like Emma said, that way they could still be family. But…still. Emma was his daughter for goodness' sake, and he couldn't tell people. He couldn't even tell people they were related, since Snow got to be Emma's sister. At least he'd be able to tell people Snow was his wife in a few weeks, he reminded himself, brightening.

"And of course you'd want the time off for the custody hearing as well," Bill continued. "That's fine."

Finally, David finished all the boring paperwork and was ready to go outside with the animals. "Well, I guess you're – " Bill began as David got out of his seat. But David didn't hear the rest since he had already left the room, he was so eager to get outside to the animals. This was a lot more enjoyable than paperwork, he thought to himself as he began gathering the pails full of milk.

OOOOOOOOOO

A couple of hours later, David was checking the calves carefully, making sure not to frighten the mother cows. They all seemed healthy and growing right, fortunately. Just then, a young woman came out of the house. "Well, Dad, I'm leaving," she called.

"Okay, Tina," Bill replied, as he looked up from packaging the milk they had already collected today. "Wait. Why don't you meet our new hired hand? David! Come over here."

David shrugged as he finished looking over another calf. He made his way over to where Bill was standing. A young woman, who appeared to be about thirteen, came forward. She had curly blond, shoulder length hair and blue eyes. "Tina, this is David Nolan. He's going to be helping us at the farm from now on. "David, this is my daughter, Tina. She lives with her mother during the week and visits me on the weekends. I just thought you two should be acquainted."

David nodded, shrugging. It was too bad this man's daughter didn't live with him full – time, but it wasn't really his business.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, David. I hope you're going to be a big help to my father," she said as her smile grew.

"Of course," David replied. "I love this job. Working outdoors, with the animals,…this is exactly where I want to be."

Tina nodded. "That's great." Her smile grew even bigger than it was before.

David wasn't sure why her smile kept growing, but she seemed like a nice enough girl. "Well, I'll see you later, Tina. I have to get back to work." He headed back to the cow pasture.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOOOO

That night after dinner, Snow decided she should call Granny and the dwarves about helping Emma with the money for the lawyer. She had been meaning to do that for a few days, but kept forgetting. "Hi, Grumpy!" she said to him as he answered the phone.

"Hello, Snow," Grumpy replied immediately. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Grumpy was always eager to help her with anything.

"Yes, actually." Snow replied. "Emma needs help. She's hired someone to help her with Henry, but she needs all of us to help pay for him."

There was a pause on the communication device. "So Emma hired a nanny? I didn't think she was that busy, but if she thinks she needs one, we'll help. Anything for you and your family." Grumpy sounded a little confused, but still supportive.

Snow couldn't figure out why Grumpy thought Emma had hired a nanny to help with Henry. He wasn't even living with them now! Then suddenly she remembered last time she talked to Grumpy she had decided not to tell him about the people that took Henry away. She had been afraid he would attack the people on his own in order to protect Snow and her family. But Emma had clearly told them attacking the people that took Henry would never get him back. She sighed. Unfortunately, now she really needed the dwarves' help in getting some money for Emma. What kind of mess had she created? "Actually, Grumpy…this isn't about a nanny. Henry…he, isn't living with us right now."

"Why not?" Grumpy asked. "Did someone take him from you? Rumplestiltskin? Or someone in this world like him?" He growled into the phone, already gearing up for a fight.

Snow sighed again. She was going to have to make him understand. Somehow. "Something like that, yes. But, Grumpy…we can't fight these people like we did Rumplestiltskin and George and Regina. Emma says we wouldn't have any support."

"Well, you'll have our support, Snow! They can't just separate your family. Our family. Where is he? We'll get him back!"

Snow sighed into the phone again. "He's in another town a couple of hours away from here. I don't even know how to get here. And Emma is convinced if we tried to take him by force…we'd never get him back. She's got a different plan to get Henry back. It involves this lawyer. And something called a 'custody hearing.' That's what she needs us to help her, Grumpy. She needs us to give her some money to help pay for him. Please. This is how you can help." Snow's voice had taken on a pleading tone, which she hated. Begging was not becoming to a queen, after all. But she had to make Grumpy understand attacking wasn't the answer to their problem. The lawyer was.

Grumpy sighed. "Okay. I guess we'll help with that, then. It's just…are you sure this 'lawyer' will come through for you?"

"Positive," Snow said firmly.

"Okay. I'll let the dwarves and Granny know to save a little money. We don't make much, so it won't be a lot," he warned her.

"Any money you can give us will help. Please, Grumpy."

"Of course, Snow." With that, he ended the communication.

XXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day, David was collecting milk pails after the cows' second milking when he heard that girl, Tina again. "Well, Dad I just though you could use a little more help for a few hours! C'mon Dad, you're always asking me to help more with the farm! And this is a great way to spend more time together!"

David sighed as he finished with the pails. Bill didn't look too pleased with his daughter's request. And it was obviously a request she had thought about because she was dressed for farm work today, in jeans and a plain green shirt. Didn't Bill realize how lucky he was? His daughter, whowas still young, wanted to spend time with him! Emma would never be that young again. And although Emma seemed to be making a point on spending more time with him now, David knew they had a long way to go before they'd be completely comfortable with each other. Not only that, but Tina had called her father "Dad." Would Emma ever be comfortable enough to say that to him? Before he could stop himself, he marched over to Bill and Tina. "I think that's a great idea, Tina! It's wonderful you want to spend time with your father. We can always use extra help on a farm, right, Bill?" David asked, his tone obvious what he expected Bill's answer to be.

Bill gave David a strange look. It took David a moment to realize he all but given his boss an order. Oops. He would've thought all his prince instincts had vanished when he returned to his childhood roots, but he supposed not. Still, David knew this was the right thing to do, so he wasn't going to regret making Bill see that. Even if Bill was his boss.

Finally Bill nodded. "Yeah. Okay. You're right. You can help out in the afternoons if you want," he told Tina.

Her eyes lit up. "Thanks, Dad!"

David returned to the barn. The pregnant cows needed another feeding. Vaguely, he noticed Tina was following behind him. "Do you know how to feed the pregnant cattle?" he asked her as he picked up some of the food out of the barrel.

"Of course!" she replied brightly.

"Let me find you another scoop. You know I think you're a very nice young lady to want to help your father." After a few minutes of looking he finally found another scoop, hidden in the back.

"Thanks," Tina replied beaming at him. "I love the farm. Everything is so…simple and free, you know?" Her voice sounded excited. She must really love her dad's farm.

"I know what you mean. I grew up on a farm. There's nothing like it. I'm so glad to be working at one again." He poured the hay into one of the troughs and snatched his hand away before the cow bit him. They were more used to him, of course, but, pregnant animals were still temperamental, especially if you were between them and food. They both fed the rest of the cows. David noticed Tina seemed to be bending over a lot. "Careful," he warned her as she did it for the fourth time. "If you do that too much, you'll make your back sore, and then you won't be able to work. "You can feed them without bending over. "Like this." David demonstrated.

"Yes. Of course," Tina's voice sounded a little strange, like she was disappointed or embarrassed, maybe. Then she brightened again. "It's really nice that you're concerned about me, though. You're such a nice guy."

David shrugged. "I try."

By the end of the day, he noticed Tina had spent more time with him than she had her father. Still, he supposed her father had other responsibilities with the farm besides the labor. It was nice the girl wanted to help, anyway. Besides, this way she still did see some of her father. One of the things he really missed about the Enchanted Forest was that he and Snow worked together when they ruled. Now they had to take care of their family separately. He didn't even get to ride to and from work with Emma this week, because she had the night shift this week.

XXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOOOO

Tuesday afternoon, as Red prepared to go to The Hot Spot, Snow finally decided to say what had been on her mind for a few weeks. "Red, you really shouldn't be working there. That man acts…incredibly inappropriate. I can't imagine you ever be comfortable with the way that man stares at you. Much less how he grabs you all the time. I'm assuming he's still acts the same way he did when we all went in together?" She glanced at Red for confirmation, although she didn't really need to ask.

Red shrugged her shoulders and nodded. "But I can handle it, Snow," Red replied, firmly. "The money I make is helping us."

But Snow shook her head. That argument had made some sense a few weeks ago, when most of them didn't have jobs. That's why she had kept quiet about this for so long. "No, Red. No job is worth that kind of treatment." She looked her friend straight in the eye, so Red would know how serious she was. "We don't need the money that badly, especially since we all have jobs now."

Red sighed. "Really, I'm okay, Snow. Besides, just because we have more money than we did before doesn't mean I don't still need a job. We also have more expenses than we did before. We supposed to be looking for a three bedroom apartment, remember? And there's Emma's lawyer to think about, too."

Snow sighed. Red really needed to try to get out of that environment. Couldn't she see how harmful that place was for her? "That may be true, but it's still not a good place for you to work. That kind of treatment…it doesn't make you feel good about yourself. Why don't you at least look for another job while you're still working there? Then at least you could still have the money, but you'd be looking for other options?" Snow was proud of herself for suggesting that. It sounded like the perfect compromise, if Red really was worried about the money.

Unfortunately, Red didn't seem to think of it that way. She exploded. "We're two different people, Snow! How do you know what I think and how I feel? You don't. You never have and you never will! This is my job. This is what I do. Get over it!" With that, she slammed the door behind her and headed to the restaurant.

Snow looked at her hands. Where did that come from? She had only been looking out for Red's well – being. Instead, she somehow made her friend angry at her.

Snow looked at the candles she had purchased this past weekend. Since dinner tonight was only going to be her and Charming, she thought they'd have a little romance. It would be a wonderful surprise for him, and it would give her something to concentrate on besides Red's anger. She had chosen stuffing mixed with berries and chicken, a meal they had before in the Enchanted Forest. The stuffing was a little different than was she was used to; it was called "Stovetop" and it went on the top of the electric stove instead of in the chicken. The chicken was cheaper if she only purchased a few legs instead of an entire bird. But she and Charming could still enjoy a meal together that reminded them of their home.

Within an hour, Snow was putting the finishing touches on the table. Just as she removed the chicken from the oven, she heard the door open. "Hi Snow – " Charming began but stopped as he saw the table, just as she turned around. His eyes were large as they looked at the table and then at her, and then back at the table again. She grinned at him, enjoying his reaction. Usually he gave her romantic surprises. It was nice to turn the tables. When Charming finally regained his speech, he looked at her and asked, "What's all this?"

She smiled at him. "Do you like it? I thought, since it was just going to be the two of us tonight, we could take advantage of it."

"Of course, Snow. It's wonderful." They came together at the same time and kissed. "I should probably jump in the shower real quick, though. I probably smell like cow manure." He gently pushed her away a little bit, no doubt worried about his odor.

"No of course not. Don't worry about it," Snow tried to protest, eager to get their romantic dinner started. She still had her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and Snow pulled him back to her. Then she got a big whiff of…the odor he had mentioned. "Actually…you may be right," she said as she began laughing. "You'll be quick in the shower right?" Her eyes pleaded with him.

"Of course. Get all the food out, and I'll be right there. I love you."

"I'm worried about Red," Snow told Charming as they ate about ten minutes later. "The job she has…it isn't good for her. I know you didn't see it, but the way that man looks at women and grabs them..." Snow shook her head.

Charming sighed. "Yeah. I haven't thought about it recently, but you're right. That kind of place isn't good for her. But she seems pretty determined to stay there anyway, so what do we do?" He shrugged.

Snow sighed. "I tried to talk to her before she left today. But she wouldn't listen. I even suggested she could keep the job for now, and just start looking for another one. She wouldn't even do that. A man who treats women like they're objects…" She shook her head again. "It can't be good for her to be around him." She took a bite of stuffing.

Charming nodded. "Yeah. I wish we could do more for her. And for Henry, too. But I think we're doing all we can already. He took a bite of chicken.

Snow sighed. She still believed there was more she should be able to do for Red. She wished her friend had someone like Charming for herself. Thinking about creeps like Red's boss made Snow even more grateful that she had a man like her husband. "Did I ever tell you how grateful I am that you don't see me like that? I mean I know you think I'm beautiful – "

"Correction." Charming interrupted. "I know you're beautiful." His eyes stared into hers, full of love.

She took his hand across the table and squeezed it. "Thanks. But what I mean is, I'm so grateful you don't just see my physical attributes. You see me. Not my body parts."

Charming smiled at her as he swallowed another bite of stuffing. "Of course. I love all of you, Snow. Including but not limited your body parts. Like this wonderful meal, that you made just for us, for example."

When they finished their meal, they retired to their bedroom and Snow spent the rest of the night concentrating on loving her husband instead of worrying about her friend.

OOOOOOOOO

The next day Snow began worrying about her friend again, though. Charming had already left for his new job and Snow watched Red look at one of her new books for several minutes before she finally decided to say something. "Look, Red, I know you said were different people, and we are," Snow tried to explain this reasonably again. "But the way that man acts can't be good for any woman. How long before he starts doing things…more than just looking and touching?" She hoped Red understood her meaning. It was something that just occurred to her today, but if her boss thought he could get away with touching her, he might try sexual advances, too.

Red looked at her for a second before she seemed to understand what Snow was trying to say. She jumped to her feet. "How dare you say such a thing, Snow! I'd never let a man do that. How can you even say it? There's a big difference between looking…and a extra touching verses what you're talking about!"

Snow shook her head. Why couldn't Red see it was along the same lines? "There is a big difference, that's true. But a man who can likes to look and touches probably likes…things beyond that, too. And a man who gets away with looks and touches will probably try to get away with…more sexual things." There, she said it. As much as she didn't want to use the actual word, maybe saying "sex" would help Red understand how serious this was.

"Well, I'll tell him 'no!' if that ever happens," Red snapped back. "Until then, I'll be fine working there. We still need the money. I can deal with everything else." She headed for the door. "Without looking for another job," Red added as she slammed the door behind her.

Snow sighed as she stared at the door. What should she do now? All she had done was make her best friend angrier than she already had been. Plus she was still worried about Red's job situation. No matter how many times Red insisted she could handle it, Snow knew it wasn't healthy. And what if the man did demand sex? Would it be as easy as Red thought to tell him no?

Emma (who was still working the night shift this week) came out of the bedroom. "What was that about?"

Snow sighed. "I was just trying to get Red to see reason. I'm worried about her, Emma. Working for that man can't be good for her. And now that we all have jobs…I thought maybe she'd try to find something else." She shook her head. "But it seems the more I try to explain it to her, the harder it gets."

Emma shrugged. "I get it. I've been wondering about that, too. But you can't force her to do something she isn't willing to do."

"But …" Snow protested. Surely there was something she could do to help her friend.

Emma shrugged again. "Well, I'm not getting involved. This is your fight, not mine."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Red returned later that afternoon. Unfortunately, she didn't seem interested in speaking to Snow at all. Even when Snow tried talking to her about something other than the job, Red still ignored her. Wednesday night, Snow had even more to worry about than Red's situation with her boss. She was worried she might lose her best friend. What could she do to fix their relationship? At the same time, there was a part of her that was becoming angry at Red. After all, Snow was only looking after her. She was worried about Red's well – being and safety, for goodness' sake!

So the next day, Snow didn't know what to say to Red. She wasn't even sure she wanted to talk to her right now. She didn't want to lose her friend, but if her friend couldn't see reason…

Finally, after Snow had been home from work for about an hour, Red approached her. "I'm sorry about yesterday, Snow. Listen, I want you to have this." She handed Snow a book, apparently one of the ones she had purchased at the yard sale a few weeks ago.

Snow shrugged. It was nice her friend was trying to make up with her, but she didn't really want any of Red's books. She had skimmed through them a couple of times and found the material quite scandalous.

Red sighed and looked at Snow in the eyes. "I know you're concerned about me, Snow. But you have to let me live my life. I'm a grown woman. And I already have Granny for a mother, if I need one."

Snow's mouth dropped open in shock. Was that what Red thought she was doing? Mothering her? She opened her mouth to disagree. Then she thought about was had happened the last few days. Maybe there was some truth to that. After all, both Emma and Charming agreed that Red's job wasn't a good situation, but they weren't trying to force her to leave like Snow had been. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Red. Maybe you're right. All that time I spent, planning to be a mother…and I haven't really got the chance…I guess I feel the need to take care of everyone sometimes."

Red gave her a hug. "It's understandable. But Snow…I mean it. I don't need another mother. If you don't accept that…I don't know if I can be a friend and a daughter. And I certainly can't handle two mothers. I might have to find somewhere else to live."

Snow nodded. "I'll try. I know…I remember Granny used to be overbearing to you. I don't want to give you the same problem. Just...try to be careful at the restaurant, okay?"

Red nodded. "I will. And I'm serious about the book, Snow. I think you should have it."

Snow shrugged. "Thanks, but I took a look at some of your books before. They're not really for me."

Red smiled. "This one will be. Trust me. Try it, Snow."

She picked up the book Red had handed to her. It was called The Notebook. She shrugged. May as well take a look.

OOOOOOOOOO

Snow was so glad Red suggested she read this book. She had been a little unsure at first, but as read further into the story, she began to really enjoy it. She knew exactly why Red insisted she would like it so much, too. The young couple in the book, Noah and Allie, were a lot like Snow and Charming. While the young couple was courting, there were so many obstacles in Noah and Allie's way. Allies parent's didn't like Noah, just like King George didn't like Snow. Later, Allie was even engaged to someone else, just like Charming had been engaged to Abigail when they met. It made Snow feel happy to read about another couple fight so hard for their relationship, just as she and Charming had to fight for theirs.

But the best part was the end of the book. Allie had lost her memories of Noah, but he was able to bring them back by reading her the story of their courtship. It was just like the time Snow lost her memories of Charming, and he brought her back with an arrow and True Love's Kiss. Snow didn't think she'd ever let go of this special book.

This world was so confusing to her sometimes. They used strange technology. Even more confusing was the way these people seemed to view romantic relationships. Based on what Cindy and Wendy said, the doctor she had seen at the hospital, and other strangers, she was beginning to think they didn't value love and marriage very much. For example, hadn't Wendy said "some women don't want to get married"? But this book…it showed her romance and the magic of True Love still existed in this world. Reading that book made her happier than she'd been in a long time.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOOO

Over all, Emma thought she liked the night shift better than the morning shift. She didn't have to get up super early, after all. Furthermore, since she was working alone most of this week, she didn't have to worry about co – workers trying to be best friends with her. (Officer Collins had ended up being a big help last week, but that still didn't mean she needed any more friends.)

But Emma had to admit there were disadvantages, too. For one thing, patrolling this town was even more boring in the nighttime than it was during the day. For another, it gave her less time with her family. When Henry returned permanently (Emma was getting more used to this optimism stuff. She hadn't thought "if" she'd thought "when."), Emma would have almost no time with him on the days she worked nights, because he would be in school all day. She wasn't looking forward to that.

Around 11:00 Friday night, Emma was in the middle of another patrol when she suddenly caught sight of a car speeding toward a large house in the distance. She put on the cruiser's siren and headed toward the house and the car. As she pulled into the driveway, she realized there were bigger problems than just speeding. The whole house smelled like alcohol, and most of the people there were obviously underage.

As four or five kids got out of the car Emma had been following, they saw the police cruiser. They began shouting curse words and running in the direction of the yard in the back. Emma sighed. She'd catch them in a bit. Contrary to their belief, they weren't going to be able to run that far. After all, this was a suburban town. Sooner or later, an adult would catch them. Right now she had a party to bust. Serving alcohol to minors was a much bigger problem than a simple speeding ticket. Furthermore, if she went after the kids running off, it would take up time and the kids at the party would realize the cops were involved. By the time she got inside the house, no alcohol would be found.

As it was, she heard several people shouting "Cops!" and more curse words from inside. But Emma was quick, and although she saw several kids trying to hide beers, they weren't fooling her. (How hard was it to see beer under someone's shirt?)

"Okay!" she yelled after she entered the house. "This party is busted for giving alcohol to minors! I need everyone to come down to the station with me, so I can get your names. I'll call some other cops so we can get some more cars. Until then, everyone stays put."

As Emma reached for her phone to call the other officers, she heard several protests.

"But I wasn't drinking!" said a few of the kids.

"Why do cops have to ruin our fun? We weren't doing anything really wrong. A little alcohol never hurt anyone!

"How did this cop – chick find out about the party anyway? Who told on us?"

Emma shook her head after she finished calling in for back – up. Typical kids. They thought parties like this were "just fun" and as an adult, she was ruining it. They didn't realize all the problems alcohol at a party like this caused. If they drove home themselves after the party, they'd drive drunk. If they spent the night, the chances were high they'd have unprotected sex. And Emma knew many kids at these parties didn't drink, but Emma didn't have time to talk to all of them right now. They could sort that out at the station.

Within fifteen minutes Officer Collins, Officer McKendric, and two more officers Emma hadn't met yet arrived with their squad cars and regular cars. "Can you take them all to the station and try to figure out how they got all the alcohol? I need to find some kids who were speeding and ran off about twenty minutes ago. That's how I found this party," Emma suggested to her follow police officers.

"Sure," Officer Collins replied in his typical friendly – manner. The others nodded as well. The men began gathering kids in groups of five or six to be put in the cars, much to the kids' protests.

Emma took off into the yard where she had seen the other kids run off. Had they run to another house or were they still hiding in the yard? She looked in the shadows, behind trees and dumpsters, checking for movement. Just as Emma was sure they must have run to another yard (she'd have to ask the residents if they'd seen them or if she could search their yards' in that case), she heard a creak coming from behind the garage.

Emma ran to that spot. There were about four kids back there, three boys and a girl. More curse words came out. "I thought the cops had left by now!" they complained.

"No such luck," Emma replied dryly. "You're under arrest for speeding and running away from an officer. Get in my cruiser," Emma demanded.

"But I wasn't driving!" three of the kids protested.

"It doesn't matter; you still helped your friend run. Now march." Emma pointed to the police cruiser that was still sitting in the driveway.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

It took over an hour to sort out those kids at the station. After all there were probably thirty kids at that party. Some of them weren't drinking, according to the tests, and were sent home. Some of them had never been in trouble, and were let off with a warning. But at least ten kids would have talk to Chief Winslow about community service. They also found the person who provided the alcohol. Two guys who were over twenty – one and wanted "to show their brother a good time" would get a wonderful time in jail for the night. They would also have to appear in court and possibly spent up to a year in jail. Emma was sure they'd have a great time there.

When Emma was finally finished, she parked the police cruiser in the yard and walked to the nearest bus station. Unfortunately, the bus station in Hampden wouldn't open until 6:30 tomorrow morning. So even though Emma didn't really like walking, she walked all the way back to Bangor. After all, she liked spending the night on a park bench even less. Some people would say it was unsafe for a woman to walk home at night by herself, but since Emma carried a gun and knew some self defense, she figured she'd be okay. After all, she was okay earlier in the week when she had done the same thing.

XXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Henry was a lot more careful at the Collards' for the past two weeks. He tried to avoid interacting with Tim and Evan as much as possible. When it was necessary, he kept the conversations as short as he could. "Why do you spend so much time reading those dumb books, anyway?" Tim asked him one day as he was looking through one of his detective novels.

Henry shrugged. "I like them," he replied firmly, but also quietly. He didn't want to provoke the other boy again.

Tim laughed. "Books are stupid, and you must be stupid too, if you like to read them." He grabbed the book out of Henry's hand and threw it on the floor, still laughing.

Henry took a deep breath, trying to resist the temptation of chasing after Tim. He made Henry really angry. And while he didn't want to appear weak, his family also taught him there had to be a good reason for a fight. Henry wasn't sure this was a good reason. He remembered how his mother had survived foster care and was still a good person. She couldn't have done that if she fought all the time right? So Henry picked up his book and kept reading.

At night, he tried to force himself not to have any dreams that could make him cry. Henry told himself, if it ever happened again while he was here (although he was determined not to think of things that would make him cry before he slept), he would go into the bathroom no matter what.

Finally, Saturday arrived and Henry was able to see his family. As Henry rushed into the apartment where his family lived, he reminded himself he would have to call Grandma and Grandpa "Aunt Mary Margaret and David." He wished he didn't, but it was necessary.

Henry opened the door and jumped into his mother's arms first. "Mom!" he cried.

She hugged him tight and exclaimed "Henry!" He was so glad his bruises were healed now, so it didn't hurt when his mom hugged him. Of course, Mom had never known about the bruises, but it still made him feel guilty that she was trying to show him love and it was causing him pain.

When his mom finally released him, he hugged Grandma and Grandpa as well, although he was sure to call them their other names.

After hugging everyone, they told him they had planned to spend the afternoon at a local park. It sounded like a wonderful idea to Henry. He had been dying to spend time outside for weeks now, especially since the people he lived with wouldn't let him go out at all. Besides, if they went outside, maybe he could practice sword fighting with Grandpa. He missed doing that.

The social worker agreed to the plan after thinking about it for a few minutes. She even agreed to let the group ride in her car. Henry was just beginning to think the woman wasn't so bad. After all, even though she took him away from his family, she also seemed to be helping them reunite. She even let them use her car for their outings. Then the social worker asked his mom about that blood test again as they drove to the park.

"Well, actually I'm planning on doing that Monday morning," Emma took her firmly. "I would've done it yesterday, but the lab wasn't open by the time I got my pay check and was done work."

"You better," the woman snapped. "I've had Henry's case for three weeks now, and you haven't done anything with that blood test yet. You have to prove you're Henry's biological mother, Miss Swan."

"I will do it on Monday. Didn't you hear what I just said?" Mom snapped back. "Now are we going to the park or not?"

The social worker woman sighed and made the turn for the park.

Last time, Henry had tried to diffuse the fight between Mom and the other woman. He didn't think it was a good idea to fight with her too much. After all, he remembered how close his mom came to hitting her the day she came to take him away. But today…the woman was really making him angry. Mom had made it perfectly clear the blood test would be taken care of on Monday! Why wouldn't she let up about it? The woman was just lucky she had said quiet that last time, or Henry would have really told her off. He couldn't wait to get out of this car; he wanted nothing to do with this woman anymore.

Finally, they arrived at their destination. It was a very pretty park, complete with flowers, a brook, and some trees in the back. Henry was sure there were plenty of birds for Grandma to talk to as well. That woman tried to explain that they all needed to stay where she could see them, so she could watch them interact with Henry. But Henry really didn't want to bother with her anymore. He ran as fast as he could to the area with the trees. He hoped to find some nice big sticks to practice sword fighting with Grandpa.

Fortunately, he was able to find exactly what he was looking for within a few minutes. "Gr –" Henry began, and then caught himself again. He had to call Grandpa "David" for now. "David!" he called out instead.

Grandpa ran up to him. "Hi. We need to get back to the others," Grandpa told him as he finally caught up to Henry.

"I don't want to," Henry replied firmly. "That woman has done nothing but bother my mother about that stupid blood test for the past three weeks. Mom's doing everything right, so why is that woman giving her such a hard time?" Henry grumbled. "I don't want to be around her right now."

Grandpa nodded. "I understand Henry, I really do. I hate that she took you away from us, and that she's being so hard on your mom. I wish we could do something against her. But remember what we decided when she first took you away? About how we were going to fight her using her rules? That means if you want to live with us again, we have to do what she says. Even if she is being a pain about the blood test. We use every she tells us to do against her in trying to get you back, remember?"

Henry sighed and nodded. "Okay. I guess you're right. Will you play swords with me when we get back? We used to do it all the time in Storybrooke. We don't have any wooden swords anymore, but I thought these would work." Henry held up the two large sticks.

Grandpa nodded as they headed back to the others. "Of course! There's nothing I'd like better."

Henry's feet moved excitedly at the thought. It had been ages since he'd played swords with Grandpa. And if he had to tolerate that woman…at least he could do something special with his grandfather.

What did you guys think of that? I really appreciate those who have reviewed my story, but I'd love to have more reviews!

As far as where I'm going with the story, some of it should be obvious, concerning Henry's custody hearing, and the Snowing wedding coming up. It will also include adventures/situations with all of their jobs. Some of them will be (I think) surprises. I hope you enjoy them.

And I'm glad the practical stuff of David's job are working. I will say again though, if any of you do know a lot about dairy farms and/or cattle raising, and something sounds really unrealistic, please let me know.

Also, you may have noticed I started a companion piece for this story. It's called "The Voices" and it's about how the supporting characters think and feel about the Charming Family. If you like that kind of thing, check it out. This story will be updated in between the regular "Thicker Than Water Part II."