Chapter Twelve
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.
I keep forgetting to mention this, but I'd like to thank Lisboa for betaing this chapter.
Sorry I didn't post yesterday, like my usual schedule. My internet was down over the weekend. But here's the next chapter!
On Tuesday morning, Emma didn't have to get up early for work, but she still had to get up pretty early for her first course at the local university. She had already seen the bank Chief Winslow had recommended and secured the loan. They assured her she wouldn't have to pay for the loan until at least next year. That was a relief, especially considering she had to worry about paying for a lawyer now as well. She had also enrolled in the courses the police chief required her to take. Now she was ready to ride the bus to the college.
"Well, I guess I'll see you later, Emma," Ruby called to her as she prepared to leave. Ruby was the only one home right now, since both David and Mary Margaret had to get up really early for their jobs. In a way, Emma was glad. Sometimes David and Mary Margaret's…support could be a little overwhelming. Especially when she was starting something new. On the other hand, Emma was getting used to having her family around regularly. She kind of missed them when they weren't here. Furthermore, since David and Mary Margaret weren't here, it only made Emma even more aware who else was missing. Henry.
Emma sighed. She had thought she was getting used to Henry's absence (although she always missed him). But not having David and Mary Margaret around to keep her mind on other things…the pain of his absence was especially noticeable today. Emma could almost hear her son's excited chatter, see his grin, and feel his arms around her as he called her "Mom!" Or was Henry still upset about the loss of Regina? He seemed to be doing pretty well when he visited, but Emma knew that wasn't necessarily how he always felt.
But Emma shook her head firmly. She needed to concentrate on getting Henry back, not on wallowing in misery because he wasn't here. She already had a good, impressive job, she had hired a lawyer, and yesterday she had finally taken care of that stupid blood test! Even attending college was important to the case, because it was a requirement for keeping her job at the Hampden PD. So she needed to go to her class.
"Yeah, I'll see you later, Ruby," Emma replied to the other woman. "Although it won't be until late tonight. I'm working from twelve to eight when I'm done with my class, and then you're working at the restaurant, right?"
Ruby nodded, although she didn't say anything. Emma noticed a…tension when she mentioned the restaurant where Ruby worked. It wasn't surprising. After all, Emma was aware of the disagreement between Snow and Ruby about the restaurant. They had made up, but things were a still a little tense when the restaurant was brought up. And even though Emma had not got involved in their argument, Ruby was probably aware Emma didn't approve of her job, either. After all, Emma had said as much when Ruby began working there. Emma shrugged. It wasn't anything she should worry about, especially today.
She headed out the door and headed for the bus station.
OOOOOOOOOOO
Emma arrived at the university about fifteen minutes later. Now she had to find her classroom in twenty minutes. 205 in the Walldoff building. Where was that? This was a pretty big college; could she really find the building and the room in time? Weren't there any maps available? This should be easier for her! She had been a bounty hunter. If she could find any criminal in the country, why couldn't she find a building on a college campus? Not to mention her parents' legacy. Apparently finding buildings wasn't the same thing as finding people.
Finally, Emma found a directory for the campus. It showed the Walldoff building was behind this one, right to her left. She should have just enough time to run over and find the classroom. She slid into a seat with a few minutes to spare.
Now that Emma finally had a chance to relax, she started to hear some of the conversations around her.
"…And then my roommate came running in stark naked!" laughed the guy to her left.
"I can't believe my mom cut me off this year!" moaned the girl behind her. "I had to take out a loan and get a job at a fast food restaurant to be here. It's so humiliating!"
Emma took a deep breath and took out a pen and a notebook. She hadn't realized how…isolating taking these classes would be. Almost all the other students were around twenty to twenty – two, only a couple years older than the kids she had busted the other night for under – age drinking. They acted like…kids and cared about different things than she did. She felt…out of place, especially since they weren't paying attention to her. It wasn't as if Emma wanted attention. She was used to be a loner, and as she had made it clear to Officer Collins, she didn't need any more friends. But, she just didn't really think about what taking college classes would mean.
But Emma shook her head again and reminded herself why she was here. It was a requirement for keeping her job with the Hampden PD. And she needed that job to get Henry back. Besides, Emma really liked helping people by using the law. So Emma would attend the classes, no matter how uncomfortable it was for her.
Just then, the professor walked in carrying a briefcase. He was an older man with graying hair and spectacles on his nose. He appeared to be in his fifties. "All right. I'm Professor Johnson.
This is Constitutional Law. Here's your syllabus." He pulled out some papers out of his briefcase and began handing them out. "We'll be looking at the history of law in the United States and how the Supreme Court has changed the laws we have to follow. This class will be particularly important if you plan to be a lawyer or a police officer. There's no better way for other side to win than if you don't follow the rules. Remember that."
Emma nodded, thinking about how many times she had been tempted not to follow the rules when it came to Henry's custody case. The professor was right. She'd never get Henry back permanently if she didn't follow the social worker's rules, as much as she hated them. The same rules would apply to all her police work.
"This is your text- book," Professor Johnson continued. "I expect you to take it to class every session. We'll be working from it." He held up a big, thick book for the students to see. Emma looked at the book a little nervously. "Big and thick" was an understatement. It was twice the size of Henry's old fairytale book! How was she supposed to carry that around? It didn't matter though. She'd have to find a way to do it. This was about keeping her job and getting Henry back.
OOOOOOOOOOO
In the next few days, Emma attended the first sessions of all three classes she had been required to take. The other two were on Wednesday and Friday mornings. (Constitutional Law was held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.) They were all pretty similar. They all made her feel out – of – place because she was surrounded by kids ages twenty to twenty – two. All the professors gave her a syllabus and insisted their class was incredibly important to a career in law enforcement. All the professors insisted that the students obtain the textbook (although the others didn't look as heavy as the Constitutional Law book). Fortunately, she was able to find the other buildings and rooms a little easier, since she had spent a couple more days on the campus.
Emma had a bit of a problem obtaining the books at first. After all, it turned out a couple of the books were expensive. She didn't have any extra money, especially since she had to shell out $400 for the stupid blood test. (Snow had given her the extra $100 to make $500.) She also had to save money for the lawyer that would help her get Henry back. But as she was leaving her last class, she overheard a conversation.
"…So there really are ways to buy these books for a cheaper price?" The boy in front of her asked.
"Of course!" the girl next to him responded. "People sell them online all the time! They can go for really cheap on the internet, especially if you don't mind some markings on the book. Practically everyone buys their books online these days! Just make sure you have a credit card account handy, and go to . Trust me." The girl patted the boy's back as they left the room.
Emma sighed in relief. Fortunately, she still had a credit card. All she had to do was find a computer available and order her books! Then she still had to get to work at the police station, she added to herself checking the time. She should have just enough time to do this before catching the bus.
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OOOOOOOOOOOOO
Henry got up on Tuesday morning all ready for school. He knew going to school in a city would be very different than in Storybrooke. It would be much bigger, for one thing. For another, he would be expected to go to the middle school, since he was in sixth grade. But Henry was ready for any change that would let him out of the Collards' house. Tim and Evan still fought on a regular basis. Henry tried his best to not to fight with them as well, although he didn't always succeed. Mr. and Mrs. Collard still ignored all the boys in their care. Even Ronald and Bobby, who were still pretty nice, ignored the situation when some of the boys got hurt.
The TV still played all the time. Henry tried to read the books Mom had given him a lot, but the TV could still be quite distracting. Besides, he still wished he could go outside more. Sword fighting with Grandpa last Saturday had been great, but afterwards Henry still had to go back to the Collards' house.
So Henry dressed happily, whistling as he went. It felt a little strange, wearing normal clothes to school. In Storybrooke, all the kids were required to wear uniforms. As he was finishing up, Evan came in the room grumbling. He glanced at Henry, who was combing his hair and smiling. "Don't tell me you're actually excited about going to school!" Evan exclaimed
Henry tried to finish his hair and leave without saying anything; he still didn't want to fight for stupid reasons. But Evan stepped in front of him so Henry wouldn't be able to move. "I see you in here smiling away. And I'm pretty sure you were whistling before I came in! School is for geeks, don't you know that? I already know you're a wuss, now I find out you're a geek who likes school, too! Do you know what I do with geeks?" He shoved Henry against the wall, laughing.
Henry took a deep breath and kicked the other boy in the leg. He had told himself he wouldn't fight unless it was a good reason. But he had been pushed too far. Henry had always loved school, and he really didn't like being made fun of for it. Besides, Henry was almost positive there was a difference between not fighting and not defending himself. So for the next ten minutes he and Evan fought hard before Henry finally landed on the floor with two black eyes and more bruised ribs. (Henry took some satisfaction in seeing Evan's arms were scratched, even though he was pretty sure Grandpa would tell him he shouldn't be proud for hurting the other boy.)
But by the time Henry was ready to get up again, he missed breakfast and had to run quickly to avoid missing the bus. He supposed all fights had consequences, even if he thought they were justified. In this case, it seemed Henry's consequences were an empty stomach, as well as sore ribs and sore and unattractive eyes.
Henry finally arrived at the school about half an hour later. (He had been right. The school was huge.) But the best news was they were allowed outside before school started! Henry ran around the school, for the simple joy of it for several minutes. Even though he was still sore, this was wonderful!
Unfortunately, he was the only one who seemed to think running around the school was a good idea. Most of the other kids were content to stand around, talking. So eventually, Henry ran right into one of them. Ouch! That really hurt his ribs. Henry tried not to screech out loud. After all, he certainly didn't want to appear weak.
The other boy, however, looked twice the size of Henry and had no trouble looking strong. "Hey! What's your problem, pip squeak?" the boy asked, getting right up in Henry's face. "I bet you're a sixth grader, aren't you? I'll give you a tip. Just one, free of charge. Stay out of my way. Understand?"
Henry nodded, mutely. Even though he didn't want to show the other boy he scared Henry that quickly. (His intimidation tactics reminded him of Mr. Gold under the Curse. Henry always tried hard not to be afraid of Mr. Gold.) At the same time, he didn't want to start another fight today. He was still hurting from the last one. He walked away; running around might not be such a good idea, after all.
OOOOOOOOOOO
Henry found middle school a bit confusing, considering the amount of times he had to change classrooms. In Storybrooke he had Grandma for all of his classes (except gym) when he was in the fourth grade. In the fifth grade he had Mrs. Thomson (she was actually the Swan Princess). Now he had one teacher for home room, one teacher for math, one teacher for English, one teacher for science, and one teacher for social studies. At least he also had a locker to store all of his stuff. That made things a little easier. Besides, having a locker made up feel grown – up. He only wished he could tell Mom and the rest of his family about his very own locker when he got home. He'd just have to wait until the weekend.
Some of the kids gave him some strange looks; he supposed his black eyes didn't look very attractive. It didn't matter to Henry. He was used to not fitting in at school. Even when it was time for lunch and he had no one to sit with, it didn't bother him. He just wanted a chance to relax besides, he was starving. But when Henry pulled out what had been placed in his bag for lunch, he stared at in shock. He supposed he should be grateful his foster parents had given him lunch at all. He wouldn't put it past the Collards' to forget to pack the boys anything. They certainly didn't give them any money to buy food. But still…an apple? A bright red apple?
Henry continued to stare at the apple, not knowing what to do about it. He had trouble stomaching apples ever since he realized what had happened to Grandma. Maybe it was a little silly. After all, the dwarves were pretty close to Grandma, and they didn't seem to mind working at that apple orchard. But still…the mere thought of this apple almost killing Grandma had always made Henry cringe on the inside when he saw one.
At the same time, Henry was well aware his other Mom loved apples. She had them all over the dining room and grew them in the front yard. For over a year, those apples seemed mock him, showing the power they almost had over Snow White. (Henry was pretty sure that was why Mom had loved them so much.) But looking at the apple now…he couldn't help but think of how much he still missed her.
That still didn't solve his immediate problem, though. Could he actually eat this apple? Henry had missed breakfast, and his stomach hurt he was so hungry. But still…an apple? Henry took a deep breath and told himself to get over it. It was just an apple, after all. He was being silly. Eating this apple wouldn't harm Grandma in any way. And he really needed to eat. This was his only option for food, since the Collards' hadn't packed him anything else for lunch.
But as soon as Henry bit into the apple, he was bombarded with memories.
He turned the page of his book and continued reading. The Evil Queen held out an apple to Snow White. "Do you know apples stand for health and wisdom?
"So why do I get the feeling that one's going to kill me?
The Evil Queen laughed. "Oh it will be far worse than death. Your body will become your tomb. And you'll be in there with nothing but dreams formed of your own regrets."
Snow White looked at the Evil Queen with dawning horror. "And you're going to force me to eat it."
"Of course not. It won't work that way. It must be taken willingly," the Evil Queen replied.
"Why would I do that?" Snow White asked, confused why the Evil Queen would think she was that naïve.
"Because if you refuse the apple? Your Prince? Your 'Charming' will be killed." The Evil Queen grinned, loving the fact that she finally had Snow White where she wanted her.
"I take that apple and he lives? That's the deal you want to make?"
"With all my heart".
"Then congratulations. You've won." Snow White took a bite of the apple and fell unconscious. Henry had stared at the story in shook and vowed never to eat another apple again.
No! No! Mom (Emma) was leaving and she was taking the cursed apple turnover with her? She'd never break the Curse if that happened! And Henry would probably never see her again. He had to do something to stop this. As much as he hated apples these days, he loved Mom more. And if this was the only way to make her see….He picked up the turnover and took a bite. Then everything went black.
Henry couldn't be more than six years old when he helped his mother make the apple turnovers. It was a really big deal to her. Everything had to be done exactly right, which was a little frustrating for Henry. But still…this was time he and his mom spent together. When they had finished, Mom told him, "I'm so glad you're here, Henry. This is so much more fun with you." That made it all worthwhile.
Before Henry thought about it any further, he spit out the piece of apple in his mouth and threw away the rest. He just couldn't do it. Whether they were sad memories or terrifying memories, Henry had no good memories of apples. He had to struggle to keep from crying as he still tasted the apple in his mouth. And after what happened last time he ended up crying, there was no way he would do anything to make himself cry again. Tomorrow, he'd get up early and see if he could get something else for lunch. In the meantime, he'd just have to go hungry.
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OOOOOOOOOOOOO
David really loved his new job at the dairy farm. Taking care of the animals, feeding them, collecting milk, making sure the calves were developing right, everything just felt so natural to him. As a bonus, he got to spend most of the day outdoors. The only thing he was a little confused about was Tina. She had said she wanted to work at her fathers' dairy farm so she could spend time with her father. The thing was…Tina seemed to be spending more time with David than with her father while she was here. It was weird. Still, David supposed Bill had some administrative work to do for his farm. Account books, payrolls, and things like that. Maybe that was why Tina wasn't able to spend more time with her father.
At present, David was taking care of the least flattering part of his job: shoveling the cow manure out of the stalls. He didn't really enjoy this part of the job, but it was necessary. He'd taken to washing himself as soon as he got home now, since he knew shoveling this stuff caused him to smell. David certainly didn't need the rest of his family (especially Snow) smelling that on him. As he continued cleaning out the manure, he began to hear two girls talking. Tina, probably. Maybe she had brought a friend with her today. It made sense, since school had started. That was kind of nice, David supposed that Tina had a friend to help her work today. David still hoped the girl was able to spend time with her father like she wanted, though.
As they came closer, David began to hear them talking. "So I mean it, Sandi, this guy is gorgeous! He's really tall, and has the most amazing blue eyes!" That sounded like Tina's voice. Apparently she was interested in a boy, probably someone she met at school. The idea made David a little tense, because he realized eventually Emma would be interested in a boy. At present, Emma was concentrating on getting Henry back to their family (with good reason), but Henry would be back with them soon. Would Emma become interested in boys after that? David hated the idea.
"But Tina…isn't he a little…old for you?" protested the other girl. Sandi, it seemed her name was. Was Tina interested an older boy instead of one her age? David shuddered at the thought of Emma ever being interested in someone too old for her.
"But he's just so perfect! And he's not just handsome. He's really nice, too. He's always so cheerful when he talks to me. And Dad says he never complains about any of the jobs he has to do on our farm! He's the best farm hand we've ever had." David stopped right in the middle of shoveling as he digested what he had just heard. Was Tina talking about…him? He was the "older boy" she was interested in? As David thought about it a minute, he supposed it made sense. Didn't he think it was weird that Tina spent so much time with him even though she wanted the job to spend time with her father? He supposed he was so excited that the girl wanted to spend time with her dad that he never considered she might have ulterior motives. That and David wasn't used to other women, or in this case, girls, expressing attraction to him. Everyone he knew was well aware he only had eyes for Snow, and vice versa.
Still, Tina was just a girl. She couldn't be more than thirteen or fourteen. (She looked a little older than Henry, but not much.) David was sure she'd get over her crush on him soon. In the meantime, he wouldn't hold it against her. He finished shoveling the manure in the stall he was working on and then dumped it in the manure barrel Bill had shown him. "Hi, Tina!" he called out to her. "How are you today? I see you brought a friend. Does she want to help? Your father told me you could fill the feed barrel today. The bags are right here." He pointed. "Unfortunately, I've got to get back to cleaning the manure." David disappeared into the next stall and began shoveling again.
"Do you see what I mean?" David could hear Tina say softly to her friend. "I mean, isn't he great? Muscles, and eyes, and everything! And not just that! He just so…Charming."
David fought the urge to laugh at the irony of that last statement. It was weird, though. He'd been called Charming for so long by now, that a part of him felt like responding to the name. At the same time, he didn't like the idea of someone other than Snow calling him Charming. It was true, Rumplestiltskin called him "Charming" quite often as well, but what the imp called him was the least of David's problems dealing with him. And he did in a mocking way, anyway. Hearing it from Tina, in a romantic way, especially since she'd made it clear she had a crush on him…it made him uncomfortable. Still, David had promised himself not to hold her crush against her. He continued shoveling the manure.
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OOOOOOOOOOOOO
Snow and Red had been examining the advertisements in the newspaper for three – bedroom apartments for the past couple of days while Emma and Charming were at work. The family had been keeping an eye on such advertisements for a couple of weeks. After all, they needed a three bedroom apartment soon if they wanted Henry to live with them again. But now that they all had jobs, Snow knew they needed to look at the advertisements even closer. They all had enough money to get the three – bedroom apartment they needed, after all. And Henry's "custody hearing thing" was less than a month away. The sooner they found a three – bedroom apartment, the better.
Unfortunately, three – bedroom apartments were apparently a lot harder to find than two bedroom apartments. By Tuesday, they were no closer to finding a new apartment than they had before.
"Do you think we should look one more time? Maybe we missed something?" Snow asked Red hopefully, as they put the newspaper they had received this morning down.
But Red shook her head sadly. "Sorry, Snow. We both looked it over twice already. There just aren't any three – bedroom apartments open right now."
Snow threw the newspaper on the floor in frustration. "What are we going to do Red? Henry is depending on us to do everything we need to do to get him back! How are we going to do that if we can't find a three bedroom apartment? And Emma?" Snow shook her head, horrified. "What will she do if she doesn't get her son back?"
Red sighed. "Okay, calm down, Snow. We still have three weeks before that 'custody hearing thing.' That's still enough time to find something. We're doing everything else right. We all have jobs, and you guys are getting married next weekend."
Snow sighed. Red was right. "Yeah. I guess. I just get so tired of trying to find an apartment and not seeing anything available. But I should know better than to let it get to me. Thanks for letting me see reason. Charming would say the same thing." She smiled at her best friend, happy they were getting along better. Things had been a little…awkward between them after their fight, even after they'd made up. Now they felt like the friends they'd always been again.
OOOOOOOOOO
The next afternoon, after Snow got home from the hospital, she and Red began examining the newspaper again. Red had been right. They just needed to keep looking. About two minutes later, Red exclaimed, "Snow! I might have something!" She picked up the page of the newspaper she had been reading and handed it to Snow. "Third one down on the left," she indicated, pointing.
Snow picked up the page excitedly. Could this really be it? Three Bedroom Apartment for Rent Downstairs apartment on 45 Macintosh Street. Old – fashioned charm. Water, Heat, and electricity included. Rent $700 a month. Call Mr. Quincy at 942 – 9876 if interested. "It sounds great, Red!" She threw her arms around her friend. "Exactly what we're looking for!"
"Let's put this page aside and we can show to the other two when they get home," Red suggested, smiling as well.
Snow looked at the advertisement again. She couldn't wait to show Emma and Charming what they had found. Still, she wondered if it was really the best idea. When they decided on this apartment, Emma wanted to see it first to make sure it was safe for Henry. Of course, that ended up not being that important, since he wasn't allowed to live here with them. But the principle would probably be the same. Emma would want to know this new place was safe for her son. Unfortunately, with Emma's schedule of school and work, she didn't have that much free time. Maybe it would be better if Snow and Red viewed the apartment and told Emma and Charming what they saw. Then they could all make a decision about it together.
Snow explained her plan to her friend. She quickly agreed, and they called the number. Mr. Quincy agreed to let Snow and Red see the apartment in another hour.
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
Snow and Red went down to the bus station a half hour early so they could find the bus route that would take them to 45 Macintosh Street. Eventually they found one. It turned out the street was just beyond the Eastern Maine Medical Center, which they were both quite familiar with. That was nice, since if they lived there it would be closer to their workplaces. Still, it would also be further away from work for Charming and Emma, Snow realized. She'd have to mention that to them.
After they got off the bus, Snow and Red walked about five minutes before finding 45 Macintosh Street. It was a pretty – looking, large house with cream – colored walls and brown trim. There were cute little bushes out in the front yard as well. Snow and Red looked at each other and nodded, obviously thinking the same thing. This house looks like it could be from our land. It was definitely a point in its favor. The yard was much smaller than Charming would prefer, Snow knew, but it still did have a had to count for something, right? Besides, this wasn't about finding a perfect home. This was about finding a place for Henry to live with them.
Within a few minutes, a car pulled in the driveway and a well – dressed man who appeared to be in his fifties got out. (Snow often looked at people that age for a second longer than necessary, since that was technically the age she should be. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. This man was no exception.)
"Hello," the man said to both of them. "I'm Mr. Quincy. Are you the two girls interested in the three – bedroom apartment?"
"Yes," they replied at the same time.
"There will be two more, eventually three more people living with us as well," added Snow. "My, um sister is at work." Snow still didn't like that she couldn't call Emma her daughter, but she understood it was necessary. At least they could be related. "And my hus – ah, fiancé is also at work." Snow really had a hard time remembering that Charming wasn't her husband in this world yet. She looked forward to changing that. Soon. "Also, my sister has a son who is living somewhere else for now, but who will eventually live with us as well."
Mr. Quincy nodded. "Okay. Shall we go in and see it?"
Snow and Red both nodded.
"As you can see, it's a lovely old – fashioned house. It just went on the market today because the guy renting before had some serious trouble with the law. He was arrested for bank robbery and has been denied bail. He also seemed to have quite a gambling debt, so all his furniture has been reposed." Snow nodded. She remembered reading something about a bank robbery in the newspaper earlier. "I do need to ask you, have you or any of the people living with you ever been in trouble with the law? I don't want to deal with this problem again!"
Snow and Red exchanged a glance. The man had no idea how complicated that question was. Snow had been "in trouble" in the Enchanted Forest, but only because of Regina's wrongful accusations. Emma had alluded to a past with such trouble before as well, although neither Snow nor Red knew the details. Even Red kind of had trouble with the law in the Enchanted Forest when she had killed the hunters in her wolf form. Still, most of that wouldn't make sense to this man, and it certainly wouldn't allow them to live in the apartment. So Snow replied, "We believe in being good people. My sister is actually an officer for the Hampden police."
Mr. Quincy nodded slowly. "Okay. Let's look at the apartment then." The all went inside. There was a big, spacious room in the front that had a wonderful, large window to look outside in. Charming might like that, Snow thought to herself. She was rather fond of it herself. The floor creaked quite a bit when they walked, but Snow didn't care. The castle she used to live in made plenty of noise as well. "The house is a bit old, and needs some touch – ups as you can see, but it's a wonderful place for a family."
Snow looked around again. One of the windows on the far right was coming apart where the wood connected with the glass. Could Charming fix it? She'd have to ask him. One of the doors on the other side of the room was torn on the bottom. Maybe Charming could fix that too? How did the kitchen look? That was an important room to Snow. She checked it out. It came with all the equipment their other kitchen had come with, and was also quite spacious. It looked fine. There was another room off the kitchen. She glanced inside. It was moderately big. Snow thought it would be a perfect room for her and Charming, since it was so close to the kitchen, and they tended to get up before the others. It was also further away from the other two bedrooms, which might be a good idea in case she and Charming got a little…enthusiastic.
Snow also peeked into the bathroom. It looked fine. A little bit bigger than the bathroom they had at the other apartment. It also had a large claw tub in addition to the "shower." Snow liked that idea. It wasn't as big as the one they had in the castle, but it should be big enough for her and Charming to fit in together.
"What do you think?" Snow asked Red. "I think it looks nice. Some moderate repair but…"
"Yeah," Red nodded. "Both of the bedrooms are alright. One is big enough for Emma and me, and the other is fine for Henry. One of the windows of the Bedroom I thought Emma and I would share needs a repair, like the one in the living room. But they're fine other than that."
"Moderate repair is not that big of a deal," Mr. Quincy said brightly.
"I do have to ask you about the neighborhood," Snow said to Mr. Quincy, remembering. "Like I said, my sister is planning on her son living with us soon. She'd like to make sure this is a safe neighborhood for him. Who are the neighbors?"
Mr. Quincy shrugged. "Two young guys who live upstairs. They're not that bad. And a family that lives next door."
Snow nodded. That sounded okay. And the neighborhood did appear peaceful. More peaceful than their current one, actually.
"Then how did this apartment end up being rented by someone who was arrested for bank robbery?" Red asked, confused. "Don't criminals usually live together? Are you sure this isn't an area for criminals?"
Mr. Quincy shook his head. "No, no one suspected the last tenant to be a criminal. He was fine living here with his boys for years. It's a great place for boys."
Snow and Red shrugged. "We'll have to talk to the rest of the family," they told Mr. Quincy.
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
Much later that night, when Charming and Emma both returned home and Red was home as well, Snow and Red explained about the other apartment. "It's further away from your jobs, unfortunately. And it's a bit further from the laundry place and the grocery store. But it's a pretty nice apartment. And we can still get around using those buses," Snow began.
"The rooms are bigger than this place," Red continued. "That will be nice, especially when Henry is living with us, too. We don't really have a problem with space here, but that's because we haven't accumulated a lot of things yet. As we get more…"
Emma nodded. "Yeah. It could get crowded."
"Does it have a nice yard?" Charming asked hopefully.
Snow sighed and rubbed his shoulders from behind. "It's a little smaller than the one here, but it does have one. You have plenty of time to be outside at the dairy farm now, Charming. Can't you be satisfied with that?"
Charming pouted for a second but then replied, "Yeah. I guess."
"It needs a few repairs on the windows and one of the doors, about here and here," Red got up and pointed to the places that were damaged, using the windows and doors in this apartment as an example.
Emma shrugged. "That's not that big of a deal. I've lived in worse places. We won't need to worry about the cold from broken windows for another couple of months, anyway."
Snow nodded. She didn't like the sound of that. She hated that Emma had such a hard life. "I was wondering if you would be able to fix them, actually." She looked down at Charming, who was still sitting in a chair, while she stood behind him.
Charming shrugged. "I might. I did some simple repairs on wood back on the farm, when the fences broke or something. I'm afraid I don't know much about glass, though."
"The glass might not need to be repaired, though," Red said. "It's the wood on the furniture that's broken."
Charming shrugged again. "Maybe I can, then." Snow rubbed his shoulders in appreciation.
"How's the neighborhood?" Emma asked thoughtfully. "Would it be good for Henry?"
Snow shrugged. "It looks nice to me. Nicer than this one, actually. And the landlord actually said a family lived next door."
Emma nodded approvingly.
Red looked a little uncertain, though. "The guy who used to live there got arrested for bank robbery, though. The landlord said there weren't any other criminals that hung out with him but…we can' really be certain."
Emma backed up, like she was backing up from the new apartment as well. "Well, then I don't know…"
Snow sighed. "I don't blame you for being a little uncertain, Emma, but this does look like a really nice place. And we have to find a three bedroom apartment before the end of this month if we want Henry to be able to live with us again," she reminded Emma of the big picture. "It took about a month to find this three bedroom apartment as it is. How long will it take us to find another one if we don't take this one? I think we should move there. But I won't do it unless you guys agree. Do you want to see if you can see it yourselves, or will you take our word?"
Emma and Charming shrugged and thought for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. If we don't get a three bedroom apartment while we have the chance, they might keep Henry at the foster home after the custody hearing. I can't let that happen," Emma said firmly. "Let's take it."
Charming smiled. "If everyone else agrees, then I'll agree to move in as well. I'm not going to protest against something that may be our best chance to get Henry returned to us."
"Okay. When should we move? It's a $700 security deposit. That could take a while to get together."
Emma shrugged. "I think we should move the sooner the better. We could probably get it together this weekend if we all pooled our checks this Friday. I'll have almost $400 this week because I've already done the stupid blood test. We're going to be busy next weekend with your wedding, anyway."
Snow nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."
Emma looked around their current apartment. "We don't have much stuff to pack, anyway. Could you get us some boxes from the hospital?"
Snow nodded. "Probably."
"I might be able to get some from the restaurant, too," Red added.
Everyone nodded without saying anything, since that restaurant was still a bit of a sore subject.
"We'd need someone to help us transport the table, but I think we could handle everything else," Emma continued.
Red nodded. "We'll all ask around."
Charming shrugged. "Okay. If everyone wants to try for this weekend, I'm okay with that, too."
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Snow and Red were able to find a few boxes at their workplaces on Thursday. Wendy even told Snow she could borough her dad's truck so the table could be moved on Saturday morning. They were all ready.
Unfortunately, Friday morning they encountered another obstacle they didn't expect. Mrs. Donaldson, the landlady for their current apartment, didn't really want them to move. She explained they had only lived in the apartment for a month, and one of the terms of the lease was for them to stay for six months. The only way she was willing to let them leave was for the group to give her all the rent that would be due between now and five months. The group knew they couldn't afford that, so what would they do? They had to have a three bedroom apartment if Henry was going to live with them again.
But Red surprised them with a solution. She could keep this apartment, and the rest of the Charmings' could take the new one. She knew she could afford it by herself, after all, since she was the only one who had a job for a while. She had been prepared to pay the rent herself if the others had taken longer to find jobs than they did. Snow and the others were a little worried she might be lonely living by herself, but she assured them she'd be fine. "After all, we still live in the same city. We'll see each other plenty. Like the wedding next weekend, for example?" Red added with a grin.
Snow and the others nodded agreement. "Of course." Snow sighed to herself though. Because Red brought up going to their wedding, it reminded her she still had yet to choose who was going to be their other witness: Red or Emma? The wedding was a week away and she was no closer to deciding than she had been before.
Still, at least they were all set to move to a three bedroom apartment that would have space for Henry.
OOOOOOOOOO
Saturday afternoon, Wendy had already come by and picked up the table for them. Now they were waiting for Henry to arrive so they could move the rest of their belongings and show him their new place.
They were going to have to be very frugal with their money this week. It had taken almost all of their paychecks to pay for the deposit on the new apartment. So they were going to have to be careful what they ate, since they couldn't really shop for groceries this week. Instead of a normal lunch, they nibbled on old crackers. Tomorrow, they had peanut butter sandwiches available.
As they finished up the crackers, they heard a car drive in their driveway. Emma ran to the window to see if it was Henry. "Hi!" he called out a minute later as he opened the door.
"Oh Henry, I've missed you," Emma exclaimed as she gave her son a hug.
"I missed you, too Mom," replied Henry's muffled voice from inside her embrace.
Then, Henry turned to the others. "Hi, Gr – Aunt Mary Margaret and David," he called as he gave her and Charming a hug as well. Henry always did that when he saw them. H obviously wanted to call them by the names their real relationship would use badly, even though he knew it wasn't possible right now. It warmed Snow's heart to see how much that relationship meant to him, even though she was a little worried he might slip and get in trouble someday.
At the same time, Emma looked at the social worker. "I got the blood test taken care of this past Monday, just like I told you I would. Here's the paperwork," Emma handed her the copy of the paperwork the lab had given her. Her voice sounded quite smug. It wasn't very good manners, but after all the trouble that woman had given Emma about the stupid blood test, Snow didn't blame Emma in the least. In fact, Snow smirked at the woman while she wasn't looking.
The social worker nodded and put the paper in her briefcase. "Good. I'm glad that's finally taken care of." Her voice sounded a little condescending, like she hadn't expected Emma to take care of the responsibility. Snow really had to resist the urge to punch the woman because of the way she was treating Emma. She reminded herself the last time she tried to punch someone, it hadn't ended well. Of course that was completely different, since it had been Henry (Snow was still horrified that she had hurt her grandson), but it still probably wasn't a good idea now. Instead she grabbed her husband's hand and gave it a squeeze, silently asking for some support in dealing with this woman. He gave it to her without question, wrapping his arms around her.
"We've also found a three – bedroom apartment, so Henry will have his own room," Snow told the lady instead. "We'd like to show it to Henry today, if that's okay." The tone she was using was the one she used when she was making judgments as a queen. It left no room for agreement.
Fortunately for her, the social worker agreed. She even agreed to let them use her car again.
Henry loved the house as much as the rest of them did as soon as he saw it. "It looks like something out of the En – " he stopped himself. "It looks like something out of a storybook," he finished instead, still grinning.
"We know," Snow replied smiling. She knew what he meant to say. "We thought so, too."
They all went inside. Emma showed Henry the room that would be his when he was able to live with them. "It looks great," he told them, looking around. The social worker looked around as well. "It certainly is bigger than the other apartment," she commented nodding. "And it has three bedrooms, like I told you it would have to." She inspected the outside as well. "How's the neighborhood?"
"We've been told there's a family that lives next door," Red told her firmly. "It should be a great place for Henry."
The woman nodded. "Okay." The family spent the rest of the afternoon exploring their new apartment and their new neighborhood. Henry told them about how exciting it was that he had a locker when he went to school. Emma told him some stories about the college. The family couldn't wait for talking to Henry to be a daily thing again. Soon, it would be.
So what did you think of that? I appreciate all of the favorites and follows, but I'd love to have some more reviews as well.
I finally finished my other project (the dress I made for my daughter turned out great), so I would like to start posting once a week again, whenever possible. I should be able to post chapter thirteen next Sunday, so long as my internet's available. This information should be particularly interesting to a lot of my readers (especially one anonymous reviewer, who I'm VERY grateful for her/his reviews). Can you guess why that is? That's right chapter thirteen WILL include the Snowing wedding!
Also, as I am planning on posting another chapter of "the Voices" during the week, for those of you who are interested in that series, because next weekend should be a new chapter of "Thicker Than Water Part II"