Chapter Nineteen
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'd like to thank Lisboa again for betaing and letting me use her story as a starting point.
Emma took Henry to the local middle school on Monday morning to enroll him. She was so happy her son was back where he belonged, with his family. Now he could attend the school in their neighborhood as well. She didn't even mind filling out all the necessary paperwork. It just made the situation seem more permanent.
The school secretary (her nametag said Mrs. Johnson) looked over the paperwork and nodded as Emma finished. "I'm going to put him in Mrs. Gardener's homeroom. It's room 24. You'll report there tomorrow, okay, Henry?" Mrs. Johnson was an older woman with white hair and glasses. She sounded very kind.
Henry shrugged and nodded.
"Here's your schedule," Mrs. Johnson continued. She typed something in her computer, and then printed out a piece of paper. "You have science first. It's in room 30," she told him as she handed him the paper.
"And here's your locker. Number 143. The combination is right here," the secretary told Henry as she handed him a small slip of paper. "Now, don't tell anyone that combination, or let anyone find that piece of paper," she warned him. "You are responsible for what is inside your locker. We do perform periodic checks for possession of tobacco and drugs in lockers. I don't need to hear that there was something in there that wasn't yours."
Henry nodded. "Okay. As long as I'm here, I'll be responsible for my locker." Henry walked out of the secretary's office and they set off to find his science class. Emma wondered what he meant by that comment, though. "As long as I'm here"? Did he mean until he graduated? Or did he mean something else? She'd like to ask Henry, but when he was entering his science class wasn't really the time.
"Hello," he told the teacher. "I'm Henry Mills. I'm going to be joining your class."
The science teacher smiled at him. "Welcome, Henry. You can sit over there," she commented, pointing to a desk off in the corner in the second row.
Henry nodded, and Emma left the school. She still had to go to the university for her own classes. Maybe she'd ask him about his comment tonight.
OOOOOOOOOO
As it turned out, Emma wasn't able to ask Henry about his comment that night. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with Henry, since he had just arrived home. But she did still have school work to take care of, unfortunately. Tonight it turned out she had a group project to work on for her profiling course. They were supposed to plan an oral presentation for Friday's class. Fortunately, Snow and David were home with Henry, so it wasn't like he was alone or anything.
Still, she had missed Henry. She wanted to spend more time with him. And now she was stuck in the university library with two twenty – year old yahoos and a horny thirty – year old man, trying to plan a presentation on racial profiling? Where was the justice in this world? Emma had always hated working in groups, anyway. Now she had to work with almost – teenagers that she couldn't relate to, and a guy that would not stop hitting on her.
"So if we add this sentence, here," one of the twenty – year olds, Justin, commented, "it should go with this picture."
Emma nodded. Whatever. Actually, the kid was quite smart. She just didn't like working with others.
The horny thirty – year old sipped his coffee again. "So what are you doing, tomorrow, Emma? I thought we could get some lunch or something?"
Emma shook her head firmly and returned to looking up information about their topic. "I have to work," she told him firmly. "I have a real job, you know."
Horny snorted, "Well, we have to work together for the next few nights. I'm sure we could figure something out," he said suggestively as he patted Emma's shoulder.
Emma grinded her teeth and removed his hand from her shoulder. She'd seen Snow and David use that gesture many times over the last two years, and she'd always associated it with their quiet affection (which was so much better than their noisy affection). But when this guy used it…it wasn't so affectionate. It was annoying and almost creepy. Why did he keep coming on to her, anyway? "I'd rather not," she told him firmly. Let's just finish the stupid presentation."
"What if we use this line?" a twenty year old, named Cassandra asked. She pointed to something in one of the books. "It sounds pretty good."
Justin shook his head. "No. We should combine it with this line over here," he replied, pointing to a line from a different book. "It will sound better; it will be less repeating the same thing."
Emma nodded. "Yeah." It was a good idea. A really good idea, actually. Justin reminded Emma of an older version of Henry, because of the way he could put things together. Why was she stuck here instead of spending time with her son, again?
OOOOOOOO
Two hours later, Emma finally left the university. Unfortunately, when Emma finally arrived home, it was after 10:00PM, when Henry had to go to bed. She had missed the entire evening with her son. He was finally home and she still couldn't talk to him? Emma still spent a good ten minutes watching her son sleep, though. It was just so wonderful that he was home.
She would have actually spent a lot longer than that if her stomach hadn't started growling. She hadn't eaten supper yet. And it was so loud it might even wake Henry up. So she left the room after looking at Henry one more time.
"There's a chicken and broccoli casserole for you, Emma," Snow called to her as Emma began to rummage through the kitchen, looking for something to eat. "You can heat it up in the oven. Try about 250 degrees; that oven cooks fast."
Emma nodded, muttering, "We need to get a microwave," as she did so. Not like that would happen anytime soon. Henry returning to them had a lot of added expenses, from the lawyer fees, to the extra money needed for Henry's lunches, to the money she'd spent for his posters. That was why Emma was eating here at 10:30 at night instead of grabbing a sandwich at the university. They couldn't afford to eat outside the house right now. Emma was luck she could still afford coffee, actually. Still, Emma would never put a price on Henry returning home. It reminded her of one of those old MasterCard commercials.
Lawyer's fees …. $700 (which Emma was sure they would be paying for the next three years, even with the help from her family)
Henry's lunches…$10
Henry's new posters…..$7
Henry's other necessities (including a city bus pass, a backpack, etc)…$12
Henry being at home with a family that loved him…priceless
"So how was Henry tonight?" Emma asked her parents as her dinner heated up. "Was he any trouble?"
Snow and David shook their heads. "No, of course not! He's such a great kid, Emma."
Emma smiled. "I know."
"I was thinking I might fix the windows this weekend," David commented. "I thought maybe I'd ask Henry if he wanted to help me. Do you think he'd like that?" he asked Emma.
Emma nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I do. Sounds like a great idea."
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Emma spent the next two nights working on the presentation with the others, much to her dismay. Her temper for dealing with the others, especially the horny thirty – year old, was slipping. Many times she wondered why she even bothered showing up for the meetings. But then she remembered. The presentation was worth 40% of her grade. And if she didn't pass this class, Chief Winslow would fire her. Still…
"I see you don't have any coffee with you tonight," Horny said to her as she arrived the next night. "I'll give you mine if you give me a kiss. That's more than far, isn't it?" He held out his coffee cup and leaned into her.
Emma pushed him away. "I'm not interested, okay? How many times do I have to make that clear to you?"
A splash of hot coffee landed on Horny's pants. "Eekk!" he exclaimed.
Emma couldn't stop laughing. "Serves you right!"
Justin looked between Emma and Horny. "We need to finish this, alright," he said firmly. "You can discuss your relationship, or the lack thereof, later."
"Whatever," Emma replied. She hated working with others, and working with a smart – nosed kid bossing her around wasn't helping. She really wished she could use this time to spend with Henry.
OOOOOOOOOOO
The next night, they finally finished the presentation. Cassandra put it together on a power point, and they were all ready. (Emma tried to stay as far away from Horny, because he was still trying to hit on her.) They decided Emma and Justin would do the talking in class. Emma had to admit, that didn't bother her very much. Talking in front of people had never been a problem for her. Knowing when to be quiet…she was working on it.
But the important thing was, now that this project was complete, she could spend her evenings with Henry, like she wanted to. It had been a very long three days. Especially because of Justin. When he wasn't bossing her around, he reminded her so much of Henry she could barely stand it. He was smart, thoughtful, curious, and perceptive. Exactly like her son.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Henry seemed to be enjoying his new school, from what Emma could tell. "So what have you been doing in school for the last few days?" she asked him as they finally all sat down to dinner together.
Henry shrugged as he ate a forkful of spaghetti. "We're learning about animals in science. That's pretty fun."
Emma nodded as she finished a bite of spaghetti. "Sounds great. Have you finished your homework for tonight?"
Henry shrugged.
"Henry…" Emma warned.
"I might still have some math homework," he admitted. "But why should I bother with multiplying fractions? What is the purpose of it?"
"Henry! It doesn't matter. You need to do your homework anyway. Have you been giving your grandparents trouble with doing your math homework in the last few days?"
"No! Of course not," Henry protested.
"We made sure he did everything, Emma," Snow added as she finished a bite of spaghetti.
"So why can't you do it tonight?" Emma persisted.
"Because I'm tired of doing things I don't need to, and they're not going to make a difference!" Henry cried. "I've always hated math, but I did it because I'm supposed to. But now I wonder, what's the point of that?"
Emma was about to ask what brought on this pessimistic attitude. Henry was supposed to have faith like his grandparents had. He taught Emma what it meant to have faith. But before she could, Snow replied, "Henry, do you like to help me bake sometimes?
Henry nodded. "Of course! Can we do it tomorrow?"
Snow shrugged. "Maybe next week, when we can get some ingredients for baking. But Henry, do you know I need to multiply fractions to follow a recipe?"
Henry looked at his grandmother blankly. "Really? Why?"
Snow smiled. "Because if the recipe I'm following makes ten brownies, but I want to make, say twenty brownies, I might need to multiply a 1/2 of a cup of sugar or a 1/3 cup of vanilla, for example. So if you want to help me bake…you should learn how to multiply fractions."
Henry nodded. "Okay! I'll get right to it when I'm done supper."
"Thanks for the help," Emma told her mother when they finished.
"You really saved the day on that one, Snow," David added as he picked up his plate.
Snow smiled. "I just figured he needed some proper motivation. I do multiply fractions when I bake, so when he said he didn't think he needed to use them…I showed him that he did." She began washing the dishes in the sink. David stood next to her, ready to start drying when she finished.
Emma shrugged as she went to her room to do some reading. Snow might not have a degree in elementary education without her Curse memories, but she certainly had some good instincts. Emma was glad she was here to help with Henry.
OOOOOOOOOOO
"So our topic was on racial profiling," Emma announced as she began the presentation (standing as far away as she could from Horny). She pushed the button to go to the first slide. "A lot of people in law enforcement use racial profiling as a tool, and it's actually considered acceptable, according to a 1996 ruling in the Supreme Court."
"Members of law enforcement use racial profiling for terrorists." She clicked on a picture of people of Middle – Eastern dissent. "And for drug use among other things." She clicked on a picture of police busting an African – American street thug.
"But racial profiling can also get us in trouble as law enforcement," Emma clicked on a picture of politicians arguing against the practice. "It should be one of the reasons you question a subject, not the only reason. "And never arrest someone for that reason."
Justin took over after that.
The professor told them they did a good job when they were finished. Emma was glad, but she was even gladder that she wouldn't have to do anymore work with groups. (This was their only group presentation for this class, according to the syllabus.) And she was going to sit as far away from Horny as she could, from now on.
OOOOOOOO
Late Saturday morning, two boys knocked on their door. "Hello?" Emma asked suspiciously, wondering why they were here. They were just kids, but still...you could never be too careful with strangers. Especially with her family, since a lot of them still didn't know all the rules in this world. Emma shuddered as she recalled how close David had come to attacking the other lawyer. Thank goodness for Snow.
But the boys smiled at her, bright and friendly. "I'm Teddy and this is Eddie. We live down the street," they told her, pointing to some of the houses down the road. "We noticed there's a kid living here around our age, and we wanted to know if he wanted to come to the park with us. We're going to play catch, you know." Teddy shrugged.
For the first time, Emma noticed the other boy had a duffel bag with baseballs and gloves inside. They also appeared to be about Henry's age. She smiled. They seemed fine. They just wanted to play with her son! "Henry!" she called.
Henry came forward. "Yeah, Mom?" he asked causally.
"These boys wanted to know if you wanted to play catch with them at the park. They said they live down the street," Emma smiled at her son as she said this. If it was one thing Henry was always lacking in his life, it was friends his own age. Maybe living here would finally give him that.
Henry, however, looked a little uncertain. "I don't know, Mom. I don't know much about baseball."
Emma nodded. That made sense. It wasn't something Regina would have encouraged him to play. She could just picture Regina telling Henry he wasn't allowed to get any dirt on his clothes or anything like that. Then she sighed. She shouldn't think ill of a woman who died so the rest of Storybrooke could escape. A woman Emma knew Henry still missed, even if he didn't talk about her very much.
The two boys gave Henry weird looks, in the meantime. "You don't know that much about baseball? Where have you been?" They shook their heads, chuckling. Emma was just about to shut the door in their faces. No one laughed at her son. Then one of them (Emma thought it might be Eddie), shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We're not going to play a real game anyway. We're just going to throw the ball back and forth. You can do that, right?" he asked Henry.
Henry nodded.
"So you can play with us. Come on, it will be fun."
"I don't know," Henry replied uncertainly. "I just don't know."
Emma sighed. She was really going to have to talk to Henry about where his new pessimistic attitude was coming from. When he returned home, that is. Right now he was going to have some fun with some kids his own age. "Henry," she said to him firmly. "You are going to go outside and play with these other boys. They offered to let you come with them, because they were trying to be nice to you. Now you are going be nice and accept. Do you understand me?"
Henry nodded and left with the other boys. After a few minutes she decided to ask her parents if they wanted to accompany her to the park as well. Henry may not like it, but Emma didn't want to be separated from him more than she had to right now. Not when he'd just come home a week ago.
OOOOOOOO
A few hours later, they all came home, laughing. Henry seemed to have made two tentative friends in Teddy and Eddie, at least. Emma had really enjoyed watching the three boys interact. Her parents had enjoyed watching Henry as well, from what Emma could see. They also enjoyed playing with birds, and…tickling each other, from what she noticed. (Emma tried to focus more on watching Henry after that.)
But then Emma sat down with Henry on his air mattress. "Henry, we have to talk."
Henry nodded. "Okay," he replied a little nervously.
Emma smiled at him, trying to show him he wasn't in trouble. She was just concerned about him. "All week, I been hearing you make comments that aren't like you. They're very pessimistic. Monday when I enrolled you in school, you said something like 'while I'm here I'll take care of my locker' or something like that. Thursday night you didn't want to bother doing your math homework, because you said you didn't see the point of it. And today those boys were very nice to invite you to go to the park to play catch with them, and you didn't want to go until I told you to. What is it, Henry? Why are you talking like that?"
"I don't know," Henry replied, looking at the floor.
Emma sighed. "Henry, my superpower still works, even though we aren't in Storybrooke. You do know. What is it? Usually you have so much faith that things will get better. You taught me to have more faith. What's wrong?"
Henry sighed. "I guess maybe I know why you had such a hard time finding faith, Mom. I keep telling myself I'm home…that I won't have to leave again. But a part of me…finds it so hard to believe. I was so sure my other mom was going to make out of the mines alive. But she still died. Then I was so sure I wouldn't have to leave you guys. But I did. Then I was so sure I would come back again. And well I did…but a part of me can't stop thinking that the judge said you only had 'temporary custody.' And I think maybe…I'll have to leave again." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom. I should have more faith. You're right. I'm being silly."
Emma shook her head and hugged her son from the side. "No, Henry. You're not being silly. You're being normal for a kid in your situation. This is one of the reasons I never wanted you to be in foster care in the first place. It makes you think nothing good in your life will last. But Henry, you aren't going back to foster care. I promise you. I don't care what I have to do to keep you out of it. I don't care how many times I have to kiss the social worker's butt. Or the judge's butt. I don't care who I have to talk to. I don't care what I have to ask your grandparents to do. And you know what? They don't care what they have to do, either. So you're going to stay with us. Okay?"
Henry finally smiled. "Okay. Hey, Mom? Can we buy some stamps soon?"
Emma shrugged. "Sure. But why?"
Henry smiled. "I promised the two younger kids in the foster home that I'd write them some letters. I mean, it would be nice for them to know there's someone that still cares about them, right?"
Emma heart swelled with pride in her son's compassion. "That's a wonderful idea, Henry. We'll get some stamps so you can do that."
XXXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOO
Sunday afternoon, Charming was finally able to get some materials to fix the windows, after finding a hammer, nails, and some wood on sale. He settled all of his things near the first window, the one in the living room. Then he called out, "Henry!"
Henry came running out of his bedroom. "What, Grandpa?" He grinned from ear – to – ear as he said that, obviously loving the fact that he could call them by their proper relationship again.
Charming smiled at the title as well. Snow could tell he loved hearing it as much as Henry loved saying it. "How would you like to help me fix this window? I could use your help, Henry."
Henry's whole face lit up. "Yes! Definitely!"
Snow, meanwhile, was sitting on the couch, watching. Her heart swelled so much she thought it might burst as she watched her husband and her grandson fix the window together. Charming patiently explained everything he was doing to Henry. "Okay, so first I have to remove the damaged board," he began as he used the hammer to remove the old nails.
Henry nodded eagerly. "And then what?"
"Then the old board comes out," he continued as he placed the board with the hole on the floor next to him. After that he picked up the new board. It had been previously measured, so it fit perfectly. "Can you hand me one of those nails, Henry?" Charming asked.
Henry nodded. "Yep" he replied as he happily handed Charming a nail.
Emma came in just then, noticing them working together. Snow smiled at her. "I'm glad they have time together now," Emma commented, cheerfully.
Snow nodded. "He was really looking forward to doing this with Henry. And I can't think of anything better to watch right now," she told Emma contently. There was nothing better than seeing her two favorite men so happy together.
Emma shrugged and sat next to her mother. "I guess I can't, either."
Snow's heart swelled even more at that. "You just made a perfect day even better." Now she could watch her husband and her grandson with her daughter next to her. What could be better than that? They spent the next forty – five minutes watching the men finish the window before they went to fix the one in Henry's room. It was wonderful.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Thursday afternoon, Snow finally had the chance to get all the ingredients to make her all – time favorite treat, cinnamon rolls. She even found a recipe, so she could understand how they cooked in the ovens in this world. She was hoping when Henry came home, he might be interested in helping her. After all, he had expressed an interest in doing so last week.
When Henry arrived home, however, Snow could tell there was something bothering him. It was the little things. The way he walked. The way his smile didn't show in his eyes. Henry was trying to hide it, but something was definitely bothering him. "Henry, can you tell what wrong?" she asked as he walked past the kitchen.
Henry shrugged. "Nothing's wrong, Grandma. Don't worry about me."
Snow's heart swelled at hearing that name. Still…"Henry are you sure you don't want to talk to me?"
Henry shrugged. "I'm all right."
Snow sighed. Maybe he needed something to distract him. "Henry, I'm all set to make cinnamon rolls. Have you been practicing multiplying fractions? Because if you have, you could help me if you wanted."
Henry made a beeline back to the kitchen. "Yeah I've been practicing them, I promise! I want to help."
Snow smiled. That certainly improved his mood. But Snow was still concerned about whatever was bothering Henry. Maybe she could ask again while they were cooking?
"Okay, Henry, how about you scoop 1/3 cup of sugar and put it in this bowl," she told him handing him a measuring cup. Her grandson nodded happily as he proceeded to do so. Snow meanwhile, scooped two cups of flour into the bowl as well. Then she added the yeast.
"Would you like to mix, Henry?"
"Sure," he replied.
Meanwhile, Snow began melting the milk on the stove. As she turned back to Henry, she decided to ask him about his problem again. Maybe he would be ready to talk now. "So, can you tell me what the matter was when you came in, Henry?"
Henry finished mixing and sighed. "Grandma, I'm fine," he said forcefully. Snow never thought a twelve – year old boy could talk like that. "I don't want to talk, okay? Now are we going to make cinnamon rolls or not?"
Snow sighed. "Sure, Henry." She added the warm milk to the bowl. "You can add the butter and the egg."
OOOOOOOOO
She and Henry made the rest of the cinnamon rolls together. She was happy to spend time with him, and Henry seemed to be enjoying himself, for the most part. But he still refused to talk to Snow about his problem. What was wrong with her? Her daughter was all grown up and didn't really need a mother anymore, especially since Henry had returned. And now her grandson didn't want to talk to her about his problems. What was she going to do?
When Emma came home that night, Snow mentioned it to her after they finished supper. "I think something is bothering Henry. But he won't tell me what it is. Maybe he'll talk to you?" Snow suggested.
Emma nodded and disappeared into Henry's room. Snow sighed. A part of her hoped Henry would talk to Emma. After all, if something was the matter with Henry, maybe Emma could make him feel better or help solve his problem. Still, if Henry talked to Emma…it would only make Snow feel more useless than she already felt. Because then Henry and Emma really didn't need her.
Charming came up behind her and began rubbing her shoulders as she finished washing the dishes. Snow knew he didn't know what was bothering her, but he was already doing what he could to help. He was wonderful. "So if you made your famous cinnamon rolls…how many of them are for me?" He teased her as he still rubbed her shoulders.
"Not too many!" she teased him back. "The majority of them should go to the chefs. That's Henry and me."
Charming laughed again, spinning her around to face him. "That's what you always say. But you never actually do anything about it." He kissed her playfully and then picked up a roll.
"That better be the only one you eat!" she warned him, teasing again. He always made her feel better.
OOOOOOOOOO
Friday night, after Henry went to bed, Emma approached Snow and Charming. "Henry was told me what was bothering him last night," she began.
"I see," Snow replied, trying not to let it bother her that Henry would talk to Emma but not to her.
"He told me the social worker came to see him at the school yesterday. He's worried about having to go back to the foster home again."
Snow nodded, understanding. Charming nodded as well. "Tell him that won't happen, Emma," he said firmly. "We'll find a way that Henry will never have to be separated from our family again." Snow nodded in agreement.
Emma smiled. "I told him that already. He and I had that conversation last Saturday, too." Henry was upset last weekend, too? And Snow hadn't noticed it? She looked at the ground. She realized she was just getting to know her grandson, but that she couldn't tell when he was upset…what did that say about her capabilities as a mother? As a grandmother? "I think he needs something more for him to have faith again," Emma continued. "We can keep telling him he doesn't have to worry about leaving us, but every time the social worker appears again, he's going to worry again. He needs something…more tangible that he can depend on."
Snow and Charming nodded. "Okay. Like what?" They looked at each other for a second. What would help their grandson have faith again?
"Well, when we lived in Storybrooke, Henry had this book," Emma interrupted their thoughts. "It was filled with stories about your world. The real stories, not the stories that the people of this world have created."
Charming nodded. "I remember him telling me about it when I first met him. Again…well you know," he shrugged. Snow and Emma nodded, understanding that he meant the first time Charming met Henry that he remembered.
"That book…it meant everything to Henry. He carried it with him everywhere he went. From what I understand, it gave him a lot of hope when he was living under the Curse, that it could be broken. I think…that's what we need for Henry to have faith again."
Snow was confused. "I understand why you think the book is important, but how would we get it back? Wasn't it destroyed when this Storybrooke was destroyed? Do you want us to help you look for it in the woods or something? Maybe it's there somewhere…" She didn't want to rob Emma of the hope she had in this book. If she needed her and Charming to look a book that may or may not be there in the woods, they would do it. They had always been good at finding things in the woods, anyway.
Emma shook her head. "Thank you, but, that's not what I meant. I was thinking…I could buy some paper and some binding…and we could make him another book as a Christmas present. I'll need your help, though. I'm afraid…I don't know those stories very well. Could you write all of the stories you remember about your world?"
Snow nodded excitedly. "Of course!" This was wonderful. It was a chance to really help Henry and Emma. Maybe Henry needed his grandmother and Emma needed her mother, after all. Plus, Snow would love to reminisce all of the memories she had of the Enchanted Forest.
Emma smiled happily. "Great! You guys can write the story of how you met, and your wedding, and how you met all your friends. He'll love it."
Charming nodded, looking a little confused this time. "We'd be happy to help, Emma. But...most of our stories don't show Regina in a very favorable light. Are you sure he would want to read them?"
Snow nodded. That was a good point. It was something that concerned her when she tried to tell Henry stories about their world.
Emma smiled, "I appreciate the concern. It's true that Henry sees Regina differently than you…or even I do, but he's also well aware of who she was in your world. All of those stories that I described were in the original book, including Regina's role in those stories. It didn't stop him from reading the book or loving the stories."
"Okay," they both replied. This would be fun. Snow couldn't wait to get started, and she could tell Charming felt the same way.
"Try to work on him while Henry isn't around," Emma warned them. "I was hoping it would be a surprise."
They nodded.
"I'll ask Ruby to write some stories, too," Emma continued talking about the project. "And do you know anyone who draws? The book had some state – of the art illustrations I'd like to include, too."
Snow and Charming shrugged. Then Charming said, "Didn't Abigail say she used to paint? In our world? Maybe you could ask her."
Emma nodded. "I'll do that. Thanks, again." She smiled happily.
"It's no problem, Emma. Trust us. We'll do anything to help you and Henry." Snow assured her.
"And writing down all of our stories…it's not really a hardship, Emma," Charming chuckled. "I'm looking forward to writing down all those memories." He looked at Snow when he said that, making his meaning clear. He was particularly looking forward to the memories that involved her. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. He was so sweet.
Emma nodded. "Well, I'll try to buy the stuff this weekend then."
XXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOO
On Wednesday, Red went over to Joan Richardson's house for lunch. Red found the woman actually lived only a few blocks from where she did, making it even easier. "Hi," she greeted Joan as she opened the door. "Hi, Shaggy," she added, petting the dog as she greeted him as well. Shaggy licked her hand again.
Joan shook her head. "I still can't get over that. He was barking and growling a mile a minute when he heard someone coming up the steps." Red nodded. She had heard him. He sounded pretty angry but she had been sure she could calm Shaggy down. "And then I open the door, and he see it's you…and he's happy again!"
"So what do you like to eat? Ham, turkey, or roast beef sandwiches?" Joan asked cheerfully as they headed into the kitchen. It was a big room, decorated in a bright blue. A white table sat on one side, near some windows. On the other side, there were two dishes on the floor. One was filled with water. Red wondered what they were for. "Ham," she replied to Joan. "Ham is fine." Red had gotten used to these "sandwiches" that were common in this world. She was quite fond of the ham sandwiches.
Joan nodded and began getting out ingredients for two ham sandwiches. After she finished she also pulled out a large bag out of the cupboard. "Shaggy should eat at the same time we do," she explained. "He gets one scoop of this dog food." She took out a scoop that was in the bag and dumped it into the empty bowl on the floor. Red nodded. So that's what those bowls were for. In the Enchanted Forest, dogs weren't kept indoors, so it didn't occur to her that they could be for Shaggy's food. It was kind of nice, that they could eat with the dog in here, though.
Once that was settled, Red and Joan sat down to eat their lunch. Shaggy went back and forth between the table and his food and water. Joan chuckled. "I try to discourage him from eating people food by giving him his own food at the same time. But…as you can see, it only works to a point."
Red nodded. "Yeah."
"So let's get to know each other a little better. What do you do for work, did you say?"
Red shrugged. "I'm a waitress at a restaurant called The Hot Spot."
Joan's eyes widened. "I see," she commented slowly. "You must have needed a job really badly to work there."
Red sighed. Obviously Joan was aware of Mr. Jenison's…attitude concerning the waitresses. "I did," she replied. "My friends and I had just moved to town, and I really needed a job fast, so we could have a place to stay." Okay, so that was part of the reason, but it didn't stop Emma, Snow, and Jam – David from telling her not to take the job. And it certainly wasn't why she was still working there. Still, Joan didn't need to know all of her reasons for working at The Hot Spot.
Joan nodded. "Okay. You're looking for another job now, though, right?
Red was confused. "Didn't you say if things worked out, I could have a job taking care of Shaggy?" She thought all her problems with looking for a new job was over.
Joan shook her head. "Yes, but that will only last for a couple of weeks, dear. You should look for another, permanent job. You don't want to have to stay at The Hot Spot, do you?"
Red felt cornered. She thought this problem was solved! Or to be more accurate, she wanted to believe the problem was solved. Deep down, Red knew she'd need a job that lasted longer than a few weeks. But she hadn't wanted to think about it, so she'd made herself believe finding a job wasn't her concern anymore. To Joan she replied, "Yeah, I'll do that." Hopefully when she got home, she'd actually start looking.
"Anyway, I'm a freelance writer myself," Joan continued, obviously thinking that topic was over. Red was only too happy to discuss something else. "I sell articles to different newspapers and magazines. It's nice because I can work at my own schedule. It also gives me the chance to spend the whole day at home, with this critter," she joked, petting Shaggy as she said that.
Shaggy panted, still looking for food.
"You've still got your own lunch," Joan told him, pointing at his bowl.
Shaggy went back to the bowl on the floor. He took two bites and lapped up some water. Then he returned to standing at next to the table.
Joan sighed and shook her head.
Red and Joan had a very enjoyable lunch together. Joan seemed like a nice person. Red also spent some time with Shaggy, which she enjoyed. They agreed Red would meet them for lunch again next week.
OOOOOOOOOOO
That weekend, Abigail and Fredrick were still looking for job openings. (Abigail hadn't heard anything about the cleaning job, so she decided to keep looking.) Red was…thinking about looking herself. It was what everyone told her she should do, right? But as she pondered whether she could actually give up being looked at like a woman by her boss and all the customers, Abigail exclaimed, "I found it! The perfect job!" She held up the newspaper in delight.
"What is it, Abigail?" Fredrick asked, looking up from the newspaper he was examining. "Something involving painting?"
Abigail chuckled. "No, Freddie." Her eyes danced as she looked at him. "But it would still be a great job for me. It's a dress shop! Look, the picture shows women wearing gowns. I bet most of the dresses are gowns. I know plenty about gowns from growing up as a princess. The ads says they're looking for someone to catalog the new dresses they get in and help customers pick out the dresses they want! I could do that!"
Red nodded. It did sound like a great job for Abigail.
Fredrick also nodded enthusiastically. "It sounds wonderful. I know how much you enjoyed picking out different gowns in our world. You would do really well there. And it's a dignified job, too."
Red rolled her eyes. It seemed Fredrick couldn't stop thinking of Abigail as a princess who had to have "dignified work", even though she wasn't one in this world.
"Well, let's go get an application then," Abigail said excitedly. Abigail had apparently accepted that Fredrick wouldn't let her ride the bus by herself. Red wondered how well that would work when they both had jobs, but she supposed it didn't matter right now.
But as they were about ready to leave the apartment, Emma came in. "Hi!" she said cheerfully. "Do you guys have a minute? There's something I'd like to ask you."
Abigail shrugged. "Sure. I can get that application in a little while. Did you know I found an ad for job at a dress shop, Emma? It sounds like a perfect job for me!"
Emma shrugged. "That's great."
Red nodded. "Yeah, I'm not doing anything right now. What's up, Emma?"
Emma smiled and leaned against the kitchen counters. (They still didn't have a place to sit.) "It's Henry," she began. "He's having trouble believing that he's home for good. I thought if I could make him something special, that helped him have faith before, it would help."
They all nodded. "Okay. What is it? How can we help?" Red asked.
"I want to make him a book," Emma explained. "A book with all the stories from your world. The real stories, the ones you remember. I'll get some supplies, and you can write some of the stories. I've already talked to my parents, and they agreed to help. Will you help, too?"
Red nodded eagerly. Anything to help the Charmings'. "Sure."
Abigail and Fredrick nodded as well. "It sounds like fun."
"And Abigail," Emma added. "I remember you like painting?"
Abigail nodded.
"Would you paint the pictures for the book, as well?"
Abigail nodded, her eyes lighting up. "Of course! It would be so much fun! See Freddie, I'm going to be painting again, after all!"
Fredrick gave Abigail a hug. "I knew you'd find a way back to it." Then he looked at Emma. "Thank you for helping her find a way."
Emma grinned. "No. Thank you."
So what did you think of that? I would really like some more reviews. I love to hear what you enjoy. I even love to hear if you think something isn't working.
I'd also like to thank those that have been reading, especially those that favorited or followed this story. I also welcome to those that have only recently began reading and/or following it.
And finally a special thanks goes to those who have already given reviews. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with me! Here's some responses for those who reviewed the last chapter:
Guest – I do agree Emma is a lot like David, as well. Physically, she's built more like him, and she has his coloring as well. I also understand what you mean about the way they fight. It's probably why they make such a good sheriff/deputy team in Storybrooke. David also has a reputation for being "short on tact" like Emma does. I have to say, it's easier for me to see why she's like Snow than like David, though, but I do think the similarities to David are still present in her. I think in this story, it's not as easy to explore, though, because they don't work at the same job like they do in Storybrooke. There may be a scene coming up later where Emma sees more of her similarities to her father, though.
Marysocountry – I'm glad you liked the chapter. As far as Henry telling the social worker more about the Collard's, well you have to remember that even though Henry has a lot of compassion for a kid his age, he was still mostly trying to get himself out of there. Also, I think Henry expected the adults to take the comments he made about the Collards not giving them enough attention, etc. a little more literally, when the judge actually thought he was just complaining. But Henry does intend to write to the younger boys, so someone will still be there for them.