Chapter Twenty
Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also, this is a sequel to the original "Thicker than Water" written by La Lisboa.
Thanks to Lisboa for betaing and for letting me use your story as a starting point again.
Emma had been patrolling around Hampden for a few hours on Monday when she happened to see someone smash a dark blue truck into a telephone pole.She immediately stopped her cruiser and approached the other vehicle. She wondered if the driver had been drinking. She hoped the idiot was okay. Fortunately, it didn't appear he had any other passengers riding with him. But he would still have to pay for the damages to the telephone pole.
"Hello," she told the driver. He appeared to be about nineteen years old. He had wavy black hair and a goofy grin. "I'm Officer Swan. I need to see your license and registration, please," she told him firmly.
"Why?" he asked her, his tone and his expression showing he didn't see the point.
Emma shook her head. Sometimes these guys were a little ridiculous because they didn't see the consequences of anything. "Because you just hit a telephone pole, that's why!" she snapped. "You'll have to pay the town for damages. And I need to make sure you're not breaking any other laws, like driving without a license or stealing a car. Now hand it over," she told him firmly glaring at him.
"Huh?" the guy asked again, still sounding confused.
Just how out – of – it was this kid? Emma took another look at him, noticing for the first time that his eyes were glassy. Was he sick? Then, she finally saw the culprit. Sitting on the dashboard of the truck was a joint, all ready to be smoked. There was a lighter right next to it as well. Emma picked it up. "So this is why you ran into the telephone pole! You weren't drinking; you were high! Now I have to charge you with driving under the influence and possession of narcotics as well as damage to town property. Now can you give me that license and registration, or do I have to look for it myself?" Emma shook her head at this guy's idiocy. Driving while high? Who would do that?
The guy began saying a string of curse words while looking for his papers. Not surprisingly, since he was high, he wasn't able to find them.
Emma sighed and began searching for them herself. She found two other recently – lit joints in the truck and several other dead joints. Obviously the guy had been doing quite a bit of marijuana in his truck. She certainly hoped driving high wasn't a regular thing for him. Eventually Emma did find his registration. Apparently he had some responsibility, since he owned a vehicle. (Or at least someone did. Emma wouldn't be surprised if he parents paid for his truck.) The guy also eventually managed to get a hold of his driver's license, handing it to her with more curse words.
His name, according to his license, was Donald Yates, and he was eighteen years old. That was old enough to be prosecuted as an adult. (Even though he obviously wasn't one.) "Listen, Mr. Yates, like I said, you will be charged with damage to town property as well as driving under the influence and possession of narcotics. You're under arrest and will be spending the next two days in jail."
Donald continued to grumble and curse as she got out her handcuffs and began reading him his rights. After Emma cuffed him, she assorted him to her police cruiser. "Can I give you a piece of advice, Mr. Yates?" she asked after she fastened him into the backseat.
"I know I told you have the right to remain silent, but as police officers, we like to arrest the person supplying you with your drugs. If you would be interested in telling us who that is, it might affect your sentence. Just something for you to think about."
OOOOOOOOOO
When Emma returned the cruiser at the end of her shift, she found out Donald Yates had decided to talk to the some of the other officers about who his supplier was. With Donald's testimony, Chief Winslow speculated they might be able to get a warrant to search the supplier's house the next day. Emma hoped so. It wouldn't eliminate marijuana use in the area, but it should make it harder, at least.
As she was on her way home, it occurred to Emma she had meant to talk to Henry about drugs as well. It didn't surprise her that he came across drug users when he was in Portland. And despite the problems Henry had with the drugs he'd ingested, Emma was proud of Henry for realizing he shouldn't eat something that "made him act funny." But that comment also made it very clear that Henry didn't know very much about drug abuse.
Emma supposed it made sense, when she thought about it a little. Under the Curse, he was too young to be taught about the dangers of drug abuse. Even if it was mentioned a couple of times in school, Henry was obsessed with the Curse and Operation Cobra back then. Dangers that didn't include the Evil Queen, Rumplestiltskin, or anything to do with the dark magic of the Curse wouldn't have concerned him. After the Curse broke…well the town was far too busy trying to understand the aftermath of the Curse to worry about teaching the kids about drugs. Besides, outsiders couldn't find Storybrooke easily, since it wasn't on the maps. Where would the drugs come from?
Despite the fact that it made sense that Henry didn't know much about drugs, he needed to know about them and their dangers if he was going to live outside of Storybrooke now. Actually, maybe she should talk to David and Snow about them as well. Not that Emma actually thought her parents would consider using drugs. Emma knew they were smarter than that. But still…their lack of knowledge of those things made her a little nervous.
Emma, Henry, David and Snow all sat down to dinner than night. Snow had made glazed pork chops with potatoes. She was getting used to cooking the food in this world, Emma had noticed. She made potatoes, pasta, and rice, quite frequently now. All of Snow's meals were still much better than anything Emma could've cooked, though. For that reason alone, Emma was really glad to have her mother here.
The rest of their family agreed, obviously.
"This is great, Grandma," Henry commented as he swallowed a bite of pork chop.
Snow beamed at the name, as she always did. "Thank you, Henry."
David nodded as well. "Nothing but the best from you, Snow," he added, giving Snow the goo – goo eyes.
Emma sighed. Time to move on. "So, I had to arrest someone for driving under the influence and possession of narcotics today," she began. She took a bite of potato.
David nodded. "That was a problem back in our world too, sometimes. People would spend too much time at a tavern, and then try to go riding or even drive a carriage. It's too bad their stupidity has to endanger others. I'm just glad we were never caught in the cross fire of one of those situations." He gestured to Snow and himself.
Emma swallowed her potato and replied, "Fortunately, this guy only broke a telephone pole and didn't seem to be hurt. He was lucky in that respect. And I guess driving drunk will always be a problem, no matter what world you're in. " She shook her head sadly. "But actually, the guy I arrested today wasn't driving under the influence of alcohol. He was smoking something called marijuana. It's illegal, but it's unfortunately relatively easy to get."
"That's too bad," Snow commented. "What does it do? I mean, what are its effects?"
Emma shrugged. "It kind of makes you act crazy or really goofy. It can affect your judgment too, which is probably why the guy ended up crashing into the telephone pole. Not to mention the fact that he didn't know why I was asking him for his license and registration."
Henry stared at his food for a few minutes. "Mom…does that stuff…make you want to eat weird foods?" he asked slowly.
Emma nodded. "It can, Henry."
Henry stared hard at his food as he talked. "I think that's what was in that brownie I ate a few weeks ago. I'm so sorry, Mom! I didn't know it was illegal! Could I go to jail for eating it? I knew it was wrong! I knew I shouldn't have eaten something like that! They said it would alter my brain, and it did!"
Emma leaned over and patted her son's back. "It's okay, Henry. Like you said, you didn't know it was illegal. In any case, you're a minor, so you wouldn't be sent to jail. Certainly not for eating one pot brownie. The police would go after your guardians and the people who gave you the drug."
Henry nodded. "So if I tell the social worker I ate the drug while I was with the Collards, it could be used against them?"
Emma nodded. "Probably."
Henry grinned at that idea.
"But Henry, I'm telling this so you do understand the problems and dangers of those drugs now, do you understand me? Don't ever take anything with marijuana in it again. It can be eaten or smoked, but it'll always have the same smell ," Emma told her son firmly.
"Don't worry, Mom, I don't want anything to do with that stuff anymore!" Henry shuddered, obviously remembering how he felt after he came down from the high.
Emma smiled. "Good to hear, Kid. But while we're on this subject; there are other drugs around that kids abuse sometimes. And I want you to be aware of them, so you'll stay away from them, as well."
"Okay," Henry replied, shrugging. He finally began eating his supper again.
Snow nodded as well. "I remember my boss mentioning something about his employees abusing the drugs there. What did he mean by that?"
Emma sighed. "Unfortunately, it's a growing problem in this world. People claim they need a prescription for pain relief, anti – depression, whatever. But they really don't. They just like the high feeling they get from the pills. Or the 'numb feeling', as the case may be. Or maybe they steal it or buy it illegally. Don't let anyone talk you into doing it," she warned her whole family.
They all nodded. "Of course not," David assured her.
"Even cold pills that you should be able to buy at the Wal – Mart can sometimes be abused," Emma continued. "People will buy them to get the high, or worse, use them to make a stronger drug in an illegal laboratory. Stay away from homemade labs, Henry. You never know what they might be making."
Henry nodded and took another bite of pork chop.
"Another drug that you might see a lot Henry, is called Ritalin. It comes in a form of a pill, and it's supposed to be used to treat kids with ADHD. If that's what it's used for, it's fine. But a lot of kids unfortunately, will sell their pills to other kids. Or some kids can use the pills even though they don't really need them. You don't need them, Henry. So stay away from them. Don't listen to anyone who might tell you differently."
Henry nodded again.
"Well, that's about all I wanted to say," Emma finished, taking a bite of her pork chop.
OOOOOOOOOOO
The next afternoon, the Hampden Police Office obtained a warrant to search an Arnold Bishop's house. Emma and Tom McKendric headed out at 3:30.
"Do you think we'll catch him?" Tom asked as he drove the cruiser.
Emma shrugged. She really wished she could be driving today; she was used to it. Not to mention driving the police cruiser was the only chance she had to drive these days. But since they were using Tom's cruiser…she let it slide. There were more important things to worry about. "I'd like to think so. Donald seemed interested in getting a reduced sentence, so he gave us the name pretty quickly. But that doesn't mean another of this Arnold's 'associates' didn't tip him off."
Tom nodded as he turned into the driveway of the address they had been given. It was a fairly nice house; nothing like the stereotypical "run – down" drug dealers home. Emma quickly scanned the yard and saw no evidence of marijuana plants around. It didn't mean anything, though. The stuff was easy to grow and most dealers were good at hiding their crop.
They both knocked on the door.
A twenty – something man with blond hair, and wearing a t – shirt and jeans answered the door. He had a can of beer in his hand. "Are you Arnold Bishop?" Emma asked him.
The man shrugged. "I guess. Why do you want to know?"
"We're from the Hampden Police Department," Tom began.
" – Well, duh, dude, I have eyes you know," Arnold replied. "I can figure out you're police officers." He gestured to their uniforms. "I just meant why you are here."
"If you'd allow us to finish punk, you'd know," Emma told him. These guys could be so hard to deal with, since they had no respect for the law what so ever. "We have a search warrant for your house, for trafficking and possession of narcotics. Specifically, marijuana."
Tom held up the warrant for Arnold to see as Emma spoke.
Arnold nodded nervously. From the look on his face, Emma knew he had something to hide in this house. Probably the pot. They were going to get him!
She and Tom spent the next hour searching the house. Tom took the kitchen, Emma took the living room. Emma looked in the downstairs bathroom, Tom took the hallway. Then they decided to try upstairs. Emma took the first bedroom and Tom took the second.
But as Emma looked in the bedroom she saw something that made her stop short. A dream catcher. It wasn't as fancy as the one in Neal's apartment in New York, but it still looked similar. She couldn't stop staring at it. She remembered seeing that, what was it, six months ago? At Neal's.
Emma had always believed Neal was nothing but a deadbeat who screwed her over. Finding out he was Rumplestiltskin's son certainly didn't help. But as she stared at the dream catcher she couldn't help but wonder. Why did he keep it? That dream catcher was going to be something they would use for their home when they had a place of their own.
She had denied it for months when people tried to tell her she still loved Neal. How could she love someone who'd betrayed her? Besides, it had been ten years, for goodness sakes! She'd moved on, and so did he.
But as Emma watched Neal struggle against falling into the portal, all the while dealing with a gunshot wound as well, she knew the truth. She loved him. His hands began to slip, but she gripped him tighter. "I love you, Neal!" she cried. "I won't lose you!" She reached for his arm.
"No!" he told her. "I love you, too, but you have to let go! Don't let Henry grow up like we did!" Let go? She couldn't let go! She'd only just realized she loved him. And here he was, acting like the perfect father, as well, thinking of his son before himself. She tried to reach for him again. But Neal was slipping from her hand again. As he finally slipped from her grip, Emma realized he was right. If she tried to save Neal, Henry would be left without his parents. Just like Emma and Neal had been. She couldn't do that to Henry. Neal disappeared.
Emma would never regret her decision to put Henry first that day. But there were a lot of things she did regret. She regretted wasting so much time staying mad at Neal after they had been reunited. Time they could have spent being happy together. She regretted not trying harder to make Neal see she had been right about Tamara. She regretted not requesting extra back – up when they went to confront Tamara. If someone else had been helping her, maybe they could have pulled him out of the portal.
"Hey, Emma?" Tom's voice cut through her thoughts. "I'm going to go check out the basement, okay?"
"Okay," she called back. That was right. She was supposed to be searching this guy's house for marijuana, not thinking about Neal! Why was did he matter so much now? Neal was never coming back. The fact was, he probably bled to death from the gunshot wound in whatever world he landed in. Hadn't she already dealt with his death?
Emma began looking through the bedroom for the marijuana again. But no matter how many times she told herself it was ridiculous, she couldn't stop thinking about Neal. The first time they kissed. The way they would laugh together. The keychain he gave her. Why did she get rid of that, anyway? How he jumped right into fatherhood when he realized Henry was his.
"Pay dirt!" Tom called. "I found the pot! It's in the basement!"
Well, that was nice, Emma supposed. They could arrest Arnold for large possession of marijuana. May as well do that. It would just be so much better if she could go home and tell Neal what she'd done today. But she couldn't. Because he was gone. Dead.
Emma and Tom arrested Arnold and brought him back to the station. When Arnold saw the man who ratted him out sitting in the next cell, he was not happy. "What kind of idiot are you to rat me out to the cops, Yates?" he screamed through the bars at the other man.
Donald Yates shrugged. "They told me they could reduce my sentence if I told them who my supplier was. I didn't want to pay a huge fine or lose my license for 90 days so…"
Arnold shook his head violently. "And it didn't occur to you that I'd get twice that much if they found all my pot in my basement? Not to mention that I might even get prison time? Where are you going to get your weed now when you get out, huh?"
Emma shook her head as she left the room and let the two druggists continue to scream at each other. Meanwhile, even though she was still going through the motions of doing her job, she couldn't stop thinking about Neal. No matter how many times she tried to shove the thoughts from her mind, they kept coming back. They way things were when they were young and in love. All they had back then was a yellow bug, but it didn't seem to matter as long as they were together. And the way he was with Henry when she met him again. Why did he have to leave, anyway? He left her twice! Once when he abandoned Emma when she was seventeen, and now three months ago when he died.
Emma struggled not to destroy police property as her anger built. She knew if she smashed the cruiser, she'd have to pay for it, and she couldn't afford another bill. That didn't stop her from pounding the steering wheel several times, though. But she was so angry at so many people right now. She was angry at Neal for leaving her twice. She was angry at Tamara for shooting him in the first place. She was angry at herself for waiting too long to realize she still loved Neal. She was even angry at herself for still caring so much after Neal had been dead for three months. Furthermore, sometimes she realized she was angry at things that weren't even alive. She was angry at the bean for taking Neal away from her before she could get him to a hospital. She was even angry at Storybrooke for being such a mixed – up town that things like that could happen.
Emma finally finished her shift, she returned the cruiser (undamaged, except for possible dents in the steering wheel from the number of times he head and hands had smashed it). Then she headed toward the one person who might understand what she was going through. Ruby.
She ran to Ruby's apartment as fast as she could when she got off the bus and began knocking (okay, banging) on the door. Luckily for her, Ruby got out of work at the restaurant at about the same time as Emma arrived home. So Emma was pretty sure Ruby would be there.
Unfortunately though, it was Fredrick, not Ruby, who answered the door. He stood with hands on his hips as the door opened. "Hello, Emma. Why were you knocking so loudly? I was afraid we had a prowler in the neighborhood or something." His voice showed he was a little…upset that she had knocked so loudly, to say the least. Fredrick also made no move to allow her to enter the apartment.
But Emma didn't have time for him. She needed to see Ruby now. "If you had a prowler, I highly doubt he would want to make a lot of noise," she told him, shaking her head. "Now move over, please. I need to see Ruby." With that, she pushed Fredrick out of the doorway and walked into the apartment.
Out of the corner of her eye Emma noticed Fredrick's shocked expression, but she didn't really care about that at the moment. Ruby came in from her bedroom. "Hi, Emma. What is it? I heard you were looking for me?"
Emma sighed in relief as Ruby emerged. "Yeah. I need to talk to you. Right away. Something happened today…" Her voice trailed off. She really didn't want to explain everything with Fredrick still watching.
Ruby nodded, and seeming to understand Emma wanted this to be private, suggested, "Why don't you come in my room?" Emma nodded and made a beeline for Ruby and her bedroom. "So what is it?" Ruby asked as they both sat down on her air mattress. "Are you sure this isn't something you'd rather discuss with Snow? I know she wants to get closer to you," Ruby suggested.
But Emma shook her head. "No. I'm trying to get closer to her, but this is something…I really can't talk to her about. It has to be you."
Ruby sighed and nodded. "I understand." They both looked around the room and at each other, remembering their previous discussion in here that they had agreed they couldn't talk about with Snow. "Well, you're lucky I didn't have to stay late at the restaurant again tonight. Mr. Jenison sometimes has me stay after hours these days."
Emma nodded. That didn't sound good. But she wasn't here to talk about Ruby's job, she was here to talk about how she could get over Neal. "So," Emma began, "Last time we talked, you mentioned your boyfriend died. How…long did it take to get over that?"
Ruby looked at the floor. "I don't know that I ever got over it. I mean how do I get over the fact that someone I could have married died? Not only that, but I killed him!"
Emma stared at her. "You killed him?" This was something she hadn't expected.
Ruby nodded. "My wolf form…wasn't so easy to control back then. I believed he was the wolf, so I had him tied up. Then…I ate him!" Ruby's voice sounded tearful with that last sentence.
Emma waited a few minutes for Ruby to calm down. She shrugged. "I'm sorry. At least I didn't kill Neal. But I still feel responsible for his death. I should have tried harder to get him to listen to me about Tamara. I should have told him I loved him right away when we were reunited. Then maybe…he wouldn't have trusted her and it could've worked out differently."
Ruby nodded. "Okay. I'm afraid I don't really understand the context for this, though. Give me a little back story."
Emma sighed. "I found Neal, he's – was – Henry's father, again in New York, about six months ago. I had made a deal with Gold – that's Rumplestiltskin – to find his son. Then I found out Rumplestiltskin's son was Neal." Ruby's eyes widened at this new information. Emma moved on quickly. "He came back to Storybrooke with us when his father got hurt, and he stayed for Henry's sake. Henry was thrilled to get to know his father." Emma pounded the air mattress. Thinking of all the time Henry would miss with Neal also made Emma angry. "People were telling me for months that it was clear I still had feelings for Neal, but I thought it was ridiculous. I mean, he abandoned me and sent me to jail the last time we were together! And it had been ten years! Plus, Neal was engaged." Emma grunted and pounded the air mattress again. "To Tamara."
"Isn't that the woman who you said – " Ruby began.
"Who shot Neal?" Emma finished. "Yup. She was up to no good and she was just using him to learn more about magic and Storybrooke. When Neal finally found out, she shot him and sent him through a portal. That way, there was no way to save him. She was also one of the people who blew up Storybrooke." Emma grinded her teeth. "I hate her."
Ruby nodded. "I see."
"But Ruby, I thought I was over this!" Emma explained angrily. "Neal's been dead for about three months now. I've accepted it. I decided I would help people that were actually alive. Like Snow, when she was locked up. And Henry, of course. But now…I saw something at someone's house while I was doing a drug search that made me think of Neal, and I just can't stop thinking about him!"
Ruby nodded. "That's because you hadn't really 'dealt with' his death yet. You may have accepted that he was dead but you didn't digest what it meant to you. I had the same problem. When I first discovered I was the wolf…I was so concerned with getting away from the hunters, I didn't have time to think about the fact that Peter was gone. That I had killed him. But eventually…it hit me, and I had to deal with it. Just like you are." Ruby smiled gently.
Emma shook her head. "Okay, how do I deal with it, then? Everything about Neal's death makes me so angry right now. It's been years since I've been this angry all the time. I don't know how to deal with it anymore."
Ruby nodded. "There was a time I was really angry, too. At myself, obviously, for killing Peter. But also for the hunters for making me believe Peter was being hunted, so I ended up tying him up. At Granny for not telling me I was a werewolf. It will pass, Emma. You'll get through this. Maybe it will be easier for you, because you have me."
Emma nodded. "That's what I thought when I came here tonight. You're the only one I know whose lost someone…I mean in a romantic way. I wanted someone who understood what I was feeling. How it feels to know he'll never kiss me again. Never look at Henry again. Nothing will ever happen with Neal and me now. I mean if he was still alive, we could've gotten married. I could have someone to wake up with in the mornings and sleep with at night. Neal knows… knew I'm not a morning person already, so I wouldn't even have to worry about that. But now what do I have? Nobody!" She punched the air mattress again.
Ruby nodded. "Yeah. It's been a while since I've thought about it, at least consciously, but I remember. I know, Emma. Listen, I'm probably going to be at the Hot Spot until late for the next few days. But if you want to call me, you can." Tentatively she reached out to hug Emma, but she let Emma decide whether to accept it or not.
Emma was grateful for that. She wasn't usually a touchy – person, but Ruby knew her in this moment. So she hugged Ruby back. Then Emma stretched out on Ruby's air mattress. "Do you mind if I stay here a little longer? I feel better here with you."
Ruby shook her head.
XXXXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOO
Snow was concerned when Emma didn't come home for supper Tuesday night. She told herself that Emma would be fine. There were plenty of times that Emma didn't come home right away because she had work to do at the university. Besides, as much as it still pained her to admit it, Emma could deal with this world better than she and Charming could. Snow still wished Emma would've used her communication device to tell her she wouldn't be here for supper, but for now she wouldn't worry. Much.
In the mean time, she served a dish that she'd made in the Enchanted Forest, for old time's sakes. It was one of the first dishes she'd learned to make, back when she snuck into the palace kitchens as a teenager, looking for company. It was the first chance she'd had to make this dish since they'd arrived in this world, since a few of the ingredients cost a little more. Baked ham glazed with blueberry sauce, carrots, and homemade bread. Snow also put some ham aside for Emma to heat up when she finally arrived home.
She and Charming also made sure Henry finished his homework and went to bed by 10:00 (since Emma still wasn't home yet). After that, Snow thought about calling Emma on her communication device herself. "Do you think we should call Emma?" she asked Charming. "I mean, she's still not home yet. Haven't we waited long enough?" What if something's happened to her?" Despite trying to appear calm, Snow was sure Charming heard the panic in her voice.
Charming wrapped his arms around her gently. "Calm down, Snow. I'm sure Emma is fine. She's already proven she's better at understanding and dealing with this world than we are. If we try to call her now, she'll probably get upset that we're trying to check up on her. Remember how upset Emma was that you didn't listen to her decisions back when we first found her?"
Snow looked at the floor. "Yeah. I remember."
"Don't you think that was because she wanted us to trust her judgment?" he asked gently.
Snow nodded.
"So if we check up on her too much, don't you think Emma will think we still don't trust her judgment?"
Snow pouted. "Okay. You're right. It's impossible to win an argument with you, you know that? You always say exactly what needs to be said."
Charming chuckled. "I don't know. I think there are some arguments that you've won. You're pretty smart too, you know. Listen, if Emma doesn't come back in another couple of hours, we'll try calling, okay?"
Snow nodded, smiling. "Okay."
Charming grinned. "In the meantime, how about we work on that book we promised Emma we'd write for Henry?"
Snow's eyes lit up. "Great idea! Which one should we start with, though? I was thinking the story of how we met would be a good one. But then after making the baked ham with blueberry sauce again, it got me thinking about that time I sneaked into the palace kitchen as a teenager…" Snow's voice trailed off.
Charming nodded. "That's a good story. I think I remember you telling it to me once. Maybe we could start with how we met, since we'll be writing it together. Then I can think of a story to tell when I was that age, and we can write them together then."
Snow nodded. "Okay. I'll get the paper and pen Emma got for us." Then they sat down together on the couch.
"So I was sitting in the carriage, all ready to give my mother's ring to Abigail…" Charming began as he wrote. "And then I realized someone cut down a tree so our carriage couldn't move. While I was checking that, a crazy bandit," he bumped Snow playfully as he said that, "stole my mother's ring!"
Snow put her hands on her hips at that. "Who said we were writing this only from your point – of – view? What about the part about how someone had stolen the bandit's home and forced her to live on the run? What about how all she wanted was to find enough jewels to buy her a way to a different realm, where she'd be safe? What about how she thought the carriage was full of royals that acted like King George or Regina instead of…Charming princes?" Snow grinned at him, showing she was kidding.
Charming smiled back. "Okay, go ahead and write a few sentences from your point of view, Snow. I'm not stopping you." He handed her the pen.
"So when the Prince finally caught up with the skilled bandit, he was so surprised a woman actually robbed him, all she had to do was hit him with a rock, and she escaped again." Snow laughed at that. She never got tired of surprising men that she was actually capable of fighting.
Charming rubbed the scar on his chin and took back the pen. "Well, it didn't take the Prince that long to find the bandit. I will say though, it was a surprise that she was a woman. But a very pleasant surprise." He gave Snow his special smile at that. "And an even bigger surprise that she had such a great left hook! But the Prince was still able to get his revenge. He found out where the bandit's hideout was and used his knowledge of how to trap wolves and foxes to trap her right outside her door."
"And the bandit couldn't believe the Prince had the nerve to trap her like that!" Snow continued. "It only confirmed what she already knew. All royals were jerks. So she started calling him Charming, as a joke."
"And the Prince had no idea how attached to that name he would become," Charming continued, affectionately rubbing Snow's arm. "So after some persuasion…he agreed to cut the bandit out of the net, in return for her helping him get his mother's ring back."
Snow smiled, looking down at his mother's ring on her left hand. Then she picked up the pen. "And the bandit told the Prince some of her story while they walked. But then…as they stopped for a drink of water, she realized she still couldn't afford to trust him. He was probably just like any other royal, willing to sell her out as soon as he had what he wanted back. So when he wasn't looking, she pushed him in the river." Snow's smile faded as she remembered this part. She knew why she had done it at the time, but remembering this part of their story always made her feel ashamed of herself.
Charming wrapped his arm around Snow and squeezed gently, showing he understood her shame and wanted her to not be bothered by it.
"So after that, the bandit ran off. But she was so distracted by what happened with the Prince she didn't see the black knights until it was too late."
Charming began writing after that. "And the Prince just knew he had to find the bandit again after that. He couldn't let get away with pushing him in the river and taking off without helping him find his jewels! But when he caught up to her, he saw she was in trouble. The Queen's Black knights were holding her down and were about to cut out her heart." Charming paused for a minute and leaned over to caress the spot where Snow's heart still was. "Such an injustice was not acceptable to the Prince. So he fought off all three knights."
"And after the Prince saved the bandit, she looked at him differently. He was obviously not just some royal jerk. He was more…something. She just didn't know what. So when he asked if he'd still help him find his jewels, she agreed. For real this time." Snow smiled tenderly at Charming.
They were just about to discuss and write their adventure with the trolls when Emma finally arrived home, slamming the door as she came in.
"Hi, Emma," Snow called, getting off the couch to greet her daughter. "I wish you would've used your communication device to tell us you would be late." Her tone of voice showed how upset she was that Emma hadn't called them. "But there's baked ham with blueberry glaze available for you to warm up."
"Whatever," Emma replied, sounding angry. But she turned the oven on to warm up the ham, at least.
"Where were you?" Charming asked standing up as well. He was using his least – threatening voice. He'd always been good at calming people down.
Emma shrugged. "At Ruby's. I had some things to talk to her about."
Snow nodded, trying not to get too angry about that. After all, Emma was an adult. If she wanted to go to Red's, there was no reason why she couldn't. "That's fine, but next time, please tell us where you're going to be, okay?"
Emma nodded. "Whatever," she replied in the same angry voice.
"And Emma, if there's something you need to talk about, we're here. We care about you," Snow added.
Emma nodded. "Okay, but I have some school work to do right now. Tell me when the ham is done," she called as she slammed her bedroom door shut.
Snow and Charming looked at each other. "What do we do now? She's obviously upset, but she won't talk to us. Should we go into her room and talk to her anyway?" Snow asked her husband.
Charming shook his head. "She's not ready to talk to us, Snow. If she's not ready, all she's going to do is push us away harder. Give her time. Then she can come on her own."
Snow sighed. "But I don't want to wait," she grumbled. "She my daughter, Charming. And I never got to help her as a child. I want to help her now."
Charming nodded. "I know. She's my daughter, too, remember? But also I know if we try to push when she's not ready, she won't talk. She may not have a river to dump us in, but it would be the same idea."
Snow nodded. "Okay. You're right. I'm going to have to lean on you for this, though. Patience isn't really my strong point. Especially when it comes to our daughter."
Charming nodded. "Of course. How about we finish the story?" He pointed to the paper and pen, which was still on the couch.
"Okay."
OOOOOOOOOO
Three days later, Emma still didn't want to talk to Snow or Charming about whatever was bothering her. And something was definitely bothering Emma. She slammed things a lot, for no apparent reason. She rarely smiled, and when she tried, it looked forced. Emma was also short with everyone when she talked, although she tried not to be when she was talking to Henry.
The funny thing was Emma obviously had no trouble discussing her problem with Red. She had spent most of Tuesday night at Red's apartment, after all. Snow also noticed Emma talking to Red late Wednesday and Thursday nights, on her communication device. By Friday night, Snow had had enough. She knew Charming was right. Pushing Emma when she wasn't ready to talk was a bad idea. But how could Snow see her daughter in emotional pain and not help? How could she stand by and accept the fact that Emma would rather talk to Red?
So Friday night, after dinner, Snow confronted Emma in her bedroom. "Emma, I want you to tell me what's bothering you. I know something is wrong. So talk to me. I can help."
Emma had one of her school books open. "No, actually, you can't. Now, would you excuse me? I need to study." She glared at Snow, making her wish for Snow to leave obvious, then returned to her book.
Snow shook her head. She wasn't giving up that easily. "Come on, Emma. It can't be that horrible if you're talking to Red about it. What is it? I'm your mom; I'm supposed to take care of you."
Emma looked at Snow so angrily Snow could have sworn she was Regina in the Enchanted Forest. "Well, you can't take care of everything, okay? I'm talking to Ruby because it's something she understands. Something you never could, because you've never experienced it. Now seriously, leave me alone. I have to study."
Snow felt like Emma had slapped her across the face. Hard. Emma wanted nothing to do with her? That couldn't be true. "Emma, just because I've never experienced your problem doesn't mean I can't help. I can still listen," she pleaded with her daughter.
Emma's eyes turned to slits this time. She threw the book arcoss the room and marched over to where Snow was standing. She put her hands on her hips. "No! I don't want or need your pity and that's all you'd ever be able to give me. Ruby has understanding and empathy. That's what I need right now. Now I'm going to you one more time. Leave. Or I will throw you out of this room."
Snow finally left Emma's room, with tears welling up in her eyes. She'd really thought she'd connected with Emma in the last couple of weeks, but now none of that seemed to matter. Emma really believed all Snow could offer was pity? How was that possible? How could she deal with this? Emma was in pain and she wanted nothing to do with Snow. She sighed. Charming was right. Emma couldn't be pushed into talking, that was for sure.
Henry knocked on his mother's bedroom door then. "Mom? Are you okay? I heard something crash and some yelling."
From the distance, Snow heard Emma reply, "I'm fine, Henry. Don't worry about me."
"Okay," Henry replied, uncertainly, returning to his own room.
Snow sighed. She hoped Henry wasn't worrying about Emma too much. He obviously knew there was something wrong, too. Something that Emma didn't want Snow's help for. Tears filled her eyes again at that.
Snow found Charming sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. She sat next to him and buried her face in his chest and began to weep. "I knew…you…were…right…Emma…can't be pushed….but I thought if…I made it clear…how important she was…how much it bothered me that she was hurting…But she almost threw me out of her room Charming! She doesn't need me, she needs Red!"
Charming ran his fingers through Snow's hair as she cried. "She still needs you Snow. She needs you to cook dinner. She needs you to help with the rent for this apartment. She needs you to help her take care of Henry. She needs us to make that book for Henry that we promised we'd help write. And she will need you to comfort her someday. Just not right now."
Snow nodded, with her face still buried in his chest. "Thanks. I need you, you know. Always."
"And I need you, Snow." He tilted her face up and kissed her softly.
OOOOOOOOOOO
That Saturday afternoon was the first day that the social worker woman came to visit their home since Henry began living with them again. Snow had to admit, she was a little nervous about it. After all, something was bothering Emma, and it was affecting how she talked and interacted with the rest of the family. Would this woman notice that and use it against Emma?
Of course, Emma, Snow, and Charming had all agreed there was no way Henry was going to be separated from them again. It didn't matter what this social worker or that judge man said. He was staying with his family. Period. Still, Snow understood it would be easier for Henry to stay with them if the social worker supported them.
Besides that, Snow worried about what the social worker being there would do to Henry. Emma had said when the woman was at his school last week. She'd made him question his place in their family all over again.
So all in all, it was quite tense when the family sat down at the table with the social worker. "So how was school this week, Henry? Did you make any new friends?'
"He played catch with two boys that live down the street at the park last weekend," Emma volunteered, in a voice that was a mix of anger and pride.
But the social worker nodded pleasantly. "That sounds like a good start," she replied, writing something down. "How about some activities at school, Henry? Is there a club or group you'd enjoy?"
Henry shrugged. "I haven't really noticed anything yet."
"How about some school parties or dances? Most of the schools in this area do something for Halloween? Have you heard anything about that?"
Henry nodded. "There's going to be a costume party in the gym. But…I don't really want to go."
The social worker sighed. "You should really consider going, Henry. It will help you interact more with the kids at your school."
Henry shrugged. Then he smiled, thinking of something. "When I lived at the Collard's…I ate a brownie with marijuana in it. The Collards…didn't seem to care how I was acting. My mom told me that could be important to tell you."
The social worker's eyes widened and wrote something down again. "Thank you, Henry. That's very important. I wish you had mentioned it at the hearing, but I'll put it in my report. You definitely won't be going back to a place that let you eat narcotics. But Henry, never take any drugs again, okay? I mean it."
Henry nodded, looking at the floor. "Don't worry. I felt so guilty afterwards. I'll never touch that stuff again. Or any other drugs."
The social worker nodded. "Okay. So how much time do you spend with your mom and your aunt and uncle?"
Henry shrugged. "Gr – Aunt Mary Margaret makes dinner every night. She's a really good cook. Usually Mom comes home from work in time to eat with us, but sometimes she has to do stuff at the university."
The social worker nodded. "Sounds like you're settling in pretty well, Henry. I'd still like to see you attend the costume party at your school, though."
"And you three?" She turned her attention to the adults. "Are your jobs going well?"
"Of course," Snow replied pleasantly.
"Definitely," David replied with a big smile on his face.
"Sure," Emma replied, trying not to sound angry for the social worker's sake. Snow could still here it in her voice, though. She only hoped the social worker couldn't.
Henry sighed, not looking happy about the idea. Snow made a mental note to ask him why he didn't want to go after the woman left.
They spent the rest of the social worker's visit playing another game of Sorry! Emma didn't smile the whole time they were playing, but at least Henry enjoyed himself. That was something, Snow supposed.
OOOOOOOOOO
After the social worker left, Emma left to do some work at the university. She said she'd try to be home for dinner, though. In the mean time, Snow went to talk to Henry. "Why don't you want to go to your school's costume party, Henry? It sounds like it would be fun. In fact, I wish I could go myself."
Henry sighed. "You wouldn't understand."
Snow was so tired of her family telling her she wouldn't understand their problems. "Henry please don't tell me that. I may very understand. I understand more than you think. I may even be able to help you. But you have to tell me first."
He looked at the floor. "My other mom…Regina. She hated Halloween. She always told me it was a silly holiday. I wanted to be able to dress up for years, but she never let me. After I found out the truth about her, I thought that was weird. You know because Halloween is supposed to be a holiday for witches. But I think it was because things were so much harder for her to control on Halloween. Anyway, now she's dead, and you think I'd be excited because I can finally dress up like I always wanted." Henry shook his head. "But I feel like…it's not worth it. She's dead. The idea of going to the costume party…it makes me feel guilty because she's not here to tell me how ridiculous it is."
Snow nodded and put her arms around Henry. "I understand what you're saying, Henry. But you remember how much Regina regretted what she did when she died, don't you? Maybe she would have regretted telling you Halloween was silly, too."
Henry sighed. "Maybe. I just don't know."
Snow smiled. "How about this? I know a lot about making costumes. What if we pick one out for you and make it next week? And then if you decide not to use it…that's okay."
Henry took a deep breath. "Okay." Then he thought for a second. "Could Grandpa help, too? I don't want to end up with anything too girly." He wrinkled his nose in disgust.
Snow put her hands on her hips. "And since when have you known me to be that girly?"
Charming looked up. "Sounds like fun, Henry. I'd love to help."
Snow shrugged. Actually, picking out costumes and making them with her two favorite men sounded wonderful. Even if Henry didn't end up using it. "Okay. Great."
I really love getting reviews, as well as new follows. Please keep them coming. Here are some responses to those who've reviewed last week.
Alessa – Hi. I know I can always count on you to give me a review when you get a chance. Usually I don't publically respond to reviews that refer to earlier chapters. But since yours was only one chapter behind, and you addressed something others may wonder about, I'm going to do it here. As a general rule, I agree with you. The mother is the person who raises the child not the one who gives birth to him/her. (The same rule goes for fathers.) But in a storyline like OUAT, it's a harder argument to make, since two of the main characters gave up their babies as a last resort, and have spent every minute since finding them trying to make it up to them. But I definitely think the legal system would think Emma isn't Henry's mother. That's one of the reasons that I wanted to write this sequel in the first place. I believed that since they're not in SB and Regina is dead (established in "Thicker than Water" Part I) that Henry would be sent to foster care.
Misscam – Ahh! I can't believe one of the stars of Snowing and Charming family fanfiction has reviewed and is following my story! Excuse me while I faint. (Pause.) Okay, I'm back. I'm glad you like the way I show the FTL dealing with this world without any memories. I love cultural differences, and a story like this really allows me to highlight the differences. Also, I'll tell you what I told another reviewer who said they loved Snowing. There is Snowing in every one of my chapters. Sometimes it's a lot and sometimes it's only one small scene. Sometimes it's only a comment someone makes or a gesture between David and Snow. But it is always something; I promise you.
Jlove – This story is always posted on Sundays, so that's when you should look for updates. Sometimes it's every Sunday and sometimes it's every other Sunday, but it's always the same day.
Now, I have a rather long author's note if you can bare with me.
As I am one of the people who believed Emma really loved Neal when he died (when he fell through the portal and when he died for real), I was quite disappointed she wasn't more upset about his death. She grieved for him for how long? A day, maybe? A week, tops? It doesn't make sense to me. So I intend for her grief over Neal to last at least a few chapters.
If you are a Captain Swan fan, however, I will tell you after seeing the finale I've changed my mind about that relationship, and I do intend to make this story Captain Swan endgame. However, you're going to need to be patient, because Emma has a far amount of grief to get over first. There are also some other plots I'll be dealing with before we get to the Captain Swan storyline. (Read – It will actually take longer than in the show for them to get together.)
For other Swanfire fans, I'm sorry that I'm not going to be bringing Neal back in this story. But I intended for him to be considered dead even before I accepted Captain Swan. Even if he did end up living after he fell through the portal (like he did in canon), how would he get back to where Emma is? The shadow, which he used as transport before, only transports between worlds and Neverland. There are not supposed to be any beans left, so that's out. There's also the issue that since they're not in Storybrooke, Neal would have to transport to a non – magical realm, which I think would be almost impossible in itself. Furthermore, since I intend for this story to be without magic anyway, I really don't want him finding a way back, because it would have to involve magic in some way.
Hopefully, you'll be okay with this storyline since I'm giving Emma time to grieve. I think one of the reasons why Neal's death was so hard for us Swanfire fans was because there was no time for that. In not giving Emma time to grieve, they didn't give us time to grieve, either. If however, you prefer to read a Swanfire story with a happier ending, can I suggest you read my other multi – chapter OUAT story "From Neverland to the Fading Lands"? (If you do that, I would really appreciate a review, as well. I got very little reviews for that story, so I could never tell what people thought of it.)
I decided she'd express her grief through anger, rather than sadness, because Emma has had a lot of sad things happen in her life. If she wallowed in sadness, she'd never survive. But we have seen her express emotion through anger before, so I thought she'd take that route. It is a route people take, after all. It's one of the "five stages of grief", and some people spend more time on anger than others.
I had her go to Red/Ruby instead of Snow for comfort, because like Emma said, Ruby has dealt with that before. She lost Peter, and thanks to my previous "Emma – Red bonding" scene, Emma knows that. Emma and Snow do have a lot of similarities, and Snow has lost people in her life before. However, Snow has definitely never lost her romantic love for good. She can't really relate to her the way Ruby/Red can.
I think this is going to be something that's hard for Snow to accept (and Charming, too, which I'm going to go into in the next chapter), but the fact is, sometimes children would rather go to a friend for comfort than a parent.
I also hoped the other Snowing fans liked the commentary/flirting they were doing as they wrote the story of their meeting for Henry. I went into detail on that particularly considering so many Snowing fans were disappointed that "Snow Falls" was changed. Personally, I think both Snowing storylines have merit. But in the "Thicker than Water" universe, their story is obviously unchanged, so you can enjoy them reminiscing, here.