Chapter 31

Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also this is a sequel to the original "Thicker Than Water" written by La Lisboa.

I'd like to thank Lisboa for betaing and letting me use her story as a starting point.

Trigger Warring: Discussion of two sexual assaults by the same man in this chapter.

Red got up on May 5 and chose a red dress, red shoes, and red pantyhose. She knew she had to testify today, but it made her incredibly nervous, maybe even scared. The best way she knew to give herself courage was to wear as much red as possible. "Why are you dressed like that?" Fredrick asked as she came out into the kitchen for breakfast. "That's not something you'd wear to your job, is it?"

Red shook her head. "No. I have to testify in court today about an…attack a few month ago," she replied, without giving him too many details. She liked Fredrick, and had started to see him as a brother since they'd started living together. (Just like she saw David as a brother.) But Fredrick an extremely overprotective streak (worse than David's), and Red was worried how he would react if he knew what had happened to her at the restaurant. An image of Fredrick finding Mr. Jenison and beating him, or even lkilling him with whatever weapon Fredrick could find came to her mind.

Red didn't really want that. In the first place, she wanted to be the one to punish Mr. Jenison. By testifying at his trial, she'd be able to help do that. Emma had been right a few months ago. Channeling her anger on Mr. Jenison and his trial was great therapy. But Red didn't think she could explain that to Fredrick in a way he'd understand. In the second place, from the way Emma talked about the rules in this world, she was pretty sure it would be Fredrick would be punished if he killed or beat Mr. Jenison. She didn't want that to happen to her new surrogate brother.

"An attack?" Fredrick asked, shocked. He seemed to be looking around for something for a second. Red realized he was probably subconsciously looking for his sword. She was right to withhold details, then. All Red did was mention the word "attack" and Fredrick was trying to get ready for a fight. "Why didn't you tell me before? Are you in danger? Is Abigail in danger? Maybe we should stay home today."

Red smiled. Fredrick had gotten a little less overprotective in the last couple of months, but he was still way too overprotective for her liking. "No, Fredrick, this attack occurred months ago," she replied firmly. "You have nothing to worry about, with Abigail or me. I'm just going to court today, to make sure the attacker gets the punishment he deserves. It's…kind of like when you had to ask the king and queen their ruling on a certain situation, back in our land." Red hoped she'd given Fredrick enough information so he'd have some idea what she was doing today, while at the same time not enough information for him to know what had really happened.

Fortunately, Fredrick nodded. "So, breakfast?" he asked her.

Red nodded, picking up a box of cereal.

"Abigail? Breakfast?" he called to his wife, who still hadn't gotten out of bed. (Abigail was a late sleeper.)

A few minutes later Abigail yawned and wandered into the kitchen. "Hi, Red," she greeted her. Then her eyes lit up as she saw Fredrick. "Hi, Freddie!"

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Red was glad she was able to leave their apartment without letting Fredrick know just how nervous, or scared, she really was. She knew Mr. Jenison wouldn't be able to attack her like he did before today. But seeing him and telling everyone in the courtroom what that man had done to her was literally making her hands shake as she rode the bus to the courtroom. She wouldn't even be able to see the dogs today, because she had to be in court instead. Red took a deep breath and looked at her red clothes. She thought about how much confidence the color red gave her.

She thought about her two best friends, Snow and Emma, and how they faced their fears. Snow had attacked George's castle to get David back. She'd confronted, fought, and defeated Regina. Emma had found a way to get her and Snow out of the dungeon place back when they first left Storybrooke. She'd fought the people who tried to take Henry from her permanently. She'd fought George when he tried to kill her father. And most importantly, Emma had found a way to continue living after Neal died.

If Snow and Emma could do those things, Red could testify against Mr. Jenison, no matter what he or his lawyer said to her.

The bus stopped about a block from the courthouse and Red got off. She could see the courthouse again. This was it. As she slowly walked toward it, she thought about someone else who she didn't know very well, but already admired. Justin. The man couldn't see, but he didn't seem to let it stop him from living. How difficult must it be for him to get through every day? She could do this. She could.

Finally, she reached the courtroom and stepped inside. Snow and Emma were waiting for her in the hallway. She immediately went to them. "Thank you for being here," she told both of them. "I'll never be able to repay you for this." There was no way she could get through this today without their support.

Snow gave Red a soft hug and Emma squeezed her hand. "It's not a problem, Red," Snow replied. "With all the times you've helped me, it's the least I can do."

Emma nodded as well. "Same here. I know you've only remembered knowing me for a few months, but the help you've given me during that time...I don't know what I'd do without you."

Red nodded, not sure what to say about that. "Well, thanks anyway. I think I have to talk to the District Attorney now that I'm here."

OOOOOOOOOO

After the District Attorney talked to Red about when she would be called to the witness stand and what she would say, Red sat down.

"All rise," a man called out, and everyone got up, just like everyone had done in Henry's court case. "Court is now reconvened for the Trial of State of Maine vs. Victor Jenison with Honorable Kevin Gregory presiding. You may continue with your witnesses," the Judge told the District Attorney.

Ms. Adams, District Attorney stepped up and announced "I call Miss Ruby Lucas to the witness stand." Red took a deep breath and stood up. Snow and Emma gave her reassuring smiles.

"Miss Lucas, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, for the full justice of the law?" asked the man who'd instructed everyone to stand up earlier.

"I do," Red replied confidently.

After Red sad down, she noticed from this seat, she had a clear view of Mr. Jenison. He was smiling smugly at her. Obviously he didn't expect to get punished. She wanted to march right over to his chair and wipe that grin right off his face. Creep. Creep and half. Triple creep.

Ms. Adams stepped forward. "Can you state your name, please?"

"Ruby Lucas," Red replied, using the name that she was recognized as in this world.

"And what is your occupation?" Ms. Adams continued.

"I work at a dog kennel," Red replied confidently.

"Miss Lucas, when did you become acquainted with Mr. Jenison?"

"I went into his store to apply for a job. He hired me the same day. He…made it quite clear it was because he liked my looks, rather than because of any experience in the job."

"And how did he treat you when you were working at the Hot Spot?" Ms. Adams continued.

Red sighed. "The same way he treated all of the female employees. He stared and grouped at our breasts. He slapped our rears."

"And how did it make you feel?" Ms. Adams continued.

Red looked down for a minute. That wasn't an easy question to answer. If she answered honestly, she might give Mr. Jenison evidence that she wanted him to do what he did. But, she had promised to tell the truth. "I had mixed feelings about it," she replied, finally. "I knew it was wrong, so it made me a little uncomfortable. But…it also…sort of made me feel good that someone liked my…attributes, I guess." She looked right at Emma as she said that, knowing she, at least, understood that.

Ms. Adams nodded. "Now, can you tell us what happened on November 4, 2013?"

Red paused for a second. This was the hardest part of this testimony. She had to tell everyone here about her whole humiliating experience. She wasn't even very comfortable talking about sexual things in front of people at all. In this world, it seemed a lot of people talked about those things all the time. But in the Enchanted Forest, it simply wasn't discussed. Still, if it was the only way to punish the scumbag…"Mr. Jenison asked me to work late that night. He'd asked me to work late a few times before, so I didn't think much of it. He also poured me a glass of white wine. I…thought it was because he was trying to be nice and let me relax after work. Now,…I think he was probably trying to use the alcohol to help get me to sleep with him." Red still couldn't believe she had ignored all the signs for what he planned to do. Snow, Emma, and Joan had all warned her that Mr. Jenison would probably want sex at some point. And the alcohol? Granted, Red was still getting used to this world and that accounted for some of her naivety, but she'd heard of nobles using alcohol to seduce women even in the Enchanted Forest. How could she have been so blind?

"That night, when he started fondling my breasts, I finally told him 'No,'" Red continued, proud of herself for that. As she continued, she made the mistake of looking at Mr. Jenison, again, thinking his smug face would make her angry again and encourage her to keep talking. Instead, he looked at her like he looked her that night. Like she had something he wanted. The look scared Red so much she stopped talking altogether. How could he look at her like that in a room full of people? Did it mean he was going to try to attack her again?

She couldn't help but think of that man she'd met last week again. Justin. He said he couldn't see. She thought at the time, that he must have a really hard time going through life, and she'd felt sorry for him. But now…she felt a little envious of him. If she couldn't see, she wouldn't have to worry about looking at Mr. Jenison and seeing his face that made him look "hungry"…for her. She took at deep breath and looked at Snow and Emma instead. She could be brave if she looked at her best friends.

Then she took a deep breath and began again. "He…laughed at me when I told him 'no' and said I've never had a problem with it before. Then he…started taking off my waitress top. I think he designed those so he could get them off the waitresses quickly. He told me that I had to 'know' what he wanted from me that night, and that's why I stayed." Now this was the hardest part. How could she say this in front of everyone? Even Snow and Emma didn't know the details. Still, if she wanted Jenison punished, she'd have to finish the tale. "Mr. Jenison tried to pull down my skirt and he rubbed his genitals against mine," she finally continued in a rush. "That's when I bit him on the hand. And then I kicked him, hard and he landed on the floor…I quickly put my waitress top back on and ran back out of the store before he could recover." There. She'd done it. She'd told everyone about her experience.

"No further questions, Your Honor," Ms. Adams told the judge.

"Would you like to cross examine this witness?" Judge Gregory asked the other lawyer.

"Yes," the lawyer replied, stepping forward. Red sighed. She'd forgotten about this part. From what she'd been told, it could be even worse. This lawyer wasn't on her side, after all. "Miss Lucas, are you sure a part of you didn't know what would happen that night? Did you have some idea what he was planning? After all, you've already said you liked his attention."

Red sighed, ashamed of herself. She had to do this if she wanted Mr. Jenison punished, she reminded herself. She had to answer these unflattering, insulting questions. She looked at Emma and Snow again, drawing strength from her best friends. "No, I didn't know what he was planning. Like I said, he had asked me to stay late a few nights before, and nothing had happened. I just thought he wanted some company."

"Really?" They lawyer continued, his voice making it obvious he didn't believe Red. "A man asked a single woman to stay late. You're all alone…and you had no idea what might happen?"

Red looked down, hating the way this lawyer was talking to her. No, she didn't have any idea at that time. She still hadn't been used to protocol in this world after all. Plus, she'd been so busy helping Emma with her problem, she didn't think about details like that. But there was no way she could explain that to this lawyer.

Luckily Ms. Adams helped her on this one. "Objection!" she protested. "That's badgering the witness."

"Sustained," the judge agreed, nodding. "Move on please, Counselor."

"Yes, Your Honor," the other lawyer agreed. "Miss Lucas, if a part of you 'liked it,' as you said, when Mr. Jenison looked and touched you, how did he know you weren't going to like a sexual experience with him?"

Red had expected this question. Miss Adams told her they would ask her about that after all. Still she thought it was a rather stupid one, under the circumstances. "He should have known because I told him 'no' when he touched me that night," Red replied firmly.

"But could you have said it too quietly maybe? Or in a way that made Mr. Jenison think you were playing a game? You liked his attention, remember. You told us so. How did he know you didn't want it?"

"I made it perfectly clear what I meant when I said, 'no,'" Red protested

The other lawyer sighed and told the judge, "No further questions, Your Honor."

Judge Gregory nodded. "You may step down, Miss Lucas." Red returned to her seat with Emma and Snow, who both whispered, "good job," to her.

"I call Danielle Stickles to the witness stand," the district attorney continued. A woman a couple years younger than Red, with shoulder – length red hair, came forward.

From what Red understood, this young woman had a similar experience to her own. She'd worked at the Hot Spot for Mr. Jenison for a few months, and then he'd made sexual advances toward her. When she told him "to stop" he didn't listen. If it hadn't been for a loud noise that Jenison had assumed was someone coming into the restaurant, Miss Stickles would have ended up much worse than Red had.

Red hadn't thought about that recently, but she was really lucky she was able to tap into her wolf's side and fight Mr. Jenison off that night. What if she been able to fight him off? She certainly couldn't depend on sudden noises. The fact is, Mr. Jenison could have gotten what he wanted from her that night. The thought made her angry all over again and she almost growled. She couldn't wait for that man to be sent to prison!

"Miss Stickles, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, for the full justice of the law?" asked the man who'd asked the same question to Red.

"I do," replied Miss Stickles.

"Can you state your name, for the record?" asked the district attorney, after she'd sat down.

"Danielle Stickles," she replied, obviously trying to sound calm.

"And your occupation?"

"Currently I am an employee at Wal – Mart," the woman replied in the same voice.

"Miss Stickles, how did you become acquainted with Mr. Jenison?" Ms. Adams continued.

"I asked him for a job at his restaurant," she replied, sounding a little nervous.

The District Attorney nodded. "And how did he treat you while you worked at his establishment?"

"Like the way he treated all the women he hired," Miss Stickles said sadly, looking at her hands for a second before returning her attention to Ms. Adams. "Sex objects."

"How did that make you feel?" Ms. Adams continued.

Miss Stickles sighed. "Cheap." Red looked at her hands at that line, wishing she could say the same. How could she have thought Mr. Jenison's looks and touches made her feel good?

"Can you describe what happened on October 20, 2012?" the District Attorney asked.

Miss Stickles took a deep breath and nodded. "He asked me to work a little late that night. He did that sometimes, and I accepted, even though he made me uncomfortable, for the extra money. I was in college at the time." Red nodded. Yep, this sounded familiar. Apparently Mr. Jenison had a "pattern" for attacking his waitresses. "But that night…" she paused and looked down for another minute. "He didn't stop at grabbing me. He started…tearing off my clothes and pushing me to the ground."

Miss Stickles shook her head. "I didn't know what to do. I've never taken a martial arts class or anything. I've always been kind of…quiet. But he…shocked me. I…didn't…want to sleep with him! I told him 'No!' several times, but he ignored me as he held me down and began pulling his clothes off." She looked down again and took a few deep breaths. "Just when I thought there was no way to get out of it, there was a loud bang outside…He removed his hand from me, so he could go see what it was. By the time he realized it was nothing…I was off the floor and rapped a tablecloth around me. He tried to run after me…but I was too quick."

Ms. Adams nodded. "No further questions, Your Honor."

"Would you like to cross – examine this witness?" Judge Gregory asked the scumbag's lawyer.

"Yes," replied the other lawyer. He was a tall man with sandy hair and a big smile. He looked so…earnest. That's probably how he sold his cases. Red crossed her fingers this judge wouldn't buy it. "Miss Stickles, if Mr. Jenison's treatment of you while you were working at his restaurant really made you uncomfortable, why didn't you quit?"

Miss Stickles shrugged. "I needed the money. I was in college, like I had said, and I had a lot of expenses. So even though he made me really uncomfortable, I tried to look the other way."

Red nodded. She had a feeling Mr. Jenison preyed on women who needed money. She'd been in the same situation when she'd started there.

The lawyer nodded, making it obvious he didn't believe Miss Stickles. "I see. Well, then, why didn't you tell him not to touch you? Didn't you like it?"

Miss Stickles started to shake her head. She was lucky she could answer that with a "no," Red thought to herself.

But then Ms. Adams stood up and shouted, "Objection! Leading the witness."

The judge nodded. "Sustained. Strike that from the record."

The other lawyer nodded. "Fine. Well, answer this, then. If this happen a year and half ago, why are you only telling us about it now?" He made it sound like Miss Stickles was making this story up as some form of cheap entertainment. Red was appalled. Who would make up a story like that?

Miss Stickles looked at her hands again for a minute. "When I left the restaurant, Mr. Jenison told me if I told…anyone what happened…he'd claim I used to be a prostitute…he hired me. So no one would listen to me at all." She had tears running down her face as she admitted this. Red couldn't believe what had happened to this woman. She thought she had it bad? At least Mr. Jenison didn't use threats like that with her! And the scumbag was even worse than Red had thought! Not only did he try to force women, he threatened them with the stigma of prostitution? "But," she dried her eyes as she continued. "When I heard he'd tried it with someone else, I thought…maybe…people would believe me after all." Red hopped everyone believed this woman. She certainly did.

"No further questions, Your Honor," the lawyer commented.

"You may step down now," the judge told Miss Stickles. Eventually they were allowed to leave.

Red figured she'd use her communication device to call Granny tonight. She hadn't seen Granny in a while, not since Christmas, actually. At first it was because she wasn't living in the same area as Red. Then it was because she didn't want Granny to know much about her…experience with Mr. Jenison, either, for fear of how she would react. (After all, Granny hadn't really wanted her dating Peter, and Peter was a nice boy.) But she needed to start talking to Granny again. This Sunday was something called "Mother's Day" in this world. Red's mother was gone, but Granny was still here. Mother's Day was the perfect time to start a better relationship with Granny again. Maybe they'd make homemade soup or bread, like they had done together when she was much younger.

XXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOO

Emma knew Mother's Day was coming up this weekend, and she wanted to do something special for Snow. She wanted to make it clear that even though she didn't call her "Mom," Emma still thought of her as her mother. She still hadn't forgotten the way it felt when she found Snow in the mental institution, and her mother didn't even know Emma was her daughter. She was so grateful to have Snow see her and love her as a daughter again.

So what should Emma do? She could do a "classic" Mother's Day present, and cook her mother breakfast in bed. Only, Emma still wasn't much of a cook. If she cooked Snow breakfast in bed, she could probably manage to make the food edible, but only barely. Besides, she knew how much her mother enjoyed cooking breakfast for their family. The way she'd wake up and start making pancakes or eggs with a smile on her face proved that. Emma didn't want to take that away from her mother.

She could buy Snow a nice piece of jewelry. She could picture her mother liking that, especially considering her mother had grown up a fairytale princess. But since they'd all agreed to save money to take a trip after Henry was officially living with them permanently, Emma shouldn't spend that much money on a gift, even if it was a special gift.

The stores were packed with Mother's Day cards, but Emma wanted to do more than just "by her mother a card." After all, this was the first mother's day they'd been able to spend together that Snow would remember. She wanted it to be really special. Actually, it wasn't as if they'd had a very good mother's day last year, either. First of all, last year Emma had accepted Snow was her mother intellectually. And she'd already accepted her as family for a long time. But accepting her as a mother in her heart…that was more than Emma was really ready to handle, especially with a woman who was physically the same age as her. Besides, last year, mother's day fell shortly after Snow had shut herself off from everyone because she'd killed Cora. At the time, Emma was a little (okay, very) annoyed with her for ignoring her daughter simply because she'd taken care of someone who obviously needed to be killed. All she'd gotten her mother that year was a mother's day card that she'd picked out more out of obligation than anything else. Emma didn't even remember what it had looked like.

This year Emma was going to really show Snow she loved her, and was ready to accept her as mother, although she didn't call her "Mom" on a regular basis. She was going to do something because she wanted to, not because she was supposed to. But what? Then, as they were coming home from the grocery store (Emma and Henry had decided to go this time, to make sure Snow and David bought the food they wanted), she noticed a little coffee shop on the corner. It looked very cute, but quiet. The perfect place to have a nice conversation with her mother. And if it was just a little coffee shop, the prices should be reasonable, especially for lunch, right? That's what Emma would do. She'd take her mother to lunch for Mother's Day.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Emma came into the kitchen for breakfast, just in time to see her parents exchange a kiss as Snow served the eggs and ham. Her parents were always going to be like that, she though as she sighed inwardly.

As Emma ate her eggs (Snow cooked them, as always, so they tasted great), she causally asked her mother, "What are you doing today?"

"Not much," her mother replied. "I thought I might take a walk later, because the weather is getting nicer, but nothing other than that. Why?"

Emma swallowed another bite of an egg and took a deep breath. "I don't know if you know this, but today is what's called "Mother's Day."

"Oh?" Snow replied, sounding interested.

"And…I was thinking, maybe…I could take you to lunch today, to celebrate it, if that's okay?" she asked, a little nervously. Emma was pretty sure her mother would be happy to go to lunch with her, especially with how eager Snow seemed to be to assume the mother role. Still…that didn't stop Emma from being a little uncertain about asking. It wasn't a normal request for her, after all.

"Oh, Emma!" Snow replied, her whole face lighting up. "I'd love to!"

Henry took a drink of his juice, and then replied, "I want to do something for you, too, Mom," he commented, looking at Emma.

Emma's heart soared. With all of her thoughts of what she was going to do for Snow, Emma had totally forgotten she was a mother as well. "I'd love that, Henry. Just wait until after we're back, okay?"

Henry nodded.

XXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOO

"So where are we going?" Snow asked Emma as they left the apartment together. Snow really didn't care where they were going, actually. The only thing important to her was that Emma wanted to take her to lunch to celebrate this "Mother's Day." The idea that Emma was willing to take her out to celebrate their relationship as mother and daughter…Snow couldn't think of anything more wonderful than that.

"There's a little coffee shop around the corner from the grocery store," Emma replied. "All we have to do is ride the bus to the grocery store, and then walk over there. And don't worry, they sell more than coffee. A 'coffee shop' is just a very small restaurant."

"Sounds great," Snow replied happily. She didn't tell Emma she would have happily drunk a cup of coffee, even though she really didn't like the stuff, if that's all the place sold. This outing…it meant everything to Snow, and she wasn't going to complain about anything.

They quickly arrived at the coffee shop. Snow realized why Emma thought it would be such a good place for them to have lunch. It was a small, quiet place to eat, where they could be left alone, even though they were in public. "This is perfect," Snow told her daughter, smiling.

Emma nodded happily. "That's what I thought." She picked up a menu from the side of the table and began reading it. "Grilled cheese is always a good way to go…or they have a cucumber sandwich. I don't think I've ever tried that before…"

Snow kept observing her daughter for another couple of minutes, reveling in the moment, before she realized she should look at a menu as well. They had, as Emma said, a grilled cheese sandwich with American and Swiss cheese. They had a turkey club. They had a cucumber sandwich. That one came on homemade bread. Snow decided to have that. She tolerated store – bought bread, because it was easier and that was what people in this world were used to. But, she really preferred the homemade bread she could've had at the palace.

"I think I'll have the grilled cheese sandwich with Swiss cheese," Emma decided. "It's similar enough so I know I'll like it, but different enough to know I tried something different." Snow smiled. She liked Emma's logic on that. Emma also decided on a soda to drink, while Snow stuck to water.

After the waitress took their orders, Emma smiled. "So, I just thought I tell you thank you…you know for all the times you helped me and supported me…you know…" She obviously still wasn't completely comfortable with everything between them, but Snow was more than happy with what Emma was willing to give today.

"Of course, Emma," Snow replied happily. "That's what mother's are for."

Emma nodded. "Yeah." She paused again for a minute. Then she looked around, obviously making sure no one was listening to them. "You know,…I don't usually call you…well, you know. Mom," she whispered, leaning in close.

Snow nodded. That was why this lunch was so special to her. She remembered how Charming had said Emma had called him "Dad" when George attacked them. Snow had tried not to be jealous of that. After all, Emma had only said that to show how worried she was about her father. Besides, as she told Charming later, she'd had a "special moment" with Emma that day, too. Still, Snow had been a little bothered that Emma didn't say "Mom," to her.

"But I wanted to let you know…that I still see you that way. It's…just hard to acknowledge when…I can't really call you that in public. I mean, you're my 'sister', right? I get used to calling you by your given name."

Snow nodded, relieved. That made sense. "Thank you for explaining that, Emma." She'd have to try to remember that after this. Even though Emma still called her "Snow," she did think of her as her Mom.

Actually, Emma had called her "Mom" once, that she remembered, anyway. When she'd first seen her in the dungeon place, the first word out of Emma's mouth had been "Mom." Snow just didn't realize how important that was at the time.

Just then, they paused in their conversation as the waitress came with their orders. Snow bit into her sandwich. Seriously, there was nothing better than homemade bread. When she got a chance, she should make another loaf at home.

Emma took a few bites of her sandwich as well. "Mmmm. I can never get enough of grilled cheese sandwiches," she commented. Snow made a mental note to make them more often for her. They really weren't that hard to make. All you needed was bread, cheese, butter, and a frying pan. "So anyway, I thought this would be a good way to acknowledge our relationship," Emma continued. "It's Mother's Day, so that's what we're celebrating. But the rest of the people here," she gestured to the rest of the restaurant. "Don't have to know that. Plenty of other people are having a regular today, too. So we don't have to explain why we're here, like we would have to explain ourselves if I did call you…you know…in public."

Snow nodded. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Then she smiled, trying to find something a little lighter to talk about. "I've been noticing the birds are back now." In fact, that was one of the reasons she was thinking about going for a walk later today. Talking to birds could be quite interesting.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I guess they are. Some of the trees have leaves on them, too, I think. I've never really noticed that before I started walking so much."

They had a very pleasant conversation over a wonderful lunch.

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OOOOOOOO

After Mom and Grandma left the house, Henry looked at his grandfather and asked, "Do you know where we keep the spare change?"

Grandpa nodded. "Of course. Why? Did you want to buy your mother a little something at the store?"

Henry shook his head. He'd thought about that, but he actually had a better idea. Something both Mom and Grandma would really appreciate. "I was actually thinking we could go to the laundry mat and wash all the clothes while they're gone. Then they wouldn't have to worry about so much today."

Grandpa nodded. "Great idea, Henry! You're right, I know both your Mom and Grandma always complain about lugging all the clothes to the laundry mat and back. They're always putting it off."

"So we could do it for them, right?" Henry asked excitedly. He was glad Grandpa liked his idea so much.

"Definitely," Grandpa replied, with a big smile on his face. "Why don't you make sure all of the clothes are gathered up, and I'll get the change?"

Henry nodded eagerly, as he searched the bedrooms for stray clothes they may have forgotten to throw in the hamper. He really wanted to do something extra special for Mom for Mother's Day. Last year, Henry had been pretty upset at Mom for lying to him about his dad. So all he got her was a card. This year he wanted to something that would really mean something. Especially considering what a hard year his mother has had, with having Henry temporarily sent to foster care, and then realizing she still loved Dad after he died. He needed to show Mom she was still a wonderful mother, despite everything.

Henry picked up all the loose laundry. (Including some underwear that belonged to both Mom and Grandma that he'd rather not have seen. For a second he wondered if this was worth it, but he remembered how important it was that he does something really nice for Mom today.) "Okay," he told Grandpa when he finished. "I'm all set."

"Okay," Grandpa replied brightly. "I've got the quarters. Let me carry the laundry basket, Henry. I know you want to help, but it's heavy."

Henry nodded, a little disappointed. Then they both set out.

They arrived at the laundry mat at a good time. It was almost deserted, so they were able to pick which ever machines they wanted. Grandpa was able to help Henry sort the laundry before they loaded it in. Henry felt very proud, learning how to do something to help his mom and grandma as well. "Grandpa?" Henry asked suddenly, making sure there wasn't anyone around before he asked this. "Did you do laundry in the Enchanted Forest, too?"

Grandpa chuckled. "Yeah, we did, although we didn't have machines to do it for us. We had to use buckets of water from the river." Henry nodded, trying to picture doing laundry like that. Maybe there were some benefits to not going back to the Enchanted Forest, after all. "I didn't do the laundry myself, though," Grandpa continued. "When I lived with my mom…" Grandpa paused for a minute. "When I…l lived with my mother, she did all of the laundry. When I moved into the palace, we had servants that did it for us. Actually, your mother taught me how to do laundry, Henry."

Henry nodded, chuckling at the mental image of Mom teaching Grandpa how to separate colors and run a washing machine.

About twenty minutes later, as he and Grandpa loaded the clothes into the dryer, Henry was suddenly bombarded with memories of Regina doing laundry and trying to get him to help her. "Come on, Henry," she would bark. "I need you to help me with this." "No!" Henry would reply, and run into his room until she finish. At the time, Henry was pretty upset at his mom for giving him more orders (which she did all the time). But now, Henry wished he'd done things differently. The truth was, she was good mom, over all in the ten years she'd raised him. (Certainly better than Mrs. Collard.) He should have helped her more, like he was helping Emma now.

Henry couldn't even remember the last time he'd bought Regina a Mother's Day gift or did something special for Mother's Day. There were a few memories when he was younger, of course. When he was in kindergarten, he'd made her that hand print out of plaster, which his mom had loved so much she'd hugged him for almost five minutes after he'd given it to her. And there was the time he'd decided to make her breakfast in bed, too. Mom hadn't even been angry at the mess he'd made in the kitchen that day.

But in the last few years? He'd been to angry at Regina for not allowing him to play with other kids or answer any of the questions he'd had about how strange Storybrooke was. He'd bought her cards, but that was more because he knew he was supposed to than any real feelings. And in the last two years, after realizing his mom was the Evil Queen, he hadn't even bothered with that. Even last year, he'd been too angry at her for trying to kill Grandma again to bother with her. And now? Mom was gone, so he couldn't ever buy or do something for her for Mother's Day ever again. Suddenly, Henry wasn't so excited about this project.

Unfortunately, Grandpa noticed after a few minutes. (It seemed not much got past Grandpa.) "What is it, Henry? Is something wrong?"

Henry sighed, not sure if he wanted to tell Grandpa. He'd told Henry it was okay to be sad about Mom, even cry if he wanted to, but Henry knew Grandpa had a hard time seeing Regina as good person. What if he was tired of Henry being upset about her? "I don't know," he mumbled.

Grandpa smiled softy, then sighed. "You know since this is supposed to be 'Mother's Day,' and I was just talking about my mother, I'm starting to miss her quite a bit today. Her wisdom. Her gentleness. The way she always trusted me with the sheep." Grandpa sighed wistfully. "What about you? What do miss about Regina?"

Henry's eyes widened at the way Grandpa was able to figure out what his problem was, and show him it was okay at the same time. "I miss the way she cared about me," he said softly. "She was always so…hard around everyone else around town. I mean, she was still the Evil Queen. But with me? She made sure I ate my vegetables, and did my homework, and she even had special projects for the two of us."

Grandpa nodded. "Good to know. I like to hear about her from you."

They eventually finished the laundry and returned home.

I really like the way Emma and Snow were able to support Red in this chapter, instead of the other way around. In this story and in canon, it seems Red's role tends to be supporting the Charmings, not them supporting her. I like the fact that I was able to change that here.

Also, this is only mentioned once, but Emma's attitude about Snow's reaction to killing Cora. This is the way I believe she felt at that time. Although she isn't hostile to her mother, she obviously believes killing Cora was justified, and doesn't really seem to understand why it's such a big deal to either of her parents. So I think she would've been annoyed with the way her mother acted.

Now as for my own feelings, I can totally see why Snow was so upset about what she did, especially considering Snow seemed to be anti – death penalty, from her reaction to killing Regina. (This is something I can identify with, although I know a lot of people don't.) Furthermore, I think what really crossed the line with Snow killing Cora, wasn't so much that she killed her, but that Snow had Regina physically deliver the cursed heart to her own mother, believing she was helping Cora. I think that was what really made her heart "darken" more than anything else, and what bothered Snow the most. But I don't know if Emma really understood those details.

Thanks for reading, and for the follows and favorites. A special thank you to those who gave reviews. They help, more than you realize.

Nan: I hope you liked the scene where Emma took Snow to lunch. It certainly had plenty of Mama Snow feels! As far as Emma taking her mother to lunch, etc. on a regular basis, however, I'm afraid I won't be doing that. Because it implies Emma is more interested in a relationship with her mother than with her father. Despite what some of my reviewers think/thought, I don't want to make the Mama Snow relationship more important than Daddy Charming. However, don't worry. There will be plenty of other moments between just Emma and Snow in this story when I think they are needed.

For those of you who like Daddy Charming better, Emma will be doing something for David for Father's Day as well.

Misscam: I know I've told you this before, but seriously, I fall all over myself when I see your name on my reviews! I'm glad you agree with me on Snow worrying about Charming, and you liked the David/Emma conversation. I'm looking forward to writing the "family vacation," too. (It's actually more important than you realize.) One of the benefits to writing a story that exists outside of Storybrooke is that I can have them go on family vacations, so I'm taking advantage of that.

BanditCharming: Glad to see at least one person likes what I did with Emma concerning Neal. Like I said before, I hated how quickly she got over his death on the show. I also loved Rumple and Bae/Neal as well. (Have you ever noticed how divided your loyalties can be, being a Snowing and Charming family fan and a Rumple/Bae fan?) Unlike a lot of people, however I'm okay with his death itself. Because I don't think they killed him because they wanted to pursue Captain Swan. (I won't say that had nothing to do with it, I just don't think it was the most important reason.) They had him die to show how different Neal/Bae's view of his father had become, from a monster who only cares about his powers, to a man who made the ultimate sacrifice for his family, and Neal wanted to do the same thing. So I believe they killed Bae/Neal to do homage to his relationship to his father. Okay, that doesn't have anything to do with my story, but that's my thoughts on that. Still glad you liked the chapter.