Double Trouble 66

Recap: Henry's friend and crush from school Jenna Meadows recently lost her memories. She went missing and was found by Sheriff Emma Swan outside Principal Gander's house the same night that Em and Ri were in danger there. Jenna and her twin older brothers are the children of the Meadowses who were supporters of the Evil Queen during her reign. Her 20 year old cousin Jess is gay and a fan of the Mayor and Sheriff's relationship, as is her uncle Mike who like many others had been forced to hide his own sexuality in the other realm. Apparently Emma and Regina's high profile relationship has brought forth the idea that same-sex couples can have happy endings (previously unknown in Fairytale Land).

Ethan Gander, grandson of the Principal, is a schoolyard bully who has previously picked on both Jenna and Henry who have each come to the other's rescue against him.

Chapter 66 'One-horse town'

Storybrooke Elementary

Henry was sitting alone in the playground at lunchtime and he wasn't the only one today. Finding out that his new friend Jenna Meadows had lost her memories the night before and didn't remember him was too disheartening, and even though her brothers invited him to join in at basketball Henry declined.

Another fifth-grader was sitting by himself at the foot of a nearby oak tree. He was a much stouter boy with had a sour frown on his face. He was stabbing at the ground with a stick. This boy was a renowned bully and though nobody wanted to play with him it was unusual to see him set apart from other children who usually were either conscripted as his cronies or his victims.

Despite his instinct to leave well-enough alone, Henry got up and went over to him. "Hey, Ethan."

Ethan Gander scowled and threw the stick away. "What do you want, loser."

"I wanted to say I'm sorry about your Grandma."

New travelled fast in small towns like Storybrooke and never so fast as news of the Principal's hospitalisation did among the pupils of the school where she worked. Each class had been instructed to make 'Get Well' cards by their teachers (some of whom had a hard time hiding their delight at their boss's absence). The students were even more relieved that they were out of disciplinary range of the school's strictest teacher.

As unlikeable as Principal Gander and her grandson were, Henry felt sorry for Ethan since she was his only relative. He knew what it was like to love someone in a powerful position whom the entire town hated. Nobody had wanted to be friends with the Evil Queen's kid either when the curse had been revealed.

Ethan seemed surprised by his condolences at first and then became sullen. "Whatever," he mumbled. "I hate living with her anyway. You don't know what it's like. My life sucks."

"Who are you staying with?" said Henry.

"Mrs Little, a friend of Gran's. She's old and smells like mothballs and she doesn't even have a TV. I wish I could stay with my sister but Gran would never let me."

"Where's your sister?"

Ethan shrugged. "Don't know. She's grown up. She used to live with us until a year ago. Gran kicked her out because she was hanging around with weirdos. I wasn't allowed to see her after that."

"But family's supposed to stick together," said Henry. "Maybe if you tried to find her she'd realise you want to live with her. When I found Emma, my other Mom, she wanted to-"

"No!" Ethan spat angrily. He raised his bulky form off the ground so that he could talk down to the shorter boy. "What's it to you anyway? Just because your Moms are dykes doesn't mean my sister is. Not everyone's like your family."

Before Henry could explain or apologise the taller boy shoved him to the ground and stalked away.

Henry was left wondering what it was that he'd said. Sometimes there didn't need to be a reason for a bully to act out, but Ethan had been the one to bring up weirdos and dykes. He'd heard the words before though nobody had called his Moms such names to his face before. It kinda hurt.

Mrs Gander had been hostile to him and his mothers. Maybe Ethan had picked it up from her. Or maybe the reason for her hatred was more personal than anyone knew. What had Ethan meant about his sister?

"Hey, are you ok?" said a girl's voice, breaking into his thoughts.

Henry looked up to see Jenna Meadows standing over him, blocking the bright sun behind her. As usual her blonde hair was tied in two plaits. Her face was fierce and her posture was impeccable, as though she was ready for a karate competition that might suddenly arise in the playground. There was no flicker of recognition of their recently formed friendship at all.

"You're Henry Mills," said the schoolgirl. "The Mayor's son. Aren't you?"

Henry tried to hide his disappointment. "Yeah."

"Good," Jenna nodded. "I need you to be my alibi."

The Mayor and the Sheriff ran down the street on foot towards the commotion.

The strange sonic-boom heard and felt in Storybrooke Main Street resulted in a car accident. There were cars stopped in the middle of the road at strange angles and a crowd was gathering. The wailing of fire engine sirens increased in pitch as they neared, and soon enough there were flashes of red light bouncing off the shopfront windows.

"How do you know somebody left Storybrooke?" said Emma, puffing. She slowed to a fast stride as they neared.

"Nobody can leave Storybrooke" Regina contradicted her. "It was part of the Curse. I made it so that nobody could leave."

"But you think somebody did succeed and that's what caused the noise?"

"Yes."

"Henry used to say something bad always happens when someone tries to leave Storybrooke. Like what happened to Ashley. She crashed Ruby's car at the border. But we're in the middle of town. How could someone have left Storybrooke from here?"

"I'm not sure," said Regina, as she searched the area ahead. "But there are traces of magic everywhere."

When they reached the intersection they saw that the cars in the middle of the road hadn't stopped, it looked like they had crashed to avoid something. The drivers were sitting on the asphalt receiving first aid from paramedics but it appeared that nobody was seriously injured. No humans that was.

One of the drivers was shaking his head and crying as he explained to a fireman what had happened.

"I didn't even see him until it was too late," the man said, clearly distraught.

Emma pulled out her Sheriff's badge and urged the bystanders to step back from the mangled cars all the way to the sidewalk. One of the paramedics, a young man in a dark blue uniform, came over to report the circumstances of the crash.

"Three car MVA," said the medic. "Two female drivers both have minor injuries, cuts and bruises that sort of thing. A three year old passenger was uninjured and is with his mother. One male driver with suspected facial fractures. Hit his head on the steering wheel, no airbag. "

Emma nodded grimly. "What caused the crash?"

The paramedic pointed over to the crowd of onlookers. "The blue sedan swerved to avoid hitting it and ended up collecting the other two. Driver's pretty upset but it looks like an accident. We put a call in. The vet says there's nothing they can do."

"The vet?" echoed Emma.

Regina ran forward and pushed her way through the crowd.

Lying on the road was a brown horse with a white diamond on its nose. There was blood on its thigh and one of its hind legs was twisted at a sickening angle near the knee joint. Emma didn't know much about horses but even he could see that this one was badly injured.

Regina was knelt by the prone form, heedless of the windshield glass on the asphalt. She was stroking the horse's neck and whispering to it. The poor animal was lying there making snuffling noises. Its eyes were wide with panic.

"How bad is it?" Emma asked as she crouched beside her.

"Both his hind legs are broken," Regina said in a thick voice. "I'm so sorry."

The same paramedic came back to introduce Emma to the vet, who had come from the nearby Storybrooke Pet Shelter where David had formerly worked. The vet explained to her that the animal's injuries were catastrophic and he advised euthanasia as soon as possible. Emma realised that Regina, having grown up with horses, must've known that on sight.

The Sheriff organised the area to be screened from the bystanders, then she spoke to the medics and firemen again. By that time, Michael the local mechanic had arrived with his tow truck to clear away the cars.

Emma returned to Regina who was still trying to comfort the horse. The vet signalled with a nod that they were ready.

"Regina? Come on, baby," she whispered. "He's in pain. We have to step back and let them do their jobs."

Regina's face was ashen and apparently she didn't even notice Emma's using a term of endearment she normally objected to. She allowed herself to be led away, which Emma did, keeping her arm around her. They were halfway to Granny's Diner when they heard the shot.

"Hey, stop," said Henry, standing near the school bike racks. "Where you are going."

Jenna's face flashed with annoyance as she freed her bike from its lock. She quickly looked around to see if there were any teachers within sight. Technically the area with the bike stands was out of bounds and if they were caught here they'd surely get detention. Worse - she'd be stuck in school for the rest of the afternoon until hometime and miss her chance. Her parents wouldn't let this slide like they had the last time, when she'd been found on the other side of town by the Sheriff.

"If you're leaving school grounds I'm coming with you," Henry declared.

"No," said the exasperated girl. "You can't be my alibi if you're with me. I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"I am smart," retorted Henry. "Which is why I can help with whatever you're up to."

"I heard you talking to Ethan. He didn't tell you anything useful. He doesn't know where she is either."

"Huh?"

"Just stay here and don't say anything," ordered Jenna, deadly serious. "If anyone asks later tell them I was with you in the quad at lunch ok. The teachers will believe whatever you say because they're scared of your Mom. The last thing they'll want to do is call her up to the school."

Henry bristled at the mention of Regina in that way. "You want me to lie. Why should I cover for you?"

"Because you're a nerd who doesn't have any friends. I'll be your friend if you'll be my alibi. I'll even sit with you at lunch sometimes so you don't look like you're alone."

Ouch. Henry winced. Jenna wasn't pulling any punches. Her fairy tale self hadn't been this blunt.

"Look," Jenna sighed, seeing that he was slightly offended. "I don't have time to explain. But I have to go to the hospital to find out where Principal Gander's room is."

"Why do you want to go see Mrs Gander?"

"It's not her I want to see."

That answer peaked Henry's curiosity further. "Then who?"

Jenna placed her helmet on her blonde head and clipped the strap under her chin with a snap. "Are you going to tell on me or not?"

"Not if you let me come with you."

"You are so annoying!" Jenna let out a frustrated groan. "I suppose if I say no you'll just come anyway."

Her eyes fell on a black and silver BMX that was securely chained next to where hers had been. It had a standard combination lock with four settings (the same as hers). Her father had bought the locks for all of the kids' bikes after the twins had their Christmas presents stolen one year. He had told her that no-one would be able to break it unless they had boltcutters with them.

The little girl grinned in triumph at her own clever idea. "Ok Henry. You can come... if you can guess the code for my brother's bike. You've got a one in a million chance."

"One in ten-thousand," Henry corrected automatically.

Jenna's eyes narrowed. "You've got three seconds. Otherwise I'm leaving without you."

Henry was dying to gloat but kept it inside. He knelt beside the bike and pretended to fiddle with the combinations. He could tell that Jenna was sure he'd never guess the combo and couldn't wait to prove her wrong. He wasn't sure exactly why but for some reason it was important to win.

"Alohomora," whispered Henry, as he waved his hand over the lock. It was an easy piece of magic that Mr Gold had taught him ages ago.

Of course, saying the spell name from Harry Potter was irrelevant but it sounded impressive, and judging by the jaw-drop expression on Jenna's face it had the desired effect. She'd lost her memories so she no longer remembered anything about magic or the fact that one of her schoolmates was nearly suspended for having magical powers. To her it seemed that he'd cracked the lock in a purely mortal fashion.

"How did you do that?" cried Jenna.

Henry's shrug was full of fake modesty. He grinned as he snapped the clasp of the borrowed helmet under his chin. "Must've been a lucky guess. Now can we go?"

Granny's diner

Ruby placed the two cups on the table, a hot chocolate with cinnamon for Emma and a latte in front of Regina. They'd just arrived and taken a booth in the back of the diner for some privacy. The slender waitress had brought over their usual beverages without having taken their orders first.

"Thanks, Ruby," said Emma.

"Let me know if you guys need anything." Ruby's red-painted lips smiled and then she left them to it.

It was odd. The Storybrookers were getting on with their day already, the sonic boom was apparently just another strange event in a strange town. The general public's idle curiosity faded fast here when their lives were not being immediately threatened. Some of the bystanders to the car accident had come into the diner as well but the rest returned to their homes or workplaces as normal.

Emma attempted to break the silence. "You want me to put sugar in it for you?"

"I'm fine," said Regina. She wrapped her hands around the cup as though she'd only just noticed it.

"How about some vodka?"

"Idiot." It came out far more affectionate than critical though. Regina rolled her eyes at the joke but couldn't help a small smile. They were sitting side-by-side, which Emma had obviously planned so that she could rest her spare hand on a certain black skirt-clad thigh. It was a much-needed gesture of comfort.

"You alright? That was a pretty confronting scene back there."

Regina sighed. "I've stood upon hillsides covered in corpses. I've witnessed war and violence and medieval poverty. I've done all manner of awful things myself. I'm familiar with confronting scenes."

"Yeah, but you have a thing for horses."

"I grew up on an estate. This was hardly the first time I've seen an animal euthanised. It was the best course of action. He would have had a slow painful death otherwise."

"You're allowed to be upset you know. No matter what else you've seen and done."

Seeing that Regina wasn't clamming up for once, Emma encouraged her to talk about what she was feeling in more detail. She said the reason she was so affected by the scene was because the injured horse resembled her childhood steed. The former queen admitted that the sight brought back a flood of guilt. Right now it was as fresh in her mind as the day Rocinante was killed by her own hand. His sacrifice in the Curse had brought her the happy ending she was now living for. It was hard to be happy when harbouring so much guilt. But Emma reassured her as she had done many times before that it was natural to feel that way, and in fact, it was a sign that she'd changed.

They'd talked things over like this before but right now Regina seemed to need extra reassurance. It was rare that her confidence faltered outwardly but Emma was more concerned with being there for her than questioning it.

When the conversation lulled Emma returned to the facts of the case in her mind. It seemed odd that a horse had caused a car accident seconds after there'd been a strange sonic boom they'd yet to find an explanation for. It was an unlikely coincidence. Something magical had happened ... but what?

Emma frowned in thought. "What was a horse doing in the middle of town anyway?"

Regina took a sip and then looked up from her mug. "I know who it was that tried to leave Storybrooke."

"Who? and why you think the two events are connected?"

"It was Ri."

"What?!" cried Emma. All eyes in the diner turned to her so she lowered her voice. "Why do you think it was her?"

"The horse we saw was saddled but riderless, he looked just like my Rocinante, and we're miles from the nearest stables. If she was riding at the time she disappeared that may be why he was here. He likely bolted into traffic at the shock of the noise."

"Yeah, Mary Margaret did say that Ri went to the stables this morning. She must've been heading back. So where is she now if she's left Storybrooke?"

"Gone back to the past."

"But - but she can't be gone…" Emma struggled for words. "Just like that!"

Emma had to accept that the theory made a lot of sense but she couldn't believe Ri was finally gone. They'd all grown so used to having her around it seemed impossible that the teenager could be gone out of their lives in an instant. She hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye or anything. There were things she still needed to tell her, things she needed to make sure the young girl knew.

"Wait a sec," said Emma. "How can you be sure?"

Regina slipped a hand inside her blazer and retrieved her pocket mirror. "Show me Ri Mills," she commanded. The reflection didn't change, only her own face was showing.

"That doesn't prove anything."

Regina raised an eyebrow at her skepticism. "Aren't you supposed to have some sort of 'awesome' magical ability to find people? Use your magic then if you don't believe mine."

The Saviour concentrated on their surroundings and reached out with her powers to try to locate the missing girl. Previously she'd been able to feel two Regina's, whereas now there was only one pinging her radar. Her powers weren't infallible but it certainly felt plausible. Ri was no longer in Storybrooke. Either she was very far away or-

Oh god! If poor little Ri had gone back to the past, she'd returned to her controlling mother and a soon-to-be arranged marriage to a man old enough to be her father and everything that entailed. The young girl was facing a future of pain and darkness as the Evil Queen. Emma had this irrational desire to reach into the past and rescue her to keep her safe. Argh, why did she have to go back at all!

Ruby came over to chat under the pretense of asking if either of them needed a refill. She slid a plate with a couple of vanilla biscotti on it towards Regina. When Emma tried to steal one the pretty waitress slapped the back of her hand.

"Those aren't for you," said Ruby.

"Hey, how come I don't get any?" complained Emma.

"Because," said Ruby, flirtatiously. "These are the last ones and they're Baby Regina's favourite. So I figured the Mayor probably likes them too."

It was a correct assumption; Regina was already nibbling on a biscotti. She looked… cuter than usual. There was more going on behind those gorgeous brown eyes than she was letting on. Emma's gut told her there was something she was missing right now but she couldn't figure out what.

"Rubes," said Emma. "Can you do us a favour?"

"Sure."

"Can you use your wolf scent to find Ri? She's been missing ever since she went riding this morning and never came back. We need to know for sure if she's anywhere in Storybrooke, but we think she's gone back to the past somehow."

Ruby nodded and offered a smile. "I'll have a sniff around after work."

"Thanks."

Emma tried to remember the last time she'd seen Ri and failed. It felt like forever ago and now she'd never see her again.

"Hey, cheer up, Emma." Just before Ruby left for the kitchen she tipped her head towards Regina to make her point. "Ri's still with us. Kinda."

I suppose that's true, thought Emma. 'Ri' was sitting right next to her, as her older self.

Ri had gone back to being a part of Regina's past where she supposedly belonged.

Maybe that was the reason why Ri had to go back because she had to experience her past in order to become her future - to become this beautiful, amazing, strong woman who had been through so much and still worked so hard for her chance at a happy ending. She wouldn't be the same person without her past. Her future was built upon it.

Emma stared as Regina's tongue darted between her lips to lick away some biscotti crumbs.

"I love you," Emma blurted out.

Somehow Regina managed to keep a straight face. "Yes, dear, and I find you tolerable and occasionally useful."

"I hope Ri knew how much we all loved her."

"I suppose she did."

Emma didn't what to make of Regina's casual reaction to the news that her younger self had time-traveled back to the past. She wasn't sure what she would've expected but the former queen had taken the knowledge in stride and was already focusing on how they were going to move forward with saving the town. Regina didn't seem bothered by losing her young self at all. In fact, the part of the event that had most upset her had been the death of the horse.

Apparently Regina was doing some thinking of her own. "Remember when we went looking for the border and it jumped at me because it thought I was trying to leave?"

"Yeah."

"It must be close to town now. If so, more people are going to lose their memories which means we have to act fast. We need to figure out how to get the potion to work."

"But with Ri gone," Emma realised with growing worry. "There's only one person who knows exactly how we fell in love. We need those memories. What if whatever happened to Ri happens to Em too? We have to get to her before she disappears. But what are we going to tell her about Ri being gone?"

"We won't tell her." Regina shook her head and averted her eyes. "It'll break her heart to be here alone. Wouldn't it break yours?"

Emma was silent but she had to admit that the answer was 'Yes'.

Mary Margaret's apartment

David was washing up in the bathroom when his wife appeared in the doorway. He raised his eyes to the mirror and smiled, until he noticed that she seemed pensive about something. He recognised that look on her face, it was the same one she got when she had a secret she was trying to hold back. Before he could ask she came out with it herself.

"Do you think we should have told Emma?" said Mary Margaret, wrapping her arms across her middle.

"Told Emma what?" said David.

"About Mrs Gander being hospitalised and identifying Em as her attacker."

David toweled his hands dry and sighed. "I don't see what good it would do. Emma's got enough on her plate right now."

"True. I only wish we could be more help."

It was frustrating to see their daughter struggling with all the responsibilities that had been heaped on her. The pressure of being the Sheriff, of being the Saviour, and of taking care of the family she'd acquired only recently had to be taking its toll on her. Mary Margaret had been the one to tell Emma in no uncertain terms to grow up and stop procrastinating about everything, though it'd killed David to see it. He had this fatherly urge to jump in and scoop her up and take care of everything for her. But this time he couldn't. This was something that she had to figure out for herself.

Nothing would stop him constantly worrying about his daughter though.

Mary Margaret was asking him what they should do about Em. David felt as though he was procrastinating in the very manner that Emma was reprimanded for. He knew he ought to investigate Mrs Gander's accusations - she was a victim after all - but his need to protect his teenage daughter was stronger than his sense of duty.

"How are we going to deal with Em?" said Mary Margaret.

"As Deputy Sheriff I know I should question her," David admitted. "As her father I need her to explain what happened last night. But I don't want it to sound like I'm accusing her of anything."

"That'll be difficult. Em is quick on the defensive because she thinks everyone is against her and always accusing her of things she didn't do."

"This is more serious than her usual teenage mischief. It's my job to be impartial here but I can't. I don't care what the old woman says. I just can't believe that Em would've assaulted her. Breaking in? - yes; arguing? - very yes; but she wouldn't hurt anyone. She's a good kid at heart."

"Then who did do it?"

David hesitated before speculating. "There was only one other person there that we know of."

Mary Margaret looked skeptical. "Are you really saying you think Ri is capable of hurting an old lady?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" He left the truth they both knew unspoken: the older Regina certainly was capable of it.

"Why would Mrs Gander lie and say it was Em?"

"Maybe she was mistaken."

The phone in Mary Margaret's skirt pocket began to ring with a Disney song. "Someday my prince will come…"

"I'll just take this call," said Mary Margaret, after a shifty glance at the caller's name on the screen. "Then I'll go see if Em's awake and whether she's feeling up to talking."

David nodded as his wife left the bathroom to answer the phone.

In his mind he went back over his interaction with Ri early that morning. There was nothing in her behaviour that indicated guilt - except for the fact that she'd gone off on her own and hadn't come back yet. Ri had dodged the question as to the girls' whereabouts last night, without confirming that they'd been near the Principal's residence at all. If Gander was telling the truth why was Ri lying? Was she lying to protect herself or to protect Em? What would the girls have been doing there in the first place?

After talking with Em they would have to ask Ri for her version of events as well. Before the teens had a chance to close ranks and get their stories straight. David was certain that they would protect each other and lie if they had to. They'd done it before.

After barely being a minute gone, a pixie-haired brunette nearly collided with him in the doorway when she came back.

"David, we have a problem," said Mary Margaret seriously. "That was the Blue Fairy on the phone."

"Haven't heard from her in a while," David pointed out.

"She's demanding that Em be brought to her for questioning about the assault of her friend. Apparently Ri told her that it was Em's idea to break in and steal some jewelry, watches, and other valuables. Blue said that Ri came to her with her story because she wanted to do what was best for Em - "

"That doesn't sound like Ri."

"I know, but that's not the worst of it -" Mary Margaret's eyes teared up before she revealed Blue's final piece of news. "Mrs Gander died this morning."