"Will everyone please gather into your assigned groups please," David says through the bullhorn. David stands on a picnic bench, with Mary Margret standing next to him. All the group leaders stand in front of the officer. They stare in awe at the number of people who have come to help them find Emma. Henry's heart swells happily.
"We want to thank everyone for coming and for all the help our volunteers have done. Before we begin the search please remember, stay with your groups, follow the map and if anything seems suspicious, please report it to the supervising officers or return to home base. Now my wife would like to say a few words."
Mary Margret clears her throat.
"Thank you all for helping us. Some of you probably don't know Emma, but it fills us with the hope that we will be able to find her with your help. Thank you so much." Mary Margret does her best to not burst out crying.
"Now each of you has been assigned a specific leader, all of them are wearing name tags and have a specific coloured flag. We will all keep in contact with walkie-talkies to report anything. Many of the leaders were with Emma the night she went missing so they will be able to tell you where she was and what might've happened to her. Each of them has a specific area to search and please stay in contact with them. Please remember to stay together and get the word out as much as possible. There will also be cadaver dogs who will help us get a big lead. Please stay hydrated and safe. Thank you."
There is some applause from the people.
"Group going south please follow me!" Ruby shouts, holding up her flag. Dorothy is in the front and helps lead the large group as they leave the park. Zelena and Robin's group head west. Lacey's to the North, Regina and Graham's to the downtown area to the east. Killian is going to guide the harbour group, MeyLing southeast, David northwest, Aurora and Phillip southwest and Leroy to the northeast. Henry decides to go with David, with Violet tagging right along.
All the parties scatter, starting from the Good Luck Chuck Wagon where Emma was last seen and disperse.
Leroy hands one of Emma's scarves to the dog trainer and the dog takes a good sniff.
The dog puts his nose to the ground and begins his search. He takes a few steps away from the bar before tracing the residue of gasoline, most likely from a car. He sits and puts his paw on his owner's leg.
"What does that mean?" Leroy asks.
"It means that there is a car involved," the trainer explains.
"Can he still follow it?"
"Yes, but it will be more complicated."
…
"Have you seen this woman anywhere?" Ruby asks, holding a flier up to a convenience store owner.
"I'm sorry ma 'me, I haven't," the man says behind the counter.
"Has there been any suspicious activity in the area?" Ruby asks.
"Sorry no,"
Ruby takes in a sharp breath, trying to keep herself calm. Dorothy steps in.
"Do you mind if we hang a poster in your store?"
"Sure, it's the least I can do to help you," the man says.
Ruby sighs and grabs the tape from her backpack.
"Discouraged already?" Dorothy asks as they exit the store. Many of the searchers have taken other businesses on the street to ask for any information.
"It's just so frustrating," Ruby sighs. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Boston is so big and our party is so small."
"Try to keep up hope," Dorothy says. "It could be worse."
"How could it be worse?"
"It could be you that is missing,"
"Are you an optimist?" Ruby asks.
"Usually yes," Dorothy says. "I try to remain positive when I can, it allows me to go on every day."
"Wish I had that kind of attitude," Ruby says. "It'd make life so much more interesting." They walk up to another store and go inside. They hit another dead end.
"This is going to be one long day," Ruby sighs.
…
"Can we stop for a break?" one of the searchers asks.
Zelena sighs and nods. The shoes she's wearing are killing her.
"Ten-minute break everyone, try to stay in the shade and rehydrate."
Robin sits down on the curb and opens his bottle of water. His shoulders are heavy. He knows that he doesn't know Emma at all, but Killian talked about her and he never had a bad thing to say. He can't imagine how he's feeling, with the air of dread that Emma could possibly be…dead.
She really must be loved to have such caring friends, he thinks.
Zelena sits down next to Robin. She takes out her compact mirror and examines herself. She reapplies some lip gloss.
"I should have worn more comfortable shoes," Zelena groans.
"You didn't think about how much walking there would be?" Robin asks.
"That and as a lawyer, I don't own very many comfortable shoes. Even during cross-examination, I'm always in heels. I like to think that it keeps my aggression high."
Robin sighs and looks at the other searchers sitting and resting.
"So what do you do?" Zelena asks.
"I'm a personal trainer," Robin says, drinking from the water bottle.
"Oh, I can tell you definitely work out," Zelena says, wanting to reach over and grab his bicep. "Is it hard work?"
"It is," Robin says. "But it's worth it… so what's your relation to Emma? How did you meet?"
"She and I are like sisters," Zelena lies. "We actually met Regina at a singles event quite a few years back. She was sad and very lonely. She'd been divorced twice and was desperate to find someone. Emma was upset that she had to leave Henry at home, the eight-year-old was so clingy at the time."
Robin frowns when she says this, but Zelena takes no notice. "We basically took Regina under our wing and helped her get some hook ups. Once she got going, she couldn't stop. She also took a lot of lessons from Ruby, the leader of the red group. Ruby is a serious slut so to speak."
Robin doesn't know how to react, he just takes another drink and continues to stare ahead, avoiding eye contact with the redhead.
"Regina picked up some of her bad habits, like that DJ guy, she actually hooked up with him the night Emma went missing," Zelena continues.
Robin shakes his head. "Really? She doesn't seem like that type."
"Trust me, she's not at all perfect. Meanwhile, I like quality over quantity. I like to treasure my relationships."
Suddenly, Robin's phone buzzes.
"Excuse me," he says. He checks the caller ID. He then shuts it off, but not before Zelena gets a glance at the name.
"Who's Marian?"
Robin glares at her, not liking her nosiness.
"Come on, I promise I won't tell anyone," Zelena pleads, looking seductively into his eyes.
"She's my ex-wife. We in the middle of a divorce and we're trying to split custody of our son Roland. She's always calling me up, trying to get me to speak to the lawyers. It's not exactly easy for me to take my son, I mean I live in an apartment with three other men, one who's like your Ruby friend."
"That's a shame, I believe that every child deserves at least some time with their parents," Zelena says.
"We should get back to searching," Robin says, trying to avoid the subject.
"You're right," Zelena stands up and calls out. "Alright everyone break's over, you may now begin to search again!"
Robin stands up and grabs the backpack for Zelena. He begins walking along, thinking about the information Zelena told him about Regina.
…
"Have you seen this woman?" Regina asks.
It's later in the day and the group must've given out fifteen thousand fliers, putting them up in any shop that would take them. Regina sighs heavily, upset and tired. This search was going nowhere if felt. The only reason she pressed on was because of Henry and wanting to bring his mother back to him. Emma had been her friend for a long time, even though there were days when Regina resented Emma. The woman had had the life and security that she'd never had, she had a loving son and a secure lifestyle, that is until Neal took off. Leaving the poor boy without a father and a struggling mother. She began feeling guilty about those times she hated Emma, because now, who knows what was happening to the blonde.
Regina sits down on a bench to rest her feet.
"You're pushin' yourself too much," Graham says, sitting next to her. Impulsively, Regina lays her head on his shoulder.
"She's my friend, and I want to help her," Regina says quietly. The sun was going to be setting soon, going behind some tall apartment buildings.
"It's not like we're goin' to cover the entire city," Graham says.
"I wish we could if it means finding her," Regina says. "Henry should not be without his mother for so long. I mean I'm like a surrogate mother to him, but it can't replace the bond those two have."
"There's somethin' special about a mother and child isn't there?"
Regina's stomach turns and she begins to fight back tears. She looks at the images on the posters in front of her, those green eyes staring back at her as if making her feel guilty
"I feel like we'll never find her. I wish she had a tracking beacon or something,"
Regina sits up again and looks into Graham's eyes.
"Do you need a hug?" Graham asks. "I can always tell when someone needs one, it's like my special power." He winks at her.
Regina is especially surprised at his offer but accepts it willingly. He smells of some type of aftershave and his brown leather jacket. His whiskers tickle her neck a little bit as she lets out a deep sigh.
"Thank you for being here," Regina says, pulling out of the hug.
"My pleasure," Graham says. "It gives me a chance to get to know you better."
Regina blushes slightly. She never expected that a hook up she had more than a week ago was actually turning into something. It was good… nothing great…but good. He was a lot better than some of the other men she'd tried to date. He was sweet and sentimental, but with an edge, being a DJ and all.
"Let's keep looking," Graham says. He takes Regina's hand and helps her to her feet. The two keep going, holding hands the rest of the way.
…
Killian sighs deeply. Nothing has turned up. It's just been a long day of walking around the city harbour with a bunch of strangers, asking if any of them have seen his girlfriend. He even walked by the bar he had been drinking at the night she disappeared. The pain in his chest was still fresh, he doubted it would dull at all.
"Oy, David you there Mate?" he asks.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Have you found anything?"
"Nothing, no one's seen her at all, it's as if she just vanished."
"Didn't you say that Leroy's group's dog might think there's a car involved."
Killian's heart sinks. For all they know, Emma could almost be in Canada with her abductor by now. He felt like precious time was being wasted. The hope of finding Emma was shrinking ever more. He sighs deeply.
"I think we should call it night Mate," Killian says.
"I guess so, I'll talk to the others."
Then there's nothing on the walkie talkie.
"Listen up everyone!" Killian calls out to the group of searchers, among them, a graying haired man with some stubble and an equally concerned look on his face. "We're going to head back to the base. I'm sure you will be thanked quite a lot by Mary Margret, and I, myself, am very grateful for your help."
The group begins to turn around and head back in the direction they came. Killian follows, his head low as if in defeat, his shoulders sagging by the heavy reality he carried.
One man Killian passes, one of the searchers, puts one last poster on a telephone pole. He then walks with some distance behind the docks man, both unaware of their connection to Emma.
…
Mary Margret begins setting out warm beverages of hot chocolate and coffee for the exhausted searchers as well as treats. She's been sitting in a chair most of the day, taking notes about what streets had been searched and marking them on a map, every time a team leader called in. Her heart was very heavy and so was her belly. The sisters of the convent did all they could to make sure Mary Margret didn't have to do too much and be on her feet. The teacher is disappointed that she wasn't out there searching with the others, but with everyone's concern for the baby, she knew she had to stay out of it.
She sees flashlights and a familiarly tall figure walking up the street from the park. She stands up and goes to greet him.
She kisses his cheek. The two don't say anything, they're both thinking the same thing. No luck, none at all. There is deep sadness in their hearts and fear about what might be happening to Emma. On the bright side, if they didn't find a body, then there's hope that she's still alive.
The teacher then reaches over and hugs Henry, who had been by David's side most of the day. In the darkening park, Mary Margret could see the bleakness on her best friend's son's face. He gladly accepts the hug before following his female classmate Violet to the refreshment table. She notices the two are holding hands.
"Hardly let go of each other all day," David says quietly. "It's as if they were holding each other up."
"Her more than him, I'm sure," Mary Margret says. She wishes that Emma was here to see her son with his first girlfriend. She'd give anything if she could trade places with her best friend.
"We'll try again tomorrow," David says, trying to remain optimistic.
As the other parties come back, many tired, sweaty and sore, some talk to each other, and others begin to head for their cars, without giving the Nolan's a chance to thank them. Mary Margret felt some solace that so many people had come to help. It restored her faith in humanity just a little bit that they were still willing to help one another. Except for that monster who took Emma.
Henry and Violet stand together talking as Killian's search group comes back. Killian begins talking to David and Henry sees a man lurking behind him. He squints in the fading daylight.
David's walkie-talkie suddenly crackles to life.
"David are you there?" Leroy's voice asks.
"Yeah, we're here. Where are you? Your group is the only one not back."
"We're at the edge of town," is the response.
"What why? How?"
We took one of the trainer's vans. We found Emma's phone."
The entire camp seems to go quiet as Henry rushes forward to here more. He then gets a better look at the man who had been lurking behind David and Mary Margret. He drops the hot chocolate in his hand.
"D-Dad?!"
Double cliffhanger. I'm sorry to the readers that I post so late, it's just the way it happens. I'll try to improve in terms of timing. Please Review and follow.