"Lynn, darling? Can you come here?"
The twelve year old princess looked up from where she had beene crouched on the ground with her five year old brother, rolling the snow in an attempt to start on a snowman. She grinned when she saw her mother step out into the backyard through the French doors. Her mother quietly closed the doors before walking towards her kids. Her gloved hands in the pockets of her fitted peacoat, Regina found herself yet again startled by how cold things could get in Storybrooke. Things were never this cold back at h - no. Misthaven has not been home in a very long time. Over twenty years. So odd to remember that, and that the kids only started growing a few years ago… She paused, and couldn't help but smile while she took some time to simply watch her kids. Lynn, finishing a fairly large snowball, started to help Henry roll up another one, setting aside the small one he had already made. Henry was laughing, briefly stopping what he was doing to pick up some snow and toss it over himself. It became a little bit more heavy than the still falling snow. He was happy, just as he - five. Henry was five.
Regina flinched. A similar (albeit somewhat warmer) day when Lynn was five had been far more traumatic, both for her mother and Lynn herself. Memories slammed into her mother in waves, and she only hoped Lynn did not remember the day her mother was more deeply haunted by than she had in over two decades.
It had been five years. Five years since her mother had finally managed to break free from her painful marriage. It was a relief. It was also terrifying. Terrifying because every day that went by left her more and more worried that she would lose her daughter. That feeling had slowly begun to dissipate, with Snow no longer around to harm Lynn. Snow. She would be dead soon enough. The queen had briefly closed her eyes, trying to force herself not to cry. Lynn was the only thing that mattered to her more than getting full and proper vengeance on Snow. Her father had told her it would not make her happy. She refused to believe him. She couldn't. Snow got Lynn's father killed, the person she loved most. Who did she love most, now? In her heart, she was not sure. In her mind, she told herself it was of course her daughter. But her first thoughts whispered that the one person who had always given her what she wanted and needed was the one she loved most.
Still. Lynn was five years old. Her mother's little princess was five years old.
Finally. Finally Lynn was the only heir to the throne.
"Lynn, darling," Regina had knelt down to her daughter's height, the two of them in the snow, kept warm by beautiful fur coats. "You need to keep your gloves on," She had gently tugged them back onto her daughter's hands, the little girl giggling. Her mother could not help but smile. "I don't want you to get too cold," Her mother had added.
Lynn, ever the hyper child, had all but jumped up into her mother's arms, wrapping her small arms around her neck.
"Love love momma!"
Regina had softly smiled, cupping her daughter's cheek.
"I love you too, darling," She had whispered. "You're my baby girl."
Barely noticing it, Regina had briefly heard the harsh crunching of boots against the snow.
"How charming."
Then, the queen had taken notice. Startled. Terrified. Stricken by fear she had not felt since her childhood.
It was a voice she had not heard in years.
It was a voice she had hoped she would never hear again.
She had been unable to hide her shock, and her fear.
She had stood up suddenly, nearly falling over when she turned around to see her mother.
She had drawn Lynn closer to her.
She had taken several steps back from Cora, who, to her relief, did not move.
"Don't," The queen had hissed, though her voice was shaking. "Don't you even dare touch her."
"I didn't come here to harm your precious daughter," Cora had rolled her eyes, frowning when her gaze fell onto her granddaughter. "I don't know who you love more," Cora had flippantly remarked. "Her, yourself, or your father…" Cora had laughed mirthlessly. "Or that stable boy who fathered her."
Regina had started to shake, bringing her little girl as close to her as possible. Her eyes had gone wide in fear when her daughter started to sniffle and cry. She -
"What is it, momma?" Lynn stood up, letting her little brother continue making their snowman mostly by himself. "Is everything okay?"
Regina sighed. "Yes," She said, glancing around almost as if she were afraid they were being watched. "But I want to talk to you about something rather important, at least because I have not stopped hearing about it for over a year, now."
Lynn blinked, her eyebrows rising in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"It's your friend Aria," Regina said, managing to mask her disdain for the girl. "Her mother has not left me alone about her…hatred for the two of you having become friends after…what happened a few years ago."
Lynn grimaced. "Aria told me about that," She admitted. "Her mother told her that she thinks you're a bitch. Aria said she thinks her mother might be right but that 'it isn't necessarily a bad thing' because she's never heard of anyone not doing whatever her mother says whenever she says it."
Regina laughed a little. "Interesting," She said shortly. "Lynn, listen, do you remember -"
"Momma, Aria and I get along fine, now, and I finally have friends again," Lynn stared at her mother with wide eyes, her voice shaking a little. "The year when she and I were fighting and everyone hated me was hell. I already don't have many people I can be okay with at school."
Regina fell silent for just a few seconds.
"Alright," She eventually said. "I don't…necessarily like it, but you're old enough to…you can decide what you think of Aria and her family on your own."
Lynn suddenly hugged her mother, catching her by surprise, but she then embraced her daughter too.
"Thanks momma," Lynn whispered. "It means so much."
"Oh, hey Mary! What are you doing here so late?"
Mary Margaret smiled, pulling the diner door shut behind her to stop the snow from flying inside. She waved at the young woman wiping down the lunch counter, and flicked on one of the sets of lights, with only the LEDs having been left on. Ruby smirked, winking at the teacher in an almost flirtatious way. Mary Margaret did not seem to pick up on that. Well, she is pretty damn cute, Ruby thought, pulling out one of her earbuds, humming to herself. Yeah, all my life I've been good, but now, woah woah woah I'm thinking what the hell! All I want is to mess around, and la la la I don't really care about if you love me, if you hate me, you can't take me baby baby. All my life I've been good but now, woah woah woah I'm thinking what the hell! Mary Margaret hesitantly stepped towards the counter, even while Ruby seemed to be a bit lost in the music she was listening to. She took a look up at the digital clock on the backsplash of the bar. 23:17. It had been a long day, and, yet, she was far from tired. It was a strange feeling. And it was one she had been utterly unable to shake.
"Is it too late to have a bit of a snack and a drink?" Mary Margaret hesitantly asked. "I have cash, I can -"
"No worries," Ruby waved a hand dismissively, pulling out her other earbud and flicking the cord of the earbuds over her shoulders. She then whipped out her pen and order pad, leaning forward on her elbows with a grin. "Whatcha want, pretty lady?"
Mary Margaret chuckled. "Just a small brownie and cappuccino."
"Got it!" Ruby said, dramatically flourishing her pen before clicking it shut without writing anything down. She then turned around, turning on the cappuccino maker. "I may or may not have stolen half of my granny's incredible peppermint brownies, so, if you'll split it with me…then it'll be on the house."
Mary Margaret's eyebrows raised when Ruby pulled out a half full plate, covered in tin foil, uncovering them with the same drama as before.
"I'll let you take your half home," Ruby added with a wink that she decided, this time, was in fact flirtatious. "Since I doubt you'll want to eat all of them at once."
Mary Margaret shrugged. "Not all of us have the insatiable appetite you do."
"Nah, it isn't like that," Ruby replied, setting down the plate. "I just am good at hiding things around in plain sight so I can have itty bitty snacks as necessary throughout the day."
"Huh," Mary Margaret considered that while the young woman turned back to finish making her the cappuccino. The teacher pulled out the cash and set it down on the counter, slowly starting towards one of the booths when the young woman waved her towards one, the cappuccino in one hand and the plate in the other. "I didn't think of it that way."
"Eh, it's fine," Ruby replied, slowly following her. "It's an art I've honed over the years. Damn. Can you even remember when we first met?"
Mary Margaret sighed. "To be perfectly honest, I can't remember a time before I lived here, apart from knowing this wasn't where I grew up."
"Where did you grow up?"
"In the city," Mary Margaret replied as she sat down. "I don't really remember it. But I moved here after my father's sudden death when I was eighteen. I got my degrees through online university, and, as soon as I got my teaching licence, I began my current job."
Ruby giggled, setting down the plate and cappuccino. "You've got a lot more discipline than me," She remarked, quickly running back to grab a small, plastic container and lid. "I never would have survived something like that. I'd fail out of uni."
"I'm sure you wouldn't," Mary Margaret kindly replied, smiling when Ruby set down the container and began to drop half of the brownies into it. "Thanks," She said, taking the container and lid when the young woman pushed it towards her. "You're too nice, Ruby, honestly, sometimes I cannot believe it."
"I'm a lot more than just a polite and sometimes moody waitress," She said, picking up one of her own brownies and pulling off a nosh of it. "Especially with people I like. You always make people happy, and that's a real gift. No wonder people around time like you."
"Better than everyone hating me the way they hate Gold," Mary Margaret shuddered at the thought of the man. "I have to hand it to Regina and those on the town council for managing to strike him down to getting only about half a percent more than what he's owed as the owner of the town. He was pretty…"
"Pissed?" Ruby suggested with a smirk. "Crazed? Having a hint of violent rage in his eyes?"
"The first," Mary Margaret said, reaching for her cappuccino. "But let's not think too hard about him."
"Fair enough," Ruby agreed. "How's work going?"
"Alright," Mary Margaret paused, her eyes going misty in thought. "All of the teachers at the elementary school were given the total roster for next year, kindergarten through year five. I don't know if the secondary school has been given the equivalent for years six through twelve, yet, but regardless, I was a bit surprised to see that the mayor's son is going to be attending kindergarten here."
Ruby's brow furrowed in confusion. "What's surprising about that?"
"Well…" Mary Margaret hesitated. "It's just that…her daughter doesn't attend school here and never has. She goes to school out of state, too. I just can't help but wonder why Henry will be attending school here in Storybrooke while Lynn attends school in…New Hampshire, I think it is."
"Lynn's a brilliant kid," Ruby said, sliding into the booth, right across the table from Mary Margaret. "That's probably it. Regina is so scared of anything happening to her kids, reasonably so, that she would never send Lynn out of state for school unless there weren't a good reason for it."
Mary Margaret awkwardly sipped her cappuccino. "That's fair," She said. "I just can't help but wonder about it since Henry will be attending school here in Storybrooke."
"I mean," Ruby shrugged. "One of her kids has to be normal, right?"
Mary Margaret laughed a little, nearly spilling a bit of her cappuccino on herself.
"I suppose so," She said, pausing to take a calm sip. Then, half her cappuccino gone, she set it down for a moment. "It's probably just the teacher in me that cannot help but wonder about it."
"I don't blame you," Ruby said, reaching over to rest her hands over Mary Margaret's. "Sorry about the callouses, but I want you to know that you can tell me anything, even if you think it might be strange or unusual like this."
"I appreciate it," Mary Margaret said with a small sigh. "I need a friend more than you know, and I'm glad to have you to turn to, Ruby."
The young woman nodded. "Of course," She said, squeezing the teacher's hands. "I'll always be here to listen, especially for you."
Replies To Reviews:
barrattajennifer: yeah, i always felt Henry needed a sister, so writing his and Lynn's relationship is very fulfilling (just like writing Lynn and Regina's relationship is fulfilling, and writing Emma and Regina's relationship as it was - romantic, i mean, both their actresses wanted them together - will be fulfilling too), so i'm glad you find it fulfilling to read too!
jasouatfan: writing Henry growing up before he finds his birth mother is definitely something important to explore, especially because of how much nuance it shows in him and Regina. and, yeah, no one should trust Gold…ever…not fucking ever.
Sammii16: of course, love! this is one of my favourite fanfics to write, and i appreciate all of the love on it from so many sweet people!