Chapter XLVIII

Then and Now

Some of his memories were fuzzy. He wasn't sure if that was the coma or the curse. It wasn't something people talked about. That was a weird social rule in Storybrooke. He couldn't help but think about it though. He had thought about it long and hard. He was pretty sure David Nolan had never been to the Principal's Office.

He was or would have been, the good twin. That was another thing he thought about a lot. He had a brother, a twin, that he'd never met. How would James like Storybrooke? David usually imagined that James would have been the stereotypical bad boy. He would have worn leather jackets and not played by anyone's rules. James would have been in the Principal's Office at least three times a week.

That was the modern-day James that lived in David's head. He was a patchwork of second and third-hand stories and guesses. David didn't know how accurate his version of James was. He hadn't met him. Hadn't even known about him until it was too late.

David still thought about him though, still wondered, still mourned. He always would. David imagined that James would find his current predicament hilarious. He was waiting outside his daughter's office. This would not be a fun meeting and they both knew it. No. This was not his daughter.

Yesterday was daughter time. Family time. They had all enjoyed Sunday together. The whole family had enjoyed being together. No magic, no monsters, no mysteries. They'd ridden horses, well Emma had watched. Snow had made a picnic lunch. Henry had told them jokes and funny stories from school.

After riding they went down to the beach and played around in the sand. Then they walked over to Hightower Pizza. They'd devoured two pies and a pitcher of soda. They had gone upstairs and Emma had schooled Henry on several 80s arcade games. Everything had been perfect. Not exactly the way he imagined it, but close. Beautiful wife, great kid, and grandkid, a simple life full of small joys. He had never wanted to be a hero or a king. He had wanted to be a farmer and a family guy. He was a husband and a father. That Emma, the one who snorted into her wine and smiled so wide that her dimples popped out, was his daughter. His family.

That was then, but this was now.

The woman in the office was not his daughter. She was his boss, The Sheriff. She was wearing her formal uniform, tie and all, and was waiting at her desk. She looked serious and angry.

James would laugh so hard that he'd bend over double. It was not healthy to imagine your late twin brother mocking you. He should probably talk to Archie. David grabbed his coffee cup, girded his loins and took a deep breath. It was time to face the music.

Emma had coffee too. He was a deputy, not a detective, but he had eyes. He couldn't help but notice that she was drinking her coffee out of a thermos cup that he knew she didn't own. He also knew that Henry had spent the night at their loft, but she had not. He also recognized the thermos and the oversized cup it came with. He knew where his daughter had been. There was only one woman with a travel coffee-set that had that black-and-white marble pattern. He wished he didn't know that, but he did.

"Deputy Nolan."

Emma turned her office chair around to face him. Her face was set in hard lines and her eyes were a stormy mix of green and gray. He nodded and sat down across from her. This was not his daughter right now. She was his boss. It was hard to compartmentalize, but he had to try.

The office was different now. Books and post-it notes were all over the desk and even the walls. Emma's personal laptop sat beside the ancient department PC. There were also picture frames and a giant multi-colored rubber band ball. There was a Wally the Green Monster shaped figure, a squishy stress toy. An oversized mug that said "Tex's Alligator Farm and Secret Fireworks Emporium" sat by the computer. It held a collection of pens and highlighters. Two of Emma's leather jackets hung on the back of the door. One of Henry's drawings found a home on the side of a filing cabinet. She had made the office her own.

"We need to talk about your performance in the field."

The Ball. He knew that he had disobeyed her orders, but he had acted in good faith. His family, his daughter, his town, had been in danger. Merida Hill had everything in hand. He and Snow were heroes and jumped into action.

"Emma, I-" He needed to explain himself. Surely Emma would under-

She looked directly at him. She had her mother's temper and he could see it in every angle of her face. It was in the bunching of her brows and in the hard set of her chin.

"No, David, I gave you a direct order." Emma's grip on her coffee cup was so tight that her knuckles blanched white. "I did not know what was going on. Our priority was protecting the civilians, the people of this town. All of them. We protect and serve Storybrooke, not just your royal buddies."

"I-" That wasn't what happened. It wasn't like that at all. Emma didn't see the whole picture.

"Hill and her people, firefighters, paramedics, and volunteers, did what you should have. They held down the fort and protected our people, families, and children." Emma's voice was hard and furious. "While you led a posse of pissed-off rich people into a war zone."

A war zone of the Evil Queen's creation. "They weren't in any danger." He reminded her. "You were! You, Aurora, Belle and-" David was so frustrated. They-He had been worried and wanted to help. "We, your mother and I were more useful there, helping you! The school was fine. Our talents were being wasted!"

Emma's eyes narrowed.

David could sense that he was losing her. "You took Ruby and Mulan and left us behind! We're not civilians. We're heroes. We're family. We fight together!"

Emma didn't seem convinced. She actually seemed angrier. "No! You're not a civilian. You are a deputy. You swore to protect and serve. You put your hand on the book and everything. Snow is a civilian. She is a school teacher. So you blatantly ignored my orders in front of the entire town. You abandoned your post. You took your civilian wife and several others into an off-limits area. You undermined me and the entire Sheriff's Department."

Her voice was holding steady, her words precise. Like she had practiced what she would say over and over again. She was still furious, though. Angry at him. Angry because he had disobeyed her.

A daughter was angry because her father had broken the rules. James would have thought it was the best thing he'd ever seen.

"I took Ruby because half the people at that damn ball are stupidly afraid of her because she's a werewolf. A mob tried to kill her. You told me all about it! Did you forget or something? So yeah, I thought she would have problems with crowd control. Nobody knows Mulan so God knows if they would listen to her. She's not even a deputy! Not to mention this little town is pretty freaking racist! Mostly, though, I figured Mulan would help because she's fought Cora before. You know, strategy and all that."

Emma hissed out a breath. "They know and respect you, David. People trust you and Snow. They listen to you. I knew if I left you there, everyone would be okay."

Emma scowled at him. "I left you there because I thought I could trust you. I didn't need you to be a hero or my father. I didn't need Prince Charming. I needed you to be my deputy. I thought you had my back."

Oh. David felt shame and guilt squirm, flip and turn over in his gut. He hadn't thought about any of that. When Emma explained it, everything seemed obvious. She had thought it out, made a plan and given orders in a matter of minutes that night. She had been looking at the big picture, a bigger picture that he had. He felt like a jerk.

"Is this going to be a problem for you?" Emma suddenly sounded very tired. "I don't know if it's a hero thing, a royal thing, a father thing-whatever. Can you be my deputy and do as I ask or tell?"

So this wasn't the Principal's office at all. It was Hell. He imagined James would nod in agreement. Silently mocking him from behind Emma's back. Grinning because his goody-two-shoes twin was being put in his place. Read the Riot Act by his own daughter.

"Maybe" James would be scathing and sarcastic. "You should hand over the title of Charming to the Little Princess now."

David rubbed his thumb over the scar on his chin. Being a hero, being James, was all in the past. This time he couldn't blame Regina or George, or anyone. Emma had told him what to do and had even used the actual word 'order'. He had then chosen to disobey those orders spectacularly. Now, days later, he understood that he had been wrong. Now, with a clear head and no pumping adrenaline, he recognized how dangerous his actions were. Emma was right, he had let her down in the worst and most public way possible.

It could have been Cora or a Wraith, or ogres, or anything. How could a crowd of tuxedo-clad men, who hadn't held a sword in almost thirty years, have helped? David hadn't had his sword or even his pistol. None of the people that he led to Town Hall had been armed. They had been a loud and blustering mob ready to condemn Regina for the crime of saving the town. Most hadn't even grabbed their coats. It was like leading spring lambs to slaughter.

"David."

Emma brought him back from his thoughts.

"Yes, Sorry. Yes, I can follow your orders. I didn't mean to undermine you, Sheriff."

Emma huffed and slid a paper across to him. She tugged at her tie, obviously uncomfortable.

"I need you to sign this."

It was an official disciplinary sanction for insubordination. A first offense, a written warning. The town and department seal was at the top. It had the date and a case number attached. Emma had already signed it.

"According to the PDF I downloaded." Emma sighed again. "I have to tell you that Maine makes these sanctions public, available online. So anyone in Storybrooke can read it."

It was so normal, so every-day, that it was absurd. Storybrooke, home of magic and fairy tales, had paperwork and permanent records.

"Really?" He shifted in his seat. "is this all necessary?"

Emma leaned far back in her office chair and sighed again. She moved her hand to run it through her hair but stopped short of mussing up the braided bun.

"Yes. Town Hall does their paperwork." She said flatly. "So does Storybrooke Electric, the town's Water, and Sanitation departments. So do Merida Hill and her firefighters. We are not some magical royal adventurers. We are the Storybrooke Sheriff's Department and we will act like it."

Well, he understood what she meant, but it seemed over-the-top. "Did Graham-"

Emma winced, and he knew he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Yes. He did. Always." She smiled. It was a small, sad smile. "I have the mug-shot to prove it. Even if he hadn't.'' She looked away for a minute. "That was then, and this is now. Things have changed. I am in charge and I am saying this is how things will work.''

She was in charge and he could either get with her program or he could leave. She was drawing a line in the sand and he had to decide on which side he stood. David didn't need to wonder what James would do. He knew what the right thing was. There was no doubt.

He signed the paper and handed it back to her. She was the Sheriff; he was her deputy, and he was proud to protect and serve his town. He was even prouder of his daughter.

Emma said nothing. She slid the paper into a folder with his name written on the top tab. She secured the folder in her desk drawer and locked it. She made it all look polished and professional.

Emma rubbed her forehead like she was trying to ward off a headache.

"Ruby should be here any minute then we can have our regular Monday Meeting."

Apparently Monday was meeting day now. He wanted to make a joke about doughnuts and coffee, but didn't. It didn't seem like the right time.

"Go check the messages and if you have time, call Michael down at the mechanic's shop. Ruby swears the cruiser has a hitch in the transmission. I have to finish up these press-conference notes." She scowled down at the papers spread across her desk. "Oh, and don't forget to read the books we got from Amazon."

Ah. Reading had never been his strong suit.

David sat at his desk and logged in to his computer. While it booted up, he went through the messages on the Station's ancient answering machine. He single-finger typed his name and password into the department's email server.

He looked over at Ruby's desk while everything loaded.

Ruby.

Red-Ruby had changed too. Changed? Stopped pretending? Learned? Evolved? Came out? He wasn't sure.

They ran and fought their way across three kingdoms together. She was Snow's best friend, and he often thought of Red-Ruby as the sister he'd never had. How had he missed this? This revelation about her. He had seen her, with his own eyes, kissing Belle French. He had never expected it and still didn't quite believe it. Was Ruby gay? Was that even the right word? Lesbian? Homosexual? He didn't feel comfortable Google searching those terms. He was also pretty sure it would be rude to ask her.

David had heard about same-sex couples and gay rights. They lived in New England and he voted Democrat (so the curse said). He had nothing against them but he didn't know any gay people either.

Or did he? Ruby was gay? Belle too? There had always been rumors about Regina. Now Mulan and Aurora were close too. How close? He didn't know. He wasn't sure he knew anything anymore.

His daughter was his boss. The Evil Queen had saved the town. Everything was topsy-turvy and nothing made sense anymore. It almost made him miss the curse. Was it so wrong to want a little normal in his life?

As if summoned by his thoughts, Ruby came through the front door, dressed in the same casual uniform that he wore. She had books under her arm. The thick town charter, a criminal justice textbook, and a spiral notebook. Her hair, once loose and wild, was pulled up and back away from her face. She was humming. Ruby was humming something that sounded like a sappy Country-Western love-song. She also, for the first time since he'd met her, looked happy.

If being gay, if kissing Belle, made her this happy, then who was he to judge? David smiled at her and held up a hand in greeting.

She grinned and ambled over to his desk. She tossed her head towards Emma's office. "Is the bloodshed over?"

So everyone knew he had screwed up with Emma. "Yeah."

Ruby nodded and patted his shoulder. "And how many days of detention did you get, young man?"

David let out a very long sigh. Yep, the very annoying sister he'd never had. If James was there, he would have stopped laughing long enough to leer at Ruby in uniform.

"Sorry, man." Ruby's smile wavered. "Em is just doing what she thinks is best for Storybrooke."

David smiled, he couldn't help himself. His daughter screamed that she wasn't a royal, but she was a natural leader.

"Yeah, she is."

His cell phone pinged, and he waved Ruby away. She went over to her own desk and he fished his phone out of his pocket. The ping was a happy little text from Snow. She'd had to run to her own early meeting this morning. She had sent him a little red heart, and his day was instantly a little better and brighter. He bent back a fast "I love you". David didn't know how to send the little symbols and smiley faces. Henry had shown him, but he still didn't get it.

Snow was his constant. He rubbed his thumb over the scar on his chin again. The scar she had put there. She was definitely his rock. Everything else in this world, any and every world, could change. Not his Snow. Not their love. He knew her heart and soul and trusted her completely. She would never change.

Since The Savior destroyed the Dark Curse, everything in Storybrooke had changed. Everything except the life inside the hallowed halls of her convent. That was how Mother Superior liked it.

The sanctity and routine life of a nun was fairy-like. The routine was good for them. So she still had everyone rise at five for Lauds. For the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or the purity of happiness, magic, and spirit. It was all the same.

Magic had come to Storybrooke, to the Land Without Magic. This world was not built for the likes of them. Yet here they were. Here and at a great disadvantage. The Dark One and Evil Queen had stolen all the fairy dust in the mines. She and her fairies weren't able to protect the innocent, grant wishes or direct the flow of magic and fate. It was vexing, worse than the curse. She knew she had magic, could feel it, but could not use it. Her power, for the moment, was only nominal.

Reul Ghorm had never been powerless, though. Names had power and her name, names (she had so many) were known far and wide. Children believed in her. Kings praised her. She was the Blue Star, ever bright and infallible. Which was why Snow White still came running to her for help.

"Honestly, Blue." Snow played with her cup of tea, "I'm worried."

Blue straightened her habit, so neat and orderly, and sat down across from her. The mismatched pair of wingback chairs were not pretty nor comfortable. They served their purpose, though.

"Emma is confused and a little rough around the edges." To say the least. "But she is a princess and my charge," Blue spoke in a pleasant, soothing tone. Snow had to be handled with kid gloves.

She sipped her tea and smiled a little. Nova was a terrible fairy, but she made a lovely cup of tea.

"But Blue, I am afraid. I think-" Snow's voice hitched. "I think Regina cast a spell on Emma. Maybe Aurora and Ruby. Henry too." Tears formed in Snow's doe eyes. "A horrible spell." She wiped her tears with a handkerchief, "A" Her voice hitched again. "love spell or something to make them think they love her."

There were no effective or realistic love spells. Oh, charlatans tried to sell spells and potions all the time. They promised instant True Love but only delivered obsession, lust, and heartbreak. It was a nasty business.

"Well," Blue chose her words carefully. "The Evil Queen is very adept with spells and potions."

True.

"She is highly manipulative."

True.

"But she isn't capable of love. Especially not True Love. Her heart is far too dark. Too corrupted."

False.

"Her wretched mother twisted and tainted her. The Queen of Hearts turned her child into an irredeemable demon.

True.

Snow's hands were shaking. "She's taking Emma away from me! Again! Her and Cora and-and-that Gypsy Woman!" Snow's neck, cheeks, and ears stained red with her fury. "This is all some sick attempt at vengeance. She's using Emma and Henry to punish me!"

Blue had lived for a very long time. Generations of mortals were born, lived and died in the blink of her eyes. She had watched kingdoms and bloodlines rise and fall. She had forgotten more about mortals, monsters, and magic than Snow could even fathom.

Snow White thought she was so special. She was just another princess. She had been born, married and reproduced. Just like her mother and her mother's mother and so on and so forth. She'd had a little adventure, toil and even a curse or two. Still, Snow was not the grand and dramatic heroine she imagined herself to be. She was just another princess, more or less insignificant in the larger universe.

Her self-centered attitude and delusions of grandeur were annoying. Snow had been a spoiled child. Given everything by her mother and doted on by her father. Her selfish nature and limited point of view made her easy to manipulate. She was unremarkable, but her actions had consequences. She affected the lives and decisions of more significant mortals.

Significant like The Savior and the Evil Queen. They were both extremely powerful and had already re-shaped the fates of thousands. Their ability to influence the populace was remarkable and dangerous. The Savior did this naturally, without trying. The Evil Queen used her influence intentionally, malevolently, like a deadly blade.

They were both princesses, by birth, but not at all typical. They were more important and powerful than all their ancestors combined. People, powers like these, did not happen once in a generation or even a century. This was a once in an era occurrence. Two such mortals existing at the same time was unprecedented, the stuff of myth not reality.

Snow was right about one thing, The Savior and the Evil Queen could not be together. That alliance and joining of bloodlines would be too powerful.

It would unbalance thousands of years of careful guidance and planning.

"So will you help me, Blue?" Snow sounded fourteen again. "Help me save my daughter, for good this time." Tears overflowed Snow's eyes and slid down her ruddy cheeks. "Please."

Blue sat her teacup down. "Of course."

The Evil Queen had to be stopped. The rightful order had to be restored. Blue walked to the bookshelf against the wall. The crucifixes, prayer books, and Bibles were still there. They had been vital to her Cursed-Self. She didn't believe in them anymore. They were dust-catchers, decorations now. She pushed them aside to retrieve her keepsake box. Inside, nestled beside the rosary she had spent so many years praying with, was a small velvet pouch of dust.

She held up the bag. "The Dwarves-" She didn't remember which ones in particular. "-brought me this before The Evil Queen defiled our mines.

Snow sat up straighter and smiled despite her tears. She remembered how the dust had stopped The Evil Queen dead in her tracks.

Blue doubted it would be that easy a second time. There were also Cora and Esmeralda to deal with. Neither would be an easy fight. It had to be done, though. Good had to triumph. She had to triumph.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, everything will be right again soon."

The rightful order will be restored. Royals over Nobles over Peasantry, all under her supervision.

"It will take some time, but you will defeat The Evil Queen once and for all."

That was exactly what Snow White needed and desperately wanted to hear.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Snow was all smiles and boundless cheer again. Then she looked down at her watch. "Oh! Blue, I hate to run off so fast, but I have to get to school!"

"The children are the future and I couldn't imagine anyone better to teach them." Blue gifted her with a small approving smile.

She watched Snow scurry off with a smile and wave. When she left

Blue let out a very long and un-fairy like sigh.

"This is the part where I am supposed to say I told you so, Dearie." The Dark One re-materialized to continue their prior conversation. The one Snow had interrupted. She hadn't even noticed or questioned why a second teacup was already on the table.

The Dark One's lips twitched into a twisted smile. "What can I say? When I'm right-" He tapped a single finger on his temple. "I'm right."

Blue didn't smile, simper or slide away from him. She looked The Dark One in the eyes. "She isn't wrong to suspect The Evil Queen. A crocodile-" She tilted her head to the side. "-can't change their scales."

Mr. Gold wore a tailored three-piece suit. He even had a matching silk tie and pocket square. His refined wardrobe was worth more than all her meager possessions combined. Her vow of poverty was reminiscent of the simplicity and purity of her life in the Old World. Gold's lavish lifestyle was as corrupt as his soul.

"Why are you plotting against your own apprentice, Dark One? Have you grown tired of tugging on her puppet strings?" Strings that stretched further than most people, even his puppets, realized. He twitched his fingers around the ornate silver head of his cane.

"She has served her purpose."

His hair fell over half of his face, casting it in shadow. He looked nothing like the gleaming imp that had taunted her for countless years, but he was. She could see the darkness behind his eyes and smile.

"She cast the curse. Now she is a liability. It would be better for everyone if she disappears."

"Disappear? What a mild way to say executed." Because that was what had to happen. The time for banishment was over and the wishy-washy laws that Storybrooke kept had to end.

"Aah-Aah, Dearie. If you try to kill her you will fail and this entire town will go up in flames."

He tapped his temple again as if to remind her of his powers. No, not to remind, to mock her. He had an unfair advantage in the battle between good and evil.

Advantage or not, she knew he was right. She had watched The Evil Queen for years. Blue knew how her twisted mind worked.

"It isn't pretty." He shook his head and tutted. " So many fairies screaming."

He smiled, sharp and cruel, "though a pillar of fire is more merciful than taking their wings."

He came closer, his movements were slow and smooth despite his limp. "You remember the sound of fairy screams, don't you? Do you still hear her screaming?"

The staccato tap of his cane on her hand-scrubbed floors hammered at her. It was a dull throb in her temples. A tic in her cheek. The bunching of the muscles in her back that controlled her wings.

"Sweet Little Green. What did the Southerners call her? Tinkerbell."

Blue grit her teeth. He was trying to make her feel guilty, wrong. She wasn't. Not then and not now. She decided what was fairylike.

"Which was worse, Ruel Ghorm? Watching her writhe when she couldn't answer her God Child's crying prayers? Watching her favored people and kingdom tear itself apart without her?"

He leaned closer. She could feel his breath on her face as he spoke. "Or was it finally plucking her wings and hearing her anguished cries. I heard she screamed herself mute. All over, what was it?" He cocked his head to the side, faux sorrowful. "Sending a stable boy to seek his fortune so far away from home? To happen upon a lonely girl? To fall in love? To dare to dream?" He leaned even closer. She could feel his magic crackling against her own. "To die?"

"Then you sent that defenseless, wingless, half-mad lass to Neverland." He pulled back and shook his head, tutting her. "And they say I'm cruel."

Blue refused to back down, to cower or let herself be distracted by idle chatter.

"What do you want, Dark One?"

He walked away from her like she was nothing. He looked out of the window that overlooked the front lawn. "Other than the rent being paid on time and in full? Just a trade, equal and easy, Real Ghorm. Your services for mine.''

She wanted to rebuke him, to deny him, and yet.

"You have nothing I want."

False.

She forced the words out of her tight throat. He had something that she wanted and they both knew it. He was baiting her.

"Esmeralda has it, you know. The one thing that you have coveted since the beginning of time. She brought it with her to our quaint little town."

Blue jerked to a stop. Her body froze but her mind raced. Surely he didn't mean The Book of Romani. It was one of the most powerful magical items in every world. Whoever possessed that book had the ultimate power, they were practically omnipotent. The Book had the power to show the past, the present and the future.

"So you've heard of it." His voice held a bit of dark glee. 'I've no need for-" He tapped his temple again, "-a book."

Blue could finally move again. "That book is far too powerful for a Gypsy to have."

The Gypsies had long ago rejected the rightful order. They snubbed their noses at the status quo. They didn't bow to Kings. They didn't pray to fairies. They were rebels, separatists, nomads, stubbornly other. They clung to their outdated ways and practiced their own brand of magic. They eschewed fairies. They eschewed her. Blue didn't like or trust them. She especially didn't trust Esmeralda. Her cloyingly sweet relationship with The Evil Queen was disturbing.

"She won't give it up without a fight. " It would not be an easy fight. In fact, it would be a hard and bloody war. A war that Blue wasn't sure they would win.

"I will personally hand you that book." The Dark One boasted. "Do what I ask and I will give it to you. That's more than fair. A bargain."

This was the Dark One. He didn't make fair bargains and haggle for little favors. He manipulated and twisted fate to please only himself.

Yet this time, she could see no downsides. There was no impending doom tied to this deal. In fact, Gold was asking her to do something that she had already considered.

It made sense. In this or any other world, the Evil Queen had to be stopped. Evil, darkness, wicked ones had to be stopped, contained, controlled.

"Do we have a deal?"

If she still believed in Christianity, she would call this a deal with the devil. She had an urge, rooted in a decades-long habit, to pray. Pray to whom? She was a fairy, The Fairy. She was Reul Ghorm. She heard and answered prayers. She did not offer them up.

The time for decisions by council or election was over. This was her decision and hers alone. She couldn't let doubts and mistakes from the past hold her back. That was then, this was now. She was the one who decided what was good, what was right, what was fairylike.

She held out her hand to shake. "Yes."

George was and had always been a cut above the unwashed masses. That superiority was written in his DNA, hard-wired into him. He was king, born of kings. He was not common. He also made sure that everyone else knew that too. So he dressed with care.

Today he wore a nail head patterned worsted wool suit by Armani. He paired it with a Hugo Boss linen starched broadcloth shirt and a matched silk tie and pocket square. The tie had arrived a day before Regina Mills had frozen his accounts.

She'd pay for that. For everything, she'd done. They would all pay for the indignities he'd suffered.

He pulled his tie through, completing a perfect Double-Windsor knot. George reviewed his appearance critically. Yes. This would do well. Once Midas unfroze his accounts (why was it taking so long?) he would get another suit like this one.

He completed his wardrobe with a pair of Ferragamo loafers. The shoes were a tad casual, but it was Granny's. That old wolf would sling slop to naked peasants if it made her a nickel. She was lucky he set foot in the building.

He grabbed one more thing, a small blue box, and slipped it in his inside pocket. His housekeeper, a jumped-up scullery maid, had already fetched his coat and car keys. She had disappeared back into the kitchen before he'd seen her. He'd trained her well.

The drive to town was short and uneventful. That would change soon. Main Street would be a madhouse at noon. Emma Swan would make a fool of herself and that was bread and circuses for the rabble.

George parked his car in the closest space to the diner's door. He dared the so-called Sheriff to write him a ticket for using the handicapped parking. He'd only just reclaimed it from impound for the exorbitant price of five-thousand dollars and a keg of beer. Not to mention the hundred dollars he'd paid Michael Tilman to clean and detail it. Who knew what riff-raff had smeared their paws on his mint-condition BMW.

He straightened his suit and checked his reflection in the side-view mirror. He adjusted his tie and readied himself for what was to come. He walked into Grammy's and scowled when there was no reaction. No one stood or even looked up. These peons had forgotten their King.

Sir Bors de Ganis, his loyal knight, and vassal looked at him. He made eye-contact over his coffee cup. He held his gaze, steady and unflinching then turned away. Betrayed, denied, disrespected. Were they home,

he would have the man horsewhipped within an inch of his life for this.

"George!"

Stephen, dressed in a four-button double-breasted suit, waved him over. The suit was black and chalk-stripe was out of date and it did Stephan no favors. It emphasized his gangly limbs and paunchy middle.

Leah was dressed better if frilly for his taste.

They were immaterial, though. His real interest, the point of this little breakfast facade, was the girl. Aurora. She was wearing a long-sleeved cotton shirt, Prada, light blue. He couldn't see her lower half but assumed it was something equally casual. She would learn, he would make sure of that.

Aurora sat beside Leah and he beside Stephen.

A waitress, some homely commoner, came to take their order.

Aurora ordered a soda with her breakfast. Not water, not tea, not coffee, not even diet soda. She had fallen in with an uncouth crowd since her arrival. Such a pity.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

Aurora's voice was bright, chipper, and she enunciated her words with little to no accent. At least she remembered her manners.

"To what do we owe the honor" she continued, her bright eyes darted between her parents. "of your company this morning?"

Stephen cleared his throat. Leah flinched. They hadn't told her. Worse, he had failed to address him properly.

Leah grabbed Aurora's hand and George understood why they'd sat the girl on the inside of the booth. No escape.

"Darling." Leah's voice was saccharine sweet and hushed like she expected the girl to throw a tantrum. "We were going to do this at the Ball. We would make a proper announcement."

Leah's face was calm, and still comely despite her age.

"Now that Phillip is gone, it's time to look towards the future. To accept change and embrace a new fate."

"Mother?''

Aurora's eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed. Scrunching her face up like that made her look ugly.

"Stop coddling her, Leah." Stephen groused. "She is an adult. Old enough for adventures and gallivanting. Aurora wants us to treat her like an adult, so we shall."

His words were fast, clipped and angry. Stephen had always been a hothead.

"We are doing this the right way. Our way. So to solidify a very important alliance and our standing, you will wed His Majesty, King George."

George watched the emotions play across Aurora's face. Confusion, fear, and disgust. She finally cleared her face and put on a fragile faux calm.

"I-He-What? Is this some joke?" She craned her head around like a mad-woman. "Is this one of those joke camera situations that Ruby told me about?"

Her voice rose in pitch, higher and higher, like one of the annoying lap dogs that empty-minded ladies kept.

"No, Sweetheart. We have arranged a betrothal for you. George is a friend and ally, a good man and a great king.

Leah's voice was soothing and sweet again. It was the polar opposite of her

daughter's god awful shriek.

"He's older than Father! He's of age with Grandpapa!"

People were looking now. Aurora, his soon-to-be-bride was making a spectacle.

"Stop." Stephen ground his teeth together. "The deal is done. George has graciously agreed to marry you despite your recent shameful behavior.

It is your duty to your family and your people Aurora Mirielle."

The girl flinched away from him, mouth agape. "This isn't how things work here!" Aurora's voice was a whisper now, much easier on the ears than her screams. "There are no kings or queens in Storybrooke."

Now George laughed, hard and long. "You told me she was beautiful, but a comedienne too, how droll."

He pulled the box out of his jacket pocket. It was from Tiffany's in New York City. It was a two and a half-carat Emerald-cut diamond with a platinum and diamond band. It was a nice ring, fit for a princess and rising queen. Once she produced a son, a proper heir to carry on his legacy, he'd get her another one. Something bigger and better. This one, a paltry ten-thousand-dollar trinket, would do for now.

"I can't, "Aurora's voice sounded strangled and caught in her throat. "I won't."

The waitress, a fancy name for a serving wench, bought their orders. Aurora accepted her plate. Her hands were shaking. She tried to put on a brave face but was failing miserably. The waitress stared unabashedly at the ring. It was worth more than her sad little life.

"Um Congratulations, Your Highness." She quickly dropped into a curtsy, "And Your Majesty."

So she remembered her place and her manners. She was one up on his betrothed.

"I" Aurora sputtered.

He reached out and caught one of Aurora's shaking hands, the left one. The ring slid on her finger with ease. She had slender fingers, smooth, untarnished, youthful.

She blinked her eyes wide and owlish. Maybe if she blinked enough, it would make the tears not fall. He hated it when females cried.

"A ring."

He held her hand, covered it with both of his. "Things are different here but-" George tightened his grip on her hand. "-others remain the same."

Her milky skin went even paler. He hoped she didn't swoon. Female fits annoyed him.

"Things are changing here, Princess. Before you know it, it will be just like home again. "

It was all coming together. The lies, the drama, the deals, the pain, the pleasure, the past, the future. A new day was dawning and the rightful order would be restored. Storybrooke and all its people would bow to him. Regina's damn curse may have put them here, but it was broken and she was no longer in charge. That was then, and this was now. There would be a King in Storybrooke, him.