Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 3 of Jar of Hearts. I want to thank those who have left reviews for this story. It truly does mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this story. I know I have split some chapters up to make the story a bit more readable and less gibberish as read. I know that it probably was a good idea to do just that. I hope that you guys don't mind it being this way. Without further ado Chapter 3. ENJOY!
Chapter 3
Emma was at Granny's Dinner reading the newspaper and eating the apple that Regina had given her.
Ruby gave her cocoa. "Here you go." She said with a smile.
"Thank you, but I didn't order that."
"Yeah, I know. You have an admirer." She said with a wink, she looked up when she heard the bell ring and saw Mac enter with a tired look on her face. The smile left her face and saw the pale look on her friend's face. Ruby shook her head and went to go and get coffee for the young woman that just came in.
Emma got up from the table and walked over with the cocoa putting it in front of him.
"Ah, so you decided to stay." Graham said with a smile.
"Observant. Important for a cop." Emma said, putting her hands on her hips.
"It's good news for our tourist business, bad for our local signage. It's… It's a joke. It's because you ran over our sign." Graham said, shaking his head.
"Look, the cocoa was a nice gesture, and I am impressed that you guess that I like cinnamon on my chocolate because most people don't, but I am not here to flirt. So thank you, but no thank you." She said turning him down.
"I didn't send it." Graham said, looking at her.
She looked at him with wide eyes.
"I did. I like cinnamon, too." Henry said with a smile from the booth that he sat in.
"Don't you have school?" Emma asked, looking at him.
"Duh. I'm like ten. Walk me." Henry told her as he got out of the booth.
"Henry, you might want to hurry up. I think I saw the bus starting to head towards the stop not that long ago." Mac said as she took a seat at the counter. She rested her arms against it before tangling her hand into her hair.
"Thanks Kenzie." Henry said with a huge smile on his face.
"Any time kiddo. Any time to keep you on time." Mac smiled at him as he grabbed Emma's arm and dragged her out of the dinner with him. She shook her head as Ruby placed the coffee cup in front of her. "Thanks." She nodded to Ruby in thanks.
"You didn't get much sleep again did you?" Ruby asked, leaning against the counter looking at Mac with concerned eyes.
Mac shook her head. "No… Leroy was being a little louder than usual… Thankfully he wasn't out being a menace in town…"
"Drunk?" Ruby asked as Mac made her coffee up.
Mac nodded her head. "He was upset about something. I didn't ask. Don't bother any more. Spent most of the night painting."
Graham got up from his table and put money onto the counter. "Here… I'm paying for Mac's breakfast and coffee."
Mac looked up at him with wide eyes. "Why?" She asked in confusion wondering why Graham was paying for her meal and coffee.
Graham shrugged his shoulders and offered her a small smile. "I know you have been working hard, MacKenzie. I know you have been painting Regina something… And dealing with your brother, Leroy, isn't easy."
Mac nodded her head in understanding. "Thank you Graham."
Graham patted Mac on her shoulder. "Have a good day."
"Thanks." She said softly.
Graham headed out the door.
Ruby smiled. "It seems Graham has taken a liking to you."
Mac shook her head. "He is Regina's play thing remember." She said, rolling eyes. "Remember her territory. He's just being nice." She took a sip of her coffee. "He's just being nice to me because I am painting something for Regina. Any other time I am just a simple wall flower. No body hardly notices me remember."
Ruby let out a sigh and picked up the money off of the counter. "You need to go out and do things."
"No… I don't want to be known as the town drunkard like my brother." She said scoffing a bit running a hand through her platinum blonde hair.
"Come on, you just need a good time with some girlfriends." Ruby pleaded with her.
"I work two different jobs."
"I know…"
"I'm going to be late for Ruby… if I don't get my breakfast… And my doctor's appointment."
Ruby nodded her head and went to go and put her order in.
Mac let out a sigh and rubbed her temples. It was going to be another long day at work and she knew it. Plus her appointment with Archie.
OUAT
There was a knock on the door and Emma opened the door to Archie's office.
Mac gathered her things up. "Thanks Archie."
"Anytime. And MacKenzie…"
Mac looked at him. "Yes…" She asked softly, looking at him in confusion.
"If you need to talk to me outside of the office. You can always talk to me. You know that."
"I know Archie." She said softly with a small smile. "I'll see you next time." She said leaving quickly.
OUAT
Mac was headed on her way back to work after making a delivery when she saw that Graham was walking towards the inn.
"MacKenzie off to work again?" He asked, looking at the tired working woman. He was concerned that she was going to faint on the spot. She always looked so tired when he saw her. It was always the same. He never understood why she overworked herself.
"Yeah… where are you off to Sheriff Graham?"
"Dr. Hopper called me. Got to talk to the visitor."
She blinked a few times. "You mean that lady that brought Henry back?"
He nodded his head. "Have a good day MacKenzie."
She nodded her head. "You too, Sheriff Graham." She said as she went walking towards the shop that she was working there.
OUAT
Mac came into the police station while Graham was in the middle of taking Emma's mugshot.
"You know the shrink is lying, right?" Emma asked, looking at him.
"To the right, please. Why would he lie?" Graham asked.
"The Mayor put him up to this. She's gotta have something on him. He's terrified of her like everyone else in this… town."
"To the left." He said after snapping her picture. "Regina may be a touch intimidating, but I don't think she'd go as far as a frame job."
"How far would she go? What does she have her hand in?"
"Well, she's the Mayor. She has her hands in everything."
"Including the police force?"
"Sheriff?" Mac called out to him.
Graham quickly looked over and saw her there. "Ah Miss Stone. What can I do for you?"
"Leroy is on another bender again." She let out a sigh. "Can you please call me if he ends up here again?" Her hands went onto the table.
Graham looked at the tired young woman. He let out a soft sigh and nodded his head. "Yes of course MacKenzie, but you really should call off work and get some sleep. You shouldn't really be working with how run down you look."
"How else am I to pay rent, Sheriff?" She asked looking at him."Wouldn't be able to afford it any other way if I don't work. But thank you Sheriff." She smiled a small sad smile before leaving past Mary Margaret and Henry who came rushing into the jail.
OUAT
Mac was on her way to deliver something to Regina before she could head home for the night. She had been sent home from work thanks to her boss seeing her so exhausted.
Henry came running out of the office almost bumping into her.
"Whoa Henry where's the fire?" She asked, looking down at him.
He wiped the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. "Can you take me to my appointment?" He asked softly.
Mac looked at the building. "Are you sure that your mom is going to be okay with that?" She asked, concerned.
He shook his head. "I don't care. I just want to go now."
"Okay. Come on. I'll take you to Archie." She said as she turned on her heels and began to walk him towards Archie's place.
"Is that what mom wanted you to paint?" He questioned looking at her.
Mac nodded her head. "Yeah. I just finished it."
"I thought you would be at work…"
"The boss told me to go home… So I finished this up. I thought that why not… Archie told me that I was doing fairly good with these." Mac said with a small smile.
Henry smiled looking up at her. "Yeah. You are good at painting. Sometimes I wonder who you are."
"Really? Like a fairy tale character?" She asked with a chuckle.
"Yeah."
"And who do you think I am?"
"I don't know."
She smiled lightly. "There are so many fairy tale characters out there. I could be anyone."
Henry nodded his head. "I just want to know which one."
"Well…. I am sure that you will think it over." She said with a smile, as they walked into the building. She walked him up to Archie's door. She knocked on it and opened it. "Hey Archie."
"MacKenzie…" Archie said in surprise.
"I'm just here to drop Henry off." She said with a smile looking at the young boy that was with her.
Henry looked at her. "Thank you." He said with a smile.
Mac messed with his hair on the top of his head. "Any time." She looked at Archie. "I'll see you at my next appointment Archie."
Archie cleared his throat. "Right MacKenzie."
"You be good Henry." She said with a small smile before she left to go and try to deliver her painting to Regina.
OUAT
Mac walked down the street headed towards Regina's home.
Emma was walking up the street looking for something. "Hey." She called out to Mac.
Mac stopped in her tracks looking at Emma. "Yes… Emma it was right?" She asked her a little nervously, she really hated it when she got the name wrong.
"Yeah. Your name is MacKenzie right?"
She nodded her head.
"I'm looking for where Mary Margaret lives." She said, rubbing the back of her head.
"Oh...I can um show you… but that will make me a bit late…" She said looking down at her painting that she held in her hand.
"Something for Regina?" Emma asked, looking at it.
"Yeah… Regina will be so upset if I am late again." She said softly.
"Well no offense to Regina she can deal with it."
Mac gasped. "You know that she could make my life a living hell."
"If she does, tell me."
"But what can you do?"
Emma smiled. "Please just show me please."
Mac shyly nodded her head. "Okay." She said softly as she began to lead the way to Mary Margaret's apartment.
"So um…" Emma looked down at the ground as they walked. "Thank you for um… Henry to his appointment."
Mac looked at her. "How did you know it was me taking him to his appointment that he is still at?" She asked softly, tilting her head to the side. How did Emma know that it was her?
"You are the only one that has platinum blonde hair." Emma said with a small smile.
Mac's face went a little red. "I do it more than people think." She said softly.
"I just want to thank you for taking him today."
Mac nodded her head. "It was no problem." She said softly as she stopped outside of a building. "This is where she lives. Go up the stairs. She is the third door on the left."
"Thank you for this MacKenzie."
Mac nodded her head. "You're welcome." Mac shook her head and went to go and get to where she needed to go to Regina's before Regina docked money off of the painting that she had worked so hard on.
OUAT
Regina was busy cleaning up her damaged apple tree.
Mr. Gold came into her yard. "What a mess."
"Not for long. What could I do for you, Mr. Gold." Regina asked as she continued to clean up.
"I was just in the neighborhood. Thought I'd pop by. Lovely to see you in such high spirits."
"Well, it's been a good day. I just rid the town of an unwanted nuisance."
"Emma Swan. Really?" Mr. Gold asked, humming.
"Yes. I imagine she's halfway to Boston by now."
Mac squeaked when she saw Mr. Gold standing there.
"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that. I just saw her strolling down the main street with your boy. Thick as thieves, they looked."
"What?"
"Oh do come in dear." Mr. Gold said, turning his head to Mac with a smile.
Mac stood frozen where she was.
Mr. Gold turned his attention back to Regina. "Perhaps you should have come to me. If Miss Swan is a problem you can fix, I'm only too happy to help. For a price of course."
"I'm not in the business of making deals with you anymore."
"To which deal are you referring?"
"You know what deal."
"Oh right. Yeah. The boy I procured for you. Henry. Did I ever tell you what a lovely name that was? However, did you pick it?"
"Did you want her to come to town? You wanted all this to happen, didn't you? Your finding Henry wasn't an accident, was it?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Where did you get him? DO you know something?"
"I have no idea what you're implying."
"I think you do. Who is this woman, his mother, this… Emma Swan?"
"I would say you think you know exactly who she is. I really must be going." He said as he began walking.
Regina ran ahead of him bumping into Mac standing in front of him. "Tell me what you know about her."
"I'm not going to answer you, dear. So I suggest you excuse me. Please." He said leaving.
Regina stood where she was shocked in her yard.
"Regina." Mac said softly.
Regina turned her attention to Mac. "What is it that you want Painter?"
"I bought the painting that you wanted me to do for you." She said shyly, holding up the painting that she had done.
Regina saw that it was indeed finished. "I thought that you would be delivering it later."
"I finished it much sooner than anticipated."
She hummed at the thought. "Better than expected. Come in and I will pay you. You said fifty right?"
"Yes." She said softly.
"Far much more worth it. Seventy-five." She told Mac.
Mac followed her inside of her home.
Regina got $75 dollars from her purse and gave it to Mac.
Mac in turn gave the painting to Regina.
"This is very good work. Thank you."
Mac bowed her head. "Thank you Miss Mayor. Thank you so much for allowing me to paint that for you."
"Go on. Get some rest."
Mac bustled out of Regina's home. She let out a soft sigh of relief thankful that this time Regina didn't jip her on any money. She ran her hand through her hair as she pocketed the money in her back pocket letting out a nervous chuckle before walking down the street. Now hopefully she wasn't going to have to bail Leroy out of jail tonight. That would have been a bad way to end the night. She headed back towards her home.
"Ah. Miss Stone." Mr. Gold said with a smile.
Mac squeaked startled. "Oh Mr. Gold. You startled me."
"Sorry my dear I didn't mean to startle you. I was just checking on you." He said, looking her over.
Mac looked down shyly at her canvas shoes covered feet.
"Regina paid you?"
Mac nodded her head.
"You on your way home, dear?" He asked her to look up at him.
She nodded her head. "How'd…"
"Just by the way that you're walking, dear. You look like you are about to pass out. Long day?"
Mac bit her lip nervously. This was probably the longest that she had talked to Mr. Gold. She was always so shy around him. She nodded her head.
"May I walk you back to your home?"
She nervously looked up at him. "Why?"
"I am worried that you might faint on your way home, Miss Stone."
She saw the look of concern in his eyes. "Okay." She said shyly.
Mr. Gold began to walk with her towards her home that she shared with her brother.
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This is the end of Chapter 3. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I tried my best to write it out. But I think that it turned out fairly well. I can't wait to show you guys more of what will go on in this story. I can't wait to show you who Mackenzie truly is. Please leave a review with your guesses of whom Mackenzie might be. I had a lot of fun writing this last chapter. Hopefully they'll be just as fun. I will update soon with the next chapter of this story. Until next time.