That Still Small Voice

A few nights later, there were some changes in Storybrooke. Emma decided that the best place for Henry was for her to stay in Storybrooke, so she accepted an offer from Mary Margaret for a place to stay and an offer from Graham to be his deputy.

Starla, Alex and Melody were heading to Granny's to have dinner together when they heard a loud explosion. They looked at each other and headed to where the noise came from. There was an old mine just outside downtown. A lot of people were gathered there as the three teachers arrived. They looked in the hole where the mine was and saw smoke coming out of the entrance to the mine. Soon, Graham and Emma arrived in the patrol car along with fire trucks. Regina arrived moments later and said, "Everyone! Step back, please!" as she got out of her car.

"Is that a crater?" asked Ruby.

"No, there were tunnels – old mines," said Marco, "Something collapsed."

Regina walked up to the hole and looked at Graham, "Sheriff, set up a police perimeter," She looked at Marco and said, "Marco, why don't you help with the fire department?" Regina saw Emma and said, "Miss Swan, this is now official town business. You're free to go."

"Well, actually, I work for the town now," said Emma.

Regina gave Graham a look, "She's my new deputy," he said.

"They say the mayor's always last to know," said Regina.

"It's in my budget."

"Indeed," she gave Graham another look, and then looked at Emma, "Deputy, why don't you make yourself useful and help with crowd control?" Emma then headed to the patrol car. Regina then spoke to the crowd, "People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed. We've always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels but fear not. I'm going to undertake a project to make this area safe, to rehabilitate it to city use. We will bulldoze it, collapse it, pave it."

"Pave it?" asked Henry, "What if there's something down there?"

"Henry, what are you doing here?" whispered Regina.

"What's down there?" whispered Henry.

"Nothing. Now step back," Regina looked up at the rest of the crowd as Emma returned with a roll of police tape "In fact everyone please, please step back. Thank you."

Starla, Alex and Melody decided there was nothing else for them to see so they headed to Granny's

The next day, Mary Margaret, Emma and Starla were at the loft. Mary Margaret was making a s'more and told them about how she spent time at the Hospital talking with David Nolan and about she was having feelings for him. "I am the worst person in the world." she said.

"Really? In the whole world?" asked Emma.

"Trust me, Mare," said Starla, "You are not even in the top 1,000."

"If Kathryn was horrible, it would be easier, but she's so nice," said Mary Margaret.

"What would be easier?" asked Starla, with a smile.

"Nothing."

"Nothing's a good idea," said Emma, "You're smart. You know not to get involved with a married guy. It's not worth the heartache. Trust me." Just then there was a knock on the door, "I'll get it." She opened the door and saw Henry there sobbing, "Kid? What happened? Come in."

"I was having a session with Archie," said Henry, "And he told me the curse wasn't real and that if he continued to believe it, he would have to have me locked up."

"What?" said Starla.

"She's gone too far," said Emma, "Come on, Kid..." She grabbed her jacket.

"Where are you going?" asked Mary Margaret.

"To have a chat with the good doctor."

"Would you mind if I came too?" asked Starla, Archie was a good friend, and she couldn't believe that he would let himself be manipulated by anyone.

"Sure, come on..."

Emma and Starla dropped Henry off at Regina's office then headed over to Archie's. They reached Archie's office and Emma started to pound on the door. "Archie! Archie!" Emma tried the door and found the door unlocked they went in and saw Archie and his dog, Pongo, "What did you do?" Emma asked, "You told me not to take the fantasy away. You told me it would devastate him."

"When a course of therapy stops working, you adjust it." said Archie.

"Is it her?" asked Emma, "Did she threaten you?"

Archie didn't say anything then Starla asked, "Archie... What could be strong enough to drown out your own conscience?"

"I do not need to defend my professional decisions to either of you, okay?" Archie snapped back.

Just then, Emma's cell phone rang, she answered it and said, 'Hello, Madame Mayor. Nice work…Yes, I'm with Dr. Hopper, and guess what? You left your fingerprints all over him when you… I dropped Henry off at your office an hour ago… I don't know where he is…"

Archie sighed, "I do."

Archie, Emma and Starla headed to the front of the mine in Emma's Bug. They all started calling for him, "Henry! Henry!"

Pongo was sniffing around the front of the mine, "What you got there, Pongo?" asked Archie.

"I don't think he's here," said Starla, as she and Emma were standing near the top of the crater like area where the entrance to the mine was.

"I think he is," said Archie as he showed them what Pongo found, "Candy bar. He had these with him."

A few moments later the ground started to shake again, "Henry!" called Archie as he started to edge his way into the collapsed entrance to the mine.

"Archie!" called Starla as she and Emma started to make their way to the mine entrance.

"Henry! It's not safe!" called Archie as he went to the mine.

The ground shook again and front of the mine collapsed, and Starla called out, "Archie?!"

Emma called out, "Henry?!"

Emma took out her phone and called Graham to let him know what was going on. A short time later, Regina, Graham, Marco, Ruby, Alex and Melody joined Emma and Starla at the mine. Regina was talking to some workers. Melody, Alex and Ruby were watching Pongo. Emma, Starla, Graham and Marco were watching as workers were moving debris away from the entrance to the mine, "Archie is smart," said Marco, "He'll keep the boy safe until we get to them." A few moments later the ground started to shake again, "Watch out!"

Regina ran toward the entrance, "Stop! Stop! You're making it worse."

"I am trying to save him," said Emma as she pulled the mayor aside, "You know why he went in there in the first place, don't you? Because you made him feel like he had something to prove!"

"And why does he think he has anything to prove?" said Regina, "Who's encouraging him?"

"Do not put this on me," said Emma.

"Oh please. Lecture me until the oxygen has run out."

Starla stepped up and separated the two women, "Stop it! You two have to stop arguing. Archie and Henry's lives are at stake and you two fighting won't accomplish anything.

Emma and Regina looked at each other, "No, I suppose you're right," said Regina, "It won't."

"What do you want me to do?" Emma asked Regina.

"Help me," Emma nodded, and Regina continued, "We need to find some way to punch through the ground. We need something big."

"Like what?"

"Explosives," said Marco.

The workers set up explosive charges at the entrance to the mine while everyone got back and ducked behind the cars that had surrounded the entrance to the mine "Okay, we're all clear," said Emma.

"Blow it," said Regina.

A worker pressed a button, and a cloud of dust came out of the mine as the explosion went off. A few moments later Emma ran into the cloud. She came out a few moments later and Regina asked, "Did it work?"

"It didn't open," said Emma.

"Then what did it do?" asked Graham.

Regina turned to the workers, "What was that? What the hell was that? You said you could do this."

Starla tried to calm her down, "Madame Mayor."

"They could've killed my son."

"I know. But this isn't helping."

"If we knew exactly where they were, we could drill down to them," said Marco. Just then Pongo started barking. Emma looked and saw him sitting in a fire truck. She went over to the truck as Marco continued, "Maybe, maybe rig something to bring them back up."

"But drill where?" asked Graham.

Emma opened the fire truck's door and let Pongo out, "Come on buddy," she said.

"What are you thinking?" Regina asked Marco. Then, she noticed what Emma was doing.

"It's Archie's dog," said Emma. Pongo started to sniff the ground, "He's found something. Look, this is where they must be. What is it?"

Graham and Marco got down and removed a metal covering over metal grate, "What is that?" asked Starla.

"It's an air shaft," said Graham.

They pulled up a tow truck next to the air shaft grate. While Marco hooked the hook from the wench to the grate. Ruby sat behind the wheel to run the wench. A few moments later the grate was off. "Alright, we got it," said Emma.

Emma, Regina, Starla and Graham looked down the shaft, "So, what's next?" asked Regina.

Marco got the wench ready for the next part of the mission, "We need to lower someone straight down, or the line would collapse the sides of the shaft."

Graham returned with the harness, "I've got the harness."

"Lower me down," said Regina.

"Oh, no way. I'm going." said Emma.

"He's my son."

"He's my son too. You've been sitting behind your desk for ten years. I can do this."

"Just bring him to me," said Regina.

Graham helped Emma into the harness then Marco hooked the hardness to the hook of the wench. Then, Emma was lowered into the air shaft.

Starla, Alex and Harmony stood there, watched and waited for Emma to pull on the guideline to let them know to pull them up. It was tense for a few moments but then whole group cheered when Graham gave the order to pull Emma up.

Everyone cheered and clapped as Emma, Henry and Archie came out of the hole. Once Henry was clear of the hole. Regina hugged him and pulled him away. Graham and had to stop Emma from following because she was still in the harness. Once she was free Emma went over to Henry and Regina, "Are you okay, Henry?" asked Emma.

"Deputy, you can clear the crowd away," said Regina.

Henry was taken by the EMTs to get checked out. Starla looked at and watched as Regina went over to Archie and Marco, "Thank you, Dr. Hopper."

"I, uh, I have something to say." said Archie. Marco walked away and then Archie and Regina stepped aside. Starla couldn't hear what they were saying and a short time later, Archie walked away from the Mayor. As Archie walked away, Starla walked up to him. "Archie..."

"Oh... Starla... Hi... I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier. I was just under so much pressure."

"That's okay. I'm glad you're safe... So, what were you and Regina talking about?"

"Oh... Well, I told her that I'm not going to be intimidated by her anymore... I'm going to treat Henry how I see fit. I'm going to let my conscious be my guide."

Starla smiled, "Good. I'm glad that you came to your senses."

"Me too...," said Archie. Archie looked at Starla. For as long as he could remember he had a small crush on Starla. But he'd been too afraid to ask her out. She was a good friend and didn't want to risk losing her as a friend if the relationship didn't work out. But, with the confidence he gained by standing up to Regina he decided to take a chance, "Starla... Would you like to go to dinner sometime?"

Starla was a little surprised by Archie's question. But she had always liked him. She smiled, "I'd love to."

Archie smiled back, "Great..."

Emma, Starla, Alex, Harmony and Henry were sitting on the edge of the rise that over looked the mine entrance. Emma watched as Archie and Marco chatted happy, "Is Marco Archie's father?" asked Emma.

"No, they are just old friends," said Harmony.

Emma looked at Henry, "You really scared me."

"I'm sorry."

Archie and Marco walked up to the group sitting on the edge of the rise, "Gentleman," said Emma. Then she turned back to Henry, "Well, come on, your mom wants to take you home."

"Hey!" said Henry, "Listen!"

They all listened, and they could hear crickets in the distance, "Crickets." said Archie.

"They are back," said Henry. Then Henry looked at Emma, "Things are changing."

AN: If you like this story, Favorite and Follow. Also, give me a Review and let me know what you think of this. It gives me motivation to keep going.