Archive of Our Own ^beta

New York City, July 2003

Emma Swan was just on the subway after finishing a meeting with a potential employer (not many people willing to take a gamble on a former jail bird with no real previous job experience, but she thought this diner would hire her. It was just waitressing, but she'll take what she can get at this point.) when some asshole decided to grab her ass. She was tired, completely worn, and honestly quite used to the average sexual harassment on any form of public transportation, so she wasn't going to say anything but simply move out of reach, when a voice sounded out behind her.

"Hey, watch it slime-ball. Shockingly, no girl wishes to meet her Prince Charming by having him grope her on the subway."

Having someone else speak up for her is an unusual enough, so Emma turned in shock as a woman, short, red curly hair, and dark brown eyes, shoved her way towards Emma and subtly elbows the slime-ball away from the twenty year old.

"Hi, I'm Ada Ward. You wanna get off at the next station and find a bar and complain about assholes?"

Emma wasn't quite sure how it happened, but somehow the tiny girl (seriously- she must be barely five foot, and she was in heels) managed to get her into some dive bar hidden in a back alley of New York, drinking shots and commiserating on being female in a world of men.

"Oh, no- lemme tell you this one," Ada practically snorted into the beer she was using as a chaser (how the girl hadn't collapsed from all the booze they'd drunk, Emma would never know), and begins another story. Emma was now laughing into her liquor, wondering where the hell this girl came from, cuz it sure wasn't any world Emma was familiar with.

"Hey," Emma murmured, suddenly serious, "Why'd you yell at that guy today? Not that I'm not grateful, but I doubt you do that every time you see a guy grab someone's ass."

"Why would you doubt that?" Ada asked with a wink.

"Because by simple math, there is not enough time in the day."

Ada gave a little shrug, "I don't know, I saw you and I got some major prickings."

"Prickings?" Emma repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I've always gotten them, long as I can remember. Whenever something good or bad or big is about to happen, or I meet someone important, I get this feeling. Sometimes it's big, sometimes small, sometimes it turns out to be nothing," she shrugged again, "then in English class we read Macbeth and the witches said "pricking" and that was the only word I could think of to describe it. Except tingles, which could be vastly misunderstood if I told someone I got the tingles."

Emma smirked a little, "Yeah, I can see why you'd want to avoid that."

"Anyways, I saw you and it was like I swallowed a jar full of ants or something, and I try to never ignore the prickings, so I walked up to you and here we are. I think it was a damn good thing I followed my instincts."

"Ladies, I'm afraid we're closing up," the bartender interrupted, shrugging, "Do you need me to call you a cab?"

"Nah- neither of us drove here- we'll stick together and take the bus or something. Thanks though," with a wave and a tipsy bounce, Ada was dragging Emma out of the bar. "Now, I'm just a few stops away from home, you?"

"Same, actually, I'm in this apartment complex called Nevada Street,"

"Wow- small world- I live there too!"

"Oh god, are you the person on the seventh floor who stomps all the time?"

Ada gave a woozy laugh, "Nah- can't take credit for that. Come on, I'll walk you home."

Emma woke up the next day to a massive hangover and a note slipped under her door.

"Last night was totally fun- we should do it again sometime. I'm apartment 815

Love, Ada G. Ward

PS: Warning: hot water, so not working today."

Emma crumpled up the note, having no intention of following up with Ada. She seemed nice enough, but Emma didn't really do well with friends.

October, 2003

"Oh, god, why did you not stop me?" Emma groaned as she walked into Ada's apartment early one morning.

"What? He seemed cute and disease-free. I figured you knew what you were doing."

"Not so loud, please."

"Coffee?" Ada obligingly lowered her voice to a whisper.

"God, yes," Emma blindly reached out for the mug.

"What would you do without me?" Ada smirked as she began to gather ingredients for pancakes.

Emma winced as a pan banged onto the stove, "Wallow in my own misery in peace."

"Well thank god you found me."

"I think it was your stupid prickings that found me," Emma grumbled even as she gulped down the coffee. It also probably had to do with Ada's strange reluctance to let Emma ignore that Ada's prickings apparently meant the girls had to be friends.

"Hey- no knocking the prickings. They've gotten us out of more than a few jams."

"And into even more," Emma added for the sake of fairness.

Ada just gave her a sly smile. "That's the best part." The only response Emma was willing to give to that was a roll of the eyes.

The apartment was silent for a few minutes as Emma sipped coffee and Ada made pancakes. When the batter was all cooked into shapes that vaguely resembled circles and the syrup was heating up in the microwave, Ada put a plate before her friend and eyed the blonde across her table.

"I figured it was about time you got over him."

Emma immediately tensed, "I don't know who you're talking about."

For a panicked second, Emma was worried Ada was going to push it. Emma knew her flight response would kick in, and it'd been a long time since she'd had a friend. And Ada was a really good friend. She had entered Emma's life in slow drips, bumping into her in the lobby of their apartment building, somehow able to know when Emma would feel just lonely enough to agree to a drink out somewhere, then getting Emma into her own apartment to show her limited cooking skills to an even-more limited Emma, eventually getting Emma to invite Ada into her own apartment and life. Emma didn't want to lose this but she really did not want this conversation either.

"Ok."

Emma's shocked eyes flew up to watch Ada get the syrup out of the microwave and plunk it down between the two of them on the table. As they began consuming their breakfast, Ada added just one more tidbit.

"For the record, I hate him on principle. Just so you know."

She was not lying. And Emma felt this warm feeling spreading through her, because she could not remember ever having anyone hate someone they'd never met and knew nothing about just because she'd been hurt by them. Ada didn't know a thing (or maybe she did, because Emma had no clue how she figured out that Emma was trying to get over...him...and the massive betrayal and disappointment he had been, so clearly she must be psychic or the prickings are way more specific than Ada ever let on) but she was willing to mindlessly hate someone for Emma.

Yeah, Ada was a very good friend.

Too bad with Emma's track record it was guaranteed to never last.

New Year's, 2004

"Ok, ok, um…my New Year's resolution is…" Emma rolled her eyes as Ada trailed off again, very obviously having no clue what to resolve. They were crashed on Emma's couch having just watched the ball drop after consuming several bottles of wine and way too much Chinese takeout.

Ada let out a groan. "I've got no clue, you pick it for me."

"Ok- I think your resolution should be to grow a few inches."

"Hey!" Ada exclaimed, giving Emma a lazy kick in the thigh for the short joke, "We both know that's never happening, so be serious."

"Ok- you need to stop picking up strays."

"Why?" Ada's voice was practically a whine, and she sounded almost as insulted as she was by the short joke.

"Ok- seriously, in the time I've known you, you've rescued two dogs, four kittens, three pigeons, two of whom constantly pecked at you, and a sparrow. Which was the dirtiest bird ever. You need to stop. We're not allowed animals in the apartment, you're going to get caught, not to mention the money you spend nursing them back to health." Emma didn't say it, but she counted herself as one of the strays Ada had picked up.

"But the dogs and kittens all found good homes and the birds were healthy when released and able to fly away. Though the one pigeon still visits me," Ada added with a small smile.

"I know. It's damn pecking at the window woke me up two nights ago."

"Well you shouldn't have had your one night stand at your place, then you wouldn't have felt the need to come here and crash on my couch, while I went and kicked him out for you."

"But you're such a good friend," Emma pouted, or tries to, but there had been a lot of wine.

"Damn right I am. Now that's my resolution. Be a better friend."

"That's dumb, you're already the best friend I have."

"Emma, I'm your only friend."

"Admittedly there isn't much competition, but I can't imagine a better friend than you."

"Good god, how much wine have you had, girl?"

"Wayyyy too much. Now, I came up with your resolution, you come up with mine."

"I think you should do a ceremonial burning to get over him."

Emma normally would've stiffened here and shut down the topic immediately, but Ada was her best friend, she'd had way too much wine, and it was a holiday- which always brought to her mind all the past holidays she had spent alone and gave her a serious case of the holiday blues, not that she'd ever admit it.

She still stiffened, but she also sighed and reached up to play with the chain around her neck. It was a reminder- no one, no man, no best friend, no one, is going to choose her. Not really. She's not worth it to anyone and they'll leave. If they promise to stay, it's an empty lie that they may mean at the time, but eventually- everyone leaves.

It was a reminder- trust no one.

But it was New Years, Ada was curled up next to her on the couch, she'd had too much wine, and she couldn't help but remember of all of Ada's strays- they always left Ada when they were whole, complete, and Ada always made sure they went home in the end. Whether that was a family with kids who wanted a dog to take to the park every day, a lovely old man who melted at the sight of a tiny little kitten curled up in his wheelchair-bound lap, or a free breeze to fly around the city on, those strays went home.

Maybe Ada would get her home too.

It was New Year's.

Ah, screw it. She couldn't talk about…him. But she could talk about something else. Just to appease Ada for a little while- not because she wanted to get something off her chest or anything like that.

"I grew up in the foster system."

"So did I."

"I was found on the side of the road, my parents just…left me there. All I've got from them is a baby blanket with my name stitched on it. It's so weird- it's such a nice blanket, you'd think it belong to someone who desperately wanted a baby. I guess I wasn't the baby they were hoping for."

"My parents died in a car accident. I only have this scar on my thigh from it, but there was no one to take me in, so I got sent to the foster system. I was six, so I was too old for most people to want to adopt me, and I was so against it at first- I didn't want new parents, I wanted my old ones- so it just never happened."

"I was adopted, but they sent me back when I was three. The wife, she got pregnant, so…you know."

"You weren't the baby they were hoping for?"

"Again."

Both women sighed and curled up a little closer to each other on the couch.

"You wanna watch chick flicks and make fun of the stupid characters?" Ada asked after a long silence.

"Yeah."

"I'll get the popcorn, you get another bottle of wine."

April, 2004

"I think we should be roommates, we practically live with each other anyways and it'd be so much cheaper," Ada casually said out of nowhere as they finished jeering at the Notebook.

"What brought this on?" Emma asked as she chucked one final handful of popcorn kernels at the tv screen. It was going to be a bitch to clean them all up, but it felt surprisingly satisfying.

"I've got an itch."

"Not a pricking?"

"No, dumbo, an itch. I've lived here awhile, I wanna move. I think you should move with me."

"Where do you wanna go?"

Ada shrugged and gave a small pout as she thought on that, "I hear they have great food in Charleston."

"You wanna go all the way to Charleston?"

"Why not?"

Silence for a moment. Two.

"Ok, why the hell not."

August, 2005

"His name was Neal. I met him when I was seventeen and I stole a car he had already stolen."

November, 2005

"I was pregnant, but I had to give him up. I didn't deserve him, and he deserved so much more than me. So I looked away and told the doctor I couldn't be a mother. I'm just not…enough…to be a mother."

Ada stared at Emma for a long time over the bottle of wine they'd just finished.

"You're enough to be my best friend," she finally concluded in a whisper. "More than that. You're more than my best friend, you're my sister. And I promise," here she made sure to make direct contact with Emma's eyes, letting her use her superpower, "And I am fully aware I'm making this promise to a human lie detector, I, Ada Gloria Ward, promise you, Emma Swan- you will be my sister forever. Even death can come, and I will still be your sister. There is nothing in this universe that would change that."

She wasn't lying.

Boston, Massachusetts, October 23, 2011

Emma Swan unlocked her apartment door and immediately kicked off the heels she was wearing. They were killer in every sense of the word- looked great, hurt even more. But that's what she got for borrowing shoes from Ada.

"You catch the bad guy?" her roommate yelled from another room.

"Of course I did," Emma returned almost pompously, "Have I ever not found my guy?"

"Well, aside from your Prince Charming, no," Ada returned with a wink as she entered the kitchen. "And now, ladies and appliances, the moment you've all been waiting for: duh duh duh duh! The birthday cupcakes!"

"A- you didn't have to-" but Ada cut Emma off.

"Shut up, it's not every day your sister turns twenty eight. Now I've got the prickings-"

"Oh, god," groaned Emma.

"And that means this- this is going to be a spectacular year for you. So we have to start it right- and that means cupcakes with…" and Ada plopped a plate in front of Emma on the counter, it was Emma's favorite kind of cupcake with a single blue star candle stuck into, already lit and flickering in a way that seemed almost like the flame was dancing. Adding a second cupcake on a plate in front of herself, Ada gave a small smile to Emma, who was still, after two years of friendship and six of sisterhood, unused to someone wanting to celebrate her existence.

"A birthday wish candle." Ada finally finished her sentence, giving a quick hug to Emma. They weren't normally huggers, but the exception happened once in a while.

"Make a wish," the short redhead added after a moment, nudging her friend. Emma gave a sheepish smile then leaned down so she was eye level with the little blue candle.

Her eyes closed briefly, and then she blew the candle out.

A knock sounded on the door.

October 23, 2011 Continued

"Were you expecting someone?" Emma asked Ada, who shook her head.

"I was planning sugar-filled girls' night with just us. Maybe it's the building supervisor or something."

Emma shrugged and went to open the door. Not immediately seeing anyone, she looked down and noticed a boy- brown hair, brown eyes, looking up at her. Assuming he was lost, she asked, "Um…can I help you?"

"Are you Emma Swan?" the boy asks. And, ok, weird. But it's just a kid, so maybe her mail got mixed up with some neighbors and he's checking to make sure he's got the matching name for an envelope. But still, weird.

"Yeah. And you are?"

"I'm Henry. I'm your son." She's standing, frozen in the doorway, and the kid just freaking slips under her arm and walks in like he lives here.

"Woh- hey," she's managed to get her voice back at least, "Hey, kid."

"Hello," Ada says, eyebrows skyrocketing as the kid walks into the kitchen. "You lost?"

"Nope," the kid answers after examining her briefly. Emma interrupts again.

"Kid! I don't have a son. Where are your parents?" Seriously- what is going on here?

"Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?" he pauses and makes eye contact with her. Emma's too stunned to do much, even notice Ada's widening eyes as what's going on seeps in. "That was me."

"Gimme a minute." With that, she dashes into the bathroom and shuts the door behind her.

Faced with a small child she knows a lot and yet nothing about, Ada slowly releases a breath. Emma's not going to be able to deal with this. At. All. She remembers a few years ago, when the wine had been liberally poured and Emma actually talked about her past a little as they drunkenly psychoanalyzed themselves for each other.

"There was never anything I wanted more than him," she had said when Ada asked if she would've wanted the kid provided she hadn't been in jail at the time, "I wanted him more than Neal, more than finding my family, I wanted him more than life itself. But I knew he deserved more than me. So I guess there was just one thing I wanted more than him."

"For him to have everything you didn't," she had finished for her friend, looking at Emma as she downed the last of her wine glass.

"Yeah."

Now, Emma's trying to get a grip on herself in the bathroom as this baby- the one she wanted more than anything in the world, including finding out the truth about her parents (which, for Emma, was HUGE), has shown up on their doorstep, not full grown, but grown, and casually strolled into the apartment while Emma's birthday cupcakes still sit on the counter, the last tendrils of smoke just dissipating from the blue birthday candle. And Ada has no idea what to do.

"Who are you?" the boy asks, his voice level and even as he keeps his tone relatively emotionless, it's a sweet voice. Ada can't help but stare at this child, looking for traces of Emma in him. There's not much, he obviously got a lot of his looks from his father.

Hopefully that's all Neal passed on, and this won't be another boy who breaks Emma.

"I'm Ada. Emma's best friend. We're roommates," Not seeing anything else to do, she looks down at the counter and says, "You want some cupcake?"

The boy shrugs and sits on one of the bar stools, "Sure. You think she'll be long?"

"Well, she's had a bit of a shock, here," and she gives him her cupcake, "Hope you like chocolate."

"I do," and he gives her a smile and there. That's Emma's smile. Ada would recognize it anywhere.

"How about I go check on Emma while you eat that, hmm?" The little boy nods (god, he's sweet and cute and it's breaking Ada's heart because this boy, this child, he is everything to Emma in a way no one else can be, and she knows for a fact this is the first time Emma's laid eyes on him. "I couldn't look, if I saw him I knew I'd cave, and I'd be selfish, and I'd keep him.") and Ada walks over to the bathroom.

"Emma," she says with a knock, "C'mon, open up. It's just me."

And those are the magic words because the lock clicks and the door cracks open and Ada slips in quickly then closes and locks it behind her. Emma needs that feeling of security right now, and Ada's going to make sure her sister has whatever she needs right now as much as is in her power.

"Ok, I have no idea what to say because Hallmark so does not make a card for this."

Emma nods slightly but gives Ada an obligatory quirk of the lips that might, in 300 years or so, grow to be a smile.

"Not that I get all my wisdom from Hallmark cards," Ada continues, "But you'd be surprised how applicable they often are."

Emma's leaning up against the sink, hyperventilating slightly, so Ada takes a seat on the toilet (not much room in here, but they've shared this bathroom during rushed mornings when they're both running late, early morning hangovers when they're fighting half-heartedly for hugging the toilet, flus that spread too easily, and more than one emotional crisis, so they know how to make it work) and grabs her friend's hand.

"I'm here," she says, "I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving you. You're my sister, I love you."

Emma's breathing is beginning to slow and her eyes finally make contact with Ada when the boy's voice echoes to them:

"Hey- you got any juice?

"Never mind- found some."

With that, Emma exits the bathroom and Ada takes another deep breath before following.

"You know, we should probably get going," Emma's son (god, that's so bizarre) says to her.

"Going where?" Emma has regained some of her equilibrium, but she's still got her arms crossed tight against her in an effort to keep it together, Swan.

"I want you to come home with me," the kid says with no small amount of excitement and all Ada can think is "oh, god."

Emma's reaction is appropriate, trying to keep the emotions safely untangled for all parties involved as she dashes to the phone, "Ok, kid, I'm calling the cops."

"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me," the boy shoots back just as quickly. Ada's just watching everything unfold at this point, unsure what she can contribute other than silent, supportive back up for Emma, but damn- that was something that Emma would do. Quick thinking.

"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother," Emma says, deflating slightly.

"Yup," the boy returns, clearly thinking he's ahead, but Ada knows that look on Emma's face- knows it well, because this is the look Emma gets right before she whips out a royal flush in a poker game, or right before she snags whoever she's finding, or right before she tells some drunk ass at the bar that she can always tell when someone is lying and that he'd better go home to his girlfriend now if he likes the way his face is arranged.

"You're not gonna do that," Emma smirks.

"Try me," he shoots back, steady, not a sign of nerves on him. He's good, Emma thinks, but her superpower is better.

"You're pretty good, but here's the thing. There's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have one skill, let's call it a superpower," she says, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows slightly, before lowering her voice and finishing this game of cat and mouse, "I can tell when anyone is lying. And you, kid, are." She goes to dial the nine on the phone before the kid interrupts.

"Wait. Don't call the cops," and, god, if he is not freaking adorable, "Please. Come home with me." And Ada can see Emma cave. Damn- that kid is going to have to teach her how to do that because Emma Swan does not cave easily.

Sure enough, Emma says sternly (no doubt attempting to maintain some level of authority) "Where's home?"

"Storybrooke, Maine," the kid says, without a hint of gloating. Oh, he's good, Ada thinks.

"Storybrooke? Seriously?" But Ada knows Emma will go- if only to make sure that when she gave her baby up for his best chance, he actually got it. Emma wants to make sure all her heartache was worth it.

"Mm hm."

Emma sighs, "Alrighty, then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke."

It's as soon as Emma's back is turned that Ada sees the smirk cross the boy's face.

Damn, he is good.

"Ada-" Emma begins, but the redhead immediately cuts her off.

"There is no way you are leaving me behind on this one. Go get changed, I'll clean up in here. Don't bother arguing because you know you won't win."

Emma doesn't bother arguing, just goes into her room to change.

"It's OK, you don't need to come," the boy tells her as Emma leaves the room, "I'm ten years old, I'm not exactly dangerous."

Ada smirks, oh, kid, you're the most dangerous person Emma's ever met, "I'm coming," she replies, voice steady, entire body language screaming no-nonsense.

The kid doesn't bother arguing again.

A few minutes later, they're all piling into Emma's yellow bug, the two women sitting in the front seats while the boy has the back to himself. He quickly puts his backpack in the space next to him and clutches a book in his lap as they begin to move.

The drive is largely silent until he pipes up. "I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere?"

Emma is immediately shutting that down, she doesn't want to spend any more time than she has to, for fear that she'll only spiral further and further once the kid is gone.

"This is not a road trip; we're not stopping for snacks."

"Why not?" Emma rolls her eyes. Ada reaches across and grips her upper arm briefly as the bail bondsperson struggles to remain aloof with her long-lost child in the car.

"Quit complaining, kid. Remember I could've put your butt on a bus, I still could." Ada's already reaching into her purse and pulls out a snack bag filled with trail mix, handing it to the kid. She shrugs at the look Emma gives her.

"Thanks. And I have a name," the boy continues to complain despite Emma's warning, "It's Henry." Ada watches Emma absorb that. She knows that her friend never dared name her baby. During the whole pregnancy. She refused to even give the baby growing inside her a nickname, for fear she'd be unable to do what was best when the time came. For fear she'd grow selfish. To have his name, a name she never felt qualified or worthy to give, was hitting her hard.

Ada looks at the little boy, Henry, sitting in the backseat and notices how he's got his book opened and seems to be casually reading it. The way his eyes skim it gives the impression he's read it many times before.

"You like reading?" Ada asks softly, hoping to give her friend some time to recover and hoping this topic won't give the blonde next to her any more wounds.

"I like reading this book," Henry replies. At this, Emma sneaks a peak at him in the rear view mirror.

"What's it about?" she asks, clearly glad for the safe topic.

"I'm not sure you're ready yet," the boy replies. Ada's amused, Emma's just confused.

"Ready for a bunch of fairytales?"

"They're not fairytales," Henry says emphatically, clearly serious, "They're true. Every story in this book actually happened." Even Ada, without Emma's superpower, can tell that Henry believes every word he's saying. She's not sure what to do here- is he too old for fairytales? No kid she knew at age ten still believed- but she grew up an orphan, surrounded by other orphans- they were disillusioned fast- and then she went to work in child advocacy, meaning she still almost exclusively worked with kids who were orphans or in bad situations. For kids who weren't alone was this normal? Her prickings have been going insane since Henry showed up, so she knows this boy is monumentally important- but he's her sister's long-lost son, of course he is.

"Of course they did," Emma answers softly after sharing a wide-eyed look with Ada.

"Use your superpower," Henry challenges, "See if I'm lying."

Emma actually turns around to gape at the kid before turning back to the road. "Just because you believe something doesn't make it true."

Both women have had more than enough experience in believing in something (or someone) only to find that what they thought was true, was nothing but smoke.

"It's exactly what makes it true," Henry returns. Ada can't help but smile, albeit sadly, for the boy's sentiment. She hopes Henry is able to hold onto that- she and Emma lost that kind of belief ages ago. "You should know more than anyone," Henry continues and Ada and Emma are back to exchanging bewildered looks. Well, Ada thinks, He's not dull.

"Why's that?" Emma asks, playing along.

"Because you're in this book."

At that Ada can't help but worry- an adopted kid connecting his birthmother with a fairytale story. Emma sighs "Oh, kid, you've got problems."

"Yup," Henry replies almost cheerfully, if he wasn't so serious, "And you're gonna fix them."

At this both of them go silent, at a loss of what to say. They can understand the want for your parents to swoop in and fix everything, but that unfulfilled want has made them two very damaged people- how can they carefully break to this sweet boy that Emma is not saving him and without making him just as jaded as them?

The rest of the car ride was spent largely in silence- Emma and Ada have known each other long enough that they could be silent together for hours, and Henry reads his storybook peacefully in the back. Finally, they come to a sign: Welcome to STORYBROOKE.

The town is incredibly small, and they drive down the main street to see lights here and there, but it's empty, deserted really.

"Ok, kid, how about an address?" Emma asks.

"44 not telling you street," Henry snarks.

Emma pulls to a sudden stop. Ada, who had been lightly dozing, jerks forward and gives her friend a glare, but it goes unnoticed as Emma puts the bug in park. Clearly more than a little angry, she steps out of the bug and Henry and Ada both exit the vehicle as well, Ada ducking as an electrical wire sparks.

"Look," Emma begins, "It's been a long night and it's almost…" she trails off, looking at the massive clock tower, "8:15?"

"Well that's accurate," Ada says dryly.

"That clock hasn't moved in my whole life," Henry tells the two women, unfazed by Emma's frustration. "Time is frozen here," he adds softly, shaking his head slightly.

"Excuse me?" Emma is starting to wonder if she'll be a broken record of "excuse mes" and "whats" by the end of this night.

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse," Henry explains, "She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

"Hang on," Emma says, leaning against the bug, "An Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here?" the skepticism is tangible in her voice.

"Yeah, and now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time stuck in Storybrooke, Maine," Emma's eyebrows meet together, "That's what you're going with?"

"It's true!" Henry finally seems to be getting a little frustrated with repeating his story.

"Then why doesn't everybody just leave?" Emma asks, clearly trying to help poke holes in the boy's theory. Ada leans up against the bug and wishes for sleep. She had had a long day at work, and while she had been planning to stay up late for Emma's birthday, she hadn't exactly counted on a long-lost son and exhausting drive to Storybrooke.

"They can't. If they try bad things happen." Henry's very emphatic on this point.

Suddenly, a man's voice comes across the street, "Henry!" the three turn to see a taller man with curly hair, an umbrella, and glasses walking towards them with his Dalmatian. "What are you doing here?" He looks to Emma and Ada. "Is everything alright?" Emma opens her mouth to begin the explanations, but Henry cuts in.

"I'm fine, Archie," he says, like it's normal to be seen with two strange women late at night in the middle of the road.

"Who's this?" Archie asks, with a glance at both Emma and Ada.

"Just someone trying to give him a ride home," Emma replies with a quick nod and a tight, tense smile.

"She's my mom, Archie," Henry again explains. Ada and Emma exchange uncomfortable looks.

"Oh," the man says with a sudden understanding, "I see." And Ada clears her throat, searching for the appropriate words in this situation.

Yeah, Hallmark so does not make cards for these things.

The man's attention had turned to her when she cleared her throat and Ada, for lack of a better thing to do, stuck out her hand to shake it with the man, Archie. "I'm Ada. This is Emma. Henry kinda just…showed up on our doorstep tonight. We're trying to get him back home. You know where he lives?"

"Yeah, uh- just, right up on Mifflin Street, the Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block." Emma and Ada's eyebrows both rise in unison.

"You're the mayor's kid?" Emma asks incredulously.

"Maybe," Henry mumbles, scuffing his shoes on the street.

"Hey, where were you today, Henry? You missed your session," the man continues.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," the kid is clearly lying, "I went on a field trip."

Archie clearly can tell as well. "Henry," he says slowly, drawing out the name a little, "What did I tell you about lying? Giving in to one's dark side, never accomplishes anything."

"Ooookkayy," Emma interrupts, both girls just wanting to get home at this point. "Well, I really should be getting him home." Emma trails off, shrugging a little.

"Yeah, sure, well listen, um, have a good night, and, uh," he turns to Henry, "be good." As the man and his dog walk away, Emma turns back to Henry.

"So that's your shrink."

"I'm not crazy."

"Didn't say that. Just," she shrugs again, "He doesn't seem cursed to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you."

"He's the one who needs help," Henry insists, "Because he doesn't know."

"Alright, well, there's no help to be had tonight," Ada cuts in, "Let's get a move on. Back into the bug, kiddo."

"They don't remember who they are," Henry insists.

"Convenient," Emma scoffs with a smile.

"Alright- who's he supposed to be?" Ada asks as Henry slides in the back.

"Jiminy Cricket!" Henry sort of cheers.

"Right, the lying thing," Emma says.

"Thought your nose grew a little bit," Ada teased.

"I'm not Pinocchio," Henry sounds almost offended.

"Of course you're not, because that would be ridiculous," Emma puts the bug into gear and shares a small smile with Ada.

"There it is, one oh eight" Ada points out the house. "Wow- that is big."

They park the bug and Emma opens up the front gate, leading Henry up the walk.

"Please don't take me back there," Henry asks in a soft voice, one that almost breaks Ada and Emma's hearts, but the walk him up to the house regardless.

"I have to," Emma says on a sigh, "I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you." Ada can see the pain on Emma's face- she doesn't know what it's like to have someone worried sick about her.

"I don't have parents," Henry continues to argue. "Just a mom, and she's evil."

At this, Emma, who would've given anything to have a mom, has had enough with the "evil" nonsense. "Evil? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

Henry's head droops, "She is. She doesn't love me. She only pretends to." He's pretty much muttering the final sentence. Emma and Ada are both remembering all the kids in school, kids who had parents, who complained about them, how strict or how harsh or how unfair they were, and remembered feeling such a longing for someone, anyone, wondering why these kids who didn't appreciate the parents they had were so obviously loved, while they were left alone and abandoned, when they would give anything and love dearly anyone who would give them a chance.

Emma sighs and kneels before the boy she tried to give the very best of chances to, "I'm sure that's not true," she begins, when the door bursts open and a woman dashes out shouting "Henry?" in a voice that is simultaneously panicked and relieved. She is followed by a man, a damn attractive man, Ada has time to think, before the woman in question has Henry wrapped up in her arms and Ada begins to feel a little ill.

"Are you ok?" the woman questions, "Where have you been? What happened?" she stands up straight again.

Henry's face has gone cold, and he brushes her off with a "I found my real mom," before dashing into the house.

The awkwardness that settles over the four adults standing outside is tangible. The man and Ada don't quite know where to look, while Henry's adoptive mother stares at Emma, who looks so contrite and guilty Ada just wants to take her back to their apartment, rewind time, and give her a better birthday. Unfortunately, time travel is not in her skill set.

"You're Henry's birth mother?" the dark haired woman questions in a daze.

"Hi," Emma says, so clearly uncomfortable.

"I'll just go," the man says with a slight accent, trying to escape the situation, "Check the lad, make sure he's alright." Ada, however, can't escape quite so easily and she casts an envious glare at the stranger. She begins to fiddle with the hem of the dress she was wearing, shifting foot to foot on her heels.

The brunette straightens herself and then gives a cool smile, "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?" she asks Emma.

"You got anything stronger?" Emma returns, only half-joking.

The woman merely smirks, and gestures towards the house.

"I'm not feeling so hot, Emma, I'll wait in the car," Ada says, seeing a chance to escape. She really does feel ill, like she might barf, so Emma nods and follows the mayor into the house. Ada goes to sit on the hood of the bug and takes deep breaths. After a minute or two, the man walks out of the house. Spotting Ada, he walks up to the bug.

"Well, interesting night?" he says with a small smile, before holding out his hand to shake, "Sheriff Graham Humbert."

Ada returns the gesture, "Ada Ward. I'm a friend of Emma's."

"Ah, I see," he says, "So how did you manage to escape the mayor's questioning?"

Ada shrugged, "Not too hard, she was so focused on Emma I doubt she even noticed I was here."

"It's understandable."

"It is."

"I mean, single motherhood is never easy," he seems to be trying to excuse the Mayor. For what, Ada's not sure, but she knows that the woman gives her some seriously bad prickings.

"I wouldn't know," Ada inserts.

"No kids?"

"It's just me and Emma- we take care of each other. We don't really need anyone else."

"Oh," he says, his eyes widening.

"Oh," Ada inserts, suddenly realizing what conclusion he's drawing, "No! No! Not that there's anything wrong with, you know, but Emma and I…we, I mean, we're really actually more like sisters, not…you know. Again, not that there's anything wrong with."

"I understand. I apologize-"

"No need, totally understandable, I didn't really realize how it sounded until it was out of my mouth and, you know, no. It's fine." They both give awkward chuckles.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," the Sheriff says, "Goodnight."

"Nice to meet you as well, Sheriff. Night," Ada returns as he walks away.

Ada hears the keys clinking as Emma comes down the walkway. She looks deep in thought, as though something is bothering her.

Ada has a sinking feeling she knows what it is.

They both exchange a wordless glance before Ada settles into the car.

She's not going to bring it up. She's not. It's none of their business. It'll only cause Emma heartache. Her prickings are not infallible, she might just actually be ill. She'll take a nap while they drive back to Boston and feel better by time they're home. She's not going to say a single word until tomorrow night when they pull out the wine bottles or the cocoa mugs and hash it out so Emma won't have nightmares or doubts and Ada won't say a word that wouldn't prove her to be a fully supportive, caring, sister.

She takes one look at Emma, who seems determined to drive out of Storybrooke. Ada closes her eyes and leans against the headrest. It'll all be clearer after a few hours of sleep. She turns her head once again to look at Emma when something catches her eye.

Henry's storybook.

"Sneaky bastard," she says, unable to keep from smirking.

"What?" Emma asks, and then looks in the backseat herself. She's shaking her head as Ada tries to bend around the seat to grab the book when suddenly Emma gasps and jerks the wheel. Ada turns around to see, but by time she reacts they've already crashed into the Welcome sign and the world goes black.

October 24, 2011

When Emma opens her eyes, she becomes aware of exactly four things.

1. She is in a jail cell. She is more than familiar with them, so she knows it on an instinctual level.

2. There's someone whistling. What, she can't be bothered to figure out over her headache.

3. She has a huge ass headache.

4. Ada is not helping with number 3 as she shouts at someone, presumably whoever had put Emma in a jail cell.

"I'm telling you, Emma was not drunk."

"Buzzed driving is still drunk driving," an Irish accented voice calmly states in the face of Ada's I-will-cut-you-like-a-bitch voice. Something that Emma found herself unwillingly impressed with. For someone so tiny, Ada never had a problem cowing people. This guy must have practice with domineering women with attitude.

The whistling is beginning to feel like a knife shoved into her temple though, so she looks over at the source- a heavy set, shorter man dressed like a dockman who immediately returns her look and says "What are you looking at, sister?"

"Hey, Leroy-" shouts a third man with a heavy Italian accent Emma hadn't noticed till now, "Manners! We have guests! So," he turns to Emma with a pleasant expression on his face, "you are eh, Henry's mother. How lovely for him to have you back in his life."

"Actually, I was just dropping him off," Emma practically groans as she sits up.

"Oh, thank god you're awake," Ada says in a single breath, rushing over to the cell to bend down slightly and look at Emma's eyes, no doubt trying to check for a concussion. "how do you feel? Does your head hurt? Do you think you have a concussion? This idiot insisted on locking you up and won't listen to me when I say that she didn't have a drop to drink." The last bit is directed at said idiot with a hefty glare.

"You weren't in the house with her, there is no way you can verify that," he responds evenly, arms crossed, a smile playing on the edges of his mouth as he observes the tiny natural disaster that is now probably making it her life's mission to make him miserable as payback.

"Emma would never drive drunk, not even after a sip of alcohol. Furthermore, you failed to perform any sort of sobriety tests in a meaningful timeframe, and why, exactly, was Emma not sent to the hospital with me when she was unconscious after the collision?" Emma had made the conscious decision to never drive after a single sip of alcohol a long time ago after hearing the details about Ada's parents. Drunk drivers do worse things than kill- they make orphans. And Emma is of the opinion that there are more than enough orphans in the world.

The man ignores Ada and walks up to the whistling man's cell. "Leroy! I'm going to let you out; you need to behave. Put on a smile, and stay out of trouble." Leroy gives a highly sarcastic smile and the Sheriff lets him out with a roll of his eyes.

Emma gestures to the bars around her and looks at the Sheriff, "Seriously?" she asks, annoyed.

"Regina's drinks; a little stronger than we thought," he jokes.

"I wasn't drunk," Emma insists, "There was a wolf, standing in the middle of the road."

"And did you see this wolf?" he asks Ada.

"I didn't see anything, because, like I told you, I had my back turned around grabbing something from the backseat. But I heard Emma gasp at something, probably the wolf."

"A wolf?" the Sheriff's eyebrows come together, showing his skepticism, "Right."

At that moment the Mayor's voice echoes through the station, "Graham? Henry's run away again," at the "again," Ada's eyebrows pop up- how often does Henry run?- because it certainly sounds like last night wasn't the first time, "We have to-" the Mayor enters the room and immediately spots Emma. "What's she doing here?" she asks with venom. Emma practically sees Ada's hackles rise up. This is not going to end well. "Do you know where he is?" the woman questions Emma immediately.

"Lady," Emma sighs, "I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house."

"And," Ada chimes in, "She's got a pretty good alibi," with a gesture towards the bars separating her and her sister.

"But you don't," the Mayor accuses with narrowed eyes now directed at the redhead. "Who are you exactly?"

"Ada Ward, and, as a matter of fact, I have an alibi as well. I was in the hospital all last night," she says and gestures to her left arm which Emma suddenly notices is in a cast, "and came straight here. Not nearly enough time to kidnap a ten year old boy like you're implying. Are you this nice to all visitors to your town? It's a wonder you don't have a thriving tourist business."

The Mayor gives a sniff and ignores the redhead as she turns back to the Sheriff- Graham. "Yes, well, he wasn't in his room this morning."

"Did you try his friends?" Emma asks, sensibly.

"He doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner."

Ada outright snorts, "Don't be ridiculous. Every kid has friends."

"Did you check his computer?" Emma questions next, "If he was close to someone he'd be emailing them."

"And you know this how?" the brunette questions with derision.

"Finding people's what I do," Emma answers, trying to remain calm as this woman succeeds in insulting both her and Ada thoroughly- just who does this woman think she is? "Here's an idea," Emma suggests, "How 'bout you guys let me out, and I'll help find him."

Within minutes they are in the mayor's house, Graham and Emma checking Henry's computer. Ada chooses to wait outside the house- the mayor still gives her prickings bad enough to make her feel ill around the woman and she has no desire to let Emma know, so she decides she should check the area under the boy's widow for a sign if he left the house that way. The Mayor, however, hovers over the Sheriff and Emma.

"Smart kid, cleared his inbox," Emma mutters, "I'm smart too, a little hard disk recovery utility I like to use."

"I'm a bit more old-fashioned, in my techniques," Graham admits pleasantly, as if they don't have Miss Mills breathing down their necks. Maybe that's why he is able to handle Ada's domineering so well, "Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing."

"You're on salary;" Emma explains dryly, "I get paid for delivery. Pounding pavement is not a luxury that I get. Ah, there's a receipt for a website, —it's expensive. He has a credit card?" she questions, turning to the Mayor.

"He's ten," she replies in a way that is clearly a negative.

"Well, he used one," Emma says, examining the computer screen further. "Let's pull up a transaction record," she reads the credit card information before wondering, "Mary Margaret Blanchard, who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?"

"His teacher," the Mayor responds, a growl in her voice.

Is there anyone this woman actually likes? Emma wonders. It certainly doesn't seem like it. No photos of friends or family around the house except of Henry, who was often alone in the photos or with Miss Mills. Emma is getting a sinking feeling that, despite her best attempts, Henry really didn't get his best chance.

Nope, she shuts that thought down, Not gonna do that. I'm going to find the kid, go home with Ada, and we'll have some wine. Maybe several bottles.

"Miss Mills, what are you doing here?" the teacher in question asks with surprise as the group of four enters her classroom as students rush out.

"Where's my son?" Miss Mills demands, as though Miss Blanchard is a serious suspect in a kidnapping case. Personally, both Ada and Emma rather doubt it.

"Henry…" the sweet-faced woman trails off before answering, "I assumed he was home with you."

"You think I'd be here if he was?" the Mayor shouts, clearly incised. Ada is beginning to get the feeling there is a lot more going on here than a missing boy, "Did you give him your credit card so he can find her?" Miss Mills demands while pointing angrily at Emma. Ada's eyebrow shoots up and she's ready to tell the Mayor where she can put that finger when Miss Blanchard speaks.

"I'm sorry," she says to Emma, "who are you?" The woman is obviously confused, and Emma and Ada both can tell there isn't a hint of deception on her.

"I'm—" Emma struggles with how to answer that question, "I'm his—"

"The woman who gave him up for adoption," Miss Mills answers as bitingly as she can with one sentence. Ada's jaw clenches as she contemplates taking the Mayor down a few pegs. A child- her child- is missing and she's taking the time to insult the people helping her? With that kind of personality it was a wonder she ever got elected.

"You don't know anything about this, do you?" Emma asks Miss Blanchard, ignoring the Mayor for now.

"No," the schoolteacher answers, "unfortunately not." She goes to her desk and takes out a purse, searching through it before sighing, "Clever boy. I should never have given him that book."

"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" the Mayor demands yet again.

"Just some old stories I gave him," the teacher tells them all, "As you well know, Henry is a special boy: so smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely," she directs that last one at the Mayor, confirming Emma's fear that Henry is rather isolated and the Mayor, at best, is not helping the situation and, at worst, is actively encouraging it. "He needed it," the teacher concludes.

"What he needs is dose of reality," Ada actually can't believe what was coming out of this woman's mouth. "This is a waste of time. Have a nice trip back to Boston," she tells the blonde and redhead before storming out of the room, knocking down a bunch of papers the teacher had stacked up on a desk. The Sheriff, with an apologetic face, follows after the Mayor, while Emma and Ada sigh and bend down to help the brunette pick up her papers.

"Thank you so much," the teacher says as they place the last of the papers back on the desk, before trailing off, "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught either of your names."

"I'm Ada," the redhead declares, sticking her hand out to shake the teacher's, "And this is Emma, of course."

"Sorry to bother you," Emma tells the obviously kind-hearted woman who had just received such venom from the Mayor.

"No, it's" the woman shakes her head, "It's okay. I fear this is partially my fault."

"How's a book supposed to help?" Emma asks, head tilted to the side in confusion. She'd never found any book particularly helpful, but she wasn't much of a reader and neither was Ada.

"What do you think stories are for?" the teacher explains with a smile, clearly loving the opportunity to spread some wisdom. Ada thought she must be a good teacher. "These stories? The classics? There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life."

"Yeah," Emma adds, looking in the direction the Mayor had disappeared, "She's kind of a hard ass."

Ada snorts, "Understatement of the century. I hope she's not like that with Henry."

Miss Blanchard gives a pained smile to the redhead before moving on, "No, it's more than her. He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face: why would anyone give me away?" She suddenly realizes just who she is talking to and gives a gasp, immediately contrite, so much so even Ada can't get angry with her, "I am so sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean in any way to judge you..." she falters as Emma waves her hand, more than familiar with the question the woman has spoken of.

"It's okay," Emma assures her, though Ada knows her well enough to see the pain behind her expression. Emma had hoped her son would be so happy with his adoptive family that he'd never even wonder about her or Neal, because they'd be meaningless to him, in the face of all the love he'd be receiving from whoever adopted him.

Clearly that hadn't happened.

Miss Blanchard began to seek to regain some ground, "Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have;" she gives another small smile, "hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."

Ada was skeptical of that- both she and Emma had had hopes of happy endings crushed often enough that they had learned hoping for them only made it more painful when those possibilities were taken away. But she doubts the schoolteacher ever had experiences like that, though, so she smiles softly at the woman. She really is very sweet; Ada thought Miss Blanchard seems like the type to care and get to know her students-

Ada's head tilts and Emma immediately looks over at her sister, wondering what was up. The redhead had that look on her face- the same look she got when she figured out a particularly hard puzzle.

"You know where he is, don't you?" Ada whispers with a smile at the teacher.

Mary Margaret Blanchard returns the grin before telling both women, "You might want to check his castle."

October 24, 2011 Continued

"How do you want to do this?" Ada asks as they look over at Henry's castle, the outline of the boy sitting on it visible through the wooden tiers.

"I'll talk to him," Emma sighs, "One-on-one. Maybe I can get through to him."

"What are you going to try to convince him of?" Ada asks, examining her sister out of the corner of her eye.

Emma stalls for a moment, unsure. "Well, that he should go home."

"Should he?" Emma turns to Ada in shock, mouth open, but the redhead continues before Emma can protest, "I just, I don't know, Emma. This whole thing is really messy. It's one thing to wonder about your bio parents, it's another thing entirely to steal a teacher's credit card, run away from home, and hop a bus by yourself at ten years old to find your bio mom and beg her to save you. That's…pretty extreme. I have to wonder- he's a kid that, despite everything, seems pretty sweet and well-adjusted enough. I mean, sure, he's got the fairytale thing, but maybe that's his way of dealing. So if he's willing to go as far as he has to find you- what exactly is he running from? It's usually good policy not to make a kid go back to a home they don't want to be in."

"You think she's that bad?" Emma asks her sister, shifting slightly on her feet.

"Do you?"

Emma sighs and rubs her forehead at the headache that's coming back. "A, I don't know what to think. She hasn't lied to me yet," Emma noticed Ada shift uncomfortably next to her. "A? What's up? There's something you're not saying."

"I didn't want to say anything because it's all already so complicated and Emma it was your birthday and I wanted everything to be perfect for you and then it all just spiraled so out of control and-"

"Ada," Emma breaks her sister out of her rambling, "Tell me."

"She gives me the prickings. Bad," Ada confesses in a rush.

"How bad?"

"Emma- my prickings aren't perfect or infallible-"

"How bad?" Emma asks again, turning to look in Ada's eyes, demanding the truth.

Ada swallows, "Like I've swallowed a bucket of scorpions and they're fighting their way back up. I want to barf every time she comes into the room, that's why I felt so sick when we dropped Henry off last night."

Emma is visibly worried. And turns to look at Henry. "I don't have any legal rights to him," she reminds herself and her friend both.

"But he has a right. He has a right to his best chance, and Emma, I'm kinda getting the sinking feeling this wasn't it. And I know you are, too."

Emma chose not to respond to that and instead began walking towards Henry, not sure what she could say to her sister without Ada immediately calling her out on lying.

And Emma didn't really want Ada to call her out on lying because then Emma couldn't keep lying to herself.

She climbs up the castle, still not sure what to say, and sits beside the boy she gave up ten years ago. "You left this in my car," she starts with, giving him back his book of fairytales. She never really knew how dangerous those things could be. Emma notices how Henry's gaze is fixed on the clock tower. "Still hasn't moved, huh?"

"I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here. That the final battle would begin."

Emma felt tired already, and there was no final battle for her to fight, so she responded, "I'm not fighting any battles, kid."

"Yes, you are," Henry insisted, "You're here because it's your destiny," Emma always hated the idea of destiny- that she had no control of her fate, "You're going to bring back the happy endings."

No pressure there, "Kid, that's a lot for just one person," she says, reminded of what Ada had said about what Henry might be running from, "Especially when I have to go back to Boston. I've got a life there, and so does Ada. We're not staying."

"You don't have to be hostile," Henry tells her, totally calm in the face of her trying to disentangle his emotions from her- she wasn't the type of person you should depend on. She sure as hell was no hero. "I know you like me, I can tell. You're just- pushing me away because I make you feel guilty." The kid clearly spends too much time with that shrink, is all Emma can think as Henry continues, "It's okay. I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance."

The breath is knocked out of her at the boy's astuteness. It reminds her of how Ada sometimes reads her like a book, except this kid is pushing and Ada never does. Still, the comparison amuses her a little as she asks, "How do you know that?"

"The same reason Snow White gave you away," he answers, and the similarities she felt he shared with her sister are at an end, and her patience frays.

"Listen to me, kid," she instructs, "I am not in any book. I'm a real person. And I'm no savior. You were right about one thing, though. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me. C'mon, let's go."

"Please don't take me back there!" Henry begs, and Emma can hear Ada's voice in her head "what exactly is he running from?" as her long-lost son continues to plea with her, "Just stay with me for one week, that's all I ask! One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy."

Can't get attached can't stay not enough I'm never enough not enough you'll only disappoint him you'll only fail him he deserves more not enough never enough "I have to get you back to your mom," Emma grounds out.

"You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks!" Henry screams at her back. This is too much.

"Oh, you wanna know what sucking is?" she retorts, feeling anger licking up her insides with a red hot flame and reminding her of every time someone left her, "Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway; my parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital!" she's seeing it playing out behind her eyes- Mary Swan telling Emma she can't stay with them any more- Emma hadn't even realized they weren't her biological parents until that day, "I ended up in a foster system and I had a family until I was three but then they had their own kid so they sent me back," she can see all the families who picked someone else; all the foster parents who failed in all the ways someone could fail a child; saw Neal promising her Tallahassee and then felt the cold metal of a handcuff on her wrist; then the same feeling of cold metal around her ankle as she remembers labor, frightening, painful, labor, totally alone, knowing that this time, she was doing the leaving, leaving before she ruined the one good thing she's done in her life; and then, like a flash, the anger is gone. Soothed and calmed as she remembers a voice shouting out on a subway, a second glass of wine on a coffee table, someone who looks out for her when she gets sick and has never, will never leave.

Emma takes a deep breath and tries to pull herself back into the present, where this is a little boy who looks so much like the man who broke her and acts so much like the sister who helped put her back together again stares at her and asks her to stay, "Look. Your mom is trying her best. I know it's hard. And I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you. But at least she wants you."

"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway; that's just where you came through!" Henry shouts, as if that makes it all make sense.

"What?" is all the blonde can think to say.

"The wardrobe," he reminds her, "When you went through the wardrobe you appeared on the side of the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse."

Emma's too tired, too drained, to keep up with this, and she doesn't want to shout at this boy, doesn't want him to realize that life is a lot crueler than fairytales, and doesn't want all her broken jagged edges to cut him in all his sweet, innocent, perfection. "Sure they were. C'mon, Henry," and the boy slips his hand into hers and she tries not to let her heart squeeze at that feeling as she leads him over to Ada and the bug.

She looks up at her sister, who waits so patiently by the yellow bug, and tries to memorize the feeling of security that washes over her at the sight of the red hair, colorful dress, and high heels that she always associates with her sister.

Ada bends down slightly, trying not to lose her balance on the heels, to gaze into Henry's eyes.

"Hey, kiddo, how ya doin'?" she asks.

"I'm alright," Henry replies with a shrug, "But the clock still isn't moving."

"Well," Ada says, "Maybe it just needs a little time to sort itself out."

The two nod at each other, finishing the cryptic exchange as Ada ushers Henry into the backseat of the bug and then takes her own place in the passenger seat.

Emma decides it was better not to ask.

Ada stands by the bug as Emma escorts Henry back into the mayor's house.

She was going to have to have a talk with that boy, she decides, and soon. Because he may have gotten adopted, but Ada was not convinced he was at all safe. It was also about time she do some research into what exactly Emma's rights are and what Miss Mill's responsibilities are. Because that boy- she wasn't entirely sure he was safe. And while she wasn't exactly concerned about Evil Queens, she was concerned about emotional abuse.

It was something she had experienced at the hands of various foster families, sometimes side-by-side with physical abuse, and she promised herself a long time ago that she would never turn her back on a kid in a similar position.

When the two are half-way up the walk, the door opens and the Mayor stands there. Emma lets Henry dash the rest of the way on his own- he blows past his adoptive mother, and Miss Mills turns to Emma.

They begin to chat, Ada can't quite hear what they're saying but then Miss Mills begins to shout.

"No. You don't get to speak," Ada straightens up at that- she doesn't care if this woman makes her want to puck all over her Jimmy Choos every time she gets close, she will punch her right in the face if she starts those bullying tactics on Emma, "you don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is? It's what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry, and you're gonna be held to that. So I suggest you get in your car, and you leave this town. Because if you don't, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do," Ada's jaw tightens as Mills whispers one final thing to Emma before turning back up the walk and to her mansion.

Oh she did not.

"Do you love him?" Emma's voice comes across clearly as she shouts at the Mayor's turned back.

"What?" the woman repeats incredulously.

"Henry. Do you love him?"

Ada can't hear the mayor's reply, but she does see Emma's face when the blonde turns back to the car. And it is troubled.

"Did she lie?" Ada asks before she can stop herself when Emma is beside her. The blonde doesn't reply, doesn't even look at Ada before getting in the bug. With a sigh, Ada does the same. There's only one thing to do when Emma gets quite like that- and that's wait it out.

But it definitely was not a good sign for Henry. Pulling out her phone, Ada begins googling adoption laws for Arizona.

Well, child adoption laws. com - that seems like a good place to start.

Ada's more than a little horrified by time Emma parks the bug in front of a B&B that evening. She says nothing though, wanting to do more research. She follows her sister into the B&B, which had seen better days. Dust covered the desk with the registry, cobwebs linking pens and various other knick knacks together.

Good god, when was the last time someone visited this town? Weren't there out of town relatives or casual road trippers or something?

"You're out all night," a voice yells from the floor above the two women, "And now you're going out again."

"I should've moved to Boston!" a younger woman retorts as she flounces down the steps, dressed to go clubbing (were there clubs in Storybrooke?), followed by an elderly woman who had registered the complaint.

"I'm sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the Eastern Seaboard!" Ada's eyebrows raise and she makes a mental note not to mess with the older woman- she's got bite.

"Excuse me?" Emma interrupts before the, no doubt, family drama can continue. "I'd- like a room?"

"Really?" the older woman asks, clearly shocked, both Emma and Ada nod, and the B&B owner springs into action, grabbing a ledger from behind the registry desk, "Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally there's an upgrade fee for the square, but as the rent is due, I'll wave it."

"Square is fine," Emma says.

"I'll just have the room next to hers," Ada adds.

"Now- names?" the woman continues, filling out the appropriate blanks on the paper.

"Ada Ward."

"Swan. Emma Swan."

"Emma?" comes another voice, and Ada jumps slightly before turning around to look- it's an older man, leaning slightly on a cane, and he reminds her of old mobster movies somehow. Her prickings act up yet again and she's wondering what it is about this town that makes her senses go haywire. "What a lovely name," he tells Emma with a small smile.

"Thanks," the blonde replies, unconcerned.

The B&B owner removes a wad of cash from a draw and holds it out to the man, "It's all here," she informs him.

Ada flinches back as the man reaches past her to grab the money, "Yes, yes. Of course it is, dear," he replies, "Thank you," he says in a way that conveys no gratitude before once again turning to Emma, "Enjoy your stay, Emma. And your friend, too, of course." With a nod at both girls (and was Ada imagining the look of confusion when he saw looked at her?), he departed. Ada felt herself relax minimally as the prickings died down.

"Who's that?" Emma asks.

"Mr. Gold," the young woman is the one who replies, "He owns this place."

"What? The inn?" Emma asks.

"No," the elderly woman informs them, "The town." The pause that ensues gives Ada way too much time to remember every single horror story and Stephen King novel she had read that took place in small town. Fortunately, the older woman breaks her out of her musings by asking "So. How long will you be with us?"

"A week," Emma immediately answers with so much determination that Ada wonders at the significance of that amount of time, "Just a week."

"Great," the owner says, grabbing two keys from the shelves beside her, "Welcome to Storybrooke," she tells the two girls as they both reach out and take them.

They didn't realize it, but at that moment, the clocktower began to move.

October 24, 2011 Continued

Ada easily picks the lock to Emma's room and walks in like she owns the place. She can hear her sister in the shower and so flops down on the bed Emma's already tossed her pajamas out on.

A few minutes later, Emma walks into her room to find her sister, dressed in some pajama pants with Snoopy on them and a white tank top, lying on top of her own sleep clothes and staring hard at the ceiling.

"Get up," she orders, nudging the redhead off her clothes.

"Emma," Ada starts, and Emma immediately has a sinking feeling from the tone in her sister's voice.

"I don't like this," she tells Ada.

"Neither do I," she answers, "But I looked some stuff up online."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that Regina Mills can't legally be Henry's adoptive mother unless she moved here from Arizona, but I asked Granny and she said Regina Mills had never lived anywhere but Storybrooke her whole life."

Emma stops completely, frozen, before sitting down heavily on the edge of her bed.

"Are you sure?"

"About Granny? She had no reason to lie and a damn good memory- told me Ruby's exploits for the past five years before she finally started letting me talk. About the law? It says," and Ada pulled her phone out and began to read, "Any adult resident of this state, whether married, unmarried or legally separated is eligible to qualify to adopt children. A husband and wife may jointly adopt children.""

Emma is silent again.

"Before you ask, I also double check on Neal's rights- he has none, he'd have had to filed for paternity within thirty days of Henry's adoption, provided he even got the notification since he had no address for them to send it to. Either way- has no legal rights."

"And apparently neither does Regina."

"What do we do?"

"Nothing."

"Huh?" Ada said, finally sitting up and staring at her friend, "I just told you Henry wasn't legally adopted and you say we do nothing?"

"Ok, we don't know for sure what went on legally there, there was probably some sort of exception."

"Or she kidnapped a baby," Ada hotly replied.

"Either way," Emma insisted, "She is Henry's mother- she raised him-"

"Yeah, so badly that he ran away to you to get help."

"Ok, here's the deal, we'll stay for a week, if something is really wrong, then we'll plan from there."

"Emma, I really don't like the feeling I'm getting here. Tell me the truth- do you think this is Henry's best chance?"

Emma was silent, before finally whispering, "I don't know."

Ada gave a sigh, "Ok, well, let's sleep on it, I'll do more research, and we'll see how things look tomorrow."

"Alright," Emma still hadn't moved.

"Hey," Ada shakes her shoulder slightly until Emma meets her eyes, "You're my sister, and I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Good night, Emma."

"Night, A."

October 25, 2011

The next morning Emma waits for Ada to barge into her room- the redhead takes forever in mornings, while the blonde usually just waits it out.

Hearing a knock, her eyebrows come together- Ada normally just picks the locks and waltzes in. Well, maybe Granny or someone else was in the hallway as well.

Emma opens the door and is shocked to see Regina Mills standing there, holding a basket of apples.

"Did you know the honeycrisp tree is the most vigorous and hardy of all apple trees?" the mayor begins, not giving Emma a chance to speak, "It can survive temperatures as low as forty below and keep growing. It can weather any storm. I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl. And to this day, I have yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers," she grabs one apple and holds it out to Emma.

"Thanks," Emma says, taking it, hearing the door next to them opening as Ada steps out in a bright green dress and matching heels. Emma will never stop teasing the redhead for her obsession with colors bright enough to stop traffic.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy them on your drive home," the mayor says, having apparently not noticed Ada.

Ada fixes that quickly, "Actually," she tells the brunette, "We were thinking of staying a while. Haven't had a vacation in ages, and Storybrooke is so charming," her voice shifts to a different tone Emma knows well, it's the I'm-so-charming-you-won't-even-notice-that-I've-made-a-fool-of-you tone Ada uses right before she delivers a crushing rebuttal to someone, "Especially the people."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," the mayor says, "Henry has enough issues; he doesn't need his birth mother around to confuse him."

"All due respect, Madame Mayor," Emma says, gripping the doorway to her room in an effort to keep herself calm, "the fact that you've threatened me twice in the last twelve hours makes me wanna stay more."

"Since when were apples a threat?" the mayor asks in a faux innocent voice.

"I can read between the lines," Emma tells her, no-nonsense tone firmly in place, "I just want to make sure Henry's ok."

"He's fine, dear," the mayor says in a sticky sweet voice that causes Ada's nose to wrinkle, "Any problems that he has are being taken care of."

"And what does that mean?" Ada asks.

"It means I have him in therapy. It's all under control."

"The same therapy you had him in before he felt the need to come running to Emma?" Ada immediately rebuts, "Or is this one of those "it has to get worse before it gets better" things?"

The mayor gave Ada a saccharine smile, "It's a process, Miss Ward," she then turns to Emma, "Take my advice, Miss Swan, only one of us knows what's best for Henry."

"Yeah," Emma responds, "I'm starting to think you're right about that."

"It's time for you to go," the mayor's voice hardens and the threat is clear.

"Or what?" Emma asks, straightening her stance.

"Don't underestimate me, Miss Swan," the brunette hisses, "You have no idea what I'm capable off."

"According to Henry you're capable of cursing an entire kingdom," Ada says in her sweetest voice, making the mayor actually take a step back, "So I think we've already heard the worst that can be said about you. And, one more thing, Miss Mills:

"You have no idea what we're capable of."

The mayor leaves, only slightly cowed, and Ada scowls.

"I really am starting to hate her."

Emma sighs, "You and me both. C'mon- let's get breakfast. Took you long enough to get ready."

Ada gestures to her ensemble, "This doesn't just happen, Emma."

Laughing at the familiar exchange, the two sisters lock the doors behind them and leave.

A few minutes later finds them sitting at the counter of Granny's diner, Ada finishing up some eggs and bacon while Emma flips through the Storybrooke newspaper- The Mirror.

"Here you go," Ruby says, plunking a mug of hot chocolate with cinnamon in front of Emma.

"Thank you, but I didn't order this," Emma tells the waitress, before shooting a look at her sister.

"Don't look at me," Ada shrugs.

"Yeah, I know," Ruby gleefully tells Emma, "You have an admirer." Emma turns and sees Sheriff Graham sitting in a booth, putting down her paper, she grabs the mug of cocoa and goes to confront the man.

Ada swivels on her stool to watch.

"Ah, so you've decided to stay," Graham says when he sees Emma approach.

"Observant, important for a cop," Emma retorts.

"That's good news for our tourist business, bad news for our local signage." Emma says nothing, and the man begins to flounder slightly, "It's- it's a joke- because you ran over our sign…" he trails off as Emma's eyebrow rises.

"Look, the cocoa was a nice gesture," she tells him, looking down at the aforementioned, "And I am impressed that you guessed that I like cinnamon in my chocolate, 'cause most people don't, but I am not here to flirt, so, thank you, but no thank you." And with that, Emma sets the mug down on the table in front of the Sheriff.

He gives a small grin, "I didn't send it."

"I did," Henry chimes up from another booth, "I like cinnamon, too."

Ada outright laughs.

"Don't you have school?" Emma asks after sending a glare towards her sister.

"Duh," the kid responds, "I'm ten. Walk me."

Emma turns to Ada who waves her on before turning back to the remains of her breakfast and asking Ruby for another coffee. Seeing she had little choice, Emma follows the boy out the diner.

"So, what's the deal with you and your mom?"

"It's not about us," Henry seeks to explain, "It's about her curse. We have to break it. Luckily, I have a plan. Step one: identification. I call it, "Operation Cobra.""

Emma decides playing along is probably for the best until she can talk to Henry's shrink and ask what to do, "Cobra? That has nothing to do with fairytales."

"Exactly, it's a codename. It'll throw the Queen off the trail."

"So," Emma seeks to clarify, "Everyone here is a fairytale character, they just don't know it."

"That's the curse. Time's been frozen. Until you got here," Emma nods as she goes for a bit of apple. "Hey!" Henry suddenly shouts, startling her out of the motion, "Where'd you get that?"

"Your mom," Emma tells him.

"Don't eat that!" Henry insists before grabbing the apple from her head and tossing it away. Great, now Emma would have to pay for breakfast at Granny's.

"Okay, um. Alright," she turns back to the conversation, "So what about their pasts?"

"They don't know, it's a haze to them. Ask anyone anything and you'll see."

Emma nodded, "So…for decades, people have been walking around, in a haze, not aging, with screwed up memories." Did this kid also read adult thriller novels? That's just creepy. "Stuck in a cursed town that kept them oblivious."

"I knew you'd get it!" Henry cheered and Emma almost felt guilty for not actually believing in the whole curse-thing. "That's why we need you," the boy insists, "You're the only one who can stop her curse."

"Because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming?"

"Yes! And right now," Henry plots, "We have an advantage. My mom doesn't know that," he unzips his backpack and takes out some torn pages, "I took out the end, the part with you in it," He hands the papers to Emma, and she looks down at the illustration in front of her, it's a man- Prince Charming- tucking a baby into a wardrobe, cuts covering his body from a bloody battle, a stitched name- Emma- visible on the baby's white and purple blanket. Emma makes an effort not to be creeped out, "See! Your mom is Snow White!"

"Kid," Emma begins.

"I know the hero never believes at first," Henry tells her with passion, looking up at her and for a moment, Emma believes- not in the curse, but that this boy truly sees something heroic, something worthy of the title Savior in her. "If they did, it wouldn't be a very good story. If you need proof, take them, read them. But whatever you do, don't let her see these pages. They're dangerous. If she finds out who you are…then it would be bad." They've reached the school and Henry suddenly breaks out of his seriousness to give her a sweet grin, "I gotta go, but I'll find you later and we can get started. I knew you'd believe me!"

"I never said I did!" Emma argues as he begins to turn towards school.

"Why else would you be here?" Henry replies as he runs to class.

Miss Blanchard comes up to Emma at that moment, "It's good to see his smile back," the teacher remarks pleasantly.

"I didn't do anything," Emma defends, used to people accusing rather than complimenting her.

"You stayed," the teacher replies. And Emma can understand that- she knows the power that someone staying can have. After all, the only person who ever stayed with her was Ada, "So," the teacher's voice breaks Emma out of her thoughts, "Does the mayor know you're still here?"

"Oh, she knows," Emma sighs, "What's her deal? She's not a great people person- how'd she get elected?" It was true- not one person Emma had met had a nice thing to say about the Mayor, but they all seemed to fear her. And Mr. Gold.

"She's been Mayor as long as I can remember," the woman remarks with a shrug, and Emma is suddenly reminded of Henry's theories "It's a haze to them," he had said, but Emma shook that thought out of her head and refocused on Miss Blanchard, "No one's ever been brave enough to run against her. She inspires quite a bit of... well, fear. I'm afraid I only made that worse by giving Henry that book and now he thinks she's the Evil Queen."

"Who does he think you are?" Emma asked, if only to get Henry's voice about hazed memories out of her head. You forget things after a while, she reasons, nothing weird about that.

"It's silly," the teacher says with a touched smile.

Emma gives a laugh and gestures to the walk she'd just had with Henry, "I just got five minutes of silly. Lay it on me."

Mary Margaret Blanchard gives Emma one of the nicest smiles the blonde had ever seen before confessing, "Snow White."

Emma is more than a little stunned- this is who Henry thinks is her mother? The school bell rings.

"Who does he think you are?" Mary Margaret asks.

Emma almost says it- almost talks about his theory that she's the savior. But Henry's voice comes back and reminds her about Operation Cobra and keeping it all a secret. And the blonde gives a shrug, "I'm not in the book." She decides it's time she figure out what to do- and she doesn't have a psych degree to deal with this appropriately, "Can I ask you a favor? Regina mentioned the kid's in therapy; do you know where I can find the doctor?"

"For the twentieth time, yes, Emma, I think this is a good idea," Ada tries (and fails) not to roll her eyes at her friend's waffling. Emma is torn between investigating every aspect of Henry's life to make sure everything is perfect, and keeping herself as distant as possible for both her and Henry's sake, still convinced it is all going to blow up in her face and she is never any good to anyone.

Ada really hates every foster family, but she finds she particularly loathes the Swans and Neal when Emma gets like this.

Emma knocks on the office door and enters with Ada; Dr. Hopper is sitting on a comfortable looking chair reading when they enter.

"Hey," Emma begins.

"Emma Swan," the therapist stands up, greeting both women, "And Miss Ward," he turns back to Emma, "I was just, uh, reading about you," he gestures to his newspaper that has the title "Stranger Destroys Historic Sign- Alcohol Involved" with a less-than-flattering mug shot of Emma. "Let me guess, you're here for help with a little, uh, post-traumatic stress?" he chuckles before setting the paper down, and Ada remembers that Henry had decided this man was Jiminy Cricket as he continues, "That diagnosis was free, by the way."

Emma laughs and corrects him, "No, I'm, uh, here about Henry."

"I'm sorry- I really shouldn't-" the therapist begins, but Ada cuts him off.

"Listen, we understand your whole doctor-patient confidentiality thing, but that's not why we're here. It's more about...advice, in relation to Henry."

"This whole fairytale thing is crazy," Emma adds.

"I -I hope you don't talk that way in front of him," Archie says, running a hand through his hair, "The word "crazy" is um... quite damaging. These stories- they're his language. He has no idea how to express complex emotions so he's translating as best he can, this is how he communicates. He's using this book to help deal with his problems."

"But he got the book a month ago," Emma tells him.

"Has he been seeing you longer than that?" Ada asks, feeling concerned.

"Um- yes, yes he has."

"So it's Regina, isn't it?" both sisters say in unison. They exchange a look before turning back to the therapist.

"Uh- his mother is a... very complicated woman, and uh- over the years, her attempts to try and bring Henry closer have only backfired," he moves to a file cabinet, opening it and removing a file before handing it to Emma, "Why don't you take a look at the file. Um... see what I mean."

Both woman look at the file before Ada asks. "Why are you doing this?"

"Well, Miss Swan here- he talks about you a lot. You're very important to him."

"Thank you," Emma says, bringing the file closer to her.

"Just uh... see that I get it back, okay?" he opens the door for the two women as they begin to leave, "Miss Swan," he interjects one last time, "Just for the sake of the boy, be careful how you handle his... belief system. To destroy his imagination would be... would be devastating," Emma nods before finally leaving with Ada. What both women didn't realize was that, as soon as they had left the room, the therapist picked up the phone and dialed with shaking hands. "You were right," he tells the person on the other end of the line, "She… was just here."

Ada and Emma sat at the head and foot of Emma's bed with Henry's file spread out between them.

"What do you think?" Emma asks her best friend.

"I think we should take the shrink's advice and let him continue to believe- we don't want to do damage that can't be undone, and you and I both know what it's like to have people not believe you."

"You're comparing us speaking out about abuse to believing every person in his hometown is a fairytale character."

"I'm comparing exactly that. Dr. Hopper said it was Henry's language- we just need to figure out how to interpret it. Mary Margaret is Snow White you said? Makes sense- sweet, pretty, kind woman, makes Henry feel safe, surrounded by dwarfs-"

"You mean children-"

"And she's got the right look for it too! So if Henry says his adoptive mother is an Evil Queen, then we need to figure out why it is that she makes him feel so unsafe. What it is that has him categorizing her that way. You're his birth mother- the person he knows least about, so the character who doesn't get much story time but still has a central presence, the person who is supposed to save everyone- or, in this instance, Henry. He tells you you're meant to bring back the happy endings? I think he wants you to bring back his."

Emma stares at her for a moment, "You never should've gone back to school and taken those Intro to Psych classes."

Ada stuck her tongue out, "Jerk."

At that moment, before the argument could dissolve into something truly childish, a knock came on the door.

"Since when are you so popular?" Ada asked Emma as the blonde got up to answer the door. On the other side was Sheriff Humbert.

"Hey there- if you're concerned about the "Do Not Disturb" signs, don't worry- I've left them alone."

"Actually, I'm here about Dr. Archibald Hopper. He mentioned you got into a bit of a row with him earlier?"

"No," Emma said, confused.

"I'm shocked, too," Graham joked, "Given your shy, delicate sensibilities. He says you demanded to see Henry's files and when he refused you came back later and stole them."

"He gave them to me," Emma protested.

"Alas," Graham responded, "He's telling a different tale. May I check your room? Or must I get a search warrant?"

"What?" Ada finally manages to pick her jaw up off the floor and stands, "Are you serious right now? The shrink really-"

Emma cut her off by opening the door wider for Graham and saying, "This what ya lookin' for?" with a wave of her hand to the bed.

Graham walks in and picks up a paper before turning back to Emma, "Well, you're very accommodating. But, I'm afraid, Miss Swan, you're under arrest. Again." He begins to cuff her as Ada fumes silently.

"You know she's being set up, don't you?" Ada manages to grit out.

"And whom, may I ask, is setting her up?" With that, Ada shakes her head and storms out of the room.

She's got a shrink to grill.

"So is there a reason you've decided to lie to the police?" Ada asks, entering Dr. Hopper's room without knocking, startling the man. "Because you seemed like the decent, law-abiding sort to me, so, imagine my surprise when my sister is being cuffed on your word."

"Miss Ward- I really must-"

"Nope," Ada says, holding a hand up, "I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen. I have no idea what it is about Regina Mills that has this whole town living in fear of her. Frankly, I think it's about time someone slapped her and took her down a peg. Or fifty. I don't know if she's blackmailing you, or threatening you, or even if she didn't have to say a word and just flat-out ordered you, and I don't give a damn. I just want you to know how very low you've fallen. Because there is a woman, currently getting her mug shot taken, who desperately loves a little boy, and has loved him since the day she found out about him, who gave him up for his very best chance, who now has to face the fact that that chance he was supposed to get? Wasn't the best at all. Who now might have to face the fact that a sociopath adopted her child, that the sweetest, kindest little boy I've ever met, is being manipulated and isolated by the person who was supposed to love him and treat him with the utmost care. I'm no stranger to emotional abuse, Doctor, and I recognize it when I see it, and Regina Mills is bullying this whole town into submission. But you- what you've done is taken away an advocate. Someone who was willing to stand up for Henry, to stand with him instead of opposing him, and you're doing everything to help send her away from Henry. Henry is your patient, you are not only legally but honor-bound to do what is the best for him. And we both know Regina Mills isn't it. And that Emma has probably been the best thing to happen to that little boy in years.

"You didn't just send an innocent woman to jail, Dr. Hopper, you failed Henry.

"I hope Miss Mills makes it all very worthwhile for you. Because the little boy who thinks you are Jiminy Cricket, conscious personified, could not be more wrong from where I'm standing."

Slamming the door behind her, Ada left and went to the station, fully intent on bailing her sister out.

"You know the shrink is lying, right?" Emma asks Graham, unable to believe he could be that oblivious.

"To the right, please," the Sheriff instructs so he can take her mugshot, "Why would he lie?"

"The Mayor put him up to this," Emma insists, "she's gotta have something on him. He's terrified of her, like everyone else in this…" she resists adding an expletive, "town."

"To the left. Regina may be a touch intimidating," Graham defends, "But I don't think she'd go as far as a frame-job."

"How far would she go?" Emma questions, and the Sheriff is silent, "What does she have her hands in?"

"Well, she's the Mayor," he shrugs, "She has her hands in everything."

"Including the police force?" Ada asks as she waltzes in. Graham flashes her an annoyed look and starts to reply, but is interrupted by Henry running in.

"Hey!" the boy shouts.

"Henry!" Graham says in surprise, "Henry, what are you doing here?" he asks the boy who runs up to Ada and Emma.

"His mother told him what happened," Miss Blanchard, who followed Henry in, tells them.

"Of course she did," Ada sighs.

"Henry- I don't know what she said-"

But the boy cuts her off, "you're a genius."

"What?" both Emma and Ada ask.

"I know what you were up to," Henry explains. "You were gathering information, for…Operation Cobra," he whispers the last bit, and Emma smiles. It's not often she finds someone willing to have faith in her. The fact that it's Henry just makes the feeling that much more precious.

"I'm sorry," Graham says, shaking his head slightly, "I'm…a bit lost."

"It's need-to-know, Sheriff," Henry explains, causing the man to smile down on the ten-year-old. And really, who wouldn't be charmed? "And all you need to know is that Miss Blanchard's gonna bail her out."

"You are?" Emma asks, immediately on the defense. "Why?"

"I, uh, trust you," the teacher says, and Ada smiles at her.

Ada laughs, "Miss Blanchard, thank you, but you can keep your savings in the bank, I've got enough to post bail already. But, really," she looks the teacher in the eye, not sure the woman will ever understand how much what she's offered to do means, "Thank you."

"Well," Emma says, turning to Graham, "If you can uncuff me," she shoves her manacled hands towards the man, "I have something to do." Ada grins- she knows what that tone of voice means, and it's usually something delightfully destructive.

October 26, 2011

Ada sits with Marco in his shop as she waits for Emma to return with the man's chainsaw. Ada finds the old Italian man completely delightful and chats with him. Remember Henry's theories on the people, she begins to ask questions.

"So, I take it from that accent you're not from around here?" she begins.

"No, ah, I'm from Sicily originally," the older man smiles at her as he begins work on a repair job.

"Really? When'd you move to Storybrooke?"

The man pauses in his work, thinking back, "I, ah…I'm not…uh. It's all a bit, eh, hazy. Long time ago," he gives a shrug.

"You don't have any kids, Marco?" she asks, looking around the shop- the man clearly has a talent for woodcraft- he's got various carved knick knacks spread around the show, including some toys that appear totally unused.

"No, ah, my wife and I, we were never, ah, blessed."

"You're wife- where's she?"

"She passed, ah, some time ago?"

"Oh?" Ada asks, "When?"

"Oh, many years, it's a bit, ah, hazy."

And that's when Ada gets a strange combination of chills and prickings that make goosebumps appear all over her arms.

"You, ah, cold, Miss Ward?" Marco asks, "I have a jacket if you, ah, wish?"

"Oh, no, Marco- thank you. And you can call me Ada."

He gives a little shrug and Emma walks into the shop then, restoring Ada's feeling of normal balance.

"Thanks for this, Marco," the blonde says, putting the chainsaw up on the counter.

"You have fun?" Ada asks, grinning at her friend.

"Picking apples was never so easy," Emma tells her. Marco just gives the girls a little secretive grin and a wink.

October 26, 2011 Continued

"Picking apples, god, that's genius. Totally illegal, but genius," Ada tells Emma as she leans against the wall. They're back at the B&B, and Emma's chuckling as she unlocks the door to her own room.

"Miss Swan?" Both sisters look to see Granny standing in the hallway, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

"Granny?" Ada asks, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh my, this is terribly awkward. I need to ask you to leave," Both girls' faces show their shock. Granny explains further after shifting uncomfortably on her feet, "I'm afraid we have a "No felons" rule. It... it turns out it's a city ordinance."

"Let me guess," Emma muttered, "the Mayor's office just called to remind you."

Granny nods, looking incredibly apologetic. "You can gather your things," the kind-hearted woman says, "But I need to have your room key back."

Emma hands Granny her key and Ada reaches for her own.

"Here's mine, Granny," she says, handing it over. The old woman looks at Ada, stunned, and a bit confused.

"The ordinance doesn't apply…" she trails off.

"Yup, but where Emma goes, I go," the redhead informs the old woman, who looks at Ada with something like pride in her eyes, and respect.

"Ada, I get what you're doing here," Emma says, "But you're just going to make the bug more crowded than it already will be. Just…stay here. OK?"

Ada stares at Emma, who keeps eye contact. Granny watches with amusement as the two sisters have a competition over who will break first. Eventually Ada, who sees the wisdom in Emma's argument, even if she doesn't like it, huffs and takes her key back from Granny.

"I don't like it," she mutters to her sister.

"I know," the blonde replies, "But you'll do it anyways because you love me."

"Damn right I do," the redhead says, "Now, come on, I'll help you gather your stuff and we can keep some of it with me. Nothing prevents her from visiting me, right, Granny?"

"Nothing I know about," the old woman says jovially grinning at the two girls before leaving them to it.

"Thanks," Emma mutters as they pick up the few things she has on her- not much, all told, this was supposed to be a short one-night trip tops.

"No problem, but this is why I told you to always keep a spare bag in the bug with extra clothes. See, I'm not forced to wear the same outfit everyday because I thought ahead."

"That wasn't what I was talking about," Emma says with a shake of her head, "Though, thanks for that too. I was talking about the where-she-goes-I-go thing."

Ada stops what she's doing and turns to look at Emma. Not many people know Emma Swan well enough to read her, but Ada's Emma's sister, and has worked hard to gain her insight to the mind of Emma Swan. The blonde is sincerely astonished, sincerely thankful, and mostly just awed that someone cares for her so much.

With a healthy dose of awkward, of course, because Emma Swan does not do emotional.

Ada smiles softly before promising, "Someday, I'm gonna make it so you're not surprised when someone is willing to stick by you through thick and thin."

Emma returned the grin, but looked away, "I almost believe you."

Ada gave a happy little shrug, "Good enough for now."

When Ada and Emma get to the bug, both girls are more than a little annoyed to find it booted.

Emma's phone rings. "Yeah?" she answers.

"Miss Swan," says the voice of Regina Mills, "I'd be happy to keep demonstrating my power, but am I right in guessing your resolve to stay is only growing?"

"You have no idea," Emma seethes. Going after her is one thing- going after the bug is whole new level. This woman is a bully, straight and simple. Wielding all her power (illegally this time, since Emma's car had no reason to be booted) to get her way and intimidate everyone into dancing to her tune. Emma was not interested in playing along.

"Well then," Mayor Mills remarks, like she's commenting on the weather. "I think it's time we made peace. Why don't you drive over to my office," at that sentence, Emma slams the door shut to the bug, "Or walk, whatever suits you."

Emma hangs up and turns to Ada.

"Lemme guess," the redhead remarks dryly, leaning up against the car, "Queen Bitch herself?"

"She says she wants to "make peace.""

Ada straightens at that. "What?"

"Told me to come over."

"It's a trap."

Emma looks at her sister in shock, "You do realize there is a line, and you just crossed it into crazy paranoid territory?"

"Not like that," Ada shook her head, "But there is no way she's actually going to make peace with you. This is another ploy. To what end exactly, I don't know, but I do know that the end result of this meeting is going to be about as far from peace as you can get."

"You really think that's what this is?"

"Emma, she just booted the bug. She's got the upper hand currently, she's not going to fold now."

"Ok, so what could she be planning?"

"Recon at the most innocent? Drug and kidnapping at the least? I don't know! All I know is she is Queen Bitch crazy and I don't like her and she gives me bad prickings and there is no way this can end well."

"Alright, listen, either way I'm going, so I'll be careful."

"Watch what you say, you can be a bit impetuous. Don't give her any ammo."

"I promise I'll be careful."

"Ugh. I don't like this."

"I know you don't, you'll have to live with it."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Ada offers.

"So what?" Emma retorts, already walking away, "You can barf all over her upholstery? No, I'll handle this on my own."

"You will do no such thing- you will call me as soon as it is over and tell me everything that happened."

Emma rolled her eyes, but fifteen minutes later ended up doing just that as she stormed out of the Mayor's mansion.

"She brought Henry into it," she hissed over the line before her sister even had a chance to say hello.

"What?" Ada's voice goes into what Emma mentally refers to as the "danger register." It's a particular inflection that Ada only goes into when she is severely ticked off. It usually makes people who recognize it run for cover. Even if it's not aimed at them.

"She was talking to me, about Henry's curse theory, and she arranged it so Henry would be behind me and hear me say that the curse thing was crazy. Henry took that to mean I thought he was crazy. She has no soul. Forget me- how could she do that to Henry?"

"Archie said the word "crazy" would be very damaging, damn it! That bitch!"

"What do I do?" Emma asked.

Ada groaned, "Emma, I told you to watch your words not to give her ammo!"

"I know I know and you can say I told you so later but give me advice now!"

"You can't leave," Ada immediately says, knowing that Emma was automatically going to jump to that as Henry's best option.

"But this is all happening because I came here. I'm the one who used the damn "c" word and god, he's never gonna want to talk to me again after this."

"Emma Swan, if you leave that little boy now who do you think is going to protect him?"

Emma was silent.

"I know you love him. I know you love him more than life itself," Ada continued, "But if you leave, the only person he'd have batting for him, is his teacher, who, may I just point out, is just as bullied by Regina as Henry is. As this whole town is. Archie Hopper failed Henry when he turned you in. He did. No two ways about it. If his therapist is willing to turn his back on Henry at Queen Bitch's command, do you think she can't bully anyone into submission? You are the only person Henry has in his corner. Truly."

"There's you," Emma sighs into the phone.

"Emma, I'm in your corner. Always have been, always will be. If you do end up leaving tonight, I will lecture you for the rest of eternity. But I will follow you.

"After calling child protective services, of course," Ada adds after a pause.

Emma swallows back the few tears that spring to her eyes at her sister's words.

"I love you, Emma Swan. And, because of that, I love Henry. We can't leave him. We can't do to him what was done to us. He needs someone in his corner. And as long as you're around, he's got two. So, we need to talk to Henry. Specifically, you do, but I'll come along if you need me."

"He should be at therapy now."

"Well, I've already suitably frightened the therapist so… up to you."

"Did you lecture Archie Hopper for turning on me?" Emma laughed.

"You bet your ass I did. What? I was supposed to let him get away with it?" Ada scoffed, "As if."

"I'll meet you at his office in five minutes."

"Already on my way."

When the two women burst (again, in Ada's case) into Archie's office the man himself immediately stood up and began to attempt an explanation.

"Miss Swan. Look, I can explain. The Mayor forced me-"

Emma cut him off, "I know. Don't worry about it, I get it." Archie looked at Ada who raised her hand up between the two of them.

"Don't look at me. I still don't like you. Probably won't change my mind anytime soon so don't even try."

"Henry, I'm sorry," Emma says, crouching down before her son who sits on Archie's furniture.

"I don't want to talk to you," Henry says sullenly. Rightfully feeling betrayed.

"Miss Swan, Miss Ward, if she knew you were here-"

Ada cuts Archie off again, "To hell with her, there are things more important than her bullying campaign."

Emma sits near Henry and tries again, "Henry, there is one simple reason I stayed here- you. I wanted to get to know you."

"You think I'm crazy!" Henry shouts, angry.

"No," Emma clarifies, "I think the curse is crazy. And it is," she gives a sigh when she notices Ada's scolding look. "But that doesn't mean that it isn't true. It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in, but there are a lot of crazy things in this world. So, what do I know? Maybe it is true."

"But you told my mom-" Henry began, only to have Ada sit opposite Emma and smile at him.

"Exactly what she needed to hear. She's not going to suspect a thing if she thinks we're all non-believers. That's the only way to trick her so we can break the Curse."

"You believe?" Henry asks, eyes wide, "But you're not even in the book."

Ada shrugs and gives a cocky smile, "Yeah, but I think I'm pretty awesome anyways. Besides, I'm always on Emma's side. And now, that means, I'm on yours." She reaches out a hand to shake his. "Mind if I get in on the operation?"

Henry shoots a look at Emma who shrugs, "She's pretty much my sister," she tells the boy. Henry grins and takes Ada's hand.

"Brilliant!" Henry shouts, "You threw her off the trail now!"

"We both read the pages, Henry," Emma tells him, holding out the torn storybook pages, "And you're right- they are dangerous. There's only one way to make sure that she never sees them." With those words, Emma tosses the papers into Archie's fireplace, where they quickly burn.

"Now we have the upper hand," Ada tells the boy with a grin.

Henry gets up and hugs Emma, who Ada can tell is cherishing the embrace from her son, "I knew you were here to help me!" Henry exclaims into Emma's hair.

"That's right, kid," Emma tells him, hugging him back, "We both are." She pulls back from the hug to look him in the eyes, "And nothing, not even a curse, is gonna stop that."

Smiling, Henry just hugs his birth mother again.

The trio exit Dr. Hopper's office and stroll down main street together, Ada mostly silent as she watches Emma interact with Henry. Emma's son. Wow.

Things were certainly going to be changing for Henry. And, if she had any say, it would be for the better.

October 27, 2011

Mr. Gold, as he was known in this town, walked away from Mayor Regina Mills, as she was known in this world, casually tossing an apple behind him and leaving the Evil Queen standing in shock by her ruined apple tree.

Oh, things were changing, the future was shifting because of a new player.

And, ironically enough, it wasn't Miss Swan.

He'd predicted her coming, knew the rough outline of her path from the glimpses he'd seen of the future, but something had changed while he was under the curse before Miss Swan came to town. And that something was Miss Ada Ward. He'd done his research on the friend of the Savior, and he was intrigued. She was a new and interesting player, one he had not planned on. Normally that would annoy him, especially this close to the completion of his goal, but Miss Ward was exceptionally diverting, and he found himself amused.

The Evil Queen realized the Savior had come to town, or at least heavily suspected, but she didn't realize: Emma Swan's hidden weapon was Ada Ward. No one did.

Except Rumpelstiltskin.

And he always did like knowing things no one else knew.

November 9, 2011

Mary Margaret is forced to wonder at her own mental processes sometimes. Like right now- what could have possibly possessed her to think a date with Whale would've gone well?

Maybe she is just so lonely she's become desperate.

God, she is desperate isn't she?

Mary Margaret spots Emma Swan's bright yellow bug- how could she not? It stood out like a splash of springtime color on a background of dreariness.

And now she's maudlin.

However, she is surprised to see Emma Swan herself sitting in the front seat of said bug, newspaper propped up on the wheel and flashlight in her mouth, reading.

Strangely enough, she's more surprised by the fact that Ada Ward is nowhere to be seen.

She can't help but ask, "Hey. You okay?"

Emma starts a little and turns of the flashlight, taking it out of her mouth. "Oh," she says with a slight grin, "in the world of tight spots I've been in, crashing in my car doesn't even rank in the top ten."

Mary Margaret finds that statement more worrying than relieving as Emma no doubt intended it. "You're sleeping here?" she asks. She doesn't think she's ever known anyone who sleeps in their car. Is that a more common thing outside small towns? Emma certainly doesn't seem think it odd. "And where's Ada? I was beginning to think you two were surgically attached at the hip," the teacher jokes.

Emma gives a grin, "Yeah, this town doesn't seem to have any vacancies. None, actually. Is that normal?" she asks.

"Must be the curse," Mary Margaret jokes.

"Must be," Emma returns, before answering the brunette's other question. "And Ada's still in the B&B- she wanted to join but I told her she'd just be taking up extra backseat room that I could be using. She finds logic difficult to argue with. Not that she didn't try," she gives a grin, thinking of the redhead's quarrelsome streak. Less a streak and more a… real estate property of stubborn reserves. "Why are you out so late?" Emma asks the kind woman. Mary Margaret seemed the "early to bed early to rise" type.

"Well, I'm a teacher, not a nun," Mary Margaret tells her, "I had a date."

Emma looks at the obviously alone Mary Margaret walking home at a time that, while late, was too early for the end of a date, and dryly remarks, "From the look of things, it went well."

The teacher sighs, "As well as they ever do."

Emma could sympathize, "Tell me he at least paid."

Mary Margaret shakes her head in the negative with a hum.

"Ew," Emma immediately replies. She and Ada had had this exchange more than a few times- it is comforting in its familiarity. And Mary Margaret is nice and Emma felt a little protective over the timid teacher who seemed to barely withstand a tongue lashing from Madame Mayor.

"Well," Mary Margaret gives a sigh, "I guess if true love were easy, we'd all have it." She looks carefully at Emma Swan, who had joined her out on the pavement. Something about the blonde woman (probably the same something that caused Mary Margaret to inexplicably trust her), spurred the teacher to offer, "You know, if things get cramped, I do have a spare room."

Emma's eyebrows raise before her face shuts down all emotion, "Yeah," she begins uncomfortably, "I'm not really typically that good with roommates. I mean Ada's pretty much my sister and she's just as bad as me, so it's different. We do better on our own."

Mary Margaret nods, trying to ignore the disproportionally disappointed feeling in her chest, "Well, goodnight. Good luck with Henry," she adds on.

Emma is immediately distracted by the thought of her son, "Yeah…" she trails off, watching the teacher walk away.

Why does she feel guilty, damn it?

And Ada would kill her if she realized Emma had given up the opportunity to sleep in a bed with things like pillows and a mattress and a nearby bathroom because she was not a people person.

It was true that she and Ada did better on their own, but Ada often pointed out you could be in the same room as someone and be totally alone. In more than one way.

Ok, not going to tell Ada about this conversation then. Decision made.

November 10, 2011

Emma's really not sure why she ever pretends she's not going to tell her sister something. She always ends up caving.

In this case, Emma spills the beans as the two walk to Henry's castle to meet with the boy for an "Operation Cobra" meeting.

"You should've taken the offer," Ada immediately tells Emma, who only rolls her eyes, "I know you've got your whole lone-wolf thing, but Emma- a bed. With sheets. Pillows. A nearby bathroom."

"I know I know. I just-"

"Don't feel comfortable putting yourself in any situation where you might have to talk to someone besides me?"

Emma merely glares at her. Both girls drop the subject as they climb up the castle to sit beside Henry.

"I found your father," the boy immediately tells Emma.

Emma sighs "Henry…" she trails off. Ada lightly kicks Emma's shin and reminds her with a glare to be supportive, but constructive.

"He's in the hospital," Henry tells the girls, "in a coma. See the scar?" he points to Prince Charming's picture in his book, right on the man's chin where there is a small scar. "He has one, too," he tells them excitedly.

"So?" Emma immediately shots back, "Lots of people have scars."

"In the same place?" Henry asked, skepticism evident in his voice. Ada couldn't help but grin at how Henry obviously inherited that tone from Emma. "Don't you see what this means? The curse is keeping them apart with the coma. Now they're stuck without each other. We have to tell Miss Blanchard we found her Prince Charming."

"Okay, kid. Telling someone their," Emma struggled to explain, "soul mate is in a coma is probably not helpful," she sighed and tried to make him see. "Not having a happy ending is painful enough, but giving someone unrealistic hope is far worse."

"But what if I'm right?" Henry instantly shot back, "We know who they are. Now they have to know."

"Alright, Henry," Ada said, looking around Emma so she could see the young boy's face, "You obviously have a plan. How're we doing this?"

Henry grinned, "By reminding him. We have to get her to read their story to John Doe. Then, maybe, he'll remember who he is."

Emma took a deep breath, drawing both Ada and Henry's eyes to her. She felt sandwiched between the two gazes- one, full of hope, the other, full of knowing. "Okay," Emma finally said.

"Okay?" Henry parroted back, uncertain if she meant it.

"Yeah," Emma said, giving in, "we'll do it. But we'll do it my way. Let us ask her."

Henry nodded, "Grown-up talk," he said disappointedly, as if he wanted in on it.

Ada laughed, "Henry, someday you'll get to hear and talk all the grown-up talk you want. You'll realize it's really not that great."

Henry seemed very skeptical of the whole thing, but said nothing.

Ada and Emma sat at the counter of Mary Margaret's kitchen while the woman made two mugs of hot cocoa with cinnamon.

"You sure you don't want some, Ada?" the hostess asked.

"She thinks hot chocolate with cinnamon is gross," Emma cuts in before Ada can politely decline, "Ada's a coffee addict."

"You say that like my coffee intake is a problem," Ada joked back, "And I can't believe you found more people who like cinnamon in cocoa. I'll have the occasional hot chocolate, but cinnamon? Blech."

"Oh, would you like coffee then? I can make some?" Mary Margaret offers, but Ada waves her hand.

"No, I'm fine- I had a cup before we came here. Granny's coffee is so difficult for me to turn down."

"I heard coffee stunts your growth. Knowing Ada, I believe it," Emma teased with a grin as she accepted her mug from Mary Margaret.

Ada stuck out her tongue.

"So you two want me to read to a coma patient?" Mary Margaret says after smiling softly into her own mug at the two sisters antics. Emma really wasn't exaggerating when she described Ada as "pretty much" her sister- in fact, Mary Margaret is getting the feeling that the blonde was understating the bond between the two women.

Mary Margaret finds herself a little jealous. She'd never really had a friendship like that- and had no siblings ever.

Ok, so she is more than a little jealous.

"Well, yes," Ada says, "It's really more Henry that wants it. He's convinced that the coma patient is your Prince Charming," the redhead gives a shrug, "But Archie has said that going along with Henry's version of reality is for the best- and I agree with him. Snapping kids out of stuff like this, it never really ends well. When a child latches onto an idea they're very tenacious- all human beings are. Having that connection snapped? Totally devastating. It's like…having a loved one die, almost. Something you depended on, something you'd thought would always be there, a part of you, is gone. You'd be taking Henry out of his realty and thrusting him into a new one. One that's unfamiliar and frightening.

"The key with children like Henry, generally speaking, is to allow the illusion- not to encourage it too actively, but play along, show an interest in it always, never condemn the child for it by any means, and do not act as if it's not important. It is vitally important to Henry, and so it should be for us. Transitioning is important. What we see in most cases is when the child is in a more stable place, physically as well as emotionally, once a lot of the problems in their lives are solved or given some sort of closure, the idea slowly fades away until it's just a memory. And a really good story he can tell to people- the story of Snow White, Prince Charming, and an Evil Curse."

"I'm thinking," Emma picks up, "You go read to the guy- we all play along, do what he says…" Emma trails off and Ada flawlessly picks up her sister's sentence.

"And Henry can begin to make some connections with this version of reality, weakening his need for the other. He slowly lets go, revises the story so it gets less and less absolute."

Mary Margaret thought over it- it seemed a shame to crush Henry's imagination, but she imagined that believing in a Dark Curse wasn't terribly healthy for the boy's mental state- especially around Regina. And Ada had said she was a child advocate, working with kids a lot, and Archie was a professional therapist, and if they both agreed to play along with Henry and let him slowly let go of the idea on his own- well, that was probably the best plan.

"Well.. sadly, this plan is rather genius. We get him to the truth without hurting him," she concludes.

"I told him that we will all meet tomorrow for breakfast at Granny's," Emma tells her after taking another swallow of her hot chocolate, "And you will give a full report."

Both sisters look at Mary Margaret, awaiting her final decision. In a brief moment, Mary Margaret could believe they were blood related- it wasn't about their looks, really, but more about the similarity in their expressions, the way they held themselves.

"Well, I suppose I'll get ready for my date," she tells them with a grin. "I guess I'll have to do all the talking."

November 11, 2011

"Thanks for the shirt," Emma tells Ada, pulling on one of her sister's tops. It's not really her style- brightly colored with a magenta sort of shade of pink.

"You're lucky we're the same top size," Ada tells her, grimacing at how the shirt rides a little higher on Emma than on her, "Mostly. Otherwise what would you do? Seriously- just let me go shopping and pick up something for you. It's getting gross."

"I can buy my own clothes, thank you," Emma retorts with an eye roll.

"Then for gods sakes why haven't you?"

In truth, Ada knows why- buying clothes would be too much like admitting she was planning on staying, which would be a step too close to admitting she wanted to stay, which would be another step too close to roots in another person rather than just Ada.

Emma is saved from trying to lie to Ada by the entrance of Henry, who grins at the two sisters before settling in a booth with them as Ada continues to eat her breakfast. Emma was just having a cup of coffee- Ada was the breakfast person, while Emma was just an eater in general. Food insecurity left its scars for both of them.

"Henry- where does Regina think you are?" Ada asks after the usual greetings as she spears some scrambled eggs with her fork.

"Playing Whac-a-Mole," Henry replies easily with a cheeky grin.

"And she bought that?" Emma asks skeptically.

Henry shrugs and says matter-of-factly "She wants to believe it, so she does."

Ada stops eating long enough to cast a deep gaze at the boy, "Henry," she tells him in an odd tone, "You are a very clever boy- don't let anyone tell you any different."

Henry preens under the praise, but perks up even more when he sees Mary Margaret enter the diner. "She's here!" he announces to the table, prompting Ada to scooch further into the booth so Mary Margaret will have room to sit down- Henry and Emma are sitting next to each other across from her.

"Hey," Emma tells the boy as Ada reconfigures, "Don't get your hopes up- we're just getting started, okay?"

This statement is entirely bellied by Mary Margaret announcing before she's even fully seated, "He woke up."

"What?" Ada and Emma say in unison.

"I knew it," Henry cheers.

"I mean," the teacher clarifies, "He didn't "wake up" wake up, but he grabbed my hand."

"He's remembering!" Henry insists.

Emma, looking for a dose of reality, her master plan for helping ease Henry into a healthier mental state spiraling wildly out of control, asks "What did the Doctor say?"

"That I imagined it," Mary Margaret practically sighs, clearly annoyed at the implication, "But I'm not crazy. I know it happened."

Ada briefly has a suddenly flash to Henry, the night they dropped him off saying, "I'm not crazy," in practically the same tone as Mary Margaret did just now.

Huh, small towns. You probably pick up everyone's habits.

"We have to go back," Henry says, his eyes shining, "You have to read to him again."

"Let's go," Mary Margaret instantly agrees.

"Wait," Ada says as Emma simply goes "What?"

"If I got through to him," the teacher says, her eyes shining just as much as Henry's, so much so that Ada begins to wonder at the teacher's own personal emotional state- this…thing…with a coma patient? It speaks to someone who is lonely and desperately searching for a connection. "If we made a connection-"

"You don't believe…" Emma cuts in, before trailing off, unable to articulate it.

"That he's Prince Charming?" Mary Margaret asks, "Of course not. Somehow, someway, I touched him."

"Can we just..wait till I've finished breakfast?" Ada asks when it's clear Emma has been stunned to silence.

Both Henry and Mary Margaret were good sports about letting Ada finish her meal, slowed down as she was with the cast on her arm, before dragging the two sisters to the hospital to see this coma patient for themselves.

"You're right," Henry is assuring Mary Margaret as they walk into the ward, "he's waking up."

"Henry!" Graham says, sounding surprised, "You should stay back." Ada has time to wonder what the Sheriff is doing in the hospital- was there some sort of accident?- when Mary Margaret asks for her.

"What's going on? Is it John Doe? Is he OK?" Ada and Emma exchange a glance at the "John Doe," neither terribly comfortable with the way Mary Margaret's mind immediately jumped to the coma patient.

"He's missing," Graham has time to reply as all four of the group suddenly notice Regina herself coming out of John Doe's room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she immediately hisses at the women, before turning to Henry, "And you- I thought you were at the arcade. Now you're lying to me?"

Ada was personally of the opinion that Henry had been lying to Regina for a long time- one didn't simply steal a credit card out of a teacher's purse without a little practice first, and running away from home itself was a form of lying, she supposed.

"What's happened to John Doe?" Mary Margaret asks, "Did someone take him?"

"We don't know yet," Graham immediately sooths the woman, seeking to maintain calm in the room (not easy with Regina noticeably seething), "His IVs were ripped out but there's no sign for sure there's a struggle."

"What did you do?" Henry accuses his adoptive mother, looking at her through narrowed eyes.

Regina is noticeably hurt and offended, "You think I had something to do with this?" she asks the ten-year-old.

"It is curious that the mayor is here," Ada points out in a flat tone, trying to keep all inflection out of it.

"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact," Regina shoots back at her.

"You know him?" Mary Margaret asks, surprised. Ada gives her a look- if the mayor knew him, would he have been a John Doe?

Sometimes Ada wonders if people ever think in a crisis of if they just jump from conclusion to conclusion willy-nilly.

"I found him," the Mayor corrects, "On the side of the road years ago with no ID. I brought him here."

Ada casts a glance at Emma- someone else found on the side of the road years ago with no ID. Well, except for one baby blanket that they were both more than a little freaked out to find drawn so clearly in Henry's storybook, not that they had actually talked about it, just had a very long look at each other over the pages Henry had ripped out of his storybook.

"Mayor Mills saved his life," Dr. Whale inserts himself into the conversation at this point. Ada exchanged a nod with the Doctor- he was responsible for helping cast her arm, after all.

"Will he be okay?" Mary Margaret sweetly asks the man.

"Okay?" Whale says, eyebrows hiked up, disbelief in every syllable, "That man's been on feeding tubes for years on constant supervision. He needs to get back here right away or, quite honestly, "okay" might be a pipe dream."

"Well, then," Emma replies, in her element- people finding is what she does, "Let's quit yapping and start looking."

"That's what we're doing?" Regina asks sarcastically, "Just stay out of this, dear," she says condescendingly to Emma, "And since I clearly can't keep you away from my son, I guess I'm just going to have to keep my son away from you," Ada thought that was rather unfair as, except for when he was missing and when she needed to apologize, each time it was Henry who sought out Emma. "I hope you enjoyed today, because that's all you're getting," she turns then to Graham, "Sheriff, find John Doe. You heard Dr. Whale. Time is precious." With those orders, she stalks out of the hospital, leading Henry away, as he casts a mournful glace at Emma.

"Doctor," Graham turns to the man, getting down to business, "How long between your rounds since you last saw him?"

"Twelve hours or so."

"Then that's what we need to account for," Graham instructs with a nod. Everyone heads to the security room where Leroy and another man introduced as Walter are both currently situated.

"You two were the only employees on the floor last night," Graham says skeptically, "And you say nothing?"

"Not a thing," Walter assures the Sheriff.

"Did anyone walk by?" Emma asks, suspicious.

"I didn't see nothin'," Leroy tells her, arms crossed.

Graham turned to Mary Margaret, "Miss Blanchard, was there anything unusual you saw during your field trip with your class?"

Emma bends to get a closer look at the security footage as Mary Margaret answers in the negative.

"We're looking at the wrong tape," Emma announces, pointing to the screen, "This is the ward Henry's class put up decorations. If this was really the tape from last night, we'd see the banners the kids hung."

Graham took a closer look at the tape as if to confirm it for himself while Leroy immediately sold out Walter.

"Tch, you fell asleep again."

"You selling me out?" Walter asks, betrayed.

"Considering there's a coma patient on the loose I'd say we all have bigger things on the line than a security guard asleep on the job during the night shift," Ada cuts in before the two can get into it.

"Where's the real tape?" Graham asks sternly.

The tape is switched and they all watch with varying levels of amazement as John Doe gets up and just…walks out the door. Or maybe staggers would be a more appropriate word.

"He walked out alone," Mary Margaret breathes a sigh of relief, "He's okay."

"Four hours ago," Emma says, reading the time stamp, "Where does this door lead?" she asks the two hospital employees.

Leroy shrugs, "The woods."

November 11, 2011 Continued

Graham leads Ada, Emma, and Mary Margaret through the woods, his eyes glued to the ground, tracking the escaped patient, while the women keep their eyes peeled in the surrounding trees.

The Sheriff comes to a sudden stop, and Ada tries to resist groaning in frustration- there is no way that was a good thing.

"What is it?" Emma asks Graham.

"The trial runs out here," Graham tells her, eyes still scanning the ground for further evidence.

Ada actually does groan, "You sure?" the redhead asks, "Because I thought tracking was one of your things."

"Just give me a second," Graham defends, "This is my world. I got it."

Ada looks down at her heels mournfully. Emma, noticing, smirks.

"You could go back to town," the blonde reminds her sister.

Ada grimaces, "As tempting as sidewalks are, I can't leave you to search for a coma patient without me. Also, I can't stop looking for a missing person just because I've got the wrong footwear. On the off chance I can help, I want to be here to do it."

"Damn morals," Emma jokes.

Ada shrugs "At least I've got the damn cast off so I can catch myself when I fall."

They stand in silence for a little while, trying to keep out of Graham's way, when Mary Margaret directs a question at Emma.

"What does he mean, "his world?"" the teacher asks, "I thought finding people was your thing, too?"

"Sure," Emma nods, "Just, people I find usually run places like…Vegas. Not a lot hid in the woods."

"That's an interesting job," Mary Margaret continues, for lack of anything else to talk about, "Finding people. How'd you fall into it?"

Emma shrugs, "Looking for people is just what I've done. As long as I can remember."

"She was the champ at hide-and-seek in every home she ever was in," Ada proudly shares with a grin. Emma rolls her eyes at her sister.

"What made you start? Your parents?" Mary Margaret asks, shifting slightly when her personal questions make Ada glare at the school teacher, protective instincts on the rise, "Henry told me that your… Th-that you were from a similar situation to his own. Did you ever find them?"

"Depends on who you ask," Emma mutters before Ada tosses an arm around her sister.

"She found me instead- a much better prospect," the redhead grins and winks at Emma, who gives a slight smile before turning serious as they hear a crack behind them and turn, eyes peeled for a coma patient.

Instead, they see Henry.

"Henry!" Mary Margaret admonishes, though the stern tone is slightly ruined by the surprise in her voice.

"Did you find him yet?" the boy asks with undiminished enthusiasm.

"No," Emma answers, not sure what to do in this situation, "Not yet. You shouldn't be here."

"Henry- it's late, and the woods can be dangerous. You might've hurt yourself trying to find us!" Ada tells him, stepping forwards as if to see if he had any injuries.

"I can help," Henry says, sidestepping her to look earnestly in Emma's eyes, "I know where he's going."

"And where's that?" Mary Margaret asks, not sure what else to say to that confounding statement.

The boy looks at his teacher, his face perfectly serious, "He's looking for you," he tells her.

Everyone is quiet for a beat. Henry launches into his explanation. "You're the one who woke him up. You're the last one he saw. He wants to find you!"

"Henry, it's not about me," Mary Margaret tried to insist, "I just… I think he's lost and confused. He's been in a coma a long time."

"But he loves you!" Henry practically shouts. "You need to stop chasing him, and let him find you."

"Kid," Emma sighs, remembering that this is a ten year old wandering around the woods alone at night, "You need to go home. Where's your mom? She's going to kill me and then you…and then me again."

"And then me for good measure," Ada chimes in.

"She dropped me at the house," Henry tells them casually, "Then, went right out."

"She left you alone?" Ada asks.

"Well," Henry said, a little offended, "I'm ten. What am I going to do?"

"Apparently run into the woods alone at night," Ada points out, quieting Henry slightly.

"Well," Emma says, hands on hips, "we need to get you back immediately."

"No!" Henry immediately objects.

"Guys!" Graham inserts, lifting something off the ground. It's a hospital bracelet, covered in-

"Is that…" Mary Margaret doesn't complete the question.

"Blood," Emma answers.

They all take off down the trail, Emma giving a nod to her sister, signaling what they need- division of labor. Someone needs to search for John Doe, but someone needs to look after Henry. Ada's heels make her detrimental for tracking down coma patients, but she can protect a ten-year-old. The two sisters make the decision in seconds with a single look. Ada holds Henry back as the other three adults take the lead. Blood is not a good sign, and she knows Henry shouldn't see anything too bad.

"Where is he?" Mary Margaret shouts as they come up to the Toll Bridge, "Can you see him?"

"The trail dies at the water line," Graham answers, and in that moment they all see John Doe lying in the water, apparently drowned.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Mary Margaret says as she continues to move forward, Ada tightens her grip on Henry and holds him back, trying to turn him away from the sight.

"I need an ambulance!" Graham reports to his cell, "At the old Toll Bridge, as soon as possible," as he's talking, Emma, Graham and Mary Margaret drag John Doe to the shore.

"No, no, no, no, no," Mary Margaret chants as she cradles John Doe to her, "No, no, no! I found you!"

"It's going to be okay," Emma assures the teacher.

"Help's coming," Graham tells them all, huddling over the unconscious man.

"Is he okay?" Henry asks, still struggling against Ada's restraining hands.

"Henry," Emma trails off, not wanting to lie, but still wanting to comfort.

"Is he going to be okay?" Henry repeats.

"It's hard to tell right now, Henry," Ada says, still trying to get the boy to look away.

"Henry, don't look. Okay? Don't look," Emma instructs, nodding to Ada, as the blonde kneels down beside the unconscious man.

"Come back to us. Come back to me," Mary Margaret softly says, before starting CPR. When the teacher's mouth comes into contact with the John Doe's, he suddenly gasps, waking up.

"You saved me," he murmurs, looking up at the teacher, his eyes wide.

"She did it," Henry cheers, jumping up and down in Ada's arms, turning to hug her in celebration, "She did it! She woke him up."

"Yeah, kid," Emma gives a small grin, glad for the happy ending, "She did."

"Thank you," John Doe says to Mary Margaret, his eyes having never left her.

"Who are you?" she asks.

John Doe seems to pause for a moment before answering, "I don't know."

"It's okay," Mary Margaret immediately comforts, "You're going to be okay."

As they load John Doe up onto a gurney Emma and Ada exchange another look.

"Ok, kiddo," Ada says, settling her hand on Henry's shoulder, "I'm taking you home before your mom finds out you're missing and Emma's gonna stick with John Doe- make sure everything works out."

"But-"

"No, Henry," Emma immediately scolds, "We're on thin enough ice as it is, and you never should've come out tonight- you could've been hurt."

"But I wasn't," Henry reminds them with a cheeky grin, giving Emma a suddenly flashback to Neal.

"But you could've been. You were very lucky- this whole night was very lucky," Ada inserts, seeing Emma blinking away visions of motel rooms and lock picking lessons, "Now, let's not end it on a sour note with Regina coming down on us all."

"Ok, but I want to know what happens!"

"We'll tell you tomorrow," Ada tells the boy, leading him away towards Mifflin Street, "But it is super late, you should be in bed, safe and warm, and so should John Doe and the rest of us. C'mon, kiddo. You've got a pillow with your name on it. Besides, you've gotta be exhausted hiking through those woods. I know I am."

"You're in heels," Henry immediately points out to her.

"Which is beside the point," Ada shoots back, and Emma gives a small grin as she hears the two gently bickering as Ada leads Henry away.

"Oh, it ended sour," Emma tells Ada when they meet up later by the bug.

"Lemme guess- Queen Bitch was her usual charming self."

"Well, they found John Doe's wife," Emma tells her sister, leaning up against the car.

Ada is silent for a moment, "Just now? That's a bit…odd."

Emma looks at her sister.

"Ok, more than a bit. They found his wife now? He's been in a coma for years- how many, no one seems bothered to count, but years and they just now find his wife?"

"I thought so too. Regina said they went over old tapes and heard him crying out for a "Kathryn" in his sleep, so they found her."

"Hold on- you're telling me this man has been calling a name in his coma and in all the time he's been under, not once, not a single time, has a nurse, doctor, volunteer, or anyone heard him? He's monitored practically twenty-four-seven and no one ever heard him call out this name?"

Emma just shrugged, looking away.

"What?" Ada asks. Emma doesn't respond, "No- I know that face. That's a bad face- I do not like that face. That face comes from something much more than just a weird thing with a coma patient's long-lost wife."

"I followed Regina out of the hospital to talk to her, tell her why I thought it so weird."

"And?"

"She said I should be glad they're back together, because it reminded her how glad she was to have Henry since," Emma sighed, "Not having someone is the worst curse imaginable."

Ada's eyebrow rose. "Does that bitch think she's the only one whose ever shed a tear? What utter-"

"Ada-"

"NO! We know being alone is the worst curse imaginable, we've been alone. You've been alone your whole life, Emma!"

Emma slings an arm around her sister's shoulder, pulling the incised redhead into a hug, "Not since I found you."

Ada, still ready to march into battle, hugged Emma back and muttered into her sister's hair, "And you never will be again. You'll always have me."

Emma lets go of the hug, "Sometimes I almost believe you."

"Someday you will," Ada promises. "We'll probably be ancient and living in the same retirement home organizing wheelchair races, but as long as you get there someday," Emma cracks a grin and Ada smiles as well. "Now, this sleeping in the bug thing-"

Emma sighs immediately, "Alright. I'll go see if Mary Margaret's spare room is still open."

Ada grins and bounces back onto the sidewalk, "There, now was that so hard?"

Ada looked up from her crossword puzzle and grinned as Emma walked into Granny's.

"How was your walk with Henry?" she asked, setting her newspaper to the side.

"Good," Emma took the empty seat next to the redhead, "He asked me about codenames," Ruby walked up to the table, "Just a cocoa, Ruby, thanks," Emma said. Ruby nodded and went off to get it.

"Codenames?" Ada prompted.

Emma nodded, "Yeah- he wanted to know what to call me."

"Oh," Ada said with sudden understanding, "What did you say?"

"I told him to call me Emma for now," Ruby came up with Emma's cocoa, "Thank you," the blonde said as Ruby set it down. "And Graham stopped me along the way," Emma added.

"Graham?" Ada asked, "What did he want?"

"He offered me a job," Emma told the redhead, whose eyebrows rose.

"Isn't there some sort of…I don't know…application process or something to go through for that?"

Emma shrugged and sipped her cocoa, "Apparently not. Or maybe things work differently in small towns. He thanked me for the help in finding John Doe- I mean," Emma waved her hand about, searching for the man's name, "David."

"He is the only law enforcer," Ada mused, "Must be desperate for help even in a quiet town. Probably needs someone else to take the night shift once in a while. I think that job would be a good fit for you if you wanted it, actually." Before Emma could reply to that, the Mayor walked in, prompting Ada to roll her eyes and return her attention to her newspaper.

"How was your walk with Henry?" Regina asked, stepping up to the sisters' table. "That's right," she said to Emma, "I know everything."

"Good," Ada interrupted her, eyes still on her newspaper, "Then you can help me with this crossword. What's a five letter word for female dog?"

Regina chose to ignore the redhead and keep her focus on the blonde woman, "Relax, Miss Swan, I don't mind," she sat down across from Emma and Ada rolled her eyes, waiting for the fall out. She knew it would be too much for the Mayor to not have some sort of underhanded insult or jibe.

"You don't?" Emma asked, cautiously.

"No," the Mayor grinned, "Because you no longer worry me, Miss Swan. You see," she continued, her entire face looking relaxed and at ease, "I did a little digging into who you are, and what I found out was quite soothing. It all comes down to the number seven."

Don't ask don't ask don't ask don't give her the satisfaction Ada chanted in her head, but Emma, sadly, was not telepathic and asked anyways, "Seven?"

"It's the number of addresses you've had in the past decade," Regina explained, "Your longest stint anywhere was two years. Really, what did you enjoy so much about Tallahassee?" At the mention of that particular city both girls tensed and Ada's eyes left her crossword in an attempt to burn a hole through Mayor Regina Mills' skull.

"If you were wondering," Emma responded, trying to regain some ground, "I did find a place in town," she subtly reminded Regina of her tactics to kick Emma out of Granny's and trying to prove her stability.

"I know, with Ms. Blanchard," Regina easily replied, "How long is your lease? Oh wait. You don't have one. You see my point?" the Mayor grinned, "In order for something to grow, Miss Swan, it needs roots," she lectured, "And you don't have any. People don't change; they only fool themselves into believing they can."

"You don't know me," Emma practically growled.

"No, I think I do," Regina grinned, "All I ask as you carry on your transient life, you think about Henry and what's best for him. Perhaps consider a clean break. It's going to happen anyway," she shrugged and stood, "Enjoy your cocoa."

"Miss Mills," Ada called out, gripping Emma before she could stand. "If I might point out a flaw in your otherwise impeccable logic?" Regina tried to hide a grimace and waited for Ada to continue, "Emma has lived with me, consistently, for the past seven years- showing that she does have roots. I think we all know, Miss Mills, home is not a place, but a feeling, and if Emma's past decade shows anything, it's that she knows what truly makes roots is relationships, not places." Ada gave a feral grin, "Have a nice day, Madame Mayor."

Refusing to respond, Regina stalked out of the diner. Emma stood abruptly, still incised, and spilled her cocoa all down Ada's borrowed shirt.

Ada sighs, looking at the hot chocolate stain covering the magenta fabric.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that pink isn't your favorite color," she commented. "Go put it in the laundry and I'll grab another shirt for you to borrow. I think I brought that green one. That'd look good with your hair," she trailed off, speaking over her shoulder as she walked towards her room upstairs. Emma rolled her eyes and stomped into the laundry room down the hall which Ruby pointed to.

Throwing the shirt into the washer, she set the cycle and waited for Ada to get back, looking over she saw a girl, young, holding pink sheets and crying. "Oh no, no, no, no, no!"

"You okay?" Emma asked her, crossing her arms over her stomach- she hadn't realized anyone else was in here, and, while she wasn't a prude, it was still a bit of a surprise. Hopefully the young girl wasn't feeling uncomfortable or something.

The girl gestured to a sheet she was holding up, "The sheets, they're, uh- pink," she blinked rapidly, trying to hold back tears.

"You try bleach?" Emma asked when the girl lowered the sheet to show a very pregnant figure, "Oh," Emma sighed, immediately understand. Hormones were a bitch.

"Last night I felt contractions," the girl said, absently stroking her stomach. Emma could remember doing the same thing when she was pregnant, before she would catch herself and rip her hand away- trying to make it a clean break, as Regina would say. "And the doctor said that the baby could come any day now."

Not sure of the girl's personal situation, Emma struggled to find the right thing to say, "So…that's great."

"It's just that, um, when the...," she blinked back more tears, "When the baby comes... no one thinks I can do this," she hanged her head, "No one thinks I can do anything. Maybe they're right," she sighed.

"Screw them," Emma said, and heard the same sentiment echoed from behind her. Both the girl and Emma turned to find Ada standing the doorway, green shirt in hand. She gave the shirt to Emma and stepped up to the girl's laundry basket.

"You dry these yet?" she asked, and the girl shook her head, "Well, then, easy fix- cold wash, cup of bleach, and they'll be right as rain. Might have to run it more than once, but," Ada began stuffing the sheets back into the washer, "It's just a few buttons to push."

Ada gave Emma a significant glance as Emma pulled the shirt over her head.

"How old are you?" Emma asked the young girl.

"Nineteen," she responded, watching Ada do the laundry in a bit of a daze, before focusing back on Emma.

"I was eighteen."

"When you-," the girl swallowed, "When you had a kid?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded, feeling a sort of catharsis come over her. Sure, she hadn't been able to back talk Regina personally, but she could give this girl some strength here- some encouragement. No one deserved to be told what they can and can't do. "I know what it's like. Everyone loves to tell you what you can and can't do especially with a kid, but ultimately whatever you're considering doing... or giving up... the choice is yours."

"It's not exactly what you might think it is," the girl said, smoothing her shirt over her stomach again.

"It never is," Emma shook her head, "People are going to tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say, "No, this is who I am." You want people to look at you differently? Make them. You want to change things, you are going to have to go out there and change them yourself, because there are no Fairy Godmothers in this world."

Ada jumped up on top of the washing machine, "Listen," Ada chimed in, "No one has the right to tell you what you can and can't do. Well," she rolled her eyes, "Obviously, as long as you're not hurting anybody- exception to every rule and all that, but Emma's right. You think people haven't told…well, pick a person, any person- me, Emma, probably even Mayor Mills! I guarantee you, at some point in every person's life, someone has tried to tell them what they can and can't do. It's one of the more awful aspects of humanity, but the trick is- not letting that stop you. No one knows what you're capable of, not even you- not until you try it. So you just gotta do what you feel is right, do what is right for you and those you love, and give it 100%. If you are sincere and work for it, you'll find allies suddenly pop up when you least expect them," Ada grinned, "That's how Emma and I found each other."

"Really?" the girl asked, blinking back tears of a different nature.

"Yeah, listen," Ada leaned forward with a grin, "You need anything, you call me or Emma; we'll help. Granny can tell you where my room is, and Emma's staying with Mary Margaret- who is super sweet. You need help? Ask us, we'll help. If you need Emma to punch someone for you? She'll do it. Trust me," Ada winked, "She loves punching people."

Meanwhile, across town at the Mayor's mansion, Regina was preparing to leave for a council meeting. "I know you think otherwise," she told Henry as she put in her earrings, "But I don't enjoy these Saturday city council meetings. Sometimes they're just unavoidable. Now, you know the rules?" she confirmed, looking at her son.

"Yes on homework, no on TV, and stay inside," Henry recited obediently.

"Good boy," the mayor grinned, before sternly adding, "Under no circumstance do you leave this house."

"You mean don't see my mom," Henry back talked, frustration evident in his tone.

"She's not your mother," Regina corrected him, "She's just a woman passing through. Now do as I say or there will be consequences," she gave a point before turning to leave out the door, "I'll be back at 5:00 sharp," she reminded him.

Left alone in the empty house, Henry immediately grabbed his backpack and left.

Ada helped carry the last of Emma's boxes into Mary Margaret's loft.

"I'm so glad my stuff is here," Emma sighed.

"You and me both- now you can stop borrowing all my shirts," Ada grinned. Mary Margaret handed both girls each a plate of food.

"Thanks," they both replied, immediately digging in voraciously.

"So, is that all your stuff?" Mary Margaret asked, looking at the few boxes stacked before them all.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, looking over at her boxes then back to Mary Margaret.

"She means you're pretty much a vagabond you have so little stuff," Ada replied, stuffing food in her mouth.

"No," Mary Margaret immediately protested, "oh, no, I didn't mean anything like that, I just- I mean- is the rest in storage?" she asked.

"No, this is it," Emma replied defensively, "I'm not sentimental."

Ada snorted into her food.

"Well," Mary Margaret said, "I guess it does make it easier when you have to move."

Before anyone could say anything more, there was a knock on the door. Mary Margaret went to opening it, revealing Mr. Gold standing on the other side, with a small gash on his forehead.

"Ms. Blanchard," he said, nodding at the brunette woman, "Is Ms. Swan here?" Emma got up and moved to the doorway, Gold smiled slightly when he saw her, "Hello, my name is Mr. Gold," he told Emma, "We met briefly on your arrival."

"I remember," Emma nodded, and Ada moved to the door as well.

"And Ms. Ward, nice to see you again," Gold added upon seeing her, "Good, I have a proposition for you, Ms. Swan. I need your help. I'm looking for someone."

"Really?" Emma asked, looking at Mary Margaret uncomfortably, "Um…."

"You know what?" the brunette jumped in, seeing Emma's distress, "I am going to jump in the bath," and she walked away, leaving Emma and Ada with Mr. Gold.

Ada's one eyebrow raised as her prickings acted up. She swallowed reflexively, trying to remain impassive.

"I have a photo," Gold said, handing Emma a picture. Ada peaked over her sister's shoulder and recognized the girl they had met at Granny's earlier that day. "Her name is Ashley Boyd," Gold continued, "And she's taken something quite valuable of mine."

"So why didn't you call the police?" Emma immediately questioned, suspicious.

"Because uh," he shrugged and smiled slightly, "She's a confused young woman. She's pregnant, alone, and scared. I don't want to ruin this young girl's life, but I just want my property returned."

It all sounded very…civilized to Ada, whose prickings were going haywire. She took the picture from Emma, subtly meeting her sister's eyes, trying to communicate her uneasiness. Emma gave a slight nod.

"And what is it?" she asked Gold, referring to the stolen property.

"Well one of the advantages of you not being the police is discretion," Gold smiled again, "Let's just say it's a precious object and leave it at that."

Ada looked askance at that remark- she doubted it was any illegal substances Gold was talking about, and her prickings flared up again.

"Wouldn't it be easier for us to find her if we know what she took?" Ada questioned the man, "Furthermore, Mr. Gold, it seems to me that a girl in Ms. Boyd's position is going to be mightily afraid of you. It might be easier to get your object back if we were to ask for it rather than handing the girl over to you."

"We?" he asked, "Ms. Ward, I'm only asking for Ms. Swan's services, you need not-."

Ada cut him off, "Emma and I work together. You ask for her, you get me as well. Packaged deal."

"When did you see her last?" Emma asked, realizing they wouldn't get anything out of Gold about the object.

"Last night. That's how I got this," he pointed to the gash on his forehead. "It's so unlike her. She was quite wound up," he continued, "Rambling on and on about changing her life. I have no idea what got into her. Ms. Swan, please just help me find her. My only other choice is the police, and I don't think anyone wants to see that baby born in jail, now do they?" Ada tensed and the subtle indication that Mr. Gold might just know more than he was saying about Emma. Ada swallowed in an attempt to keep her stomach down, which was rebelling as her prickings went wild.

The jab, however, obviously got to Emma, who responded, "No, of course not."

"So you'll help me then?" Gold asked.

"I will help her," Emma stated clearly.

"Grand," Gold added with a smile, turning to go, when the door opened again.

"Hey, Emma, I was thinking we-," Henry cut off and went quiet when he saw Mr. Gold.

"Hello, Henry, how are you?" the pawnbroker asked, grinning down at the boy.

Henry answered nervously, "Okay."

"Good," Gold's smiled widened, "Give my regards to your mother, and um," he turned to look at Emma and Ada, "Good luck, Ms. Swan. Ms. Ward."

With that he left.

"Do you know who he is?" Henry asked both women as the continued to stare at the door.

"Yeah, of course I do," Emma responded, her eyes dashing to Henry.

"Who?" he asked excitedly, "Because I'm still trying to figure it out."

"Oh," Emma responded, "I meant in reality."

Henry was already looking at Emma's boxes, "Is that all you brought?" he asked.

"It's all she owns," Ada corrected the boy.

"Henry, what are you doing here?" Emma asked, tired of people picking on her things, or lack thereof.

"My mom's gone till five," Henry told the girls, grinning, "I thought we could hang out."

Emma's shoulders slumped, "Aw, kid, I wish I could. But there's something I gotta do."

They all trooped out to the street, after Ada left Mary Margaret a note that they were on a job.

"Please let me help," Henry begged.

"No," Emma immediately denied, "No, it could be dangerous."

Henry raised an eyebrow and asked skeptically, "The pregnant maid is dangerous?"

"She assaulted Mr. Gold," Emma shot back.

Henry grinned, "Cool."

"This isn't a game. She's desperate," Emma tried to tell Henry.

"How do you know?" Henry asked, still incredulous.

"Because I know," Emma immediately replied, not expanding on that statement.

"Henry," Ada tried to reason with him, "The thing is- she's alone and pregnant, seeing a kid around might just freak her out more. Emma and I met her this morning, so she'll probably feel more comfortable around us. She won't want to talk about her problems in front of a ten year old. She's frightened-,"

"Well, then let's find her," Henry said, marching to Emma's bug. The two sisters followed.

"Oh no, no, no, no," Emma told the boy, "There is no "let's". You cannot come with me."

"Then I'll look for her myself," Henry fired back, arms crossing, knowing he had the upper hand.

"Then I'll find you and I'll bring you back," Emma returned.

"Then you wouldn't be helping the maid," Henry grinned as he verbally checked Emma.

"I am just trying to be responsible here," Emma groaned.

"And I'm just trying to spend time with you," Henry replied, getting into Emma's car. Making both women wince at each other.

Emma muttered, "Oh, that is really not fair," getting into her bug.

"So the maid," Henry cheerfully began, "What's her story?"

November 12, 2011 Continued

"So," Emma asked Ruby as they all stood outside of Granny's- watching a tow truck slowly lower Ruby's car to the street. "This boyfriend of hers- you don't think he was involved in her disappearance?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, disgust in every line of her face, "Uh, that would mean he was involved with her at all, which he isn't. He left her in the lurch right after they found out they were expecting. Hasn't spoken to her since. Like I said- he's a-," Ruby was suddenly distracted from her righteous anger by her car being dropped with a thud on the ground. "Hey- hey- hey, Billy!" she shouted at the mechanic, "Be careful! You almost shattered my wolf thing, Billy," she pouted, indicating a crystal red wolf charm hanging from the car's rear-view mirror, "It's good luck."

The mechanic smiled and placated the girl, "I'm sorry Ruby, but look- it's fine."

"Um, Ruby-," Emma attempted to get Ruby back on track, "What about her family?"

"Um," Ruby considered for a moment, "She's got a stepmom and two stepsisters that she doesn't talk to."

"Wait," Henry interjected before Ada could say something uncomplimentary about certain denizens of Storybrooke, "Stepmom, stepsisters, and she's a maid?"

Both Emma and Ada could see where this was going and interrupted the boy, "Henry, not now," and Ada continued in an undertone, "You might break our cover."

Henry quieted quickly with that.

Ruby looked amused at the three of them, before becoming serious again, "Look, I don't know what you've heard, but it's wrong. Everyone thinks she's not ready to have this kid, but she's trying. Taking night classes, trying to better herself, trying to get her life together. Can you understand that?"

Emma darted a look to Henry before answering, "I think so."

Ada examined Ruby, "You know something, Ruby?" the waitress looked at Ada expectantly, "You're a very good friend." Ruby awarded Ada with a beaming smile, giving a little shrug.

The brunette turned back to Emma, though, "Then maybe you should just stay out of it. She's been through enough already."

Emma sighed, "I've been through it, too, Ruby, and I can help her," Emma assured her.

Ruby studied Emma for a moment before nodding with a sigh, "Then try her ex."

"Where can we find him?" Ada asked.

"He lives with his dad," Ruby told them.

"I think maybe you should wait in the bug for this one, kid," Emma told the boy as they pulled up in front of the Herman household.

"What?" the boy asked, "But you let me help interview Ruby!"

"That was Ruby," Emma explained, "This man- he might not be that nice a guy, so I want you to wait in the car on this one."

Henry pouted and looked beseechingly at Ada to be his ally.

"I'm with Emma on this," Ada said, "Besides, I can't curse in front of you, and from the sounds of things- I'm gonna want to cuss this guy out."

Henry's lips tugged up in a grin he didn't quite want to show, trying to maintain his pout.

"It's decided, kid," Emma said, getting out of the bug. "Just wait here, we shouldn't be long, and you can keep us in sight at all times."

Ada leaned back into the car to offer a suggestion, "See if you spot any suspicious activity in the neighborhood, Henry- you never know. Spot anything, and shout for us."

Henry nodded and practically glued his eyes to the window, already on look out.

Emma and Ada approached the front door of the house just as another car pulled into the garage. Emma knocked on the door and it was opened by a young man- probably Sean.

"Can I help you?" he asked, looking between the two women.

"Sean Herman?" Emma said in her most serious bails-bond-person voice.

"Yeah. Who are you?" the boy's eyes kept darting back and forth between Emma and Ada.

"I'm Emma Swan, and this is Ada Ward. We're- we're looking for Ashley Boyd. She's in trouble. I just thought maybe she came to see you-," Emma was cut off by the man who exited the car, storming up at them.

"My son doesn't have anything to do with that girl anymore, so whatever trouble she's in, I am sorry for, but there's nothing we can do to help you."

Ada decided she didn't like Mitchell Herman there and then.

"You're the reason he broke up with her," she hissed, Emma nodding her head, having already come to the same conclusion.

"Absolutely," Mr. Herman said, almost proudly, "I'm not gonna let my son throw his life away over a mistake."

"But it's ok for the girl to have to deal with it? Because your son obviously had no hand in the 'mistake' she's in, right?" Ada crossed her arms and stood toe to toe with Mitchell Herman. Emma sighed- Herman had to be at least two feet taller than her friend, and was by no means scrawny. Not that Ada would've taken that into account.

"I don't like what you're implying, Miss-," Herman gestured for her name.

"Ward. Ada Ward. And I thought someone should have the guts to tell you to your face that you're a pompous, misogynistic asshole, who apparently doesn't trust his son to make his own decisions and has no human feeling for a girl who is totally alone in this world through no fault of her own. Actually- the reason she's alone is you, Mr. Herman. I hope you're very proud of your boy- abandoning a woman and running away from a situation he helped create, leaving her trapped. Because she can't very well run away now can she? I guess you must be proud, since you're the one who told him to abandon all principles and take the coward's way out."

"Oh?" Herman questioned, his chest puffing up as he went toe to toe with the tiny redhead, though Emma noticed Sean had cringed and looked away at Ada's words, "And what were they supposed to do? Raise it in the backseat of a car?"

"Some people only have the backseat of a car," Emma immediately jumped in, feeling defensive.

"And they're to be pitied- I'm not letting that happen to my son," Herman's face was beat red and he was on the verge of shouting.

Ada decided to push him over the edge, her voice lowering, tone completely even, and Emma knew her sister was pissed, "Actually, Mr. Herman, you could've supported your son. Helped him and Ashley. Helped your grandchild. But I guess, had Sean made a decision you didn't agree with about his life, you would've kicked him to the curb then. The only reason they would've been stuck with a backseat would've been, again, you, Mr. Herman. Seems to me that it may have been Sean and Ashley who got pregnant, but this whole situation leads back to your doing."

"Dad," Sean cut in before Mr. Herman could really began to yell- or even take a swing at Ada (he looked about ready to), "Maybe we should help them look."

Mitchell Herman turned to his son with a glare, "It's a waste, Sean."

"Sean," Emma tried reasoning with the boy, "If you want to come, come. Stop letting other people make decisions for you. If Ashely runs away with this baby, she's gonna be in some serious trouble."

"She's running away with the baby?" Sean seemed shocked.

"No," Ada sarcastically replied, "She's running away from the baby- like you did," Ada dropped the sarcasm and continued, "Except Ashley would never do that, would she, Sean?"

Emma knew Ada was fired up over this- she always got a red-hot temper when she thought people were being abandoned by those who should stand by them. She was especially sensitive when it came to women and children. At nineteen, Ashley was almost both in Ada's eyes. Trying to get a handle on the situation before Ada went into an all-out brawl with Mitchell Herman, Emma grabbed her sister's wrist in an attempt to get the redhead to hold back some of her anger and let Emma take the lead.

But before Emma could add anything else, Mitchell Herman barked out his orders, "Sean. Inside. Now." The man turned back to Emma and Ada, "Listen, if I knew where that girl was, I'd tell you, believe me. I went to a lot of trouble to get her that deal."

"Deal?" Emma asked, "What are you talking about?"

"You don't know?" Herman's eyebrows rose, "Ashley agreed to give up the child. And she's been paid very well to do so."

"She sold the baby?" Emma was in shock and Ada was practically vibrating.

"You do realize the selling of human beings is illegal?" she hissed at Herman.

"Oh, you make it sound so crass," Herman objected.

"Is there any way it doesn't?" Ada practically yelled.

"I found someone who is going to give that child a proper home," Herman yelled back at her.

"And tell me, Mr. Herman," Ada was hissing again, and Emma was suddenly reminded of a cat- hissing and spitting at whoever dared piss it off, "What adoption agency did you go through? Was there a thorough background check? A home visit? Did you do these things yourself? Or did you just leap at the first opportunity to make this whole situation disappear as quickly as possible so that Sean could forget anything about Ashley Boyd and their baby? Who are you to judge what a person is capable of providing for their child? What gives you the right to make a decision for that girl?"

"Oh look at her," Herman sneered, "She's a teenager, and she's never shown any evidence of being responsible. How could she possibly know how to be a mother?'

"So you're the expert in what it takes to be a mother?" Ada fired back, "And did you ever look for evidence of her responsibility or did you just assume that at nineteen she had everyone handed to her her whole life? That she lived high and easy? Let me tell you something about Ashley Boyd, sir," Ada walked up again into Herman's face, "She's been going to night school, studying her ass of. She works at Granny's, trying to save up money, because she has no family- she is on her own. As the only person responsible for taking care of herself, I'd say she's got responsibility aplenty. But you don't give a damn about that or about that baby. You want to make what has become to you an uncomfortable situation and make it all disappear like it never happened. You don't want to risk Sean seeing Ashley with their baby and realize that you strong armed him into abandoning his child. You don't want to risk Sean regretting it and going to Ashley, offering his support. You don't want to risk your own parenting being called into question. After all "What kind of father raises a boy who gets a nineteen year old pregnant?"" Ada mocked, "Mitchell Herman, this situation has nothing to do with Ashley, the baby, or even Sean. It is all do to with you and your ego."

"Look," Herman's teeth ground in his jaw and he spoke through them, "I'm gonna say this once and then you are going to get off my property, I found someone who's going to pay Ashley extremely well, someone who is going to see to it that everybody's happy."

"Not everyone, Mr. Herman," Ada said over her shoulder as she pulled Emma away with her, "Just you."

"You do realize- Gold?" Emma asked Ada as they reached the Bug.

"Oh," she hissed, "I realized. I knew my prickings were bad with him for a reason."

"You can't double-cross Gold," Henry told them, eyes wide, "No one's ever broken a deal with him."

"I'm very happy to be the first," Ada gritted out, still beyond incised, "And this isn't a deal- it's a child. Gold won't have a leg to stand on. Birth mothers have the legal right to change their mind at any time before the baby is placed in a new home, and some states even have some time afterwards to allow the mothers to change their mind. Same with birth fathers, provided they haven't forfeited rights to the baby beforehand or waited too long. No contract signed before the birth is legally binding until afterwards."

"Wow-," Henry stared at her, "How do you know all that?"

"Ada's a child advocate," Emma explained, "She helps out kids and parents- sometimes she even arranges adoptions, so she's gotta know her stuff."

"And I'm mighty annoyed with how no one in this town seems to follow adoption laws," Ada growled.

"Huh?" Henry asked, not having heard the last statement from where he was sitting in the back.

"Nothing," Emma immediately responded, fixing a wide-eyed-stare at Ada, who had accidentally revealed her suspicions on the legality of Henry's own adoption. "But Ada's right. Anyone who wants to be a mother should damn well be allowed to be one." With that, Ada was somewhat separated from her anger, feeling her sister's pain at those words. Emma had desperately wanted to be Henry's mother- she just thought Henry deserved someone better to call "Mom." Ada reached a hand over and gripped her sister's where it rested on the gear shift, before quickly withdrawing it. She and Emma weren't usually very touchy-feely, but the subject of Henry, even before the boy showed up on their doorstep, was always an exception.

At that moment Emma threw the Bug into park, right in front of Granny's. Ada wasn't the only one angry, and Emma was about to have some serious questions for Ruby. She hated not knowing things about a case she was working on- and every detail was important with stuff like this. If she didn't know Ashley's full situation, how was she supposed to help her?

"Why didn't you tell me she sold the baby?" Emma immediately asked when she found Ruby at the counter, only noticing in her periphery how Henry and Ada had followed her.

"Because I didn't think it was important," Ruby responded, clearly feeling a little phased by Emma's wrath, controlled though it may be.

"Really?" Emma suggested, sarcasm heavy in her tone, "Considering that's the reason why she's running away?"

"Look," Ruby began, trying to get Emma to understand, "Ashley's my friend. I don't like the idea of people judging her."

"God, Ruby," Ada sighed, "We are the least likely to judge Ashley out of this whole town, but we can't help her unless we know what's going on with her!"

Emma at that moment noticed Ruby's crystal wolf sitting on the counter of Granny's. "Ruby?" she asked, eyes still stuck on the red wolf, "Where's your car?"

Ruby was silent.

Ada groaned, "Oh, god, you didn't send us to Sean to find her- you sent us to give her a head start."

"Look, I'm only trying to help her," Ruby defended.

"Yeah? So are we. Ashley's in more trouble than you know, Ruby. Where is she? Don't make her deal with Gold without us."

"Ruby," Ada added, "She legally doesn't have to give up the baby, but if she doesn't know that and gives birth before we can tell her, I can't guarantee what will happen. The deadline is when that kid pops and she's due any day!"

Ruby's eyes went wide, before her eyes darted to Henry and back to the women, "I can't talk in front of him. He's the mayor's kid."

Ada was once again left wondering how the mayor had so much fear over this town- considering so far she wasn't even involved in this case, but Ruby still wouldn't risk it reaching her ears.

"Hey!" Henry protested, "I'm on your side!"

Emma turned to the boy immediately, seeking to solve this as fast as possible. "Henry," she whispered to him, "I need to find this woman, and in order to do that, I need you to go home, okay? So please, listen to me- seriously. She's not gonna tell me anything while you're around."

Henry's shoulders slumped but he nodded, "Okay."

"Thank you," Emma told him on a sigh. Henry turned and left the diner, but Ada and Emma's eyes followed him.

"He doesn't have any friends," Ada murmured, remembering what the mayor had told them at the start of this crazy week.

Emma and Ada exchanged a look, before forcing themselves to put the issue aside for the more immediate problem- a heavily pregnant woman on the run, scared, with no idea of her rights.

"She left town," Ruby told them as soon as Henry was out of sight, "Said she was gonna try Boston. Thought she could disappear there."

"How long ago did she leave?" Emma asked, knowing it would be easier to find Ashley en route to the city than there. She'd be able to do it- hadn't failed to find anyone yet (except for two, very personal cases), but she wanted Ashley somewhere safe, with Ada to help her and guide her in her rights.

"About a half an hour," Ruby told them.

"C'mon," Ada said, already running to the car, "She couldn't have gotten far."

The two women dashed into the bug and buckled up, and Emma floored the car as fast as she dared. The car was silent, both of them focused totally on their goal.

"So, what did she tell you?" Henry popped up in the back seat, causing both women to jump and Emma to swerve the car slightly.

"HENRY!" Both women shouted. Then began to talk over one another.

"What the hell? I am going to Boston-," Emma began.

"That was so dangerous- you could've made us crash the car! What were you thinking?" Ada scolded.

"You can't come," Emma told him, holding firm.

"Why aren't you home? Do you want Emma arrested for kidnapping?" Ada continued to scold, but Henry had latched onto Emma's words.

"You can't go to Boston, she can't leave! Bad things happen to anyone that does," Henry's eyes were wide and insistent.

Emma sighed, stress getting to her, after this, she promised herself, she and Ada were going to have three bottles of wine. "I don't have time to argue with you over the curse. I've got to get you home."

"We have to stop her before she gets hurt. We're wasting time. If you drop me off, you'll never catch up to her," Henry reasoned, "Henry-," Emma sighed, trying to interrupt, but Henry bowled her over, "And then Mr. Gold will call the police, and he'll have her sent to jail."

"Okay-," Ada interrupted, holding her hands up like she was trying to hold off a fight, "Easy solution- Emma, stop the car, I will walk," she sent a glare at the ten year old, "Henry home, and you go find Ashley. Text me when you find her, and I'll meet you wherever."

Emma pulled to the side and let Henry and Ada out before speeding off again. Henry pouted, clearly thinking he was missing out on an adventure, and Ada stood before him, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

"Henry," she began, pointing forward, "March."

Henry marched.

After a few moments of quiet walking, Ada sighed and began to try discussing the situation calmly, even though she still wasn't feeling very calm. "Henry, I realize this probably sounds like an adventure to you. More importantly, it was an adventure you could be with Emma on-," Henry opened his mouth to interrupt, but Ada help up a hand, "No. I'm talking, then you talk. We take turns, no interrupting. So there's no miscommunication. Now- like I said, I realize why you wanted to help on this. You want to help because you're good boy, who doesn't like to see people upset or sad. Or not getting their happy endings," she gave a soft smile to her sister's son, "But the fact of the matter is, you were being very selfish today. Ashley doesn't need a ten year old listening to her problems about her baby- she wouldn't feel comfortable talking in front of you, and we talked about this before, but you insisted on coming along. You distracted Emma and me from our job- helping Ashley. Because we were trying to keep an eye on you, we weren't able to keep an eye on Ashley as much. Now, that's not your fault. We should've insisted on you going home. So it's everyone's blame. But- that last stunt? Hiding in the backseat? That was very irresponsible. You could've startled Emma so much she crashed the car- and you weren't wearing a seatbelt, don't think I didn't notice. And if I hadn't been here to walk you home, and had Emma been forced to drive half-way to Boston to get Ashley? Mayor Mills could have had Emma arrested for kidnapping you. The priority for today wasn't you spending time with Emma- as much as Emma wishes she could make that a priority, today the priority had to be Ashley and her baby, and you weren't putting them first. It's not your job to, but when Emma and I tell you "no," I promise you, it's for a good reason."

Henry was quite for a few moments, his ears red, "Does she really want to spend time with me?" he whispered softly to his shoes.

Ada melted, hard as she tried not to- she needed to keep a clear head dealing with Henry, she had to be the responsible adult. "Of course she does, Henry," Ada paused for a moment, considering what to say next, "You know Emma gave you up for your best chance. That should tell you an awful lot about how much Emma loves you- she wants the very best for you. That's why she's still here. She's making sure that you have the best. I'll tell you something. Once, more than a couple of years ago, I got Emma very drunk."

Henry giggled slightly, just as Ada had intended with that statement.

"Of course," she grinned, "I might have been more than a little tipsy myself. But when grown ups get drunk they talk an awful lot, and sometimes a bottle of wine is the only way to get Emma to talk about anything. But that one night, she told me something I will never forget."

"What?" Henry asked, still grinning from the idea of a very drunk Ada and Emma.

Ada smiled down at the boy who so much had her sister's smile, "She told me about you. Told me about how much she hoped you had. How much she hoped you were loved. How she hoped you never even thought about her because you were too busy being happy with the people who had adopted you. And then she told me that there was nothing- absolutely nothing- in this world that she loved as much as you."

Henry's eyes were wide and his grin was lost in a shocked expression, "Nothing?" he whispered to Ada.

"Nothing," Ada confirmed with a nod, "And she means it. She will do whatever it takes for you, Henry- including giving you up. Now, she may not show it, but that's because she's scared."

"Scared?"

"Scared. Everyone gets scared, Henry, the feeling doesn't just magically go away when you grow up."

"I know," the boy confirmed, "I've seen plenty of people scared of my mom- but I didn't think Emma would get scared."

"Of course she does, because Emma's brave. "Courage is not the absence of fear. But the triumph over it." You can't be brave without being scared," Ada told Henry. "So you need to give Emma time. She'll do what she thinks is best for you, but she'll try to keep herself a little distant. She's not doing it because of you, Henry, it's because she's afraid. Ask Emma to face down a criminal? No problem. Ask her to deal with feelings? She's a big scaredy cat."

Henry nodded and was quiet for a minute, "So. What do you think of me?"

Ada peeked at the boy out of the corner of her eye, he was facing her, eyes locked on her face, but she thought she saw his fingers twitch a bit- a sign of nerves.

Courage- not the absence of fear.

"I think that you're a wonderful boy," she told him, "I think that you care about everyone so much you want to fix the world so it's a place where no one ever suffers. I think that you're brave, and kind, and funny, and quite a troublemaker. I think sometimes you don't think things through all the way- like hiding in the backseat," she gave him a slight glare and he had the decency to look sheepish, "But I think that, all around, you're probably the most amazing ten-year-old I've ever met. And, considering I work with kids all day every day for a living- I've meet a lot of ten-year-olds."

Henry smiled and applied his focus back to walking.

They were walking up Mifflin Street when Emma texted Ada, telling her she had found Ashley Boyd and they were at the hospital- Ashley's baby was coming now.

"Henry," Ada said, "Despite what happened today I'm going to trust you to walk the rest of the way home on your own. Ashley's having her baby and I need to get there to help her."

"You know my mom's not home till five, right?"

"She left you till five?" Ada repeated, distracted by that.

Henry shrugged, "Council meeting. She gets them sometimes on the weekend. But," Henry added, seeing Ada's look as she remembered the original purpose of this conversation, "I'll be home, you help Ashley."

Ada smiled and gave the boy a kiss on the head, "Good boy."

With that she turned around and ran (high heels be damned- she was not letting Gold get away with bullying Ashley Boyd out of her rights) to the hospital.

She walked in out of breath, but Emma saw her immediately and pointed to the room Ashley was in, already well into labor.

Ada insisted they let her in to see Ashley, and after arguing with the nurses for fifteen minutes, Dr. Whale shouted to just "let the damn woman in!" and Ada was beside Ashley, gripping her hand.

"Ashley," Ada spoke calmly, "Listen to me. You do not have to worry about a single thing but having your baby right now. Okay? I will deal with Mr. Gold. You are legally allowed to change your mind about your baby before it's born.

"Do you wanna keep your baby?" Ada kept her tone soothing.

Ashley sobbed a bit, labor pains along with all the stress getting to her, "Emma told me- ow!- told me I had to be ready. No running away," she took a deep breath and turned so her eyes stared directly into Ada's, letting the other woman see her drive, her sincerity, her pure need for her child, "I'm ready. I want my baby."

"Then your baby is yours," Ada told her, "So you better concentrate on what you're doing here, and if you want me here, I will stay here- I will only leave your side to kick Gold's ass. And you can trust me- I do stuff like this for a living. Okay?"

Ashley gave a strained nod, "I want you- could you-," she chuckled, "I guess guard the door? I don't want Mr. Gold to get anywhere near me."

Ada squeezed the teenager's hand, "Then he won't. I'll stop him in his tracks. You just focus on your job- being a mom."

Ashley smiled again, beautifully, "That sounds nice."

"Good," Ada grinned, "You'll be hearing it the rest of your life." With that she gave Ashley's hand one more squeeze and left the room.

She had a pawnbroker to deal with.

And what luck? Mr. Gold was already in the waiting room, Emma keeping the man away from the delivery room.

"A baby?" Ada heard Emma say, clearly incised, "That's your merchandise? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well," Gold smirked, "Because at the time you didn't need to know."

"Really?" Emma fired back, "Or you thought I wouldn't take the job?"

"On the contrary, I thought it would be more effective if you found out yourself. After seeing Ashley's hard life, I thought it would make sense... to you. I mean if anyone could understand the reasons behind giving up a baby, I assumed it would be you," Gold gave a smile.

"You're not getting that kid," Emma responded, after tensing at the implication in Gold's words.

"Actually, we have an agreement. And my agreements are always honored. If not, I'm going to have to involve the police, and that baby is going to end up in the system, and that would be a pity. You didn't enjoy your time in the system, did you Emma?"

Ada had had enough, "Actually," she began, stepping into Gold's personal space, determined not to show any weakness, despite the overwhelming urge to barf at the prickings racing under her skin. "You have no legal standing. A birth mother is allowed to change her mind at any point before the baby is born, so no contract before the birth is legally binding until afterwards. And I have several witnesses to Ashley changing her mind, including myself. Legally, Mr. Gold, you don't have a leg to stand on."

Emma and Ada stood side-by-side, their arms crossed, ready to do battle.

Gold sneered, "I like your confidence. Charming," he directed that last word at Emma, and Ada's prickings gave a jump, "But all I have to do is press charges. She did, after all, break into my shop."

"Let me guess," Emma sneered right back, "To steal a contract?"

"Who knows what she was after," Gold replied with a shrug.

"No jury is going to put a woman in jail for trying to protect her child," Ada told him, "Especially when it's revealed she wasn't properly advised of her own rights. Furthermore, I will call in every single favor I have to help that woman. And you may be a big fish in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold, but you're just a small-town pawnbroker in Boston and I have a lot of friends who are willing to listen to what I have to say about you and your treatment of Ashley Boyd. You may even get your law license revoked."

"You really wanna start that fight?" Emma added on. Nothing had ever managed to stop her and Ada together, and she doubted Mr. Gold was going to be an exception.

Gold gave a smirk, "I like you, Ms. Swan. Ms. Ward. Neither of you are afraid of me, and that's either cocky or presumptuous."

"I think you'll find those terms are better applied to yourself," Ada told the man.

He just continued to grin, "Either way, I'd like to have you on my side."

Both women were silent, knowing Gold was backed into a corner between the two of them.

"You see, ladies, contracts, deals- well, they're the very foundation of all civilized existence, so I put it to you now," he pointed to Emma, "If you want Ashley to have that baby, are you willing to make a deal with me?"

"What do you want?" Emma immediately asked.

"Oh I don't know just yet. You'll owe me a favor," the pawnbroker shrugged.

Just as Emma was about to respond Ada gripped her arm, stopping the words, "It seems to me, Mr. Gold, you have nothing we want. Ashley and her baby are in the free and clear. So what makes you think we owe you anything? Let alone a favor?"

Gold grinned, "Oh, very clever, Ms. Ward. No- I do have one thing. I may be a "small-town pawnbroker" but I am very powerful in this town nonetheless. And this town, well, that is where Miss Boyd and her baby are going to live. I can make it very difficult for them. All I'm asking, is for an inducement not to do so."

Ada's eyes narrowed, "There is nothing legal about this, and I could have you reported."

Gold smirked, "And where is your proof, Ms. Ward? Just your own word against mine. And I am a very stable citizen of small-town America, while you are a former foster child who might as well be a wandering gypsy with how settled down you are. Jury's going to love that. You may have the baby- but you haven't got me quite yet."

"Fine. But I'll owe the favor, not Emma."

"And why would I want that?"

"Why would you want Emma to owe you instead of me? I'm the one who really outwitted you."

Gold's smile was slow and considering, "True, Ms. Ward. Very true. Very well. Deal," and he offered a hand to Ada.

Skin crawling, she took it and shook it once, before turning on her heel and walking to Ashley's room, Emma on her heels.

As the two sisters walk into the room they see Ashley Boyd, holding a tiny baby swaddled up tight in her arms, looking tired by ecstatic.

"Hey," Ada smiled, waking in, Emma beside her.

"What's her name?" Emma asked, bending over to get a better look at the newborn.

"Alexandra," Ashley smiled, her eyes on her child, filled with wonder.

"That's pretty," Emma told the new mother.

"Gorgeous," Ada agreed.

"Thank you," Ashley looked up at Emma, "For getting me here. And thank you," she turned to Ada, "For helping me keep her."

Ada shrugged, "Hey, way I see it- you did all the hard work. I just argued a bit- and really, I consider that fun, so it was really more for me than anything."

Ashley laughed, eyes drawn back to her daughter like magnets. And really, Ada thought- that's the way it should be.

In a room at Granny's Bed & Breakfast, Regina Mills was getting dressed, speaking to the doorway that led to the bathroom, where someone was taking a shower.

"I have to go. Henry's expecting me home at 5:00," she said, straightening her clothes, "But I'll see you again, at the next council meeting. Oh, and don't forget, you left your socks under the bed."

With that, she left the bedroom.

Ada and Emma were still with Ashley, Ada helping Ashley to understand some of her legal rights and formulate a bit of a plan (as well as gushing over the baby's cuteness whenever they were in danger of being too serious) when someone knocked on the doorway.

Sean Herman stood in the doorway, and Ada's eyes narrowed at him, but when she saw the look in his eyes, and turned to see the look in Ashley's, she decided to let the girl fight her own battles this time.

"Well," Ada stood, "Emma, didn't we mention something about wine?" Emma stood as well from where she sat at the foot of Ashley's bed. "We'll see you tomorrow, Ashley. You still have my number, right?"

The blonde nodded, eyes still on Sean Herman, "Yes, yours and Emma's. Oh," her eyes darted back to the sisters as they were exiting the door. "And thank you again."

"Anytime," Ada said, and smiled.

Emma just shrugged before pulling Ada out the door with her, leaving Sean Herman, staring at his daughter, and Ashley Boyd staring at Sean Herman.

"Is that her?" the boy spoke for the first time.

"Sean-," Ashley began, but didn't know where to go with that.

Fortunately, Sean began to speak, his eyes flying up to look into Ashley's face, "I am so sorry. I never should have left you."

"You're back?" she asked, wanting to be sure.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I'm back. Here, I got her a present," he pulled some baby shoes out of a gift bag and the two laughed. "I don't know if they're going to fit," he shrugged.

"They're perfect," Ashley assured him, before the two kissed.

Ada watched as Emma dialed a number into her phone. Not sure what was going on, she merely raised an eyebrow as Emma spoke.

"Graham, it's Emma," the blonde sighed slightly, "I was thinking maybe some roots wouldn't be so bad. That deputy job still open?"

Across town, Graham smiled, "Absolutely."

"Then I'm in," Emma told him, "Regina gonna be okay with this?"

"I don't care," Graham told her firmly, "It's my department. I'll see you Monday morning."

"I'll see ya," Emma confirmed, and the two hung up. In Granny's Bed and Breakfast, Graham reached under the bed to grab his socks.

November 14, 2011

Ada sighed, standing outside the door and examining it. Pouting a little, she rolled her eyes before evidently deciding that she would be polite enough to knock this time.

"Miss Ward?" Archie Hopper said, having opened his door to see the redhead standing there, fiddling with the hem of her pale blue dress. Her heels were a pristine white and she shifted foot to foot in obvious discomfort. Dr. Hopper was feeling more than a little uncomfortable himself.

"Alright," Ada cut to the chase, "I still don't forgive you for turning on Emma and Henry like you did. You haven't done anything, as far as I'm concerned, to earn this forgiveness, but-," she swallowed a bit of her pride, "Emma is worried about Henry, and I worry about what Emma worries about so here I am."

"You want me to- talk about Henry? Miss Ward, I do have to keep some-."

Ada waved a hand, cutting the Doctor off, "I realize, doctor-patient confidentiality. I respect that, and so does Emma. Here's the thing, I'm not here to find out what Henry tells you or what he thinks about me or Emma or Mayor Mills. I'm here for advice."

"Advice?" the Doctor asked, before stepping aside so Ada could come into his office, "Well, I can usually help with that. Henry just left his own session, interestingly enough."

Ada nodded, sitting down on Archie's couch, looking out the window. "It's so quiet here. Especially for a girl who spent most of her life in cities," she gave the Doctor a small grin.

"Well," Archie sat across from her, "Henry agrees with you- he just pointed out to me that there are no crickets."

"Yeah," Ada remarked after listening for a moment, "That's odd- normally those are pretty standard. We even get a few in Boston."

Archie shrugged before coming back to the point, "So, Miss Ward- you wanted advice."

"Yes, and you might as well call me Ada, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other for as long as I'm in town."

"And, uh," Archie fixed her with a searching look, "How long will you be in town?"

Ada shrugged, "As long as Emma is."

"And how long will that be?"

"If we're counting this as a session- which I guess we could since I asked for advice, when does the whole doctor/patient thing kick in?"

"The moment you walk through the door, Miss Ward- whether you are a patient or not, so, please, feel free to say whatever you want and know I'll keep it to myself."

It was Ada's turn to give a searching gaze, "Very well. For Emma- she gave up Henry for his best chance. Ten years later he runs away and finds her, insisting she's a Savior who is going to bring back all the happy endings. Emma and I have both gone through the Foster System, we've both run away on more than one occasion. Kids don't run when they're happy, and the fact he's given her this title- Savior- and a job description that's fit for Superman, well, it has us worried. It seems to point in the direction that Henry is very unhappy with his life and situation here." Ada straightened on the couch, "Emma gave up Henry for his best chance. And so far, we have no evidence that Henry got that. Emma and I are going to stay here until we know that Emma didn't sacrifice the thing she loved most for nothing."

"And what would constitute "for nothing?"" Archie asked.

"Anything but Henry's best chance," the two adults were silent for a moment, letting the words hang in the air, "It seems like this entire town is terrified of Mayor Mills, including Henry. And while he may be frightened of her, the constant disobedience on his part suggests he doesn't respect her either. Granted, I don't respect the Mayor, everything she's done to me and Emma since arriving here has made me suspect her own mental stability, but she's done nothing to earn respect. She's a bully. I hate bullies. But for Henry, for her son, not to respect her but to also fear her? So much so that he creates a story about a Dark Curse cast over all the most beloved fairytale characters- people who represent hope, and happiness, and love- and about how they are oppressed, beaten down, by an Evil Queen who he stylizes as his own Mother? God, Dr. Hopper, that implies an awful lot of bad.

"Then to go searching so desperately for a way to find Emma, his birth mother- so much that he stole a credit card from an obviously well-liked teacher who he seems to respect and hold a high regard for, and single-handedly take himself through I don't know how many buses and taxis to make his way to Emma?

"Henry told us that he discovered Emma was the Savior and pointed at how the book named the Savior "Emma", literally. But he wouldn't have found out Emma's name until he had already started looking for her as his birth mother.

"It's just-," Ada sighed, "I'm a child advocate, right? And if I were to have a case like this come across my desk? I would have had Mayor Mills investigated so fast her head would spin. There are warning signs all over the place- Henry's belief in the curse only one of them. Henry said she left him alone for most of the day on Saturday. I mean, granted, Henry's ten, you don't exactly have to worry about him choking on baby food any more but he's still ten- he needs someone around if something were to happen or if there was some emergency or, god, just for company! His isolation? His lack of friends his own age? Even lack of contact with adults besides his own mother and then his psychiatrist who is paid for by his mother? All big giant red flags. Is Henry ever outside of her control? He's running away constantly, seeking out attention from anyone besides Mayor Mills, he's clearly rebelling against such a tight rein."

"You seem to be very focused on Mayor Mills' parenting of Henry," Archie observed.

"Well, how are you not?" Ada asked, "Seriously. Does none of this concern you at all? I'm focused on this, yes, because that's why Emma and I are in town- I'm focused because it's my job, I'm focused because there is a little boy- a wonderful, sweet little boy- who is in a lot of pain and no one else seems to be doing anything constructive about it!"

Archie swallowed, "What- uh- what do you suggest?"

"Tell me how you think Emma and I should treat Henry especially in reference to the curse."

"But-."

"No," Ada cut the therapist off, "I'm not telling you any sort of plans I might make. I'll tell you information relevant to our discussion and no further. You sold out Emma to Regina. Yes, you've apologized, but you have not made amends for that behavior. I am not willing to trust you with that yet."

Archie nodded, "Well, I suppose I can respect that. As for Henry- as we discussed, the curse is how he communicates."

Emma had (unsuccessfully) tried to ignore Ada's grin that morning when she had left for her first day of work as Deputy. And she had appreciated the fact her sister said nothing about the new job other than to wish Emma luck with her first day. Emma didn't really think she needed it, especially as most of the shift had passed with some instructions from Graham and only one phone call, complaining about noise from a neighbor.

Graham was nice, he made terrible jokes, but he was nice. And Emma could see herself enjoying working with him. However, that did not mean she was going to let him get away with this travesty.

"A tie?" Emma asked, holding up the uniform Graham had left out for her, "You know you don't have to dress a woman as a man to give her authority."

"So you think you can get people to do what you want in that red coat?" Graham asked, lips twitching with amusement.

"I'm getting you to do what I want right now," Emma bragged, tossing the uniform onto the floor.

"Well," Graham bargained, "At least wear the badge," he held it out to her, "Go on. Take it," Emma studied the star for a moment- looked at the shine on it, "If you really want to be a part of this community, you have to make it official."

As soon as Emma clipped the badge to her belt, the ground shook, causing a lamp to crash to the ground and the cabinets to rattle. She and Graham exchanged wide-eyed looks just as both of the phones started ringing.

Seemed like her new job was off to a rollicking start.

Ada stood beside Marco and Ruby at the sight of the mine collapse, and couldn't help but give a low whistle.

"I've got to hand it to your town," she told the two townsfolk, "Between me and Emma arriving, Mayor Mills attempted smear campaign against Emma, Emma hacking down parts of her apple tree, a coma patient waking up and going for a stroll, Ashley and Alexandra and all that drama- this town sure never gets boring."

Marco shrugged, "I don't understand it. Storybrooke has always been very calm."

"Like watching paint dry," Ruby chimed in.

"We must be bad luck for your town," Ada jokes and both Marco and Ruby gave a chuckle as they continue to stare at the hole left by the collapse.

Mayor Mills arrives in her car then, calling out orders immediately, "Everyone step back, please."

"Is that a crater?" Ruby asked Marco, peering down.

"No," Marco told the waitress, "There were tunnels, uh, old mines, something collapsed."

"Be careful," Regina continued shouting, "Step back!" Ada turned around to see Graham and Emma approaching- Emma with a Deputy badge on her belt.

"Howdy there, Sheriff," Ada called out to Graham, who pretended to doff a hat to her.

"Ma'am," he jokingly drawled, faking a Southern accent, to her amusement. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Sheriff," Regina stepped up to the group, "Set up a police perimeter. Marco, why don't you help with the fire department? Miss Swan, Miss Ward," her eyes rested coolly on Emma, "This is now official town business. You're free to go."

"Well, actually," Emma corrected, fingers lightly brushing up against her new badge, "I work for the town now."

Regina's burning eyes settled on Graham, who gave a small smile, "She's my new deputy."

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

"It's in my budget," Graham immediately began stemming possibly arguments.

"Indeed," Regina gives Graham a long look the turned to address Emma, "Deputy, why don't you make yourself useful and help with crowd control?" Emma took a look at her new boss, and, at his nod, went to go do so.

Ada piped up then, "Any orders for me, Madame Mayor?" she asked. Regina ignored the redhead and turned to the crowd, which Ada then went to join.

"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."

As she was speaking, both Dr. Hopper and Henry arrived, joining Ada where she stood.

"Well," Ada wondered, "She's certainly…enthusiastic. Shouldn't we just- clean it up before we start the campaign speeches?"

"Pave it?" Henry asked stepping out of the crowd, drawing everyone's attention, "What if something's down there?"

Regina leaned down, tugging on Henry's shirt as she asked him in a whisper, "Henry, what are you doing here?"

"What's down there?" Henry whispered back, his eyes suspicious.

"Nothing," Regina insisted, "Now step back. In fact, everyone," and she sent a special glare at Ada, "Please, please step back. Thank you. Let's go boys," that last was directed at the crew, but before Regina took another step she bent down, an odd expression on her face, and picked up a shard of glass. Ada's prickings came, causing goosebumps to erupt out on her arms. Regina slipped it into her pocket.

Henry, too, noticed the Mayor's preoccupation. "What's that?" he whispered to Emma who was setting up caution tape.

Regina was quick to direct her attention back to the ten-year-old, "Henry, enough. Listen, this is a safety issue now wait in the car," she turned to Graham and Emma, "Deputy Swan, Sheriff, cordon off the area," she ordered, gesturing.

Henry got out of his mother's car as soon as her back was turned and spotted Ada, Archie, and Emma all close by, "Hey, Archie," he called, beckoning the man and two women, "Over here." As the three came up to see what the boy needed, he looked over the three of them like a general about to issue orders, "This requires all of Operation Cobra... the three of you."

"I didn't realize I was in Operation Cobra," Archie said, sounding flattered.

"Of course you are," Henry told the man, as if it was obvious, "You know everything," he addressed all three adults, "We can't let her do this. What if there's something down there?"

"They're just some old tunnels," Emma denied, shaking her head slightly.

"I'm with Emma on this," Ada shrugged, "Tunnels collapse all the time, and they only get worse with age. These have to be decades old from what people were saying."

"They just happen to collapse right after you get here?" Henry asked them, his entire face showing his disapproval of their inability to connect the dots, he turned to Emma specifically, "You're changing things. You're weakening the Curse."

Emma was quick to refute that, "That's not what's happening."

"Yes it is," Henry insisted, sounding frustrated, "Did you do anything different today? 'Cause something made this happen." Ada's brow furrowed as she noticed Emma lightly touch her new badge, an odd look on her sister's face.

She'd have to ask about that later, then.

"Henry!" Came Mayor Mills' sharp tone, "I told you to wait in the car. Deputy, do your job. Miss Ward, whatever it is you're doing here, please conclude it." Archie started walking away while Ada rolled her eyes, going to help Emma and Graham with whatever they needed. Passing by Mayor Mills, she bumped into her, "Sorry," she muttered before moving on, placing something into her pocket.

"Dr. Hopper," Regina called after Archie, "A word, please?" Archie approached and waited, "Okay, we're done with this," the Mayor pronounced, her words cutting and full of bite.

"Uh," Archie began, unsure what she was saying, "Excuse me?"

"My son," she said, her voice tight with control, "We need a new treatment plan. Everything I do he thinks is part of some horrible plot. I can't cover up a safety hazard without him thinking I'm hiding something. How am I hiding something terrible in an old mine? How is any of this logical to him?" she questioned, her tone rising.

"He's got an amazing imagination," Archie said, trying to make the Mayor understand, but she cut him off before he could go further.

"Yes," she hissed, getting in his face, "That you let run rampant."

"Well," Archie tried to again explain, "I think it would be wrong to rip away the world he's constructed. I'd rather use it to try and get-."

"Sometimes I think you've forgotten. You work for me," Regina's voice was strong, a tone of steel, and Archie felt a few chills run up his spine, "You're an employee, and I can fire you. This is my town. You will lose your office, lose your house. I can cut you down to size until you're a tiny, shrunken little creature, and this," she grabbed and held up Archie's umbrella, his good luck charm, his favorite possession, "Will be the only roof over your damn head."

For a moment, Archie felt himself prepare to protest, hearing Ada's words in her head- how he had failed Henry. How Henry was his responsibility. How no one seemed to stand up for Henry against Regina. How Regina was a bully. His throat was building up with the words, brimming with them, ready to do battle for the child that was under his care.

"What would you have me do?" came out instead, and even as he cursed his cowardice, he waited for orders.

Regina stepped even closer to him, her lips curling in distaste, "You take that delusion out of my son's head- and you crush it." With that, she shoved the umbrella into Archie's chest, stalking off.

Ada lay in her bed at Granny's examining a piece of glass that she had picked out of Madame Mayor's pocket. She hadn't picked a pocket in years- it was nice to know she still could. And while she felt just a tiny twinge for doing it, she reasoned that it was just a piece of glass, Mayor Mills wouldn't miss it, and if she did- she'd probably just assume it fell out of her pocket at some point.

It was pretty, Ada'd admit, though she wasn't sure why it seemed to set off her prickings. Only faintly, but Ada had spent her whole life listening to them, and so she examined the glass.

It was smooth, and perfectly clear, thick, too, and bent slightly so it curved. It was good quality, Ada knew, but aside from that- nothing. Sighing, she went into the bathroom and opened up the cabinet. Tucking the glass inside the box of tampons for safe keeping, Ada went back to bed.

She had very strange dreams that night.

November 15, 2011

Ada sat in Mary Margaret's apartment, next to Emma as they listened to the sweet teacher unload her conscious. Sometimes, Ada felt a little jealous of Mary Margaret. After all- the woman was rooming with Emma, something that previously was a privilege that only Ada had been allowed. But it was times like these, when she saw how sweet the woman could be, that she felt guilty for her own petty jealousy, especially since having a friend other than Ada would be so good for Emma. Ada would do whatever was best for her sister, so she swallowed any jealous twinges, told herself that she was ridiculous and selfish if she indulged in it, and followed Emma's lead when it came to Emma's life.

"I am the worst person in the world," Mary Margaret confessed to them as they eat ate a S'mores.

"Really?" Emma said, an eye brow raised in tandem with Ada, "In the whole world?"

"If Katheryn was horrible it'd be easier, but-," she sighed. "She's so…nice." The teacher added a special emphasis to the word, causing Ada to grin a little.

"Nice?" the redhead asked.

"And what exactly would be easier?" Emma lead, peering up at Mary Margaret.

The woman's eyes darted too and fro before she shook her head and muttered, "Nothing."

"Nothing's a good idea," Emma said while Ada nodded. "You're smart, you know not to get involved with a married guy, it's worth the heartache," Emma counseled. "Trust me," Emma sighed, and Mary Margaret darted a look to the blonde.

"Not that you should ignore these feelings," Ada jumped in before it could get too heavy, "You can't help what you feel, but you can control how you act. Acknowledge the emotions, and remind yourself why you don't need them. Then, focus on something you do need- your students, your friendships, yourself. I recommend the last one," Ada grinned, "You're too nice. Need to tell people "no" once in a while."

Before they could get any farther, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Emma said, leaving the S'mores to go open it.

Henry stood there, sobbing, wiping his nose with his sleeve, "Kid," Emma breathed out the word, "What happened?" Henry continued to sniffle and Emma lead him inside.

"Henry?" Ada said, moving off the stool she was sitting on to make room for the boy. She motioned for Emma to put the boy there while she also exchanged a look with Mary Margaret. Understanding immediately, the teacher left the S'mores supplies out and went into another part of her apartment. Emma sent a flustered look to Ada- this was a test. A moment. To see how Emma would deal with a crying Henry was a big deal, and Emma never was sure of herself. Ada squeezed Emma's hand, leaning in to whisper into her sister's ear.

"You'll be fine, just hold him. Remember what you wanted as a kid when you were upset and give him that. Let him guide you. Relax and you'll do fine."

Ada brushed Henry's hair back from his face, "How about I leave you with Emma for a bit, hmm?" she asked the boy, leaning down slightly so she was on his level. Henry sniffled and nodded. "Okay, you need me or Mary Margaret- just call. We'll coming running."

November 15, 2011 Continued

Ada sat with Henry at Mary Margaret's counter as the brunette slid a full cup of hot chocolate- complete with cinnamon and a towering amount of whipped cream- to the still sniffling boy. 

"Think you can tell me what happened?" Ada asked as she gently rubbed Henry's back. Emma had calmed Henry down as much as she could before promising him she'd "see about that," and storming out of the apartment- clearly on a rampage.

"I don't want to talk about it," Henry muttered into his hot cocoa before looking up at the women, "Is it true that- that if I keep believing in the curse they'll lock me away?"

"What?" Ada asked, "Of course not- who told you that? Henry, we're not going to let anyone lock you away!"

The boy nodded, and took another drink of his hot chocolate, whipped cream sticking to the tip of his nose before Ada handed him a napkin and he wiped it away. "I should probably go home before she gets back," the ten-year-old muttered before hopping of his stool.

"You were home alone again?" Ada asked, her eyebrows coming together in concern.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow- bye, Ada- thanks for the hot chocolate Miss Blanchard!" and with that, he grabbed his backpack and flew out the door.

"Oh, I have such a bad feeling right now," Ada muttered before swiping her finger through Henry's unfinished drink and stealing a bite of whipped cream.

"What do you think happened?" Mary Margaret worried as she looked at the redhead whose eyes were still stuck on the closed door.

"Nothing good."

Ada picked up her phone as soon as she heard Emma's personalized ring tone (Sisters from the movie White Christmas because Ada thought she was hilarious and it always made Emma roll her eyes in exasperation) and almost immediately wished she hadn't when the first words out of Emma's mouth were: "Is Henry with you?"

Ada was very familiar with Emma, and all of Emma's quirks. She knew Emma hated being called "Ems" because it reminded her of Neal. She knew how Emma would grab her necklace (another reminder of Neal) whenever she was considering whether or not to trust someone and would decide ultimately not to. She knew every tone of voice and inflection Emma had.

That particular tone of voice was: freaked the hell out.

"No, he went home about five minutes ago. Why?"

"Shit."

"Emma," Ada dragged out the blonde's name.

"He must've gone to the tunnels then."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"I'll meet you there."

"No- it's just a thought- I need you to look around town for him and then meet me at the tunnels- Archie and I are going to check out the collapse now."

"Okay- I'll check his usual places, and meet you at the mines. If I find him, I'll call you right away."

"He's trying to find proof of the curse," Emma whispered, "Archie told him the curse was all a delusion."

"You mean he said that after he explicitly told us multiple times to never under any circumstances take away Henry's belief?"

Emma just sighed and hung up.

"Come on," Ada said to Mary Margaret from where the woman stood across the counter, wide-eyed, "Henry's missing- we need to go look for him."

"You said something about the tunnels?" Mary Margaret's voice was hushed in a sort of horror as she grabber her jacket and followed Ada out the apartment door.

"Let's hope that isn't what we think it is."

Ada rushed up to Emma where the blonde stood by the entrance to the tunnels as fast as she could on the rough terrain in her heels. She was beginning to think Storybrooke might require a change for her typical footwear if stuff like this kept up.

"Emma! We didn't find him, Mary Margaret is checking everywhere again- is he?" she couldn't even complete the question.

"Archie went down after him, the tunnels collapsed further, I called in help- the workers should be here any minute," Ada came to a crashing stop by her sister, gripping tightly to Emma's arm in order to prevent the blonde from going into the tunnels herself, like Ada could see her itching to do.

"We'll get him out- they'll be safe," Ada promised, but both women knew how very little promises actually counted for.

They stood guard over the entrance with Archie's dog, Pongo, beside them.

Ada never really considered herself an optimist. She always labeled herself as a realist and was quite proud of it. But now, oh now she wished for optimism. Longed for it. Or rather, wished Emma had it.

"Archie is smart," Marco told the group gathered around the mine entrance as Pongo continues to bark while Ruby holds him back, "He'll keep the boy safe until we get to that." Ada nods absent-mindedly as Graham and Marco flank her and Emma. Regina stood by the workers, rolling her eyes as the dog continued to bark.

Maybe optimism isn't all it's cracked up to be, Ada considers as the ground shakes from the worker's efforts.

"Watch out!" the workers yelled as everyone stumbled away from the falling rocks.

"Stop! Stop! You're making it worse!" the Mayor shouted as she stormed up to Emma and the others.

"I am trying to save him," Emma told the woman, stomping her way towards the Mayor. "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!"

Ada went over to one of the workers as Emma scolded the Mayor, "What more can we do?" she asked him quietly.

The man shrugged, "It's not stable enough for us to open a wide entrance and we don't have enough man power to work quickly here."

"We have to stop this. Arguing," Ada heard as she turned to see Emma approaching the Mayor, "Won't accomplish anything."

"No, it won't."

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

The Mayor turned to look at the blonde, "Help me." The group all gathered around to discuss options, "We need to find someway to punch through the ground. We need something big."

"Like what?" Emma asked.

Marco had an epiphany "Explosives."

"You have explosives on hand?" Ada asked, wide-eyed.

Ada crouched down and covered her ears as the explosion rocked the ground further. As soon as the sound faded, Emma dashed under the caution tape and raced into the smoke. Watching as her sister vanished into the grey dust, Ada held her breath. Slowly, she saw Emma's shape become clearer and clearer as she returned from the entrance.

"Did it work?" Regina shouted.

"It didn't open," Emma said, her shoulder slumped in something like defeat.

"Then what did it do?" Graham asked the question everyone was dreading.

"Okay," Ada said, crossing under the tape herself and pacing towards the dust and debris, "We need a new plan, let's see what we've got."

Regina raced towards the workers, "What was that? What the hell was that?! You said you could do this!" 

"Madame Mayor," Emma tried to pull her away.

"They could've killed my son!"

"I know," Emma said, placatingly, "But this is not helping."

"If we knew exactly where they were," Marco told Ada as she pulled one of the workers to the side to discuss options, "We could drill down to them," Ada tried to block out Pongo's barking as she listened to Marco. "Maybe, maybe rig something to bring them back up." Ada stopped listening as she saw Emma release Pongo from where he was sitting in the fire truck.

"Emma?" she asked.

"It's Archie's dog!" she shouted back as she followed the dalmatian, "He's found something! Look- this is where they must be. What is it?" Ada jogged over to see a metal covering of some sort.

Graham and Marco removed it to reveal a metal grate, "It's an air shaft," Graham explained.

"It's narrow," Ada said, examining it, "But someone could fit down it."

"So, what's next?" Madame Mayor asked the group.

"We need to lower someone straight down," Marco cautioned them, "Or the line would collapse with the sides of the shaft."

Graham joined them, "I've got the harness."

Regina gave a nod, "Lower me down," she ordered.

"Oh, no way. I'm going," Emma immediately objected.

"He's my son," Regina snarled.

"That's not the point right now- the point is who is going to be able?" Ada cut in, "You've been sitting behind a desk for ten years, Emma's been physically active with her job- she's got the best chance."

Regina took a step into Emma's personal space, and for a moment, Ada thought the woman was actually going to threaten her, "Just bring him to me," Regina said with a stern look towards the blonde.

Emma nodded turning towards Graham who helped her put on the harness.

Never having been particularly religious, Ada found it sort of odd she was wishing she did actually believe in some sort of higher power. Some sort of deity that would keep people safe. That would make this work.

But, she supposed, if there was such a god, then Emma wouldn't have had the childhood she did, and Henry wouldn't have been in this mess to begin with.

She studied the Mayor from the corner of her eyes- the woman was frantic, as any mother would be with a child in danger, but Ada couldn't help but still distrust her. Love, in Ada's opinion, was not enough to automatically make someone a good person. Everyone loves somebody- even the worst people in history loved someone at some point. Loving someone did not redeem you. Hitler loved his mother. An extreme example, no doubt, but it carried Ada's point. Regina Mills still gave Ada the worst sorts of prickings, and despite her obvious love and worry over Henry's safety, Ada wasn't sure she was a fit mother. She left Henry alone for most of the day, most days it seemed, she appeared to keep him isolated and obviously controlled Archie like a puppet with strings. In fact, she seemed to have most of the town attached by strings, and played with them all for her own purpose. 

No, love was not enough to redeem a person.

And Ada hadn't missed what lead to this whole debacle- apparently, at Regina's insistence, against Archie's own expert opinion, the Mayor strong-armed the therapist to attempt to strip Henry of his belief in the curse. Henry, seeking to prove something, dashed into the tunnels to find whatever he could.

Worry about his physical status aside, Regina didn't seem to hold much concern of Henry's mental status except in how it related to her.

Ada's attention was quickly diverted back to the air shaft where Emma had gone down in search of Henry and Archie. A rumbling sound and the faintest sound of shouting floated up from it, causing Ada to take an unconscious step forward. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as the workers slowly pulled up on the rope, and Ada crossed her fingers and wished again she believe in some sort of god to pray to.

But gods weren't necessary as the entire group let up a cheer when Emma and Henry became visible and then Archie as well. Ada laughed and jumped in her heels, giving a quick hug to Ruby, who stood by her, and every construction worker within reach before running up to her sister, who was being dragged out of the ground with Henry clutching to her like a lifeline.

Regina quickly pulled Henry into a hug of her own as the boy kept his eyes and whole body turned towards Emma even as the Mayor drug him over to a waiting medic. Emma's eyes didn't leave Henry as Graham pulled her upright and Ada flew over to her before tackling the Deputy with a hug.

"Oh my god please never scare me like that again!" Ada shouted through her, apparently, unstoppable smile as Emma responded to the hug. Ada noticed Archie and Marco sharing their own celebration off to the side as Emma let go of Ada to go check on Henry.

"A good day, huh?" Graham asked her as the continued to bask in the jubilation of the crowd of heroes.

"Hey, you okay?" Emma asked Henry, crouching down to look at him beside Regina.

Ada's smile started to fall, though, when she heard the Mayor coolly tell Emma, "Deputy, you can clear the crowd away," as she used one arm to push Emma to the side.

"As good as we could get, I guess," she muttered to Graham before walking over to Emma, who looked crushed. Guess the peace between adoptive and birth mothers was only contingent on how long Regina needed Emma.

"Thank you, Dr. Hooper," Regina told Archie with a large smile as Henry was lead away by medics.

"I- uh- I have something to say," the therapist said, turning to walk to a slightly more private area to talk with the Mayor. "I'm gonna continue to treat Henry and I'm gonna do it my way," Archie told Regina.

The Mayor's smile immediately dropped and her voice went completely even. "My relief at his safety hasn't change a thing, Dr. Hopper. You will do as I say, or you-"

"Or what?" Archie interrupted, bringing the Mayor up short. "You'll ruin my life? You'll do your worse? Because I will always do my best." Archie concluded in a calm tone, sounding at peace.

"Don't test me," Regina warned coldly.

"Oh, I don't need to, because you're gonna leave me along and let me do my work, in peace."

The Mayor gave a sarcastic, disbelieving smirk, "Really? Why is that?"

"Because someday, Madame Mayor, you may find yourself in a custody battle," Regina's face went still with shock, "And you know how a court determines who's a fit parent? They consult an expert, particularly one who has treated the child. So, I suggest that you think about that and you'll allow me to do my work and let me do it the way my conscience tells me to." And with that Archie walked off, ignoring the Mayor's narrowed eyes and taunt expression.

"You really scared me," Emma told Henry later in the evening as she waited with him beside the collapsed mine, taking the moment that Regina wasn't watching to spend some time with Henry. She reached out and grasped his hand, looking at him carefully.

"I'm sorry," Henry offered contritely.

Noticing that Archie, Marco, and Ada were all ready to go and approaching the two, Emma cleared her throat, "Gentlemen, and lady," she added with a nod to Ada, who still somehow managed to look put together in her heels, skirt and blouse in the midst of all the rubble and dirt. "Well, come on," she told Henry with a pat on his back, "Your mom wants to take you home."

"Hey!" Henry paused as he got up, "Listen!" The group all paused and listened around them. There was the murmur from the workers as they packed up from the day, a slight laugh from Ruby where she lounged on the hood of one of the rescue vehicles, flirting, and carrying over all that, the sound of chirping. 

"Crickets," Archie said with a smile towards Henry.

"They're back," Henry turned to look at Emma, "Things are changing."

Emma's eyes were wide as she looked towards Ada, who grinned.

"Well, you know crickets are supposed to be lucky. And I think," she added with a teasing glance at Henry, "We could use all the luck we can get."

Far beneath the group's feet, as they all mingled together in celebration, passing soda cans (and, in Marco's case, a flask), petting Pongo for being the hero of the hour, was a glass coffin with vines crafted over the lid in decoration.

It was missing a piece.

December 17, 2011

"Oh, this is going to be awkward," Ada muttered as she stood next to Emma in the Nolan home, waiting for David to arrive. The house was filled with people- most of whom David wouldn't remember. 

"Dr. Whale said it would be good for him- the smallest thing could be a trigger. But," she cleared her throat, "I'm kinda with you," Emma agreed in an undertone, "I couldn't imagine having to deal with a room full of people who I didn't remember."

"And then," Ada added, warming to the topic, "Having to have them talk about you like they know you and you should know them."

"Yup," Emma nodded.

"Awkward," concluded Ada while sending an uncomfortable smile towards some people nearby who she didn't know.

Henry wandered up to them as Kathryn led David, who was looking shell-shocked, into the house. "You know why he doesn't remember?" he told them in an undertone, "The curse isn't working on him yet."

While she understood she shouldn't disapprove of Henry's belief, Emma didn't want Henry bothering and potentially impeding David's recovery, so she attempted to stall a bit, "Henry," she reminded, "David has amnesia." 

"Which is preventing the curse from replacing his fairy tale story with fake memories," the ten year-old concluded. 

Before Emma could say anything more, Ada stepped in, "Well, if that's the case- what could we do to make sure his fairy tale memories come back but not the curse ones?" She was pretty confident stalling Henry by making him formulate a plan would buy them a little time to keep the boy from interfering with the amnesiac. 

"We just have to jog his memory by getting him and Miss Blanchard together," Henry told her confidently with a smile.

So much for that plan.

"Did we just try that?" Emma grimaced.

Henry nodded, "And it woke him up."

"Hey," David said, approaching them, "You're the ones who saved me, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Emma told him while Ada smiled and put a restraining hand on Henry's shoulder. 

"And, uh," the man muttered, glancing around uncomfortably, "You're the only ones I know here."

Ada bit her lip in sympathy. "If you want, you can say we're talking about different parts of town Emma and I have found to try and jog your memory so no one bothers you for a while?"

"Yeah," Emma added, "Hide with us."

The poor man's shoulders dropped almost to the floor in relief, "That's a relief, thanks." Seeing a tray of food nearby, David stabbed one appetizer with a sword-shaped toothpick and twirled it.

"So," Henry chimed in, watching David toy with the food, "You ever use a sword?"

Ada tried not to face-palm at the kid's question. "Subtle," she whispered to him as she bent to grab some food herself.

David laughed, though, "I'm sorry?" he asked, but Henry had let the question go, so David turned to the blonde, "Emma? You live with Mary Margaret, right? You know if she's coming tonight?"     

"No," Emma shook her head, while Ada tried to keep her face expressionless. Apparently, Mary Margaret wasn't the only one who was dealing with....feelings. "She couldn't make it tonight."

"She had a tone of papers to grade from her students, and last we saw," Ada chimed in, "She was settling down with some comfy sweats and a red pen. Very frightening for Henry, I'm sure."

"Oh," David disappointedly said, before turning to Henry in an attempt to keep up conversation, "So Mary Margaret is your teacher?"

Seeing an opportunity to chat up the woman, Henry grinned, "Yeah! She's my favorite teacher. She's really nice. Pretty...charming?" the boy added with special emphasis. Emma rolled her eyes and began to head to the kitchen to get a drink while Ada couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"Well," David told the two of them with a confused grin, "I think I've hidden for as long as I can get away with it, I'd better go," he gestured to the guests.

"Mingle," Ada added with a grin, "Go on, we'll stick around for a little longer if you need to hid out again."

David smiled at the two of them before stepping away, "Thanks," he told them one more time. Ada just waved him off.

"Many things you are," she told Henry, "But subtle is not one of them." The boy just gave her a cheeky grin.

"Did you see his face? I think something got him when I said "charming!""

"Either that," sighing Ada told him, "Or he thought it was odd for a ten year-old to call his teacher charming."

"Oh, that's why you said the subtle thing, huh?"

The redhead nodded. Before looking around, "Where did Emma wander off to anyways?"

Ada wandered into the kitchen, leaving Henry interrogating Dr. Whale on amnesia (she figured that served the Doctor right after how he had treated Mary Margaret on the disaster of a date she had confessed to Ada and Emma) and found Emma, Regina, and Kathryn all standing looking awkward. Regina was glaring balefully at Emma (surprise surprise), while Kathryn, poor woman, just seemed out of sorts (understandable considering her husband who she had been estranged from had now apparently come back with a severe case of amnesia) and Emma just looked downright uncomfortable.

"Have you seen David?" Kathryn asked Ada as she approached the scene.

"Not since the start of the party, really," Ada shrugged. "Maybe he stepped outside for some air. It's understandable. Probably a little overwhelmed."

Meanwhile, across Storybrooke, David approached Mary Margaret from where she was hanging a birdhouse outside, distinctly without comfy sweats or red pen. 

"Did you not get the invite?" he called out to her, causing her to turn and notice him. "You got Emma and Ada, who I thought told the truth almost brutally, to lie for you, you know."

The teacher was immediately flustered, "David."

He stood beside her, "Not that I thought you asked them to," David immediately stumbled over his words, "Here," he offered, taking the birdhouse out of Mary Margaret's hands and hanging it for her, "So I heard you resigned from the hospital," he started off, sounding far too casual in his attempt to ask the question he really wanted to know, "Was it me?" David gave up beating around the bush, obviously recognizing he didn't have the skill for it, "Because of what I told you? About how I felt. About you," he clarified unnecessarily while Mary Margaret blushed and tried to avoid eye contact. "Come on," he begged, "Don't tell me it's one-sided."

"You're married," Mary Margaret reminded him, "It should be no-sided."

"What is should be doesn't matter," he told her impassioned, "Whoever married Kathryn, it's not me. I didn't choose her. I'm choosing you. Now I know you feel it. I can tell."

Mary Margaret took a deep breath, trying to keep her head as David almost swept her off her feet, "I know you think that we have this connection," she carefully avoided her own opinion on the matter, "But maybe it's because I happened to be the person who saved your life?" she shook her head slightly before stepping away, "So why don't we leave it at that."

With that, she walked away, leaving David Nolan, Prince Charming, standing by the birdhouse. Alone.

"You might want to ease up or that Brillo Pad's going to press charges," Emma joked as she and Ada walked into the apartment to check on Mary Margaret. 

"The dishes were just piling up," the teacher tried to evade but Ada stepped up to the sink and took the sponge out of her hands and started putting away the plates.

Emma crossed her arms while she raised a single eyebrow, "This have anything to do with David stopping by? I saw him sulking away as we pulled up," she explained.

Mary Margaret got even more flustered, seeming not to know what to do with her hands, "We just, um, he just..." she trailed off.

"Yeah," Emma nodded, "I know what you both just. And you did the right thing."

"He made a pretty compelling case," Mary Margaret confessed as if ashamed.

"But he's still married," Emma reminded, "I know. I was just at the party."

"Okay," Ada interrupted rinsing out the sink before turning around to face the rest of the room decisively, "How about we examine that a bit- apparently at the time of David's accident they were estranged and going to get a divorce in all probability, so...I'm not sure if we can hold that against the poor man. Just because Kathryn wanted to reconnect does not mean David, if he had all his memories, would've wanted to. The reason he's with that estranged wife is because he has no where else to go."

Mary Margaret put her head in her hands, "What do I do?" she moaned.

Emma immediately offered one course of action, "You need to stop cleaning and have a drink," she grabbed the nearest bottle and began pouring, "Here's the thing," the blonde began, "I don't know a lot about relationships, other than having many that failed. But generally speaking, if you think something you want to do is wrong, it is. So, you got to stay strong, and he has to figure out his life. Cheers." They all drank.

"And," Ada said after they all swallowed a healthy amount of booze, "For a slightly less cynical interpretation, I, the realist, am here."

Emma snorted into her drink, "Realist."

"You, my most beloved sister," Ada pointed at the woman in question, "Are, contrary to your own belief, not a realist- you are a pessimist. I am a realist, so here's what I say," the redhead turned to face Mary Margaret, "If you feel a connection with this guy, that's great. Connections are fabulous- when you're reasonable about them. Here's the thing: right now, getting into a relationship with this guy is wrong. He just woke up from a coma; he has no memories of his previous life, but," she interjected with a pointed look toward Emma,  "He is not helpless or stupid. He knows how he feels; he knows what he believes to be right and wrong, all that important stuff. What he needs to do before you can be with him, if you so choose, is get his life somewhat together. I'm not saying regain his memories- he may never do that- what he needs is a job, a place to live that is not his estranged wife's house, and some sort of stability in his physical health. Then, should you both consent, and should his divorce papers be filed, you can be together. Tell him this," Ada added as she refilled the glasses, "And I say kudos to you both."

Mary Margaret grimaced, "But is it a good idea for me to make demands from him? Or to even see him to tell him this? I just...I feel so guilty," she looked desperately at the other two women for their help.

Emma shrugged, "Have a mediator then. Archie is a therapist; he'd probably tell you the same thing as Ada-,"

"Not all people who studied psychology agree, Emma," Ada interjected, but the blonde kept going without acknowledging it.

"But he'd be able to help make sure you guys are clear about what you want and need to be healthy."

"But," Mary Margaret's eyebrows came together in concern, "To actually hire someone and have to tell Archie I need him to help me talk to someone?"

"So have Ada do it," Emma waved it off.

"I can help mediate if you'd like," Ada agreed easily.

"Really, you'd be okay with that?"

"Sure," the redhead shrugged, "It's basically what I do for work except this time I'm working with adults instead of a kid and it'd be about amnesia and it's affect on a budding romance instead of child abuse or adoption or...well, ok, it's pretty different. But," she waved a hand, "Details."

Mary Margaret couldn't help but laugh at that, supremely glad that the sisters had decided to come to Storybrooke.

David wasn't laughing as he sat, uncomfortable, on the couch in a house he didn't own or feel like he knew, and tried to remember the various pictures Kathryn had presented to him.

"You look different," she told him, "Your hair. It's longer," she explained, "You used to always keep have a buzz cut. You used to complain that long hair was itchy. And hard to take care of."

David sighed as still no memory came, and he wasn't really sure he wanted the memories to come, "I guess it grew while I was in there."

"So," Kathryn said, standing, "I was going to go to bed. Do you want to join me?"

David was faintly alarmed, "Do you mean "go to bed" go to bed? Or go to bed?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable at the idea of sharing a bed with a stranger let alone....going to bed.

"Whatever you want," Kathryn tried to assure him.

If Archie or Ada were there, they'd have probably told him that as long as he felt uncomfortable or felt he didn't want to, he should sleep separate from Kathryn where ever he wanted or felt safe.

But they weren't, so he said, "Why don't we just sit and talk some more?" Kathryn leaned in and gave David a kiss, but he pulled back from it. "This isn't right."

December 18, 2011

"Good morning," Mary Margaret greeted Ada as she sat beside the girl at the counter at Granny's. Ada was already half-way through her breakfast and on her third cup of coffee when Mary Margaret walked in.

"Listen to this," she whispered to the teacher with a small gesture towards Dr. Whale, who was bragging to anyone who would listen.

"I'm a hell of a doctor, huh?" he immediately told Mary Margaret when he noticed her. "No way he wakes up on someone else's watch."

"And what life-saving measures did you take that woke up the man from a coma?" Ada asked from the other side of Mary Margaret, who fiddled with her newspaper, trying to hold in her laughter.

Whale, however, ignored Ada in favor of continuing his discussion with Mary Margaret "So I heard you resigned from the hospital. I hope it wasn't because of me."

Mary Margaret was genuinely confused, "Why would it be because of you?"

"Well, our date," Whale clarified. Mary Margaret had almost totally forgotten it in light of recent events. "I never called you after," Whale continued, "I know, I know. It's not classy," he valiantly ignored Ada's raised eyebrows and outright chuckles at him as he made an ass of himself, "And I'm sorry, but if you could find a way to get over it, you know where to find me. Have a good day." And with that, mercifully, he was gone.

Mary Margaret turned to Ada, who had not stopped her laughing, and couldn't help but join in.

"Stop," she warned the redhead, still giggling herself, "Stop it, it's not funny!"

"No," Ada nodded, calming herself enough to take another sip of coffee, "It's hysterical. Does he seriously think he gets a second date with you after staring at Ruby's ass the entirety of the last one? And making you pay?"

"Let's not even mention that date, please" Mary Margaret ordered turning to Ruby, "A hot chocolate, please." The brunette settled in her seat and opened up her newspaper. Just as her order came, Regina Mills stalked into the dinner.

"Ms. Blanchard," she called out, honing in on Mary Margaret like a predator looked at prey, Ada tensed, ready for a fight, "May I have a word?"

Ada would've told her to shove it, but Mary Margaret, ever polite, said, "Of course."

"I wanted to talk to you about my friend Kathryn. But more specifically," Regina continued, her eyes narrowed on Mary Margaret's face, "I wanted to talk to you about her husband, David." Ada held herself back, "You don't belong together," Regina continued without pause. "He's not yours. He's taken. Find somebody else."

"I haven't done anything," Mary Margaret protested before Ada could really get going, and she settled back to let Mary Margaret handle this.

"Really? So he just up and left his wife on a whim?" Regina asked incredulously.

"He did what?" Mary Margaret gasped.

"You don't know," the Mayor raised a single eyebrow in disdain, "Well, I suspect you soon will, so listen carefully, dear. Because it's in your best interest. Stay away. He's in a fragile state. He doesn't know who he is or what he's doing, and you're this close to wrecking multiple lives. So before you do something that can't be undone," Regina hissed, "Let him remember who he was."

"Woh," Ada said, having had enough, and Regina stopped from her first step to leave the dinner in her pre-planned huff. "Stop right there, Madame Mayor. Before you go off in your obviously self-righteous huff, let me clarify a few things for you," Ada hopped off her stool to stand toe to toe with the other woman, "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled you've managed to finally make a friend and you want to defend her, but let's review our facts here.

"First off, your accusations- and make no mistake, what you just said was not only threatening, but accusing- are groundless. Mary Margaret has only ever interacted with David Nolan as a volunteer at the hospital where he was and on the occasion where she saved his life- something I think you and your friend would be grateful to her for. All of these occasions occurred with either multiple witnesses in a crowded hospital or while he was unconscious. And yet, you would still throw blame at a woman who is not only a respected and well-liked member of the community but also a well-loved school teacher. So have the decency to admit it's not about your friend's marriage, but about your continued dislike for Mary Margaret as an individual.

"Secondly, regardless of any attraction to any other person, it is not necessarily the sole cause or even a cause of David leaving his marriage. Kathryn herself said when David first came out of his coma that he had left and she had told him to. Just because Kathryn wants a reconciliation does not mean that even if David had all his memories he would want one as well. Also, I think it is a travesty that the poor man has to live not only with his estranged wife but a woman who as far as he's concerned is a total stranger who keeps trying to be romantic with him and is desperately waiting for his memories to return. Which brings me to my third point- David Nolan may never regain his memories. So, if the man wants to divorce his wife, get his own home, get his own job, and his own life, that is his decision. If, once his divorce has finalized, he wants to date Mary Margaret or anyone else that is that man's business, not yours, not even Kathryn's. 

"Despite your inability to acknowledge that David makes his own choices, he is nonetheless an adult. He may not have his memories, but he is perfectly capable of making his own decisions, and if he's uncomfortable with Kathryn and wants not to return to the marriage he had, by Kathryn's own admission, already left he is allowed to make that choice. Treating him like a child is both insulting and degrading. So, keep to your own business Madame Mayor and stop attempting to drag Mary Margaret or anyone else you choose to dislike through the mud."

Ada, finally having run out of things to say on this, crossed her arms and stared down Regina, who was practically shaking in her fury. The entire dinner had gone silent, watching the show.

Ada had made an impression.

And it was true, Mary Margaret was well-liked. She was kind to everyone and loving. She even had a sweet smile for Leroy, who was standoffish and rude to everyone while perpetually drunk.

Watching Ada verbally lash out at the Mayor, slowly, an awareness began to trickle into some of Storybrooke's residents- Regina Mills was not all-powerful, and she could be taken. 

Feeling the tides turning, Regina left the dinner in an even blacker mode than she had entered it.

"Oh my god," Ruby said, staring at Ada, "Did you just tell off Mayor Mills?"

"I seriously want to know how the hell she wins elections. How many times has she won?" Ada turned to look at Granny, who stood by the register.

"Oh, she's always won," the elderly woman said.

"Well, someone must've been Mayor before her," Ada objected, "She's only about what? Forty? Tops? So you must've known the Mayor before her."

"It's, well, it's a bit hazy," Granny trailed off. Ada looked around the dinner; everyone was in a similar confusion. 

"None of you can tell me the name of the Mayor before her? Or how long Regina's been Mayor? Was she Mayor before she adopted Henry?"

"Of course we can," Archie assured her, "It was Mayor...oh," he stopped, "I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank. It'll come to me, I'm sure. It's on the tip of my tongue."

"Mayor Mills has always been Mayor," Ruby shrugged.

Ada was beginning to feel chills roll up and down her spine, and goosebumps broke out on her skin.

"Well, is there a library in town? I've finished all my books anyways, maybe I'll learn some town history."

"Oh, dear, the library's across there- the old clock tower, but it's closed down," Granny told her.

Ada looked out the window in the direction Granny had indicated. "How long has it been shut down?" she asked.

Granny shrugged, "It's always been shut down."

"Yeah," Ruby chimed in, "Ever since I can remember." But Ada was already staring out on the street, her eyes unfocused.

This was just too weird.

Ada approached the abandoned library, and took a quick glimpse up and down the street, only three Storybrooke citizens were wandering around- most people were busy at their jobs now that the lunch break was over or at home already, and the three who were wandering about were occupied by each other's conversation and hadn't noticed Ada. 

She quickly began to jiggle the lock in front of her, wishing her arm was finally out of the cast. Ada hated mysteries and between the inconclusive answers she had pestered out of everyone she had run across today (asking things like "how many years have you lived here?" and "how long has Regina been mayor?" "what year did you graduate anyways?" and the like and not getting a single definite answer) and the never-ending soundtrack of Emma's voice in her head saying "Henry says it's like a haze to them," she was getting both paranoid and majorly freaked out.

Emma probably would've told her she was being silly.

Emma also would've been lying.

Ada figured if she couldn't get a definitive answer out of everyone, she'd investigate every single corner of Storybrooke- every place she wasn't supposed to be, she'd look; every lock, she'd pick; every toe, she'd step on it. Especially if it was Mayor Mills' toes. She'd stomp on those particular toes.

The lock released with a soft click, and Ada quickly ducked into the dusty and dark library of Storybrooke. She took in the room slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the faint light trickling in through the newspaper-covered windows. Dust motes swirled in the air, and the smell of must and old books pervaded the air. Rows and rows of bookshelves spiraled out, their books still sleeping softly on their shelves, ghosts tucked away in between the pages. The desk was abandoned, covered in a thick layer of the dust that surrounded Ada and seemed almost to be the darkest part of the room. A few doorways lead to more books and shelves and dust, no doubt. Ada took one cautious step forward.

And another.

She wandered over to the first shelf- filled with novels, the next was as well. She sought out anything that looked like it might contain some sort of town history- she figured most libraries must have them, but there was none to be found.

She glanced over to the wall across from the entrance. The wall was basic wood, but it was carved and painted with a rolling meadow ground and a large tree trunk reaching upwards and turning into foliage that was made by a mirror, cut to the shape of the tree's top, reflecting softly the light that filtered through, and stars were carved hanging above it all.

Ada had a brief thought that it was a shame the library was closed. It was a beautiful piece of artwork. She wondered if perhaps Marco had a hand in it. Odd what a simple tree can become.

Ada was still jittery while sitting outside with Mary Margaret while she was a break during school hours. They had arranged for this beforehand, but Ada wasn't focused.

"So- do you remember how you meet Archie?" Ada asked. "I'll bet there's a story somewhere," she tried to play off her questioning.

Mary Margaret thought for a moment, "No, I just...it seems like I've always known Archie."

"You don't have any funny how-I-met-so-and-so stories?" Ada laughed incredulously, her voice unnaturally high despite her attempts to play off her nerves. "Come on- I'll tell you how I met Emma if you give me a funny how-I-met story in return. Everyone's got one."

Mary Margaret paused in thought for what seemed to Ada to be an eternity, "No, I don't. I guess it's the hazard of a small town- everyone knows everyone."

"But- not everyone. You never met David before? Not even when you guys were in school? You're not that far apart in age."

Mary Margaret gave Ada a searching look, "Listen, Ada, are you-" but before she could complete her question, she noticed someone walking towards where the two women sat at the picnic bench. "Oh, gosh, it's him."

"Him?" Ada questioned, "Him who?"

Mary Margaret gave her a look that clearly said Who else? and Ada turned to spy David Nolan approaching.

"You can't be here," Mary Margaret automatically told him, still feeling the after effects of the Mayor's talk despite Ada's staunch defense.

"I need to see you," he told her, looking at her intensely.

"David," Ada tried to get her head back in the game, "Why don't you sit down? Mary Margaret has somethings to say to you. And I won't let her get too off topic, hopefully."

"You're...staying here?" David asked, clearly uncomfortable about having a private conversation in front of the redhead.

Ada shrugged, "Don't think it'll be anything new to me- I've already heard her practice this speech about fifty times in the last twenty four hours."

David's attention was immediately focused on the tiny school teacher, and Ada might as well have been background as Mary Margaret took a trembling deep breath and began.

"Listen- it's true, I do feel a connection with you. But I want to do this right. Which means some things need to happen first. You've just come out of not only a coma, but a marriage and I realize," she interrupted before David could begin, "that your amnesia makes leaving that marriage slightly different from when most couples separate, but it's still something monumental. You have divorce papers to fill out- you are," she suddenly choked a bit, "You are divorcing right?" David silently nodded, eyes never leaving Mary Margaret's face as she took her life in her own hands, "Well, that's good. Well, not good, I mean- it's never nice to talk about divorce, but I don't want you-" Ada cleared her throat, "But divorcing Kathryn is just the first part of it," Mary Margaret sat straighter, her chin sticking out, her eyes beginning to gain some sort of spark that before had only been buried in there, "You need to have some sort of life on your own before you can be in a successful relationship. You need to figure out who you are now, with or without your memories, and become comfortable with yourself. You need to find a place to live and a job you like and whether you like hot dogs or hamburgers better and all sorts of things, and some of that you need to figure out on your own to make it really mean something. I-" she sucked in another breath for courage, "I would love...very much like to be in a relationship with you, but I want to do it right. So I'm saying...not yet."

"But yes? Yes but not yet?" David confirmed, and Ada, even still feeling the aftershocks of her freaky day, couldn't help but smirk a little at how his heart truly seemed to be in his eyes as he stared, unabashedly, with some sort of awe, at Mary Margaret Blanchard, in her sweet button down shirt, flowery skirt and pink sweater.

"Yes," she grinned, "But not yet. You need to figure out you first before we can figure out us."

The man gave a small chuckle, "Okay, I like that."

"Good," Mary Margaret practically whispered, as the last reserves of her bravery were spent, and she ducked her head down, failing entirely to hide her blush.

Ada said nothing, didn't even make a sound as she got up from the picnic table to leave the two idiots who were sitting there in the sunshine, smiling at each other without saying a word.

The recess bell would ring soon enough and snap them out of it; in the meantime, she'd make a strategic retreat.

There's only so much sappiness a girl can stand, after all.

She waited patiently within eye sight, but not within hearing range, as she watched the school bell ring and the two lovebirds jump up with a start. Mary Margaret quickly rushed over to Ada, grinning, "I've got to tell Emma!" she practically squealed as she grinned the widest grin Ada had ever seen on her face.

"After school's over," Ada told her, pointing her in the direction of her students.

"Yes," Mary Margaret came back to earth, "Yes, of course," but it seemed her head was still in the clouds as the teacher practically skipped into the school to finish her day.

"Sometimes," Graham's voice interrupted Emma's perusal of Storybrooke's police files. "The clichés are true."

Emma cast a suspicious glance over the box full of bakery goodies Graham was currently presenting her with a winsome smirk. "Okay, what do you want?"

Graham sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly, but still holding out the box, "Remember when I said no night shifts? I need you to work tonight. Just this once."

"Why?" Emma questioned further, sounding even younger than Henry as she whined.

"I volunteer at an animal shelter. And the supervisor is sick, and someone needs to feed the dogs," he raised his eyebrows and pouted in what no doubt he considered an irresistible puppy dog face.

Emma was by no means going to tell him it was.

"You're very luck you brought a bear claw," she muttered to him, taking the pastry.

At that moment Mary Margaret came rushing in, and Graham, seeing the impending conversation had little to do with him (thankfully), retreated to his office as Mary Margaret burst with her news.

"Oh, good lord- is this really happening?" Mary Margaret ended her tale with a sparkling smile and practically bounced where she stood.

Emma just smirked, "You tell me."

Ada examined the patrons of Granny's dinner before her. Aside from a few exceptions (Leroy), most citizens of the small town were very willing to talk with her about anything she might like.

Today, she was asking questions.

"Hey, Mr. Clark," she slides into the booth across from the drug store owner, "Maybe you can answer a question for me, it's been driving me nuts all day, and no one can answer it for me."

"Well," the man paused to sneeze as Ada considered the irony of a drug store owner who seemed to suffer from either the worst allergies she had ever seen or a perpetual cold, "I'll try."

She gave a grin, "Great. Now- here's the question, you ready for it?" the man nodded with another sneeze, "Who was the Mayor before Mayor Mills?"

Mr. Clark thought for about a minute (or five sneezes, two of which were in succession) before telling her, "I don't," he gave another sneeze (Six Ada had time to absently think) "remember. It's a bit of a haze."

Ada was really beginning to hate that word.

Emma drove through Storybrooke, patrolling for the night, bored. Until she noticed someone exiting the Mayor's house via the window. She pulled over immediately, her thoughts immediately flying to Henry, and exited the vehicle.

She had already given the shadowy figure a solid hit to the gut with her baton when she recognized who it was.

"This is volunteering?" she incredulously asked as Graham tried to pick himself up, groaning, off the ground.

"Plans changed. Regina needed me to-"

Emma cut him off there, "Sleep with her?"

"No," Graham denied, but Emma was, as Ada had described, "a human lie detector."

And that hurt- she had missed the lie Graham had sold her earlier. She had swallowed it, not even knowing it was false. She had blindly trusted him, and the last man who she didn't notice when he was lying to her-

Well, she would be on guard now.

"Why were you sneaking out the window?" Emma interrogated, but her voice wasn't hard like she would've liked, wasn't strong. She hated him a little bit for that.

Graham finally righted himself, one hand still braced against where he'd surely have a bruise tomorrow, "Because," he released a sigh, "She didn't want Henry to know."

Emma's jaw dropped, "You did this with Henry in the house?" her mind raced.

"He was sleeping," Graham justified, "He doesn't know."

"Oh my god. I wish I was Henry right now," Emma wanted Ada. She wanted her sister right then, and it was all Graham's fault. So he was going to pay. It was small considering he had made her feel the need to run to her sister, but she'd take what she could get. "This is disgusting."

What was really disgusting her was how quiet, how soft her voice was. She didn't want to scream, that would give too much away, just like this soft voice did, but she wanted her voice to cut. Each syllable with a hardened edge that would dig into him and attach like a burr and never come out.

"I really do work at an animal shelter," Graham whispered to her, his eyes begging her to stop looking at him like that, stop speaking in that soft voice, to just...stop.

Emma tossed him the keys, and he caught them on reflex. "You're finishing my shift," she told him, "I'm done working nights." 

And with that, she walked away, leaving him standing there in the dark.

December 20, 2011

The night after...the incident- Emma decided she needed a drink. A drink at a minimum.

She banged into Granny's on a mission, but, of course, Graham was there. And, of course, she almost walked right into him.

"Emma," Ruby gave her a small smile in greeting, "What can I get you?"

"Nothing," Emma quickly told the waitress, making a strategic retreat for the front of the dinner.

She was just about to grab the door handle when suddenly a dart thudded into the molding by her face.

She turned, already angry and about to get worse, "What the hell?" Emma's voice was relatively calm, all things considered, "You could have hit me!"

Graham held out both arms to his side and gave a shrug while approaching her, "I never miss. Have you been avoiding me? Ever since last night when you saw me-"

Emma cut him off, "Leaving the Mayor? And yes," she continued, hoping her words would cut, "That is a euphemism," she sighed and attempted to gain some control over the situation (and herself); "I'm not avoiding you, Graham. I just have no interest in having this conversation. It's your life, and I really don't care."

With that, Emma exited the dinner, her internal voice telling her retreat! retreat! 

But, Graham followed her. "If you don't care then why are you so upset?"

"I'm not upset!" but her voice was getting just on this side of shrill, and Emma hated it.

"If that were true," Graham caught up to her and dashed in front of her, halting Emma's progress, "You'd be at the bar with me having a drink and not running away," the words running away stung Emma slightly- they'd been used on her before.

"It's none of my business," she stepped around the Sheriff and continued on her way.

"Can we please talk about this?" Graham begged, willing to put his feelings out there in a way Emma never was, "I need you to understand."

"Why?" she whined, as Graham stopped her yet again with a quick touch on her arm.

"I don't know," he answered, looking about as tormented as Emma felt. "Maybe so I-I can understand?"

Emma held on tightly to her walls, "If you need analysis, go talk to Archie!" she threw her arm out, gesturing towards the Doctor's office.

"I want to talk to you," he told her, looking at her intensely. Emma tightened her grasp on those walls.

"Your bad judgement is your problem," she told him, starting to walk again, trying to get him to leave- leave like she knew he would once he had whatever he wanted or once it got too difficult or once something better came along. "Not mine."

"You don't know what it's like with her," Graham continued to chase after her, and part of Emma loosened a little at his persistence, his reluctance to let their friendship, or whatever relationship they had, go on with such a sour feeling between them, his willingness to try and work with her, and another part of her tensed at the mention of Regina, who suddenly stood between the two of them. No, that wasn't true. Apparently Regina had been there this whole time; Emma just hadn't been let in on the secret. And that hurt. "I don't feel anything. Can you understand that?"

"A bad relationship?" Emma countered. "Yeah. I understand a bad relationship. I just don't wanna talk about yours." And she didn't. Aside from the fact that Graham was her boss, someone she had thought was a friend, someone she had thought had considered her his friend, Regina was...it seemed dramatic to say her worst enemy, but it was the only descriptor Emma could think of. Regina was the person who mercilessly bullied Emma and her friends- Mary Margaret and Ada (though the last was rather unsuccessful because Ada would not be cowed); Regina was the person who stymied Emma's every attempt to interact with Henry (an understandable feeling, but Emma thought that Regina should put aside her own personal feelings for whatever was best for Henry, and the woman just didn't seem to be willing to do that); Regina was the one who manipulated events into making Henry think Emma thought he was crazy; Regina was the person who forced Archie into breaking Henry's heart by telling the boy he was delusional; Regina was the person who was still trying to run Emma and Ada out of town; Regina was the person that Ada (and Emma, though she tried to tamp it down, not wanting to consider it) was convinced was emotionally abusing Henry; Regina was the woman who seemed to have the entire town under her control, and Emma was never very good with authority figures, especially ones who appeared to be going unchecked. 

All of that suddenly was in between her and Graham, as thick as a physical barrier. And Graham had been someone she was willing to trust.

Emma didn't trust easily.

"Look, I know you and Regina have your own issues, and I should've told you about that before you took the job," Graham said, his hands spreading as if he wanted to hold them up in surrender.

"Yeah, why the secrecy?" Emma latched onto this, willing to discuss this topic. As long as it was quick. "We're all adults. You can do whatever you want."

Graham seemed tortured, and as much as Emma wanted to take a sort of satisfaction from that, she couldn't. "Because I- I didn't want you to look at me the way you are now."

"Why do you care how I look at you?"

"Because-" he seemed at a loss for words.

"What?" Emma repeated, sick of this whole interaction, wanting to get away from the whole...Regina of it all.

Graham paused for a moment, before reaching forward for her face, leaning in. He moved quickly, but not so quickly Emma couldn't have reacted, but her entire brain seemed to short-circuit even as his lips found hers.

But she found herself again quickly- just remembering what (or, rather, who) exactly she and Graham had been discussing. She pushed him off her, and he went easily, not trying to hold on, stumbling away from her.

"What the hell was that?" her pitch had gone up in shock.

Graham's eyes were wild, "Did you see that?" he asked, panting.

"How much have you been drinking?" Emma asked, knowing she had the slight taste of whiskey from his kiss. She wasn't going to hold a drunken kiss against him. Well, not too much. The man was still responsible for his actions. "That was way over the line," she told him.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head, sounding chocked, "I just-"

She cut him off, "What? You what?"

"I need to feel something," he confessed to her as if it were shameful.

"Listen to me, Graham," she quickly told him, "You are drunk and full of regret, I get it. But whatever it is you're looking to feel, I can tell you one thing," his eyes tracked her face, locked on her, Emma took a step back as the intensity started to get to her, "You're not getting it with me."

She walked off, leaving Graham standing on the corner. 

Ada will admit that she had been a bit...distracted today. Well, not so much distracted as freaking the hell out.

She had snuck...okay, broken into, the offices of the Storybrooke Mirror as soon as business hours were over.

What Ada had found was not exactly comforting.

She had pulled out the archived papers and dug through them, scanning, searching for anything out of place.

But everything had been out of place.

Newspapers that were dated as years apart had the same headlines, print, bylines, everything. There was no evidence anyone had ever worked at the Mirror aside from Sidney Glass for the past twenty years, and there were no papers older than about thirty years, when the Mirror apparently opened (which seemed odd to Ada- she'd have thought the newspaper would've opened long before that). The outdated computers contained no evidence, but what really freaked out Ada were the articles.

Up until Regina had done that smear against Emma, the paper, with the exception of the dates, was the same.

The same articles every day- there was one about Leroy being publicly intoxicated, about Graham having some sort of animal rescue charity thing- Ada barely scanned it. She sat on the floor, surrounded by newspapers, each exactly the same. 

Exactly the same, but for the tiny date in the upper corner that slowly ticked forward bit by bit.

Ada stood and mechanically put everything back in its place, leaving the building with the door locked behind her.

This couldn't possibly be real, she told herself, trying to ignore that inner voice, screaming at her.

Welcome to the Twilight Zone, her subconscious hissed at her.

Figures her subconscious would be so freaking sarcastic.

Emma hadn't actually said anything to Ada about...Graham and the Mayor. She was sure eventually she'd crack, but right now she was trying to convince herself that it was Graham's secret to tell and spreading it to Ada was wrong.

Or maybe she just didn't want Ada to make her really look at how the whole situation made her feel.

So she said nothing, and, had Emma been less occupied with her own inner thoughts, she would've thought it strange that Ada hadn't immediately picked up on Emma's inner turmoil.

Had Ada been less occupied with her own inner thoughts, she would've picked up on Emma's inner turmoil.

And had Emma been less occupied with her own inner turmoil, she would've picked up on Ada's.

As it was, both girls' heads were spinning. Emma bumped into Ada as she walked back to Mary Margaret's.

"Ada!"

"Emma! I am freaking out!"

"You're freaking out? I'm freaking out!"

"No- Emma- you're never going to believe this!"

"Graham kissed me!"

Ada was sufficiently diverted.

"What? He kissed you?" she paused and thought for a moment, "Was it any good?"

"Ada! That is not the point!"

"Emma, hot guy kissed you. I'm pretty sure that was the point. Or, you know, on its way to it."

Emma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Yeah, not in this case- he's been sleeping with Regina."

Ada's mouth literally dropped. "Ew."

Emma rolled her eyes again, "And he followed after me, I yelled a bit, then he tried to kiss me, and I pushed him off, told him to sober up and figure out his own bad relationships-"

"How long has this been going on?" Ada interrupted, "And when did you find out?"

"Last night," Emma sighed, "I was on shift, and I saw him climb out of the window at her house, and...," she waved her hand as if to gesture to the current situation, "I have no idea how long it's been happening- I didn't exactly want to know."

"Oh. My. God."

"Yeah."

"God, Emma- I'm sorry."

Emma automatically crossed her arms in defense, "For what?"

It was Ada's turn to roll her eyes, but she let it go- no need to push Emma on it tonight.

This was also clearly not a good time to bring up how they have potentially stepped into an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Well, crap.

December 21, 2011

That morning Emma descended the stairway and immediately spotted some flowers lying on the counter. 

To say she was angry was an understatement.

She quickly grabbed the offending flora and shoved it (maybe a touch violently) into the trashcan while sighing, "Really?"

"Oh! Hey- wait- what're you doing?" Mary Margaret asked, jumping into the room as Emma slammed the lid shut.

"If Graham," Emma told her, stalking away, "Thinks flowers will work on me," Emma left the sentence unfished.

"No, those," Mary Margaret grimaced and then continued, obviously resigned to her gift now inhabiting the trashcan, "Were mine."

"Oh," Emma turned from grabbing her jacket, feeling both guilty and a little silly for attacking flowers. "From David?" she questioned.

Mary Margaret gave a nod.

"I though you guys were doing the whole...he gets his life together first before anything happens?"

"Well, friends...send each other flowers sometimes," Mary Margaret attempted to justify.

"So how come you never send me flowers?" Emma teased.

Mary Margaret sighed, "I probably shouldn't have called."

"Really?" Emma looked at her, "The whole point was to let him figure out himself on his own, you're not supposed to be calling him."

"Well," Mary Margaret started adding sugar to her tea, barely noticing the heaping spoonful in her distraction, "I was wondering how his therapy was going- you know he has to get PT and everything, and since I'm not volunteering at the hospital anymore," she trailed off.

Emma said nothing, merely raised an eyebrow.

"Are we going to talk about the floral abuse?" Mary Margaret diverted the conversation back onto her roommate.

"What floral abuse?"

It was now Mary Margaret's turn to say nothing, merely raising an eyebrow.

"I don't get emotional- especially over men."

"Again, the floral abuse- tells a different story," the brunette countered. 

Emma sounded almost offended when she turned around to stare at the woman, "And what story is that?"

Mary Margaret couldn't help but smile a tad as her eyes followed Emma as she paced the room, getting orange juice in an attempt to distract herself. "The one that is obvious to everyone, except, apparently you," her face became confused, "That you have feelings for Graham. Oh, gosh, why isn't Ada here to explain this to you?"

"Come on," Emma protested.

"And there-" Mary Margaret pointed to the blonde, "There, you put up this...wall. To protect yourself." She said nothing more, merely retrieved her flowers from the trashcan.

"That's not a wall," Emma protested.

She received the most disbelieving look she was sure had every crossed Mary Margaret Blanchard's face, "Really?"

Emma slowly approached her roommate as Mary Margaret carefully placed the flowers in a vase, tweaking a stem here and there. "There's nothing wrong with being cautious," Emma softly said, her eyes on the flowers as Mary Margaret's hands seemingly danced among the greenery.