Beane Odette - Reawakened - A Once Upon A Time Tale

— You sound like Henry, actually, — she said.

— Henry?

— He thinks that we’re all characters from his storybook, — she said. — And that we just can’t remember.

— What kind of storybook? — Graham asked.

— Fairy tales, — Mary Margaret shrugged. — Snow White and the dwarves, that kind of stuff. — She rolled her eyes.

— Yes, I know, — he said. — That boy. How insane.

Emma Swan was sitting with her feet up on the sheriff’s desk when Regina stormed into the office. Emma glanced at her and didn’t move.

— So wonderful to see you, Regina, — she said.

— Wonderful, — Regina said with disdain. — Doing your civic duty, then?

— I’m on break, lady, — Emma said, scowling at her. — What do you want?

— I want to make things clear, — Regina said. — To you. About Graham. Stay the hell away from him.

Emma absorbed this, wondering what Regina must have thought was true. Had word gotten out about the kiss? Maybe. Or maybe Graham had said something to her.

— He’s my boss, — she said finally. — And so I can’t. If you’re talking about what happened last night, — she added, — that was unsolicited. So I don’t know what to tell you other than telling you I’m not interested. You can have him.

— You’ve been disruptive since you got to this town, Ms. Swan, — Regina said. — If I were you, I’d be very careful that you don’t paint yourself as the town slut.

Okay then, Emma thought.

— Do me a favor, Regina, — Emma said flatly. — Get the hell out of my office. And don’t ever talk to me that way again.

Regina seemed satisfied that she’d hit a nerve. She smiled and left without another word.

Emma watched her go, locked the door, and did some paperwork for a few minutes, letting the irritation cool down. She was used to Regina barging in on her and saying incendiary things — that was apparently part of the job — but this time it was a little different. This time it was about her romantic life, not her son. Emma could see that Regina’s anger had a new edge to it this time around.

But it wasn’t just that. She felt something, too. Maybe Mary Margaret was right. Maybe she did have some kind of wall up. One so seamless that she didn’t even know it was there, much less see over it. Did she have feelings tor Graham?

She was shaken from her reverie a few minutes later by the sound of her son calling her name.

— Emma! Emma! — cried Henry, running into the station, his backpack flopping behind him.

— Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid, — she said, standing. — Calm down. What’s wrong?

Henry, panting pulled the backpack from his back and dumped it on the floor. — It’s Graham, — he said. — I think he’s starting to remember!

— Remember what, kid? — she asked. — Sit down. Catch your breath.

She got him some water, and Henry eventually sat down at her desk and gathered himself. Graham had been to see him, he told her. Been to see him to ask about the storybook and ask about the fairy tales.

— And what did you tell him? — Emma asked.

Henry looked down.

— Henry?

— I told him what I thought had to be true, — Henry said. — I told him that he was the Huntsman, and that those flashes he saw when he kissed you were flashes of him remembering that time.

— He told you about that ?

Henry shrugged.

— Yeah, — he said. — But I heard about it anyway.

Small towns, Emma thought. That solved the mystery of how Regina knew.

She didn’t like the idea of Graham, who was obviously not himself, running around town having visions of anything, and she certainly didn’t like the idea of him going to a child and believing what the child had to say about the intersection of fantasy and reality. Graham was potentially in the midst of a psychotic break, she realized. She had to find him.

— Where did you send him? — she asked.

— I didn’t send him anywhere, — Henry said. — I told him about how the Queen trapped him into a bargain and that she ordered him to go kill Snow White.

Emma furrowed her brow. In Henry’s universe, the Queen was Regina and Snow White was Mary Margaret.

— And why did she do that?

— Because the Queen killed Snow White’s father, and she knew that she had to get rid of Snow White as well. But she couldn’t do it herself because she couldn’t risk being found out. So she went looking around the countryside and found the Huntsman.

— Okay.

— That’s where the wolf thing comes from, — Henry said. — He loved them, and he had one as his friend. And Regina knew that, and she promised to protect the wolves if he helped her kill Snow White.

— And so what happened?

— He dressed up as one of Snow White’s guards, — Henry said, — and almost killed her, but she ran away. While he was chasing her, he realized he didn’t want to do it.

— How good of him, — Emma said, leaning back in her chair. She looked over at his backpack. — You really know these stories cold, kid, don’t you? You don’t even need the book.

— I know them all, — he said. She didn’t like the way he said it.

— So where did he go when you were done? — she asked.

— I don’t know, — Henry said. — He got really upset when I told him that the Queen stole his heart when she found out that he…

— So you don’t know where he is? — she said.

— All he said, — Henry replied, — was that he had to find that wolf. Before it was too late.

A wolf.

Sure.

Emma had seen one of those things. Once.

She was faster than he expected her to be — men were always underestimating her. She knew that she would not be able to outrun him forever, but she had enough time to do what she needed to do. After a few minutes of tearing through the woods, Snow White found a tree to hide behind, crouched low, and began composing the letter to the Queen. So long as she could say what she wanted to say, she could accept her death. So long as the message got through.

Within minutes he had found her. She had already completed the note.

She hardly looked up when he came around the corner.

Panting, he took her in, saw what she was doing, and shook his head.

— You’re running for your life and you stop to write a letter? — he asked. — I will never understand people. Royals or otherwise. — He raised the dagger.

— You would have caught me eventually, — she said, setting aside her quill and beginning to fold; the man paused. — This was a better use of my time. — She looked up and held the letter toward him. — Please deliver this to the Queen after you’ve killed me.

— What does it say?

— You can read it if you like, — she said. — It’s not a trick, — she added, seeing the skepticism on his face. — Read it first, then you can kill me. I’m ready.

Cautiously, he reached out with his free hand and took the letter. While he read her words, Snow White watched as he slowly let the dagger fall to his side.

And then, a surprise: She saw a tear in his eye. She watched as it trickled down his cheek.

Snow White said nothing.

The man stuffed the letter into his tunic.

— Take this, — he said, holding out a reed. — It will work as a whistle. Blow into it when you need help. Help will come.

— You’ re letting me…?

— Yes, go, — he said, straightening up. — I’ll buy you as much time as I can.

— But why?

— Run, — he said. — Don’t ask another question. Just run, girl.

Graham was running away from Regina’s house when Emma spotted him. She drove past him, back toward his truck, and parked, waiting for him. Soon he trotted up.