Beane Odette - Reawakened - A Once Upon A Time Tale

— But you told the truth — so now we can pick up the pieces. We can start over from a real place, — she said, feeling a tremendous weight lift from her shoulders. Despite the people around her, she stopped walking, closed her eyes, and let it sink in. Finally. Finally they could be together.

He seemed to take a strange pause before answering.

— Hey, I want to see you. Can I come by when you get done with school?

— Of course. I’ll see you then! And David? You did the right thing.

They both hung up.

When she opened her eyes, her smile became something different. First, it changed into a smile of confusion. Then the smile faded entirely.

Kathryn was walking directly toward her.

— Kathryn, I… — Mary Margaret began, but site wasn’t able to finish the sentence, because Kathryn wound up and slapped her hard across the face.

Mary Margaret saw stars for a moment as she recoiled, absorbing the blow. The many students — and other teachers — in the hallway went silent, seeing the slap. Suddenly, no one was moving. Everyone was watching.

— Let’s talk, — Mary Margaret said. — Not here.

— I don’t care about how embarrassing this conversation is for you, — Kathryn said. — What you did is unforgivable. Unforgivable. If I were you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. And the same goes for David. You two can have each other.

— Kathryn, — Mary Margaret said, — neither of us meant for this to happen. It was just something that did happen. And we knew that the only thing to do was tell you now, before it…

— Tell me? You think that’s what he did? He didn’t tell me. He lied to me all morning Said that we didn’t have a connection. Well you know what? He was right. We didn’t. Because he was too busy having a connection with you. — She snorted and shook her head. — He’s always been a coward. You should know that. It’s not like that’s going to change with you.

But Mary Margaret was too hung up on what Kathryn had said to notice her comment about cowardice.

— He didn’t — he didn’t tell you? — she asked.

— No, — she said. — He didn’t. And if he lied to you about that, too, good. Now you know what that feels like, as well.

That was apparently all Kathryn had to say. Without another word, she turned and stalked down the hall, back in the direction she’d come.

A little later that day, Emma, irritated, again stood out in front of Granny’s Diner — she was doomed to spend her entire life there, apparently — waiting for August to arrive.

She could not believe she had agreed to any of this. She heard the growl of his motorcycle’s engine before she saw him.

He came down Main Street from the west and pulled over beside her.

— Hi there, — he said. — Wasn’t sure you’d show up.

— I always keep my appointments, — she said.

He smiled, and gave her a spare helmet.

— Come on, — he said. — I want to show you something.

— You gotta be kidding me.

— What?

— Isn’t this a little… close for a first date? — she said, looking at the bike.

— I don’t mind if you don’t mind, — he said. — Come on. It’ll be fun.

Emma shook her head, sighed.

— Fine, — she said. — Drive safe.

They went east, on the road that led out of town, but before they came to the sign — the sign that was by now famous because so many people seemed to have vehicle trouble right around this point — August slowed and jerked the wheel, and they tore up into the woods. Emma grabbed him tighter when he made this turn, and she said, — Are you kidding me? I’m the sheriff! — but he ignored her.

It took only a few minutes to reach an open field. Another minute of riding and then August brought the bike to a stop and killed the engine.

They both got off, and he led her up to the hill to an old well. She’d never been out here before.

— Nice well, August, — she said. — You sure know how to turn a girl on.

— You’re disappointed? — he asked.

— When you said drink, — Emma said, peering down into the well, — I was pretty sure you were talking about alcohol.

— Next time, — he said. — This time, something more important. — He went to the well and reached for the old rope, then began pulling it up. — You know this well is supposed to be special? There’s a legend — it says that the water from this well is fed by an ancient underground lake, and that the lake has magical properties.

— Nice, — Emma said. — You sound like my kid.

— Smart kid, — he said. — The legend says drinking this water will return something to you. Something lost.

— You sure know a lot about this town, — she said, — for being a stranger.

— And you know very little for being the sheriff.

— Have you been to Storybrooke before, August? — she asked curiously.

There was something about this guy. It was like everything was a game. He pulled up the bucket. She saw that he had two tin cups in his pockets, and he set them each on the edge of the well. He poured a few swallows into each.

— I know this all for one simple reason, — he said. — I read the plaque.

He nodded, and Emma looked over at the plaque outlining the story. It was all right there. She grinned and shook her head.

— You really believe in magic, though? — she asked.

— I’m a writer. I keep an open mind.

— Sure, but magic?

— I believe in water, — he said. — Water is powerful. Cultures as old as time worshipped it. It runs throughout every land, connecting us to one another. What else would have mystical properties?

— A little evidence might be nice, — she said. — To support such claims.

— Evidence doesn’t always lead us to truth, — he said.

— Doesn’t it?

They stared at each other for a few minutes. Emma had to admit it — she felt a little electricity in the air. She didn’t want to, but she did.

He handed her one cup, lifted the other, and made a toast.

— You be the skeptic, I'll be the believer, — he said. — Either way, the water’s good to drink.

— Cheers, — Emma said.

— Cheers.

They clinked and drank.

Things were not so pleasant in other parts of Storybrooke. School was out, and Mary Margaret was walking home, still stunned by what had happened with Kathryn. Stunned as well by what she’d learned: David had lied to her. Not only had he been too afraid to tell the truth to his wife, he’d lied to Mary Margaret as well. He’d lied to them both to protect himself. And now more damage had been done than he could possibly undo.

How had she gotten to this place? After such a short period of time? It was only a couple of months ago that everything was… everything was okay, at least. But then Emma arrived, and David woke up…. She didn’t know. The world felt more awake and exciting than it ever had, but it was more dangerous, too. She wasn’t sure if she didn’t prefer the illusion of calm to a more authentic version of things.

She turned a corner, onto Main, and bumped into Granny.

She smiled.

— Hello, Granny, — she said. — I’m so sorry. I’m lost in thought.

— That’s okay, dear, I… — But Granny stopped her own apology when she saw who it was. — Oh. You.

— Excuse me? — said Mary Margaret.

— You should be ashamed of yourself, — said Granny, leaning toward her. She shook her head disdainfully, and Mary Margaret could not believe the amount of contempt in her eyes. — What you did is unforgivable.

— But I…

But Granny merely huffed, looked away, and continued down the road.

Head down, rubbing up against the edge of hopeless, Mary Margaret walked the rest of the way home.