Beane Odette - Reawakened - A Once Upon A Time Tale

— So you think, — said Mary Margaret, not turning to look at Emma, — he was crazy?

Of course was what she wanted to say, but she knew that Mary Margaret was asking about something bigger. Emma had entertained the idea, if only for a moment, that it was all real, that Henry’s stories weren’t stories, but histories. Part of her longed for it to be true, but her better sense told her it was foolish. For the first time, though, Emma considered how desirable it would be for Mary Margaret to believe she had a daughter, and a true love, and a whole history that meant love in her life. Probably pretty appealing.

— I do, — Emma said quietly.

— Yeah, — Mary Margaret said, finally turning to look at Emma. — Me, too.

They got Mary Margaret to the courthouse in time, and not long after that, Emma was locking her back into her cell, her heart heavy. Things had not gone well — the judge had determined there was enough evidence to proceed with the murder trial. Mary Margaret wasn’t saying anything. As of now, she was still on the hook for Kathryn’s murder.

— We’re both exhausted, — Emma said. — You sleep. I’m going home to sleep. I’ll see you again in a few hours.

Mary Margaret nodded, her head down.

— Have faith, Mary Margaret, — said Emma. — Have faith.

Emma walked slowly down Main Street, her head fuzzy, her body used up after the adrenaline and excitement of the night at Jefferson’s mansion. Rather than tired, though, she felt tense and worried — she doubted she’d be able to sleep. She considered taking a walk, she considered heading back to the loll bridge in search of new evidence. Anything to spring Mary Margaret. But when she saw Henry sitting in the diner, having a morning cup of hot chocolate before heading off to school, she smiled and went inside. Sometimes the real world was too much.

— Hey, kid, — Emma said. — You’re a sight for sore eyes.

— I know what you’re doing here, — said Henry. — You came for story time.

— Maybe so, — Emma said, nodding at Ruby for a cup of coffee, and as Henry dug around in his book, Emma thought back to that moment with Jefferson, when he asked her to accept it. To believe that all the stories were true. She’d believed for a second while she pretended. And it had felt good.

— Have you ever wondered, — said Henry, — why Regina really hates Snow White so much?

— Yeah, — Emma said, not bothering to correct him and call Mary Margaret by her actual name. She was more interested in asking Henry about Jefferson, or the Mad Hatter, but she didn’t have it in her to encourage him. She was fine with him telling her stories, but the other way around made her the Mad Mother.

— It goes back a really long way, — Henry said, pointing to an illustration in his book. — It goes back to when Regina was a girl, when she was in love with a stable boy.

— Regina knows how to love?

— Ha-ha, — Henry said, but it wasn’t a laugh, and Emma thought: I am being too glib with this kid’s heart. Regina had raised him, after all. It wasn’t as simple as Emma wanted it to be.

— So what happened with this stable boy? — she said. — And what does it have to do with Snow White?

— Regina’s mom was really, really mean, — Henry said, — and she had magic. She started out as a peasant and married this rich lord guy, and she was determined for her daughter to be a queen one day. To have the ultimate power. And then one day, Regina was out riding and this little girl shot past on a horse, totally out of control. Guess who it was?

— Hmmm, — said Emma. — Snow White?

— Yes! — Henry cried. — And Regina saved her, and Snow White’s father, the king, was so happy that he proposed to Regina.

— Uh-oh, — Emma said. — Which meant the stable boy was screwed.

— Kind of, — said Henry, showing her a new picture: This one showed a young couple in a stable, both of them terrified, staring at an evil-looking woman. — Except Regina tried to say no and stay with the stable boy, and her mom killed him right in front of her.

Emma frowned.

— Jesus, — she said. — That’s awful. This book is really for kids?

— It’s for whomever.

— I don’t get why Regina would hate Snow White, though, — Emma said. — What’s the connection?

— Snow White accidentally told Regina’s mom about the stable boy, — Henry said gravely. — That’s how the mom found them up there. So Regina always thought that her one true love ended up dead because of Snow White.

— That’s… incredibly sad, — said Emma.

— I know. And do you know what makes it even worse?

— What?

— Regina didn’t tell Snow White that Daniel ended up dead. Snow White never even knew how bad it was.

She had more questions — Whatever became of Regina, then? What happened next? — but she was distracted by a commotion outside of the diner. A few people were running down the sidewalk, and a crowd seemed to be gathering across the street. Emma squinted and stood.

— Hold on, Henry, — she said, and she jogged to the door and headed across the street.

There were about twenty people gathered around something, but Emma couldn’t see what.

— What’s happening? — she said, coming up to them. — What…

She stopped short and stared, amazed by what she saw.

It was completely impossible.

But somehow, it was happening.

Kathryn, ragged and skinny and staring up at all of them, her face and clothes covered in dirt, was sitting in the middle of the alley.

Alive.

The ambulance arrived a few moments later, and Emma sent Kathryn on to the hospital. Before going herself, she had a quick errand to run. She went right to the police station.

Mary Margaret was asleep on her cot when she came in, but she stirred when Emma closed the door.

— What is it? — she asked, seeing Emma stride up.

— You’re free, — Emma said. — I’m dropping the charges. Kathryn is alive.

— She’s — what? — Mary Margaret said, sitting up, still groggy. — Can you even do that?

— I don’t know, — Emma said, — but I’m doing it.

— How is she alive?

— She’s alive because she was never in danger, — Emma said. — Not any real danger, anyway. — It was a hunch, but the hunch was developing in her mind.

She opened up the cell and Mary Margaret stepped out.

— Get home, get some rest, clean up. I’ve got a whole lot of questions. But one thing’s for sure: You didn’t kill anyone.

— But you knew that already, — Mary Margaret said.

— Yes, — she said. — I did.

Across town, Emma arrived at the hospital as Dr. Whale finished checking over Kathryn. David was there, sitting outside her room. He did not look well.

— How is she? — Emma asked.

David looked up and nodded at her.

— I think she’s okay, I don’t know, — he said. — This whole thing…

His voice trailed off.

— How are you?

— I don’t know, — he said. — Happy. Sad. Overwhelmed. I’m just so relieved she’s alive.

— That seems honest, — Emma said.

— Do you — do you know how Mary Margaret is doing?

— She’s okay. She’s relieved, too, obviously. But I think she’s been pretty traumatized by all of this. As you might imagine.

— I want to talk to her, — David said.

— I know— was all Emma said in response.

— So what do I do? — David said, when he realized she wasn’t going to offer any more.

— Maybe right now, the best thing is just to do nothing, — Emma said. She left unsaid what the two knew to be true: Mary Margaret didn’t want to see David. Not after he’d so easily lost faith in her.