Beane Odette - Reawakened - A Once Upon A Time Tale

— I’m taking back my son, Regina, — Emma said, — and there’s nothing you can do.

It was the day Mary Margaret was to return to work. That morning, Emma was surprised when August stopped by the apartment to install a new, intimidating-looking deadbolt on the door. Henry had apparently suggested it; the two of them had been spending time together. And despite his mysterious entry into town, and the way he had of grinning at her whenever she said anything, the man was growing on her. She also thought it wasn’t the worst idea in the world to have a better lock. The incident with the planted knife was still weighing on her.

Emma’s next step — she’d decided last night, after her confrontation with Regina — was to hire Gold to build a custody case against Regina. With the resolution to Kathryn’s disappearance came a little more clarity. Emma was here for Henry, and she was here to raise him right. Henry living in Regina’s home just didn’t make sense anymore. The woman was evil. There was no other way to say it.

— Are you ready? — Mary Margaret asked. — To take care of him? If you win?

Emma looked at her, didn’t answer. Instead she turned to the door.

— It looks like it belongs in a castle, — Emma said, looking at the enormous lock once August was finished installing it. He looked proudly at the door, then nodded.

— No one is getting in this place, — he said.

Just then, Henry’s voice squawked to life on Emma’s walkie-talkie.

— Code red! Code red! Operation Cobra emergency! — he yelled.

— What is it? — Emma said into the walkie-talkie.

— Meet me at the sheriff’s station! — Henry cried.

Emma raised an eyebrow and looked at Mary Margaret.

— Duty calls, — Mary Margaret said. — Good luck.

August left with Emma, and when they were outside, he asked if it would be okay if he came along. Emma, hurrying down the sidewalk, gave him a funny look.

— Why? — she said.

— I thought you didn’t believe in any of that Operation Cobra stuff, — he said, struggling to keep up with her. More of the limp. She’d seen it a few times already. She wasn’t sure what to make of it.

— I don’t, — she said, — but it’s a way to connect with Henry.

August nodded.

— You know that a custody battle with Regina isn’t going to do anything, right? — he said.

— You came over to install a lock, not give advice.

— You need to look at the big picture, Emma, — he said. — That’s the only way you’ll understand what you’re up against with Regina.

— Yeah, new guy? How’s that?

— It’s not something I can tell you, — August said. — Take the day off. Let me show you.

— What will you do? — she asked. — Take me on a magical mystery tour?

— No, — he said. — Not at all. But I’ll ask you to take a leap of faith.

— Yeah? Are we going to go drink some more water?

— No. Something serious this time. Something important.

Emma stopped walking, and he did, too.

— Who are you? — she said. — Really?

— Just a concerned citizen.

— Right, August. Right.

They didn’t speak the rest of the way. Emma was over his cryptic comments and would have preferred him to simply come clean and tell her what he knew. Because he did know something. At this point it was tedious.

When they reached the sheriff’s office, they found Henry at Emma’s desk. He had his book in front of him and was studying it carefully.

— What’s the emergency? — Emma said to him.

— There’s a new story in the book! — he cried.

Emma went over, looked at it.

— How is that possible?

— Somebody must have added it while it was lost, — Henry said. — I don’t know. Maybe it’s somebody trying to tell us more about the curse.

— What’s the new story about? — Emma asked.

Henry looked at August, then looked back at the book.

— Pinocchio, — he said. — It’s about Pinocchio. But it’s not done.

— Come on, Henry, — Emma said. — I’ll walk you to school. — She gave August her best «time for you to go» look and helped Henry gather his things. — You can tell me about it on the way.

— August is Pinocchio, — Henry said. — Isn’t it totally obvious to you?

— Um, — said Emma. — No.

— Why do you think he’s limping?

— Because his leg hurts?

— No, — Henry said, shaking his head. — He’s limping because he’s turning back into wood. Now that he’s stuck in a world where there’s no magic.

Emma nodded.

— That’s right. We’re in the land without magic.

— Right, — Henry said. — So he’s in trouble.

He explained the basics of Pinocchio’s story, and it all sounded familiar to Emma — marionette, Geppetto, whale, et cetera — until Henry got to the part where the Blue Fairy asked Geppetto to design a magical portal wardrobe to evade the Evil Queen’s curse.

— Hold on, — Emma said. — This story joins up with the other stories?

— Of course, they all do, — Henry said. — And they needed Geppetto to help make the wardrobe that would save you and save Snow White and protect the two of you from the curse. But Geppetto snuck Pinocchio inside right before you to get him to safety, too. He made Pinocchio promise to take care of you.

— I see, — Emma said. — Just little baby Emma and little baby Pinocchio.

— I think he was a little older than you.

Emma sighed.

— Sure, kid, — she said, patting him on the shoulder. — I have noticed a couple gray streaks. You’re right.

Emma dropped him off and headed back to work, taking a moment to smile at Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret smiled back, and as she left, she said to Henry, — Did you have a nice walk with Emma?

— She never believes any of my stories, — he said. — But yeah.

Mary Margaret nodded, trying to think of something to say to Henry to ease his mind about his book. She felt guilty for being the one who gave it to him, but he got so much joy out of it. She didn’t know if it was better or worse that he had it.

— Oh crap, — Henry said, looking through his backpack. He looked up at Mary Margaret. — I forgot my lunch at home.

Great, Mary Margaret thought.

— No problem, — she said. — We don’t start for fifteen minutes. Let me have the office call your mom.

She sent him inside, and Mary Margaret waited outside, fantasizing about all the angry things she might say to Regina.

The mayor approached the school a few minutes before the first bell rang. Mary Margaret watched her coming.

— I see that you’re back, — Regina said to her.

— Yes, — she said. — Imagine that.

Regina showed no reaction to this, and after a moment of studying Mary Margaret, she said, — Miss Blanchard, is there some kind of problem?

— Not anymore, — she said. — Although someone did go to a lot of trouble to make it look like I did something horrible. But they failed. — She smiled curtly. — So I’m fine.

— Are you insinuating something?

— Yes, — Mary Margaret said. — I am. But I forgive you. Even if you can’t admit what you did — I forgive you anyway.

She shook her head, frustrated at Regina’s implacable gaze.

— Your life must be filled with such incredible loneliness if your only joy comes from destroying everyone else’s happiness. It’s so sad, Mayor Mills, because despite what you think — it won’t make you happy. It’s simply going to leave a giant hole in your heart.

Mary Margaret thought she saw something — some flicker — behind Regina’s eyes. But it soon disappeared.