Once Upon A Time. (Book One)

Chapter One: Storybrooke, Maine. (Part Three)

“Push,” Charming encouraged then he heard a baby crying.

The Evil Queen’s face appeared at the window of her carriage door, looking up at the sky with a wicked smile on her lips. Thunder crashed just above them, her curse was working and she couldn’t wait until it was finished. She wanted to win this time around. The purple cloud came rushing, it was getting close to Snow White’s and Prince Charming’s castle.

The baby girl was crying, she was wrapped in a white blanket with purple lace, and in the corner was the baby’s name—Emma. Snow was holding their daughter in her arms while they both looked down at their baby girl, she was so beautiful. Charming kissed Snow’s head then kissed Emma’s head.

“The wardrobe,” Snow muttered, realizing something. “It only takes one,” she looked at Charming, horrified. They both heard screaming outside the door of their room, they were getting attacked. Swords were clashing. Men were screaming.

“Then our plan has failed,” Charming said in defeat, putting an arm around Snow. “At least we’re together.”

Snow was looking down at Emma, tears escaping from her eyes. “No,” she said lowly. “You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Charming asked, his eyes leaking with tears.

“It’s the only way. You have to send her thought,” Snow said, the baby started crying again.

“No, you don’t know what you’re saying,” Charming said.

“No, I do. We have to believe that she’ll come back for us. We have to give her her best chance,” Snow said to Charming, wiping the tears away from Charming’s eyes. Charming leaned down and kissed Emma on the head again. “Goodbye, Emma,” Snow whispered with a sad smile, leaning down and kissing her head as well while crying.

Charming took his daughter in his arms, quickly kissing Snow with passion as he pulled away Snow cried harder than ever before. Charming took a shake in case he needed to defend himself and his daughter, he looked back at his wife that was on the bed, and walked out of the room.

One of the black knights, held one of the guards as his sword went through his body and into his heart. The Guard groaned in pain, his eyes were wide in pain and shock and he went down on the ground as his blood pooled out around him.

Charming stood in the middle of the hallway with his daughter in one hand and the sword in the other, two of the guards turned to look at Charming. Charming charged at the two knights, one of them clanked his sword against Charming’s as he tried to fight him. The swords went in all different directions and Charming blocked all of them, his back was towards the second guard. This would give the second guard an opportunity to kill Charming and slice the first guard, Charming hit the second guard with his elbow and they both grunted.

Charming swung his sword and missed them both, one of the guards tried to kill Emma with his sword but Charming blocked it right in time and used his foot to push the guard off and away from them both. The second one came sword but Charming blocked it right on time and used his foot to push the guard off and away from them both. The second one came in and swung his sword at Charming but ducked in the nick of time and slit the guard’s throat with it.

One guard sliced Charming’s chest open, he screamed in pain as blood streamed down his white shirt. Thankfully it wasn’t much blood but it still hurt. Charming drew his sword back and plunged it into the guard’s chest, he was angry. He looked down at the guard for a moment then ran out where the nursery that they had decorated for Emma and kicked the door open.

Charming opened up both doors of the Enchanted Tree Trunk with his elbows and got down on his knees, setting the sword down as he placed Emma in the trunk and carefully as he leaned down, kissing her once again. “Find us,” he whispered, closing the doors quickly and locking them.

Another two guards came out of nowhere and grunted, Charming quickly got up with his sword in hand, and he lifted his arm groaning in pain as their swords clashed together. He tried to fight both of them but it didn’t look good, Charming was growing weak. One of the guards plunged the sword into his stomach.

Charming dropped his sword, groaning in pain as he fell to the floor as the guard took out his sword. One guard went over to the Enchanted Tree Trunk quickly, he used the hilt of the sword to open the locked tree. After a few tries, he opened it and saw that the baby wasn’t in there anymore. The baby had vanished.

Charming was still alive when they did this, he was happy that the trunk worked. Now he can die knowing that his baby girl got away, he blinked slowly as he closed his eyes and saw nothing but blackness.

The ocean was splashing against the sand softly, just above the ocean there was a wooden castle where Henry was sitting with his book bag on his back. He was overlooking the ocean, it was his comfort spot where he likes to think a lot.

Emma came walking up the wooden stairs, sitting next to him with his book in her hands. “You left this in my car,” she said, handing it to him. Henry took the book in his hands as they both looked out to the ocean but they were looking toward the clock. “Still hasn’t moved, huh?” she asked.

“I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here. That the final battle would begin,” Henry answered, hoping.

“I’m not fighting any battles, kid,” Emma said, shaking her head slightly.

Henry looked at Emma. “Yes, you are. You’re here because it’s your destiny. You’re gonna bring back the happy endings,” he said with hope, he believed in happy endings and the destiny sort of things.

“Can you cut it with the book crap?” she said firmly.

“You don’t have to be hostile. I know you like me. I can tell. You’re just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It’s okay. I know why you gave me away,” Henry said, he wasn’t mad or angry or have any harsh feelings toward his birth mother. Emma looked at him with a sad expression, she really didn’t deserve him being nice toward her, at all. “You wanted to give me my best chance.”

Emma looked away from him and looked out into the ocean once again, taking a deep breath. “How do you know that?” she asked softly. It wasn’t a secret that she wanted Henry to have a much better life than she ever did, she wasn’t ready to have kids when she had him. She needed to grow up and not be a reckless teenager who got knocked up by a guy that ratted her out to the cops.

“It’s the same reason Snow White gave you away,” he replied.

“Listen to me, kid,” Emma took a deep breath and looked at Henry, “I’m not in any book. I’m a real person. And I’m no savior. You were right about one thing, though.” She was trying not to cry in front of her kid, it just broke her heart that he didn’t see the amazing life he had. “I wanted you to have your best chance. But it’s not with me. Come on, let’s go,” she jumped off and started walking away from the wooden castle.

“Please don’t take me back there,” Henry begged her, he stood upon the wood and walked back down the stairs as Emma walked around the castle playground. “Just stay with me for one week. That’s all I ask. One week, you’ll see I’m not crazy,” he begged her once again, Emma stopping in her tracks and facing him.

“I have to get you back to your mom,” she said in defeat.

“You don’t know what it’s like with her. My life sucks.” Henry blurted out, his eyes tearing up.

“Oh, you wanna know what sucking is?” Emma said, a hint of hurt in her voice. “Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway. My parents didn’t even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system. And I had a family until I was three, but then they had their own kid, so they sent me back.” Her voice broke when she told him all of that, a few tears slipping from her eyes then taking a big sigh and clearing her throat. “Look,” Emma kneeled down in front of him. “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 told her.

“What?” she asked.

“The wardrobe,” he repeated. “When you went through the wardrobe, you appeared in the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse.”

Emma smiled at Henry. “Sure they were,” she chuckled. “Come on, Henry.” They both took off walking down the sandy path to take Henry back to Regina’s home.

Snow White was groaning as she started walking to where Charming was, she was still feeling the after-effects of the pain from giving birth. She was holding her stomach when she noticed her husband on the floor, laying perfectly still. “No,” she said loudly. She rushed over to him as fast as possible, holding onto whatever was in the way so she wouldn’t hurt herself more. “No,” she said, sobbing. Dropping to the floor as she was near his head and placed it on her lap. “No, no,” she said in between sobs. Trying to wake him up by shaking him. “Please. Please come back to me,” whispered to him, she was hoping that he wasn’t really dead, but nothing happened. He is still on the ground dead.

She had an idea and was hoping that it would work, she leaned down and planted a kiss on his lips. Pulling back to look down at him with hope in her eyes. Leaning back down to kiss him repeatedly, she was hoping that it was a mistake and that the first kiss didn’t work.

Hearing footsteps approaching the room, Snow sobs quietly. “Oh, don’t worry, dear,” the Queen said, pushing the hood off of her head as she stood hovering over Charming’s dead body and Snow’s pathetic state. “In a few moments, you won’t remember you knew him, let alone loved him.”

Snow held his lifeless body close to hers when the Queen approached them. “Why did you do this?” she asked.

“Because this is my happy ending,” the Queen bent down and hissed in her face. The two guards came in behind her. “The child?” she demanded.

“Gone,” said one guard. “It was in the wardrobe, then it was gone. It’s nowhere to be found.”

“Where is she?” the Queen asked, looking at Snow in rage.

Snow breathed out happily. “She got away. You’re going to lose,” Snow said, looking up at the Queen with a smile on her pretty face. “I know that now. Good always win.” She smiled down at Charming, caressing his face.

“We’ll see about that,” said the Queen, laughing evilly as the thunder came rolling over the castle. The roof was crumbling as all of them looked up at the ceiling, the wind howling as the purple cloud took everything apart.

“Where are we going?” Snow shouted, still holding onto Charming.

“Somewhere horrible,” the Queen responded as the glass shattered, and the purple cloud whirled around them. “Absolutely horrible,” grinning evilly from ear to ear, spreading out her arms as she took it all in. This was really happening. The curse was really happening. She couldn’t believe that she pulled it off, she was so proud of herself. “A place where the only happy ending will be mine.” The purple could finally take them whole.

Regina opened the front door, she was wearing a gray jacket and a black dress with black leggings and black high heels. Placing one hand on her hip, watching Henry come toward her and passed her. Emma walked up to her on the front step, Regina looked back at Emma raising a single eyebrow at her. “Thank you,” she said, walking outside a few feet away from Emma.

“No problem,” she said.

“He seems to have taken quite a shine to you,” Regina admitted to her.

Emma laughed nervously, a smile on her lips. “You know what’s kind of crazy? Yesterday was my birthday. And when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn’t want to be alone on my birthday. And then Henry showed up,” Emma confessed to Regina.

“I hope there’s no misunderstanding here,” Regina said, her voice hard.

“I’m sorry?” she asked, confused at what Regina was saying.

“Don’t mistake all of this as an invitation back into his life,” Regina said, her hands on her hips.

“Oh,” was all Emma could say.

“Miss Swan, you made a decision ten years ago. And in the last decade while you’ve been...,” she couldn’t find the right word, but she wanted to make it clear that she didn’t want Emma to ruin his life. “Well, who knows what you’ve been doing? I’ve changed every diaper, soothed every fever, endured every tantrum. You maybe have given birth to him, but he’s my son.”

“I was not...,” Emma started to say.

“No! You don’t get to speak. You don’t get to do anything. You have up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is?” Regina stepped down to be in her face. “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,” she paused, making her threat loud and clear. “I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye, Miss Swan.”

Regina turned to walk back to her house, leaving Emma on the front steps. Emma watched her go inside, she had never met someone who was this mean and so hellbent on keeping the birth mother away from their child. She gets it but there are nicer ways to tell someone to f**k off, but Emma was determined.

“Do you love him?” Emma asked Regina before closing the door and turning around to face her.

“Excuse me?” Regina asked, taken aback at the question.

“Henry. Do you love him?” Emma asked again, louder this time.

“Regina looked at her evenly before answering her. “Of course I love him,” she said, closing the door behind her finally.

Emma just stood there, watching Regina and staring at the door before going to her car.

Henry was laying in bed, his lights were on Regina was standing near the bed with the book in her hands, a look of disappointment was written all over her face. She walked out of the room and down the spiral staircase and went walking to a gold, circle mirror as she looked at herself in it. Holding the book up to her chest, her face was worried and concerned.

Looking down at the book that read the title: Once Upon A Time then she looked up at herself in the mirror, and she was now furious.

She felt like her plan was falling apart now. She didn’t know the book came into place but she knew that she had to get rid of it somehow. Her plan didn’t need to get foiled by her son and his birth mother.

She had to get Emma Swan out of Storybrooke but she didn’t know how. She couldn’t let Emma destroy this curse and this life that she made for herself.

Mary Margaret Blanchard was at the hospital, she was a volunteer there. She had always loved helping others, especially the sick ones or the ones who need help. She was pushing a cart of white flowers down the room and placing one by a male who was laying down in. She squeezed his hand gently as he squeezed back, silently thanking her for being so nice to him.

Taking another vase of small flowers, she walked to a room that was isolated. Opening the door, and hearing a soft beeping noise from the machines, the door closed behind her quietly once she fully walked in. She placed the small vase of flowers on the nightstand, and walking back out of the room.

The man in the room was in a coma. He had been in a coma for twenty-eight long years and he was a John Doe, no one has claimed him and nobody knows he is But we all know him as Prince Charming, but in this world—the real world—his name is David Nolan.

Henry got up from his bed, placed his arms crossed on the windowsill, and laid his chin on his arms. He was watching the clock from his house. He was still hoping that it would start working again.

Emma walked down a path where the bushes were overgrown, she pushed them out of her way to get to a building. The wind was whistling, walking up the stairs to a house that was a bed and breakfast called: Granny’s: Bed & Breakfast.

She walked in and a bell rang, looking around the place as she walked up to the front desk. She heard voices coming from the back.

“You’re out all night, and you’re going out again,” Granny said to Ruby.

“I should have moved to Boston,” said Ruby, harshly.

“I’m sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the Eastern Seaboard,” Granny said to Ruby who walked away.

“Excuse me,” Emma said softly. “I’d like a room.”

“Really?” Granny asked, shocked. Ruby walked back with a scarf around her neck, shocked that someone wanted a room, too. “Would you like a forest view or a square view?” she asked excitedly, walking to the desk with a smile on her face. “Normally, there’s an upgrade fee for the square, but as rent is due, I’ll waive it.”

“Square’s fine,” Emma said, politely.

Granny grabbed the pen and opened up the sign-in sheet. “Now, what’s the name?” she asked, the pen hovering over the sheet.

“Swan. Emma Swan.” She answered.

“Emma,” said a man behind her. Granny looked up as she was pulling off her glasses, she didn’t hear him come through the door. “What a lovely name,” he was older than her, he had long brownish hair and slightly crooked teeth with a nice suit on, he also had a bit of an accent when he spoke.

“Thanks,” Emma said, turning around to look at him.

The drawer opens and closes, Granny handed him the money quickly. “It’s all here,” Granny said.

“Yes, of course, it is, dear. Thank you,” he stepped forward taking it. “You enjoy your stay, Emma.” He smiled, turned his back to them, and walked toward the door, looking at Ruby, and opened the door, walking out.

Emma looked at Granny and eyed her before asking, “Who’s that?”

“Mr. Gold,” Ruby answered, she was by the window and looking out it. Emma turned to look at her. “He owns this place.”

“The Inn?” she asked.

“No,” Granny answered, still looking at the door where Mr. Gold just walked out. “The town,” she said, looking at Emma.

Emma looked at her, her eyes widened a bit, surprised. “So, how long will you be with us?” Granny asked her pen back into her hand.

“A week,” she said, answering. She couldn’t believe that she was actually staying here for a week just because she was getting attached to Henry. “Just a week.”

“Great,” Granny said, nodding once. Grabbing a key for Emma to stay in and handed it to her with a smile. “Welcome to Storybrooke.”

Emma took the key from Granny, smiling softly.

The grand clock finally moved. After all of this time, it finally started working. After Emma agreed to stay for a week, it worked.

Henry smiled knowing that it started working again, he always had hope. He was the boy who believed in fairy tales when nobody else did. When everyone thought he was crazy, he knew he wasn’t.