Once Upon A Happy Beginning

Chapter Eighteen: Let's Start This Meeting

Snow

I rush into the convent in a desperate search for my daughter, I can't ever deny the fact that it hurts. So much. She was ripped away from her father and I so young and the idea that Emma was so far from us still haunts me. When I see her I break away from my husband and call out. 

"Mom!" She smiles, walking over to greet me, "Dad! I thought you were at the park?"

"No, honey," David tells her, "Zelena and Henry are just walking the kids back to our farmhouse to see Belle, and then they're going to meet us at Granny's. I'm sure you're starving."

"Famished." Killian says, reaching us and nodding his head politely. 

I make sure to hug my new son after I hug my daughter, I'm not sure that David still appreciates that our baby girl is married and therefore looks more at Hook as his "mate" or "that damned pirate" (depending on when he last had coffee) and less of him as Emma's husband. Charming just nods back. 

My glance falls on two new people that I know from Operation Cobra Part Four but I've never actually met them. Elizabeth, I'm assuming, looks almost like her film counterpart, except she is more evidently a seventeen year old girl. She's got a gorgeous tan from the tropical heat, a sight mirrored on Emma and Killian, and she's got these small acne scars from where she's burst them, like I did back when there was no such thing as all this make up and creams to hide them from the world.

On the other hand, the man – Jack – is the perfect picture of the "Johnny Depp" portrayal (whoever that is, I don't know. Someone Henry keeps talking about). I can almost imagine that frustrating correction of his name when someone omits the seafaring rank. In a twisted sense, I see a lot of Rumplestiltskin in him, too much of it. 

"Are they?" I nod towards the guests, "We watched it the other day with Henry."

"Yes, they are."

"I'm sorry? You watched what? That ridiculous thing where they don't understand the importance of rum?"

"Did someone mention The Rum?" Asks Jack behind. Pirates and their rum. 

At that point I think we all lost that duo in an otherworldly discussion of liquor. I made an attempt to talk to Elizabeth and I listened to the young woman's pleas to see her love again and of her wails at the arranged marriage she was heading into. She told me essentially the story I'd watched only a few days ago. It was unbelievably difficult not to tell her the ending of the film and for once, I think I truly understood all the comments that Rumplestiltskin has made about the future.

Blue called us all into an office type room that must have been converted when they started practicing more magic than religion. Emma pulled her son to her when she saw Blue had already called for Henry and Zelena. 

"Hey kid! Thought we'd see you at Granny's?"

"And miss meeting Them?"

"Them. Right, yes." She smiles and brings him around to face us all. "This my son Henry. He's fifteen. Henry, this is Elizabeth Swan and Jack Sparrow."

"Captain Jack Sparrow." My grandson corrected.

The pirate clapped Henry on the back politely, "Well done there, lad. A true seafarer refers to people by their title. Now, tell me, son, you sail the seven seas?"

Henry laughs and nods towards Killian. "Hook, my stepdad, has taken me out before but my Moms would never let me leave the Storybrooke Marina."

"And for a good reason too," Emma grins, wrapping an arm around her equally happy husband. "Let me go back to the only other times you've left Storybrooke: Stole a credit card and had so many people in this town worried sick."

"Brought you here and saved so many more in doing so." Counters Henry.

"Fine then: Brought Tamara back to Storybrooke, resulting in your kidnapping."

"She was in love with Greg and would've come anyway, you got to clear the air with my Dad and I got to meet him. Besides even if I didn't go, Dad would've come anyway even if Mr. Gold dragged him. and if I hadn't have been kidnapped, you wouldn't have realised you were in love with Hook."

"And is that such a bad thing, love?"

"Of course not, babe. What about... Camelot?"

"Okay... that didn't go to plan for any of us. But I did meet Vi."

"Then you ran to New York with her to destroy magic?"

"Didn't I also save your parents and your husband?"

"And brought around half the danger we faced in the last six months!" 

Henry goes silent. Jekyll and Hyde were never exactly the most pleasant of company.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth asks politely, "Stepdad? Magic? Camelot?"

"Goodness!" Exclaims Blue, "You know less than I predicted! Let's start this meeting."