Once Upon A Time: Goldilocks comes to Storybrooke

Chapter 15

"I don't get it!" Goldilocks said, fiddling with the small iPod Ruby had shown her. Goldilocks began to press the buttons randomly and repeatedly turn it over in her hand. "How does it play music? You couldn't fit a person in here! What sorcery is this?!"

"Don't break my iPod!" Ruby laughed, as Goldilocks had just attempted to dismantle the iPod with her fork.

David and Mary Margaret were sat a few seats away, watching closely. Ashley, the former Cinderella, and Aroura were baby sitting Neal, as they both had children of their own. Ashley had a five year old daughter called Alex, and Aroura had a son called Philip (named after his father), who was almost three.

"She doesn't look evil," Mary Margaret whispered, eyeing Goldilocks.

"You mustn't be fooled with first appearances," David replied, them he turned back to face his wife. "Have you finished your coffee?"

Mary Margaret nodded, quickly drained her cup and placed it on the small plate.

"Let's go pay," David said. "Maybe we could try talk to her?"

Mary Margaret nodded again, and she and get husband walked over to the counter. "Thank you Ruby."

Ruby and Mary Margaret were best friends, in The Enchanted Forest and in Storybrooke. They knew each other's deepest fears, and darkest secrets.

"That's okay," Ruby smiled kindly.

David handed Ruby a five dollar bill, and as Ruby rummaged through the till and shouting Granny to be quick with the orders, David pretended only just to notice Goldilocks next to him.

"Wait, Goldilocks?" He asked. Goldilocks, who had been twirling the iPod in her hand, looked up.

"Oh, hi! David isn't it?"

"Yes it is. And this is my wife, Mary Margaret."

"Nice to meet you," Goldilocks smiled at them both.

"Goldilocks, we were kind of hoping to ask you a few questions," Mary Margaret said.

"Erm, okay. Yeah sure," Goldilocks shrugged, still smiling.

"We-" David looked at his wife before continuing to speak, "-were just wondering, where were you before you came to Storybrooke?"

Goldilocks was silent for quite some time. "Ahh." She fiddled with the straw in her glass. "Well, I was a mermaid for a little while."

"For so long?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Well, I only thought it was for a few weeks, but I'm kind of predicting it was a lot longer now," Goldilocks tried to force a laugh.

"So what about the other, several years?" Mary Margaret asked, her tone a little harsher then she had originally intended.

"Nice tone of voice," Goldilocks commented.

"Will you tell us?" David asked, politely. "We would really like to know."

"And I'd really like to tell you," Goldilocks replied. "But I'm afraid I can't."

"Why not?" David asked.

"It's, kind of a secret. And I kind of can't tell anyone," Goldilocks said.

"Goldilocks, we're doing this to protect our town," Mary Margaret said.

"And I need to protect someone too. I'm sorry. I've said too much." And Goldilocks put Ruby's iPod on the counter and ran out of the Diner.

David and Mary Margaret stared at the door.

"What happened?" Ruby asked, looking bewildered by Goldilocks's sudden disappearance.

"We need to talk to Emma," Mary Margaret said to David.

At that time, Emma was in her apartment. She used to live with her parents, until she finally got an apartment of her own (across from her parents) for her and her boyfriend, Captain Hook, who she had started dating, Even if he did still like to live in his Pirate Ship at times!

Emma was sat on the settee, on her phone, looking at picture to delete. She suddenly heard a thud from up the ladder stairs, and then Henry's voice called out, "Just dropped my book, don't worry!"

Emma laughed softly, before putting her phone down on the coffee table and climbing up the ladder to see Henry, who was sat on his bed, reading his huge fairytale book.

"What are you doing, kid?" Emma sat next to him. "I was thinking maybe we could head over to Granny's? I'm dying for a grilled cheese!"

"Sounds good! I'm just reading about Regina," he said. "About her being the Evil Queen."

"Yeah, and?" Emma asked.

"Well, I was thinking if she knew Goldilocks in The Enchanted Forest, and they were friends, Regina must have been a child at the time she was friends with Goldilocks."

"Good thinking, and have you found anything?" Emma asked.

"There are a few pages about Regina as a child, her mother Cora trying to teach her dark magic, but Regina refusing." Henry closed the book and turned to face Emma. "Mom?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"You do know the story of Goldilocks, right?" Henry asked.

"About the little girl who broke into a house belonging to bears, ate their food and slept in their beds? Yeah. I do."

Henry nodded. "Because I know that story as well." Henry looked at his book. "But there is no mention of Goldilocks in the book."

"What? Nothing? Nothing at all!?" Emma asked, eyes wide.

Henry shook his head.

"So this girl, who is claiming to be Goldilocks, might not actually be Goldilocks?"

Henry nodded slowly.

"Oh my God. We have to tell Regina, and Dr Hopper, and everyone else!" Emma stood up. "And I need to talk to this 'Goldilocks', and find out what the hell she is doing in Storybrooke."