{ storybrooke }

05. { that still small voice }

"Archie will bring you home as soon as you are done with your session."

Mr. Gold caresses the brown locks on Winter's head as a means to say goodbye. The teen looks up to meet the man's eyes.

"Why can I not go back home myself?" The pawnbroker scoffs loudly in response. He shakes his head.

"Not with the earthquake. I won't allow something to happen to you," he says, sounding stern.

"But I'm not even coming near the mines, Mr. Gold-" Winter attempts to make him see reason, but she could not defend herself for long as her guardian cut her off by raising his hand. "No arguments."

Winter was about to be argumentative again when the door of Doctor Hopper's office opens.

Archie stands in the doorway to greet them as usual, but the teen instantly notices that something was wrong with Archie. Normally his eyes would flicker with a spark of joy and never ending positivity, but now they seemed hollow and.. almost depressed even.

Mr. Gold voices his command on bringing Winter home to the psychiatrist too and then leaves the building.

Archie takes a step aside to allow the girl entrance. She sits down on the couch and, as always, Pongo raises from his bed and joins her. He lays down besides her on the cushions and rests his head on her lap. His tail slaps around lazily, hitting the side of the couch every few moments.

The doctor takes his place on the chair, but he didn't say anything. For minutes long he just sat there and said nothing to her. Winter was worried and Pongo too. His ears were down, he was softly whining and his big dog eyes stare sadly at Archie.

"Are you alright, Doctor Hopper?" Archie jumps up as if he had been woken up from a daydream. He scans his office before meeting the soft hazel eyes that were focused on him. "Uh, yeah. Yes, I'm fine. Shall we start, then? Where were we last time.."

He mumbles as he scans through the pile of files that was all about her record. Winter notices how distracted the doctor actually was and lifts the corner of her lip. "Doctor Hopper.. if something is troubling you we can reschedule the appointment?"

"N-no, the schedule.. that-that's not the problem," Archie responds in a stutter. Winter's eyes crinkle a little, her face smiling kindly. "So, then, what is the problem?"

Archie shakes his head. A hand runs through his red hair in frustration. "It-It's just that.. I made a mistake. And now-" The doctor couldn't finish his sentence the door to his office bursts open. Emma, obviously very angry and upset, storms in and starts to yell at Archie.

"What did you do? You told me not to take the fantasy away. You told me it would devastate him," she shouts, speaking with an accusatory tone to her words.

Winter shrinks a little in the couch as if trying to mold with the furniture. She really didn't want to be in between a fight between Emma and Archie. Pongo perks his ears as he notices her discomfort and pushes his head against the palm of her hand like a cat asking to be pet.

Archie was looking down at first, but then his eyes start to travel all over the room. "When a course of therapy stops working, you just adjust it," he explains, but it was clear to everyone that he didn't mean it this way. His voice was hoarse as if trying to surpress showing his true emotions, only adding more to Emma's feeling that there was more going on than just Archie deciding to try a new tactic.

"Is it her? Did she threaten you? What could be strong enough to drown out your own conscience," the blonde asks, referring to Madam Mayor. 

Winter felt really out of place in this discussion and wanted to disappear. They were talking about Henry and his stories while she was sitting on this couch, caught in the crossfire with Pongo.