𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈 𝐃𝐎 ─── 𝘩. 𝘥. 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴

O3. mary margaret blanchard

act one chapter three
﹝MARY MARGARET BLANCHARD﹞
season one episode one
❝ well, i don't know where he's not. ❞

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emma and regina eventually arrive at storybrooke elementary, henry's school. watching snow white herself sweetly caring for dumb birds even in her cursed form made regina sick.

"if you love them and they love you, they will always find you."

gross.

the bell rings and the students rise from their seats, eager to go out to eat and play. "we'll pick this up after recess. no running!" one of her students comes up to the teacher and hands her a pear. she accepts it. "why, thank you!" of course snow was a children's prison caretaker in this life.

the sweetness was making regina want to go play in traffic, so she storms in and makes her way over to the woman. mary margaret looks up at her, startled. "miss mills, what are you doing here?" she asks, genuinely curious.

"where's my son?" regina demands.

"henry... i assumed he was home with you."

"you think i'd be here if he was? did you give him your credit card so he can find her?" regina gestures towards emma who was standing in the doorway, waiting for regina to end the conversation so she can help find henry.

mary margaret looks over regina's shoulder, confused. "i'm sorry, who are you?"

"i'm- i'm his..." regina doesn't have time for any games, so she answers for her.

"the woman who gave him up for adoption." the teacher widens her eyes and looks back at the mayor before back at emma, switching between the two every once in a while.

"you don't know anything about this, do you?" emma realises.

"no, unfortunately not." she walks behind her desk and rummages through her purse before opening her wallet and searching there as well. "clever boy," she remarks when she realises her credit card was indeed missing. "i never should have given him that book."

"what in the hell is this book i keep hearing about!?" regina hisses.

"just some old stories i gave him," mary margaret answers. "as you well know, henry is a special boy... so smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. he needed it."

"what he needs is a dose of reality. this is a waste of time." regina turns around and glares at emma. "have a nice trip back to boston." her goodbye couldn't be any more insincere. the woman huffs and starts walking, purposely knocking over a stack of books on one of the students' desks before exiting the colourful classroom. emma immediately walks further into the classroom and kneels down to collect the books, followed by mary margaret.

~

"sorry to bother you," emma apologises, helping mary margaret gather the booklets.

"no, it's- it's okay, i fear this is partially my fault," the darker-haired woman dismisses, taking the books from emma and standing up with her.

"how's a book supposed to help?"

"what do you think stories are for? these stories? the classics?" mary margaret starts, organising the books on her desk before picking them up again. "there's a reason we all know them. they're a way for us to deal with our world; a world that doesn't always make sense. see, henry hasn't had the easiest life." the two exit the classroom and start walking down the hall.

"yeah, she's kind of a hard-ass," emma remarks, forgetting that she was in a building with a bunch of kids in elementary school.

"no, it's more than her. he's like any adopted child. he wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face: why would anyone give me away?" after a few seconds, she realises what she just said and faces emma, horror written all over her face. "i am so sorry. i'm so sorry, i didn't mean in any way to judge you!"

emma gives her a reassuring smile. "it's okay." it really was, or, at least she thought it was.

"look, i gave the book to him because i wanted henry to have the most important thing anyone can have; hope. believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."

emma raises an eyebrow and faces her with a knowing grin. "you know where he is, don't you." much to her surprise, mary margaret shakes her head.

"i'm afraid he has too many hiding spots. i don't want you to search the whole town for him; i'd rather give you the correct location."

upon hearing this, a girl walking down the hall in their direction immediately turns around to try and get out of there before anyone catches her. of course, mary margaret notices. "marie."

rats. the brunette girl hesitantly turns around and plasters a smile on her face. "good morning, miss blanchard! it's such a lovely day outside, isn't it?" she starts, getting ready to turn around again and make a run for it. "well, nice seeing you!"

"i don't think so," mary margaret comes up to her, an expectant look on her face. emma takes a few steps closer to the girl as well and examines her features. she looked around eleven or twelve, her dark hair was in a low ponytail over her shoulder and nearly reached her slim waist, and the awkward smile on her face gave it all away. it was a good thing she wasn't a theatre kid.

"this is marie, one of my students from last year," mary margaret introduces. "marie, this is henry's... friend. he's gone missing again. i don't suppose you happen to know where he is right now, do you?" the woman continues, a kind but cheeky smile painting her lips.

the eleven year-old bites her lower lip, considering whether or not to betray one of her best friends' trust and tell them where he ran off to this time. "well, i don't know where he's not," she says slowly. it wasn't a lie.

"so you know where he is?"

marie stays silent. emma chuckles and crouches down to be face-to-face with the girl. "regina was right about you," she mutters mostly to herself. "look, marie, we just want to know if he's alright. could you tell us where he is?"

after a few seconds, marie speaks up. "the docks."

emma stares at her for a moment. "he's not there." she smiles and shakes her head. mary margaret glances down at her in confusion, not knowing that she was using her secret superpower on the young girl in front of them.

"...granny's diner?"

"try again."

so much for remaining loyal to henry; this lie detector of a woman was creeping her out. "fine." she eventually caves. "he's at his castle."