Once Upon a Time in Storybrooke - OUAT DR

Chapter 18 - August

Life in Storybrooke as part of the "Charming" family was more complicated than it ever had been before.

Regina and Snow's relationship was tumultuous at best, but now that Snow had helped convince her to transfer her mother's power to Rumplestiltskin and had become, well, the haggard ugly woman she really was, it was in an even weirder place. If nothing else, everyone seemed to have agreed to a truce so there was no in-fighting at present, but that didn't mean it would stay that way. 

Emma called and told me Neal's fiance, Tamara, was coming to town and Greg Mendell was still traipsing around eating food at Granny's and hiking the trails in Storybrooke, not wanting to leave. She didn't want to talk about the Tamara of it all but she did tell me I could come back to the Sheriff's station with her today and take up the duties of Office Manager and I agreed. Honestly, I had nothing better to do.  

I ran into Graham at the local coffee shop, wanting something stronger than what Granny brewed before going to face whatever chaotic paperwork catastrophe was surely awaiting me at the Sheriff's station. He bought my coffee and walked me to work, glad to hear I would be brightening up the place with my presence. I tripped him playfully and we continued on as we walked. 

Graham and Emma had been, not dating, exactly, but something close to it. They were always working late nights together, and I'd caught them grabbing drinks at Granny's more than once since we'd returned from the Enchanted Forest. Before he'd fallen into a coma, brought on thanks to Regina and having possession of his heart making him fall into one, we had been friends - good friends - and I missed him. We caught up, and I was in the middle of filing paperwork when I got a call from Emma - Snow had found August out in the woods, and they were all going to find Mother Superior - the blue fairy - to get her to help him. 

Now I know what you're thinking, Hannah where has August been all these weeks? You were friends and you haven't even thought about him?  Well, if you must know, I had thought about August, about how he'd abandoned Emma and me alone in this realm and had pretended to be my friend before the curse broke. And maybe he really was my friend, but I was still pretty pissed at him for everything he did and I wasn't sure if I was ready to face him again.

August was apparently fully made of wood and had been hiding out in the woods since the curse broke, too ashamed to reveal himself to his father, Marco, or face Emma and me. Honestly, I could understand that.

By the time I met up with Emma, Snow White, and Marco it was only bad news. August had already come to Mother Superior once the curse broke and she could do nothing to help him. They were going to go out and try and find him, heading out to the woods and the abandoned RV he'd been staying in. Graham, who had been listening over my shoulder, said he knew the one and offered to drive us out there, telling me the paperwork could wait and I would be useful out there, and I accepted reluctantly.

I mean, the office truly was an administrative disaster and I wasn't quite ready to jump into all that. Why did they all have such an aversion to filing their paperwork or at least having things organized? Seriously, it was a wonder Graham and Emma had gotten by before I came along.  

Graham and I caught up to the group before they reached the RV. I'd seen Marco around town before but had never actually met the man. Snow White did introductions and cast a look at Graham who had followed close behind me. 

As we were walking Marco made his confession - he made the Blue Fairy lie to everyone and say only two could go through the wardrobe when really there was enough magic for three. Had Pinocchio not gone through the wardrobe, had Marco not had the Blue Fairy lie, it wouldn't have mattered if Snow had twins, we would have all been able to go through together. 

Ouch. 

He apologized to all of us, but to Snow White most of all, and after several long moments, Snow accepted his apology. Emma and I had known the truth, August had told us before Emma had broken the curse, but it still hurt hearing it spoken by the people who caused the pain, regardless.  

Emma got a call on her phone from the sheriff's station and it was August. Emma told us he had an urgent message but the line dropped before he'd told her, the line going dead. We rushed back to the station and got there just as August came stumbling out of the doors, collapsing on the ground, obviously hurt and very much made of wood.

He really was a fully wooden man. A walking, talking wooden man. 

By the time we got to him, he was almost gone. He whispered something to Emma with his last breath.

Mother Superior had come running over, seeing the commotion, and was able to revive him - whatever his efforts had been had been enough to prove himself brave, truthful, and unselfish. He transformed in a poof of blue-white magic back into a man, the man we had met all those months ago, no longer a man-sized wooden puppet. 

Emma asked him what he was trying to tell her as he lay dying but he just shook his head, confused. He lost all his memories from when he began to turn wooden - the night Emma had chosen to stay in Storybrooke. Whatever he had given his life for that had earned him a do-over we wouldn't know, at least not from him. 

Marco and August got to have a father-and-son relationship and live together, Marco was overjoyed to have his son back, and August was grateful to be reunited with his father. Emma was determined to figure out what August had given his life to try and warn her of but agreed she'd give it the night. My family all headed home back to the loft and I told them I was doing the same and head back to mine.

Instead, though, I went down to check on the Jolly Roger, unable to keep myself away from the beautiful ship. Unable to stop myself from hoping that her Captain may have returned. 

I hadn't seen Killian since we'd returned from New York a week ago and I missed him, the bastard.