I Know The End || Killian Jones

𝟶𝟽 - 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚑𝚊, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛

storybrooke, maine

— AJATRI WAS WORKING THE MORNING SHIFT, AS USUAL, WHEN HENRY CAME INTO THE CAFE. And, also as usual, he made a beeline straight for Grey at their usual spot. Aja smiled as she watched the pair whisper excitedly together over Henry's book. Both of them were very excited for school today as it was the first day Ms Blanchard was back.

All charges against her had been dropped when Kathryn was somehow found alive behind Granny's diner. She didn't remember anything, but it was more than clear now that Mary Margaret had been framed, and the DNA results from the heart Ruby had found were falsified.

Aja had not spoken to Regina since all of this had happened. Their relationship was already strained because of Emma and Regina's fighting, but after discovering that with Regina's skeleton keys to the whole town, she was the only one capable of having framed Mary Margaret, things had become much worse. Aja didn't want to confront her friend, didn't want to know that she was capable of something so horrible. And for what?

She was pulled from these thoughts when the bell over the door rang and a familiar face walked in. "Emma." Aja smiled.

"Hey." Emma greeted. "Is Henry here?"

She nodded at where the boys sat together. "Over there. Everything okay? I mean, with..."

"Threatening Regina?" Emma finished. She'd already spoken with Aja about how she'd told the mayor to her face she was fighting her for custody of Henry. Aja wasn't sure how to feel about Regina, but she was hopeful for Emma, who had become a new rock for her in all this messiness. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just need to make it happen. And make sure I win." She sighed, lightening the mood a bit. "But that's not why I'm here. Henry called. Operation Cobra emergency."

"Ah." Aja smiled knowingly. While she wasn't directly part of Henry's Operation Cobra, she knew all about it from Grey. "You want some coffee to go for that emergency meeting?"

"Oh, absolutely." The pair chuckled. While Emma spoke with the boys, coffee in hand, Aja caught only bits and pieces of their conversation – something about the book changing, someone adding a new story in – but she did catch when Emma looked right over at her. "Now, you two are gonna be late for school. Come on. I'll drive you."

Aja's expression softened slightly with relief. "Oh, would you? Thank you."

"Of course." Emma shot her friend a smile. "See you later."

°

Aja couldn't have explained why she woke up if she tried. One minute she was curled under heavy blankets, surrounded by dreamless, sleepy bliss, and the next she was lying awake, staring at the ceiling and disoriented. Rolling over a few times, she tried to settle back in and fall asleep again. It didn't work. Squeezing her eyes shut, she rolled over with a groan. Finally, she sat up with a huff, glancing over at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 4:16 AM.

"Fucking hell," She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. It was known to happen every once in a while. She'd wake up and be unable to sleep again. Sometimes she'd throw on a jacket and go walk around the woods in the crisp, nighttime air. Normally, though, there was a reason. Stress, a nightmare, Grey, something. Well, she wasn't going to get back to sleep now by sitting here wondering about it. Instead, she rolled out of bed, her feet hitting the floor softly. She changed into simple sweatpants and a loose t-shirt and made her way down the stairs. She didn't bother lacing her boots when she put them on before sleepily opening the front door. What she didn't expect, however, was to find a pacing, high-strung blonde woman on her front porch. She blinked in surprise. "Emma."