Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.
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Granny's dinner is homely. The red leather seats of the booth are slightly cracked from age, and the tables are sticky from syrup. Just like any diner should be. The smell of bacon is making me a little nauseous, but besides that, I can't wait to eat. I tried finding food in the fridge of my apartment, only to find it had all spoiled. Emma told me that we're meeting her parents here. The pretty waitress with dark hair brings over a mug and sits it gently in front of Henry.
"Here you go, Hen-young man. A nice hot cocoa," she says. I smile softly at the sight of the cinnamon on top of the whipped cream. It's good to know that the people of this town care about Henry.
"Hey," Henry calls out to the woman. She turns around with a raised brow. "The cinnamon, how did you know?" She winces slightly but quickly recovers.
"Uh, lucky guess. You've got a cinnamon kind of face," she says with a pleasant smile before walking away. It's strange, being here out in the open. Every face I see, I have to wonder if I know them or not—whether they consider me an annoying neighbor or a lifelong friend. The bell to the front door rings, announcing the arrival of two new people. Based on the recognition in Emma's face, these must be her parents. Despite Emma explaining to me their age difference, the sight of the young couple still makes my eyes widen.
"Oh, Henry, Alice, this is David and Mary Margaret," Emma introduces us with a smile.
"Hi," I greet lamely, fighting the urge to ask the million questions running through my mind.
"Are you helping my mom with the case?" Henry asks, before lowering his voice and leaning toward his mom. "Or are they the ones who jumped bail?" I cover my mouth to hide my smile.
"Oh, no, they are just... old friends," Emma says. The two sit down, David taking a seat to my left and Mary Margaret across from him.
"Did you know my dad?" Henry asks, and everyone shifts uncomfortably.
"I'm hungry, let's order," I say with a nervous laugh. I look over to Emma, hoping that the story she had told me about Henry's father also turned out to be fake. She and I would go up on the roof after Henry was asleep and just talk for hours—her with a glass of whiskey and me with something caffeinated. She had told me the story of how Henry's father set her up to take the fall for his crimes and she ended up in jail.
"I know you don't remember me, Emma told us, but I do hope you decide to stay," David whispers, and I look over to see him smiling politely. Another weird thing—having complete strangers act so familiar with you.
"Thanks, were we frie-" I'm cut off by the sudden sound of glass breaking. I look over to see a woman with shorter black hair and a stricken look on her face. She's looking at Henry as though she's seeing a ghost. This must be Regina, Henry's other mom, that Emma had told me about.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," she says with an unconvincing smile.
"Oh, um, that's okay," Henry says, before looking back at the menu. Emma gets up and swiftly brings the woman to the back. I lean toward Henry.
