Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 25 - Boston Again

Emma stood outside a house is bright, friendly neighbourhood. She knocked on the door and a young man answered.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Sean Herman?" sais Emma.
He nodded. "Yeah, who are you?" "I'm Emma Swan. I'm...... I'm looking for Ashley Boyd. She's in trouble. Just thought maybe she came to see you."
"My son doesn't have anything to do with that girl any more." said a man's voice from behind him. A middle aged man walked up the steps and stood next to Sean. "So whatever trouble she's in, I am sorry for, but there's nothing we can do to help you."
"Your the reason he broke up with her." said Emma.
"Absolutely. I'm not going to let my son throw away his entire life over some mistake."
"So you just told him to leave her?
Henry sat in Emma's car nearby the house, listening into the conversation and observing.
"What are they gonna do? Raise the child in the backseat of a car?"
"Some people only have the backseat of a car."
"Well, they're to be pitied. I'm not letting that happen to my son." he walked inside.
"Dad, maybe we should help her look." said Sean.
"It's a waste, Sean." he said from inside.
Emma stepped forward. "Sean, if you want to come, come. Stop letting other people make decisions for you. If Ashley runs away with this baby, she's gonna be in some serious trouble."
"She's running away with the baby?"
"Yes."
"Sean." said his dad. "Inside."
Emma looked at Sean.
"Now." he said.
Sean turned back inside and his dad stepped forward.
"Look, believe me, if I knew where she was, I would tell you. I went through a lot of trouble to get her that deal." he said.
"Deal? What're you talking about?" said Emma.
"You don't know? Ashley agreed to give up the child, and she's being paid very well to do so."
"She sold the baby?"
"You make it sound so crass. I found someone who's going to fund that child a good and proper home."
"And who are you to judge weather Ashley is capable of providing that?"
"Look at her. She's a teenager. She's never shown any evidence of being responsible. How could she possibly know how to be a mother?"
"Maybe she's changing her life."
"Everybody says that. Now look. I found someone who's going to pay Ashley extremely well, someone who's going to see to it that everyone's happy."
"Mr. Gold." Emma figured out.
"Isn't that why you were hired? To bring him the baby?"
It all clicked in Emma and she finally realised what was going.

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Emma drove her car to Granny's Diner once again, Henry next to her.
"You can't make her double-cross Gold. No one has ever broken a deal with him." said Henry.
"Happy to be the first." said Emma. "If Ashley wants to have this baby she should have it. Anyone who wants to be a mother should damn well be allowed to be one."
Henry looked at her surprised and smiled.

Emma walked quickly into Granny's Diner followed by Henry. She walked over to Ruby, who stood behind the counter.
"Why didn't you tell me she sold the baby?" said Emma.
"Because I didn't think it was important." she said walking down the counter.
Emma followed her on the other side of the counter. "Really? Considering that's why she's running away?"
"Look, Ashley's my friend. I don't like the idea of people judging her."
She walked to the kitchen and grabbed some dishes.
Emma followed her and saw, next to the counter, the little wolf ornament that had hung from the mirror in Ruby's car this morning. She picked it up and stared at it. She turned quickly to the window to see the car gone.
"You didn't send me to Sean to find her. You sent me there to give her a head start." said Emma following Ruby, again.
Ruby stopped behind the counter. "Look, I'm only trying to help her."
"Yeah, so am I. Ashley's in more trouble than you know, Ruby. Where is she? Don't make her deal with Gold without me."
Ruby hesitated. "I can't talk in front of him. He's the mayor's kid." she looked at Henry.
"Hey, I'm in your side." said Henry.
Emma turned to Henry. "Henry, I need to find this woman. And in order to do that, I need you to go home, okay? So please listen to me. Seriously. She's not going to tell me anything if you're around."
"Okay."
"Thank you." she smiled and Henry walked out the door. She turned back to Ruby.
She sighed. "She left town. She said she was gonna try Boston, thought she could dissappear there."
"How long ago did she leave?"
"About a half an hour."
Emma turned and left the Diner.

Emma drove alone in her car, she tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel as she drove.
Henry sat up from the boot of the car. "What'd she tell you?" he asked, casually.
Emma gasped and turned quickly. "Henry, what the hell? I'm going to Boston. You can't come with me."
"You can't go to Boston! She can't leave. Bad things happen to anyone that does."
"I don't have time to argue with you over the curse." she looked at him threw the mirror in the car. "I got to get you home."
"We have to stop her before she gets hurt. We're wasting time. If you drop me off, you'll never catch up to her."
"Henry........" she started.
"Then Mr. Gold will call the police and he'll have her sent to jail."
Emma sighed and closed her eyes. "Buckle up." she said to Henry. "Ashley, what did you get yourself into?" she said to herself.

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Sean Herman ~ Cinderella's Prince

Mr. Herman (Sean's Father) ~ Cinderella's Prince's Father