Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 51 - The Witch

Emma leaned over the desk in the sherifs office leaving through some files. Henry opened the door and walked in, his fairytale book in his hand.
"Any luck?" he asked.
Emma looked up from the files. "No." she said.
"I know who they are." he placed the fairytale book on the desk. "A brother and sister. Lost. No parents." He said leaving through the pages. "Hansel and Gretel." he turned the book towards her.
Emma looked at the book. "Anything in there about the dad?"
"Just that he abandoned them."
"Great. Sounds like a familiar story. Whoever this guy is, he could be in Laos by now." she walked into the next room.
Henry followed her. "No, he's here."
"And just how do you know that?" she said opening a filing cabinet.
"Cause no one leaves Storybrooke. No one comes here. No one goes. It's just the way it is."
"I came here." she looked at him.
"Because you're special. You're the first stranger here, ever."
She closed the filing cabinet again. "Right. I forgot. Well if he's around here anywhere, I'm gonna find him." she looked at the files she had taken from the cabinet and sat down at one of the desks.
"Can you tell me about him?" asked Henry sitting on the edge of the desk.
"I don't know anything yet."
"Not their father. Mine."
Emma looked up at Henry.
"I told you about your parents, now you're even living with your mom."
"Mary Margaret isn't....... She's......" she looked down at the file again. "Never mind."
"Please."
Emma leaned back in her chair and hesitated. "I was pretty young. I had just gotten out of the foster system. And the only job I could get was at this twenty four hour diner just off the interstate....... And.......your dad was training to be a fireman. He always got the worst shifts. So he'd come in and order coffee and pie, and sit at the counter, and always complain that we didn't sell pumpkin pie........"
Henry smiled.
"......... But he always came back the next night anyway."
"Did you get married?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that." she chuckled. "We just........ We hung out a few times outside of work..... And.......life happened. His got better and mine got worse, and I got into some trouble."
"When you went to jail?"
"Yeah." she breathed. "Before I went........... I found out I was pregnant with you. And...... I tryed to contact him......." she leaned forward. "........ And I found out that he died saving a family from a burning apartment building. So, you think I'm a saviour, Henry? He was. Your father was a real hero."
"Do you have anything of his? Something you could remember him by?...... Something I could see?"
She leaned back in her chair. "I...... I don't." she said, surprised. "Henry. I'm sorry. I gotta go........ I may know how to find this guy." she picked up the file and got up.

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Ava and Nicholas sat at the counter in Mary Margaret's apartment eating cookies with decorative icing on top.
Emma walked down the stairs with a cardboard box. "I wanna show you guys something." she said. She put the box down on a chair and took from it a white, knitted blanket with the name Emma written in purple on it.
"What's that?" asked Nicholas.
"It's my baby blanket. It's something I've held on to my whole life. It's the only thing that I have...... from my parents." her eyes darted between them. "I spent a lot of time with a lot of kids in your situation, and all of them, all of us, we held onto stuff. I want to find your father, but I need your help. Is there anything of his you've held onto?"
"I might have something." said Ava. "But if I give it to you, you'll make sure we stay together, right?"
"Right."
Ava took from her pocket a compass and held it out to Emma.
She took it and looked at it. "A compass?"
"Our mom kept it....... She said it was our dad's." said Ava.
"Thank you.
"Did you find them?"
"Who?"
"Your parents."
"Not yet. But I'm gonna find yours."

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Hansel and Gretel sneaked to the window of the gingerbread house in the dark.
Gretel hide the compass around her neck beneath her dress and Hansel stuck his finger into the delicious cream cakes that were stuck on the wall. He was about to stick his finger in his mouth when Gretel slapped his hand. "No." she whispered.
She climbed up onto the window sill and carefully opened the window.
She stepped inside and Hansel followed.
The inter room was made of sweets and in the middle of the room was a table filled with goodies and treats. In the corner of the room was the witch sitting on a rocking chair next to the fire where little bones and skeletons lay.
Gretel put her finger over her mouth. "Shhhh......."
"How can you be sure she's sleeping?" Hansel whispered.
"I can't. And remember what the queen said. Not even a lick." she said glancing at the table.
Hansel looked nervously at the table, tempted to eat.
Hansel and Gretel slowly creeped towards the witch.
"Your were right. Look." said Hansel.
Gretel looked at the witch, asleep. She had messy blond hair, a purple coloured dress and pale skin.
"And there's the satchel." she said the satchel hanging next to the witch catching her eye.
"What did you think is inside it?"
"Doesn't matter. All that matters is getting it to the queen so she can find father." she turned away and walked quietly towards the satchel.
Hansel looked tempted again at the goodies on the table.
Gretel stood up on a stool and reached for the satchel.
Hansel slowly took a chocolate cupcake with blue cream icing on top. He held it in his hands and stared at it. He glanced at Gretel and the witch shuddered a little in her sleep.
Gretel took the satchel carefully and turned back to Hansel to see him take a huge bite from the cupcake.
The witch's eyeslids shot open to reveal her misty blue eyes.
"No." whispered Gretel sternly creeping towards him quickly. "No." she mouthed.
Hansel placed the cupcake back on the table and whiped his mouth quickly.
The witch sniffed the air and sat upright. She turned her head towards the children and sighed greatful.
Hansel and Gretel darted towards the door.
The witch got to her feet.
The children almost reached the door but the lock shut. Then they backed to the window, but they also shut in their faces.
"I smell dinner." the witch said putting her hands together and smiling.
The children looked c at each other, shaking and fear in their eyes.

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Emma walked into Mr. Gold's pawn shop, the bell ginggled as she opened the door and closed it.
"Emma. How lovely to see you." said Mr. Gold from behind the counter.
Emma walked to the counter.
"I'm flattered you'd take time off your busy schedule for me........ What can I do for you, sherif?"
She held out the compass. "I'm looking for information on this old compass."
She placed it on the counter and Mr. Gold picked it up.
"And idea where it came from?"
"Well, well." he said looking at it carefully. "Look at the detail. You know, this is crystal." he said pointing to the inside of it. "This jewelled setting."
Emma glanced at it.
"And despite the rather unfortunately shape it's in, this is actually a very unusual piece." he placed it down on the counter I'm front of him. "The person who owned this obviously had great taste."
"And where would someone like that buy it?"
"Right here, of course." he tapped the counter with his index finger.
"You know it?"
"Indeed. A piece like this is difficult to forget."
"Do you happen to remember who bought it?"
He chuckled. "Well, I'm good with names, Miss. Swan, but maybe not that good. However, as luck would have it, I do keep quite extensive records." he said looking through a box. "And yes. Here we are." he pulled out a small card. He held it up but smiled and held it away from her.
Emma smiled. "What's your price?"
"Forgiveness."
"How about tolerance?"
"Well, that's a start."
Emma smiled again.
"The compass was purchased by a Mr. Micheal Tillman."
"Anything else?"
"Just a name. But I generally find that's all one needs."
Emma nodded and turned to walk to the door.
"Good luck with your investigation." he said smilin and as Emma walked out the door he placed, a blank card back into the box.