Once Upon a Supernatural

Chapter X: Answering the Call

Sam didn't know what to make of the scene at the station. Dean had filled him in on the basics. About how Emma was the daughter of Snow White and was sent to this world as a baby to break the curse and save everyone. Heavy, he'd thought. Dean had shoved the book back to him along with the talkie. He was worried about where Cas had flown off to, he had a hunch it was to Emma.

"I'm going to go by her place and check on her. The worst she can do is kick my ass out of there. Might as well try to talk to her," Dean said with a shrug, throwing Sam his keys.

"How do you know where she lives?" Sam asked.

Dean started walking down the side walk, shrugging his shoulders, "I'll figure it out."

"Wait, what am I supposed to do with this?" Sam asked, holding up the storybook.

"Read it. The kid was right; it's about the town's history. Focus on Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, some guy named Rumpelstiltskin." Sam's eye brows creased in question. "Yeah, I think he has a big part in this whole mess. He's sketchy."

"Ok, I'll head to the inn and check it out," they both turned and walked their separate ways. Sam stopped, "Hey Dean, who'd the Evil Queen turn out to be?"

"Regina, the bitchy mayor," Dean called back.

Sam laughed, of course. He'd had a gut feeling she was part of this whole thing whenever he met her. The fact that she was the Evil Queen, well, he wasn't surprised.

Now he was sitting in a back booth at Granny's diner skimming through the book. He'd gotten through Snow White's story; it was a lot different than the one he remembered. A lot less cannibalism, thankfully. He wondered who the Huntsman was in the town; he hadn't seen anyone who looked like the picture yet. He hadn't met everyone in town though, he kept reminding himself. The fact that Snow White was a kick-ass bandit also threw Sam for a loop; and the fact that she and Prince Charming hadn't hit it off in the beginning.

He read on to the Evil Queen's story. Man, her mom was a real bitch. Regina pushed her through a looking glass? Hmm, wonder if that means she's in Wonderland, he thought, trying to think back to all the stories and lore he knew. He'd always been really interested in the classic Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson versions of fairy tales when he was younger. With the way he grew up, it was only natural for his reading taste to steer toward those dark, psycho stories. He'd also really enjoyed Lewis Carroll's Alice Adventures in Wonderland and J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. He'd always hid books from Dean and his dad, knowing they wouldn't approve.

He got to Rumpelstiltskin's part just as Ruby approached the booth, "Isn't that Henry's?"

Sam looked up and gave her a smile. "Yeah, the kid loaned it to me."

"Interested in fairy tales?" she asked, cautiously taking a seat across from. The diner was nearly empty.

Sam chuckled, "What's not to like? Revenge, scandal, fight scenes, love- magic."

She seemed pleased with this answer. Sam started to wonder who her fairy tale counterpart was. "Where's your brother?"

"He's doing his own thing tonight," Sam answered discreetly. If he had said Going to Emma's, it would probably start gossip in the small town. "He'll probably roll in sometime midnight and 5 am."

"Maybe we'll see him at the Rabbit Hole," she replied. "My shift ends in a few minutes and a couple of girlfriends and I were going to hang out for a bit. Would you like to join us? We promise not to talk about hair and nails all night."