𝑶𝑪𝑬𝑨𝑵 𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 - Rumplestiltskin [1]

TWENTY ONE

21|TRUTH

Bella leaned against her kitchen counter, sipping her fifth cup of tea. Her ocean eyes watched the three children making cake opposite her.

"Hello?" Mary Margaret said as she answered the house phone, glancing back at Bella. "Is everything okay?"

"I'll keep an eye on them." She nodded to her roommate and watched as she walked out the door. "You guys better have saved me a chocolate beater!"

"We did!" Henry passed her one of the chocolate cake batter beaters before her went back to licking the bowl.

"Your mother is going to kill us." Bella laughed, throwing her dirty beater into the sink to be washed before going back to her tea. She was worried about the twins, knowing that Emma asking Mary Margaret to speak downstairs meant bad news. "I think the cake is ready!" She said after the oven timer binged.

She placed the hot cake on to a cooler mat and stepped back to admire the perfectly baked cake. "Good work!" She high fived each of the kids and watched as Emma and Mary Margaret entered the apartment, both with downcast faces. "Oh, welcome Mayor!" Bella said with surprise when she saw Regina behind the two women. "Perfect timing, we made a cake."

"I need to speak to the kids." Emma announced causing Bella to nod her head and step away with her fresh cup of tea.

"I'm going to get dressed out of my hospital sweats." The doctor smiled at the Mayor once more before leaving the main room to go get dressed.

She draped herself over the random arm chair in her room, slowing drinking her tea while reading a new book she had bought. It was the original story of 'La Belle et La Beté'. She found it fitting since Henry always referred to her being the beauty in such a tragic story. Eventually, Bella finished the tea and placed her book down, throwing on an oversized sweatshirt and baggy men's pajama bottoms.

"Want to have a slumber party? Old lady style?" She joked, placing her cup in the sink and entering Mary Margaret's room, spotting the woman on her bed folding clothes. "Is Emma not back yet?"

"Not yet. Want to help?" Mary Margaret gestured to the pile of clothes. The pair talked about random things, finishing off folding clothes when they heard the front door open and close. "Hey. What happened?"

"Their dad." Emma answered cashing the pair to glance curiously at the blonde. "He showed up. Changed his mind."

"Changed his mind." The teacher said happily, watching as Emma lay across the end of the bed with a joyful smile. "Just like that?"

"He might have had a little nudge." The roommates all silently cheered together, happy that the twins would not be separated and lost in the broken system.

"They found their father. That's great." Mary Margaret stated, sighing contently and looking off in the distance.

"I wonder what that would be like " Emma said casually, sitting up slightly to lean on her arms.

"Maybe you'll find out." Bella nudged her arm with hope. "You can't give up."

"I don't know." The Sheriff mumbled. "I kind of think giving up might be the best plan. I think I need to let go."

"No, you don't."

"Really?" Emma asked with slight hope. "If they wanted to know me, they wouldn't make it so hard to look."

"Maybe." Mary nodded in agreement, folding her hands on her lap. "But maybe there's other reasons. Maybe there is an explanation."

"If there is, it's something crazy." She groaned causing Bella to chuckle to herself. "Something even crazier than Henry's theory."

"Yeah, what's Henry's theory?" Mary Margaret questioned without even looking up, already knowing it will be about the book she gifted him.

"Well, that my parents put me in a magical wardrobe and sent me to this world to save them." There was a strange look on Emma's face as she spoke, sitting up properly to look at the two bewildered women.

"Oh!" Bella placed her hand over her mouth to stop herself from bursting into laughter.

"And who does he think they are?" Mary added.

"Well, for one, you." Emma revealed with a grin.

"Me." The teacher said after a short pause, not believing her.

"Well, Snow White." She clarified.

"Snow White has a kid."

"You poor thing." Bella lazily draped herself over Mary Margaret, pretending to give her sympathy for having children.

"Apparently that book you gave him, not exactly the stories in the most traditional sense." Emma laughed at the doctor's dramatic behaviour.

"I have a kid." Mary Margaret smiled to herself happily. "You'd think I'd remember that."

"Yeah, you'd think."

"You do kind of have my chin." She said sarcastically, hinting with her eyes.

"I think I need to go get some air." Emma stood up with an exhausted sigh. "I'm gonna go think."

"Be quick! I bought cheap wine and ice cream the other day." Bella grinned, stretching her legs as stood up. "Then I can tell you how I think Henry's theory might be true. Don't give me that look! The events in my characters storyline are so freakishly similar to my life it's spooky."