Henry got on his bike and rode towards the castle. Emma and Emmett stepped out from their squad car.
"Hey, kid," they greeted.
Henry rode past them and Emmett said, "Nice to see you, too."
Emma and Emmett, after exchanging a confused, worried look, caught up with Henry as he stared at his destroyed castle.
"The storm!" Henry cried.
"It's okay -- we can fix it," Emma reassured. "I'll talk to Marco."
"Do you think it's still here?" He started digging in the sand near the base of the playground.
"What are you looking for?"
"My book."
"Why'd you bury it here?" Emmett questioned.
Without looking, Henry replied, "So my mom doesn't find it."
"Hiding it under one of your mattresses wasn't good enough?"
Henry uncovered a red metal box under the sand and started unlocking it.
"That's the first place the Evil Queen would look," he told him.
"How about leaving it with me or Emma?"
"That's the second and third place." He opened the box to reveal the book. "It's still here. Good."
"So, your mom doesn't know about the castle?"
"No. This is our secret." Henry closed the box and started to rebury it.
Regina called out to her son. "Henry! Henry! I've been looking everywhere for you. You know you both have a session with Archie this morning." She noticed Emma and Emmett. "I should've known he was with you two. Henry -- car. Now."
Henry ran off and Regina stayed to talk with Emma and Emmett.
"You let him play here?" Regina asked.
Emmett glanced at the castle. "The storm hit it hard, but we can fix it."
"Well, can you fix a cracked cranium? Because that's what you'll have on your hands if one of these boards collapses under his weight. You're not thinking about Henry or his safety. Just ways around me. Mr. Swan, don't let your feelings cloud your judgment. The same applies to you, Miss Swan. People can get hurt."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're the Sheriff and Deputy now -- it's time to be responsible."
---
Emma, Emmett and Mary Margaret met at Granny's Diner.
Once they got food, Emma started complaining. "Don't let my feelings cloud my judgment? That's all Regina ever does."
"Well, she's just upset because you, Henry and Emmett have a special place and she... She doesn't," Mary Margaret replied.
"How'd she find out about the castle in the first place?" Emmett wondered.
"She knows everything about this town -- she's the Mayor."
Mary Margaret's phone vibrated. She looked to see a text from David. 'We need to talk. Meet at our spot.'
"Everything okay?" Emma and Emmett asked.
"Yeah, I just need to go. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I think you're right. I see the effect she has on Henry."
"I wish everyone else did, too," Emmett muttered.
Mary Margaret put on her jacket and left.
Sidney sat down with Emma and Emmett with a mostly empty glass of whiskey. "I can grant your wish."
YOU ARE READING
New Beginnings
FantasyEmmett and Emma had always just had each other. And then a boy knocks on their apartment door. Their world changes for the better, and in more ways they could have ever imagined. From stories to magic, the Swan twins are about to get more than th...
