Chapter Text
When your whole world turns upside down, I’ll be your solid ground
(Vance Joy, Solid Ground)
-
Trapped in the stifling heat of Granny’s diner, it was easy to forget just how cold the air outside had been.
The diner should have closed several hours ago and, on a typical day, it would have been. But this evening the little building was overflowing with the townsfolk, full of raucous laughter and chattering voices; A celebration of the heroes return and the defeat of another threat against Storybrooke.
It had been a miracle that John and Michael Darling had made it across the town line when they did. Right before Owen and Tamara’s downfall. Right before Rumplestiltskin had set up a protection spell around the whole of the town in the hopes that it would keep outsiders at bay and prevent Storybrooke ever being discovered.
It had been a shock to all when Henry Mills had been kidnapped by the two brothers and taken through a portal to Neverland.
It had been a relief to everyone when all three of Henry’s parents and grandparents had followed after him, finding their own way to Neverland and their own way back home again. A relief when all of them had come back whole and unharmed.
That said, August mused as he slipped into the booth seat opposite a very serious looking Emma Swan, ‘unharmed’ clearly did not mean ‘unchanged’.
“Hey,” he said, setting his cider down on the table and immediately drawing Emma’s attention. “You okay?”
“Hmm?” Emma looked as though she had barely even registered his question.
“I said, ‘are you okay?’ You seem…Distracted.”
Emma shrugged.
“I’m fine. Just tired, I guess. Neverland was kind of hectic, in more ways than one. I’m not exactly in the mood for the full Storybrooke 'welcome home party.'”
“Hey.” A third voice entered the conversation before August could even attempt to lighten Emma’s mood. Neal, hands stuffed awkwardly in his pockets, appeared beside them at the table.
Emma returned him with a quiet “hey,” of her own.
“I think I’m gonna head home for the night.”
Emma stole a glance at the neon-blue wall clock to her right.
“It’s not even nine-thirty.”
“I know but–” He laughed awkwardly. “–I’m kind of exhausted. Plus, my dad didn’t stick around for long and I wanna check up on him.”
Emma nodded in understanding.
“Of course.”
Neal let his mouth hang open, as if anticipating more words that might come out of it. However, all that fell out was a hurried, “well, ‘night.”
“Night.”
August felt almost completely invisible. A feeling only marginally lessened by a muffled, last minute, “‘night, August,” from Neal. The little bell to the shop rang and he left the diner without another word.
“That was kinda awkward.” Lampwick appeared just behind August, easing some of the tension in August’s chest instantly.
“Haven’t you talked to Neal yet?” Emma was quick to ask. “I thought you said you were gonna clear the air?”
“I was,” August admitted. “I am. I just…With everything that’s been happening lately I haven’t exactly had the chance to.”
“Talk about what?” Lampwick queried.
“Nothing. It’s not important, I just…” He momentarily made eye contact with Emma. “Just need to apologise for something, that’s all.”
“‘Kay,” Lampwick said, completely unfazed. “Well, I’m just going outside for a smoke. In case you need me.”
“Sure.”
Lampwick reached out an arm and gave August’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before heading out the door and into the cold.
"Looks like things are going well between you two?" Emma suggested as they both watched the door close.
For a moment, August felt uncharacteristically bashful. He cleared his throat.
"Yeah, I mean…I don't wanna jinx anything, it's still early days, but…Yeah, things are good."
"Bet you still haven't taken him to that wishing well."
"Are you ever going to let that go?"
"Nope." For the first time that evening, a wide, genuine smile graced Emma’s features. She took a swig of her drink. It was the same beer that most of the dwarves seemed to have opted for that evening.
Her smile faded and her focus became distant again almost as soon as she put the glass back on the table.
"What about you?" August asked as Emma wiped her mouth." You haven't really told me very much about your time in Neverland…Did you get a chance to talk with Neal or..?"
"Neal? Nothing's happening with me and Neal."
"Does he know that?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know, things just seemed…tense between you two. I figured that maybe something had happened when you were in Neverland?"
"August, nothing happened."
August opened his mouth to protest.
“August–”
"Okay." He held his hands up in mock defence. "Nothing happened." He lowered his hands and stared very seriously at Emma. There was a look of genuine upset behind her eyes. "But…are you okay? "
"I'm fine," Emma tried to assure him, her voice almost confident enough to make him believe it.
" Fine ," he repeated, "but, Emma, if you need someone to talk to–"
"Thanks," she cut in before he could press any further, "but seriously, I'm good. I swear."
—
The cold air bit at Lampwick barely seconds after he left the warmth of the diner. For a moment, it was almost refreshing, a reprise from the noise and cluster of faces squashed inside together. However, it didn't take long before he was forced to zip up his jacket and reach for the hat that was stuffed into his pocket.
It was nice , he mused, to actually be invited to the celebration this time around .
It was a much better feeling than the petty jealousy he had felt when the town had thrown their previous get together, celebrating the breaking of the Evil Queen's twenty-eight year curse.
Even so, his gratitude wouldn't stop him needing a quick breather away from it all. Particularly from a very loud, half-drunk Leroy. Lampwick loved that dwarf –the pair of them got on shockingly well, all things considered– but the man did have a bad habit of never shutting up. An impressive feat, given Lampwick's own personal tendency to talk.
Speaking of bad habits…
Lampwick moved away from the entrance and headed around the far right side of the building. Too busy fishing out the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, he almost didn’t notice the figure leant up against the wall in front of him.
Lampwick couldn’t quite place how he knew the man, not at first. The man was struggling to get his lighter working. He threw it to the floor in frustration, cursing quietly to himself. Lampwick approached him, quick to spark his own lighter and offer it to him.
“Thanks,” he said, accepting the offer.
“Dr. Whale, right?”
“The one and only.”
Lampwick put a cigarette between his lips and tried to light it. Something cold and wet tapped against the back of his hand and he mentally cursed. It looked like it was trying to rain.
“So…” Lampwick wanted to try and make the most of his little breather out here before things got too cold, miserable and awkward to tolerate it any longer. “Didn’t think doctors were s’posed to promote shit like this?”
Whale’s laugh was devoid of any humour.
“It beats the alternative.”
“What’s that?”
“Booze.” Whale shook his head, staring vacantly at his own shoes. “I’ve gotta stay sober for work. It was fucking me up too much. This is the next best thing.”
“No offence, but…Are you sure this was the best place to come to tonight? If you’re trying to quit drinking..?”
“I didn’t realise Granny had enough beer to give out to every dwarf and his brother…”
“Sorry.”
Whale only shrugged in return.
Lampwick felt another drop of rain, this time on his cheek. A part of him wished that it would start pouring right now so he had an excuse to leave the conversation.
“You know, it didn’t used to be so bad,” Whale mused, sounding as though he were talking more to himself than to Lampwick.
“Your drinking?”
“My work,” he said. “Although, that too, I guess.”
“Pretty stressful, huh?”
Whale let out another laugh. Short and sharp and brimming with irritation.
“You know, at least during the curse things were straightforward. There were one or two permanent residents like Prince James in his coma. Or…Prince David or whatever his name is now. And a lot of the same people would come and go. I remember seeing a lot of the same faces over and over.
“But after the curse was broken…I don’t know. I feel like there are more people than ever arriving at the hospital.”
He paused to take another drag of his cigarette. Another spot of rain fell against Lampwick’s hand. He couldn’t help but wonder if the doctor had noticed the weather yet or not.
“People are dying now. I mean, more than they… I’m sure that people must have died during the curse. I think…I’m sure that they…” He trailed off again for only a moment before shaking his head solemnly and returning with, “but I couldn’t name a time that I actually remember it happening. Not specifically. Not like now…”
Mercifully, several more droplets of rain hit Lampwick’s skin. He grimaced, tossing the barely used cigarette to the floor and snuffing it out with his foot. Another fat bead of rain landed on his face. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.
“Maybe things’ll level out?” he suggested. “Calm down a bit.”
“God, I hope so.”
“Well,” Lampwick said, already starting to move. “I’m gonna head back inside before I get soaked.”
“Thanks for the light.” Whale refused to move from his spot.
With only some hesitance, Lampwick ducked out of the alley, frustrated by things being cut so short, but keen to welcome back the vibrant atmosphere that was waiting inside the diner. However, just as he turned the corner, a pale face caught his eye.
There was a woman across the street, her gaze fixated on the diner. Lampwick froze.
Aware that she had been caught, the woman turned on her heel immediately, fading into the shadows and disappearing from view.
A shiver ran up Lampwick’s spine. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the woman or simply the result of the chill that hung in the air. Without another word, he headed back into Grannys and tried to put the woman out of his mind.
—
Tonight was the first time in a while that Henry was sleeping over at Regina’s house. The first time back in his old room. In the room that he never should have moved out of.
Or, well, that wasn’t quite right.
Regina had deliberately let him go and live with the idiot that is David Nolan. For Henry’s sake. Letting him go had been the best thing for him at the time and she couldn’t resent Prince Farming for taking him under his wing, despite how badly she wanted to.
However, she hadn’t expected Henry to stay with the Charmings for as long as he did.
The house at 108 Mifflin street was a big house, especially for one person. Its open space was cold and lonely and suffocating, and having her son back within its walls was like a balm on Regina’s soul.
"Can we have hot cocoa?" Henry barely seconds after they'd walked through the front door.
"No. You won’t sleep properly if you do.”
“Emma would let me.”
A flurry of frustration bubbled in her chest.
“Well, Miss Swan isn’t here right now.”
Henry pouted a little but didn't push things any further. Regina wondered if she should have just indulged him and said 'yes'.
“So…" he said as he pulled his scarf off his head. "Why’d you leave Granny’s so early?”
"Early?” Regina queried as she hung her coat up. “Henry, you’d be in bed by this time on a school night.”
“Not early for me. Early for you. Didn’t you wanna stay longer?”
“And let you go home by yourself? Nice try, young man, but someone had to keep an eye on you.”
Henry only shrugged. He started taking his coat off.
“I could have gone home with Grandma and Grandpa. They left earlier than we did.”
“Well, maybe they left because they were tired,” she suggested, although she had a feeling the pair were nothing of the sort. She could only shudder to imagine what Snow White and her insufferable husband were getting up in a house temporarily devoid of any kids or grandkids. “They probably wanted some alone time together. To rest. Either way, it’s probably for the best that you left them to it.”
Henry clutched his coat in his hands. He somehow looked so young and so old all at the same time.
"So, you really only left early because of me?’
Answering 'yes' to that question wouldn't be a complete lie. In fact, it would be more truth than anything else. Regina had been happier than ever when Emma had agreed to let Henry stay over at hers that night.
But she also couldn't deny the sensation of relief she had felt when she had left that crowded little diner and Miss Swan behind in it.
"Of course," was the answer she settled on.
Henry's frown didn't ease.
All of a sudden, Regina felt a cold, unsettling thought wriggle about in her stomach.
“Henry, do you…Do you not want to stay here tonight?”
The look of genuine shock on Henry’s face quelled her worry in an instant.
“What? No, mom, it’s not that. It’s nice being back here, I swear. It’s just…”
Regina frowned at him, concerned.
“Just ‘what’, sweetheart?”
“I guess I just don’t want you to feel left out."
"I'm not sure I understand," she said, a bewildered smile involuntarily crossing her face.
Henry moved to hang his coat up on the rack by the door.
"When I was with Pan on Neverland," he explained, "all I could think about was getting back home again. Back to you, and to my other mom, and to my dad, and everyone else…And you found me and we all made it back to Storybrooke but and that's great but…At the party tonight you barely spoke to any of them, especially Emma, and I'm just fed up of everyone fighting and…"
Regina wordlessly crouched down to better meet Henry's eye level as he continued talking.
"I guess I thought that, if you'd wanted to stay longer, it would have meant that everyone in my family was getting on. But, you seemed pretty eager to leave and…"
"Henry, I didn't realise this was bothering you so much."
"I’m not saying that things have to be perfect, I just…I don’t want to have to choose sides again. I just want everyone to get along."
Regina placed a hand on Henry's forearm. He was currently refusing to look her in the eye.
"I can't promise that there won't be tensions between some of the others and I. You know what our history is like. But, if the Charmings are willing to try, then I'll make an effort too. For you."
She smiled at her son. It was gentle and reserved, barely even a smile, really. But it was genuine.
The hug that Henry gave her left her heart as soft as butter.
"Thanks, mom."
Now all Regina had to do was play nice with the rest of them. Including Emma.
—
Emma found herself at Granny's once again.
Steadily, she sipped her coffee (cappuccino, two sugars) and waited at one of the central two-seated tables.
Neal had asked to meet and talk with her about a few things. 'Mostly about Henry ,' he'd explained over the phone, ' but we need to talk about some other things too.'
The prospect of 'other things' was already making Emma feel a little queasy. She already had a good idea about what those 'other things' might be and she was less than keen to discuss them with Neal right now.
She took another long sip of her coffee.
Unfortunately for Emma, she wasn't particularly looking forward to the 'Henry' side of the conversation either.
She was happy that Henry was getting the chance to get to know his father –Emma would have killed for that opportunity when she was his age– but between herself, Regina and Neal (not to mention, Snow and David, all too eager to play the role of doting grandparents), she couldn't help but worry about Henry becoming overwhelmed with it all. That being tossed around like a hot potato between the three of them would unsettle and upset him too much.
Even so, he had seemed in a decent enough mood when she had picked him up from Regina’s the other morning. All smiles and "hi, mom. Bye mom," readily accepting both women as equal parents.
Regina, on the other hand, had seemed tense. A fake smile had spread out on her face as she thanked Emma once more for letting her spend time with Henry. Perfect teeth and a carefully selected shade of red lipstick unable to mask the bitterness behind it.
Emma looked down at the coffee mug, her fingers clasped right around its circumference, gripping it as though it might break if she let go. Hot cocoa was usually her go-to but she felt like she needed something a little stronger today.
She thought back to Neverland. Back to Regina teaching her to use magic. She felt the ghost of Regina's hand brush against her arm. Felt a spark of magic ignite in the pit of her nervous stomach.
"Hey," Neal said, appearing from behind Emma, surprising her.
“Hey.” Emma’s reply sounded almost breathless, as though she had just been running. She finally let go of her grip on the coffee cup.
Neal frowned, clearly taking note of her odd behaviour as he wrestled with the scarf around his neck.
“You okay?” he asked as he untied the garment and set it down on the table in front of him.
“Yeah." Emma's tone came out a little more abrupt than she had intended. "I'm fine." She smiled weakly at him. "You made me jump, though. I kind of expected you to appear from upstairs."
"Just because I'm staying at Granny's, it doesn't mean I'm cooped upstairs twenty-four seven."
Rumplestiltskin had offered Neal a place to stay not that long ago. First at his own house, before then offering to give Neal one of the rental properties he owns.
Neal had swiftly turned down both suggestions and Emma couldn't decide whether she found the decline admirable or hugely selfish.
"Emma, are you sure you're okay?" he asked after a moment.
"I thought we were meeting to talk about Henry?"
"Right. Sure." He idly drummed a finger on the tabletop. "Henry…"
Emma brought the coffee cup up to her lips in an effort to ground herself whilst Neal talked. She wasn't expecting the contents to be quite so hot.
She hissed, immediately taking the mug of burning liquid away from her mouth and setting it back onto the table.
"Still hot?" Neal teased with a grin that Emma was unable to reciprocate.
'It wasn't five minutes ago ,' were the words that Emma didn't say out loud.
"Kind of, yeah," were the words that she decided on. "Anyway. Henry."
"I wanna spend more time with him."
" Right ," Emma's reply was slow and purposeful.
"Take him to the park. Out for ice cream. Hang out and get to know him better."
Emma frowned.
"I'm not stopping you from doing that, Neal."
"Sure. Not right now. But…" He shrugged uselessly. "Who knows how things could turn out?"
Emma sighed. She felt so weary.
"You're Henry's father. So long as he wants you in his life, I'm not gonna stop you from spending time with him."
Neal's eyes were downcast, his voice muffled and uncertain.
"Even if…"
"Even if 'what'?"
He looked up at her, brown eyes serious and determined. Emma couldn't help but feel a stab of regret in her chest over what could have been, once upon a time. A bittersweet nostalgia for the man she once loved.
"Emma, I know that things are complicated between the two of us. That things have been awkward."
"That's putting it lightly…"
"But I meant what I told you back on Neverland. I'm ready to fight for you. To fight for us. "
Emma opened her mouth to speak but Neal stopped her with a quick, "please."
"I still have feelings for you, Emma. I still…" A quiet, cynical laugh escaped him. "But I know that maybe you don't feel the same. Which sucks –a lot– but that's something for the two of us to deal with. Not Henry, I don't want him caught up in the middle of this."
"Neither do I."
"So, can we set up something more permanent? Something so that, no matter what happens between the two of us, I'll still get to be a part of his life." His eyes flickered away to the side. "He deserves a good dad in his life."
"I know. And I don't wanna take anything away from you or Henry but…I just…"
"What?"
"I don't wanna mess him around too much. But between me, and you, and Regina–"
"Yeah, actually, about that," he cut her off. "You really think it's a good idea? Letting him stay with Regina again?"
"I let him stay over at hers last night."
"I know."
Emma let out an irritable huff of air through her nose.
"He's her son too. She has just as much right to see him."
Neal grimaced.
"Emma, I don't know…"
"She loves him, Neal. Say what you want about Regina but she genuinely loves Henry and I know that she'll take care of him."
Neal didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t bother to argue against Emma again. He picked up his scarf and pushed his chair away from the table, ready to stand up.
“Think things over,” he said as he stood to his feet, apparently deciding that the conversation was finished. “Text me when you’ve made some conclusions or whatever it is you need to do.”
Neal’s face was unreadable but the bitter tone of his voice was more than telling.
“I will,” she tried to reassure him. “And, I swear, Neal, I’m not keeping you from Henry. I just…Just have to wrap my head around some things first, that’s all.”
“Sure.”
As Neal went to leave, another thought drifted into Emma’s head.
“Also,” she said, turning in her chair slightly to face him, “can you do me a favour?”
Neal’s jaw tensed.
“What?”
“August. If he comes to see you, can you hear him out?”
Neal rolled his eyes and Emma’s irritation spiked immediately.
"He's a friend, Neal."
Neal scoffed.
"A friend? Did you forget what he did? Back in Portland."
"No. But I also didn't forget what you did either, and how that stung a hell of a lot more."
A defeated sigh escaped him.
“Fine. If he comes to me, I’ll talk to him.”
A ghost of a smile crossed Emma’s face.
“Thanks.”
Neal smiled back, his own smile just as pared back as Emma's had been.
“See you later, Emma,” he said, heading further back into the diner and disappearing into the corridor that led to the guest rooms.
The coffee in Emma's hands was still hot when she finally took another sip.
—
After helping his father with several commissions that morning, August had finally been sent out of the house.
Things between August and Marco were still proving to be a little awkward. His father meant well, of course, and most of the morning had been genuinely pleasant.
But then, Marco had accidentally called him ‘Pinocchio’. And August had frozen in place. His father had corrected himself almost immediately and August couldn’t possibly be upset with the man for such an earnest mistake. Yet, it ruined the morning all the same. That one little word –a sharp, dagger-like reminder of the past before Storybrooke– widened the gulf between them, and it became near impossible to carry on as normal.
Barely ten minutes after that, Marco had declared that they needed more wood screws. August had been more than happy to volunteer in leaving the workshop and getting some more.
He was making a slow walk back home again, screws in his possession, when he passed by Mr. Gold's pawn shop and it sparked a vague reminder of Neal.
Shit.
He was still avoiding things. While he knew that the conversation wouldn't be as stress inducing as his talk with Emma had been, his system still refused to shake that same feeling of nauseating guilt.
Neal probably wasn't in the shop right now , August thought, too afraid to take more than a fleeting glance through the cluttered window display as he walked on by. He'd have a better chance of finding him at Granny's, where he was still staying.
A tired sigh escaped him. He stopped walking. Reluctantly, he turned on his heel, ready to backtrack and head up the road to the B&B.
"Oh!"
A woman yelped as she and August almost collided head on.
"I'm so sorry," he apologised immediately.
The woman smiled brightly at him. August found himself paralysed.
"It's okay, you just startled me, that's all."
His mouth was so dry.
This woman…She had the same icy blonde hair, the same thin brows, the same kind eyes that crinkled ever so gently at their corners when she smiled…
"Sorry," he said again, although his voice was so mumbled that the woman probably didn't hear him anyway.
He didn't dare look behind as he scurried away.
Neal would have to wait. Right now, he only had one question in mind; What on earth was Miss Fisher doing in Storybrooke?
–