Chapter 2: Storybrooke, Maine
Summary: Storybrooke, Maine in Elizabeth’s opinion looked like a ghost town or a horde of zombies came through, eating everyone in sight. There were no tourists and not that many cars. Just people and a frozen clock tower. She had a really bad feeling about this and it doesn’t help when her ten-year-old nephew swears up and down that all the people living in this strange town are fairytale characters who don’t know who they are. Elizabeth knows for a fact that fairytale characters aren’t real or are they?
They’ve been driving since forever heading to this so-called Storybrooke, Maine—a town that the twins couldn’t help but wonder was real or just Henry’s imagination only stopping for gas as Henry sits in the backseat reading his book while Elizabeth was up front leaning her head against the cold glass window watching the town lights pass by.
She couldn’t believe that they were actually doing this, heading to a town that they never even heard of before and meeting her nephew for the very first time since Emma gave birth to him before eventually giving him up. Elizabeth should be over the moon but in reality she was pissed. Not because of Henry but because of her ex-fiancé Eugene.
They hadn’t even left the apartment yet when she received a notification from that prick who supposedly got engaged to his secretary using the same exact ring that he proposed to her with. She was livid about to march right to his house at any second and key his car, maybe even slash his tires while she was at it only to get stopped by none other than Emma herself.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Emma asked.
“Where do you think? I’m gonna give this dick a piece of my mind,” she exclaims, staring over at Henry who was standing next to her sister’s yellow bug paying them no mind which she was glad for.
“Do you really think that’s wise? Eugene will be furious if you show up unannounced or worse he’ll have you arrested for trespassing,” Emma tried to reason.
“Relax, sis, I’m not gonna do anything drastic,” Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes.
Emma raises her eyebrows not believing her for a second.
“Okay fine all I was gonna do was key his car, slash his tires and if I have time kick him in the balls for cheating on me with some brown haired bimbo,” Elizabeth said.
“That would for sure get you arrested even though he deserves it,” Emma said.
“Glad we’re on the same page. Can I go now?” Elizabeth asked, starting to walk off only to get stopped yet again by Emma grabbing her arm.
“Absolutely not. You’re gonna march your ass right to that car and we’re gonna take this kid home before you end up doing something you regret,” she said.
Elizabeth sighs, stomping her feet. “Fine.”
Emma shakes her head at her sister’s antics, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she watches from afar at the interaction happening between Elizabeth and her son. The same son she gave up years ago because she wasn’t fit to be a mother just yet. She could just feel the guilt eating her up inside. This kid should be pissed that she gave him up instead of raising him but for some strange reason he was not. Now here the Swan twins were bringing this kid back to his hometown and handing him over to the people who adopted him. She knew deep down what she was doing was wrong but this was for his own good as soon as she marked closed adoption on those papers that was it she gave up her rights a long time so she didn’t quite understand how he found her in the first place.
Elizabeth quickly snaps out of her thoughts when she heard Henry ask if they can stop for something to eat and Emma saying something along the lines of how this wasn’t a road trip all she could do was stare at her sister from the corner of her eye not knowing if she should say something like yeah they should stop, get gas and switch spots so she can drive while Emma sleeps but instead of saying anything she opens the glove compartment grabbing two Slim Jim’s as she turns around in her seat handing one to Henry and keeping the other for herself.
Henry grabs it in excitement muttering a small thank you as he rips open the packaging like a man on a mission munching down happily before returning back to his book from where Elizabeth was sitting she could make out some of the pictures—it was a book filled with fairytale characters that she knew all too well.
“I didn’t take you for a kid who believes in all that fairytale nonsense,” she said.
“It’s not nonsense, Auntie Liz. These stories are actually real,” Henry exclaimed.
Elizabeth furrows her eyebrows in confusion as Emma stares at him through the rearview mirror trying to use her superpower to see if he was lying or not. “Fairytales real? Yeah, right. If they were real, wouldn't I have found my happy ending by now and find my true love who won’t screw me over.”
“But they are real because you and mom are in this book,” Henry said, looking hopeful that one of them maybe even two of them would believe him but of course that wasn’t the case as his aunt continues to stare at him like he has three heads while his mom on the other hand thought he was making this entire thing up.
Elizabeth didn’t know how to respond. How could she without upsetting the poor boy who still believes in fairytales. At first she thought this was his way of coping but what really caught her off guard was the fact that he was claiming that her and Emma were in this book. How was that even possible? All of the books she has ever read always used the name Emma and Elizabeth so what makes this book different from all the rest.
“I don’t know what’s crazier, kid. You believing in these fairytales or you claiming that me and Elizabeth are in them,” Emma said, raising a single sculpted eyebrow like a challenge.
“I’m not crazy. These fairytales are real you’ll see because you and Elizabeth are gonna save them all,” he said.
The twins didn’t understand what he meant when he said that they were gonna save them all. They weren’t heroes. They were just two sisters living their best lives in Boston until their life was flipped upside down when Emma’s son showed up unannounced.
They passed the welcome to Storybrooke sign making their way into town listening to the rain hit the roof of the car and in Elizabeth’s opinion everything looked like a ghost town or a horde of zombies came through, eating everyone in sight.
“Putting all this fairytale nonsense to the side will you just please tell us where you live so we can drop you off and go our separate ways,” Emma said.
“It’s ain’t telling you street,” Henry said sarcastically, smirking.
Emma slams on the brakes causing them to jerk forward as she gets out of her car slamming the door shut behind her.
“Let’s go kid or else you’ll meet the wrath of Emma Hope Swan,” she sighed, stepping out of the car with Henry following close behind.
Elizabeth took in her surroundings finding Storybrooke, Maine to be probably the most weirdest town she has ever been in. It wasn’t loud like Boston or New York. There wasn’t any tourists and not that many cars. It was just complete silence as she stares up at the clock tower noticing that the hands weren’t moving at all and was stuck at 8:16. No wonder why nobody ever heard of this place before. Everything was practically broken.
“Hey, Hen, what’s up with the clock?” She asked.
“It hasn’t worked my entire life. Time’s frozen here,” Henry said.
“What do you mean time’s frozen here?” Emma asked, not understanding if this was his other way of making them believe all this fairytale bullshit or not.
“It’s The Evil Queen’s fault,” was the only response Henry said instead of answering the question.
Elizabeth raises a single eyebrow. “The Evil Queen? As in Snow White’s evil stepmother?”
“Uh-huh,” he said, nodding, looking hopeful that at least one of the twins was starting to believe him.
“Okay, kid, if this Evil Queen was real, which she’s not, how the hell would she even make time freeze?” Emma asked, not believing him for a second.
“She did it with her curse ripping everyone of their happy endings and sending every single fairytale character from The Enchanted Forest to our world. Now they’re trapped without any idea of who they once were,” Henry explained.
“So, let me get this straight. The Evil Queen created this curse and froze time just to rip every single fairytale character of their happy ending. Sounds ridiculous to me?” Elizabeth said.
“I’m telling you it’s the truth!” Henry exclaimed.
“If what your saying is true then why can’t they just leave?” Emma asked.
“Why not?” Elizabeth asked.
“Because really bad things would happen,” Henry said.
A man with glasses, orange curly hair and who was walking his dog, Pongo started walking in their direction. “Henry! Shouldn’t you be at home asleep before your mother starts worrying where you are?”
“She probably doesn’t even know that I left, Archie,” he said, petting Pongo.
“And who might these two be?” The man now known as Archie asked looking between the two girls.
“Just two sisters trying to bring him home so he doesn’t have to take the bus again,” Elizabeth said, giving the man before them a kind smile.
“Archie meet my birth mom Emma and my aunt Elizabeth,” Henry said, smiling wide as he gestures between the twins.
Elizabeth smiled down at her nephew ruffling his hair while Emma on the other hand was looking ready to hand her son over to Archie and head back to Boston where her life was absolutely perfect until Henry arrived and ruined everything.
“I really like how we’re getting to know one another but we probably should get him home so me and my sister can beat the traffic on our way back to Boston. So, Archie, was it can you just tell us where he lives?” Emma said.
“Um…sure he lives on Mifflin Street, The Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block,” Archie said.
Emma & Elizabeth stare down at Henry in shock as they let Archie’s words sink in.
“Wait, hold up, you’re telling us that this kid is the Mayor's son?” Elizabeth asked, mind blown at what she just found out.
“Pretty much. Didn’t he tell you both who adopted him when he was a baby?” Archie said.
“No he did not,” the oldest of the twins replied, as she stared out of the corner of her eye at Henry who was avoiding eye contact.
“The mayor will be thrilled that you brought her son back home,” Archie said smiling.
“No she won’t,” Henry said.
“She will, Henry. Trust me she will,” he said, pleading that Henry would listen to him.
“And I’m telling you that she won’t be thrilled that I came back. The Evil Queen doesn’t care about anyone but herself and killing Snow White for ruining her life,” Henry said, crossing his arms and looking to the side.
Archie sighed, kneeling down to his level putting one hand on his shoulder and the other holding Pongo’s leash. “Henry for the last time your mother isn’t The Evil Queen.”
“But she is,” he groaned, nodding his head.
“Look, Henry, do we have to schedule another session and talk about what’s real and what’s fake after you missed our last one,” Archie said.
“I’m sorry, alright, Archie, it's just that this field trip was really important to me,” he exclaimed.
“Henry, how many times have I told you about lying? If you continue talking about all this fairytale nonsense they’ll send you straight to the insane asylum,” Archie said, trying to reason with the young boy standing before him.
“Alright then,” Elizabeth said, putting her hands on Henry’s shoulders. “We really should get him home.”
“Right, well, good night then and Henry,” Archie said, standing up and dusting off his jeans as he uses one finger to push his glasses up his nose.
“Stay out of trouble,” he said, giving Henry a pointed stare.
“I will,” Henry said, giving him the most fakest smile that Elizabeth has ever seen.
“Good,” Archie said, walking off.
As soon as Archie was out of earshot Elizabeth moved to stand in front of Henry.
“Not only are you the Mayor’s son who believes in fairytales but you also have a therapist,” she said.
“I’m not crazy alright!” Henry exclaimed.
“I didn’t say you were,” Elizabeth said, trying her best to soothe him.
“Well, you were implying it,” he said, crossing his arms.
Elizabeth sighed knowing deep down that there was no way of convincing him otherwise. “Look, Hen, all I’m saying is that Archie doesn’t seem cursed to us. He just seems like a normal guy wanting to help you.”
“I’m not the one who needs help. Archie does because he doesn’t remember who he once was. None of them do,” Henry said.
“And this affects us, how?” Emma asked, putting a hand on her hip.
“You two are the saviors who will break the curse and reunite with your parents,” he said.
The twins stare at him like he grew three heads.
“Our parents? Me and Elizabeth don’t have any parents. It has always been us against the world jumping from foster home to foster home running away when they tried to separate us,” Emma said.
“That’s where you're wrong. Your parents put you through the wardrobe just to save your lives,” Henry said.
“Alright, kid, we’ll play along,” Emma said, just as Elizabeth said, “Who’s Archie supposed to be anyways?”
“Jiminy Cricket!” Henry exclaimed.
Elizabeth raises her eyebrows. “Jiminy Cricket? As in the Cricket, who sits on people’s shoulders acting like everyone’s conscience?”
“Precisely,” he said smiling.
“Are you sure we’re talking about the same man we just saw moments before because I’m pretty sure I saw your nose grow ten times the size,” Emma said.
“I’m not Pinocchio!” Henry exclaimed.
“Of course you aren’t because that would be crazy,” she said, as they get into the car driving off towards The Mayor’s house.
