my dearest darlingest @kat2609, my favorite and my best: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I hope you get showered with love and treats today and that this is just one contribution to an overall amazing day because you deserve all the best things! here’s a bit of Granny love to (hopefully) get your day going! I LOVE YOUUUUUUU!!!
Another day, another dollar, right? At least, that was what Granny told herself as she shuffled into the back of the diner, still yawning. Not that the money really mattered in Storybrooke, but at the very least, she had her reputation to uphold. That, and if she didn't feed everyone, who would?
Blearily, she flipped on the lights and headed through the kitchen to the main dining area to flip on the coffee makers, giving her a few minutes to catch a bit more rest. On days like these, she really missed having Ruby around—today especially—but certainly didn't begrudge her granddaughter a shot at True Love.
Nevertheless, she sighed heavily while the coffee percolated and the pleasing aroma began to fill the air. It did perk her up a little, and that's when she noticed something on the counter that certainly hadn't been there the night before.
At first, she thought someone came in and used one of her mugs. But this one was different; the handle of it was shaped like a crossbow and the cup had arrows all over it. And tucked inside was a note.
Written in chicken scratch that could only belong to a teenage boy,
Dear Granny—To the most badass crossbow wielder in the world. Have a fantastic day! —Henry
She paused for a moment—he didn't know, did he? How could he, though, she reminded herself. Plus, it was Henry—he was a thoughtful boy, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for him to drop off random gifts. Though she might have to say something to his mothers about B&E. Maybe he was spending too much time with Hook.
Regardless, she took another few minutes to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee in her new mug before getting a head start on cooking for the morning.
Barely a half hour later, she was in the middle of frying bacon when she smelled something else coming from the dining room. Now what was going on?
Whoever had snuck in must have had magic on their side, because she would have heard the door open and close. And given the fact that she could already tell there were bear claws in that box from the bakery, she had a pretty good idea which witch it was.
Treat yo self, Granny! love, Emma was scrawled across the top. Two very fresh pastries were inside. As she bit into one and took the other to the back for safekeeping, she decided that maybe it wasn't the pirate who was influencing Henry...and began to wonder what was really afoot.
She knew for sure that something was up when Leroy arrived with a smile on his face, asking how she was, praising her food, and wishing her a wonderful day. When Grumpy is anything but, there's something suspicious going on.
Actually, everyone was being really nice. Not that most of them weren't usually, but it was weird to see it even from those she didn't talk to often. Part of her was tempted to torture it out of Happy, whatever was happening, but she couldn't complain when even Regina praised her lasagna (finally).
Toward the end of lunch rush, the prince came in bearing a beautiful bouquet of flowers. She assumed he was on his way home, but he slid them across the counter to her.
"What's this?" she asked, eyeing the arrangement suspiciously.
"Uh, well, I was walking past Game of Thorns and saw them and...thought you needed them," he stammered, scratching the back of his head and looking down the whole time.
She wasn't buying it. "Charming, I've known you long enough to know when you're full of it. Level with me. What's going on?"
He sighed. "I...may have made some not-so-nice comments about this place in the past." Damn right he had; she hadn't forgotten about the scrap heap incident. "Consider these an apology."
She squinted at him; he wasn't lying. So she took a sniff, and they were quite nice. "Apology accepted."
He breathed a sigh of relief; she was tickled to see he'd been scared, but he'd fought alongside her—and it was good to see he remembered that.
"And...thank you, Granny. I don't know where most of us would be without you," he continued sincerely.
Somone must have been chopping onions in the back then. Quickly, she waved him off, blurting out a watery "It's been my pleasure," and bustled off to put the flowers in a place of prominence near the bar.
Lunch rush passed by without issue, and then the customers trickled out until the diner was surprisingly empty come late afternoon. Usually, that was when dinner would slowly start, but everyone seemed to be walking past. She even checked that the "OPEN" sign hadn't burned out, but it was still lit. Odd.
She took advantage of the lull to clean some spots she couldn't typically get to, and maybe put one of her favorite songs on the jukebox while she cleaned its glass. The final notes of the song played as she finished dusting the top of it (and may have been shaking her hips), and that's when she heard the bell above the door jingle.
She came back to the dining room to see Hook making himself quite at home behind the counter, filling two glasses with a bottle of rum far mor expensive than anything she kept stocked.
He looked up when she approached. "Ah, Lady Lucas. Just the lass I was looking for."
She gave him a sidelong glance. "What's your game, pirate?"
"Is one not allowed to treat a dear friend to a drink on her birthday?"
So they did know. As she sat down on a stool, he slid a glass across to her. "How did you all find out?" she asked quietly. It wasn't something she chose to broadcast, not because she didn't like celebrating, but more because she had never really been able to. Even once things calmed down here, with Ruby gone, there was no one to really celebrate with, until recently, apparently.
Hook explained, "You've gone to such great lengths to look after all of us, to the point that everyone calls you Granny despite you only actually having one grandchild. We just thought it was time that we show our appreciation, and on what better day than the day of your birth?" Then he lifted his glass in a toast.
She couldn't help it: she was blushing. She clinked her glass against his and savored the aged, spiced rum, but as sweet as it was, it was no rival to the warm feeling in her heart at hearing that so many people actually did care. For all her sass, she found herself speechless.
"Now, my dear, everyone has decided you need the night off, so close shop, head home, and treat yourself. Aye?"
She smiled. "Aye-aye, Captain; I think I can manage that."
"Fantastic." He leaned over the counter and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Happy Birthday, milady." He gave her a nod and then walked toward the exit, winking as he headed through the door to leave. But he held the door open one extra second as a bird flew in—with a note in its clutch.
It had been years since she'd gotten a message in a pre-analog format. She thought at first it was from Snow—that had been her preferred method of communication for so long—but the handwriting was even more familiar than that.
Granny—
I'm so sorry I'm not there to celebrate your special day, but I wanted to let you know how much I love and miss you. I promise to visit as soon as we can, but until then: sending all my (our) love through the realms!
Hugs and kisses,
Ruby (and Dorothy)
Oh, that girl. Worlds away and still able to make her grandmother cry. Even if it had just been that note, the day would have been perfect. But she eyed the rum still on the counter, and had one more idea.
Quickly, she did as she'd been told and locked up, made sure everything was shut off in the kitchen, and headed home into the brisk night air.
One last surprise was waiting for her: Marco was at home, lighting a few candles on the table, where it appeared he'd made a home-cooked feast.
"Happy birthday, my love," he greeted her with a kiss.
"Thank you, darling," she said eventually. Then, holding the rum up with a wink, added, "Let's have some fun tonight."
From Granny’s perspective - referencing what Leroy is going to pay for suggesting her catering is anything less than spectacular. Watch your back, dwarf. And your burger...
She never imagined she would find her way to Camelot. Of course, she knew the stories - knights and swords and Merlin - but to be here; really here and not babysitting the children and other assorted hindrances - was beyond her wildest dreams.
She was a practical woman in every way, but even an old wolf like herself was going to enjoy her own Cinderella moment when a dashing King was talking about balls. There would be a gown, there would be dancing and best of all - food she didn’t have to prepare.
An obnoxious dwarf was not going to ruin this.
I’m reflecting on each episode through the eyes of Granny at @ouatdrabbles. I know, it’s a surprise...
In which I am Granny and Granny is, let's be honest, all of us.
Unbeta'd and partially formed...I was writing within five minutes of seeing that sneak peek, but timezones and circumstance have conspired against me.
The door rattled furiously as he made his way in. She had assumed it would be only a matter of time before he found his way to the boy and it appeared she had been right yet again.
"Can I get a refill, Granny?" came a voice from the end of the counter, but her eyes were fixed on the man in black, his face desperate, his hair dishevelled...
She could tidy that up for him...
"Granny?" the same voice, more insistent this time.
"Yes, yes, coming," she said, watching as he reached out to Henry with an urgent hand. There was no fear in the boy's eyes but the Captain had once been a ruthless pirate, full of darkness himself, so perhaps she should just keep an eye on the situation. In the absence of Henry's mothers. Just to be safe.
When did he let his hair grow so long?
"My coffee?" There was a definite edge to the voice now and she grabbed the coffee pot, stepping backwards towards the sound and pouring when the glass of the pot clinked against the ceramic of the cup. All the while, her eyes stayed locked on the Saviour's men, widening slightly as the Captain ran his hand along his head in frustration.
Was that a shiver? The heating must be playing up.
"Thanks," the voice said, but the words didn't register as the Captain leaned in to the boy, determination etched on his features. When Henry nodded approvingly, the pirate's face changed, a wicked grin that made her breath catch. She felt something warm and wet near her middle and the spell was broken in an instant. Shaking her head, she looked down as coffee poured from the pot and over the counter, pooling in the place where she leaned against it and soaking through her apron.
She looked up to see Happy, coffee cup in hand and an annoying smirk firmly in place. He raised the cup to her as she grabbed a cleaning cloth, swiping at the steaming puddle of liquid now dripping onto her clean floors. "It was full," he said with a wink, looking pointedly towards the Captain and the boy, "but you seemed a little...distracted."
As she might be again when she delivered his next cup of coffee. Possibly into his lap.
So I decided to get involved in THIS writing workshop organised by the delightful mryddinwilt and she is really pushing me out of my comfort zone...sometimes. Not really in this piece at all, TBH - it is well and truly of the ridiculous fic nature. But I am secretly very very pleased with my stupidity...
I am challenging myself to make at least one prompt Granny related each week. Just because.
Invisible Woman
The Prompt: Write a short scene in which a woman becomes invisible, briefly, for no explained reason. No one can see or hear her. She is not a ghost, and at the end for your narrative return her to her fully fleshed out self, again with no explanations. (600 words) A/N: I ignored this word limit a bit...
She had often thought that working behind the counter in the diner was like being invisible. Conversations happened, people met, fell in love, out of love, all without much attention paid to the woman who was serving their coffee. That is why it took Granny Lucas a few hours to realise that on this particular day, that had seemed like any other in Storybrooke, she was actually invisible. Transparent, unseen, undetectable. Call it what you will, she was here and yet, not.
It crossed her mind that perhaps a strange magical occurrence in Storybrooke should not be quite as surprising as it was.
And that a wise woman, with a keen interest in her surroundings, should definitely make use of whatever advantage came to hand. Especially one who had recently fallen victim to a spate of unpleasant anonymous lasagna review tweets.
At least back home, any complaints had to come through her. And her trusty stringed sidekick.
She surveyed her domain with the eye of a newly impartial observer. The lunch crowd was dribbling in, a bit too slowly for her liking, but still plenty of opportunity to poke around and do a bit of...market research.
Yes, that’s what she’d call it.
Will Scarlet was hunched in a booth in the corner over an all but untouched plate of lasagna. He was engrossed in his phone, his face darkened with pain. Things not going well with Belle, she would wager. She imagined he had plenty to worry about just staying alive without bringing her business down 140 characters at a time, but you couldn’t be too careful. Bracing herself against the table. she peered over to try to get a look at what had his attention
Not her nasty reviewer. Scrolling his camera roll sadly was unfortunate but not bad for business. She made a mental note to make his next shot a double.
“Huh? No Granny?’ came a booming voice from the counter. She turned carefully, not ready to be colliding with random patrons before her mission was complete. Leroy and Happy had climbed up on stools by the counter and were quizzing the waitress before ordering. As she eyed the dwarves suspiciously, the Captain entered, punctual as always on his lunch run. She was a lucky woman, that Emma. Killian Jones was a very striking man and it would be a foolish woman who would not take a moment of her invisibility to observe the way these new modern clothes hung just right on him.
Maybe a few moments....
She was prevented from doing something stupid - he would lean over the counter like that as he made small talk with the dwarves - when she was knocked sideways by Carl as he shuffled his way to his usual booth. Sure that the old man was not questioning his apparent clumsiness, she got back down to business.
The Mayor and Robin Hood were talking quietly in the booth near the door, Regina’s phone on display in front of her and...a plate of lasagna in front of the thief. If anyone had form, it was the Evil Queen. Hardly a day went by that she didn’t get in some snarky jibe about the contents of the freezer here. If she could slide into the booth undiscovered…
Her own phone buzzed unexpectedly with a Twitter notification. (Of course she was on social media. She could hardly leave Ruby in charge of the public image of the business.) Aware of the curious faces around her, she slid into an empty booth where she could check the message under cover of the table. Even in Storybrooke, a random cellphone hovering mid air would set tongues wagging.
@grannysdiner @SBfoodfans today’s effort soggy in the middle, rock on the edges. #lasagnafails #again #blueplatelookinggood
Her head whipped around. The bastard was here. Now.
And only one man was holding a cellphone.
The plate of lasagna was only inches from the no-longer-so-Happy face of her nemesis when the spell was broken. It seemed that the element of surprise was not quite as satisfying as knowing he could see her coming.
gusenitsaa - imagine the roleplay fun we could have with dwarves!!!
Saw a gif set of Killian outside Granny's after the QOD had their little glass crushing initiation ceremony! And inspiration hit. As it does.
I am determined to get to the smart arse relationship that these two need to have. (Though the feels are nice too.)
Relates to THIS one.
The morning after
He found her standing in the wreckage. Empty bottles, overturned furniture and more dirty glasses than he had ever seen.
"It was quite the party, then?" he smirked, knowing he was pushing his luck. To soften the blow, he started righting the chairs, though it still earned him a scowl of the highest order.
"Damn Queens of Inebriation near destroyed the place," she growled. "And don’t think I can't see the impressed look on your face, Jones."
Killian's eyes flashed with mirth. "Whatever do you mean, milady?"
She sighed heavily. Damned if she could stay mad with the old bugger.
100 words tells a million stories. Go see some of them at ouatdrabbles.
