[OPEN] But you can skyrocket away from me;

[cursebreaking]

Who: Emma Swan & you!
Where: The eighth floor, then out on the grounds.
When: 4/7, all day.
Rating: PG
Summary: Emma realizes that Henry's disappearance is permanent.
The Story:

It wasn't unusual for Lucky to try and drag Emma out of bed before she was ready. The only thing that made today any different was that no matter how many times she tried to swat him away and insisted he let her sleep, he continued to press his nose against her feed, relocating to do the same with her face when his first attempts didn't get results. It was the whining that broke her, and she sighed heavily as she grudgingly pushed the covers aside, forcing herself to her feet despite the desire to stay in bed a little longer and try to hold onto those first few minutes of waking where she didn't quite remember that Henry was missing.

"Alright, alright. I'm up. Come on, let's get you some breakfast."

The dalmatian raced ahead of her to reach the bedroom door first, pawing at it until Emma pulled it open with every intention of heading into the small living space that was smushed between her room and Henry's -- but stopped short two steps in.

The door opposite of her bedroom was gone, nothing but smooth, blank wall and a single mirror in its place. A quick look around the room was enough to confirm what she had already begun to suspect, and her heart dropped into her stomach. There was no trace of Henry there in that room. None of his books, none of his clothes, none of the things were where she had left them. Even his backpack was missing from its place beside their couch.

Nothing. There was nothing left of him. He was gone. Back in New York, back having the life he should have had, but without her.

It was the last part that hurt so badly.

For a moment she felt numb. Lucky went and parked himself in front of the mirror that had replaced Henry's door while Emma slowly forced herself to swallow down the sick feeling that had begun to rise, fumbling her way through the next ten minutes or so but somehow coming out the other end fully dressed and mostly presentable, despite the fact that a part of her felt like she had to have been half-asleep still.

The first thing to do was to talk to Regina. They had both been worried about this, both known that it had been a possibility, but held onto a little bit of hope as long as Henry's things were still there. Heading across the hallway to Regina's room, Emma took in a sharp breath and knocked.


--


Getting out of the mansion seemed like the only thing to do after talking to Regina. The last place she wanted to be was her own room, so foreign now that the tiny living space it had grown into thanks to Henry's presence had now cut itself nearly in half, as though he'd never been there. All Lucky had been able to do was circle the room and occasionally stop to paw at the spot where Henry's bedroom door had been, more than indication enough that they both needed to get out. Grabbing her jacket and Lucky's leash, she headed out to the grounds.

Anyone who might encounter her early in the day will find her either in the garden or out near the chessboard hills with Lucky in tow. Lunchtime will find her back inside and in the kitchen, rather than the diner -- it doesn't feel right to go without Henry. During the afternoon, she'll make her way to the beach, allowing Lucky to run up and down its length as he sees fit before settling herself on the end of the dock, apparently lost in thought, though she'll absently pet Lucky whenever he happens to trot over and lay his head in her lap.

Comments

For Regina

[cursebreaking]

[madehervows]

The last few days had been particularly trying, even after everything that had happened with the renovating. Henry had vanished again, and she knew what that meant, knew every single little implication behind such a small (in the grand scheme of things) thing. But some part of her, some small, tiny (big, huge, deeper than the depths of her hatred for Snow White) spark that represents Henry in her heart holds onto the belief that he'll be back.

An even smaller part of her dares to hope that when he returns he'll know who she is for real, and not just because Wonderland decided to twist the knife.

She's been sticking to her room, only daring to come out when it's too suffocating, too much of a reminder of everything she lost. It's a mirror image of her manor in Storybrooke, why did she think keeping it that way would help? The Dark One's yet to visit, though she's certain it'll be any day now.

The knock at the door shakes her out of her thoughts. She doesn't bother getting up, just swings it open with her hand. Only a few people actually bother to knock, and since one of them is gone...

[cursebreaking]

On a better day, Emma might have commented on the frivolous use of magic -- they certainly used enough of it to support themselves here, but it still felt wasteful sometimes. It wasn't the time for jibes or smart remarks, however. Standing there like that, looking like there was something stuck in her throat and like she might just come apart at the seams, she knew Regina had to have a pretty damn good idea about what she was doing here.

"Everything's gone."

Regina hadn't been here long enough to see many people they knew come and go, but Emma trusted she could still put the pieces together. Regardless, she went on.

"Henry's things-- even his room. Vanished. Like they were never there at all."

He wasn't coming back.

[unhand]

Hook likes the dock, even though his own ship isn't moored to it. The sea has been his home for a long time, and it brings him comfort.

He's not expecting to find Emma there when he wanders out later that day. He slips up next to her without a word and sits down beside her, reaching over to scratch the dog's head.

"Something on your mind?"

[cursebreaking]

It shouldn't have surprised her that Hook was the one to come across her at the dock. It wasn't a particularly high-traffic area, but even without a ship to call his own, a pirate was still a pirate.

Lucky gives a tired 'whuff' in response to the scratch, but makes no move to get to his feet or find some other way to respond. Emma frowns, scratching the back of the dog's neck before glancing upward, not bothering to put on the usual mask of confidence when she looked to her uninvited company.

Uninvited, sure, but she didn't mind him being there.

"Henry's stuff all vanished. Means he's not coming back."

[unhand]

"What?" Hook draws back a little, eyes widening. He's not sure what he expected her to say, but that Henry's just... gone... It seems so sudden.

He rests his hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes.

"We'll go after him. Get him back. Wouldn't be the first time, right?"

[undealt]

Gold has no idea what to make of the last few weeks. Here he is, trapped in Wonderland, still thoroughly confused about the meaning of it all, and after that incident with Pan's Mirror, he's certain figuring it all out is going to be a painful and unpleasant adventure.

He spends most of his time outside the manor, attempting to get a handle on the land. It's not remotely like the Wonderland that Cora once ruled, though he'd been there only scarce few times (hunting rabbits- a task he left to Jefferson and neither were good at it). The chessboard hills, however, are familiar enough, though it's that patch of land where nothing will grow that holds his interest- not for long, however. Eventually he tears himself away from it and that's about when he spots Emma... and a puppy.

"Didn't take you for a dog person, Ms. Swan," he offers casually, well aware it's something she'd said to him some time ago. He approaches the pair and stoops to get the dog's attention. He wants to pet the dog. Leave him alone.

[cursebreaking]

"He's Henry's."

Really, she wasn't much of a pet person in general, but Lucky was different. He'd literally been dropped in their laps, thanks to a mishap with the closets, and now with Henry gone altogether, he was her responsibility. Looking after him was the least she should do.

Besides. He'd grown on her.

She watches Gold with interest for a moment, raising an eyebrow despite the weariness pulling at her features.

"He doesn't usually like strangers," she remarks, grimacing as Lucky closes his eyes, clearly enjoying the attention.

[undealt]

Gold's unnerving cooing at dogs will probably never stop being weird to those who know him. He scritches the puppy under the chin. "Perhaps he knows I'm family."

Which brings him to something he hadn't quite noticed before now- Henry. He drops his hand away from Lucky and glances around, expecting to see the boy come running up to them.

"And where is Henry?" He has a feeling he knows the answer to that question, but one never knows, really.

[pottershotter]

James wanders around the grounds a lot, and not just when he feels like taking a stroll as a stag. Sometimes he gets a little restless indoors and just needs to be able to take a stroll. He never really felt this way at Hogwarts though. There were endless things to explore there, and even after six full years he's still not sure the map is one hundred percent complete, but it's as close as it will be. But even not counting the extensive castle, there was a village nearby, and there was never the sense that he was trapped there. There was a world beyond Hogsmeade, and beyond the forest and the lake. There were train tracks that led back to London, and hundreds of little towns between the two points.

That wasn't the case in Wonderland. The mansion was magical but a little repetitive, and the grounds only went so far in any given direction. It was easy to feel a bit cooped up under the best of circumstances. So, that's why he's decided to take a walk, to get a good look at everything now that it's gone back to normal (and perhaps to make absolutely sure that gazebo is gone). He catches sight of Emma when he reaches the gardens and he waves and invites himself right over.

"Hey, Emma! It's been a while," he says, with a grin. And then he crouches right down to coo at her dog and scratch behind his ears. "And hullo, Lucky!"

James has always been a dog person, for very obvious reasons, and he remembers Henry introducing him to Lucky. It actually sort of makes him miss Padfoot - Sirius has still been avoiding their room. But, it's odd seeing Lucky without his little boy accompanying him.

"Where's Henry?"

[cursebreaking]

She and James may not be particularly close, but they'd spent enough time together thanks to resistance work that they were on a first-name basis. It's hard to keep herself together, but she manages, putting on her gameface before forcing a reply.

"It has been awhile, huh."

Lucky reacts almost cheerfully to the attention, momentarily forgetting just how much he's been moping throughout his walk, but Emma doesn't exactly follow suit. She gives James a half-hearted wave, sure, but folds her arms over her chest almost immediately, holding onto Lucky's leash as he noses expectantly at the wizard's hand.

She smiles thinly when he asks about Henry. There's no real gentle way to break that kind of news.

"Gone." Again. "The permanent kind of gone, this time."

As permanent as Wonderland could guarantee, anyway.

[selfrespecting]

Martha's always been fond of going down to the beach and walking along it when she has time to kill. Sometimes she goes there to put her thoughts together, but this time it's more about enjoying it being back to normal.

Interesting as it had been to have a mermaid tail for an afternoon, she has to admit she's not married to the idea. Her own two legs work just fine, thank you.

It's as she's walking across the shoreline that she notices some paw prints in the sand. There are plenty of people who have animals here, and so she can't be certain who the dog in question may belong to, not until she walks a little further and spots two figures in the distance.

Even from far away, she can identify both Lucky and Emma. Seeing how Martha once watched over Lucky at Henry's request, she's rather fond of him -- and well, Emma's one of her closest friends here. She doesn't think twice about approaching.

Lucky seems to notice her first and barks, racing over to meet her. Martha breaks out into a smile and kneels down into the sand, giving him a good pet in greeting. But then she glances up and notices the slump to Emma's shoulders and the question presents itself almost instantly. Where's Henry?

[cursebreaking]

There aren't too many people that Lucky will run off after, which is reason enough for Emma not to be alarmed, turning and letting her gaze follow him all the way to Martha. She can't think of many people she'd be willing to talk openly with right about now, but Martha is on the short list. Has been for a long while. She smiles grimly as she approaches with her arms crossed, pulling her red jacket closed across her chest.

"Hey," is all she manages as a greeting, that smile warming slightly for just a moment as she sees Lucky set his tail to wagging while Martha pets him. Affectionate dog, once he gets to know people. "That's the most cheerful I've seen him all day."

She glances towards the mansion, shifting her weight uncomfortably. Henry had been missing for days, and she'd been quietly anxious about awaiting his return -- it wasn't the first time he'd vanished, and she knew a wild goose chase wasn't going to do any of them any good. Still, she'd turned the mansion upside-down on her own, just in case.

"Henry's things went missing today. His room, too. Gone."

[claimyourself]

Lena and Emma hadn't really talked since Lena's birthday. There was no real reason why; they'd just been busy with other things. But as Lena sat on the beach watching the waves, she spotted Lucky bounding towards her and Emma in the distance. The girl waved and lowered her hand just in time to pet Lucky.

"I didn't know you had a dog," she called out to Emma, waiting for the woman to catch up.

[cursebreaking]

Emma managed to smile and wave in reply, though there was something tired about it. She shrugged a little as she drew closer, looking vaguely amused as Lucky ran down the length of the beach, past Lena and to some rocks near the far end before turning around and heading back.

"He was a surprise to me, too. Woke up one morning and Henry had pulled him out of the closet."

She wasn't sure she really believed it was an accident, but it didn't matter. The dog had grown on her over time.

"Been awhile, hasn't it?" She, too, recalled it having been some time since they'd spoken -- for a mansion where nobody was actually gainfully employed, people really did get busy now and then.

[avoirfaim]

The last time Hannibal had to share a living space had been in the Lycee dormitories when he was in school. That was over half a lifetime ago, so the fact that he isn't alone in his own home takes some getting used to. The plan had been to put on some Chopin and make himself lunch, but it seemed that someone else was already in the kitchen.

It is lunchtime, it's not particularly shocking, he just hadn't expected company.

"I hope you don't mind if I use the stove."

[cursebreaking]

Her sandwich was halfway to her mouth when he asked, causing her look up from where she'd been sitting by one of the counters, unassuming. Even the table had felt a little too personal today. The diner had been right out, seeing as she and Henry would have damn near kept the place running between the two of them if money actually had a place here, and the dining hall hadn't been much better. She didn't feel like looking at places or things that reminded her of time spent with her son. Not for a day or two, at least.

"Go ahead. No skin off my nose," she told him with a vague half-shrug, though she did manage to set her sandwich down to keep from being completely without manners. Talking with your mouth full was never a way to make a good first impression.

"We don't have too many people here who actually cook for themselves. At least not more than the most basic stuff. Bet the stove would be happy to know someone's getting use out of it."

[halfwinchester]

After Adam finished up in the mansion, he went back downstairs to enjoy the garden in spring bloom as he sometimes did when he went on his walks in and and around the grounds, and that was how he happened to be in the right place at the right time to hear Lucky barking.

Pets weren't new to him, but puppies yipping excitedly like that tended to be attached to someone. When he looked down the other hedge path, there was a dalmatian on a leash and a familiar face holding the other end of it--Emma.

Hard to forget a face when they'd wrestled with you and come back from the future to say "hi" to you.

He lifted his hand in greeting for her. After everything, they'd sort of come to an agreement not to be strangers, hadn't they? And she wasn't exactly bouncing up and down with energy, so maybe she needed a friendly greeting. "Sorry, you missed the food," he had to add for the dog, once Lucky caught wind of the fact Adam had stopped to eat by the garden path. He had a bag on the ground with a paper wrapper next to it, but there was nothing but sandwich crumbs left for the dog to sniff at in vain.

[cursebreaking]

A wry smile was what Adam got in reply rather than a wave, as Lucky stubbornly pulled at his leash and sniffed for scraps on the off-chance that Adam hadn't been truthful with him. Emma sighed, giving the dog's leash a gentle tug to remind him to be polite. Her own manners may not have been the best on any given day, but she could at least make sure Lucky knew better.

"Hey," she offered after a moment with a tilt of her head. He was absolutely right, they had agreed not to be strangers -- but somehow Emma hadn't expected that the tables would be turned like this so quickly. She was used to being alone. Other people seeing her at her lowest point was completely foreign, but here it seemed to be happening more and more.

The danger of letting people get past arm's length.

"Sorry. Still teaching him not to beg. He's stubborn about it, even if there's nothing left to beg for."

SORRY THIS IS LATE I REALLY WANTED TO TAG HER THOUGH BECAUSE MOMS

[nascensibility]

[Evelyn had met Henry once or twice, knew he had a mother - she had to put two and two together after a little thinking, but...but it made sense. And wouldn't it be nice, she thought, for that sort of thing to happen? Like kismet, only in this case she isn't so sure she'd want her son to be subjected to Wonderland's torment.

Given what's happening at home, she might actually prefer it. At least then Alex would be here. He'd run positively amok in the kitchen.

...which is where she is now, shutting the door carefully behind her and finding herself startled by the presence of another person.]

Emma,

[Evelyn gives her a cursory, apologetic nod - as if using the culinary facilities was a bad thing.

But it's the way that Emma was staring at the tabletop that gives her pause.]

...is everything all right?

BADASS MOMS UNITE I love this CR so much.

[cursebreaking]

[Emma looks up when she hears the door close, shaking her head as if to wordlessly assure Evelyn that no apologies are necessary. Nothing had been said aloud, but she knew the look -- Evelyn reminded her a lot of Mary Margaret in some ways, especially in how they expressed themselves. No need to apologize; the kitchen was a public place after all.]

That obvious, huh?

[She tries to force a smile, to laugh it off, but it doesn't quite work. She's not used to leaving herself unguarded, but there were few things that could disarm her the way Henry could.]

Kid went home. [She purses her lips, her mouth pulling to one side.] Woke up to find his stuff missing today. He's gone before -- circumstances are better this time, but...

[It was already more open than she would be with most people. Evelyn was a mother. She would understand.

Being apart is hard.]

[glumshoe]

Along with solitude, the great comfort Will could wrap himself in during his stay in Wonderland had been the sea. It was an almost daily trek out to the dock with fishing gear in tow and a silent agreement with himself to pull himself free of the whirlpool his thoughts stir into.

With the exception of the odd beachgoer, this was an activity gone uninterrupted and unobserved by any but Wonderland's all-seeing eyes and that sat fine with Will's sense of unease, by and large. The exception today would have been a welcome one, a vaguely familiar puppy pockmarking the pristine sands with scattershot gallops, the odd bark like a cheerful clap of thunder.

Before he knew it, Will was smiling and setting the tackle and pole aside to greet the dog as it came to lope about and sniff at him, Will extending his hand.

"Hey buddy. You all alone?" The dog's wet nose draws a cold line down his knuckles; oh, right. The one time he's seen this dog, he was with a young boy trying to help Will get settled in."Yeah, where's your owner, huh? He must miss you."

The dog seemed to agree, letting off a mournful whine before setting off in the direction of the dock as though it had just remembered something. Will followed, half from obligation, half from inevitability as that was his destination for the afternoon. What changed was the company, a blonde woman whose distance shown in a face that wasn't used to being empty, void of emotion. It didn't suit her.

"Miss? Are you... all right?"

[cursebreaking]

It was Lucky who got her attention first, trotting over to force his way into her lap and wriggle his snout beneath her hand, though he didn't have to beg for attention. She smiled grimly at him, scratching him behind his ears before letting her hand travel down his neck and to his back, looking upwards to see who, exactly, he'd lead to the dock.

Someone unfamiliar -- someone new. She had never really given much thought to making favorable first impressions; she was who she was and if people didn't like it, it was their problem, not hers -- but today was different. She didn't want people she knew to see her like this, let alone anyone else.

She made an effort to pull herself together in record time, squaring her shoulders as she straightened up. Nothing to see here, clearly no reason to worry, right?

"For a given value of 'all right,' I guess," she told him, and still managed to be flippant somehow, but it came out hollow. Not her usual brand of irreverence. "Are any of us here really okay?"

She gave him a tight smile, forced. "You're a newer face. Bet you've already gotten the idea that this place is no paradise."

[cinnamonie]

It wasn't hard to figure out something was wrong. When you're friends with someone like Emma, and you get a text message that says something simple, plain, unassuming like out with lucky all day, red flags aren't that far behind. Or maybe it was just that tightening in her gut, that feeling that something was wrong. Mary Margaret ends up needing a little bit of time to finish getting dressed, cleaning up her room a bit before she leaves to try and rid herself of the nervous energy (a max of maybe six minutes).

When she does finally get outside, something draws her to the gardens, looking around for a familiar head of blonde hair. When she sees the weight on Emma's shoulders, even from a distance, she knows something's wrong. "Emma!" She runs up to the other woman before Emma has much time to respond, her arms on Emma's shoulders. "What happened?"

[cursebreaking]

Of course Mary Margaret would have figured it out. Even with her memories compromised, even not knowing who Emma really was to her, she still had a way of playing mother to everyone around her. It stung a little sometimes, if only because it painted a painfully clear picture of exactly what Emma had missed out on with her all those years.

"Five little words and you come running," Emma observes with a grim smile. There's no flat-out denial, she knows it's not worth it. Mary Margaret might be a hell of a lot nicer than she is, but they're equally stubborn. There's no use telling her nothing is wrong, and of all the people here, she's one of those who deserves the truth right away on this matter.

"Woke up and found Henry's stuff gone. He's not coming back."