entrancelogs | [OPEN] But you can skyrocket away from me;

Entry tags:

[OPEN] But you can skyrocket away from me;

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.

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[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.]

[They're probably around the same age, but technically Evelyn is old enough by comparison of time periods to qualify as a grandmother. She's fine with that.

The story that Emma tells is familiar to her - a similar thing happened to Evie's brother when he was here for a little while. His disappearance devastated her. It doesn't take any stretch of the imagination to picture Alex in that role, but then, she'd prefer him in Wonderland. Back home he's got a dozen or so people itching to get rid of him.]

I'm sorry.

[She seats herself next to Emma and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly.]

Is he safe back home?

I don't know.

[And that was the kicker, wasn't it? That she didn't know. She had no idea what was coming for them back home.]

I thought so, at first. That he'd be going back to a better life, the one he deserves. Felt selfish to want him back, but-- I remembered something Hook told me when he first got here.

[What a strange world it was when she trusted Captain Hook above most others.]

He'd been looking for us -- me and Henry. For a long while before he got here. Something was coming, something dangerous, but he couldn't tell me what. He doesn't know, either, but it makes the idea of Henry being home without me--

It just makes it worse.

Emma,

[Evelyn says firmly, taking her hand.]

Time does not pass at home without us. Henry is safe.

[It took her a very long time to drill that into herself, thinking that at any moment while trapped here Alex could be hurt at the hands of his captors. Of course that could only truly happen as soon as she returned, as soon as time started, but the thought still scared her.

She would still rather have him in her arms, just to know it was real.]

[Time doesn't pass. Time doesn't pass.

She knows that, logically; there have been enough eyewitness accounts from people who've been unfortunate enough to go back and forth, including herself, but it still doesn't do much to keep that panic from rising in her chest, the fear that's inherent in a parent missing their child.

She sighs, shaking her head.]

Maybe it's just that I don't want to be here without him. We've already lost so much time.

[Ten years. Ten long, long years.]

[Evelyn knows that panic, she knows that even logic cannot help to calm oneself down when in the throes of parental anguish. As much as she would like to allow cool reason to govern her head, Evelyn has always been guided by her heart no matter where it takes her.

Wonderland is no exception.]

Why don't you tell me more about Henry?

[She squeezes Emma's hand.]

[She doesn't have it in her to pull away. Not this time. As much as she goes out of her way to avoid getting too close to anyone, this is one touch she doesn't shrug off. Evelyn gets it. Evelyn has the ability to understand what's going on better than anyone else here in Wonderland, except for Regina -- and Regina and Emma aren't in any position to comfort each other.]

He's smart, I'll tell you that much.

[Brilliant, really.]

Kid was ten years old when he managed to track me down. No help. [She cracks a faint smile.] Stole his fourth-grade teacher's credit card to do it. Not encouraging theft or anything, but that whole operation was pretty clever. He made his way to Boston all on his own just to find me.

[...the more she listens, the more Henry sounds like a modern-day version of Alex. Precocious, over-confident, smart as a whip.]

It sounds like he takes after his mother, [Evelyn replies, stifling a little smile.] Gets into trouble often, does he?

[Alex is the sort of boy to go outside and get absolutely filthy before traipsing back through the house and adopting his uncle's wheedling, apologetic tone of voice as an excuse. Evelyn is increasingly concerned that her brother is too much of an influence on the child.]

['Gets into trouble often.' Yep. That's Henry, all right.]

Of course. All the smart ones do, don't they?

[She smiles wryly, but it's appreciative -- she gets the feeling that Evelyn knows all about troublesome kids from experience.]

Anyway, you said it best -- he takes after me, and I'm a magnet for trouble.

[Sometimes the negligible kind, but often not.]

Family tradition, you could say. His dad was the same way.

[Evelyn was a mildly troublesome child herself and knows the majority of Alex's tricks, so it's gotten increasingly easier to predict how her son will treat certain obstacles he runs into. It isn't surprising that Emma's son would acquire the same knack for pratfalls, but there is definitely a part of this conversation they've never ventured into before.

Obviously Henry has a father - although Emma has never mentioned the man, it was always assumed he at least existed.]

You never married, did you?

[No judgement, she's just curious.]

[The question catches her off-guard -- there's no real reason it should, it's not like the first time she's been asked, but it surprises her all the same. She can't believe she would strike anyone as the type to settle down.

She shakes her head slightly, grimacing.]

Not really the marrying type. And the situation was-- complicated.

[This part is harder to touch on now, especially knowing that Evey herself is a mother, but--]

I wasn't really fit to take care of a kid when Henry was born.

[No, Emma seems more the type to run wild and free and potentially avoid the emotional investment that would come with being a married woman (unless it was for money, in which case...Evelyn can't see that happening, either).]

...Unplanned?

[she asks quietly, remembering the day she realised she had missed her own menses. It was a surprise, yes, but she hadn't thought twice about bringing a child into the world. Newly married and thrilled (Rick almost cried), they got on the horse immediately.

Evelyn understands how different it can be for others.]

[Unplanned. There was a word for it. A part of her hates herself for responding to it, but she nods stiffly. There's no better way to say it.]

I was just a kid, myself. Eighteen. Barely.

[And already making all the wrong sorts of decisions.]

His dad wasn't exactly a prince. At least, I didn't think so at the time. ... he bailed on me.

[To be fair, it isn't all that unusual for young women in Evelyn's society to find themselves engaged at eighteen, married at nineteen, and with child a month or so later. Evelyn was one of those rare, odd ducks who wanted to go to university, and so prolonged her time away from home and her match-making grandmother.]

Oh, my God, [she mumbles unhelpfully. Ridiculously unchivalrous of a man to impregnate a woman and then run away.]

But you decided to keep Henry?

[No matter how many times she says it, it never gets any easier.]

I wanted to. For a few minutes, anyway -- almost changed my mind a few times, but I knew I couldn't take care of him. Gave him up, instead. I wanted him to have his best shot. I grew up without my parents, cycled through the foster system for years. I didn't want that for him, either, but I figured--

Someone would give him a home. And someone did. He grew up better than he ever would have with me. Regina and I have had our differences, but...

[She pauses, just for a moment, shaking her head.]

She's a good mother. I'm lucky that Henry's a part of my life. Closed adoption didn't mean much to him.

[She cracks a smile. That stubbornness he has in him is all too familiar.]

It sounds as though he grew up all right either way, [Evelyn observes knowingly.] Clever, resourceful, stubborn.

[She can't even begin to imagine having her own child raised by someone else - she wouldn't dare - but then, Evelyn also can't imagine lacking money, time, and stability. She had all three in spades when she got pregnant.

Not everyone is so lucky.]

...you still see him a lot? Even with his...other mother?

[What other term can you even use there?]

Yeah. For awhile, it didn't seem like that was going to be the case, but...

[She trails off a little before shrugging. What can she say?]

You're right. He's clever, resourceful, stubborn. He made it happen. Regina and I weren't even close to being friends, not for a long time, but we agreed that a world where we weren't both a part of his life didn't exist anymore.

[Evelyn is familiar with this particular brand of fondness. It must be hard, to have let Henry go for his own good. For his own safety and that of his mother. Evelyn doesn't know Regina, she isn't familiar with the entirety of Emma's scenario, but she's aware of enough.]

...He's going to be all right,

[she finally says, and the words resonate just as much with herself. It's the sort of thing she often needs to hear, these days.]

He really will, Emma.

[It doesn't matter that Evelyn can't know that for sure. It's still comforting. A much-needed reminder. Nothing will happen as long as Emma's not there -- he'll be safe, until she gets back.

Then, whatever's coming, they'll face it together.]

... thanks.

[It comes out awkward, stilted, but she means it.]

It means something. Coming from someone who understands.

[It's the same sort of situation. Evelyn wants to believe that nothing will happen to her son, that they'll find him and take him home and keep away from all these blasted mummies.

It's hard to convince yourself of that, sometimes.]

...well, if you ever want to talk about it, I've got the same sort of niggling instincts.

[Evelyn even attempts a smile.]

They're hard to get rid of.

I'll keep that in mind.

[She absolutely will. There aren't many people she can talk to about this kind of thing who will get that knowing, logically, that Henry is safe isn't enough -- but Evelyn will.

She smiles wryly.]

Until then - I think I just need a little time alone to adjust.

[Evelyn slides away from the counter in understanding - she was much the same way, but back home she had her husband and her brother to support her. Finding a life preserver in Wonderland is a little more difficult.]

Take all the time you need.

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[OPEN] But you can skyrocket away from me;

BADASS MOMS UNITE I love this CR so much.

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