A Bagged Lunch tag: Emma

[Snow White/Mary Margaret]

The curse was lifted. Good had triumphed over evil yet again. Just as Snow knew that it always would.  All the inhabitants of Storybrooke remembered who they were and were reunited with the people that loved them most. Herself included. Since the curse had been lifted she and Charming had hardly ever been apart. But it was not all romance and candelight, they were monarchs. They had obligations to their people and Storybrooke needed a leader now that the Mayor was in hiding. Everything was how it should be and right in the world. Or at least close to being right. 

The new family had yet to address the elephant in the room. That they were in fact a family. As soon as Snow remembered who she was she wanted to do nothing but fold Emma in her arms and tell her how much she loved her and how it broke her heart to let her go. They had to talk about it. Emma had to have feelings, questions, emotions, anything! Snow was chomping at the bit to make up for lost time. However Charming had a different feeling about it. He thought it would be best to let Emma come to them. To allow her time to process and come to terms. They also had to deal with the fact that they were now grandparents, but Snow thought perhaps it might be best to deal with one crisis at a time. Especially since Henry seemed delighted at the thought of his heritage. 

So when an opportunity arose where Charming stepped out of the house for a few moments Snow couldn't help but seize the opportunity to do a little mothering. She packed a bag lunch for her daughter and herself, complete with sugar cookies and hot chocolate and had slipped out of the house and set down the road towards the Sheriff's station. She was practically giddy with excitement eager to get to talk to Emma, yet filled with a twinge of guilt about going behind Charming's back. Well it wasn't really going behind his back, Emma did forget her lunch. If any talking happened while they were together that was purely by coincedence. And she would tell Charming everything for Snow would never lie to her beloved Prince. 

When she got near to the brick Sheriff's office she picked up her step just a little bit and went inside with her supplies. Poking her head through the doorway to Emma's office she smiled apprehensively at her daughter. " Knock Knock. I thought you might be hungry. You didn't take a lunch this morning. And you have to keep up your strength." she said and then her lips dipped into a frown as she worried she might sound to motherly right from the get go. " I made cookies!" she burst out reaching in her basket and pulling out a container and thrusting it in her daughter's direction. 

Shaking her head as she tried to bluster her way through the awkward opener she continued. " Charming.... I mean David had to go out for a bit. Something about Jimney... I mean Archie needing his help. So I thought we might have lunch together?" she asked hopefully even trying to use their Storybrooke names to keep Emma a bit more at ease. 

[Emma Swan]

Emma tilt her neck from side to side as she tried to ease some of the tension that had built into her body over the last few weeks. This little town of Storybrooke had a magical charm to it since she first drove her old rusted yellow bug into town. Yet, she finally believed how magical it truly was. Henry had been right all along. Now her main focus was to figure out what she needed to do in terms of what was best for Henry. This town was no place for a child. With magic being here it certainly wasn't safe to say the least. Emma looked up at the sound of someone entering her office and opened her mouth slightly to see that if was Mary Margaret. Snow? Mom? No. Definitely Mary for right now because this was all too overwhelming.

Emma lift her eyebrows, remaining quiet as Mary continued on about lunch and and strength. As if that wasn't motherly enough, she finished off her abrupt entrance with the fact that she had made cookies. Cause normal people did that, right? Not just moms. "Ah.." Emma said before standing up from behind her desk. She gestured to the cookies "Here comes the baker with his bread like always," she said quietly in a dry tone, alluding to the musical number in Beauty and the Beast. It was so strange how everything in this town could turn on it's head, yet everything seemed to stay perfectly the same.

Emma brought her hand to the back of her neck, scratching her finger nails beneath her long blonde hair. Mary Margaret may not have intended for this to be an ambush, but even under the rouse of sugar cookies and what she assumed was some type of finger sandwiches, it was definitely an ambush. Henry had told her stories of how Snow White always fought for what she wanted. For Mary Margaret, that meant that in Storybrooke instead of arriving with horse and weaponry, she brought a Tupperware container of cookies. " I can have lunch but I really will have to get back to work.." she said, placing her hands on her hips.

Emma looked at everything that Mary had in her arms. She couldn't help but think of the lunches she had skipped during her school years because her foster parents had forgotten to pack a lunch. All those years she had envied the kids whose mothers and fathers put love and care into even the simplest things like a sandwich. But immediate guilt tugged at her heart and she thought of Henry. She has given him away in hopes of a better life for him, the same way Mary and David has. So for as uncomfortable in this moment as she was, she understood the decision even if she didn't like it. "Thank you, Mary Margaret" she said before moving over to the coffee pot where she took out two cups, setting them on the desk before she sat back down.

[Snow White/Mary Margaret]

Snow smiled ruefully when Emma quoted a line from Beauty and the Beast. " Close but not quite the right story. Although if we are really going for accuracy perhaps I should have gotten my little woodland friends to deliver the cookies and pies to you while my short friends and  I whistle a jaunty tune." she said trying to bring a little levity to the situation that was dripping with tension. As Snow took a seat she couldn't help but think that perhaps this was a bad idea and perhaps Charming had been right. It didn't seem as if Emma was at all ready to have this sort of conversation.

When Emma agreed to have lunch Snow's face lit up with joy. It was a start. Nodding enthusiastically she started to unpack her basket. " Oh of course of course. I won't take up to much of your time. " she chattered as she started to unpack finger sandwiches, fruit, cookies, pieces of pie, and a thermos filled with hot chocolate and cinnamon. " Now you just go ahead and take whatever you want. I brought plenty." she said as she started to unwrap items. 

When she heard Emma say thank you and call her by that name she froze for a second and then nodded and pasted a smile on her face. " You are very welcome Emma." she said plesantly trying to mask the disappointment on her face. Snow wanted more than anything for Emma to call her mom but she knew she wasn't ready yet. She wasn't even ready to call her by her actual name, Snow. But it would come with time, and until then she was content to let her call her whatever she wished. 

" You know that was the name I went by when I was on the run from Regina for all those years and living in the Forest. That was the name Ruby first called me too. Funny how that stuck when well this happened." she said remembering back to those days when she was living in the Forest and stealing her supper.  Disney had gotten a few things wrong in their rendition, Snow wasn't quite the fair damsel in distress they had made her out to be.

" Well dig in." she said not wanting to press her to far to fast. It was probably best to ease her into their world slowly.  Deciding that a neutral topic was probably best she decided to ask about her grandson. " How is Henry? she asked as she took a sip of her drink. 

[Emma Swan]

Emma stared blankly at Mary as she talked about the little woodland creatures and birds fluttering around to make her deliveries. She offered a tight smile at the end of her cute little anecdote before drawing in a deep breath and looking at what was sitting in front of her to eat. " It all looks great'l she said appreciatively before teaching forward to take one of the sandwiches. Mary really knew how to throw together a meal. Emma took a quick bite, wondering if there was any food left for David back at home.

Emma looked up as she talked about being called Mary when she was on the run, including that's what Ruby had first known her as. "Right.. Because why tell a werewolf your real name?" she asked dryly. Emma chewed for just a moment before bringing an apologetic look to her face "I'm sorry. This is still a bit much.. The.. I mean the closest thing I've come to a fairytale in twenty-eight years is... Finding twenty bucks on the side of the street. And you guys are just... It's such a different world. Everyone is worried about what the purple smoke is and what it did. And my only concern is talking to Gold and finding out if he has any agenda against Regina... It's just hard to believe. " she said, dancing around the subject of Mary and David being her parents.

Emma gave a small sigh of relief as the topic switched to Henry. "Henry is..Henry. Optimistic as always. But he's worried about Regina. I'm honestly more worried about whether or not this is the right environment for Henry to be in. How much longer until he's effected by it on an even larger scale? " emma bit the inside of her cheek, picking up the thermos to pour a glass for herself and Mary. The least she could do was show that she was invested in this lunch so that Mary didn't feel the need to get up and leave or like Emma didn't want to be around her.

[Snow White/Mary Margaret]

Snow saw the tight lipped smile on Emma's face and grimaced, " Emma it was a joke." she clarified gently. While yes she had birds to deliver messages back in the Enchanted Forest that was about the extent of it. They helped her to gather information. At no point did they do the dishes for her or help with the laundry.  Deciding to let the subject drop she watched as Emma took a sandwich and bit into it. " Thank you. I just threw it together quickly." she said brushing it off. Snow had always enjoyed cooking and she had picked up some things over the years that she thought made her a pretty good cook.

Snow blinked when Emma mentioned that she lied to Ruby because she was a werewolf. " Oh no! That wasn't the reason at all. At the time I didn't even know she was a werewolf yet. I was on the run Emma. It didn't seem prudent to be going around telling anyone who I actually was when I was wanted for murder, treason, and crimes against the crown. All falsely accused of course." she clarified referencing her time on the lamb. " But I was a crackerjack thief back in the day. Ask your f... I mean David. We met when I stole a bag of jewels from him." she said remembering that particular heist rather fondly.   " But I'm retired now." she added before Emma thought she still did those things.

Her face filled with sympathy when Emma mentioned how overwhelming it is. " I know it's a lot to take in. But this is a part of you. Your a part of us. You saved us Emma. We knew you would. You must have a lot of questions, for us. For everyone really. But these people are your family now. And when your ready you can ask us anything you wish." she said wanting her to know that she wasn't alone anymore.   " Regina and Mr. Gold are a handful. They always have been and they always will be. But good always triumphs over evil Emma. You have to have faith." she advised.

Snow's heart dropped when she heard Emma speak about Henry. " But we were just brought back together." Snow whispered her hand going to her throat as she bit her lip but she couldn't press to hard. " It's your decision of course. But let me ask you this, are you doing what's best for Henry? Or what's easiest for you?" she said cutting right to the quick. She knew Henry would be devastated leaving Storybrooke now that the curse was lifted. This was for Emma. She'd rather run than getting to know her family. 


 

[Emma Swan]

Emma narrowed her eyebrows for the slightest of moments when Mary suggested that the helpful birds were a joke. All of this fairystale stuff was new, but Emma didn’t actually believe that birds were helping her get dressed or anything, especially in Storybrooke. But instead of pressing on the matter or explaining that she knew it was silly banter, she gave a small nod instead. But the conversation quickly went into Ruby and how Mary was defending her stance about the name she had given her. “ Mary… it was a joke.” she said before lifting her eyebrows slightly. Emma licked the corner of her lips before sitting back in her seat, crossing her right leg over her left as she looked over at her friend turned mother. But even with all of the confusion that was going on and her trying to decide what level of involvement that Mary and David had in her life, she still enjoyed hearing about how they had met. “I’m glad to know you got it out of your system. It would be hard to share lunch with you if you were on the opposite side of a locked cell.” she said with a smile as she looked up at Mary.

Emma tensed her shoulders as Mary started talking about how she had saved them. “ What have I saved, Mary? You guys are still here, everyone is still here. Regina is out there trying to …” she started, shaking her head while trying to think of how to word herself. This ‘magic’ thing was still too much to believe, to comprehend or even try to dive into. What she was most worried about was the fact that with this magic being brought into town, there came a sense of disorder. What power did laws have when there was a purple smoke that brought magic back? “ I don’t know what Regina and Gold were like .. in… your world, or whatever. But in this world, in Storybrooke, there are rules and laws. And I am not okay with just sitting back and accepting that they are terrible people. Things have to change. They have to take responsibility for what they’ve done, and that’s more than a puff of smoke and some magic. Henry is involved in this now.. and I will be damned if I let something happen to him because of some failed magic show on the behalf of Regina and Gold both riding some sort of power trip high.”

“ What’s easiest for me or what’s best for Henry? You can’t be serious.. “ Emma said with a look of disbelief as she looked at Mary. “ No part of my life has been…easy..Mary. And I have someone besides myself to consider for once. This isn’t safe for Henry, at all. How many times does he have to face a life threatening situation before it’s considered the best option for him and not just the safest one for me?” she asked with an almost hurt look as her expression. “ He is a child. Of course he is mystified by the mystery of what is happening here. That doesn’t mean it is safe.”