Chapter 7: Officer Friendly
In any other town, Emma Swan would've been the joke of the police force. Let's be honest, she made a horrible cop. Super modeling probably would've been a better career for the blonde, though she probably wouldn't have been able to give up food. Especially cupcakes.
Oh, sure, you could make an argument that she was a good cop with that super power of hers. She also did have her moments, but sometimes she was utterly clueless. Like today, with Just Harry.
She should've grilled the kid more. She realized that now. But he had disappeared completely from the diner. And it wasn't like she actually had anything to go on, other than that he was a strange kid in town.
She tried to figure out what fairytale character could have a kid that she didn't spot before.
There was Mrs. Shoe she had dozens and dozens of kids. She didn't live on that side of town. Only Storybrooke's esteemed lived in that corner, like Gold.
Thinking of Gold having a kid made Emma laugh. Yeah, she could check him off. She had a hard time believing that the man even had a girlfriend. Though, the man did know how to wear a suit…
Ew.
Just ew.
So, if not Gold then who? Maybe one of the royals or one of Regina's old cronies, It was the only thing that made sense for that part of town. Of course, she'd never seen Just Harry before so he could be Cora or that pirate's kid.
Maybe they had a kid together.
That was sort of a nasty thought, but highly probable. Though she doubted the pirate would've been that good of a role model for the boy. Then again, neither would having Cora for a mother.
Just Harry seemed pretty decent human being, not someone connected to a cougar and her horny boyfriend.
But, look at Emma. Lots of people would say she was respectable after all those foster homes. So, did it really make a difference who Just Harry grew up with?
It was too bad she didn't have an opportunity to question him any further—damn dwarves. They always seemed to have impending crisis after crisis and Emma's mother always seemed to be sending them her way. She never got that cup of coffee she was hoping for.
She really needed to invest in an espresso machine.
Cider.
Who in their right mind would drink cider? Emma supposed she was a bit impartial after that incident with Regina and that stupid turnover last spring.
Regina.
She adored apples. And the kid had mentioned city hall. It could be a coincidence though, Emma thought as her son Henry came running over to her.
"Aren't you supposed to be at day camp?" Emma asked.
"It's after three." Her son said looking at her. "You seem upset?"
"Oh, no, kid. Not upset. More like confused."
Henry raised an eyebrow.
That reminded Emma a lot like Just Harry's eyebrows. She sighed heavily. "Do you know a kid named Harry?"
"Harry?" Now Henry looked confused. "Doesn't ring a bell. There is a Larry, but he's not in my class. A few years older."
Emma shook her head. Clearly puzzled and trying to make sense of how Henry could not know Harry. Home school? Private school? Did Storybrooke even have a private school? Or was Henry in private school? Regina was the type to put him in there, and she knew he wore a uniform. Despite the fact that Henry had more or less unofficially been given back to her custody, Emma really didn't know where her son went to school.
Because really, who had time for school in Storybrooke? Still it added to the mystery of Just Harry.
"Emma?" Henry asked.
He still hadn't called her mom all the time. She doubted he'd ever would. Despite the fact he tried to downplay Regina's involvement in his life, she was his mother. Adoption in a lot of ways was more powerful than blood. You had to be wanted to be adopted. That was something Emma knew from many years of hurt.
"Yeah, kid," She said. "What is it?"
"What's going on?"
She sighed. "I saw a kid today, I didn't recognize. Said his name was Just Harry. There's something weird about him."
"We could check the book." Henry offered.
"What would you need to check the book for?"
Emma almost groaned when she heard the perky voice that was her mother. She actually preferred Snow White when she was known as Mary Margret. Because then, her mother didn't know about every nasty detail of her life, try to knit her sweaters, and try to act like everything was hunky dory even if Emma grew up in the foster care system.
She knew it wasn't Snow's fault, but man it was weird.
"Just Harry." Her son answered for her.
"Just Harry?" Mary Margret asked turning her attention towards Emma.
"He's just a kid." Emma said. "That I met today. You know on that side of town where all the mansions are. I've never seen him before."
"There's lots of kids here." Mary Margret said.
Emma sighed. "I just…I don't know. Is there a private school here?"
"Yeah," Mary Margret said. "I teach at a private school. Henry goes to a private school. Only the peasants and trolls go to the public school."
Emma thought about the boy. He was dressed well. Not enough to equal peasant or troll. Home school then was probably the answer, which meant that Emma had no luck nosing her way through his records. But she could give it a try, still. "Um, do you know a Harry?"
"A Harry?" Mary Margret said. "Doesn't ring a bell. I know a Larry though."
"Everyone knows Larry." Her son intervened.
"So, that just leaves me back at square one." Emma said.
Mary Margret sighed. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Hot chocolate?"
"Yes," Emma responded. "With extra cinnamon."
The cinnamon hot chocolate didn't help a lot, but it made her feel marginally better. She told herself that the kid was probably nothing and she went back to doing her daily activities, which included cooking dinner.
God, did Emma hate to cook. Her idea of a home cook meal consisted of a Stouffer's lasagna that she just had to throw in the microwave.
Mary Margret, however, found that inadequate. Especially since Henry was there. Which was why Emma was doing her part for dinner—trying to make break and bake cookies.
It was going not so good.
To the point that Henry was laughing at her when she asked just what preheating the oven entailed.
She usually was an ice cream eater.
Mary Margret just shook her head at Emma as she prepared a salad.
Family dinners were big now at Casa Charming since Mary Margret and David missed twenty-eight years of them. Emma supposed she could sort of see where they could be coming from since she missed ten years of dinner with Henry too, but she didn't think it was supposed to be such a big deal as it always was.
Yet, that's how the Charmings viewed it. And Emma was sitting there trying to eat her dinner while she was being quizzed about her day.
Both the Charmings found the appearance of Just Harry disturbing.
"He had to be someone in the Enchanted Forest." David said. "Outsiders have never came to Storybrooke."
"Save for me," Emma said. "And August."
"Neither of you were really outsiders." Snow said.
Emma sighed. "He did say he had family here. But Storybrooke is a small town, surely you'd recognize the name."
Snow shrugged. "I don't know everyone's name Emma. And I was princess of the Enchanted Forest. If he's related to a troll, I can almost guarantee you I don't know his name."
"He doesn't look like a troll." Emma said.
"And Rumpelstiltskin doesn't look like the malevolent imp he really is either." David countered.
"Gold!" Emma said.
Her parents looked at each other. "What?"
"Gold. I bet he knows who the boy is."
"Well, either he or Regina probably does…but Emma, it really probably isn't anything."
Emma sighed as she stabbed a piece of steak with her fork. "I don't know."
Mary Margret sighed and looked at David. "What do you think?"
David looked at Emma and then at his wife. "Emma should follow her gut. I don't see what harm it can do doing some investigating."
"But involving Regina and Gold?"
"Yeah, agree with you there. I really don't want to involve villains in a young man's life. Just because we don't know him."
Emma nodded her head in agreement. As much as she'd like to find out her answers, she agreed that it probably wasn't the best idea involving the town's super baddies. Which meant she was back to good old fashion detective work.
Which for Emma meant she was clueless.
This would be time for a donut, but instead she went to Google.
Never a good sign going to Google for the bulk of your investigation, when the town barely knew how to use the internet—though Henry surprisingly had a Facebook account. And Mary Margret had as she said it taking up using the Twitter.
She didn't even want to think about her mother on Twitter.
Henry looked at her and shook his head. "Really, you think you're going to find him by Googling Just Harry."
Emma glared at him. She wasn't that stupid. She was just going to Google…something. Like fairytales with the name Harry in it.
When she told Henry that he laughed.
Emma glared at him. She was supposed to be the parent here, the least Henry could do is show her some respect.
Henry sighed. "Sorry, Emma. It is a little ridiculous though using the internet to figure out Just Harry's identity in Storybrooke of all places."
She nodded. "Well, I really don't know what to do. I already sniffed around Granny's and that ended up with me finding Doc's lost pocket watch. I swear that dwarf loses that thing every other day…"
"He likes your boobs." Henry said.
Emma rolled her eyes. "Seriously, kid."
"He always stares at them when you bend down." Henry said. "I've seen it. And you always find the watch in the same place."
He did have a point.
Yes, Emma really made some great detective.
Sighing the woman put her fingers through her long blonde hair. "Well, what do you suggest?"
"The library?" Henry asked. "I mean, I think they'd keep some sort of records of the town. They'd have to."
Emma shook her head. The library. It was plain and simple and away from villains. No Regina. No Gold. "That's actually not a bad idea, but what about Belle?"
"What about her?"
"Isn't she dating Gold?" Emma asked.
"Don't worry about her." Henry said. "I can be a distraction."
"Henry…I…"
"Belle won't shut up about a book series if I start talking about one."
Emma doubted it. But she still decided to give it a try, for the kid. "Okay, so we can call this one…"
"Operation Holmes." Henry said. "Because that's the book series I'm going to use."
Emma laughed as she grabbed her jacket.
"You're going to miss dessert." Mary Margret called from the kitchen.
"That's okay," Emma called back. "The cookies are burnt anyway."
Henry wrinkled his nose.
"We'll get something at Granny's." Emma promised. "Well, just not cider."
"Cider?" Henry asked. "Did Mom…um, Regina do something to you?"
"She's your mother, Henry." Emma said with a sigh. "Just as much as I am. And no, Regina hasn't done anything today. It's just that Just Harry said something about getting someone cider. Reminded me of your Mom and her affinity for apples."
"Mom doesn't have a son or a brother." Henry said.
"I know," Emma said as she parked the car in front of the library.
Emma had never been one for reading. She had always joked that she read one book in life—Super Fudge. So, going into a library wasn't exactly her cup of tea. It was just way too quiet and the smell of old books bothered her allergies.
Henry laughed.
"What?" Emma asked.
"Can I help you?"
Mother of Jesus. The way Belle popped out of nowhere freaked Emma out. No wonder she and Gold got around so well.
"Henry?" Emma said giving him a pointed look.
"Oh, yeah," Henry said caught off guard a little. "I wanted to ask you about some books Ms. French. Uh, Emma, you can look around this is going to take awhile."
Emma smiled as she tried to find the old newspapers.
Operation Homes was a go indeed.