Once Upon a Second Chance

(38) - New Beginnings

"So, you boys learned your lesson?" Emma asked as she took the cell keys out of her office desk before walking over to the joint cells.

Carlos and Gil thought it wise to be gone before the sheriff returned to avoid getting thrown in Jay and Harry's places for breaking in.

"Don't accept hospitality from the Dark One?" Harry guessed as he stood defiantly hanging his arms and resting his chin on the horizontal bars of his cell door.

"If that's a lesson you had to learn the hard way, you should be thankful you're both still alive," Jefferson informed them.

"A little warning would have really been nice before Gold yanked us to his shop to drop the Ben bombshell on us," Jay notes as he stood, arms crossed in the center of his cell, patiently waiting for Emma to let him and Harry out.

The Savior unlocked the son of Jafar's cell first and opened the door. "How's the arm?"

"Better. I did manage to snag some pain medication from the hospital before I made my break for freedom," Jay answered as he walked over to Jefferson who put a hand on his shoulder and led him out.

"Take care of him," Emma called out to the Mad Hatter as he and his charge took their leave. She moved on to unlock Harry's cell. "Killian and my dad out patrolling right now and I'm gonna go to the vault go research portal spells with Regina. Are you okay walking home?"

Harry nodded as Emma walked over to her desk and held out a Granny's takeout bag and a cup of hot cocoa. "I wasn't sure what you preferred, so I got you a grilled cheese sandwich. Go home, take a shower, and get a change of clothes."

Harry blinked, in a state of slight surprise at Emma's concern for his well-being. The last time an adult took interest in making sure he was fed, clean, and clothes was, well... never. Unless his sister Harriet counts. She's twenty, technically an adult. Harry was so lost in thought, he hadn't noticed that Emma was still holding his breakfast. He took the bag and cup from her. "Oh, uh, thank ye."

"Don't mention it," Emma responded absentmindedly before remembering something. "Oh, and when you get home, mind telling Henry and CJ that we're having dinner over at my parents' tonight? They have some news they want to share with us."

Harry bit his lip and nodded. "Sure thing." He was not all that excited about seeing his alternate grandparents, after learning about what they did to Emma and Lily Page... Given, he barely interacted with Snow White and Prince Charming all that much since his arrival, but they seemed like genuine people, people you could trust, and for a child of the Isle, that was saying something.

He pushed the front door of the sheriff's station open as he took a sip from the cocoa. He began walking home through the small town, admiring the different establishments and their creative names and themes as he passed. He even came across what looked like a spa. Indeed enough, when he looked up at the name, it read 'Three Bears Day Spa', which caused him not to see the brunette walking out of said building and bumping into him.

"Hey, watch where you're-" she began, but stopped upon seeing who it was she bumped into. "...Harry."

"Audrey?" Harry tilted his head, nearly not recognizing her again as the princess's bleach blonde with pale pink and blue streaks he had previously seen her with now appeared to be her natural color again—though he didn't know that. "What did ye do to yer hair?"

The daughter of Sleeping Beauty shrugged as she and Harry began continuing down the street, walking side-by-side. "I decided to return it to brown. The dye-job was just not doing me any favors."

"Well, I agree—this look is much better on ye," Harry blurted our without thinking, worried he might come across as offensive. "Oh, I didn't mean-"