The Princess and The Hatter

One Step at a Time

The sun had started to dip below the trees. A calm silence settled over the forest of Corona. For one moment, all was still.

Then all hell broke loose.

Jefferson and Mary Margret had just returned to the clearing where Emma and Ana were waiting when Neal came crashing through the bushes. Everyone turned to look at him as he came to a halt and struggled to catch his breath. "He... he..." Neal panted.

"Who?" Emma asked. With more concern she added, "Where's Henry?"

"We got separated," Neal choked out. "I looked everywhere."

"You lost our son?" Emma shouted.

"Before you get mad let me explain."

"Damn right you better explain!" She yelled in his face. The other three present were shuffling uncomfortably in the background.

Neal threw his hands up between them defensively. "There was this pack of horses. They were about to trample us. We took off running, but when I turned around Henry wasn't behind me."

Emma took a step back in disbelief and ran her fingers through her hair. Neal continued in an attempt to console her. "Look Emma, he couldn't have gotten far. He's probably out there looking for us right now. We can all go search and..."

"I should have never let you talk me into letting him come," she snapped suddenly. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Emma," Ana piped up tentatively. The blonde woman whipped around, throwing her fiery glare on her instead. "I might be able to help."

"Oh please," Emma retorted. "You can even fix the stupid rabbit to find Grace."

Now it was Jefferson's turn to be upset. "Wait, what?"

Ana swallowed hard. "Uh..." she started, but she wasn't sure how to break the news to him.

Emma, on the other hand, had no problem. "While you were away the same stampede that chased Henry trampled the rabbit we were going to use to find Grace, and even the all powerful Ana can't fix it."

"So we're completely screwed?" Jefferson exclaimed.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Ana tried to reassure him, but under the heat of his glare she broke down and admitted, "Ok, maybe it is."

"Of course. I should have known you wouldn't be able to fix this. You weren't even able to save in time to keep her from ever winding up here," Jefferson snapped at her.

Ana's face turned red, and she prepared a response, but Neal beat her to it. "Don't talk to her that way."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Jefferson yelled back.

"A better man than you," Neal replied. "At least I never abandoned my own child."

Jefferson swore and began to stalk towards him, fists clenched, but Mary Margret grabbed him from behind. "Stop it, all of you!" She shouted. "What's gotten in to you? Do you even know what you're saying?" No one replied, leaving them in tense silence. "This isn't like you, any of you," she continued on. 

They didn't say anything, but it was clear on their faces everyone felt it to be true. As if someone had flipped a switch, the tension in the air began to diffuse. It didn't quite disappear however. They could still feel it lurking under the surface, but for now it was gone.

Everyone was blinking and rubbing their eyes, like they'd just woken up from a bad dream.

"That was... odd," Emma summarized. She turned and wound up meeting Ana's eye. Guilt suddenly washed over her. "Oh, Ana, I'm sorry, I didn't..."