Monday morning I headed downstairs to the paper to inquire after a job. Thankfully the doors were unlocked and I went inside, speaking with a woman up front about the open position they had. She informed me they did have an inventory control specialist position open.
The job description sounded easy enough – they were going from paper to digital and needed help uploading the archived newspaper articles to the system that allowed someone else to upload them online. I also had the opportunity to go around town and search for stories they could use in the paper, as well as filling the newspaper dispensers on Main Street. The paper was partially funded by the city, and this particular position was considered a city position, so I would be on salary and have full benefits.
I accepted – obviously – and was hired on the spot. The woman told me to come back that afternoon to fill out the paperwork and get a key to the office. Later that afternoon she showed me around the small office, how to use the copier, and where to find the boxes of archived newspaper articles and told me I could start scanning them in until I felt like leaving for the day. I had a key to the office and was on salary, so as long as I met the weekly quota it didn't matter when I uploaded them.
As for the newspaper drop-offs, they would leave the newspapers outside the office doors every morning by 7 a.m. with a label on which stack went to which dispenser. I would be in charge of all the newspaper dispensers on Main Street, and needed to have them stocked by no later than 9 a.m. Monday-Friday unless there was a breaking news story. If there was an unplanned weekend breaking news story that needed to be distributed, I would have to do this, but would get what they call a "Weekend Bonus" - a cash bonus as well as reimbursement for my gas & mileage on top of the extra bonus on my next check. The only downside to my position, according to the office manager who was showing me the ropes, but it didn't sound like a downside to me.
I began scanning articles, deciding to go through the past week before calling it quits for the day. I would have plenty of time to read the articles as I waited for the machine to copy the pages front and back, I quickly realized.
Before I left for the day the woman who hired me, the office manager, had given me a notepad and a Daily Mirror pen and encouraged me to keep them on me – you never know what you might come across in this little town that's newsworthy.
I had barely made it up three stairs toward my apartment when what felt like an earthquake struck. I walked back down the stairs, noticing Henry running down the hall followed by a man with red hair and glasses, carrying an umbrella. I followed after Henry and asked what he was doing here as we followed the sounds of people not too far off towards the woods. He explained that he had been in therapy with Dr. Hopper, gesturing to the man following us. Dr. Hopper asked who I was and he introduced us as we walked, explaining who I was and that I was part of Operation Cobra.
Dr. Hopper looked at me quizzically but we came across a crowd of people standing around what looked like a crater and he didn't get a chance to ask whatever question had been buzzing in his head as he looked at me.
I looked around and didn't see any of my colleagues from the Daily Mirror standing around, so decided to start writing in the notepad the office manager had given me. Henry spoke up about Regina wanting to bulldoze, collapse, and pave the old mining tunnels for city use and everyone's safety and protection. I noticed Emma standing in the crowd with her red leather jacket holding caution tape and asked what brought her out here when she informed me that she decided to take Graham up on his offer to become deputy and plant some roots in town. I smiled and told her I was glad to hear it, and that I myself had gotten a job at the local paper today myself, hoping to make it a more reputable news source, pointing to my pen and paper. Regina came over then and sent Henry to the car to wait for her and gave Emma directions on what to do to control the crowd.
Henry called me over and I saw him standing huddled with Emma and his therapist, Dr. Hopper. He explained that all of Operation Cobra is needed, and Dr. Hopper – whom Henry referred to as Archie – didn't know he was in Operation Cobra, but Henry stated that Archie knew everything, so of course he was in Operation Cobra.
Henry was very convinced there was something down in the mines that Regina – the Evil Queen – was trying to hide. Emma was quick to explain that they're just some old tunnels, which Henry then points out only happened to collapse right after Emma got there, that she's weakening the curse and changing things in town. Emma refuted him, but Henry insisted, asking if she had done anything different today because something had to have made the mine collapse happen.
I looked down at her deputy badge clipped to her belt, remembering her decision to plant some roots in this town, and noticed Emma reach for it too, as if she was realizing exactly what I just had.
Regina came over and scolded Henry once more, and subsequently Emma too for not doing her job at controlling the crowd and cordoning off the area, before turning on Dr. Hopper as he was walking away. I didn't give her a chance to question me and booked it away from there, walking around the crater towards a group of people.
I found myself watching as Archie – Dr. Hopper – left the scene after having what looked like a bit of a heated conversation with Regina. The therapist seemed nice enough, but I wondered who Henry thought his therapist was in the fairytale conspiracy, but couldn't stop thinking of how dangerous his fixation on the mine collapse could be if he tried to go into the mines and find whatever he thought the Evil Queen would be hiding down there.
Once I reached the group of people, I introduced myself, explained what I was doing there, and asked if I could get a statement from them for the paper, keeping busy and out of Regina's line of fire. I was one of the last people to leave the scene, having run to my car which hadn't been parked too far away to grab my camera and get a few pictures of the mine collapse to go along with the story I planned to present to the lead writer and editor of the Daily Mirror.
The next morning, I walked into the big glass office in the middle of the cubicles and handed Sidney Glass – the lead writer and editor of the paper – my notes and statements from the night before, explaining that I would drop off the camera at the pharmacy to have the pictures printed if it wasn't too late for the morning's paper.
His face lit up reading the statements I had gotten the night prior and, in the end, used everything I gave him, sent me to print the photos, and the entire office worked to get the front-page story ready for that morning's paper. When the papers went to print at 8:53 a.m., my name was at the bottom of the photo and for credit for the information I had gathered to bring this story to the town.
I had just finished up lunch at Granny's after having dropped off all the papers in their dispensers, chatting up Ruby and catching her up on everything, when I noticed Henry running down the street, clearly upset. I looked around and didn't see anybody and decided to follow after him, catching up pretty quickly and asking what happened. He wouldn't explain, just asked if I'd go with him to Mary Margaret's place to see his mom - Emma.
I walked with him to Mary Margaret's loft, hating the sounds of sniffles that came from the kid in front of me. It looked like he'd been coming from Dr. Hopper's office if I had to guess, thinking back to when I had seen him running and in what direction he'd been headed. I wonder if something happened in his therapy session today.
Henry knocked on the door and Emma answered, taking the now crying kid into her arms and asking what was wrong. Mary Margaret must have noticed me behind Henry because she invited me in as Emma took Henry to the kitchen table to figure out what happened and what had him so upset.
I went to the kitchen and helped Mary Margaret make hot cocoa for Henry as we listened to him explain that Archie had told him everything he believed was fake and he was going to be locked away if he didn't start seeing reality and he needed to stop this ridiculousness with the fairytales and the curse.
He was crushed, absolutely devastated, and even after hot cocoa and some soothing from Emma you could tell he was still reeling from the blow the therapist had given him. I couldn't believe Dr. Hopper would do something like that, especially after telling Emma how devastating taking that fantasy away from Henry would be.
Emma got Henry calmed down enough that he agreed to let her drive him to his mom's office, and the two of them left, leaving me alone with Mary Margaret. We chatted for a while and I told her I had gotten a job at the Daily Mirror and my story was on the front page on my 2nd day of work. I wasn't really sure why I told her this, but I did, and she got a copy of it from me so she could read it later, seeming genuinely interested.
I had never had a friendship like the friendship I had with Mary Margaret before. It felt like we had known each other for years, rather than a week. I realized, after talking about the job, that I wouldn't be able to volunteer at the hospital anymore, and asked if she would turn in my resignation at her shift tonight, which she agreed to.
As I wrote out a short cyalaterbye letter to the hospital I asked how she had been doing with the David of it all, and she explained how difficult it was given that his wife, Kathryn was so nice. Not that she would do anything, of course, but she just felt this pull and connection to the man she had saved and looked after all these years.
Mary Margaret confided that she had only started volunteering at the hospital after learning of John Doe, and how he never had any visitors. I asked if he had gotten any memories back, and she said that he had said no, but with Kathryn earlier he had seemed to remember his dog from a photo she showed him, so there was really no telling one way or another. I asked if she knew what she was going to do and she just shook her head, which was answer enough.
I was walking home from Mary Margaret's when I decided to head to the collapsed mines again. I couldn't tell you what made me change my course, but by the time I got there I could see Emma waving frantically and I ran over to her. Once I arrived, however, it was not the kind of news you'd ever want to hear.
Henry had run away into the mines. Emma had dropped him off at Regina's office and went to confront Archie when Regina called and asked after him. Archie had put two and two together that Henry would have run here to the mines to try and find whatever he thought was being hidden by his mom Regina, the Evil Queen. Apparently, as they were searching for him something became loose and another collapse started, and Archie dove in after Henry into the tunnels, the entrance being completely sealed up. Emma had called Graham, and Regina, and everyone they could think of was coming to help, but I was the first person to arrive. We ran down to the entrance but there was no digging our way through the rocks and rubble in the way – especially not without risking another, more deadly, collapse.
A lot of people showed up on the scene in a very short amount of time. I was writing down what I could as I could, trying to help the efforts, but the ground shook once more and more dirt and rocks started falling – bringing all rescue efforts to a halt. Emma and Regina were talking when a man named Marco suggested the use of explosives. I definitely didn't like the sound of that nor think this was the best course of action, but they set it up anyway. Once the explosives went off and the dust cleared, it was clear they hadn't cleared the entrance, in fact, there were no noticeable signs on the surface from the explosion.
So what did it do?
That was the question everyone was asking as they scrambled to save Henry and Archie before it was too late. I began walking around the perimeter of the crater, looking to see if I could see anything at all when Emma let Pongo out and he led everyone to a grate in the ground – an air shaft, according to Graham.
I stepped back and watched as they rigged something up for Emma to propel herself down and get Henry and Archie from inside the airshaft, assuming that was even where they were. Had Pongo, Archie's dalmatian, truly sniffed out Henry and Archie's location underground?
It was remarkable – they had been there, in that exact airshaft, and Emma had been able to save them both - despite the elevator falling out from beneath them before she had secured Archie safely.
It was another sensational story.
I had sent Ruby to grab my camera after the explosives went off and managed to get the shot of Emma coming up out of the ground with Henry and Archie – saving the day. I wrote down everything I could, getting statements from people for the story the writers at the paper would inevitably write with everything I was going to be giving them.
Everyone I met seemed happy to meet me, to tell me their story, for the chance to be in the paper. Thankfully, nobody asked what brought me to come to Storybrooke.
As the sun set everyone who was part of the rescue efforts celebrated. I caught up with Henry and made sure he was okay and he explained what happened and then called Archie Jiminy Cricket. I asked if that was who he thought Dr. Hopper was and he confirmed, figuring I would have guessed that since I had guessed Regina and David's fairytale lives already. I'm embarrassed to admit I had not – but now that he says it, it seemed obvious.
Emma finally gets the chance to come over and I leave her to some private moments with Henry, taking a second to tell her I'm glad Henry was okay and that she did a kick-ass job today, and I was glad she was safe too. She sat with Henry and the two began talking, so I went to talk with Ruby. When I come back over to say goodbye to Emma and Henry, Henry points out that the crickets are back, and I realize then I haven't heard a cricket my entire time in Storybrooke thus far.
I called Mary Margaret and left her a message on my way to the Daily Mirror, explaining what happened and telling her to call me if she ever wants to come over and chat, or vice versa. She called me after I had dropped everything off with Sidney (having called him and explained the story I had for him so he agreed to meet me at the office to get all my notes and photos), and asked if I would like to come over for a drink, she wanted to take me up on my offer to talk.
She resigned from the hospital, having had another encounter with David that was interrupted by the glaring truth of their situation – his wife Kathryn. Once Emma came back to the loft we talked about the mine collapse with Henry inside. We all swapped stories of the day and tried to give Mary Margaret advice on her David situation, but I knew all too well how the heart could yearn for what it wanted even when the mind knew it wasn't right.
Over the next several days I spent every lunch and every dinner with either Mary Margaret, Emma, or sometimes even both, depending on everyone's schedule. Now that Mary Margaret wasn't volunteering at the hospital she had a lot more time on her hands, and the three of us had this odd sense of trust and familiarity between us, able to open up more than we normally would. We were all....friends. And it was nice, at the end of the day, having someone to catch up with, hear about their day, someone who asked about mine. I asked if they'd hold onto the spare key to my place, just in case, and our friendship was solidified once they accepted.
I also finally learned that Emma's last name was, just like mine, Swan, and she had picked hers too when she was in the system (she had also been given up as a baby). Just more completely random coincidences, right?
Author's Note: I'll not be naming names for "side characters" until I've shifted and have actually met the people. Once I have, I'll update with their names, personalities, etc. I'll also update if memories change how I've chosen to write it. ^_^