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Your nickname? I didn't know I was supposed to give you one.

Henry hasn't given me a nickname for Operation: Cobra.

That thing that has to do with his book, right?

-- Do I have a nickname?

Well, he thinks you're Little Red Riding Hood, if that makes any difference?

Red. Of course. [She grins.]

But, ew, that whole part where she gets cut out of the wolf's belly. Gross.

( Emma tosses Ruby an amused grin, stiffling her laughter in her beloved cocoa. )

Apparently, some of the stories are a bit different than the Disney movies: Henry thinks Snow White -- Mary Margaret, that is -- is my mom.

Oh. [She rests a hand on her hip, lifting a well-plucked brow.]

Weird. How? Aren't you both, like, the same age?

I think I might be older, actually. ( Far be it from her to question Henry; she plays along, goes along with it simply because she's forgotten how much she's missed him for those ten years. How that first year, being that scared eighteen year old having to give the only family she's ever had away, was the hardest in her life. Now Henry's back in her life? It's going to be ten times harder. ) It's just a book. Just...don't tell him that, okay?

[Ruby mimes a zipping motion over her lips, grinning.]

Just a book. Yeah, totally. I mean, whatever, right? If it makes him happy and keeps him going.

That's all I want, you know? To make sure he's safe and happy.

Mr. Gold generally refers to you as 'the Sheriff'. [There's a slight woman in his shop now, behind the counters. She greets Emma with a smile.] It is Sheriff Swan, yes? He said you might stop in.

Unfortunately, he's not here.

And here I thought he pratically lived here. ( She remarks, dryly. ) Do you know when he'll be back?

Depends on how long his meeting with the Mayor goes. I'm expecting him before closing, anyway.

Well, it's a good thing I'm pretty much free to wait for him. I'm a patient woman.

( Not. )

Well, you're free to do so if you'd like. [She gestures to a fainting couch in the corner] I could make tea. Or, if it's easier for you, I can tell him you were looking for him and make sure he stops in on the way home.

( And Emma does, plopping unceremoniously on the fainting couch, uncaring how it makes her seem. If she has to interact with a man like Mr. Gold she might as well feel comfortable as possible, right? )

Don't drink tea. Never had, never will. ( At her question on whether or not she should call him, Emma gives a shrug. ) Sure.

[Apologetically--] And we're both tea-drinkers, so I don't have coffee. I'm sorry.

Is it any matter that I might be able to assist you with, Sheriff? [There's a faint sense of what's he done now about the question, possibly evocative of any number of family members of people Emma had posted bail for over the years]

I actually only drink cocoa. ( With cinnamon sprinkles. She always has. ) It's fine, really.

( Aaand that question, and the inflection behind it, grants Rose a smirk: ) Actually, I'm in need of his services.

( She hates what he does, thinks there's a stench worse than anything Regina could pull out of her ass, but she has to admit: she likes his results. Begrudgingly, at that. )

Ah.

Yes. Well, I'll have to let him handle that one. [She inclines her head slightly, keeping her face as neutral as ever.] Troubles with the Mayor?

Well, you know Madam Mayor: she enjoys being the thorn in everybody's side.

Only too well. [The polished smile fades to something tighter, more pained]

( And if her gut is right, which it always is, then Regina won't be in her position as town mayor much longer. And maybe--just maybe--she could be a permanent fixture in Henry's life without having to tip-toe around Regina to do so. )

How Henry managed to be so...perfect, ( Then again, Emma's truly biased. ) after being raised by her? I'll never get it.

An answer, perhaps, in the eternal nature/nurture debate, Miss Swann?

I guess. Not really big into psychology, you know.

( And Emma is far from perfect. Far, far, so very far from the savior Henry thinks she is; yet, she strives to be better, if only so he can look at her that way for the rest of her life. )

So...you work for Gold?

[She smiles faintly at the question; it was rather inevitable, wasn't it?] Rose French. It's nice to meet you. And... yes. [Work for, live with... all that jazz.]

Weird, but I'm in no position to really judge. ( Giving birth in jail at eighteen--only a week into her eighteenth year, at that--sort of denies her any pedastool to stand on. )

Oh, he's not so bad when you get to know him. [A faint laugh] Although he'd not want me saying that.

You were kind to my father, you know. I appreciate that.

( She's still at a loss as to why Mr. Gold would react so--violently to Moe French, especially when the man all but dropped charges at the first chance he got, but she knows better than to press the issue. )

He's a good guy.

He has his moments.

They both do.

Have you spoken to him at all? Your father, I mean.

Is this a round-about way of warning me that the man I [there's the minutest hesitation and most people would probably miss it] work for put Dad in the hospital while I was... out of town?

Actually, it's more me just asking if you've seen him, Ms. French. I'm a lot of things, but passive aggressive isn't my forte: if I wanted to warn you, I would've.

I was inferring that you were being subtle and tactful, Miss Swann. Not passive-aggressive. [Her tone is soothing, apologetic]

And yes, I had lunch with Dad just yesterday. He's recovering very well. And Mr. Gold has agreed to give him some time to pay back the loan. I'm doing what I can in regards to that, too.

Yeah. Those are two thinks I'm really not, at the end of the day. ( She's witty, quick on her feet, and can assess situations better than Sherlock...but she isn't very subtle in the least.

Regardless of her twenty-eight years on this earth spent building walls, distancing herself from anything familial, the little girl inside her that made a wish to not be alone on her birthday glows green. She'll never, regardless of Henry's beliefs, be able to say that sentence, I had lunch with my dad just yesterday. Ironically, Henry thinks her dad is the idiot David Nolan who completely threw her best friend under the bus, which makes the situation that much...weirder. Despite the fact she's pretty sure she's older than both Mary and David. )

That's good.

Yes. He speaks very highly of you, you know. [Her eyes leave Emma's for a moment, because there's too much emotion there to let a stranger see. Regret, relief, guilt...] You probably saved his life.

I saved two lives, then. ( Both her father's and her employer-slash-rumored-lover's. She just wishes she knew why, but has enough sense to change the topic quickly. ) Mary Margaret is no longer indited for the murder of Kathryn Nolan; it appears said woman was never dead.

( She'll only say as much as the newspapers published. She's too close to actually catching Regina to only ruin it by idle gossip. )

Which is why I need the services of your employer. I'm pretty sure he can scare the lab technicians into why they made such a huge mistake.

[If Emma had pressed, likely the only response she'd have received would have been it's my fault.] How is Mary Margaret holding up? I have a plum cake that I was going to bring over for her, but I wasn't sure if she was up to receiving visitors.

[For the first time, there's something sharp to Rose French's smile] Oh, I'm quite certain he will be able to assist with that, and will likely take pleasure in it, in fact.

She's doing better than before, now she's cleared of all charges, but she's still shaken up. I don't blame her; she thought, for the longest time, her life was over.

I hope so. I think the whole thing stinks that they would've made that huge of a mistake. It's a small town; if it were Boston, then I'd understand, but not Storybrooke.

The poor woman. [There's so much genuine emotion in Rose's bright blue eyes when she thinks about Mary Margaret's predicament. She shakes her head--]

You think that the Mayor's hands are all over this, don't you? She's always loathed Mary Margaret.

Emma isn't enough?

Henry still hasn't given me a nickname, or a code name, for Operation: Cobra.