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Chapter Text

"The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still small voice of conscience." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Archie slowly adjusted the brown rimmed glasses upon the bridge of his nose while staring across the room at the celadon shaded door between his office and the hallway. Mayor Mills had increased the visits for her son, Henry since he was having trouble making friends at school. Despite offering a theory to his mother that Henry may feel that way due to her protective nature, Regina insisted that he had to ‘figure it out’ for the sake of her son.

The familiar stomping of Henry’s sneakers could be heard climbing the steps to the second floor with the tapping of his knuckles heard soon after upon the door. Dr. Hopper immediately shot to his feet and crossed the room to allow the boy inside.

Hunter green eyes shot up as Henry offered a small wave and a somewhat goofy grin. “What’s up, Doc?”

“Henry…” Archie’s forehead creased as lips pressed together in a soft grunt. “You say that every time you come over.”

The boy’s grin only widened as he bounced past the man and then plopped right down one of the soft leather couches nestled in the middle of the office. “I know. And it’s still funny.” The overstuffed olive hued backpack he always carried dropped down to the floor with his jacket soon shrugged off his shoulders as well.

Blunt fingertips brushed across the back of the Psychiatrist’s neck as his other hand carefully closed the door. “Right so…” He crossed the room and settled upon his usual red chair before picking up his notebook. He licked his thumb and forefinger with tired eyes briskly scanning each page as he turned. “Last session we were discussing why you feel like you don’t fit in with your classmates.”

Henry’s shoulders rose and fell with a long shrug. “I know I don’t.”

“Oh?” Hopper’s brows gently lifted before scribbling down a quick note with his ballpoint pen. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not like the other kids here.”

That caused the Doctor’s head to tilt an inch more to the side at his patient’s seemingly matter-of-fact tone. “Why is it that… that you feel so different, Henry?”

Henry’s arms spread out along the top edge of the long, brown couch he sat upon as his head fell back to stare up at the ceiling. It was obvious he was growing tired of having to come here day after day, as most 10 year-olds have no need for a psychiatrist. “Everyone else is well... they've always been here. I came from somewhere else.”

Archie then set his notepad down on the nearby table in front of him and leaned forward in his chair. “Well of course. You were adopted in Boston and Regina then brought you Storybrooke.” Eyelids squinted while cupping his rough hands together in front of him. “Is… is that what this is about? You feel excluded because you’re… adopted?”

With an exasperated breath, the boy’s entire body shifted around to reach for his backpack. After a few quick snaps and a swift zipper pull, it popped open to reveal some sort of leather bound book buried halfway inside. His small fingers dug the weathered volume free. It was so large that it covered almost all of Henry‘s entire chest. Emblazoned in gold leaf on the front cover were the all too familiar words that often began tales of fantasy…

Once Upon a Time

Hopper’s lips fell open as his face shifted into a mixture of shock and concern. “Where did you get that book, Henry?"

“Miss Blanchard gave it to me the other day.” The cover flipped open with a soft creaking sound that often accompanied older publications such as these. “She said that she found it in her closet or something like that” A few pages flipped past as Henry placed the book upon his lap. “That it’s a reminder that things will get better as long as we hold onto hope.”

Archie’s confusion only heightened upon hearing this. “Hope?” He carefully sat up with hands soon resting upon his lap. “And you think that reading a-a book of fairy tales will do that for you?”

“Every person in Storybrooke is in this book.” He brushed through even more pages with drawn images of classic fairy tales characters such as Red Riding Hood, Snow White & Prince Charming, and finally the Evil Queen. “Except me and one other.” He then flipped to a drawing of Charming holding a newborn babe wrapped in a white afghan within his arms.

“Henry…” The Psychiatrist let out a somewhat agitated breath and shook his head a few times. “Those are stories of… of make believe. Maybe you see resemblances between these characters and the townspeople but… that doesn’t mean they’re one and the same.”

The boy simply continued flipping through until he reached a particular drawing about halfway through. “You’re in here too. Look!” He proudly grinned and leaned the volume forward enough for Archie to spy the drawing of a large cricket wearing a top hat and overcoat while carrying a suitably tiny umbrella under its upper arm. “You’re Jiminy Cricket.”

The man’s pale blue-green eyes peeked over brown frames at the picture. “How…” Another long breath caused his chest to rise and fall. “It doesn’t make sense, Henry. How am I supposed to be… a-a cricket?”

“I dunno. The Curse made you human again for some reason.” Henry flipped the book closed with a resounding thud. “And of course it makes sense. Jiminy is Geppetto’s conscience. I mean…” He smiled with a bit of twinkle in his own eyes. “If a conscience could be anything here, it would be a doctor like you… right?”

Hopper knelt down on the floor in front of his patient and placed both hands upon the leather cover. “Henry…” He couldn’t help but shake his head a few more times at this whole situation. “While I admire Miss Blanchard for giving you this book, you have to understand that these are… are just stories. Fantasy. Stories.”

And that’s when the boy’s lips fell into a deep frown. “You just don’t understand because of the Curse.” He quickly grabbed his backpack and stuffed the book haphazardly back inside of it. “But curses can be broken… and I think I know how to do it.”

“Henry,” Archie pleaded as the boy stood up and pulled his jacket back on. Once again he tightened his lips and slowly tugged himself back up to his own feet. “We need to think about how you’re going to fit in better at school and… this Curse idea of yours I-I sincerely doubt will change that.”

The backpack hoisted up upon Henry’s shoulders as he turned for the exit. Only once he reached the door did he pause and glance over with a sly grin. “Don’t worry, Dr. Hopper. Everyone will get their happy ending back soon enough.” Fingers turned the knob and soon enough the boy stepped back out into the hallway… leaving the Doctor to stand there and watch him depart in a bewildered silence....

Chapter Text

Archie leaned forward with the pads of his fingers nestling upon his furrowed brow as he skimmed over the notes he’d scribbled down from his previous session with Henry. It had been nearly a month since the boy had been gifted that bizarre leather-bound book from Mary Margaret Blanchard. Since then, it had become the primary focus of their sessions.

More specifically, Henry spoke more and more about giving the residents of Storybrooke the hope they all so desperately needed. It had almost become an obsession, and despite Hopper’s various attempts to talk him out of it, the 10 year-old simply would not budge from this mindset.

It had been difficult to keep this information away from Mayor Mills since the therapy sessions had been her idea. More to the point, she’d all but insisted that Archie deduce whatever issues her son was dealing with and have them all resolved as if by magic.

The Doctor huffed a short laugh and smiled to himself in spite of the thought. Perhaps the miracle cure was in that book after all, since Henry had insisted that it was magical.

Glasses slid off his nose and fell on top of his notes before both hands rubbed all along his face in response to a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. He then heard a soft whine from off to his left and four feet padding across the wooden floor as Pongo seemed to sense his current state of mind. The Dalmatian softly wagged his tail and nudged his owner’s thigh in a gentle attempt to raise the man’s spirits.

Fatigued eyes blinked promptly before squinting down towards his canine companion. “Hey… it’s alright, Pongo.” A hand dropped down to tenderly rub both of those soft, floppy ears as the Doctor couldn’t help but smile. The dog’s further response was to plop his head within Archie’s lap and present the most doe-eyed expression the pooch could muster.

“Since when did you become the psychiatrist, huh?” Archie chuckled as his free hand reached around to once again pull his glasses back on.

Pongo answered his owner’s question with a chirped bark and sat back with a brisk wag of his tail.

Their conversation was soon interrupted by a rather loud knock at the office door. Hopper pursed his lips as he rose from his seat with a quiet groan. He was expecting Henry this evening, but the boy didn’t usually knock so abruptly to announce his arrival.

A hand rose up to brush the back of his neck while the other carefully turned the knob and creaked the door ajar. Unfortunately, his visitor was not his scheduled patient who always greeted with ‘What’s up, Doc?’ but instead the pristine and slender form of Mr. Gold.

Gold was dressed in one of his usual dark grey suits complete with impeccably shiny buttons and a red, white and black pocket square for a faint pop of color. He’d decided to wear a black necktie with a subtle checkerboard pattern today to complement a black and white checkered shirt nestled neatly underneath his blazer. Quite a stark contrast to the russet red tie, white pinstripe shirt and deep brown tweed vest that Archie had chosen for his own attire this evening.

“Mr. Gold? To-to what do I owe the ah… pleasure?” The way he leaned up against the door betrayed at least some of his exhaustion.

Gold seemed to give the other man just a hint of a smirk as he leaned against his cane. “You know what day it is, Dr. Hopper.” That soft baritone voice of his always seemed to house a bit of snark no matter the situation.

“Day?” The Doctor’s brows lifted in a moment of surprise before a hand combed through his somewhat tousled auburn hair. “Oh! The rent. Yes… yes. Uh… give me just ah… one minute.” With a smile he immediately spun around and wandered back to his desk. Fumbling through a couple of drawers, thick fingers finally found the small roll of cash wrapped neatly with a rubber band and tugged it free from the array of envelopes, Scotch tape containers, and ballpoint pens also stashed in there.

“It should all be there,” Archie uttered as he made his way back to the door with the money held out between his thumb and forefinger.

The older man’s slim hand snatched the roll and carefully tucked it away within his inner jacket pocket. “Well then, it’s a good thing that you’ve been regularly taking care of our young Mr. Mills. Else… you may not be able to keep saying that.”

Hopper’s reply was a nervous smile right before he turned to check the time upon the large clock sitting above his desk. It was already 6:30pm? He was supposed to have another session with Henry an hour ago.

He was never gonna hear the end of this from Regina, that’s for sure.

“I’m sensing by your woefully exasperated look that the boy stood you up?”

Archie’s entire brow crinkled with lips equally tightened in response. With a small swallow he finally gave Gold a quick nod. “Y-you could say that.”

A lip curled upwards on one side as the slender man soon appeared to have an odd glint within his brown eyes. “Well… I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually.” With a quick lean on his cane, Mr. Gold finally shifted his feet to head back down the stairs. “You have a good night now… Doctor.”

 ----------------------------

As usual every night after his sessions were complete, Archie would take Pongo out for a casual walk up and down Main Street to give them both some much needed fresh air and exercise.

There was a light chill in the air which had made the man pause and draw both of his leather gloves over tired hands as his nostrils took in the crisp petrichor scent left behind from a recent bout of rain. It was a serene moment that helped dissolve his anxiety from earlier in the evening… at least for a little while.

With his umbrella in one hand and Pongo’s leash in the other, the pair trotted down the street at a leisurely pace. Within a few minutes, however, their peaceful trek was interrupted by the sight of a bright yellow Volkswagen bug in the middle of the street and two figures standing just off to the side of it.

One of the figures was a woman with long blonde hair wearing jeans and a red leather jacket. The other was a child with a dark jacket and short brown hair. It’s not often that many towns folk were out this late unless they were partaking in one of many vices at The Rabbit Hole.

With one hand tightening its grip on Pongo’s leash, Dr. Hopper decided to accelerate his pace to see just who these two were.

“So why doesn't everybody just leave?” the woman exclaimed with arms pulled tightly across her chest. Her expression was that of sincere doubt as she looked down at the boy standing next to her.

The boy shook his head almost violently which caused part of his scarf to fall loose from the inside his jacket. The grey and red immediately gave away who this child was even as he spoke. “They can't. If they try, bad things happen,” he explained as if trying to prove a point.

The Doctor’s eyes immediately went wide as he heard the unmistakable timbre of the 10 year-old’s voice. “Henry! What are you doing here?” He was relieved that the boy appeared to be alright, but he had to make sure. With a gentle tug on his canine companion’s leash, Archie trotted across the street towards the pair. “Is everything alright?”

Henry gave an almost tightlipped smile towards the man. “I'm fine Archie.” A hand dropped to affectionately pat Pongo’s back which caused the Dalmatian’s tail to respond with utter delight.

It was then that Hopper’s attention shifted from his patient to the strange woman leaning against the vehicle next to them. “Who's this?” he asked with an almost analytical look on his features.

The blonde’s eyebrows raised almost instantly at the man’s stare as her shoulders lifted as if shielding herself from it. “Just someone trying to give him a ride home.”

Henry’s own gaze glanced back up as his hand fell back to his side. “Uh... she's my mom, Archie.” His voice sounded as if he was both proud and ashamed of letting that information slip out.

But Archie accepted the words without judgement… as any psychiatrist would do. “Oh... I see.”

“You know where he lives?” the woman piped up with a sense of urgency in her gaze.

The Doctor blinked a couple of times in astonishment that for once he actually would need to offer directions to someone new within the town. “Uh… yeah sure ah…” he all but stammered and then pointed over his shoulder just to the left. “Right up on Mifflin Street. The Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block.”

That new tidbit of trivia only seemed to infuriate the woman even more than she already was. “You're the Mayor's kid?”

“Um... maybe?” the boy answered as his eyes traveled down to the ground.

With such tension growing in-between the pair, Hopper suddenly felt obligated to move the conversation along as he asked, “Hey, where were you today, Henry? ‘Cause you missed our session.”

That caused Henry’s eyes to rise back up as he soon rolled back and forth on his feet. “Oh I... forgot to tell you. I... went on a field trip.”

Knowing full well that the 10 year-old had been anywhere else than on a ‘field trip’, Archie pursed his lips and granted the woman beside him a rather doubtful look. “Henry…” he offered before kneeling down to be more face-to-face with the boy. “What'd I tell you about lying? Giving in to one's dark side… never accomplishes anything.”

“Oooookaaaaay. Well... I really should be getting him home,” the blonde interrupted before the conversation got any more ‘Jedi’ than it was apparently heading.

Dr. Hopper gradually stood up as well, giving the women a polite smile. “Yeah. Sure. Well, listen… have a good night and um, ah… you be good, Henry.” His hand offered the boy a gentle pat to the middle of his chest before turning around and snatching up his umbrella. The other hand rolled Pongo’s long leash around his arm before the man and his four-legged friend continued on their journey down the street.

Strange then, that Archie suddenly had an urge to whistle a somewhat familiar tune as he parted ways with Henry and Emma still conversing behind him. His ears also perked at the unmistakable hum of thunder off in the distance and clicked his trusty umbrella open as if by instinct.

Little did the Doctor or his canine colleague know, this encounter would only be the beginning of many changes Storybrooke and its residents were about to undertake in the weeks to come...

Chapter Text

At 7am the irritable chimes of Archie’s bedside alarm clock filled the room. It only took a couple of seconds for a lazy hand to whip around and turn the circular brass timepiece back to silent. After scooting up to a more comfortable sitting position, his legs were encumbered by 60-ish pounds of Dalmatian as Pongo greeted him with a series of loving licks to the face.

Hopper chuckled with a tired smile as he carefully nudged the dog away from him. “Good morning to you too.” Blunt fingernails offered each floppy ear an endearing scritch. “I can’t very well take you on a walk with me like this.” A hand then fell to tap the side of the mattress. “Down you go.”

His canine friend replied with a brisk bark and hopped back to the floor in short order just as the Doctor yawned and reached for his glasses from the nearby nightstand. He managed a soft grin when the Dalmatian flopped down upon a nearby throw rug and then rested a furry chin upon a set a crossed paws.

After a quick shower and shave, Archie drew open the cherry wood wardrobe and leafed through a few potential choices for his daily attire. He ultimately decided to go with a grey tweed vest, matching trousers and complementary button-down shirt. To add just a pop of color, he slid on a burgundy tie with gold accents and then shrugged on a brown tweed jacket over the entire ensemble.

Thick fingers then brushed along the front before reaching to fasten each of the two jacket buttons as Archie turned to admire himself in the wardrobe’s full-length mirror. Strange that he’d never thought much about his appearance before. Yet somehow he felt bit more… motivated this morning.

His head tilted faintly to the left while fingers paused at the empty lapel pocket. Lips curled into a faint smile as he reached down and found a small pocket square of similar shades to his tie. With a breath, he dropped the small patch of satin inside said pocket and fully turned around.

“Whatcha think, Pongo?” He shut the wardrobe and twisted himself just far enough to catch the dog’s scrutiny. The answer he received was a faint whine as the Dalmatian’s ears perked and head lifted up. Hopper glanced down with pursed lips. “Hmmm…” he pondered before ultimately deciding to pop both jacket buttons back open. “You’re right. Too stuffy.”

He then patted his thigh to beckon the canine closer. “A quick walk and then we’ll get breakfast. Sound good?” His four-legged companion then immediately sprung up and bounced over to Hopper with tail swaying rapidly in agreement.

The pair trotted down the steps and then across a rather quaint living room towards the front door. As the Doctor passed his couch, fingers reached for the green tartan scarf he’d dropped upon it the night before. A special gift from the daughter of one of the town’s residents, Archie had grown quite fond of it. He slid the fabric around his head with one hand while the other grasped a folded leather leash nestled upon a nearby end table.

Pongo sat down by the door, patiently awaiting the leash as they’d done every morning. With a bright smile, Hopper knelt to snap the leash into place and then rose back up to open the door. His trusty umbrella found its way into his other hand then as the two of them ambled their way on out.

 ----------------------------

Sherriff Graham drove on past as he did every morning on the way to Granny’s with Hopper offering the other man an appreciative nod as he and Pongo turned the corner and padded across the street. Another nod was given to Mr. Gold as the other man languidly limped past going the other direction.

On his way back down the street, Archie caught the sight of the Mayor Mills on the opposite sidewalk glancing up at the clock tower just as the minute hand ticked on past 8:20am. He led the Dalmatian across the street just in time to catch the woman’s rather less than enthused expression.

“Hey… how 'bout that?” he offered in an attempt to counter her seemingly sour mood. His chin tilted upwards to gaze upon the miraculously operative clock accompanied by a bright smile. “Guess those rusty old innards finally straightened themselves out, huh?”

Regina’s stern brown eyes slowly turned away from the large timepiece and instead focused on the bright yellow Volkswagen bug now perched in front of Storybrooke Country Bread. “Yes… how 'bout that, indeed,” was all she could murmur in reply.

The Doctor carefully cleared his throat as his endeavor had spectacularly backfired and instead simply continued on his path with dog in tow towards the direction of Granny’s for his usual morning meal.

 ----------------------------

“Here you go…” Ruby placed a mug of hot chocolate with an overabundance of whipped cream in front of the blonde who had dropped off Henry the night before. She was sitting at the counter with the morning paper in one hand and a bright red apple in the other. A suitably odd combination, but not unheard of.

Archie had just popped inside after setting Pongo up with food and water bowls out on the porch. Granny luckily never had any issues with the Dalmatian staying out there as he often attracted other townsfolk to the Diner and generally remained well behaved in the process.

“Thank you...” Emma acknowledged with a perplexed expression at such a gift. “But I did not order that.”

Ruby grinned somewhat suggestively as she propped up both elbows on the counter. “Yeah, I know,” she teased. “You have an admirer.”

Swan softly snorted before turning to spy Sherriff Graham reclining in a booth right behind her. Her left hand set the newspaper down as she rose from her stool and all but sashayed over towards the man with hot chocolate in tow.

As the pair quietly exchanged words, Hopper moved onto his usual stool near the end of the counter and propped the black umbrella down at his feet. “Hey Ruby…” He flagged the brunette down just as eyes glanced back over his shoulder. “I see you met our new guest.”

Ruby smirked and grabbed the nearby coffee pot to pour the Psychiatrist his usual cup of decaf. “Yep. Her name’s Emma Swan… in case you were wondering.” The cup was then placed in front of him before flipping her order pad to a crisp page. “Just the usual today, Doc?”

His fingers accepted the mug graciously before his lips parted to blow a puff of air across the hot liquid. “Oh really?” he asked with eyebrows raised. “I ah… y-yeah just the usual. Thanks.” He tipped his coffee back for a quick sip just as he heard Henry’s voice pipe up from somewhere behind him.

“I like cinnamon, too,” Henry announced as he scooted out from the booth closest to the front door and wandered closer to both Graham and Emma.

“Don’t you have school?” the blonde asked with her nose scrunching upwards in disbelief.

“Duh, I'm ten.” Arms scooted his backpack further up along his shoulders. “Walk me.” The boy smiled and nodded for Emma to join him as he backed up towards the exit.

Pale eyes followed the pair out from atop Archie’s thick brown glasses before he turned back around at the sound of Ruby plopping down a plate of scrambled eggs and two diagonally sliced pieces of buttered wheat toast. “Henry claims she’s his real mother. Drove him back to town last night after a… ‘field trip’ apparently.”

“Oh really?” The young woman’s words almost mimicked Hopper’s as she glanced out the front window. “Things around here are gonna get a whole lotta complicated, then.”

Hopper’s head tilted inquisitively even as he dabbed the pepper shaker above his eggs a couple of times. “Complicated?”

Thin, pale fingers reached across to slide the newspaper Emma had left behind down and into the man’s view. The front page was spun around so that he could see a rather unflattering black & white mug shot of Emma with the headline, STRANGER DESTROYS HISTORIC SIGN emblazoned across the top of it and ALCOHOL INVOLVED just off to the right as a secondary header.

As eggs were popped into his mouth, the Doctor’s free hand reached for the paper and brought it up to read the first paragraph…

‘Storybrooke, MA – The "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign on Route 1 was demolished this morning shortly after 3 a.m. when a single car swerved off the road, colliding with the sign as it came to rest.’

“Huh…” he noted as the paper was set down by his plate. “She seemed perfectly fine when I saw her.”

“When you saw her, Dr. Hopper?” The Irish twang in Sherriff Graham’s voice was unmistakable as he strutted closer to the counter. “When was this… exactly?”

The Doctor visibly winced and closed his eyes tight as he didn’t realize that tidbit of information was loud enough for the lawman to hear.

“Well?” Graham asked while casually slipping both thumbs into the loops of his jeans and leaning an elbow on the countertop.

Archie heaved a tired sigh as he set down his fork and swiveled his stool around to face the other man. “Just after midnight.” He knew better than to lie about what happened. “I was ah… at th-the office late but I always take Pongo out for a walk before going home, you know… for the night.” Eyelids reopened with his lower jaw locking into place. “Miss Swan and Henry were standing next to her car when we walked over. She was… quite lucid when I spoke with them.”

Hazel brown eyes remained fixed on Hopper for a good long time before the bearded man’s lips finally lifted up into a polite smile. “Alright then,” he replied while pushing himself off the counter. “Good to know. Thank you for your help, Doctor.” He waved a quick salute towards both Ruby and the cook while calmly walking around Archie’s seat on his way out the front door.

Once the other man was completely out of view, the Doctor grabbed his mug and tipped it up for an uncharacteristically long gulp of coffee. His other hand clenched his napkin up from his lap and lifted it to pat away any potential beads of sweat that may have appeared to betray how nervous he really was.

Ruby appeared with coffee mug in tow to pour Archie a quick refill. “You gonna be okay?”

“Y-yeah. I’ll be fine.” He attempted a smile as fingers lifted up a piece of toast to take a bite.

The brunette gave the poor man a reassuring smile as fingers then set the check face down near his plate. Her eyes then paused with her dark brows furrowing in surprise. “Huh. Don’t think I’ve seen you wear a pocket square before.” The back of her pen flipped around and pointed in the direction of the colored cloth. “Really complements the tie. I like it.” A thumb clicked her pen closed before she backed away due to cook’s bell summoning her to grab a pair of breakfast plates for other customers.

Archie’s cheeks noticeably reddened from the praise about his attire but he ultimately decided to finish his breakfast in silence. After he was done, a few crumpled bills were fished from the depths of his wallet and set down atop his check. The umbrella was soon within his right hand and newspaper folded up within his left as a shoulder pushed the door open so he could go retrieve Pongo.

The Dalmatian was seated by his two bowls as always. The Psychiatrist then spied the knelt form of Regina nearby with her hand holding onto the dog’s leash. Red lips rolled into a rather unpleasant smirk as her form gradually stood back up and offered the man a fierce stare.

“Dr. Hopper…” she stated as fingers tightened the leather strap just enough to make the poor pup yelp. “We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

Typically when someone begins a conversation with ‘we need to talk’ to a psychiatrist, it’s often a precursor to mentally prepare for the impending outpour of emotions and thoughts during a session.

Adversely, when those words come from the lips of Mayor Mills… the interpretation is instead a warning to expect the woman to be in one of her more unpleasant moods. Unfortunately the general Storybrooke populace had observed her with said dour temperament quite often as of late.  

Pale eyes briskly flickered behind thick brown frames between Regina and Pongo as Hopper nearly tripped while stepping away from the Diner door. The tip of his umbrella tapped the sidewalk just in time to keep the man from falling forwards which was followed by a small breath of relief. Both hands then rose in a form of parley with a weak smile to match. “Madame Mayor… I um… wh-what is it that you… need, exactly?”

Red lips curled up into a somewhat lopsided smirk as heels clicked along the ground… guiding the Dalmatian on over to his owner. “A little bird told me that you were witness to Miss Swan bringing my son back to town last night.”

There had been rumors circulating that the Mayor had Sherriff Humbert on a tight leash of her own, but Archie had wished to remain neutral due to his profession instead of succumbing to idle gossip. That being said, her rather abrupt knowledge of his late night encounter with Emma and Henry could have only come from one of two possible suspects, and he sincerely doubted Ruby was the type to be that forthcoming so quickly.

After propping the newspaper under his right arm, the Doctor accepted his canine companion back from Regina’s grasp and pursed his lips. “I… I was walking Pongo and spied the two of them in the middle of the street. Th-they were just talking a-and well… Miss Swan asked for directions to your house. That’s all.”

The raven haired woman squinted her eyes as arms crossed loosely over her chest. “That’s all?” If Hopper didn’t know any better, he could have sworn he caught a hint of disappointment in her voice.

A series of nervous nods was his silent response even as the fingers of his right hand curled tight around the smooth wooden handle of his umbrella. Archie was already running late and he still had to prepare for his first session which was scheduled for a little less than an hour from now.

Manicured fingernails drummed against an elbow as the Mayor looked the man up and down. “You know I was under the distinct impression that these therapy sessions would help my son finally drop this… fantasy world he’s been clinging onto.”

“He’s been making great progress, Madame Mayor I assure y-“

Brown eyes shot the man a deathly cold stare to immediately cut him off. “Instead I have to wait up all night worried sick until he comes home with his birth mother of all people instead of after his scheduled appointment with you.”

And there it was. The inevitable tongue lashing of reproach that Regina was so adept to dispense toward whomever was her target at that particular moment. The Doctor had already anticipated such punishment after Gold’s rather sarcastic attitude about Henry’s absence. He swallowed soundly and quietly lowered his gaze the ground in shame for what had transpired.

Pongo, sensing the tension between the two, emitted a soft whine and tilting his head if only to drag his wet tongue across the man’s knuckles. Such a gentle gesture from his four-legged friend aroused the Psychiatrist from his reverie as blue-green eyes ascended once more to face the perturbed woman still poised in front of him.

“What is it you need me to do?”

 ----------------------------

A folder was held open as Archie scanned over his notes from his most recent session with Leroy when he heard a faint knock upon the office door. The endearingly gentle squeak of the door’s hinges hit his ears next as Emma Swan complete with red leather jacket leaned halfway inside.

“Heeeey…” the blonde greeted with a timid smile as she lingered… anticipating a proper invitation from the man.

The Doctor briskly turned and pushed upwards from his chair with a wide smile. “Emma Swan.” His left hand beckoned towards the newspaper he’d absent-mindedly plopped down earlier. “I was uh… just reading about you.” Fingers grasped the periodical and held up so that the detestable black and white mug shot was once more within Emma’s view. “Let me guess, you're here for help with a little post-traumatic stress?” He even chuckled at the attempted pun in spite of himself.

Yeah he really needed to work on his sense of humor as the joke landed like a lead balloon. Emma simply observed him with a tight lipped expression after shutting the door behind her.

“That diagnosis was free, by the way,” Hopper continued before setting the edition back down and then sliding both hands deep within his trouser pockets.

That last quip did get a gentle laugh out of the young woman even as she propped each thumb inside her back jean pockets. “No, I’m here about Henry,” she admitted as her features shifted into a faint grimace.

The Doctor gave a short nod and drew in a deep breath. “I'm sorry.”  A shrug followed by a brisk shake of his head. “I-I-I really shouldn't...” he began to say before Swan pulled her hands back up in an attempt to explain herself.

“I know, I'm sorry.” She rubbed those same hands nervously together in front of her. “I just... just tell me something.” Her hip then leaned up against the side of the nearby leather couch as concerned green eyes glanced upwards to him. “This fairy tale obsession, what is causing it? I mean, he thinks everyone is a character in his book. That's... crazy.”

There was something… familiar in those eyes. Like he’d seen them before but couldn’t quite place where. Archie smiled once more as he ultimately decided to bury that thought for now. “I-I hope you don't talk that way in front of him.” Pale hands rose from within his pockets as he continued to describe the boy’s current diagnosis. “The word ‘crazy’ is um... quite damaging. “I-I mean… these stories… they're his language. He-he has no idea how to express complex emotions so he's translating as best he can, this is how he communicates. He's using this book to help deal with his problems.”

Emma’s brows furrowed as if her mind was gradually accepting this new information. Shoulders then fell forwards as hands folded within her lap for the briefest of moments. “But he got the book a month ago. Has he been seeing you longer than that?”

“Um…” Once again both hands buried themselves within his pockets as he nodded in the affirmative. “Yes, he has…”

“So it's Regina, isn't it?”

Archie winced at the blonde’s rather poignant observation and licked his lips. “Uh, his mother is a... very complicated woman,” he answered with eyes shifting between Emma and the floor. ‘Complicated’ was perhaps the most polite term he could muster considering the interaction he’d had with the very same woman earlier that morning. “…and uh… over the years, her attempts to try and bring Henry closer have only backfired.”

Swan’s own eyes drifted away from him as her jaw tightened in what he could only interpret as exasperation at this further revelation of the Mayor’s personality.

Hopper’s own feet spun around with thick fingers prying open the third wooden file drawer next to his desk. “Why don't you take a look at the file,” he offered as both hands pulled forth a rather abundant folder of papers. Said folder was then extended outward for her to accept if she so wished. “Um… see what I mean.”

The young woman’s eyes widened as she spied the sheer thickness of it. The Psychiatrist had been treating Henry for quite a bit longer than Emma initially anticipated. “Why are you doing this?” she asked with her right hand slowly reaching out to grasp the files.

“Well, he talks about you a lot,” he replied softly. “And you’re… very important to him.”

Concern slowly melted away only to be replaced with gratitude as the other hand accompanied the first to fully accept the folder from Archie’s grasp. “Thank you…”

Archie gently smiled and then pivoted on both feet towards the door. “Just uh... see that I get it back, okay?” Fingers clasped the knob and turned it with his left hand tucking down inside a pocket once more. “Oh and Miss Swan?”

Emma paused right outside the doorway and turned with raised brows. She cradled the folder in-between her arms like a newborn babe. An endearing gesture that he couldn’t help notice.

“Just for the sake of the boy, be careful how you handle his... belief system. To destroy his imagination would be... would be devastating.”

The young woman’s arms only tightened even as she gave a silent yet understanding nod in response to the Doctor before turning to hurry back down the steps.

Hopper then calmly shut the door and emitted a shuttered breath before moving back across the room to his desk. Settling down into his chair, he lifted the receiver of his phone and tapped the seven digit number with his forefinger nearly shaking at the attempt. He then flipped the earpiece from left to right as the phone clicked after only a single dial tone.

Regina’s unmistakable timbre was soon on the other end. “Yes, Doctor?”

“You were right. She… was just here,” he replied even as teeth chewed faintly upon his lower lip.

“Did she take the file?”

“Yes…” Archie couldn’t help but feel flush with regret as his palm gripped the phone even tighter. “H-how did you know she was gonna come here?”

The sinister smile from the woman on the other end was quite palpable even though he couldn't see it. “Because I'm the one who gave her the idea.”

Chapter Text

Today’s session with Leroy had been especially brutal. The man just could not seem to work out his seemingly constant tension with Tom at the Pharmacy. Despite consistent claims that the two were good friends, all the former seemed to do was complain about constant allergies of the latter among other peculiar habits and flaws.

But that was all in a day’s work for Storybrooke’s resident psychiatrist.

Archie was in the midst of typing up a new page of notes for Leroy’s file when a crisp knock upon the door caused Pongo to hop up from his bed and emit a barely audible woof in response. Fingers rolled the transcribed report free from the confines of the metallic device and placed it neatly within the nearby folder before the Doctor uttered a cordial, “Come on in.”

After hearing the charming creak of the hinges, the man turned just in time to see the slim form of Graham calmly stroll inside. “Dr. Hopper. I believe you called to report a robbery and… an attempted assault?” There was some notable doubt within his peculiar Irish speech as thumbs slipped through those front jean belt loops once more. A quirk that even Hopper found somewhat charming about the other man, to say the least.

But there was a more serious matter to contend with now…

Both lips trembled for a moment before Archie quickly pushed himself up from the smooth wooden chair. “Yes ah… well see Miss Swan uh… c-came by my office this morning and asked a-about Henry.” Hands burrowed deep within trouser pockets as his head tilted faintly to the left. “After I explained that… well that I couldn’t give her the information she wanted due to ah… patient-doctor confidentiality she… demanded I give her his file.”

The Sherriff’s eyebrows lifted nearly to the edge of his hairline as he heard this. “She demanded the file?” he asked with a shoulder turned and leaning heavily against the nearby doorframe.

“Oh absolutely,” Hopper affirmed with a series of short nods. “So then she left and… well I went to take Pongo for a quick walk.” He turned to offer a quick glance to his canine pal whose ears perked upon hearing his name. “When I came back the door was open and uh…” He turned towards the wooden filing cabinet nestled nearby. “Well th-the drawer was… the boy’s file was gone. We were only out for about 10 minutes at most.”

“Oh really?” The other man’s eyes moved between the doorknob, the drawer, and then the Psychiatrist in turn. “So she managed to pick the lock of both your door and the cabinet and then slip out in less than 10 minutes?”

The Doctor shifted from one foot to the other as a hand waved towards the newspaper with Emma’s less than flattering police photo in full view. “Well I mean… she-she has a past criminal record. That probably includes some… some breaking and entering, right?”

The other man’s arms crossed in front of him while his own chin dropped to spy the very picture he’d taken the night before. “Perhaps…” Graham then emitted a long, tired sigh. “I’ll go find her and see what she has to say about this.”

Archie’s lips rose into an appreciative smile. “Thank you, Sherriff.”

Graham offered a polite nod and tight lipped smile in reply. “Sure…” After pulling himself away from the wooden frame, he began to turn back toward the exit… only to pause about halfway through the doorframe and look back. “One last question, if I may Doctor?”

“Hmmm?” the Psychiatrist answered as he blinked in surprise behind those signature brown frames.

“This morning at Granny’s you appeared to be on good terms with Miss Swan. Defending her even.” He lightly shrugged as brows softly furrowed in confusion. “Why then would she suddenly become so overly ambitious that she’d come here to demand Henry’s files?”

Blue-green eyes twitched ever so slightly as Archie drew in an uneasy breath. “I don’t know… but as you said, see what she has to say about this.”

Graham’s lips curled into an amused smirk and gently rolled his eyes. “Fair enough,” he acknowledged with a polite nod. “Have a good afternoon, Doctor.”

 ----------------------------

By the time Hopper flopped himself down into the seat across from Marco, he wasn’t in the most jovial of moods. Considering his current series of entanglements involving the ongoing dispute between the Mayor and Miss Swan, spending time with his friend was one tiny piece of contentment he could at least attempt to enjoy today.

The Widow Lucas saddled up to their table with pad and pen within a pair of creased hands, she offered the older man a faint grin before addressing the both of them. “So… I’m guessing by your choice to not peruse the menu that you two want your usual lunch choices today?”

Marco held up a hand as soft brown eyes flashed between the Archie and the rather fetching woman standing in front of their table. “Actually since my friend just sat down…” That same hand then gripped one of the paper menus folded nearby and slid it across the table. “He’ll just need a few minutes to decide.”

The woman’s own green eyes followed the gesture before a thumb nonchalantly clicked the top button of her pen.  “Fair enough. I’ll get you two boys some water in the meanwhile.” She then spun around on both feet and trekked back towards the counter.

The Doctor absentmindedly pushed the bridge of his spectacles up along his nose with a somewhat shaky forefinger. “Um… thanks,” was all he could muster as he flipped the worn, crinkled paper menu onto its back and scanned over the offered lunch choices.

After a couple of minutes of Marco sitting there staring at the man across from him in silence, arms casually crossed over his chest. “Archibald Stephen Hopper… stop acting like a guastafesta and talk to me.”

While Hopper was not especially fluent in Italian, his compatriot choosing to recite his full name like a parent scolding a child was enough for his face to noticeably wince. Mental and emotional fatigue then caused Archie’s frame to descend further into the chair as shoulders rose and fell in a defeated shrug. “We all have bad days, Marco. You know that.”

“In all the years we’ve known each other, you’ve never been like… like this.” Marco waved a calloused hand towards his friend as a concerned frown embraced his features. “What has happened, my friend?”

Archie exhaled an agonized breath of air as thick fingers brushed through a tangled mop of reddish curls. “Have you met our newest town guest, Emma Swan?”

The Handyman’s own face then lit up in recognition with the corners of his eyes crinkling up in a way that always made him look so compassionate and gentle. “Ah yes! I saw her at the Sherriff’s office, actually. Didn’t seem right for her to be locked up like that.” Thick brows furrowed as his smile gradually faltered. “Why do you ask?”

Before the Psychiatrist could answer, Granny returned with two glasses of water and requested once more to obtain their lunch orders. For a change of pace, Archie varied his usual option by ordering a ham sandwich and potato salad while Marco picked a BLT with fries. The older woman seemed to appreciate their choices as she smiled and sauntered off back towards the kitchen.

“She came by my office a few hours ago,” the Doctor finally replied once Granny was out of hearing range. “Asked me about Henry’s therapy.”

Marco’s smile only grew wider upon hearing this. “That’s wonderful! Emma claimed to only be here to drop Henry off but…” A crooked finger waggled in the air, “I can tell she really cares for the boy.”

Archie snatched up his glass and dipped his head back to gulp a good half of the liquid down his throat. “Um…” A series of coughs then ensued as the glass was implanted back down in front of him. Way too much water for his body to handle in one go, that’s for sure. “I ah… well I couldn’t tell her v-very much.”

“Because of the whole…” the other man twirled his finger in the air. “Ah… confidentiality thing, I take it?”

The Doctor nodded quickly with a weak smile as hands found their way onto his lap. “Yeah… Miss Swan eventually left when I… I couldn’t give her the answers she wanted.” Tired eyes then turned to gander out the far window as he bit hard on both lips. The lump in the pit of his stomach only grew larger as this charade was now aimed towards his best friend.

“Yeah well I’m gonna have to ask her to leave the B&B when she gets back.” A quip from Granny as she placed both of their plates down on the table. “I can’t have felons, past or present, staying at my Inn.”

The older man at first nodded in thanks for their food, until he caught the full extent of her words. “Wait. What do you mean ‘when she gets back?’”

The woman scoffed with hands rising up to rest upon her hips. “You hadn’t heard? Miss Swan was escorted out of her room by the Sherriff just a bit ago.” A slow shake of her head followed by a brisk click of her tongue. “Only caught part of the conversation but it involved her breaking into Dr. Hopper’s office for... some reason.” Her chin revolved around if only to spy said Doctor now nibbling on his sandwich without so much as a comment.

“She was arrested… again?” Brown eyes went completely wide as the Handyman quickly shook his head. “Basta, basta…” he muttered before returning his attention back to his companion’s transparent display of shame. “Archie? What in God’s grace have you done?”

Eyes went wide as the other man swallowed loudly. “I didn’t,” began the retort… but he knew it was no use hiding the truth from his friend any longer. The remains of his sandwich were gingerly set back down on the plate as his voice lowered to a near whisper. “I-I didn’t have a choice…”

“Aye yai yai.” The older man sighed in mild frustration. “Well, as the saying goes, ‘conscience can be a truly rigorous judge.’” Marco leaned over if only to give the Psychiatrist’s hand a soft pat as that gentle smile of his returned. “You always have a choice, my friend. Never forget that.”

Archie’s own hand rolled into a fist for the briefest a moments before haltingly unfurling upon the smooth table. He then nodded a few times with his own smile soon returning in reply.

And with that, the two men continued their lunch with a comfortable silence between them.

  ----------------------------

Henry’s eyes were lowered as he held the wooden handle Hopper’s umbrella between both hands. He’d been silent for most of their session… not even giving his usual ‘What’s up, Doc?’ in greeting as he arrived just 15 minutes before and didn’t bother to remove his jacket when sinking his way into his usual spot on the sofa.

In fact Archie wasn’t feeling much better after all the events that occurred today, but he had to break the ice somehow. “Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?” he asked as he sat forward… a loose fist lightly batting against his palm. “You know, that umbrella is kind of my good luck charm…” An awful attempt at lightening the mood, but at least he was trying. “Is that why you think I'm Jiminy Cricket?”

“I don’t think you’re anyone…” the boy replied in a resigned monotone and a faint shrug. Sitting up, the umbrella was then rolled around and placed carefully on the nearby table without another word.

Hopper’s chin followed the motion as tears were nearly at the corners of his blue-green eyes. In that fleeting moment… he so wished for something, anything to happen in order to fix the incredible mess he’d helped create.

And that answer came in the form of the door swinging open and Emma Swan standing there.

“Miss Swan.” Archie instantly rose from his chair and stepped around the couch towards the woman. “Look I can explain. The Mayor forced me-“

“I know.” Emma promptly cut the Doctor’s words short as she held up both hands. “Don’t worry about it. I get it.” Her words were tinged with annoyance but more than likely that anger was focused on Regina than on him. She swiftly stepped past him towards her son as she spoke again. “Henry. I’m sorry.”

The 10 year-old simply rolled his head around at the sight of his birth mother and squinted his eyes with a blasé “I don’t want to talk to you,” in response.

“Miss Swan…” Archie stepped closer… offering his own words of warning. “If she knew you were here...”

Swan, absolutely fed up with anything to do with Regina, countered the man’s suggestion with a spiteful “To hell with her.”

And it was in that perfect little moment that the Doctor realized that perhaps Emma was right. That Marco was right.

There is always a choice…

“Henry,” Emma reassured as she settled into the brown leather seat Archie had abandoned a few seconds before. “There is one simple reason I stayed here… you. I wanted to get to know -you-.”

The boy rolled his eyes as he remained otherwise staring off toward the far wall. “You think I’m crazy.”

“No, I think the Curse is crazy. And it is.” The blonde emitted a loud sigh as she finally betrayed just how exhausted this whole day had seemingly been for her as well. “But that doesn't mean that it isn't true. It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in, but there are a lot of crazy things in this world. So, what do I know? Maybe it is true.”

“But you told my mom…”

“What she needed to hear. What I -do- know... is that if the Curse is real, the only way to break it is by tricking the Evil Queen... into thinking that we are nonbelievers.” Green eyes offered Archie a small glance… as if silently telling him that things were going to be alright.

And the man couldn’t help but respond with a genuinely warm smile in return.

“'Cause, that way, she's not on to us,” Emma continued as she clasped a rolled up set of pages tighter within her right hand. “Isn’t that what… Operation Cobra is all about? Throwing her off the trail?”

Hopper sat down on the edge of the couch as he watched in awe at their continued exchange. A hand settled casually upon his thigh as his head tilted gently to the side.

Henry’s demeanor flickered with a newfound sense of hope as he sat up. His face brightened as a smile touched his features. “Brilliant!”

“I read the pages, and Henry, you're right, they are dangerous. There is only one way to make sure that she never sees them.” She rose from the confines of the chair and marched across the room towards the open fireplace. The aforementioned pages were uncurled as she then knelt down and tossed them into the dancing flames to burn.

Emma turned and stood up with shoulders held high in a true sign of victory. “Now… we have the advantage.”

The boy pushed himself up from the couch and rushed over to his mother… wrapping his arms as tightly around her waist as he could manage. “I knew you were here to help me…”

The blonde released a breath of respite as her own arms rolled their way around Henry to return the hug. Her chin nestled on top of his head as her own smile only widened. “That's right, kid. I am.” Her left hand then brushed through his hair… cradling him in such a way that only a mother could. “And nothing, not even a Curse, is gonna stop that.”

Archie eventually stood up with hands dropping into his trouser pockets. “Ah… if you’d like to take Henry home… I certainly wouldn’t object.”

Emma lifted her head and gave the Doctor a small, approving nod. “Thanks…” The pair then slowly parted from their shared embrace and began moving together towards the door.

“Oh and Miss Swan?” Hopper swallowed and pursed his lips once more. “I’m… I truly am sorry about what happened today.”

Henry picked up the umbrella from where he left it on the table and beamed a tender smile up to the man as he handed it over. “It’s alright, Archie. We all make mistakes.”

The pair then moved through the door and down the steps as Hopper lifted the umbrella up and twirled his lips up into an almost silly grin.

Perhaps Emma Swan’s arrival wasn’t so bad after all…

Chapter Text

It had been yet another late night for the Doctor and his Dalmatian compatriot.

Tired fingers tugged open the middle drawer of the smooth wooden filing cabinet if only to slide one last folder back into place. Just as he was about push said drawer back closed, Archie’s eyes paused at the sight of Henry’s own file… still poking out from the manila folder it was typically housed in.

He visibly winced as the memories of the previous day washed through his mind. Never in a thousand lifetimes would Hopper ever wish any harm to befall the boy. Knowing now that Emma Swan was indeed his birth mother obviously made things even more complicated. Regardless, he still sheltered a bit of guilt at the part he was forced to play during the turbulent events of the past 36 hours.

With a shallow breath, fingertips pressed the drawer closed while his other hand dug through disheveled wavy locks. He stood there in quiet contemplation for perhaps seconds… minutes even. A soft whine from Pongo eventually caused his eyelids to blink a few times as he managed a small smile.

After throwing one of his tartan scarves across his shoulders and snatching his umbrella, Archie then knelt to snap his friend’s leash into place. The motion was answered by a sharp bark and brisk wag of the dog’s tail just before the pair trotted off together down the steps and out onto the cool, dark street they’d both become so accustomed to over the years.

 ----------------------------

The air was once again moist from a gentle autumn rain earlier in the day. Archie lifted his gaze up to the sky and marveled at the sight of so many twinkling stars as he tugged on each glove. While it wasn’t cold enough just yet for his breath to appear, it was just nippy enough for his exposed skin to offer protest.

Just as the second glove slipped onto his hand, the loop of the leather leash idly tumbled down from around his wrist. Pongo seized the opportunity to scamper away while the Doctor was suitably preoccupied. The sudden lack of weight to his left arm indeed brought the man’s attention back into focus as he immediately darted his head back and forth for any sign of where the Dalmatian could have escaped to.

Luckily Hopper caught that his furry companion had paused in front of the nearby ice cream shoppe across the street. Feet carried him at a brisk jog to catch up just in time to catch the proprietor of said shoppe kneeling to give the dog a feisty scratch behind each floppy ear.

“I’m… s-so sorry!” Archie began to say as he reached the pair. “I ah… he doesn’t usually run off like that.”

And that’s when he finally saw the woman’s soft blue eyes even as she offered him a pleasant smile. “It’s alright,” she spoke with a voice as gentle as fine silk. Her hand casually grabbed the loop of Pongo’s leash and lifted both legs until she reached her full height. “Luckily he didn’t run too far away.”

Archie’s chin lifted as she stood up. She was only perhaps a few scant inches shorter than himself. He simply stood there without words to speak as her head tilted just a touch to the side as the forefinger of her free hand came up to tuck a few strands of blonde hair behind her left ear.

His own lips turned upwards as his own head shifted to match her own. For a few precious moments, the two of them were completely silent… with the rest of the world completely disappearing from view.

At least until the Doctor felt an enthusiastic tail bat against his shoe.

Archie nearly jumped in place at the sensation and then cleared his throat while adjusting the pair of brown glasses along the bridge of his nose. Perhaps a touch of color hit his cheeks as well… but it also could have simply been his skin’s reaction to the cold.

The woman grinned a touch wider and reached over with leash in hand. “I’d better let you have this before your four-legged friend here decides to attempt another disappearing act.”

His own gloved hand then accepted the leash as he nodded his head in gratitude. It was only then that he happened to notice that she was wearing a light cardigan despite the briskness of the night air.

Perhaps working in an ice cream shoppe day to day had made her more accustomed to the cooler Maine temperatures.

“I um… thank you, Missus…?” he began to say, a tad embarrassed that he could not remember her name.

“Fisher,” the blonde replied. “Sarah Fisher.” She chewed on her lower lip for a mere instant while padding a few steps away from him. “And it’s just Miss… Doctor Hopper.”

The man swallowed even as he looped Pongo’s leash tighter around his left arm. “Nice t-to formally meet you, Sarah.”

That warm smile once again returned to her features as blue eyes almost seemed to twinkle like the stars he’d gazed upon a few minutes before. “Likewise.” Once again her head tilted… if only to note the umbrella still hooked to his right wrist. “You always seem to carry that even if it’s not going to rain. Any reason why?”

Said wrist lifted to bring his good luck charm up closer to her view. “It’s…” Lips curled as his mind moved a mile a minute with so many thoughts of how to answer. A budge to his knee by Pongo’s nose soon gave him the answer he was hoping for. “How about we um… w-we talk about that over coffee at Granny’s tomorrow morning?”

Sarah looked away as her chest betrayed the tiniest of chuckles. “Coffee, huh?” A small shake of her head soon followed. “I have to be over here by 10am but… coffee sounds nice.”

Archie all but beamed at her response with lips parting to further confirm their breakfast meetup. Unfortunately, Pongo had other plans as the pooch began to tug his friend along with him to continue their walk. “Um… meet you at 9, then?” he called out while stumbling after his four-legged companion.

“Nine it is…” Sarah replied with another grin even as the Dalmatian barked twice in affirmation for the pair to not dawdle any longer.

It took Archie nearly two blocks to dial back the dog’s enthusiasm and take a few excited breaths of his own. Talking over coffee was not exactly defined as a proper date, but it was step in the right direction. He smirked despite himself as blue-green eyes turned just in time to see Emma’s yellow bug and of all people Mary Margaret Blanchard standing by driver’s side window.

“Well, guess if true love was easy, we'd all have it. You know, if things get cramped, I do have a spare room…” Mary Margaret quipped to whomever was seated inside the Volkswagen.

“Thanks. I'm not really the roommate type,” echoed a female voice in response. More than likely this voice belonged to Emma Swan. “It's just not my thing. I do better on my own.”

Miss Blanchard tugged her own red cardigan closer to her slim figure and offered both a polite nod and smile to the car’s occupant. “Well, goodnight. Good luck with Henry.” She then continued down the sidewalk as that same smile immediately dropped along with her gaze.

Hopper paused in his steps and observed the melancholy state of the schoolteacher as his brow gradually lifted. While he was still the local psychiatrist, this was apparently not the time to enquire about the woman’s emotional state.

There would be plenty of time to ask her about it later… if she so wished to discuss it.

Chapter Text

“Thanks for the shirt.” Emma sauntered back into the restaurant from the back hallway while shoving the bottom hem of a dark grey satin shirt underneath her jeans. “Hey, is this your mother's?” she pondered while ducking back inside the booth across from Henry.

The boy smirked even as his hand rested a mug of hot chocolate upon the table. “She’ll never notice,” he replied with a confidence that Archie hadn’t heard from him in quite a while.

The Doctor betrayed a tiny smile of his own even as his near shaking fingers adjusted the soft blue tie for the fifth time this morning. This particular one reminded him of Sarah’s gentle eyes… still etched deep within his thoughts. Paired with a heather grey sweater-vest and a beige tweed jacket, he was gradually stepping more outside his comfort zone. A choice to which Pongo had seemingly no objections to thus far.

“She’s here,” Henry pointed out as both he and Emma turned their attention towards the front entrance.

Hopper’s heart skipped a beat at both the door’s tinkling bell and the 10-year-old’s proclamation. His own head spun around just in time to catch Mary Margaret stepping inside instead. With purse in hand and a rather determined look in her eye, the school teacher immediately darted across the room and settled herself down in the seat next to Henry.

The trio huddled in close and spoke in near whispers that Archie wasn’t quite able to make out. Both brows lifted curiously which caused his glasses to shimmy their way down his nose. The tip of his forefinger nudged them back up just enough for his pale eyes to read the clock on the far wall.

The large hand clicked into place… signifying that it was now 10 past 9. The psychiatrist breathed out a silent sigh and leaned back in his chair. Thoughts turned to dread as he began to reach down for the umbrella placed beneath the table.

“If I got through to him, if we made a connection...” Miss Blanchard blurted out to Emma after standing up and letting Henry run past them both towards the door.

The blonde just stared at the other woman with noticeable hesitation. “You don’t believe…” she began to say with palpable doubt in her voice.

Mary Margaret smiled wide as fingers hugged the small black purse close to her stomach. “That he's Prince Charming? Of course not. But… somehow, some way, I touched him.” And with that, she rushed off to follow the child outside.

Swan hoisted both hands upon her hips as she exasperatedly glanced towards the door. Eventually she let loose a small grunt followed by a distinct roll of those green eyes. She bent over to grasp the red leather jacket she’d always worn from the booth and eventually traipsed towards the exit with the apparent intent to join the others.

Once again the familiar jingle of bells filled the space as one blonde stepped through… and nearly bumped into another. Emma hastily uttered a polite “Excuse me” before continuing on her path outside without so much as a glimpse at the other woman she’d just brushed past.

The Doctor lifted his chin just in time to catch this new patron turn to observe Emma’s departure for a rather long moment. After turning back towards the restaurant, he caught her face contort with a wild array of emotions before melting away if only to be replaced with the gentlest of smiles.

“Archie. Hey…” the women uttered as she casually wandered closer. “I’m… so sorry for being late.” It was then that she spied him bent over in an attempt to retrieve his umbrella. Her eyes closed for the briefest of moments before she spoke once again. “If… you’d prefer to do this another time, I understand.”

The aroma of chocolate touched his nose as she drew closer. While he normally was not a purveyor of sweets, the scent was heavenly. While biting hard at both lips, Hopper lowered the trusty canopy back down to rest at his feet. “Ah… t-that’s alright. I’m uh… glad you could make it.”

Sarah’s smile only widened in reply as a hand beckoned toward the empty seat across from him. A gesture that was answered by a tender nod of his head in approval. The woman pulled out the chair with a relaxed grip and then declined smoothly into it. Her fluid movements were akin to that of a practiced dancer, which piqued Archie’s curiosity even further.

His own lips upturned into the beginnings of a mirrored smile to hers… at least until they were interrupted by the steam train of a woman who ran this establishment. The Widow Lucas had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and clicked the top of her pen abruptly to gain the pair’s attention. “Nice to see you, Dr. Hopper. Miss Fisher.” Her tongue lapped at the pad of her thumb before flipping to a clean page on her order pad. “What’ll it be for you two this morning?”

Hopper’s eyes immediately grew as big as saucers from behind brown spectacles even as his mouth fell slack. He felt a pit begin to grow inside his gut even as he sat there staring at the older woman in stunned silence.

“I think two coffees should be fine for now,” his tablemate answered. Her pale gaze squinted with mirth which was only matched by a small giggle once Granny had walked away. Her form inclined across the table before whispering, “You can close your mouth now, Doctor.”

Archie’s jaw snapped back into place even as he shook his head a few times and settled back within in his chair. Only after the pair of steaming hot cups had been delivered did he eventually speak. “So ah…” Tired fingers looped through the ceramic handle and lifted the liquid up just below his mouth, “Thanks for coming. I-I really appreciate it.”

Sarah grasped her own mug between both hands and slid it closer to herself. “You invited me, remember?” She then jutted out her chin in the direction of the item still resting on the floor by her companion’s feet. “Also… you promised to tell me more about that,” she murmured with a lopsided grin.

The psychiatrist took the quickest of sips from his mug as his face brightened. “Ah yes…” he replied and set the mug down. He bent at the waist just far enough to twist the parasol upwards and rest the curved wooden handle between thick fingers. “Well see… it’s a bit of a good luck charm.”

“Oh?” the blonde curiously asked. Her chin carefully nestled within the palm of her hand with blue eyes flickering between the man’s face and the item in question he was so lovingly holding. “Go on…” she reassured and listened intently to his words.

When the clock eventually reached 10, the pair were still deep within conversation... much to the chagrin of other townsfolk who expected their services.

Neither of them seemed to mind in this instance as a connection of their own was just beginning...

Chapter Text

The next morning, all of Storybrooke was bustling with news that the mysterious John Doe had miraculously woken up the previous evening and wandered out into the night. The man had been in a coma for as long as anyone could remember, so his sudden revival was bound to cause quite a stir.

Perhaps this patient was the enigmatic ‘he’ whom Mary Margaret had previously mentioned? Curious indeed.

Archie’s brows knit together at that very thought even as he tied off Pongo’s leash in front of Granny’s and caught the tail end of the conversation Leroy and Sherriff Graham were having about finding Doe out in the woods.

“So… was this guy some sort of serial killer who was retracing his steps or somethin’?” Leroy’s strong arms crossed over a black and red flannel shirt while a hip came to rest atop one of the nearby outdoor tables.

Graham heaved a notably fatigued sigh while combing slender fingers through light brown hair. “I sincerely doubt he’s a serial killer. And remember… it’s partially your fault that he got out in the first place,” he mumbled before leveling a stern stare towards the other man.

Hopper rolled his eyes and carefully stood to full height before adjusting the hem of his brown tweed jacket back into place. “If it’ll help you feel more at ease, Leroy… I’ll be visiting the hospital this afternoon to assess his mental state.” Lips curled upwards into a tiny smirk as his head tilted just off to the right in the direction of his office across the street. “And you’d better not be late for your own appointment today, by the way.”

The janitor offered an annoyed grunt in response and hoisted himself away from the table. “Yeah yeah…” was uttered with an indifferent twirl of a thick, calloused hand as he wandered off towards the sidewalk.

The Sherriff couldn’t help but shake his own head with a grin as hands hoisted up to his waist. “Sounds like Mayor Mills requested that you check our patient out. Is that right?”

The Doctor gulped in a bit of air and took a somewhat startled step backward. “I ah… well y-yes she did. Why do you ask?”

Graham’s smile only widened as a thumb instinctively slid through the front belt loop of his jeans. “Call it a hunch. Anyways… I shouldn’t keep you.” His head then bobbed in a polite nod toward the psychiatrist. “Have a good day, Dr. Hopper.”

 ----------------------------

As elevator doors slid apart, Archie spied some of the hospital staff clustered near the windows of John Doe’s room. He adjusted the placement of the umbrella’s wooden handle along his left arm with tiny chuckle and set forth in the direction of said room with very little fanfare.

Unfortunately his trajectory was cut short due to Dr. Whale shifting into view with both hands resting inside his pristine lab coat pockets.

“Dr. Hopper,” The blonde man noted as the ends of his stethoscope clinked against his chest. “You must be here for that psyche eval on our recently awoken patient?”

A forefinger rose to push brown frames along the psychiatrist’s nose. “Yes. I-I assume Mayor Mills called ahead to ah… let you know I was coming?”

Whale’s pale eyes blinked once before nodding in the affirmative. “She did.” His form rolled around to observe his co-workers gathered nearby. “Need me to disperse the mob before you go in?”

Archie huffed a laugh as his free hand casually eased its way inside a trouser pocket. “I should be able to manage… but thank you.”

The other man’s lips lifted into a tight-lipped smile even he swerved off to the side. “Well then… I should let you get to it.”

Hopper swallowed even as he smiled back, then shuttled himself through the gaggle of nurses and orderlies who were much more curious about the patient than their daily routine.

“You know if he’s single?” he overheard from off to his left.

“Come on. A handsome Prince like that?” another answered.  “He’s probably got a Princess just waiting for him to get out of here.”

Those words caused the psychiatrist’s footsteps to pause just outside the doorway with a glance back over his shoulder.

His brain spun with thoughts of what Miss Blanchard had mentioned yesterday morning. Prince Charming? Hmmm. A memory he would tuck away for later.

The glass door was smoothly pressed shut with one hand while the umbrella was placed down along a nearby guest chair with the other. Once both hands were finally free, his waist turned just enough to find the beaded cord nearby and glide the blinds along until they were completely shut.

“Oh, thank God,” uttered a light baritone voice from the direction of the bed. “I was starting to think they’d never leave me alone. I mean what if the nurse comes in to change my bedpan and…?”

Archie slowly glanced behind his left shoulder with one eyebrow raised before the patient could even finish that rather personal thought out loud.

“Too much information…” Doe grinned timidly as his head flopped back against the sterile white pillow. “Sorry.”

The Doctor shook his head even as his throat emitted a faint chuckle. “It’s alright.” A tired hand reached for his inner jacket pocket if only for a small notepad and a pen to emerge a moment later between his fingers. “I imagine you’ve had quite the ah… disorienting experience since y-you woke up,” he mentioned while relaxing onto another nearby chair.

The patient grunted in reply with pale fingers interlocking upon his stomach. “Yeah. I’ve already been told that my name is David Nolan.” His head lifted just enough to eyes the IV tapped once again into his inner elbow. “As to how long I’ve been here well… no one can seem to give me straight answer.”

The pad of his thumb tapped the end of the ball point pen before the psychiatrist scribbled down a few brisk notes. “Yes, you’ve been in here for a… a very long time, Mr. Nolan.” Blue-green eyes then gazed over his glasses. “Do you have any recollection of… anything from before you woke up?”

David’s forehead folded with confusion even as his own blue eyes seemed to survey a ceiling tile just above him. “I… surprisingly no. No I don’t.” Another annoyed grunt hit his throat. “Is… is that normal?”

The pen continued its path of awkwardly jagged scribbles as Hopper continued. “I’ve found that becoming reacquainted with items, places or people from your past are usually helpful. Luckily, amnesia isn’t known to be permanent.”

“That’s just the thing, Doctor…” Nolan gently shrugged against his pillow. “No one seems to have any idea what those are for me to even start something like that.”

“What about Miss Blanchard?” Archie proposed as his own pale eyes focused cautiously upon the other man’s face. “She claimed you… had a connection with her which provoked your ah… well it helped you awaken.”

David’s lips curled upwards into what could only be described as a serene smile. “The dark haired woman who found me in the woods?” He exhaled a gentle sigh and rolled his head to face the Doctor. “It was strange. I felt her lips on mine and suddenly… it was like I knew her from a past life.” He rolled his eyes with an amused laugh. “Sounds like something out of a fairy tale, doesn’t it?”

Dr. Hopper’s pen paused directly in place before his back arched up completely straight in his chair. Lips slowly parted in amazement at the other man’s words as his mind considered the events of the past few days. A pinkie finger flipped the small notepad shut as those same lips eventually snapped shut. “It does but um…” he paused to contemplate the right words, “In my professional opinion, Mr. Nolan… perhaps there may just be little bit of magic out there for all of us.”

The patient’s face lit up with a genuine smile and nodded in agreement. “I guess we'll have to see, right? Thanks for the chat, Dr. Hopper.”

“My pleasure.” Archie dipped his own head in an accompanying nod as a hand reached for his umbrella and stood back up to his feet. “I’ll let Dr. Whale know that everything is alright.”

And with that, he tugged open the door to let himself out just in time to catch a very pregnant Ashley Boyd being rolled down the hallway towards the nearest emergency room followed by Whale and two nurses.

Eyebrows flickered upwards at the rush of activity before he wandered past and paused just long enough to spy both Emma talking with Mr. Gold in the guest lounge as Henry's own gaze meandered between the two of them in silence.

Instinct kicked in to let the Doctor know that getting involved in that discussion would be like attempting to break up a pair of enraged tigers. Instead, he simply lowered his gaze and continued on the path towards the elevator. Just has the metal doors opened, he overheard Gold's remark of, "Are you willing to make a deal with me?"

It was generally a bad sign if the businessman was offering one of his infamous 'deals', but Hopper somehow knew that Miss Swan would be able to handle any sort of pledge the older man may attempt to make with grace and integrity...

Chapter Text

“So, I was thinking, you know… about asking her.”

Her…

One simple little word and suddenly Hopper’s thoughts were brimming with visions of the enigmatic blonde woman Pongo and he had come across only a few weeks prior. A woman who coincidentally was revealed to also be Henry’s birth mother. A bit ironic that her appearance was due in no small part to the boy’s choice to skip one of his usual therapy sessions.

‘Usual’.

A conflicting term as of late.

Honestly, he hadn’t remembered much of anything beyond the usual day to day until Emma Swan and her bright yellow Volkswagen arrived in their dreary little town. Now all of a sudden, each day felt completely new. A realization which was exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

He wondered how long that Ice Cream Shoppe had been there, and he’d never even noticed Sarah’s presence before now…

“Dr. Hopper? You… alright?”

Those particular words caught Archie so completely off guard that he barely felt when the ballpoint pen slipped between tired fingers and onto the floor.  He gulped in a bit of air and bent down while raising his chin to offer an apologetic smile toward the man sitting across from him.

“Sorry…” he muttered with a fingertip pushing brown spectacles up into place against his nose. “You… want to ask Miss Swan to… to be your deputy?”

The Sherriff had phoned him last evening, with Hopper assuming he would request a follow up to the assessment of David Nolan’s mental condition.  Instead, the man asked to speak with the psychiatrist on his own. Curiously… Storybrooke’s lone law enforcement officer was one of the few residents who didn’t have a file in the good Doctor’s cabinet.

Until now, at least.

Graham’s face twitched like a young child who’d asked to go play with his friends when he wasn’t supposed to. “After helping to track down Mr. Nolan’s whereabouts…” A hand absently brushed along the back of his neck. “I just think Emma could be a great help to um… me.”

A pair of thick brows lifted with Archie’s mouth falling open in tandem. “I see…” he replied with his mind mulling over at least one factor that could prevent such a decision. “Have you discussed this idea with Mayor Mills?”

“I ah… no I haven’t.” The slender man’s stature slumped forwards in visible guilt while wringing his rough hands together. “She probably won’t be too pleased about it either.”

That was an understatement. If there was any word that could be used to describe Regina… it was ruthless.

Hopper glanced at one of his many clocks and then flipped his notebook closed with a small breath of relief. “While our time appears to be up for today, I do suggest that you take the time to speak with Regina first.”

The Sherriff slowly pushed himself up and smiled thinly. “I’ll… take your advice into consideration.” A polite nod soon followed before turning and quietly striding over to let himself out.

 ----------------------------

Among the surplus of the Doctor’s weekly visits, the sessions with Granny and Ruby often involved one humiliating the other followed by long bouts of uncomfortable silence. Often, he would seldomly interject as that would only lead to even more arguing between the two. Archie had come to secretly dread their visits, as it seemed he was making little to no progress to help the two women.

Today, perhaps to his surprise, their conversation remained focused as the waitress voiced concern over her unsavory town reputation as well as Granny’s perpetual depreciation due to said notoriety. While their relationship would require further talks to fully mend, one could chalk this up as a step in the right direction.

After their departure, Archie breathed out a hefty sigh while brushing fingers loosely through tufts of curled auburn hair. His other hand soon felt a wet nose brush along the palm accompanied by an affectionate lick. A soft whine followed with the Dalmatian’s enthusiastic tail thumping against the rug. That gleeful wag only accelerated as Hopper immediately took the hint and kneeled down to snap the nearby leather leash into place.

“You’re right. We could both use a good walk, huh?”

Pongo’s sharp bark was enough to motivate the psychiatrist to snatch his jacket and shrug it over his shoulders with a warm smile. Leash and umbrella now in hand, the pair hopped on down the steps and eventually opened the office door out toward the sidewalk below.

The presence of Emma’s VW bug across the street promptly caught his attention along with Henry sitting casually in the passenger’s seat. For all of the mayor’s persistence to keep the two apart, Miss Swan had become equally as tenacious to prevent just that. The boy seemed to handle this push and pull catfight with ease so far, but eventually something would have to give.

The automobile’s owner soon emerged from Any Given Sundae with a small cup of ice cream held fast in each hand. She was wearing a leather jacket Hopper hadn’t seen before; bright blue with white ribbing and silver buckled belt along the bottom. Her wardrobe appeared to be growing, and he’d never caught that style of jacket in any of the local stores.

Between her recent conversation with Miss Blanchard in search of local accommodations and Graham’s offer to make her a town deputy, it was quite clear that she planned to remain in Storybrooke much longer than originally anticipated. Regina would no doubt be absolutely furious; a realization to which the Doctor instinctually smirked as a tingling of Schadenfreude planted itself in his mind.

“Hey kid,” Swan announced with a plastic spoon tapping against the passenger window. “Ice cream.”

The 10 year-old rolled down the window and reached for a cup in thanks followed by the blonde’s own genuine smile. Her demeanor remained jubilant even as she wandered around the back of the car and Henry leaned across to pop the driver’s side door open. Soon enough, mother and child took off down the street if only to enjoy their shared frozen treat.

The Doctor’s chin turned just as they went past with his focus on the bright yellow vehicle’s departure. A soft growl accompanied by a bark eventually drew back his gaze as Pongo tugged the leash towards something… or someone else in their immediate vicinity.

Sarah had stepped outside the Shoppe with eyes also watching the diminishing sight of the car. Arms slowly crossed as her face dropped into a rather troubled expression. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and the white apron she wore only accentuated her already pale features.

Even in her work attire, this woman couldn’t help but be absolutely stunning.

Archie cleared his throat and rolled the leash further around his free hand before permitting his four-legged friend to guide the both of them across to the other sidewalk. A motion to which Miss Fisher turned her eyes and greeted the pair with a polite smile.

“Hey…” Hopper began once they’d finally reached their destination. “Ah… fancy meeting you here.” No doubt one of the worst attempts at flirting in Storybrooke’s history, but he wasn’t too worried about it at that very moment. Later on, perhaps… he’d have time for some more practice.

The woman’s attitude seemed to melt as she soon knelt down and brushed her thumbs across Pongo’s soft ears. “I happened to be in the neighborhood,” she answered as if taking his remark in stride. “And you’re taking this beautiful boy for an afternoon walk, I see.”

Redness warmed the Doctor’s pale cheeks even as Pongo turned his head and licked Sarah’s tender fingers. “Was about to… y-yes.” The ever-present umbrella rolled between his fingers as she stood back up. “You seem… upset.” Blue-green eyes shifted down the street and back, “Everything alright?”

The blonde’s smile gradually faltered as she stood back up, arms crossed one more along her aproned torso. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

If there was anything Archie had gained through years of psychiatry, it was an almost uncanny ability to sense when someone was lying. It wasn’t as attuned as Emma’s self-proclaimed ‘superpower’, but he’d always used such a talent to his advantage during sessions.

In this case, though, that skill couldn’t compare to common sense. When a person used ‘fine’ in a sentence pertaining to their well-being, the true answer was often exactly the opposite.

Hopper set his umbrella down against the nearby wall and then reached over to touch her shoulder. “Sarah… did… did something happen between you and Emma?”

Pale blue eyes grew extremely wide even as she cowered backward from his grasp. “Archie… please don’t.”

Fingers curled and drew backward. “She can come across as brash with some people. I just wanted to make sure she didn’t… you know… do that t-to you.”

Sarah’s lips drew downwards as eyelids narrowed towards the man. “I don’t need your guidance. I’m not… nor will I ever be one of your patients.” Her form slowly turned to reach for the nearby door. “What may or may not have happened between that young woman and me is none of your business. Have a good afternoon… Dr. Hopper.”

Soon enough, the psychiatrist and his canine compatriot were forced to watch in silence as the door closed and the distance between them and the Shoppe’s owner swelled to feel just as enormous as his regret.

 ----------------------------

“You weren't always a cricket.”

Archie had been scribbling a few notes during his latest session, though his mind still lingered on his last interaction with Sarah. That is… until Henry had shifted their conversation to once again bring up this imaginary character.

He glanced up and pursed his lips, “I wasn't al... Oh right,” he answered before setting down his notebook. “because um... because you think I'm Jiminy Cricket.” His teacup was lukewarm as his right hand lifted it to his lips. “Why... Why do you... why do you think that Henry?”

The 10 year-old grinned, “It's just because of who you are.”

“And who am I?”

The boy lightly shrugged as he spoke rather matter of factly, “You're a conscience. You help people see right from wrong.”

Ironic, considering the events from yesterday. Still… Hopper ultimately decided to humor his patient. “So… all of the crickets in Storybrooke, they were once people too?”

“There aren't any crickets here,” Henry noted as he pushed himself up from the leather couch and moved with a confident stride towards the open window. “Listen…”

A lone owl hooted off in the night, but otherwise there was a definitive lack of noise outside. Archie’s brows knit for a brief moment before countering with, “Maybe it isn't late enough.”

The boy shuffled back across the room and settled into place upon the old couch once more. “There's never been crickets here. You've just never noticed.”

An interesting statement, as Archie had gradually become aware of some peculiar transitions within the town as well. He couldn’t help but grin at this revelation. “So… you think that's proof that there's a Curse?”

Henry’s eyes rolled down towards his lap with thumbs twirling above folded hands. “Yes, but I know it's not enough. I'm looking for more.”

The boy’s determination was undoubtedly a virtue he’d inherited from Emma, even if he didn’t realize it just yet. Even if this whole fairy tale character theory of his wasn’t possible, Archie admired his resolve to continue despite his adoptive mother’s objections.

“So Henry, look, I asked you this once before and you said you'd think about it… Why do you think it is so important that this is real?”

A bewildered look marred the child’s face as he no doubt pondered a proper answer. “It... It just is,” he replied with a somewhat flustered smile.

Hopper huffed out a tiny chuckle. “Alright, well... keep thinking about that answer Henry, 'cause I think there's something buried there.”

Henry’s smile only grew just as the entire room began to shake. The pair briskly looked up and around as the Doctor reached to save his wobbling teacup from landing on the rug.

“What was that?” his patient asked as he once more darted for the open window. The silence was then breached by the sound of a car alarm and the mangled voices of residents running outside to ask the same question.

Once the porcelain cup was safely placed aside, Archie pushed up to his feet and reached for the dark grey jacket lain atop his desk chair.

“I dunno but… I think you and I should find out.”

 ----------------------------

Just about the entire town was huddled around what appeared to be a sinkhole as Dr. Hopper and Henry stepped out of the burgundy hatchback.

“People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed.” Mayor Mills had taken up a post near the opening offering some reassurance to the gathered townsfolk. “We've always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels, but fear not. I'm going to undertake a project to make this area safe, to rehabilitate it to city use. We will bulldoze it. Collapse it. Pave it.”

“Pave it?” Henry immediately paced forward away from Archie’s side to confront his mother. “What if there's something down there?”

Regina’s scowl said it all as she bent down to speak quietly with her son. “Henry, what are you doing here?”

“What’s down there?”

“Nothing. Now step back.” She then stood back to full height and brushed aside the various people gathered behind the boy. “In fact, everyone please, please step back. Thank you.”

With Henry now in the safe hands of his mother, Hopper turned to wave down Marco a few feet away and inquire about any updates about the area. He was only able to gain a mouthed ‘Hey Archie’ from his close friend before he heard Henry whisper from behind the Sherriff’s car.

“Hey, Archie. Over here!” he bent down even as both the psychiatrist and the new deputy wandered closer. “This… requires all of Operation Cobra... both of you.”

Ah yes ‘Operation Cobra’. Henry had mentioned this phrase once before as the super-secret mission he and Emma were working on. While he hadn’t heard explicit details of what they were doing, it was quite clear that this was closely tied to the boy’s overarching plan to remove this ‘Curse’. Hopper’s head shifted between the two of them, somewhat perplexed. “I… didn't realize I was in Operation Cobra.”

The ‘duh’ expression on the 10 year-old’s face was palpable as he shook his head. “Of course, you are. You know everything.“ Green eyes shifted up towards Emma as his words took on a more pleading hue. “We can't let her do this. What if there's something down there?”

The blonde slowly shook her head, “They're just some old tunnels…”

“That just happen to collapse right after you get here?” Emma’s eyes lifted to Hopper… to which his own gaze rose to match her own. “You're changing things. You're weakening the Curse,” Henry continued even as his left hand rolled into a determined fist at his side.

Emma’s brows rose up in defiance as her own voice took on a soothing yet challenging hue. ”That's… not what's happening.”

“Yes, it is. Did you do anything different today? 'Cause something made this happen.”

Swan’s face instantly went from resistant to amazement as her right hand brushed the edge of the deputy badge attached to her belt. A motion to which the psychiatrist’s own eyebrows raised in silent shock. Graham had been quite hopeful about the offer, but he wasn’t sure that Emma would accept.

Perhaps it’s a good thing she did or else…

“Henry,” Regina’s authoritative tone rang out behind them. “I told you to wait in the car.” A hand pushed the child away as she then gave a steely glare towards Emma, “Deputy, do your job.”

Well, it seemed that Archie was no longer required to be a part of this conversation. With a grimace, he turned with a slow stroll towards the closest fire truck.

“Dr. Hopper… a word please?”

Or not. Feet stopped in their tracks as that grimace tightened. Eyes closed as he exhaled a breath and then rotated back around to stride towards Mayor Mills.

“Okay, we're done with this,” was the order she presented as brown eyes were all but ablaze with ire.

His head tilted just a touch to the right as eyelids blinked in confusion. “Uh, excuse me?”

“My son. We need a new treatment plan. Everything I do he thinks is part of some horrible plot. I can't cover up a safety hazard without him thinking I'm hiding something.” Hands dove deep into trench coat pockets as she continued, “How am I hiding something terrible in an old mine? How is any of this logical to him?”

How could any of the recent events in Storybrooke be considered logical? “He's got an amazing imagination…”

“Yes, that you let run rampant,” Regina interrupted before her lips snapped shut in exasperation.

Or maybe he’d simply been allowing the boy to say what he’d always needed to. “Well, I think it would be wrong to rip away the world he's constructed. I'd rather use it to try and get..“

The woman had reached her limit of anger and unfortunately Archie was now her sole target. This was worse than that morning in front of Granny’s. Much, much worse.

“Sometimes I think you've forgotten… You work for me. You're an employee, and I can fire you. This is MY town. You will lose your office, lose your house. I can cut you down to size until you're a tiny, shrunken little creature, and this…” Her left hand snatched up his umbrella and waved it firmly in front of his face. “will be the only roof over your damn head.”

Absolutely... ruthless...

There were no words to describe how Archie felt in that moment. He swallowed if only to keep from breaking out into tears right in front of her. “What would you have me do?” he finally spoke with throat so dry that the words barely croaked free.

“You take that delusion out of my son's head, and you crush it,” she proclaimed and slammed the umbrella against his chest before stepping around him towards her car.

And so it was… Archie left alone with those harsh words still rattling around in his brain.

Honestly, he couldn't remember ever being so small or insignificant as he did now...

Chapter Text

“I wish, I wish, but nothing changes,” a tiny princess marionette chirped upon the miniature stage of Martin's and Myrna's Marvelous Marionettes. “I wish I was better at wishing! Alas, will no one slay this fearsome drrragon and win my hand in marrr-i-aaaage?”

A small figure with tousled red hair weaved unobtrusively through the gathered crowd as easily as water trickling down a stream. With the audience often focused on the puppet show, the child had become quite adept at both stealth and pinpointing the finest parcels to snatch from several unfortunate members of each congregation.

A swirled black and silver purse immediately caught the boy’s eye as a crisp stiletto blade appeared within his left hand. One precise cut was all it took for a tan bag tied tight with red ribbon to plop right into his palm.

“Aha!” came the voice of a second puppet; a prince emblazoned in knight’s armor. “I will slay the fearsome dragon, milady, or die trying,” he exclaimed with toy sword swinging to and fro.

A taller gentleman near the front was Jiminy’s next challenge. With a held breath, a dexterous hand plunged inside the man’s right pocket and claimed a polished silver snuff box without so much as a flinch from its former owner. The circular trinket was then tucked away to join the plethora of other treasures he’d already accumulated as a proud smile touched his lips.

“Goodbye, dear prince. It was nice knowing yoooooou!” the stringed princess called out before ducking behind the curtain. A boisterous round of laughter followed as the slim dagger punctured the base of a larger red leather satchel. Small fingers expertly retrieved a conveniently placed coin purse and tucked it away with all the other pilfered goods. The pint-sized thief then scurried along to find yet another unguarded pocket while the performance continued.

“Gaaaaaaarr!” roared a green dragon marionette as it replaced the princess on stage. “Who dares disturb my sleep?”

In an amused panic, the prince pointed off to his left. “Uh, he went that a-way!”

Another set of chuckles flowed from the audience as the small child ducked around a nearby married couple and up the stairs into his family’s caravan. The leather pouch at his left hip was all but bursting at the seams as he plopped down onto a nearby seat and brushed tired fingertips along the back of his neck.

 ----------------------------

It’d become customary for the three of them to syphon through the day’s procurements soon after each performance… well away from prying eyes. That way they could decide in short order what to keep and what to sell in the next town for further profit. While the tickets from each show did put food on the table, Martin and Myrna’s ambition had elevated far beyond survival by the time their son was born.

Perhaps having a third mouth to feed spurned this insatiable greed… or maybe they simply found pleasure through each piece of property they took. Regardless of their reasoning, the 8 year-old had misgivings about the family’s chosen lifestyle. While the act of thievery did offer brief surges of excitement, the sheer volume of it had begun to nag at his conscience.

Sitting cross-legged upon the top step of the caravan, Jiminy snatched up a nearby satin coin purse emblazoned with metallic thread. Six golden coins spilled out near his feet with his other hand reaching down to keep them from spilling over onto the ground.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Careful, careful,” his father lectured just off to his right.

Myrna grasped what appeared to be a clay pipe and inspected the innards of the bowl as she spoke up as well. “Don't let those coins roll away.”

“No…” Martin smirked and yanked up one of said round coins. “They might…” it spiraled between two fingers before he rolled both hands into fists. “…disappear.” The left hand uncoiled to show that the object had vanished before the right reached back to ‘pull’ it from behind his wife’s ear. “Whoop whoop!” the man replied with a huff of a laugh. “Look at that.”

While Jiminy had witnessed such simple legerdemain many a time over the years, he couldn’t help but smile at such a display.

Small hands then reached for another, larger bag of black silk and tugged out a wooden cage housing a singular cricket. At the sight of daylight, the insect released a series of chirps as the boy tugged the cage up to look inside.

“Oh, a cricket! I love crickets…”

Myrna looked none too pleasant at the sight of the diminutive creature. “Crickets are trouble,” she grumbled and then sniffed at a bar of soap wrapped in wax paper. “Noisy bugs.”

Martin snatched the cage away from his son and peered at each side before turning it over to shake the bothersome green bug out.

Jiminy tugged up the same polished coin the older man held earlier and turned it back and forth in his modest grasp. “But they get to do whatever they want,” he offered wistfully, “hopping from place to place. They're free.”

“You’re free…”

“To do what we want…”

“To be who you are…”

“And you are who you are.”

The boy’s shoulders rolled back as blue-green eyes followed their back-and-forth persuasion. “Well maybe I want to be something else. Maybe I don't wanna steal. Maybe I wanna be good.”

His father slowly shook his head and gave Myrna a sideways glance. “All that from a cricket,” he then held up the now silent insect to prove a point.

“Told ya…” she replied while inspecting a pair of grey tinted pince-nez. “Trouble”

“‘Good’ is another word for ‘weak’,” the older man exclaimed as he shook a forefinger toward his child.

“Let us do the thinking for you…”

“That's what parents are for…”

“To help you….”

“You are who you are, and there's no changing it Jiminy. Right?”

“Right…” Jiminy reluctantly agreed as shoulders drooped forwards. As much as he may have wanted to seek a better life, the boy was incapable of changing his fate… for now.

Martin smiled. “Right,” he reassured. The small green creature then ‘disappeared’ from the man’s hand as he laughed. ”See? Problem solved.”

 ----------------------------

The marketplace was busier than usual today… so much so that Jiminy resolved to use the massive crowd to his advantage and relish in a small amount of respite from the normal routine of trickery.

Even at 15, he’d rarely been allowed to savor moments like this. As talented as he’d become at blending in… the two people he could never fully avoid were his parents. Even now, he could hear his mother’s voice nearby attempting to haggle one of the local shopkeepers. Considering her impeccable skills of persuasion and perception, the poor merchant never stood a chance.

The teen often wished he could meet someone to which he could be completely honest with… without the need for any sort of chicanery.

Jiminy leaned back against a nearby wall, his chest rising and falling with fatigue. A hand yanked the bright green cap up and away from messy curls before dropping down to fan away droplets of sweat accumulating along his neck. While the nearby buildings did temporarily obscure him from the sun’s blinding rays, the shadows could barely to diminish the fierceness of this particularly hot summer afternoon.

Shoulders scraped along rough brick as he rounded the corner if only to further obscure his presence… at least until his arm touched something… or someone he didn’t quite expect.

“Oh I’m terribly sorry,“ a female voice exclaimed as they collided in the alleyway. She then stepped back and displayed a nervous smile as a finger rose to brush a sliver of blonde hair behind her left ear.

His own hand hurriedly plopped his cap back on as he stepped off to the side. “No it was ah… my fault…” Eyes squinted against the sun’s rays to catch a fleeting glimpse of a girl clad in a dress of soft robin’s egg blue that matched her eyes. “I wasn’t… watching where I was going.”

She emitted a soft giggle even as hands carefully brushed along the fine fabric of her skirt. “It seems we both are at fault, then.” A gentle curtsey followed before extending her hand. “Pray let me rectify my mistake. Ingrid of Arendelle.”

Jiminy tilted his head curiously. While his family had traveled across much of the Enchanted Forest, Arendelle was too far for them to reach since the only conventional way to travel there was by boat. “You’re quite far from home,” he acknowledged while lightly grasping her pale hand. “I’m Jiminy.”

Ingrid’s smile widened as their hands touched. “And you seem to not have one…” she observed.

“Huh? Oooh.” the boy blinked as his own hand froze in place. Cheeks reddened at both her remark and his reluctance to let go. “I’m a… traveler of sorts.”

The girl carefully slid her fingers across his palm as their hands parted. “I see.”

Blue-green eyes followed her movement as his palm felt the oddest sensation of cold. Brows furrowed for the briefest of moments even as his own hand fell away. “So… why have you come here on such an unbearably hot day?”

Ingrid let loose a soft breath as her shoulder leaned against a set of wooden boxes stacked just to her right. “My father brought me here so that I may learn more about merchant trading with foreign nations.”

“Your… father?”

Arms crossed with a timid nod. “As the eldest child and heir to the throne of Arendelle, it was all but inevitable for me to be thrust into a great deal of education about how to rule a kingdom.” A shake of her head soon followed as a glance then turned down the slim alleyway. “The thing is I… I’m not really…”

Jiminy shifted his feet around until his own form planted itself next to hers. “Not really what?” he asked with notable concern in his voice.

A yellow ribbon emerged from beneath her left sleeve. Saddened eyes turned back to peer at the delicate satin bow tied to her wrist. “Either of my younger sisters would be more suited to rule, but my father can be quite stubborn.”

“I don’t understand,” the boy murmured as his fingers reached forth to touch the ribbon without so much as a second thought. A gesture resisted by Ingrid’s second hand briskly stopping his arm in place. While the motion didn’t initially shock him, the crystals of frost materializing along the coarse folds of his sleeve most certainly did.

Soon enough… that hand plucked itself away with a tiny whiff of cold air following in its wake.

The thief’s chin lifted to follow as her grasp fell away. “Y-you have… m-magic?” he stuttered between breaths.

This was quite different from the parlor tricks and his family often performed. He’d heard of a strange man with green scaly skin who offered magical ‘deals’ in exchange for certain items. Ultimately, his parents had made every effort to avoid the sorcerer, stating that this Rumpelstiltskin was not one to be trifled with.

The princess turned towards the nearby wall as the sleeve fell down over the strip of yellow. “I’m sorry. It’s… difficult for me to control sometimes. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Jiminy’s palm calmly brushed at the ice, savoring the cool sensation against his skin once more. “I’m fine. I should have known better than to do that.” Both hands were then shoved deep inside his trouser pockets, knowing better than to try and touch her again.

“My parents don’t know,” she muttered with a fleeting glance over her shoulder. “I don’t think they’d fully understand.”

The boy’s lips gradually upturned as his head tilted just to the right. “Your secret is safe with me, your majesty. I promise.”

The girl huffed a gentle chuckle at that. “I think we can forgo the formalities of titles, but I appreciate the sentiment.” Ingrid spun around causing her skirt to twist and twirl ever so faintly against her legs. “So… what do you think we should do now?”

Once again, the thief’s face took on a reddish tint as blue-green eyes shifted toward the hustle and bustle of the streets close by. “Well ah… How about you and I take a quick tour of the market?”

“Are you sure?” The princess pondered as her own gaze followed his. “Forgive me for prying, but it seems like you’re… hiding from someone.”

Perceptive and intelligent. His heart was all but aflutter as her rather astute observation even as his own thoughts cranked into overdrive. “Perhaps…” Jiminy affirmed as shoulders rose and fell in a light shrug. “Doesn’t explain why you’re huddled up in here unless… you’re hiding too?”

Pale blue eyes widened in surprise, soon replaced by the warmest of smiles. “Seems we’re both guilty.”

“Yeah, but I think we’ll manage.” An arm raised up in invitation. “Besides… a princess from Arendelle shouldn’t be without an escort.”

Another formal curtsey ensued. “Why thank you, kind sir,” she replied as soft fingers reached to loop around his elbow.

Soon enough, the odd pair strolled away from the comfort of the shadows into the bright light of the marketplace for all to see…