Crimson Knight | ouat

4. NO VENOMOUS SUBSTANCES USED

Storybrooke, 2011

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The rest of their impromptu road trip was spent in silence, with Henry reading his book and the two women lost in their thoughts.

Amy's gaze had been wandering on their surroundings, which were mostly trees, when her eyes caught a sign.

Welcome to Storybrooke

"We're here," said Henry, putting that damned book away.

And then it happened.

There was a shift, a minuscule change, in the depths of her as they passed the sign. Something inside of her clicked into place. Something she hadn't felt in years.

Magic.

But not actual magic; rather, the presence of it. This town was created by magic, and, despite not being able to use it, she could feel it all around her.

"Alright, kid," said Emma. "Where do you live?"

"Just keep driving, I'll tell you where to go."

And that's what they did. That is, until they drove through what Amy thought was the main street. Emma, fed up with everything that's happened and just wanting to go home, asked for an address and Henry, the little devil, said "44 Not-Telling-You Street."

Emma hit the brakes, frustration written all over her face, and exited the car, the other two following suit.

"Look, it's been a long night and it's almost," she looked at the clock, "8.15?"

What?

It was like, 7.40 when they'd started and they'd definitely been driving for over an hour.

"That clock hasn't worked my whole life. Time's frozen here," said Henry.

Ah. Well, that makes sense, she thought.

Emma glanced at Amy and then turned towards Henry with an incredulous look on her face. "Excuse me?"

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse," he explained. "She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

"The Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here?" she asked, clearly not believing him.

"Yeah, and now they're trapped."

"Sounds about right," Amy murmured.

She tuned them out, knowing that, at this point, nothing Henry could say or do would convince the oh-so-stubborn Emma Swan that the curse is real.

She took a couple of steps around, watching their surroundings. It was a nice town. Small, quiet; it was, simply put, quaint.

She was lost on her own thoughts when a voice called out Henry's name, asking him what he was doing. Amy turned around and came face to face with a man and his dog, quickly making their way towards them. She narrowed her eyes slightly when she didn't recognize him, shifting through centuries of memories in her mind, trying to place the man and determine whether he was friend or foe.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, as he drew near.

His voice, though, sounded familiar to her.

"I'm fine, Archie."

Archie? Do I know an Archie, she thought.

This Archie turned to Henry's company, smiling politely at them. The two women smiled back, albeit a bit uncomfortable.