Miles To Go

Chapter Three

True to the many stories Henry had pried out of Granny over the last couple of weeks, Storybrooke was everything she had said it was. After a little bit of exploring after a rather rough first night there, most of it spent with both of them huddled in the front of the Bug after more than just a few encounters with the family of field mice that seemed to call the cottage home, they ended up at Granny's mother's old diner, still proudly displaying the name "Granny's Diner" along the sign.

"Isn't it weird there are two Granny's?" Henry asked her quietly as they sat in the booth together. "And it's almost the same, isn't it?"

"Almost, not quite," Emma replied. "It doesn't belong to the Lucas family anymore."

"Who does it belong to?"

"Someone named Mr. Gold," she said as she tried to remember the story Granny had told her about the history of the diner and what had happened to it when Granny's mother had passed away before she made the move to New York City with a very young Ruby in tow. "Order whatever you'd like, kid."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"I'll have what you're having, Mom."

Emma smiled at him as she sipped her coffee. It was good, although not nearly as good as the coffee Granny brewed in New York City at her diner. The diner was busy, filled with lively chatter and the sound of dishes and cutlery scraping across plates. With every new customer that came through the doors, others greeted them in a friendly fashion or if one or two left, goodbyes were called out as they left.

So far, it was everything Granny said it had been over twenty-two years ago when she'd been there last. When the brunette behind the counter came to their booth to take their order, they were greeted with a warm smile.

"Good morning, what can I get for Storybrooke's newest visitors?" The waitress asked and Emma glanced at the name-tag. Belle. "Can I suggest the breakfast special? It's an old recipe handed down from the family that used to—"

"I bet the eggs aren't as good," Henry blurted out, his eyes focused on the menu he held in front of him. "Granny never lets the cook do the eggs. Always says they're too runny or overcooked if anyone else does them."

"Excuse me?" Belle chuckled, with no malice in her voice. "I can assure you the eggs are done spectacularly here."

"I'm sorry, don't mind him," Emma apologized. "We'll both have the breakfast special, thanks."

Emma pulled the menu from Henry's hands, glaring at him as she handed both to Belle before she walked away. He didn't look at her, instead he fidgeted with the cloth napkin that had been folded beside the cutlery to his left.

"What?"

"That was rude, kid."

"But I bet you it's true!"

"Whether it's true or not, you can't just say things like that."

Henry frowned as he grumbled under his breath and with a light kick to his foot he balled up the napkin in his fists. "What, Mom?"

"When that lady comes back, I want you to apologize for being rude. I didn't raise you like that, Henry. You know better than that."

He nodded and didn't say another word, hanging his head low before turning his attention to refolding the cloth napkin and placed it back in its place. Emma sighed and rubbed at her stiff neck as she mentally went over the list of things she needed to get done that day and as much as she didn't want to think about it, she dreaded the amount of work that would need to be done to clean the cottage and repair some of the broken windows. She wasn't even sure how much work Henry was willing to do to help her out either, but it didn't matter. It'd get done, one way or another.