Once We are Descendants

Chapter 42: Family Dinner

The room becomes very quiet, aside from the beeping of monitors and the sounds of doctors and nurses walking about, doing their assigned jobs. Everyone looks at the king of Auradon as he tries to process this new information in his mind. His hazel-green eyes express confusion as he sits in the chair, practically paralyzed. He gazes at Belle; her reddish-brown hair falling in ringlets around her shoulders to frame her porcelain face, her blue eyes gazing from Ben's face to her husband's. The teenager then looks at the man who was likely his father... his short gray hair trimmed to a reasonable length, dressed in a business suit, and leaning on a cane. He then glances at the baby who is sitting on Jane's lap and then at Crystal as she bites her lip extremely hard.

"Welcome to the Gold Family," Crystal says, trying to ease the tension in the room with a joke.

There is another long silence.

"Anyone else hungry?" Emma asks.

...

Mal and her friends are led by the group from Storybrooke away from the hospital in the fading daylight, towards a small-looking building that almost resembles a house. The daughter of Maleficent can immediately tell that it is a restaurant based on a chalkboard sitting along the pathway leading to the eatery announcing the daily specials. The restaurant has two neon signs glowing brightly in the evening air, one that says Granny's Diner and the other saying Open. A bell rings to greet the regulars and the newcomers to this centrefold of the tiny Maine town. Each teenager takes the time to examine the place with curiosity and interest.

Gray and beige-coloured tiles are laid out in a pattern beneath their feet as they walk cautiously into this new environment. The place has an old 50's diner feel to it, something only the children from Auradon had seen in pictures or had learned in history lessons. The tables, chairs, and booths reflected the era as well, the chairs being set in gray leather, while the booths reflected the design of cushions and were in red leather-like Emma's jacket. Black and white wallpaper, with an image of pine trees, surround the group too, giving an atmosphere of nature and forests. The wall from which they had entered was completely covered in windows, giving a view of the outdoor eating area with umbrellas and picnic tables too. There's a large counter to their right, with round stools for patrons to sit if they desired to. Above the counter is a clock lit up in blue neon lighting and beside it are items available on the menus.

An older woman stands behind the counter, looking sternly at this new colourful cast of characters over her round glasses on a chain. Her green eyes stare at them sternly as she wipes down the counter surrounding her. Her short gray/white hair is styled in an up-do and she wears an ugly-looking knitted sweater over a floral print blouse, a strangely shaped necklace and a flowered apron around her waist. The fashion choices make Evie cringe internally.

A short, grizzled-looking man with a thick graying beard, bushy eyebrows and an ever-unpleasant scowl on his face turns to glare at the new arrivals. He sits on one of the stools at the counter and examines each child with more and more distaste with each passing moment. He wears a large brown coat over a flannel shirt and dark pants. He holds a drink of some kind of golden liquid in his hands and stirs in occasionally with a straw.

"So... what happened? Did the circus come to town?" the man asks.

"No jokes Leroy," David says sternly, looking at the drunk dwarf with aggression. "Don't mind him, kids, he's grumpy."

"It's my name and I intend to live up to it."

"Y-You're Grumpy the Dwarf?" Doug asks, not expecting to meet one of his many uncles so soon. While everyone else is meeting their alternative parents, the son of Dopey had yet to meet any of his relations. Truthfully, He should have expected to meet them first since there were so many of them.