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Yuletide!
Favorite time of the year:
Once Upon A Time
The Many Lies of Walter Elias Disney
Summary: Emma Swan has never liked Disney movies. The lies start with 'happily ever after' and just keep building from there.
A lovely story that has Emma at its heart from her backstory and the ways she's trying to fit in Storybrooke.
“My master's thesis was on the history of children's literature,” Mary Margaret replies.
“Thus the love for fairy tales,” Emma says, leaning her head against her hand as Mary Margaret moves to the kitchen.
“Thus the love for fairy tales,” Mary Margaret repeats with a smile, before stepping forward to dig vegetables out of the crisper in the fridge. Her voice is a bit muffled as she tries to continue the conversation, “It's really important to understand how these stories influenced our culture. They help shape our children's worlds.”
“I thought the original fairy tales were gruesome,” Emma remarks. “You know, the stepsisters getting their toes cut off.”
“Life was more gruesome.” On cue, she produces a very large knife and starts dicing the green peppers. Emma can't help but shudder just a little at the timing, which is probably intentional on Mary Margaret's part. Despite her sweetness, she has a bit of a wicked streak most people wouldn't believe exists.
Motherless Children
Summary: Emma realizes she is not alone being lost from her roots and her heritage.
Characters: Emma Swan, Cinderella | Ashley Boyd, Ruby, Mary Margaret Blanchard | Snow White
“Yes,” replies Ashley, instantly aglow. “Alexandra.” She holds out the baby, but cautiously, as if she can’t quite believe yet that the deal with Mr. Gold is off, that nobody will take her baby away. Emma looks down at the tiny face, still wrinkly and not all the way filled in with baby fat. The baby shifts in her arms, snuggling deeper to become a compact little armful of warm softness.
She could have had this. She could have cradled her own son, could have raised him by herself in an apartment she could barely afford, could have refused to give in to the fears that she would never be a mother who could give him a chance to live the sort of life where he never had to go hungry or fit all his belongings in a garbage bag. She could have not spent the last ten years telling herself that she had done the right thing in giving him away to someone she didn’t know, someone who wanted a baby so much she would give him the home he deserved.
Emma has her issues with Regina. However, seeing Ashley’s glowing face and the determination behind it that she will do anything it takes to give her daughter a good life, Emma still isn’t sure the choice she made ten years ago was wrong for Henry. And the fact that she is still unsure after ten years is why she is so certain that Ashley, who is not unsure at all, should keep her baby. No matter what owing Mr. Gold a favor might entail.
She hands back Alexandra, and the baby gurgles happily at her mother. “She’s beautiful,” Emma says. “A perfect little princess.”
When the Winter Chrysanthemums Go
Summary: Snow White finds new accommodations as snow begins to fall in the Enchanted Forest. Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Emma makes herself at home in Granny's Diner (and Marco's joints don't lie).
Characters: Emma Swan, Henry Mills, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Prince "Charming" James | David Nolan, Kathryn Nolan, Ruby, Grumpy
It had started slow, just a few tiny flakes here and there, but as they stood together in the forest, the flakes multiplied and grew in size.
Snow White sighed. “Great,” she muttered.
Charming was staring up at the sky, spinning in a circle, but he stopped now to regard her. “Great?”
She shrugged. “Of course I’m thrilled it’s not a group of men out to kill me or some beast set on making us its lunch. But this isn’t exactly great news either.”
Charming squinted at her, his smile crooked, confused and endearing.
She looked away, didn’t want him to see that she’d involuntarily smiled in return. He caught it anyway though and he leaned in close to her now, his breath warm on her cheek.
“You hate snow,” he guessed.
“I’m not its biggest fan,” Snow White confirmed. She was still smiling. She couldn’t help it. And he was so close. If she just turned, he might -
He laughed again. He took a step away from her and she breathed deep, a sigh of loss and relief.
“I don‘t believe it,” he accused. “How can you, a woman with a name like Snow White, possibly hate snow?”
“It’s cold,” she insisted. “And wet. And cold.”
Snowbound
Summary: Storybrooke is hit by a blizzard and Henry is stuck at school. While he waits for Regina to pick him up, his family keeps him company.
Characters: Henry Mills, Emma Swan, Prince "Charming" James | David Nolan, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
“What are you still doing here, kid?” Emma asked, once they had gathered in the entryway. “Radio report said everybody went home at noon.”
“His mother seems to have been delayed,” Miss Blanchard put in.
“She doesn’t listen to the radio,” Henry said. “But that's how most parents find out school got closed. The rest they phone, but I guess she's not answering. So Miss Blanchard and Mrs. Kroner got stuck waiting with me.”
“Oh, no, Henry!” Miss Blanchard protested. “We didn’t get stuck, it . . . we’re happy to wait.”
“Mrs. Kroner?” Emma repeated.
“The school secretary,” Miss Blanchard explained. “She lives just one street over, so she said she didn’t mind the roads getting bad. Everybody else had a bit of a drive ahead of them, though . . . are the roads much worse?”
“Ask Emma,” said David. Emma grimaced.
“We left my car in a ditch about half a mile away,” she said. “I thought you’d need a ride home, what with the weather and all, so I was on my way over to pick you up but I didn’t realize how bad the roads really were. I took a corner too fast and the car went off the road. David was driving home from the animal shelter when he saw me walking, so he offered me a ride.”
“Well,” said Miss Blanchard, in a tone Henry knew she saved for students who were getting on her last nerve, “well, wasn’t that just charming of him.”
Burn Notice
Grocery Run
Summary: On an ordinary day, Madeline has a not-so-ordinary trip to the grocery store
Characters: Madeline Westen, Michael Westen
"Can I help you carry these somewhere, ma'am?" he asked politely. He glanced up the street, clearly searching for her vehicle. He seemed nervous, but surprisingly willing to help a lady with a heavy load make it to her car. He was also very clearly the man from Michael's picture, and this close she could smell a faint scent of sweat and gunpowder clinging to his body.
Her resolve firmed. "Yes, thank you," she replied gratefully. "Put them in the trunk."
He looked around, confused.
She poked the business end of the gun out of purse so he could see it. "And then you get in there with 'em."
He gave her a disbelieving stare, wrinkling his wilted mustache as his jaw fell open.
"Come on," she encouraged, gesturing with the weapon again. He looked up and across the street at the blissfully unaware security guard.
[snip]
To her bemusement, he stuffed himself into the trunk without a fuss, binding his wrists and ankles. He was probably thinking he'd get a chance to escape later, without needing police intervention. After all, she was just one little woman. Madeline snorted.
"Roll towards the back, and don't get cute with me, I know how to use this," she threatened, and though he gave her a resentful glare he complied.
Trying not to let her gun hand shake, she moved to close the trunk. "Who are you?" he asked finally, a faint accent showing through his careful English.
"Just call me Mama Westen," she replied thoughtlessly before she could second-guess herself. He gave her a rewardingly bug-eyed stare from the back of the compartment; and after a moment, she let the lid slam closed.
Madeline Westen is a badass and no one should ever forget it.
Faking It by Jennifer Crusie
Family of Goodnights
Summary: It's a Goodnight-Dempsey family Christmas, and Tilda is more grateful than ever.
Davy was opening a present from Phin. He chuckled when he saw what was inside. "Coming Clean DVD? Really?"
Ah, Clea. As much as they all tried to forget about Clea, she always somehow managed to weasel her way back into their lives.
"It's our one shared interest," Phin said. "I thought we could bond over it."
"Yeah, I usually bond with men while we watch a dirty movie starring my ex-girlfriend," Davy said.
"Yes, thanks, Phin," Tilda said. "What an awesome talent for gift-giving you have."
Sophie punched Phin in the shoulder. He said, "Oh, ow, that hurt," in a monotone that made Tilda laugh.
Once Upon A Time
The Many Lies of Walter Elias Disney
Summary: Emma Swan has never liked Disney movies. The lies start with 'happily ever after' and just keep building from there.
A lovely story that has Emma at its heart from her backstory and the ways she's trying to fit in Storybrooke.
“My master's thesis was on the history of children's literature,” Mary Margaret replies.
“Thus the love for fairy tales,” Emma says, leaning her head against her hand as Mary Margaret moves to the kitchen.
“Thus the love for fairy tales,” Mary Margaret repeats with a smile, before stepping forward to dig vegetables out of the crisper in the fridge. Her voice is a bit muffled as she tries to continue the conversation, “It's really important to understand how these stories influenced our culture. They help shape our children's worlds.”
“I thought the original fairy tales were gruesome,” Emma remarks. “You know, the stepsisters getting their toes cut off.”
“Life was more gruesome.” On cue, she produces a very large knife and starts dicing the green peppers. Emma can't help but shudder just a little at the timing, which is probably intentional on Mary Margaret's part. Despite her sweetness, she has a bit of a wicked streak most people wouldn't believe exists.
Motherless Children
Summary: Emma realizes she is not alone being lost from her roots and her heritage.
Characters: Emma Swan, Cinderella | Ashley Boyd, Ruby, Mary Margaret Blanchard | Snow White
“Yes,” replies Ashley, instantly aglow. “Alexandra.” She holds out the baby, but cautiously, as if she can’t quite believe yet that the deal with Mr. Gold is off, that nobody will take her baby away. Emma looks down at the tiny face, still wrinkly and not all the way filled in with baby fat. The baby shifts in her arms, snuggling deeper to become a compact little armful of warm softness.
She could have had this. She could have cradled her own son, could have raised him by herself in an apartment she could barely afford, could have refused to give in to the fears that she would never be a mother who could give him a chance to live the sort of life where he never had to go hungry or fit all his belongings in a garbage bag. She could have not spent the last ten years telling herself that she had done the right thing in giving him away to someone she didn’t know, someone who wanted a baby so much she would give him the home he deserved.
Emma has her issues with Regina. However, seeing Ashley’s glowing face and the determination behind it that she will do anything it takes to give her daughter a good life, Emma still isn’t sure the choice she made ten years ago was wrong for Henry. And the fact that she is still unsure after ten years is why she is so certain that Ashley, who is not unsure at all, should keep her baby. No matter what owing Mr. Gold a favor might entail.
She hands back Alexandra, and the baby gurgles happily at her mother. “She’s beautiful,” Emma says. “A perfect little princess.”
When the Winter Chrysanthemums Go
Summary: Snow White finds new accommodations as snow begins to fall in the Enchanted Forest. Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Emma makes herself at home in Granny's Diner (and Marco's joints don't lie).
Characters: Emma Swan, Henry Mills, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Prince "Charming" James | David Nolan, Kathryn Nolan, Ruby, Grumpy
It had started slow, just a few tiny flakes here and there, but as they stood together in the forest, the flakes multiplied and grew in size.
Snow White sighed. “Great,” she muttered.
Charming was staring up at the sky, spinning in a circle, but he stopped now to regard her. “Great?”
She shrugged. “Of course I’m thrilled it’s not a group of men out to kill me or some beast set on making us its lunch. But this isn’t exactly great news either.”
Charming squinted at her, his smile crooked, confused and endearing.
She looked away, didn’t want him to see that she’d involuntarily smiled in return. He caught it anyway though and he leaned in close to her now, his breath warm on her cheek.
“You hate snow,” he guessed.
“I’m not its biggest fan,” Snow White confirmed. She was still smiling. She couldn’t help it. And he was so close. If she just turned, he might -
He laughed again. He took a step away from her and she breathed deep, a sigh of loss and relief.
“I don‘t believe it,” he accused. “How can you, a woman with a name like Snow White, possibly hate snow?”
“It’s cold,” she insisted. “And wet. And cold.”
Snowbound
Summary: Storybrooke is hit by a blizzard and Henry is stuck at school. While he waits for Regina to pick him up, his family keeps him company.
Characters: Henry Mills, Emma Swan, Prince "Charming" James | David Nolan, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
“What are you still doing here, kid?” Emma asked, once they had gathered in the entryway. “Radio report said everybody went home at noon.”
“His mother seems to have been delayed,” Miss Blanchard put in.
“She doesn’t listen to the radio,” Henry said. “But that's how most parents find out school got closed. The rest they phone, but I guess she's not answering. So Miss Blanchard and Mrs. Kroner got stuck waiting with me.”
“Oh, no, Henry!” Miss Blanchard protested. “We didn’t get stuck, it . . . we’re happy to wait.”
“Mrs. Kroner?” Emma repeated.
“The school secretary,” Miss Blanchard explained. “She lives just one street over, so she said she didn’t mind the roads getting bad. Everybody else had a bit of a drive ahead of them, though . . . are the roads much worse?”
“Ask Emma,” said David. Emma grimaced.
“We left my car in a ditch about half a mile away,” she said. “I thought you’d need a ride home, what with the weather and all, so I was on my way over to pick you up but I didn’t realize how bad the roads really were. I took a corner too fast and the car went off the road. David was driving home from the animal shelter when he saw me walking, so he offered me a ride.”
“Well,” said Miss Blanchard, in a tone Henry knew she saved for students who were getting on her last nerve, “well, wasn’t that just charming of him.”
Burn Notice
Grocery Run
Summary: On an ordinary day, Madeline has a not-so-ordinary trip to the grocery store
Characters: Madeline Westen, Michael Westen
"Can I help you carry these somewhere, ma'am?" he asked politely. He glanced up the street, clearly searching for her vehicle. He seemed nervous, but surprisingly willing to help a lady with a heavy load make it to her car. He was also very clearly the man from Michael's picture, and this close she could smell a faint scent of sweat and gunpowder clinging to his body.
Her resolve firmed. "Yes, thank you," she replied gratefully. "Put them in the trunk."
He looked around, confused.
She poked the business end of the gun out of purse so he could see it. "And then you get in there with 'em."
He gave her a disbelieving stare, wrinkling his wilted mustache as his jaw fell open.
"Come on," she encouraged, gesturing with the weapon again. He looked up and across the street at the blissfully unaware security guard.
[snip]
To her bemusement, he stuffed himself into the trunk without a fuss, binding his wrists and ankles. He was probably thinking he'd get a chance to escape later, without needing police intervention. After all, she was just one little woman. Madeline snorted.
"Roll towards the back, and don't get cute with me, I know how to use this," she threatened, and though he gave her a resentful glare he complied.
Trying not to let her gun hand shake, she moved to close the trunk. "Who are you?" he asked finally, a faint accent showing through his careful English.
"Just call me Mama Westen," she replied thoughtlessly before she could second-guess herself. He gave her a rewardingly bug-eyed stare from the back of the compartment; and after a moment, she let the lid slam closed.
Madeline Westen is a badass and no one should ever forget it.
Faking It by Jennifer Crusie
Family of Goodnights
Summary: It's a Goodnight-Dempsey family Christmas, and Tilda is more grateful than ever.
Davy was opening a present from Phin. He chuckled when he saw what was inside. "Coming Clean DVD? Really?"
Ah, Clea. As much as they all tried to forget about Clea, she always somehow managed to weasel her way back into their lives.
"It's our one shared interest," Phin said. "I thought we could bond over it."
"Yeah, I usually bond with men while we watch a dirty movie starring my ex-girlfriend," Davy said.
"Yes, thanks, Phin," Tilda said. "What an awesome talent for gift-giving you have."
Sophie punched Phin in the shoulder. He said, "Oh, ow, that hurt," in a monotone that made Tilda laugh.