Dean

Doctor Whale had refused Sam's discharge from the hospital, insisting he remain there until the next morning. Unable to have a decent conversation with a tube in his throat (entirely unnecessary, in Dean's opinion), Dean ventured out in search of the only person in town who seemed to know what the hell was going on.

Too early for school to have started, his destination was the sheriff's office. When he arrived, Emma was sitting at her desk, munching on a bear claw.

"I need to talk to Henry," Dean said without preamble.

The blonde swiveled in her chair. "Excuse me…agent?" She observed him from leather jacket to torn jeans and boots. In his haste, he had forgotten he was supposed to be playing FBI. Screw it.

"Alright, so I'm not FBI, okay? I just need to talk to your son."

Emma rose from her seat. "You're not going anywhere near my son. Now who the hell are you, really?"

"My name's Dean Winchester." Noticing that the half eaten bear claw had been left unattended, he impulsively lifted the pastry to his mouth and took a bite. "God, this is good. I'm starving!"

Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust and snatched the treat from his hand. "What is the matter with you? Pig." Then she pulled her gun from its holster and pointed it directly at Dean.

"Whoa!" He lifted his hands in the air "sweet heart, careful."

"Don't call me sweetheart. Now, who are you?"

"I told you, Dean Winchester."

Emma waved the gun. "Yeah, and who is Dean Winchester?"

Dean gave a short laugh. "Well, that's a more complicated question than you might think. Suffice it to say, that even if I told you, you probably wouldn't believe me."

"Try me," She challenged. Her eyes were fixed on Dean's and he took a moment to try and place who she was. Blondes…not Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. But beautiful. There was no doubt there was royalty in her blood. He didn't realize how long he'd been staring until she said,

"Um, what are you looking at?"

"Huh?"

Emma's lips tightened. "That's it. Hands behind your back, I'm placing you under arrest."

"Wait, no. Emma, please. I need to speak to Henry about that fairytale book of his. It's important."

Frustrated, she sighed. "I already told you, you aren't going near Henry!" She paused and then eyed him suspiciously. "How do you know about his book?"

Oh, she's not going to like this answer. "Well, I may have spoken with him before. And he may have explained to me that the book is really more fact than fiction." Sensing her anger through the silence he hastily added, "great kid."

When Emma finally responded, her voice was slow and deliberate. "Henry, told you…about Operation Cobra?"

Dean was going to try to ignore how kinky that sounded.

"Operation Cobra?"

"He thinks everyone in this town is a fairytale character."

"Oh, yeah. He told me that, just not that you guys have a code name for it. Cute."

Dean was rewarded with another glare from Emma. "Why would he tell you about that?"

Dean shrugged. "I'm really charming."

"Yeah, you're a real prince." Emma finally lowered her gun. "It doesn't make sense. Operation Cobra is a huge deal to this kid. He wouldn't just tell anybody."

Sensing he was no longer in danger of being shot at, Dean lowered his hands. "Look, I don't know what to tell ya, but it's really important that I talk to him."

Emma looked amused. "You don't believe he's right, do you?"

Dean reached for the bear claw on the desk and Emma slapped his hand away. "I don't know, I'm still trying to figure that out! Now please, can I just talk to the kid?"

She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and looked into his eyes. After studying him a moment she replied "yes. But you'll have to check with Regina first."

Regina? Evil Queen, Regina?

"What do you mean?"

Emma frowned. "I mean, she's his mother."

Dean's eyebrows scrunched together. "Henry told me that you're—"

"I'm his birth mother." When Dean's eyes widened she added, "It's a long story."

Great, so now all he needed to do was ask the Evil Queen for a favor. That was sure to go over well after the discussion she'd had with his brother the day before. It took him a minute to realize Emma was studying the bandage on his forehead.

"What happened?" She asked, indifferent but curious.

He placed his hand on the bandage and the image of Azazel standing outside of the Impala flashed in his mind. His heart dropped like a weight. What was Azazel planning this time?

Dean's silence seemed to spark genuine concern from the young woman. She had taken a couple steps in his direction. He smiled cheekily and said, "It's a long story."

"You know, Henry is coming here after school today. You could talk to him here and Regina would be none the wiser."

Was it his imagination or was she blushing? She definitely appeared nervous.

Dean nodded. "That would great. Thank you." His eyes traveled once more to the breakfast pastry. Emma snatched it off the table and took a giant bite before he could think twice.

True to her word, Henry was at the station when Dean returned after a long nap (and some food!) back at the inn. The dynamic was completely different when he entered the office this time. Emma actually managed a half smile and a hello. Henry's hello was a bit more enthusiastic. He sat at a table near Emma's desk, fairy tale book in hand.

Dean pulled up a spare chair and sat beside him. "Hey kid."

Henry smiled. "Gave up the suit and tie, huh?"

Dean chuckled. "Yeah well, it wasn't really my style to be honest."

The kid nodded in understanding. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Dean glanced over at Emma who pretended to be too preoccupied with her paperwork to hear their conversation.

"Well kid, I've been thinking about what you told me yesterday about that book of yours." Henry seemed to be waiting with bated breath for Dean to finish his thought. Emma shifted in her chair. "I've been thinking about it, and I think your theory is right."

The light in Henry's eyes couldn't have shone any brighter. Emma on the other hand, had started restlessly running her hands through her hair.

"You believe me!" Henry had risen from his seat. "What made you change your mind?" The kid clutched at his book as though it was gold.

Dean shook his head. "It wasn't so much a mind change, Henry but rekindled memories. You said that the Evil Queen, er…Regina….your mother…" Damn kid, that sucks. "She crushed Graham's heart because he remembered who he was."

"The Huntsman that saved Snow White" Henry confirmed.

"So…she what? Put a curse on everyone?" Despite now knowing the truth about his past, Dean couldn't help but feel a tad skeptical.

"Exactly! No one knows who they really are and they won't until the curse is broken."

"So we just have to find a way to break the curse." Dean reasoned.

The kid shook his head sadly. "Not we, her." He jerked his thumb in Emma's direction. "She's the Savior, but good luck trying to convince her."

Once again the desire to know exactly who Emma Swan was, was tickling his curiosity.

"Who is Emma, Henry?"

Henry opened his book right to a page illustrating a woman dressed in white holding a baby wrapped in a blanket. The blanket was embroidered with the name Emma. Dean grinned. The daughter of Snow White, of course! That explained the fiery personality and attitude.

"I see the resemblance."

"Really?" Henry was surprised. "You didn't talk to Mary Margaret—Snow, for very long."

"Yeah well, I could tell she thought I was an idiot. It's the same feeling I get every time your mom looks at me."

Henry laughed. "I think you two have a lot in common, actually. Not just in fashion sense, but you both underestimate your potential. Your role here is more important than you know."

"What makes you say that?" Did this kid know who Dean really was?

Henry shrugged. "I had a conversation with someone recently. You and your brother might have been mentioned."

Might have been mentioned? "Who is this mysterious someone?"

"Pinocchio." He said.

Dean chortled. The entire ordeal was getting crazier by the second and yet, he knew it was all true. He figured the kid probably already knew who he was, but he decided to confess anyway.

"Can I tell you something crazy?"

"Of course!" The anxious response.

Emma turned to look at Dean, no longer pretending she hadn't been eavesdropping on the conversation. Briefly, Dean glanced over at her, already regretting that the peace between them would be so short lived. He regretted what he was about to say. The whole situation seemed so crazy Dean was still having a difficult time himself believing that it could be true. But the memories were real. The fire that killed his parents, the orphanage where he had committed murder in Sam's defense, his abilities and the devastation that came from them, was all real. His throat was dry but he swallowed.

"Henry, I'm the reason that book exists, the reason every person in this town is alive. I created them. My brother and I created them."

Henry nodded as though he expected what was coming next. His mother just stared at Dean, stunned.

God help me, Dean thought. The confession, he realized was more for himself than for Henry. A verbal acceptance and affirmation of the man he really was.

"My name used to be Jacob, my younger brother was Wilhelm. We're the Grimm brothers."

Emma's paperwork scattered to the floor.

To Be Continued...

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