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“Then Henry will be put into care,” Gold said simply, “Regina will dissolve the adoption one way or another.”

Emma’s mouth fell open and she stared at Gold in utter shock.

“She has proposed a generous settlement figure, a little too generous if you ask me,” Gold sniffed as he sought out another sheet of paper and handed that to Emma.

Emma held the paper and looked at it but nothing was registering in her mind. She had drawn a blank.

“The two hundred thousand dollars will be paid to you in monthly increments until Henry is eighteen years of age,” Gold explained, “the remainder of the money is for further education.”

“Why is she doing this?” Emma whispered as the piece of paper in her hand shook.

“It is my understanding that Regina has not seen the boy since her curse was broken,” Gold said, “over twenty weeks ago, nearly half a year.”

“But..” Emma stuttered, “but.. she, she loves him, I know she does..”

“Adoption dissolution doesn’t mean she doesn’t care for the boy,” Gold pointed out, “maybe she is just giving him his best chance?”

Gold stood up, “I will leave these documents with you, Sheriff, I suggest you look over them in depth at your own leisure. Contact me when you are ready to sign them, or if you wish to amend anything within the contract.”

Gold looked down at the blonde haired Sheriff who was still staring at the papers in shock. He sighed.

“I’ll see myself out,” he said and clacked his cane along the hard floor of the corridor on his way out.

Emma didn’t know if it had been thirty seconds after he left or thirty minutes when she actually returned to her senses and grabbed the folder from the other side of the desk and started to flip through the different pieces of paper. She tried to read the lengthy legal papers but she was too frantic to take it in and kept staring at the words “adoption dissolution”.

She quickly gathered up the papers and put them inside the folder and grabbed her brown leather jacket from the back of her chair and quickly rushed out of the office. A few moments later Emma was sprinting up the street towards the diner, on the way a few people greeted her happily but she ignored them as she raced into the building.

“Hey,” Ruby said as she saw Emma enter the diner, “everything okay?”

“Where’s Granny?” Emma panted as she looked around the restaurant for the older woman.

“She’s in the office by the bed and breakfast reception,” Ruby answered and Emma quickly made her way past chairs and tables to cross through to the bed and breakfast side of the business. As she got to the reception desk she called out for the older woman.

Granny emerged from the office with her glasses in her hand, “Emma? Is everything okay, Child?”

Emma held the folder out with shaky hands, “Gold said you have some experience of legal documents? Contracts?”

Granny nodded and took the folder and raised her arm to gesture for Emma to go into the small office. Ruby had ran after Emma to see what was happening and arrived in the reception area and shared a concerned expression with Granny.

“Get us some tea, Ruby,” Granny asked and walked into the office.

The office was as stuck in time as the rest of the bed and breakfast, if parts of Storybrooke were stuck in the eighties then Granny’s was stuck in the sixties. The small office had a small rickety wooden desk with a worn wooden desk chair behind it and a small sofa against the wall. Papers were stacked high on the desk and Granny sat down on the office chair and made some space as she placed the folder down.

“Sit down there,” Granny pointed to the sofa.

Emma was pacing in the tiny room and was about to argue but the look Granny gave her had her instantly taking a seat.

Granny placed her round, wireframe glasses on her face and opened the folder and started reading the covering page. Her eyebrows shot up, “oh my,” she whispered and looked over the top of her glasses to Emma and then back to the papers again.

Emma remained silent as Granny slowly read the papers pausing only when Ruby arrived with a tray for tea. The lanky brunette held the tray with one hand as she pulled a small side table over to the sofa and placed the tray down and started making tea for the three of them. Ruby found a small amount of space for Granny’s teacup on the desk and then handed one to Emma and gave her a comforting smile which Emma found hard to return.

They all sat in silence until Granny finally closed the folder and removed her glasses and took a sip of tea before looking at Emma as she held the teacup in her hands, “I take it this was a surprise to you?”

Emma nodded, “Gold.. just.. presented me with them. He said I should speak with someone independent.. is.. is it what he says it is?”

Granny leaned back in her chair and took another sip of tea, “Regina is relinquishing her rights as Henry’s adoptive mother. She wishes for you to have full legal responsibility for him. And she’s paying you handsomely to do that,” Granny added with a nod.