CHAPTER TWO
journey of a pocket watch
　

FOR AS LONG AS ALAN MILNE CAN SEEM TO REMEMBER, THE CLOCK TOWER ABOVE THE LIBRARY has been broken. He tried to fix it once but was unsuccessful in his attempts, and had even told Mayor Mills that it would most likely never tick again because the damage was beyond repair. But as he stood on the sidewalk, peering up at the tower and watching as it ticked again, he couldn't quite figure out how someone had gotten it working again.

There was a small crowd that had formed around him, everyone lined up on the sidewalk and staring up at the working clock in surprise. Archibald Hopper strolled up after a while with his spotted dalmatian, Pongo, and he bumped Alan's shoulder while grinning. "It seems that your handyman work was successful, after all."

"I didn't do this," Alan said, shaking his head. "I tried a while back, but I couldn't fix it. Hell, I told Mayor Mills that it was beyond repair."

"Really?" Archie made a face, seemingly surprised that the best handyman in Storybrooke hadn't been the one to get the clock working again after all these years. "Well, I guess those rusty old innards finally straightened themselves out then, huh?"

Alan nodded slowly, eyes locked on the clock tower, heart growing more and more curious with each tick. He wanted to know how it could suddenly start working again without anyone so much as lifting a finger in its direction. "Yeah, I suppose they did."

Not much later, Alan found himself at Granny's Diner. He took his usual seat at the counter, and while waiting for Ruby to serve him some breakfast, he started reading the morning newspaper, lips parting in surprise when he read the front page headline and article written by Sidney Glass.

Alan recognized the woman in the picture as Henry's birth mother, Emma Swan. Apparently, she had crashed her car into the town sign last night, destroying the historical landmark in its place. He frowned, knowing that it was going to take some time before the town sign looked the same way again.

While reading the rest of the article Sidney wrote, Alan got the feeling that someone was watching him. He looked up from the newspaper and found a blonde woman a few seats down staring directly at him. But she wasn't just any blonde woman, she was Henry's birth mother. Emma.

His mouth unexpectedly went dry at the intensity of her stare. It was soft, yet irritated all at the same time, and he wondered if that irritation was directed at him. If it was, he wasn't sure why, because he hadn't done anything wrong. They've barely even spoken five words to each other, so how could she be irritated at him for something?

And then it hit him.

Maybe she isn't irritated with me, he thought, momentarily glancing down at the newspaper where reporter Sidney Glass had mentioned her name numerous times, before lowering the newspaper and meeting her stare again, maybe she's just irritated by my choice of reading material.

He wanted to say something to Emma, but the intensity of her stare had him lost for words. Her eyes, even from the distance of five stools away, were mesmerizing. They were a peculiar shade of hazel ⎯⎯ not entirely blue, green or grey. He never wanted to stop staring at them until he was able to identify the exact colour that they were.

Emma Swan broke their gaze after what seemed like an eternity, shifting her hazel eyes toward Ruby and offering the waitress a smile and a few words, which caused Ruby to smirk and glance in his direction as she said something back to the blonde woman.

His brow furrowed and his heart started racing as he wondered what they were saying to each other. He knew that they had to be talking about him otherwise Ruby wouldn't have looked over at him and smirked the way that she did. But he didn't have time to think about it anymore as Emma grabbed the mug Ruby had placed in front of her and started making her way toward him.

"Alan, right?" Emma asked.

"Right," he nodded. "Uh, yeah, I'm Alan. Alan Milne. And you are Emma Swan." He smiled despite himself, feeling nervous under her hazel eyes for some reason. "Is there something that I can do for you?"

Emma sighed heavily before getting straight to the point. "Look, the cocoa was a nice gesture, and I am impressed that you guessed that I like cinnamon in my chocolate, 'cause most people don't, but I am not here to flirt, so, thank you, but no thank you." She placed the mug on the counter in front of him, a tight-lipped smile on her face.

Alan's eyebrows shot up at her bluntness before they pulled together in confusion. "Yeah, uh, I didn't send that to you."

"What? But, Ruby said⎯⎯"

"I did."

They both turned at the sound of a new voice and found young Henry Mills sitting in a booth over Alan's left shoulder. He was dressed in his school uniform and had his backpack sitting beside him, and there was a cup of hot cocoa on the table in front of him.

"I like cinnamon, too," the boy continued.

Emma was a little flustered by her assumption. She spared Alan a quick, apologetic look, before she turned to face Henry. "Don't you have school?"

"Duh, I'm ten," Henry said bluntly, sliding out of the booth and slipping his arms through the straps of his backpack. He then insisted that Emma walk him to school, but before the woman could protest, he was already walking out the door, giving her no choice but to follow after him.

Once the door closed behind Henry and Emma, Alan turned around in his seat and shook his head with a slight smile on his face. He then looked at the mug of cocoa Emma had left behind and pursed his lips, wondering what was so special about the cinnamon sprinkled on the whipped cream.

Every time he saw Henry at the diner, the boy was drinking a cup of cocoa with cinnamon. There were times he even saw Mary Margaret Blanchard drinking it as she quietly graded papers at a booth. And now he knew a third person that enjoyed cinnamon on their cocoa as well. It left him wondering if cocoa really was better with it.

Since the beverage appeared untouched, he brought it to his lips after a moment and took a slow slip, testing the flavor on his taste buds. Much to his surprise, the cinnamon complimented the hot beverage perfectly. It made the chocolate flavour stand out and really just brought the whole drink together in a fusion of wonderfully sweet flavors.

He took another sip before placing the hot cocoa down on the counter, and when he looked up, he suddenly found Ruby Lucas herself standing in front of him, her red-painted lips curling into a smirk as she leaned up against the counter and slid a plate of pancakes and bacon toward him.

"So, how'd it go?"

"How did what go?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't play dumb with me. Emma, the cocoa ⎯⎯ you totally like her, don't you?"

Alan's eyes widened, and he almost choked on some bacon. "What? No! Ruby, we've barely spoken five words to each other. Not to mention that I literally just met Emma yesterday."

"And here I thought you believed in love at first sight."

He froze, eyes falling as silence quickly enveloped them, and in that moment Ruby began to deeply regret what she had said to him. "I did once," he said with sad eyes, "but I don't believe in those things anymore."

"I'm sorry," Ruby apologized. She hadn't meant to bring up his family, but it just slipped out, and now all she wanted to do was walk around the counter and wrap her best friend in a hug.

Alan looked up and managed a small smile when he saw the expression on her face. Ruby Lucas was his best friend, and he knew that she would never intentionally say or do anything to hurt him, but that didn't mean the words hurt any less right now.

"I know," he said softly. "Thanks, Ruby."

Ruby smiled, and was quick to change the subject to a lighter topic. "So, what do you want to do tonight? I'm thinking maybe we can see a movie or get a few drinks down at The Rabbit Hole?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know," Alan replied with a shrug. "I'm fine with whatever, really."

"It's your birthday, Alan."

"Thanks for the reminder."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Come on, seriously, what do you want to do for your birthday? And don't you dare say that you don't want to do anything, because we are doing something whether you like it or not."

Alan knew that Ruby wasn't going to back down. She always insisted on celebrating his birthday every year, even though he would rather just sit at home with a good book or watch some television before going to bed.

"A drink sounds good," Alan replied after a moment. "I could use one."

Ruby grinned excitedly at his answer and immediately started planning out the details, telling him that since she worked until eight tonight that they'll meet up at bar afterwards to celebrate his birthday with some drinks. And as she went on and on and on, he just sat there eating his breakfast with a smile on his face, grateful that he had someone like Ruby Lucas in his life.

　
CHRISTOPHER ROBIN'S HEELS dug deeply into the dirt as he weaved through the bustling crowd of people within the village of the Hundred Acre Wood. An excited grin was plastered upon his youthful face, for in his hand was a pocket watch that he had found while playing down by the creek, and he was so excited to show his parents.

When he got home, Christopher found his mother kneeling by the fireplace and scooping spoonfuls of rabbit stew from the pot into three wooden bowls as his father whittled some wood at the table, which he had also made.

Norah Robin briefly glanced over her shoulder when she heard the front door open up, smiling fondly at her son before turning back around to continue filling the bowls for supper. "There you are, sweetheart. We were beginning to wonder if you were going to make it home in time for supper."

The woman stood after a moment, balancing the three bowls in her arms, and smiled brightly at her family as she placed them on the table. She then turned to face her husband and gently slapped his arm, ordering him to put away the blade and set down the wood so they could eat as a family. Supper with her two favourite boys was the highlight of her day, because as they ate, she got to hear all about their day. And she truly loved to listen and watch her son's face light up as he talked about what he did all day.

"Come and eat, sweetheart," Norah said, looking at her son. She noticed that his face was red and he was panting slightly, telling her that he had hurried all the way home.

Christopher crossed the room, plopping down at the table. He then pulled out the pocket watch he had found, showing it off to his parents with an excited smile. "Momma, Papa, look what I found!"

The two parents looked at their son, eyes falling to the pocket watch in his hand. It looked expensive, and they immediately wondered how their son had managed to get his hands on such a thing so valuable.

"Where did you get that, son?" Aleksander Robin asked, lowering his spoon and reaching out to take the pocket watch. He examined it thoroughly and came to the conclusion that it was broken after noticing that the hand wasn't moving.

"I found it down by the creek when I was playing," Christopher explained. "Can I keep it, Papa? Oh, please, can I?"

Aleksander exchanged a look with his wife, and Norah nodded at him, a gentle smile on her face. It wouldn't hurt to let him keep it, she was telling him with those brown eyes he loved most dear. But he thought otherwise, knowing that there was no point in letting their son keep something that was broken. It wouldn't have a purpose other than collecting dust when instead they could trade it for something that would help them make it through the winter this year.

The man looked at his son after a moment, sighing when he saw how excited Christopher was about finding something so valuable. He suddenly felt guilty, but continued telling himself that this was the right thing to do. That he had to sell the pocket watch so his family could survive another winter, especially when they barely had enough to get them through the year before. He wasn't going to let his family starve or go cold, even if that meant his son would be unhappy.

"I'm sorry, son, but this pocket watch is broken. And there's no point in keeping something that is broken," Aleksander said, and his heart broke when he saw his son's face fall.

Christopher frowned, his eyes filling with disappointment as he watched his father tuck the pocket watch inside his coat. "But, Papa⎯⎯"

"I'm sorry, Christopher, but my decision is final," Aleksander spoke sternly. He then pointed towards his son's untouched bowl of rabbit stew. "Now eat, your mother worked very hard cooking this meal for us and I will not have it go to waste."

The family ate in silence after tha. Norah would occasionally glance at her husband with a frown, wondering why he wouldn't let their son keep the pocket watch when it clearly made him very happy. But when Aleksander looked at their son, she saw the guilt in his eyes and it was then that the woman understood why.

A long time ago, when she was still pregnant with Christopher, Aleksander had promised their unborn child the world as they were laying in bed one evening, curled up under a knitted blanket and feeling their child kick while she sang the lullaby her mother used to sing to her. But over the years, Aleksander felt like he had broken that promise to his family, for they could barely afford to survive the harsh winters, not to mention they didn't have very many nice things nor did his son have many toys like the other children in the village did.

Norah silently took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, and when their eyes connected, she offered her husband a small smile. It was her way of telling him that she understood and so would Christopher soon enough. Aleksander returned the smile with one of his own and squeezed back, feeling grateful for the woman sitting beside him.

When they finished eating supper, Christopher excused himself from the table so he could play for another hour before his mother made him bathe and go to bed. He left their home without another word, his eyes still sad and heart still broken.

Norah watched as Christopher walked out the door, feeling her heart tighten at the sadness in his voice, before she got up from the table as well. She could feel her husband watching her as she moved to start cleaning up and carrying the dirty bowls into the kitchen so she could clean them in time for supper tomorrow.

"I don't like seeing him upset."

"Neither do I," Norah said, crossing the hut and sitting down on his lap. She looped one arm around his shoulders and brought the other up to caress his stubbled cheek. He wrapped both arms around her waist and leaned into her touch. "He will understand," she continued softly, "you just have to give him some time, that's all."

"I know he will, but I still feel guilty."

Norah leaned her forehead against his, kissing him sweetly before pulling back to gaze at him fondly. "You are an amazing father, Aleksander Robin, and don't you ever say otherwise, do you hear me? Sometimes you just have to do what's best for your family, no matter the cost. It hurts, I know, but Christopher is only six. He will understand when he is older and has a family of his own to provide for." She pecked his lips before standing. "Now, come and help me clean up, yeah?"

Alexander smiled, taking her outstretched hand and standing up. She went to pull away from him, but he tugged forward and she fell into his arms with an adorable laugh. He kissed her lovingly, smiling against her mouth when he felt those familiar butterflies burst in his stomach as if this was their first kiss all over again.

　
ALAN WAS ACTUALLY HAPPY he had told Ruby that he wanted to get drinks with her at The Rabbit Hole tonight. He really needed one after the long day he had, especially when some dog named Lady got into his toolbox and ran off with a wrench while he was repairing someone's fence this afternoon.

By eight o'clock, he was walking down the sidewalk in silence with his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his jacket, making his way toward the bar where he knew Ruby was probably already waiting for him to show up. He bumped into Emma Swan along the way, and quickly reached out to steady her as the woman stumbled on her feet.

"Woah, steady there. You okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Emma replied. "Sorry about that, I wasn't really paying attention. Got a lot of my mind, I guess."

"No worries," Alan said, and a few awkward moments of silence went by before he cleared his throat and walked around her. "Well, have a good night."

"Alan, wait a minute," Emma called, causing him to stop and turn around. "I wanted to apologize about this morning, I shouldn't have assumed that you would make a move on me like that. You didn't seem like one of those guys when I met you at Henry's school. It's just that Ruby said I had a secret admirer, and when I looked around the diner, you were the only one that I recognized, so I kinda just assumed it was you." Her lips then curved back into a faint smirk. "She also mentioned you thought I was pretty, so, yeah."

Alan awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously. It was true that when he explained how he met Henry's birth mother to Ruby yesterday evening that he described her as pretty. But he wouldn't have told Ruby that if he knew his best friend was going to relay such information.

"Uh, it's fine, no apology necessary," Alan reassured, still a little flustered. He couldn't believe that Ruby had told her that. "Well, I, uh, better get going, I'm meeting Ruby for some drinks."

"Yeah, sure. See you around, Alan."

He stood there like an idiot, watching Emma walk away toward her yellow car parked across the street. But when someone else passed him on the sidewalk, he finally snapped out of it and walked away, heading toward the bar to meet up with Ruby.

When he finally reached The Rabbit Hole, Alan found his best friend waiting outside, wrapped up in a bright red jacket and a beanie hat covering her ears. She smiled and waved at him, before walking over and enveloping him in a bear hug.

"It's about time you got here!" Ruby exclaimed as she stepped away, her smile unwavering. "I was beginning to think you had stood me up."

"I'd never do such a thing," Alan said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her inside the bar.

"Well, I'd certainly hope not."

There was music playing and people were dancing inside. Most of the tables were full already, so they sat at the counter. The bartender, Micah O'Neill, walked over a few moments after they sat down and they ordered some beers and a plate of nachos.

While waiting for their order, Ruby smiled and pulled out a small gift box that was wrapped in colourful paper from her jacket pocket, sliding it along the counter toward her best friend.

"Happy Birthday."

Alan sighed, giving her a pointed look. "I thought we talked about this? You don't need to get me anything, Ruby. Your friendship is enough."

"I know, but what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't get you a present on your birthday?"

He shook his head and smiled, before reaching out and grabbing the present. He glanced at Ruby once more, and after she gave him an impatient look, he started unwrapping the gift box and then opened the lid and set it down on the counter.

"Ruby, this is amazing," Alan breathed as he lifted the present out of the gift box. It was an antique silver pocket watch with a long chain, and it was in extremely good condition for how old it looked. "Where did you find this?"

"I found it at Gold's shop and immediately thought of you," Ruby explained. "He gave me a surprisingly good deal on it, believe it or not."

"This is . . . I don't even know what to say."

"So you like it, then?"

"I love it," Alan said with a bright smile. "Thank you, Ruby."

"You're welcome."

　
IT HAD BEEN TWO DAYS since Christopher Robin found the pocket watch down by the creek and his father had confiscated it from him. The boy was still upset that he hadn't been allowed to keep it, as he was hoping that something so grown-up would have made him some friends.

When Christopher asked his mother what his father did with the pocket watch, she said that he had to sell it for some coin. Coin that would allow them to buy whatever they needed to make it through another harsh winter. And even though his mother told him that he would be able to get a warmer coat now, the boy remained sad.

Not even the delicious serving of eggs and the few slices of bacon that his momma had made for breakfast had been able to cheer Christopher up. He was unusually quiet as he sat there eating his food, something which didn't go unnoticed by his parents.

Aleksander cleared his throat after a while, lowering his fork onto the table. "Christopher," he began, sighing afterward when his son remained silent. "Come here." He scooted out his chair and patted his leg. "Sit with me for a moment, my son."

Norah watched their son carefully, noticing how hesitant he was. She knew Christopher was still holding a grudge against his father for not letting him keep the pocket watch, for he hadn't spoken a word to his father since that day, and it broke her heart.

Aleksander lifted Christopher onto his lap and kissed the top of the boy's head. His hair smelt like the woods, and he knew then that his son had been playing down by the creek again. "I'm sorry that I have upset you, but do you know why Papa went into the village to trade the pocket watch?"

Christopher nodded. "Momma said you had to do it us."

"That's right," Aleksander nodded. "You see, when you get big and then you meet a nice girl and you have a family together, sometimes you have to do the right thing for them, even if it makes someone you love feel really sad."

"I know," Christopher mumbled. "Momma told me you had to sell the pocket watch because you love us."

"Yeah, I do," Alexander confirmed with a soft smile, leaning forward and placing another kiss on his son's head. "I love you so much, more than you could ever know, which is why I want to give you something."

Norah's brow furrowed as she watched her husband pull something from his jacket pocket. He unwrapped a piece of cloth and her heart warmed at the sight of the pocket watch.

"I want you to have this," Aleksander said, handing his son the pocket watch he had previously confiscated.

Christopher's eyes widened and an excited smile stretched across his face. He gasped when he turned the pocket watch over in his palms and found it working again. "It's ticking! How did you get it to work, Papa?"

"I went into the village and asked the blacksmith to take a look at it," Aleksander explained. "Now, son, if you're going to keep this pocket watch, you have to be responsible with it, is that understood? You cannot lose it or damage it in any way, okay?"

Christopher's smile never wavered even as he wrapped his arms around his father's neck. "I promise, Papa!"

Aleksander chuckled and wrapped his arms around the boy, and Norah just sat there, trying not to cry at the interaction between father and son.

The boy pulled back after a moment, immediately jumping down from his father's lap and rushing around the table to show his mother. "Look Momma, Papa got it working now!"

"I can see that," Norah said, chuckling softly at his display of enthusiasm. Her eyes held a fondness within them as she cleared away the hair on her son's forehead to place a kiss there. "Now, why don't you go ahead and play. But do your Momma a favor and come home in one hour, when the big hand is on the nine, okay?"

"Okay!" Christopher nodded, looking down at the pocket watch and quietly counting the numbers out loud, pointing at the nine so he knew when to come home. Then he ran over to his bed, grabbed his stuffed toy bear named Pooh, and bolted out the door to play down by the creek.

Norah turned to look at her husband when Christopher was gone, tears glistening in her eyes. "Even after all these years, you can still manage to surprise me, Aleksander Robin."

"I tried to trade it," Aleksander admitted. "I really did. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Norah shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. She stood up from the table and moved to sit on his lap, adjusting herself in the same position as she was two days ago, only this time he was the one caressing her face, wiping away each of the tears cascading down her cheeks. "Alek, what you did . . . I could never be mad at you for it. You have made our son so happy. I have not seen him smile so big since your mother last visited us."

"It really has been that long, hasn't it?" Aleksander said sadly, before leaning forward and pressing his lips against her check. "I love you, Norah."

"I love you," Norah whispered, and they sealed those three words with one more kiss that left them both breathless.

"I best be going," Aleksander sighed, pulling away. "I'll have to hunt more often now so we will have what we need for the winter. But it is worth it just to see that smile on his face."

"It is," Norah agreed with a smile of her own. "Be careful out there, won't you?"

"Always."

a/n: the character micah o'niell aka the bartender at the rabbit hole is the oc from my connecting tinker bell fic. his enchanted forest identity is kieran and he was involved with pan, neverland and pixie hollow, which i have made canon in my series. this means tinker bell isn't a fairy like she is in the show, she's a pixie. there is a difference and we will explore that in my series, specifically in my tinker bell fic!