looking past the shadows of my mind

[Graham Humbert]

TAGGED: EMMA SWAN WORD COUNT: 421 NOTES: WHAT IF GRAHAM RETURNS FROM THE DEAD DURING S4!

Graham's eyes shot open as he gasped for breath. He felt everything spinning around him, a strong disorientation that came from being unconscious for so long. His surroundings were hazy, even though he was currently looking up at the star filled dark sky. Curiosity helped him slowly raise his head as he tried to determine where he was. He blinked a few times, in attempt to clear his vision and finally, when it began to become less of a blur, he recognizes gravestones surrounding him. That, gave him enough of an answer as to where he was: Storybrooke. He had spent enough years here to know what it looked like; he had been Sheriff after all. Sheriff. Huntsman. His memories came flooding back as he tried to recollect the last thing that happened. He had confronted Regina . . . and left with Emma. Emma. The thought of her was enough motivation to force him to his feet, slightly stumbling as he tried to catch his balance. It was dark and no one else was around him. What was he even doing in the middle of the graveyard? The last thing he remembered, he was at the station, tending to Emma's wounds, basking in his found memories. Perhaps the best thing to do, was go back to the last place he remembered. So that's precisely what he did. He couldn't help but wonder if Emma was still here; if she was still Deputy in this town. How long had he even been unconscious for? When he fell to the ground, he thought he was dead. But apparently not. He was very much alive indeed. On his way to the station, he didn't encounter anyone else and the town clock indicated why; it was the middle of the night. Arriving at the familiar grounds, he reached into his pocket for the keys, easily unlocking the door and stepping inside. The lights were out and it didn't seem like anyone was here. He kept it that way, leaving the door open behind him and going to his office. Once again, he unlocked the door and looked around. It looked, used. But not the way he left it. Curious. Perhaps Emma had been in here, filling in his position for however long he was out for -- which made sense, as she would have been his successor in rank. He went to the desk, starting to look over the papers that flooded it, trying to get some idea of what exactly was going on.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY

[Deleted]

Emma felt anxious, to say the least.  There was something in the air.. some kind of strange electricity that she couldn't explain. She wasn't sure what the problem was, though. No one was threatening the town, as far as she knew, but something felt.. Wrong. Killian had been gone for a little while now, but he was likely at the docks, or maybe visiting others in the town. She was sure he was fine.. but still, she needed to get out of the house. It was too quiet, and she was too nervous. She found herself toying with the 'bracelet' on her wrist that was made of Graham's boot lace. This was something she didn't normally do.. but for some reason, she found herself thinking about him a lot tonight. 

She was never good with dates, so maybe this the anniversary of his death. Maybe she'd walk to the cemetery to pay him a visit later, but for now, she was on her way to the Sheriff's station. She had to keep herself busy so she didn't think of impending doom.  Things were finally great now for her, her family, and most of all, for she and Killian. The two of them could finally be together, and happy now that the Dark One was out of the picture. Her thoughts stayed on Killian in hopes that it would calm her...Until she found the door to the station was unlocked, which wasn't right, since her parents were both still at home. 

Emma promptly reached for her gun, and slowly started to move in to the building, ready to hunt down whomever broke in without her permission. It was then, that she saw a figure. She spoke before realizing who it was. "Hey! There's a word for people who practice breaking and entering. It's called Prison--" she started, until he turned. "er...."  Her eyes widened, and her gun lowered to her side. It felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. "It can't be.." she whispered, staring at Graham. How was he here? "Graham?..."

[Graham Humbert]

TAGGED: EMMA SWAN WORD COUNT: 237 NOTES: WHAT IF GRAHAM RETURNS FROM THE DEAD DURING S4!

Graham was distracted from his actions when he heard a voice. But it was not just any voice. It was a familiar one. He stopped what he was doing, knowing without looking that she was pointing a gun at him. She was telling him that he was breaking an entering and he slowly began to turn so that she quickly knew this was not the case. Her shock was . . . well, he supposed it was to be expected, for he didn't even know how long he had been gone for. He looked at her in return, finding her to be such a comforting sight. The last thing he remembered was being with her in this very location. Now . . . well, he had no idea what was happening. "Emma," he acknowledged in return, seeing the shock yet that did not discourage him from taking a step toward her. "It's good to see you," he said truthfully, speaking aloud his earlier thoughts. "After . . . " He paused for a moment. "Well, how long has it even been?" He asked, figuring he should take one thing at a time and ask each question in sequence. Right now, his relief over seeing her over clouded whatever disorientation he had. For if there was one person he would have wanted to see before all others -- perhaps even above all others -- it was Emma Swan.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY

[Deleted]

Emma though that there was something wrong with her. Did she hit her head? Was she dreaming right now? She stared at Graham, almost hoping that she was  hallucinating. When he spoke, she realized that he that he was there, just as she was. She stared at him, unblinking. He asked her how long it had been since he had last seen her. It had been quite some time now. "...It's been awhile," She spoke with a soft tone. "Two years." It sounded so heavy when she said it out loud. It was just something she'd thought about silently and never spoke of.  

There were more things on her mind. How was he there? That was the most important thing. "Graham.. how.. how are you here right now?" She asked, taking a step closer to him, after holstering her gun. She felt as though she were safe.. but she was still on her guard. "I watched you..." Her throat felt as though it were tightening. "I saw you die.... Your heart was crushed.." 

[Graham Humbert]

TAGGED: EMMA SWAN WORD COUNT: 284 NOTES: WHAT IF GRAHAM RETURNS FROM THE DEAD DURING S4!

A while. She said it had been a while. What, like a few days? Weeks? But then she said years and that caused Graham to look at her with surprise. "Wait, did you say 2 . . . years?" He reiterated, unable to fathom how it had been that long when he felt like he had just closed his eyes and woken up not long after. She then further asked him how it was possible that he was here. "I don't . . . I have no idea," he admitted, clear confusion in his voice. He looked at her as she came closer and then said that she had watched him die; that his heart had been crushed, and those latter spoken words, caught his immediate attention. "You believe me then?" He stated, for last he remembered, Emma -- no one really -- believed him when he said he was missing his heart. No one except Henry. Graham's memories had returned when he and Emma kissed, and it was right after that, that he had collapsed. He took a step toward her, eager to hear more about how she came to believe him. "You believe that I didn't have my heart?" That Regina had it; that she had kept it from him ever since he had defied her and saved Snow White. "I have it now," he stated, able to feel it beat within his chest, but more importantly, felt emotions that had been lacking for so long. The overwhelming feeling of it all caused a tear to fall from his eyes, trying to control everything that was coursing through him . . . everything he had been deprived of for so very long.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY

[Deleted]

It was hard to imagine that two years had passed. It was even harder to imagine - now - that she once didn't believe in all of this. That she was completely naive to what was happening here. Now, she was in the middle of everything. The things she'd seen.. well, they were nothing like she'd witnessed in the normal world. She almost forgot that she didn't believe Graham when he said he didn't have his heart. This.. this put a lot of things in to perspective. "Graham.. I believe you. You have no idea how much I believe you." 

He then noted that he had his heart now. So.. he did have a heart. And it was beating.. which meant that clearly.. he was alive. Very much alive. He began to cry, which was something she'd never seen from Graham.. He had no heart, so it was.. well..impossible. She said nothing..she merely rushed to him, and flung her arms around him in a hug. She loved Killian with all of her heart, and that would never change... but she had powerful feelings for Graham that couldn't be ignored, and now that he had his heart and was back from the dead.. she was all he had right now. He clearly wouldn't be trusting of Regina at the moment..that was for sure. 

She'd have to set that story straight. 

"Shh.." she gently rubbed his back. "It'll be okay," she breathed. "I know everything.. I know who I am. I know who you are... were.." she shook her head. "Are. I know my parents.. Regina.." 

[Graham Humbert]

TAGGED: EMMA SWAN WORD COUNT: 354 NOTES: WHAT IF GRAHAM RETURNS FROM THE DEAD DURING S4!

Hearing her say that she believed him . . . well, it made him realize just how much must have happened in the past two years. It must have been major for Emma to come fully around. Feeling the comfort of her embrace caused him to wrap his arms around her in return and close his eyes, allowing another tear to fall. After having been deprived of feeling for so long, everything was rushing back to him. And having Emma here to comfort him, was all he could ever ask for. Hearing her soft reassurance that everything would be ok . . . made him feel like that perhaps, it really would be. She proceeded to say that she knew who she was, she knew who he was, her parents . . . and then she mentioned a name that caused him to move his head back to look at her. "I don't want to hear her name," he said, fighting back the anger upon her mere mention. She had robbed him of his life, his freedom, made him a slave to her in sense of the word . . . and then killed him when he chose another. For he knew that it had to have been her who crushed his heart. "I don't want to talk about her. Not right now." Not when he was processing so much. He had his heart back and he wanted to bask in the wonderful feelings that had caused. It was these very feelings that were taking control of him, right here in this moment, as his last memory was very clear in his mind. "Not when there is so much else to say," he added on softly. Without thinking twice, he -- for the first time after a long time -- used his heart to control his actions and placed both hands on either side of her cheeks as he leaned in and kissed her. This time, he did not have any flashes of his past memories. Instead, he felt his heart swell with emotions brought forth only by kissing her and it felt incredible.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY

[Deleted]

When Graham wrapped his arms around her, she found her head rested against his chest. His heartbeat. It was something she thought she'd never hear..  Mostly because back then it was such a game of chasing one another around - and now, of course, she knew why - but now he had a heart.. Which meant that emotions were running rampant. She saw with her own eyes what happened when someone's heart was back in their chest when it had been taken away from them. She had spoke Regina's name, and Graham informed her quickly that he didn't want to hear it.. That was definitely to be expected. "Right.." she spoke, nodding. She would have mentioned something now to ease him in to everything that had happened, but she was suddenly pulled in to a kiss. 

Never once did she forget about Killian, or her love for him, but as she was taken by surprise, she found herself returning the kiss, if only for a brief moment. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she pulled out of the kiss, gasping. "Okay, um," she lifted her hand to her hair, pushing it back behind her ear. "This... this is really..." she closed her eyes for a moment, and then she opened them again to look at him. "Two years ago.. this is exactly what I wanted. I won't lie.. But things have changed and.. and I'm...with...someone now..." It broke her heart to say it.

It's not like the two of them parted ways -- He died. How was she supposed to handle this situation exactly? "It's not that I stopped caring about you.." she pulled down her sleeve to hide the fact that she was wearing Graham's shoelace as a bracelet even to this day. It wasn't going to help matters much. "You were gone..." 

[Graham Humbert]

TAGGED: EMMA SWAN WORD COUNT: 401 NOTES: WHAT IF GRAHAM RETURNS FROM THE DEAD DURING S4!

This kiss felt so much stronger than all the others. Because he could actually feel the feelings he had developed for her. They were strong, and intense, and things finally felt . . . right. As if he was embracing someone he genuinely cared for . . . which, he supposed was an understatement. He had fallen for Emma even when he didn't have a heart. That was just how powerful this was. He felt her return the kiss but it was short lived for she soon pulled away from their embrace. He opened his eyes to look at her, remembering that this was not the first time she had pulled away from him . . . but they had moved past that. Before he had, died, apparently, they had seemed to reach an understanding, an admittance and he had so been looking forward to move on from there. To be with her, the way he hadn't been able to be with anoyne for a long time. But then Emma spoke and revealed the truth that . . . she was with someone else. All at once Graham felt his heart fill with an ache he had never experienced before, not even when it was being crushed. He couldn't be mad of course. Not at Emma. His anger was placed at the woman who deprived him of everything . . . including a future with the woman he loved. "Oh," he said, blinking a couple of times, knowing he shouldn't be surprised. He had been dead two years. "It's ok, Emma," he told with a soft, slightly forced smile . . . yet his words were genuine. "You don't have to explain or justify it." To know that she had cared for him so much, that she had wanted this at the time . . . well, at least that was something. Though it made this entire situation bitter sweet. They could have been together; they surely could have been happy. "I'm glad, that you . . . have settled here, in this life." Knowing the truth, knowing who she was and who her family was, and now . . . being with another. "Are you happy?" He asked, for that was the most important thing at all. He loved her enough to want her to be happy and if she was . . . who was he to ruin that?

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY

[Deleted]

Seeing Graham's devastation made her own heart ache. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.. She'd already mourned the loss of Graham long ago. She let herself open up again and she fell for Killian despite her best efforts not to. Now.. this was happening. The man who allowed her to start feeling love again was back, beating heart and all. He was saying he understood.. that he was happy for her, but she knew that was just something that people who cared about others said when they were trying to be supportive.. even if they were miserable. This was all enough to make tears pool in Emma's eyes. "I know I don't have to explain it.. but I do.. because to you.. You haven't been gone that long. It must seem like I got over you so fast, but I swear.. I swear I didn't." 

Neal was gone.. but she saw him every day in Henry. Not to mention, her feelings for him had dwindled more than she'd care to admit. Graham, however, was a part of her. The reason why she was able to love Killian now was because Graham pulled at her heart strings. In fact, as Emma lifted her hands to push them through her hair, Graham might even notice that shoelace on her wrist. She didn't even realize her jacket sleeves slipped down. She lowered her arms and placed them on her hips, exhaling slowly. "I am...happy. I mean.. I was.. I -am- but.. I'm really..." Confused. "This is just... crazy..and we should think about things.. and figure out how this all happened. And why it happened.. and...what's going to happen now..." Was she rambling? Yep. Most definitely. 

She had to talk to Killian.. but first, a crash course in what was happening in Storybrooke right now. "Look.. Graham.. I know you don't want to hear her name, but a lot has happened in two years. I, nor Henry, or many other people would likely be alive right now if it wasn't for Regina. She's changed..she's a different woman than the one  you remember. I've never.. ever forgiven her for what she did to you.. but she's done so much good.."