Storybrooke

In the hidden gem of a town that is Storybrooke, Maine, a whole array of people are tucked away. The Sheriff's car coasts through street after street, the Sheriff inside keeping his eyes peeled for a particular lad as he goes. In the large white manor belonging to the current Mayor, Regina Mills cries softly as she worries for her missing son. Standing behind her best friend (whom she's forced into a chair to make her quit pacing) is Callie Rivers.

The brunette massages Regina's shoulders, soothing her, "Gina, calm down luv. We both know the lad can take care of himself, I bet he'll be home any minute. Plus Graham's out looking the best he can."

After a minute or two a few quick raps on the door make Regina spring from her chair only for Callie to glare at her to relax and sit again. Callie opens the door for the Sheriff, her other best friend Graham.

As he steps past the entryway he sighs, accent heavy, "no sign of Henry."

The pair suck in tense breaths, Regina's shoulders slumping considerably lower.

"I'd hoped when you came back you'd have better news, mate."

"I know! I know!" Graham's accent thickens as his voice raises. It sounds gravely as he grumbles, "sorry."

"It's alright, mate, that's what unwind nights at the Rabbit Hole are for," Callie rubs his shoulder in comfort, but the smirk on her lips hints at the mischief in her eyes.

Barely five minutes go by before a little yellow bug drives up to the house, the three having resigned to waiting for a call about the boy. Regina rushes to the door to throw it open before Callie can stop her. Graham and Callie share a look of concern before he frowns and follows Callie out the door. Callie leans against one of the pillars, Graham watching the situation from beside her.

"Henry? Henry!"

Regina goes to sweep him into a tight hug, Callie seems to be the only one to notice that Regina's arms are shaking from anxiety.

"Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?"

Henry shoves past her, ignoring the questions as he goes pass Graham and Callie. Hurt reflects Regina's features, concern growing in Callie's eyes.

Henry turns back around to shout at his mother, "I found my real mom!"

Before he continues into the manor and hurdles up the stairs. Three pairs of eyes fly to the blonde standing awkwardly at the gate.

"You're Henry's birth mother, luv?" Callie questions looking the girl over. Her brow raises, gaze sticking on the red leather jacket. 'I wonder how he found her?'

"Hi..." she seems to shrink into the jacket under the surprised stares.

Graham shuffles uncomfortably glancing Callie's way for an excuse to leave only to find the brunette completely invested in the scene before her. He grabs her arm, causing her to flinch and go to hit him for the sudden contact.

"We'll just - ouch - go, um, check on the lad," Graham mumbles, pulling her quickly into the house.

Graham shakes his head at Callie as she groans in disappointment.

"I wanted to see what was going to happen there, mate!"

She pouts while the two make their way up the winding staircase. But the seriousness of the situation forces Callie to relax her muscles as she follows Graham up to the door. She opens the door to the blue bedroom tentatively, the lad sitting on his bed. The night light shaping stars across the ceiling makes the glossy covers of books and comics shine.

Graham rubs Henry's shoulder comfortingly, Callie sinks into the mattress as she sits at Henry's side. Her smile is wide and reassuring, something about this kid always makes her feel this way. A protective sense, an inbound source of joy. Yet the sinking feeling of drowning crashes into her as the walls rise.

Graham speaks first, better at softer words than Callie ever thinks she could be, "you alright, lad?"

"I guess. . ."

"What's wrong, Henry?" Callie questions with concern lacing the worry in her tone as she uses his name, a rarity when it comes to the kid she's practically raised.

Instead of an answer, Henry mumbles nonsense that neither Graham nor Callie can understand. His head falls to rest on Callie's shoulder and then into her lap, she allows the contact rubbing a calloused hand against his back. Graham stands in front of the two, leaning back against the window. The three sit in silence for the next few minutes, just company as Henry's eyelids begin to flutter as sleep beckons for him.

Graham goes back downstairs, Callie helps Henry under the sheets. She flicks the lights off causing shadows to make their way into the room to hug the lad tightly in a warm embrace.

"Get some sleep, lad. You've got school tomorrow and a fun night with me soon. Goodnight, mate."

Callie can see the wide smile spread, yet it sweetens as he slips farther under the covers. She pulls the door closed with a happy light dancing in her swirling blue orbs.

'Mate,' Callie shakes her head at the word that falls off her lips with the mixed, seafarer accent she calls her own. Having no idea where it comes from, definitely not from her parents by what she remembers of them, tortures her mind with questions. Only Callie's memory is built more like a puzzle and a majority of the pieces are either missing or have the pictures scratched away. At times she's tried to convince herself the accent is from living on the coast and being so close to the docks. But every instinct inside her repeatedly tells her that something is off.

At the bottom of the stairs, Callie, lost in her shuffling deck of mixed thoughts, bumps into the platinum blonde at the base. Callie raises her brow with a smirk, a constant challenge in her eyes. The blonde offers her hand as unsure as a fish before taking the bait.

"Emma Swan."

"Callie Rivers."

Callie walks out the door towards her 2008 Harley Davidson. She scrunches her nose at the awkward yellow bug as Callie straddles the crimson red motorcycle. The bike has been Callie's pride and joy next to her home and her ship 'The Ancient Dream'. Gina doesn't hide her hate for the motorcycle or for the sailboat. However, Callie completely believes that she hates Henry's love of the two vehicles even more, seeing as the lad loves getting to be on them.

And Callie kicks off the ground, pushing the bike forward as she heads home. Her dark brunette hair flaps in the wind as the white manor disappears from behind her the road curving as she goes.

old author's notes

[ ➤𝐒𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬! 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐈 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡! 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞!➤➤𝟗-𝟐𝟗-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎➤

Here I am again with an official rewrite truly starting off for those who don't see my announcements!! If you haven't seen my announcements then please know that Act2/SimH is on hold until I rewrite Act1 in its entirety!! I want Stuck in my Head to be the best it can be and looking back I feel like it sucked compared to where my writing is now. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!-

There will also be a few changes concerning the actual story details as I write so keep your heads up and keep reading!! ( and if you haven't checked out my profile/account please do!! I'm part of a community, I'm a graphic designer with a shop/spam book, and I'm writing many more fics that will be coming!! )

Love you all so much, thank you all so much for the votes and the comments and the support overall!! 3/12/21. ]

author's note!! and it officially begins again!! a few minor details have changed as I reevaluate my writing and Callie's character but other than that it's the same!! I am so excited for this fic to get going again <3 5/25/22