But when it came to taking care of herself emotionally, Emma was in trouble, which was why he signed her up for the program. He knew Emma, whether she'd admit it or not, and he knew she'd never take the initiative herself. Cabin fever could break even the best of soldiers, and adding Emma's internalized hostility toward the world into the mix was a recipe for disaster. So he took it upon himself, as any good big brother would do, to ground her into reality a little. He had no clue that penning Emma's name onto the sign up sheet would result in him sitting in Emma's pen pal's mansion, stuffed with the best lasagna he had ever had as he watched his friend and the woman she had developed feelings for interact as if they had met each other years before Emma even thought about joining the army.
It seemed his observation was shared by many in the room, particularly the brunette waitress whom he had learned was named Ruby. They had shared a knowing glance when Emma suddenly stopped her conversation with Storybrooke's Sheriff and paused to listen for something the same time Regina stood with a narrowed gaze. Regina had called out her son's name before exiting the room hastily, but Emma remained keen on listening, nodding in relief when Regina's voice had flitted back to the family room after she had found Henry.
The kid was cute, and Emma wasn't kidding when she said Regina was gorgeous, but meeting the friends she had made - a quiet school teacher who had left abnormally quickly, a therapist and his best friend, Pongo, and Graham, Storybrooke's Sheriff who was currently trying to proposition Emma into returning to Storybrooke to take up the vacant deputy position. He was fairly certain Emma didn't need the excuse of a job to come back to Maine, but if it helped her sleep better at night, he was happy that she was finally moving forward.
"We've got dental," Graham enticed further to an amused Emma.
She chuckled and shook her head in feigned hesitance. It was all a ruse. Emma would take the job as soon as she was discharged, but August knew she didn't like making commitments of that proportion in advance. Before Emma could respectfully decline, for the time being August hoped, an all-too happy Henry ran past the entrance of the family room, chocolate smeared all over his chipmunk cheeks, button down shirt, and mischievous grin. Not too long after that, Regina's heels clicked on the hardwood at a quick pace as she raced to catch up with her son. Despite her speed, August caught the glare set in her eyes as she hurried to catch up to Henry who had no doubt been stuffing his face with something he ought not to have stuffed his face with.
Sending a silent blessing to the kid that his mom would take it easy on him, August nudged Emma with his good foot and nodded at the Sheriff. "Sounds like a sweet deal, Swan. Wouldn't be terrible if you stayed."
"I second that," Ruby said from across the room, lifting her beer to toast August. He responded in kind and made a mental note to get the details out of her that he knew she would have.
"Maybe," Emma shrugged coyly, setting her empty plate of lasagna down on the side table beside her. "But me and August were still supposed to go to Thailand."
"That can wait," August suggested. "Don't wanna be a third wheel with me and Isra, do you, Em?"
Pongo barked loudly, sprinting to the front door, and the therapist excused himself to take his companion for a walk at the same time Henry screamed into a fit of giggles.
"Emma!" Regina's voice called to her from somewhere on the main floor. "Can you come to the laundry room, please?"
Wordlessly Emma stood, excusing herself from the room just as Tina stepped in with her own refreshed glass of red wine. "What's up?" She asked as Emma stepped passed the threshold.
"Regina needs me for something."
"Right, of course." August noticed the smirk on the curly-haired blonde's face and grinned. Evidently this town wasn't blind to what was going on in the mayoral mansion. He caught the daycare teacher's eye and silently raised his beer in acknowledgment. She dipped her head and tipped her own glass in greeting as she moved into the room and sat beside Ruby on the ledge of the fireplace. "So what do you know?" Tina wasted no time in questioning August.
"Tit for tat?" August asked, adjusting himself on the single armchair to better face the two women.
Graham snorted and shook his head. "If Regina hears you lot talking, especially in her own home-"
"Oh please, Sheriff," Ruby scoffed. "If you really wanted a deputy that badly you could have hired me."
"She's actually experienced, Ruby," Graham argued.
"Right," the waitress drawled dismissing his claim. She turned back to August and repeated Tina's question. "So what do you know?"
"I've got over five years of knowledge about Emma and three from when they first started writing. I got them together," he added with smug pride.
"I had no idea Regina was even writing to someone," Tina added. "Henry had talked about his 'special friend' before, but I thought she was an imaginary friend that the Mayor encouraged."
"Emma sort of just popped up out of nowhere," Graham said. "She's been good for Regina though, and the boy."
"I know," August agreed quietly. "And vice versa."
"You're staying the weekend, right?" Ruby inquired, leaning forward in her seat when she heard movement coming from presumably the laundry room.
Graham shook his head incorrigibly at the brunette while August chuckled. "I'm leaving tonight."
"You know, my family owns a B&B, right?"
"Ms. Lucas if I didn't know any better I'd say you were positively smitten with Mr. Booth," Regina said as she stalked into the room with a pouting and clean Henry on her hip and Emma trailing closely behind her.
Ruby's ears reddened at Regina's assumption, and August pressed his chin into his chest to stifle his laughter. Regina was bold, and she clearly knew what was going on around her and never failed to call bullshit. Ruby ducked her head like a dog with her tail between her legs and refrained from sucking her teeth at the interruption.
"All better?" Graham asked as the trio sat on the couch next to him, Emma and Regina sitting shoulder to shoulder with a freshly scolded Henry sitting studiously in his mother's lap.
"Someone was sneaking sweets again," Regina said pointedly to her son who crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, angry that his mother had ruined his fun.
"He wouldn't let Regina wash or change him," Emma explained poking at Henry's fresh polo.
He tried to squirm out of Regina's lap and into Emma's, but Regina kept him firmly in her grasp, his punishment clearly being that he had some time out and thinking about his actions to do.
"You two make quite the team," Tina said casually. It was a comment August had expected, if not from Tina than himself or Ruby, but it was Regina's glazed eyes, worried lip, and furrowed brow that had August wondering. He had hopefully gotten through to Emma getting her head out of her ass, but talking sense into the blonde was always a toss up. He had no idea that Regina may also pose the same if not more difficult problem.
Emma's first real birthday party had lasted late into the night. Henry had sufficiently suffered his time out and wore himself out with putting on a dance show for everyone, going so far as to entice Ms. Bell to show everyone the song and dance she had taught him at school the day before. By the time Henry had knocked out for bed (with Rex in tow since Emma had graciously allowed him a sleepover with the toddler), all the guests had left and a car arrived for August. The two friends walked down the path of the mayoral mansion, Emma pushing his empty wheelchair as August held a take out container of a few slices of Regina's lasagna and red velvet cake.