Title: The Challenge
Rating: T
Original Couples:
Emma/Neal, Regina/Robin, Red Riding Hood/Hook, Snow/Charming, Rumple/Belle, Aurora/Mulan
Summary: A scientist arrives in Storybrooke with a proposition: Six couples, separated from each other for eleven weeks, on two separate lands. Each week, there will be a challenge to stay in the game, and each week, someone will be voted out. At the very end, the two remaining individuals from each house will have to spend a night in the same land, where only one will make it through a final fight. If the final two are an original couple, they win $4 million dollars. If you are the solo winner at the end, you get $2 million. If at the very end of it all, you and the person you are left with fall in love, you get a surprise. Throughout the game, there will be twists and turns, and the characters of Storybrooke will be tested in more ways than they ever thought possible. Magic does not work in either of the lands provided. Mary Margaret and David do not have a baby boy in this story.
Chapter 1
A Startling Proposition
"So what you are saying is, we would all have to separate from our significant others, but we would have a shot at a million dollars?" Hook asked the strange white haired man.
"Eleven weeks, and two million dollars," the white haired man replied with a nod. He had thick eighties styled glasses, was around six feet tall, with a slightly larger frame and wore a long white lab coat over his black slacks and button-up shirt.
"But there isn't a guarantee we all win?" Regina asked skeptically, squeezing Robin's hand.
"No," the man replied, shaking his head. "Everyone voted out will no longer be in the running for the money. There will be no go-backs." He explained.
"It's a lot of money," Emma began, and Neal just stood next to her wide-eyed.
"We have been apart before," Neal looked at her seriously. "We can do it again." He stated.
"What about Henry?" Regina interjected. "If all of his family is here…"
"The dwarves could take care of him," Mary Margaret began.
"Those strange short men…" Regina got a disgusted look on her face.
"He can have some male-bonding with my Merry Men," Robin suggested. "Darling," Regina rubbed her forehead and shook her head.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Regina sighed. She looked up at Emma and Neal.
"I am fine with him being with the Merry Men," Emma stated. "I mean," she shrugged. "I leave this one to you." Neal nodded in agreement.
"Fine!" Regina looked seriously at Robin. "If anything happens to him-"
Robin cut her off with a kiss. "Nothing will." He said afterward. "So we are in!" Robin smiled and took the pen and signed his life away for the coming weeks.
Regina reluctantly joined him, and the rest of the couples did too, each one just a bit worried, but also excited for the opportunity to both compete and win millions of dollars.
"Alright." The white haired man smiled at all of them, straightening his glasses. "My name is Miles McAndrews, and I have been waiting a long time to conduct this experiment. My goal in doing this is to see all of your skill-sets, as well as where loyalty really lies. I would also love to give you money." He smiled at them. "So with that," he smiled. "Your teams have been chosen. I will read them to you now." He removed a neatly folded paper from his pocket. "Emma, to my right, Neal to my left. Hook to my right, Red to my left. Robin to my left, Regina to my right. Snow to my left, Charming to my right. Rumple to my right, Belle to my left. Aurora to my left, Mulan to my right."
The teams were as follows:
Right:
Emma
Hook
Regina
Charming
Rumple
Mulan
Left:
Neal
Red
Robin
Snow
Belle
Aurora
"I have one more small task for each team," Miles grabbed two bags, and handed one to Charming and the other to Robin. "Would everyone please take a coin out of the bag," Miles instructed. Each team did so. "Whose coin matches whose?" He asked. Neal and Belle matched and stood next to each other. Red and Robin matched, and Snow and Aurora did. "The left team is all matched up." Miles stated. "How about the right?" Emma hesitantly stood next to Regina, Mulan stood next to Charming, and Hook stood next to Rumple. "Alright," Miles wrote down both sets of teams. "Keep this in mind, but don't let it define your experience. I will explain more as the experiment continues." With the pushes of two buttons, each team arrived in their separate worlds.
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Emma felt water engulfing her, and all she could think about was getting herself into swimming position. She felt a hand rotating her body so she could paddle, and she saw Regina right next to her. "There is the shore," Regina stated, swimming to it as quickly as she could. Hook's feet hit the sand shortly after, and Emma followed. Somehow, Mulan, Charming and Rumple were all already on the shore, and they waved at everyone else.
"Look!" Emma walked over to three huts on the shore. "Ladies hut," she read the sign on one of them, and noticed there were three beds in it. There was a purple one, which Regina eyed right away, and two red quilted ones that Emma and Mulan both smiled at. "Men's hut," she read the sign on the one next to it. Two blue quilted ones and one green quilted on were inside that one. "Winner's hut". Emma read a paper reel on the door of the third hut. "Every week, someone will win immunity on each team. This person will live in the winner's hut, and they cannot be voted out if the team loses the challenge against the other team."
"I will be the first to win!" Hook stated.
"Like hell you will," Regina retorted, smirking at him.
"Alright," Emma shook her head. "Let's find out if we get rations, or if we have to hunt, pick and fish for our own food."
"And what about fire?" Charming asked.
"Good idea dad. You, Hook and Rumple should stay here and work on the fire, Regina, myself and Mulan will see what we can do about dinner."
Before the guys knew what hit them, the girls were gone. "Boys," Rumple began. "I think they outsmarted us."
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Neal and Robin landed next to each other and into moist dirt. Thunder, lightning and rain stormed around them, and Ruby ran up to them. "This weather is awful!" She exclaimed.
"Tell me about it!" A frustrated Mary Margaret, with mascara dripping down her face, exclaimed.
"Belle?" Aurora shook her. They were away from the group, but the closest to the cabins they would be staying in.
Belle's eyes fluttered open. "Are we there?" She asked.
"Almost. We need to get to those cabins." Aurora helped her stand up, and they headed for the shelter. "Men's cabin," Aurora read on the door.
"I don't care!" Belle exclaimed. "I want to get warm and relax inside." She pushed her way into the cabin and Aurora followed.
"Come on!" Aurora waved at the group, who wasn't too far off, and they ran to the cabins.
"This is the men's cabin." Belle stated.
"I sure hope you ladies got a bit more in the way of a space." Robin stated, looking around.
"There are only two of you." Belle shrugged, "of course ours will be larger."
"You hope." Neal teased. There were two large beds in the same room, and there was a hammock just outside. The walls were all logs, and they were covered in some hunted animal heads. The place was overall quite creepy in the women's minds. Neal and Robin didn't mind it at all.
"My bow!" Robin saw it hanging on the wall and quickly grabbed it. "I can hunt us dinner with this!" He smiled with pride.
"Okay ladies," Mary Margaret led the women to the door. "It is time to check out our cabin."
It wasn't much, but it would be home for the next few weeks for them. "It's plain." Belle stated.
"That it is." Aurora agreed, removing her coat and setting it on what she was claiming as her bed. It had a yellow quilt on it, and was quite close to the fireplace. Another bed was down there, with a red quilt on it, and Ruby plopped down on it.
Upstairs, Belle and Mary Margaret took the two beds there, with blue flowery quilts. This was going to be a long experience. Mary Margaret was quickly realizing how much she was missing David, and how lost she felt without him, and Belle's heart was missing Rumple too.
"Ladies!" Neal knocked at the door of their cabin. "There is a bigger cabin behind this one!" quickly, all the girls went outside to check it out. Neal read the paper attached to it. "Each week," he began. "Someone will be given this cabin, the winner's cabin." He continued, and read the exact same thing Emma had.
"The door is locked." Robin stated, trying it.
"We must get the key if we win the challenge." Mary Margaret stated. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Well," Robin shrugged. "I am sure the crazy guy will let us know when that is going to happen." He sighed and peeked in the window. All he could see was a huge bed. He stepped off the porch, grabbed his bow, and headed into the woods.
"I am getting a fire started in our men's cabin." Neal stated. "Dinner when Robin returns?" He looked to the ladies for confirmation, and they nodded at him.
"I can't believe there are no portions for us," Mary Margaret sighed.
"At least we have a hunter over here." Aurora pointed out the obvious. "Mulan will have the other team taken care off food wise too." She smiled proudly, and Snow gave her a quick side hug and smile.
"David can at least build a fire." She added.
"Our partners will get along just fine." Belle smiled. "Especially without magic." Her eyebrows went up and she smiled. "I cannot imagine Rumple right now." She giggled, as did all the ladies, and they headed back to their cabin.
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What do you think? Worth continuing?