Skeletons in the Closet
A/N: Hi! It's been a really difficult month for me; I'm going through graduation practices. I'm sorry I haven't updated much.
To those of you who are asking, I'm having a hard time writing chapter 5 of 'The Outlaw, the Queen and the Year' because of the upcoming smut. I hope you forgive me. Please give me more time to enhance it.
So, here's another story I had in mind! I just had to write it.
Prompt: There's a girl that introduced herself to the heroes. She knows Killian and she acted suspiciously through the conversation. It turns out, she had a rather disturbing past. Who is she, and what is she up to?
P.S. This is the time right after they defeated Hades and that Henry went to New York but they didn't meet the people from The Land of Untold Stories. Regina never had to split herself in half.
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A knock came through the door. "Snow, get the door!"
"I can't, Regina! I'm cooking." Snow shouted back from the kitchen.
"Well, I'm in the damn bathroom!"
"Fine, I'll get it." Snow huffed and turned the fire a little lower. She wiped her hands on the nearest clean towel she can find and headed to the door. She opened it and saw a teenage girl standing in their doorway in jeans and a simple white-button down shirt.
"Umm… hello, what can I do for you?" she said, curious as to whom she was.
"Is Regina Mills inside? She's not in her mansion." The girl said, swaying awkwardly. Only then Snow noticed that the girl has a black backpack behind her.
"She's in the bathroom, taking a shower. You can wait for her inside, miss…?" she trailed off, hoping the girl will take the hint and tell her her name.
"Oh! Elizabeth. Elizabeth Walter. Nice to meet the infamous Snow White."
"You too." They went inside and without looking around, Elizabeth made a direct beeline to the couch. If Snow didn't know any better, she would've thought she lived here.
Snow frowned but she went back to the kitchen and continued cooking.
Elizabeth pulled out her phone and after a few minutes, Regina walked out of the bathroom, dressed.
"Who was at the door?" she directly asked.
"She said her name was Elizabeth Walter and she wants to see you."
"Elizabeth? I always loved that name. I used to tell that a lot to my mother when I was a child. Where is she?"
"At the couch." Before Regina could go there, Snow stopped her. "There's something familiar with her. She has brown hair and a nose that looks exactly like yours." She whispered.
"I never had a daughter, Snow. Don't expect anything." Regina whispered back.
Regina walked to the couch and saw a teenage girl that she assumed was Elizabeth. She was too focused on taking pictures of the apartment with awe to notice her.
She cleared her throat and Elizabeth looked up. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "Your Majesty!"
Regina was taken aback. Elizabeth stood and bowed her head in front of her. She never thought someone would still call her that.
"You're Elizabeth, right?" she asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I came to see you, and you alone."
"Before anything else, please call me 'Regina'. Nobody calls me 'Your Majesty' anymore."
"Oh, trust me, I know." Elizabeth smirked and put her phone in her pocket.
Regina frowned. "Then why do you call me it?"
"It's an honour to meet Her Majesty. It's not every day you end up in Snow White's apartment with Regina Mills taking a shower in the bathroom." Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "Now, Regina; let's talk."
"About what?"
"Just please sit on the couch. I'll just go get Snow." She stood up and went to the kitchen. "Umm… Mary Margaret?"
Snow looked up. "Yes, Elizabeth?"
"Will you please come to the couch? I just need to talk to both of you."
"Sure, after I finish this." Snow turned to the stove again to resume cooking but light blue smoke surrounded it and suddenly, the fish she was cooking was in a platter, ready to be served.
Snow gasped and turned to look at Elizabeth in question. Elizabeth put her finger to her lips. "Don't tell anyone, or I'll kill you."
Fear filled Snow and she nodded instantly. "I'll be there in a minute."
"I'll know when you tell someone. If you do, know that you're never going to breathe again."
"I promise."
"I'll be waiting with Regina."
Elizabeth walked away to the couch and sat beside the Queen. Regina looked at her. She looks exactly like her. Except for her eyes, which was ocean blue and it reminded her of her Robin.
"Don't stare at me like that, Regina." Elizabeth turned to her and sadly smiled.
"Like what?"
She sighed and ran her hand across her face and turned to look at her. "Look, I know you miss Robin and I remind you of him, but don't look at me like he didn't risk his life for you." Regina could tell she was on the verge of crying but she couldn't understand. Who was Elizabeth to Robin?
"What do you mean, Elizabeth? I know he died for me and I wanted nothing more to bring him back."
"It's just every fucking time you see something that reminds you of him, you just… want everything to change. You'll wish that he didn't die or you blame Zelena for something that is your fault!"
"My fault?" Regina felt rage fill her up. How dare this girl tell her that it was her fault Robin died? "Do you even know what happened or you just ran around blaming people for their lover's death?"
"Analyse it. Why did Robin die?" Elizabeth gritted her teeth in anger as tears threatened to fall. "Because of you. You could've dodged the blast. But you didn't and Robin had to die for your stupidity!"
Regina scoffed. "Why are you arguing this to me? Who were you to Robin Hood and why didn't he tell me about you?" She stood up.
"Stick your nose into your own business!" Elizabeth's eyes looked like they were glowing and she was panting angrily as she stood too.
"Stop it, both of you!" a voice was heard and they both looked up.
Snow was standing there with a frown on her face. "You know, I don't know much about magic but I know that your emotions activate them or something. You might burn my whole apartment down, and I'll have nowhere to live in so will you please calm down?" she scoffed.
They sat down on the couch. "Snow, I can control my powers, you don't have to be worried about me." Regina rolled her eyes. Sometimes, Snow can be a big pain in the ass. Her ass, especially.
"It's not you I'm worried about." Snow's eyes drifted to Elizabeth when Regina looked at her in question.
Regina widened her eyes and turned to Elizabeth, who was glaring Snow. Elizabeth stood, her eyes blazing. "I never should have trusted a woman who can't keep her mouth shut."
"Excuse me?" Snow gasped.
"You see, it's a sickness that runs in that sickly sweet family of yours. It's in your heroic bones." Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
"Wait… you have magic?" Regina stood beside Snow and crossed her arms across her chest.
Elizabeth looked around and sighed. She breathed in and out. "Yes, Regina. And that's why I'm here. I need your help."
"My help?" Regina frowned.
"Look, I've been having a hard time controlling my anger, as you've seen and when that happens, my magic fires up. It hurts the people around me and I don't want that. But, you, you can control it and I was hoping you could help me."
Regina smiled. "Sure. Are there any other things I should worry about?"
"Well, I've been having seizures since I was 6 years old. I never knew why it happens, since I was born in The Land without Magic but my grandmother and I went to the Dragon. He told me that there is light and dark magic inside me and they use me as a war zone. It's like my body is being ripped in half whenever the seizures happen."
"You're from outside of Storybrooke." Snow declared.
"Not really. I came from another dimension and—
The door opened and the three of them turned around. Emma, Henry, Charming and Hook were standing there at the doorway, all looking at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth's eyes widened and broke the silence. "Killian…" She ran to him as Killian opened his arms to welcome her into his embrace.
"I missed you, Liz." He whispered. Regina and The Charmings gasped in surprise.
Killian felt his neck get wet as tears spilled from Elizabeth's eyes. "I did too." She mumbled, burying his head at the crook of his neck.
Emma stepped forward and took her gun out. She aimed in at Elizabeth. "Who are you?"
They both pulled from the embrace and Killian placed himself between Emma and Elizabeth.
"Emma, stop. It's not what you think." He laid a hand on the saviour's hand, on where she was holding her gun.
"Really?" Emma's green eyes were filled with hurt and jealousy as she looked at the girl and then to Killian, "We arrive here and you both hug each other and you tell her the other you miss each other and you think I'll think that you're just friends. How do I know she isn't going to steal you from me?"
Elizabeth glared at the saviour but kept her breathing calm. "Hello, to you too, saviour."
"Who are you and what do you intend to do?"
"I've just missed my uncle; can't I, at least, catch up?" she smiled evilly.
"Uncle?" Snow stepped closer to them and frowned. "He's your uncle?"
"Yes, Mary Margaret; this is Elizabeth. She's not biologically my niece but I umm…" he trailed off and looked at Elizabeth. He knew that meeting Regina Mills was hard for her and he knew, based from experience, that she had a plan before revealing herself as to whom she truly was so he kept quiet. He didn't want to ruin her plan and her lies. But he was glad she was here.
Elizabeth gave him a small smile. "He bumped into my grandmother when he was sailing the realms and he helped her when she had a heart attack. She wasn't strong enough to take care of me so he agreed to help. He stayed a while in my apartment to help me and my grandmother. When he left, I was sleeping; he didn't even say goodbye, but I forgive him for it."
"You didn't tell us, Walter, why?" Regina questioned.
Killian frowned at the surname Regina gave but didn't say a thing. Elizabeth turned to Regina. "Well, I was going to tell you, but Prince Farming here, his daughter, and his grandson opened the damned door."
"Oh…" The Queen sighed. "Would you start from the very top? Because I'm really confused."
"Of course you'd be. I had a seemingly long life, even if I'm only 17 and a half." Elizabeth indicated all of them to sit down somewhere in Snow's apartment. Emma suspiciously narrowed her eyes at her, cautiously before Killian grabbed her hand to drag her to the couch where Regina was seated.
Once they were all settled down, Elizabeth started with her story. "Ever since I was little girl, my grandmother stuck with me my whole life. I never met my father. I never met my mother either, until recently. My grandma always told me they didn't want me so they gave me to her. She told me stories of how beautiful my mother was and I have to agree with her. I met my mother but she didn't know it was me. But that was only recently. When I was a kid, 6 years old, I think, I had seizures, as I had told you a while ago." She gestured at Regina and Snow, who both nodded.
"My grandma had many problems then; I couldn't tell her I was suffering. I wouldn't. So I kept it to myself. I made sure to see her less. But one day, I couldn't stay away from her; it was her birthday. I can't leave her. I was eight years old when it happened." Tears prickled at her eyes as she recalled the moment. "As we were eating, I had my seizure. I started screaming and growling. The pain unbearable; it was breaking me. My grandma couldn't do anything. After what seemed like hours, but only a few minutes passed, it stopped, as instant as it appeared. My grandma, obviously, was worried. She took me to a specialist: The Dragon. He told me that light and dark magic was battling inside me. I was surprised. I had asked him as to where I got the magic. He told me it was inherited from my mother."
Emma spoke up. "Wait, wait. You believed him?"
Elizabeth nodded, her eyes seemed lost in her own thoughts, but Killian knew the truth and he knew that part of her story-telling was true and half was a lie.
"I did." Elizabeth shook her head and closed her eyes. She looked at them and explained, "You see, I was from another dimension. A dimension, where… you're all in a TV show."
"A TV Show?" Henry perked up. "What's the story?"
Elizabeth smiled. She knew that would get Henry to listen. "Your stories. All of your stories are told there. I know a lot about all of you, especially Regina."
Everyone looked at the said woman. "Me? Why me?"
"You inspire me. I always thought you had the capability to love. I mean, all your fans did. But, I must say, I liked your evil self better."
"Really? I've done horrible things and you liked it?"
"Many people did. They liked-no, that's an understatement-they loved the way you make the bravest man in all the realms run like mice in your presence. The ratings are at their best when the episode is about you. Your Evil Regals love you, no matter who you are. They understand the pain you're through. You're the one you deserves a happy ending most of all."
"Why are you telling me this?" Regina was teary-eyed. All this time she thought nobody loved, understood her but here she is, listening to the way people, who haven't seen her in person, loved her truthfully.
"Because it's time you learned that there is someone out there who loves you." Elizabeth stood and walked to the door. "I'll see you." She walked out the door, slamming it close.
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"Elizabeth, why did you run off? I was worried." She heard Killian's deep British voice behind her.
"I needed to clear my head." She said.
After she slammed the door of Snow White's apartment, she transported herself to the woods with the view of Storybrooke. The breeze of the forest had always calmed her. It had been her fortress for so long.
"I know you're lying, Liz. Did you think that after taking care of you, I'd forget that you lie so much?" he approached her, watching the lights of the town come to life as the morning fades into darkness.
"Fine." Elizabeth turned to look at his face. "I couldn't take the face of my mother as she stares at me, never knowing I'm her daughter. She doesn't even know I exist. You know my story; you know how I twisted it." Elizabeth turned to the town again and hugged herself, humming softly.
"That's right. I'm the only one that knows the real you." Killian smirked. "What is your plan, anyway?"
"Who said I'll tell you?" she smirked back.
"Elizabeth…" he warned, frowning.
"You can threaten me anymore. I have magic and enough experience." She looked at him and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'll see you, Captain Killian Jones."
"Good night, then, Elizabeth Mills-Locksley."
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