Hello all. This is my first Once fic, and I'm trying something out. I know who 'she' in this story is, and I will let you know eventually. But until then, this part is to be considered a filler for the middle of the story, I will work up to this, and then on from this part, But I will not be giving out the answer right away. I am ignoring Season 4 because it has just begun. Thoughts and ideas are welcome, constructive only please. All negatives will be ignored. Please bear with me as I work my way through this.
Rebel Maineiac
You never know what you have till you lose it.
It's an old saying that she never really paid attention to, at least not till now. Now it had more meaning then she ever thought it could. It had only taken a second to lose something she had taken for granted all her life. One second to change her entire life. Funny thing was, she could not really remember that second, but it was the most important one, the only one, she could think about.
She could remember them all going into the mines, looking for the strangers that had once again found their way into Storybrooke, bringing fear and mistrust with them. The last time strangers had come they had had their entire lives turned upside down for the second time in a year. Henry kidnapped, Neal lost to them, possibly dead, and then once they had come back, Rumplestiltskin giving his own life to save them from Peter Pan, his own father. Now there was a messed up family if there ever was one.
Then Zelena happened, and once again everything was topsy-turvy, but after her defeat, they had peace, as much as they could anyways with the assorted denizens that they lived with, and the town breathed a collective sigh of relief. They should have known it would not last. They were not that lucky.
The second time they faced strangers, they decided to watch, to see what they were doing, to not let their guard down, and it had worked at first. But then their luck ran out. A careless conversation between Henry and Grace had let the strangers know they were being spied on, and they had taken steps to guard themselves. And guard
themselves they did, for what use was anyone's skills with sword or bow against people who used guns?
Robin and his men found that out for them, none. The Merry Men were driven from their beloved trees into town for fear of a sniper. No one was killed, but several of them sported fresh bandages on arms or legs. So the war council was reformed, this time all of the main leaders both 'good' and 'evil', against a common foe. A council that proved useless at first, until, out of the mouths of babes, as another saying went, they used magic to keep their meetings from being bugged.
Sometimes she wondered how they had not been discovered by the outside world before then considering their lack of common sense in all things subtle. But, it had worked, and a plan was formed, and once again, it was the leaders of the town off to face the unknown. As David had put it, how could they send others to face danger if they were not willing to face it themselves?
After that, all she could remember was flashes of memory. Volunteering lead them, a damp dark tunnels, a shouted warning, and pain. Pain that seemed to radiate from the back of her upper shoulders and neck and focusing in the center of her brain, like someone had driven a red hot poker through her mind. Her ribs and left knee, both areas broken, were like a dull ache compared to it.
Even with the large bandage wrapped around her head, covering the cuts, front and back, she kept her eyes closed when she had awoken. The strong smell of disinfectant and pull of a needle in the back of her hand let her know where she was. But it wasn't until the doctor came in she realized the truth. Her life had been changed beyond her understanding, beyond her ability to cope. No one else had even a clue what to do to help, because no one else had ever lost themselves like she had.
Losing their memories had been temporary, but her loss now was permanent. There was no spell, no enemy to battle to get her 'reward'. Even True Loves kiss could not fix it, or Gold would not have a limp if you believed him. She had to face reality, harsh, cold, unforgiving reality.
Sight, sound, taste, touch and smell, all five senses, take one away and you change a person forever. She had lost one now, never realizing just how important it had been, till now.
She was …
