Once Upon A Time

"Oh, just go," Certainty said from her perch on the balcony wall, the cape of her foreign black armor billowed behind her in the wind.

"Invitation or no, she is your stepdaughter," Absolute agreed from the doorway, his silver and iron wolf armor gleaming in the low candle light.

'Yeah, it's an automatic invitation." Certainty hopped up and plucked at her bow. "It'd be the perfect way to remind her that she can do nothing against you."

"You're right, of course," The Evil Queen said as she passed in between them and her father and uncertainly.

"Absolutely."

"Certainly."

The Evil Queen thought for a moment more. "Alright, I'm going!" She disappeared into a puff of purple smoke.

Henry turned to the Queens personal body guards. "She does not need this! You two should not push her so."

"She must do this if she is ever to be happy," Certainty said calmly.

"I don't see how..."

"It's not for you to see," Absolute interrupted him. "This absolutely needs to happen."

"And it certainly will."


Regina walked into The Tea Trolley in search of her step-sister. "Ora? Are you in?"

"I'm in the back, Reg," a gravelly voice sounded from the kitchen. Regina rounded the counter and walked back to the stainless steel surroundings her sister was working in. "Hey, sis!"

"Hey."

"Your cups' on the counter next to the rent." The blood haired woman pointed to a china tea cup next to a large green wad.

Regina sipped her sweet apple sour tea only her sister could make and looked at the cash next to her saucer. "Rent day?"

"Yup," Orabella said from one of her dehydrators. "Mr. Gold should be here soon."

"You know, you could always stay with me and Henry instead of living over the shop."

Orabella bit back her sigh. It was an old argument between them. "True, but then you'd complain that I'm keeping you up when I wake up in the middle of the night with a new idea." She snickered as she tinkered with the inner workings of the machine. "Like when I made your favorite tea."

"I can't believe you actually call it Poisoned Apple," she said as she looked over her sisters form somewhat suspiciously. 'Would it be so bad if she remembered?'

"I told you I would," Orabella said as she turned to look at Regina. "Just like I made all of my other teas sound like they came out of a fairy tale. After all- Son-of-a-bitch!" She ran to her sink as Regina jumped up. Running cold water over her slightly sliced finger she used her other hand to point behind Regina. "Med-kit, blue box."

She nodded and quickly grabbed the box before going to Orabella's side. "What did you hit an artery," she asked as she dried off her sisters finger.

Orabella scoffed. "It only needs a bandaid."

The shop door rang from the dinning room. "Miss Shine?" The thick accent caused Regina to roll her eyes.

"Just a moment please! Orabella turned to her sister. "Would you..." she nodded to the dinning room, "...while I clean up?"

"Sure," the brunet nodded with a smile before picking up the cash and walking out of the kitchen.

"Madam Mayor Mills," the pawnbroker and landlord for most of the town sighed. "We meet again. I hope Miss Shine is well?"

"She just cut her finger. Here's your money," Regina said as she slammed the wad down in front of him.

Mr. Gold picked up the bills. "Madame Mayor, you have given me Miss Shines' rent for as long as I can remember. If I hadn't clearly recalled meeting her when she signed her lease on the shop, I'd wonder if she existed at all."

"And I'd like to keep it that way. Now take your money and be on your way."

"Very well, Mayor Mills, but remember, your step-sisters' lease is almost up. If I don't see her by then, I'm well within my rights, as her landlord, to lease this lovely shop to someone else." He smirked and left without another word.

Orabella walked out of the kitchen with Regina's tea cup. "Did he leave already?"

"Yes," Regina sighed, taking the cup from her sister. "He had some other stops to make." She finished the cup in one swallow. "Dinner later?"

"I don't think anyone will mind if I close the shop early today," she said smiling. "Granny's at 6?"

"Perfect," Regina said as she returned the smile and placed her cup and saucer on a dirty dish rack. She grabbed her bag and made her way out of the tea shop.


Stacia walked out of the kitchen doors, balancing her purse, car keys, phone, and evening tea in her hands. The day was over, stages clear, kitchen cleaned, and all props stored for the next few months whilst the editors went through the scripts for season 6. She stoped and looked at her car where Robert had lent against it. "I thought you went home? It's break, take Ana, go do something fun," she said as she unlocked her car.

"I'm just here to make certain you're okay, and that you're not going to do anything irrational tonight."

She sighed and smiled sadly. "I've learned my lesson from the last two times, Robert. Ken is gone and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just going to go home and go to bed." She opened her car door. "And you should, too, Mr. Carlyle," she said in a way that reminded him of his mother.

"Goodnight then, Miss Marquardt," he said as he tipped an invisible hat to her. "I'll see you next year."

She smiled, got in her car, and drove herself home. Kennard Furst had been her best friend since middle school. When she moved to L.A. To become part of a catering company for ABC Studios, he followed her from their dinky town in Minnesota so she wouldn't be alone having to pay for an apartment. They had been near inseparable...

Until he disappeared three years ago. The second season had come to its end. Stacia had stayed to ensure a clean kitchen while Ken left for their apartment in Atwater Village an hour before. When she arrived, he wasn't there. She waited, falling asleep on the couch with her corgi Stiltskin and his pit bull Hook. She awoke to a still empty apartment. She called his phone, their friends, then the police.

A week passed before they found his phone in Griffith Park. Two weeks: his car was towed from a trail in Angeles National Forest. After three weeks, the police declared they had no more time or resources to spend looking for him and stopped. But she hadn't. Three years later she still looked.

She opened the door to her apartment, Stiltskin and Hook dancing happily at her feet. "Hey, guys. Did you have fun with the dog walker today?" The dogs pawed at their food dish. "Okay, alright. Food." She fed them and shuffled towards her bedroom. A bright light encased her and she disappeared.


Orabella heard voices outside and looked out the window. Henry and a blond stranger in a red coat were walking up to the house. "It's him!"

Regina ran to the door, Sheriff Graham and Orabella following close behind. "Henry?" Regina ran to her son and held him. "Oh, Henry! Ohh. Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened," she asked pulling back and looking to the unidentified woman.

"I found my real mom!" Henry ran inside without a glance to anyone else.

Regina looked to the woman in shock. "You're Henry's birth mother?"

"Hi," the blind said awkwardly.

Orabella sensed a need to escape. "I think the Sheriff and I will go check on Henry."

"Make sure he's alright." The pair made a hasty retreat back into the house. Orabella knocked on her nephews door. "Henry? Can I come in?"

"Yes, Auntie Ora, you can come in." She opened the door and she and Graham entered. Henry was sitting on his bed. "I'm okay."

"I'm glad," she said sitting down on the opposite side. "I on the other hand was scared half to death."

Henry sighed and leaned back to lay in her lap and give her a hug. "I'm sorry, Auntie."

"Can't stay mad at you, kid," she said bending over him. She sighed and sat up straight. "I think it's bed time, little man."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm kinda tired."

"Well, since you are okay, Henry, I'll be off," Graham said from the doorway, turning to go.

"Thank you for coming, Sheriff," Orabella said with a smile as she shut the door. She turned to the boy. "Alright, spill it."

"She's my birth mother."

"Yeah, I got that." Henry huffed. "Okay, fine don't tell me." She kissed him on the head. "I still love you, kid. No more running away and giving me heart attacks, okay?" He nodded as she left his room. As she walked down the stairs she saw the stranger looking as though she were about to go. "Leaving so soon?"

"Yeah, it's really late, and I should be heading back to Boston."

"A shame," Orabella said as she reached the ground floor.

"Yeah, anyway, thanks for the drink." The woman sighed and walked out the door.

Orabella looked to her sister. "He's asleep now. How're you doing?"

"I'll be fine," Regina said as she locked the front door.

"If you're certain," Orabella said as she picked up her purse. "I'll be going then."

Regina smiled genuinely. "And I just locked you in." She unlocked the door and opened it. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sleep well, sis," Orabella said, giving her step-sister a hug before leaving.


"It's started!"

"Get to the castle!"

"No point!"

The billowing purple clouds were catching up to them quickly.

"See you in 28 years!"

The spell overpowered the misplaced pair.


Henry and the woman, now known as Emma Swan, walked up to the Mayors Mansion. Regina opened the door, Orabella stood behind her. Henry quietly slipped in as Regina spoke to Emma. Orabella went to the kitchen to prepare a snack as Henry went to his room. She brought the apples and peanut butter up to him and watched in shock as the old clock tower moved from 8:15 to 8:16. Henry looked up at his aunt. "She's staying!"

XXX

A/n: Hello and welcome! Some of you may recognize this from the crossover part of FF. Rest assured, I have deleted the old story and reposted it just under OUaT. I HAVE NOT STOLEN IT! As shown, I will be having insights from all the worlds, not as many from 'reality', but I hope you will enjoy them nonetheless. Any comments on grammar or whatnot, please PM me and I'll fix it. Thank You!