For those of you who follow me for my other stories, I apologize deeply for the delay in those and rest assured they will be updated but the papers and data for them have been either lost or misplaced so I need to find them or replicate them which takes time, thank you crashed laptop.
This is a teaser chapter for a story that I'm currently working on for OUAT and due to the airing of the new season I decided to post this early as a gift. I haven't finished writing the first season yet but when I do, that's when I'll start posting again for it. Each season will be its own story with its own title. Between full time school and part time work, it'll be a while before I get to post things again. I'm graduating in the spring so wish me luck.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of OUAT, it's characters or otherwise. I only claim my OC, her family and most of her story.
Story is rated M for language and suggested themes but no actual content.
Please be wary when you read. No flames and such about how you don't like my character or what she's doing. YOU DON'T LIKE THE STORY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ. I've worked hard in doing my research and such to make my character unique.
SUMMARY: Sapphire Leon is your seemingly normal woman living in the comfortable town of Storybrooke with longtime boyfriend, Richard Gold. What no one knows is that she's been slowly retaining her memories for almost 10 years thought there have been extreme gaps and she actually didn't know what to make of them for the longest time. When Emma Swan comes to town things get interesting. Her powers have manifested since she started having her dreams and as a Queen, she's ready to pick up were things left of in the Enchanted Forest.
"Push, my Lady!" An older woman in her late 40's commanded as she knelt at the foot of her Queen's bed.
The whole castle was in an uproar over Queen Carissa going into labor. King Leonus paced furiously outside the door to the birthing chamber. The proud King was both joyous and nervous. He had no doubt that at any moment his son and heir would be born.
Oh yes, he knew it was going to be a boy. All the first-borns in his family were boys, it was tradition. When his beautiful love told him they were expecting, he was more than overjoyed to hear it. Everything was set as he heard his love scream, much like she had been doing for the past few hours.
Inside the room, Carissa was writhing in agony as she pushed with the contractions. Her maid servant, Hilda, had been with her the whole time in comfort as she watched her Queens' face grow paler and paler, her strength leaving her body. Already, her wings had begun to wither to age, the feathers littering the bed and floor now bleak and frail. Both women knew that the Queen would not survive the night. With one final push, the Phoenixian gave birth to her child, whose voice cried out to announce their arrival. As Carissa tried catching her breath, Hilda wrapped the wailing babe in a light blue blanket.
"It's a girl, my Queen." Hilda passed over the bundle as the Queen struggled to sit herself up with what little strength she had. Carissa was fearful because she knew how desperate her husband was for a son. She loved Leonus dearly with all her heart and soul but she feared his anger not towards her, but to the little girl she now held in her arms.
"Please, send in my husband." she whispered as she gently rocked the babe to quiet her cries. "Hush now, my little one."
She looked at the small tuff of red hair that caressed the baby's head as the does burst open, the King striding in with his face beaming with pride.
"Ah my darling, let me see him. Let me see my son." He was quick to her side as she hesitated to pass over the baby.
"Leonus before you start planning things, there is someone you should meet." She took a weak breath. "This is your daughter, Safira." Her voice was hoarse and small as she smiled down at the baby whose eyes had now opened to show hazel rings.
All baby Phoenix's were born with fire first, their key features being red hair and hazel eyes. Carissa was in an Earth life with brown hair and emerald eyes, the same colored features that Safira would show someday if she ever became and Earth life to which the Queen prayed would never come. Leonus looked down at his wife and noticed how sickly she seemed now.
"But I thought we were going to have a son. I was supposed to have a son first, it's tradition in my family!" Carissa could feel his anger rising and passed baby Safira over to Hilda in fear that he may do something drastic.
"I know dear but you know that it's different in the ways of my people. We never know what gender our babies will be until they are born. But that is neither here nor there. Please, my love." She weakly reached out to grasp her husbands' hand that he took in confusion.
"What's going on Carissa?"
"I am sorry, my darling but you must promise me something." Leonus could feel his eyes brimming with tears as the truth of what was happening before him started setting in.
"Anything, my love." Carissa closed her eyes and took a harsh breath.
"I want…no, I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, you will let Safira live. She will be a good girl for you, I know it. Will you grant me this last request?" Her breathing was becoming erratic and those in the room knew that these were her final moments.
"Yes, Carissa." he promised and though he was not happy about it, he couldn't deny this last request.
"Thank you, Leonus...thank…you." The Queen fell back against the pillows as her eyes closed and her breathing became no more.
Hilda began to cry as her friend and Mistress passed on but she did her best to keep her voice steady as she looked to the King.
"Your majesty." She held out the whimpering babe to him as he leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on his now late wife's forehead.
He looked from the baby to his still love with a furious scowl; his mind already made up.
"Keep that thing away from me!" he hissed before turning on his heel, storming out of the room and slamming the door with such force it sent Safira into wails again.
Hilda bounced the child gently in her arms as she sat beside the body of her Mistress.
"Don't worry, my Queen. Your little Princess will be a wonderful woman someday. I shall help her. That is my promise to you."
Sapphire Leon strode down Main Street of Storybrooke, Maine towards her shop, 'Transformation'. It was a simple little herbal shop that helped with small, minor ailments for both people and animals. Doctor Archie Hopper visited the shop every once in a while with his Dalmatian, Pongo for some of her home baked dog biscuits. Unlocking the door, she stepped inside just in time for her phone to start ringing. She was a little surprised that someone would be calling, usually they just came to the shop if they wanted something.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Morning, dearie." The smooth Scottish accent of her boyfriend sounded through the other line. "Sorry I left so early this morning but I had some business to see to." Sapphire knew what he meant by that.
Richard Gold owned practically the whole town so usually said 'business' meant dealing with rent, loans, or repossessing. She knew that of all the people in town to fear, between the Mayor Regina Mills and Mr. Gold, Richard was the scarier of the two. No one wanted to get on his bad side. Ever. But she knew what she was getting into five years ago when they started dating. They had known each other for as long as she could remember and although his reputation wasn't the greatest to have, that didn't deter her from accepting his proposal of a dinner date. Everything fell into place after that. After two and a half years, she packed up her things and moved into his Victorian style home.
"Of course, dear. Shall I see you around three?" her lover chuckled.
"Should I expect you any other time?" Even though he couldn't see it, Sapphire shook her head.
"No, I suppose not but I do have to pick up Henry at five." Every Wednesday and Friday, Sapphire picked up Henry Mills, Regina's adopted son, from his therapy session with Archie and took him back to her shop for an hour or two until Regina could retrieve him once she was done with town business.
She had grown fond of the boy ever since he was a baby. Though Regina was a harsh woman, she did seem to have Henry's best interests at heart. For the past few weeks though, Henry had been acting a little strange. He seemed to really be focused on a book of fairy tales that his teacher, Mary Margaret, gave him. Whenever she tried to see it or ask him about it, he'd hide it and try to change the subject. If was a bit odd.
"Of course, my love. I shall see you at three." Richard bid his love farewell and they hung up the call.
Switching her closed sign to open, she opened one of her herbal books and started preparing some remedies for her usual customers.
Queen Safira stood amongst the crowd of spectators wearing a silver gown that hugged her upper figure but eased out around her hips. Her honey colored hair was pinned back regally in a braid that curled up into a bun with a few loose strands hanging down around her ears. The sleeves of her gown were transparent but shimmered like the stars in the night sky. Her blue teardrop pendant hung around her neck, resting just above the crevice of her breasts. A white gold tiara with a quartet of four colored jewels sat neatly on top of her head. She was closer to the back of the room so her wings didn't bother anyone nor would they be tread on should she relax her shoulders a bit.
Today was the wedding of Snow White and Prince James, or Charming, as Snow liked to call him. The couple said their vows and pledges before the magistrate declared them officially married. However, the doors to the ballroom flew open before the newlyweds could share their first kiss together. Regine, the Evil Queen, stood at the doorway, a smirk gracing her face.
"My apologies for being tardy." She strode in proud and regally, flinging aside the two guards who tried rushing to stop her.
Safira rolled her eyes. Regina always did have a flair for the dramatic.
"What's the Evil Queen want here?" Grumpy, the leader of the Palace Guards asked as Doc, the castle Physician ducked behind him.
Snow reached down and grabbed her husband's sword from its sheath, pointing it in a threating way at her step-mother.
"She's not a Queen anymore, remember?" Regina stopped short of the alter step, the smirk never wavering. "She's nothing more than an evil witch." Charming reached up and gently lowered his wife's arm.
"She can't hurt us, don't stoop to her level." he whispered to her as he gently took the blade back. "You have no power here." he addressed Regina. "And I will not let you ruin this wedding." Regina's expression still did not change.
"That's where you're wrong because I have not come to ruin your wedding. I have a gift for you, actually."
"We want nothing from you." Snow declared as she clutched her husband's arm.
"But you will have it anyway." Regina stated before circling around the altar, looking out at the crowd.
"My gift to you is this happy day." She let the words drip from her lips with an expression that one would assume she ate something horrible. "Tomorrow is when my real work shall begin." Safira did not like where this was going and gently began to make her way to the front of the crowd, the people parting slightly for her to pass. "Soon, every single one of you will have everything you cherish ripped away from you. There will be no happy endings…only my victory." She snarled as Safira stood at the front of the crowd, locking eyes with Regina for a split second before the Evil Queen turned and strode away towards to door.
Angered by her threat, Charming called out to her.
"HEY!"
Regina turned and faced him only for the Prince to fling his sword at the Queen who disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, the sword along with her. Charming wrapped his arms around his wife as the crowd began whispering about what just happened.
Sapphire stood inside Richard's Pawn Shop talking when she looked at her watch.
"Shoot, I'd better go or I'm going to be late getting Henry." She saw the saddened look on her boyfriend's face and she smiled. "I'm sorry, love but I'll make it up to you tonight." She reached up and began fiddling with his tie.
"Oh I'm sure you will, dearie." he whispered as he pulled her closer, his hands resting firmly on her hips.
Their faces moved ever so closely to one another until the moment was interrupted with the ringing of a cell phone. Gold groaned in annoyance as instead their foreheads presses against one another. Sapphire pulled out her phone with a sigh before a frown marred her features.
"It's Regina." The woman never called her unless there was a problem. "Hello?"
"Sapphire, is Henry with you?" The Mayor asked, her voice filled with concern.
"No, I was actually just on my way to pick him up from Dr. Hoppers right now. Why?"
"Because Dr. Hopper just called to say that Henry never showed up when I called the school, they told me he never came in and thought he took a sick day. I saw him walk inside the building."
"Regina, calm down. I assume you've already called Graham so I'll take a walk through town and ask around. We'll find him, ok?" She had never heard this side of the Mayor before and quite frankly, it was a little unnerving.
Gold shared a look of concern as she stepped away to grab her coat.
"Fine." The Mayor hung up abruptly but Sapphire knew that was going to happen.
Regina had only been known to apologize for maybe a handful of things, if that.
"Our young Henry has become the next Houdini?" Gold jested as he helped her into her coat.
"That's not funny, Richard. Henry has never done something like this before. Something could be seriously wrong. I'm going to go and check his usual spots. Call me if you see him or hear anything." She pleaded as she pulled up the zipper and fastened the buttons on her black coat.
"Of course, my gem." He answered with a kiss to her lips that they had failed in earlier.
"I'll call you before coming home but don't wait up if it's too late." She didn't like it when he waited up so late for her because he was usually up before her for work.
"No promises, dearie." he remarked as she slid from his arms.
"Of course not." He made deals, not a lot of promises.
She walked out the door and started with Granny's Diner first. When that became a dead end, she headed down to the beach front where his 'secret castle' was built but that turned up at a dead end too. She spent the next three and a half hours combing through the town trying to find the ten year old but the search led to nothing. She was heading to her car, ready to try and comb through the town quickly again when she saw something strange.
A yellow bug with Massachusetts license plates pulled to an abrupt stop. No one came to Storybrooke, it just didn't happen…for some reason.
Four hooded figures made their way through the underground catacombs. A heavily pregnant Snow White and Prince Charming walked at fast pace with a guard and Queen Safira.
"Whatever you do, stay out of the light and don't let him know your name if you value your life." The guard, Aster, warned as they came closer to a cell resting in the back of the catacombs. Pointed iron bars came from both the ground and ceiling, keeping it's one and only prisoner contained.
"Rumplestiltskin!"Aster called, demanding the presence of the feared Dark One. "I have a question." A scaly, gold shimmer hand grasped one of the bars as he climbed down from the stop.
"Don't lie. You are not the one to see me." He looked away from Aster and pointed to the two closer figures. "They are. Snow White and Prince Charming. Don't mock me, dearies. Come closer." He motioned and the two obeyed, stepping forward and lowering their hoods to show their faces.
"We've come here-"
"YES! I know why you're here!" The Dark One interrupted the Prince. "You've come to learn about the Queen's threat."
"Tell us what you know." Snow demanded, her hand pressed protectively against her round stomach.
Safira stood off to the side, leaning sideways against the cave wall so she didn't crush her wings. Though they were big and strong, it wasn't very comfortable having the rocks dig into them.
"Ooohh, so tense." The imp like man smirked. "Well fear not for I can lift your troubles away, however it's gonna cost you something in return." Charming would not have any deals go down but Snow was desperate.
"What do you want?" The Phoenixian Queen could hear the struggle in the Princess's voice.
"Oh…" Rumpletsiltskin sarcastically pondered the idea of what he wanted. "Say the name of your unborn child?" Charming refused but Snow accepted without hesitation.
She was a very desperate woman whose love for her child had known no bounds.
"Done. Tell me what you know." Rumplestiltskin grinned with a dark twinkle in his eye.
"The Evil Queen has a very powerful curse at her disposal. One that will soon be enacted. Very soon, you'll all be just like me. In a prison but one that's much worse. Your prison – all of our prisons –will be time because it's going to stop. And we'll all be trapped in some place horrible where everything we love will be torn away while Her Majesty watches from afar, victorious at last!" His expression became dark and solemn. "There will be no more happy endings." Safira felt a shiver go down her spine at his tone.
"There must be something we can do to stop it."
"Oh so sorry, but it's far too late for that, dearie. We can't do anything." His gaze flickered to Safira for the briefest moment.
"Then who can?" Charming demanded.
Glancing down, the Dark One pointed to Snow's stomach slowly reaching down.
"That little youngling growing inside of you." The Prince drew his sword and slapped the imp's hand with it before it could reach the swollen bump.
"Next time it gets cut off." He threatened as the hand receeded sharply, Rumplestiltskin tisking the young Prince before turning to Snow.
"That infant is everyone's only hope. You must get the child to safety and on its-" He closed his eyes to concentrate on the details of his vision from the future. "-28th birthday, the child will return. And the final battle will begin!" He cackled insanely as Charming turned his wife and began leading her away from the deranged man. "WAIT! We had a deal, tell me her name!" He demanded, his voice bouncing off the cave walls in an echo but it was the way his demand was worded that had Charming facing the imp again.
"Her? No, you're wrong it's a boy." But Snow, Safira and Rumplestiltskin knew better.
"Missy, you know I'm right. Tell me what is the child's name?" Snow turned around slowly.
"Emma, her name is Emma." Not saying another word, the royal couple turned and left the caves leaving Safira with the Dark One.
"You do know that you didn't give them the full truth. You created the Dark Curse. Regina's just casting it." She said, letting her cloak fall to the ground so she could stretch her wings.
Rumplestiltskin laughed.
"Details, dearie. Details. But something tells me that you're not here to talk about my wording. Tell me, what's on your pretty little mind?" Safira strode ceaselessly to the cage and sat down on her knees.
"This prison, what will happen to me? I never enjoyed the idea of being in a cage. What if I am without my magic? My powers, my abilities, they are what keep me alive. For the most part anyway." She grasped a rough iron bar in her hand, her knuckles turning white in her harsh grip. "I'm scared, Rumple. Scare of this new world and my role in it. If I have any that is." Rumplestiltskin sat down on his side of the bar and placed his hand over hers.
"Worry not, everything is falling into place. You will live, Safira. That I can promise you." He gave her one of his signature smiles. "You know what the saying is, "All Magic Comes With A Price', we will just need to see if Regina will be willing to pay such a price. Nyahahahaha." He laughed manically and Safina couldn't help but smile at his childlike antics.
"I trust you know best, Rumple. My faith is in you, as always."
As soon as the bug stopped, out stepped a blonde haired woman, her color slightly darker than Sapphire's blonde locks. From the passenger side stepped out a smaller figure whose chocolate locks were very recognizable especially with his army green backpack slung over his shoulder.
'Oh thank God'. Sapphire thought as she strode over to the two who were deep in conversation about something. From the right came Archie and Pongo on their nightly walk. Henry dropped down to pet the Dalmatian whose head perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Sapphire!" Henry ran to her and nearly tackled her in the street as his arms wrapped around her waist, his face buried in her stomach.
"Oomph. Henry, where the hell have you been?" She detached his arms and knelt down, giving him a quick once over.
"I kinda went on a bit of a field trip today. I found my real mom." He backed up and stood by the mystery woman.
"This is Sapphire Leon." Henry introduced. "She runs the herbal shop 'Transformation' and is my occasional babysitter. She's pretty cool." Sapphire's cheeks flushed in a bit of embarrassment. "Sapp this is my birth mom, Emma Swan." Sapphire's eyes widened for a millisecond before holding out her hand.
"Nice to meet you. You don't hear the name Emma much these days."
"Yeah but I gotta say you're the first Sapphire I've come across."
"My mother names me after my eyes. Apparently they reminded her of the stone so it was an impulse name" she shrugged.
"Well, I better get this guy home before his mother starts freaking out," Emma stated.
'Couple hours too late for that'.
"Good idea. Henry, the next time you decide to go on a field trip at least text your Mother or me or something." Sapphire ruffled the kid's hair before walking down the street where she had parked her car, Emma and Henry driving off in the opposite direction.
Pulling out her phone, she dialed Richard's number.
"Any luck in your search?"
"Yes, he's on his way home now. Apparently he decided to locate his birth mom who apparently lives in Boston or is at least from Boston, judging from her license plates. She's bringing him back to Regina now," Gold chuckled.
"Yes, I can only imagine how that conversation is going to go," Sapphire returned the laugh.
"I can actually see it in my mind, nearly word for word. Are you home?"
"No not yet. I'm just closing up the shop now but I'll be home shortly."
"Ok, I'll see you soon." The two hung up as Sapphire started her Jaguar and headed home.
As Sapphire walked away, Emma and Henry got back into the bug.
"So who is Archie and Sapphire in this fairy-tale world of yours?"
"You can't tell with Archie? He's Jiminy Cricket!" Emma scoffed under her breath.
"I thought your nose grew a bit."
"I'm not Pinocchio!" He protested as they started driving. "Sapphire's different though. I don't really know who everyone is yet but I will. I just have to believe, like you should." He gave her one of those cute kid smiles that would capture nearly everyone.
Emma rolled her eyes again as they turned onto Mithilin Street.
It was less than a week after the visit to Rumplestiltskin's cell. The War Council had convened with Grumpy, Doc, Red, Charming, Snow, Jiminy and Gipetto all sat around a circular table; guards posted at the doors and various placed around the room. Little Pinocchio sat at his father's feet working a wooden whale as the sound of wings resounded outside. Safira flew in and gently landed on the balcony before striding inside.
"What did she say?" Charming asked as she approached the table.
"Nothing I said could sway her mind but if there is a plan then it should be enacted soon. She's almost ready." The Phoenix warned as she came up beside Pinocchio, kneeling beside him to look at his work.
She always did have a soft spot for children, any and all were precious to her. No matter who their parents were.
"We need to end this soon, before the Evil Queen strikes!" Charming declared with a pound of his fist against the table. "I say we fight." Jiminy hopped up to the large megaphone attached to the table that gave him a louder voice.
"NO! Violence is never the answer! If you give into your bad side, you won't accomplish what you truly set out to do."
"Listen to him, Charming," Safira warned as she stood from kneeling. "I can tell you from personal experience that the road you're going down is a very dangerous one that's extremely difficult to come back from, if not impossible."
"How can we even trust Rumplestiltskin? What if this is another trick in his word play?" Doc asked from beside Grumpy.
"If you feel you can't rely on what Rumplestiltskin said, then I give you my word as a Queen. The child is our only hope in this endeavor." There was a noise from beyond the door.
The guards calmly opened it to reveal the Blue Fairy, with more guards coming in behind her carrying the base of a very large tree.
"What the hell is this?" Charming demanded as the fairy floated to the center of the circle.
"It's our only hope of saving that baby," she answered but Grumpy frowned.
"Our fate rests in the hands of a dead tree? How about we get back to the fighting thing?"
"Tree's, especially magical trees, can have properties that could surprise you at a time like this." Safira defended.
"Queen Safira has a point. This is the very last enchanted tree in the forest. If worked into a vessel, it will be able to withstand any curse." Blue nodded to Safira in respect, knowing her knowledge of nature would help sway any of those who couldn't see it.
Charming looked to Snow, who hadn't said a word the whole time, with hopeful eyes as Blue turned to Gipetto.
"Can you build such a thing?" Gipetto smiled with a reassuring nod.
"Yes, me and my boy. We can do it." He placed a hand on Pinocchio's head to include him.
Blue turned to the parents to be.
"This will work. We all must have faith in this." Then her expression turned to one of sadness and Safira knew that something was coming.
This escape plan was starting to sound too good to be true.
"This enchantment is powerful but unfortunately there is only enough magic to protect only one person." That broke the hopeful expressions.
'I knew it. All magic comes with a price.'
Richard and Sapphire arrived home relatively around the same time.
"Are you hungry, dearie?" He asked as they headed inside.
"Only a little. Is there any soup from last night or did you take that to work with you?" Sapphire inquired as she put the kettle on.
"No, I grabbed something at the diner for lunch. It's yours if you want it." Gold offered as he sat down at the table, resting his cane against it.
The kettle whistled as she pulled two cups from the cabinet.
"I'll have to pick up more tea tomorrow on my way home from work. All we've got left is Chamomile, is that ok?" she called from the kitchen.
"Its fine, Sapphire." He groaned as he felt pain in his bad leg again.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she brought in the two cups; sweetened for her and straight black for him.
"It's nothing, really. Just this old leg of mine acting up again." He grimaced as she knelt down on the floor.
"Let me see." She took off his shoe and sock, pulling up his pant leg to reveal the old wound he had sustained long ago. "Be right back." She disappeared down the hallway to her study and came back with a small jar of off-white paste. Gently applying the paste to the wound, she massaged it in. "How's that, better?" she asked, smiling at his expression.
His eyes were closed in peace with his head leaned back slightly.
"Oh, so much better, my love. I don't know what I'd do without you." He moaned as she continued her work.
They stayed that was for a few minutes before she pulled his pant leg back down, the salve now dry.
"Shall we retire to bed? You look like you could use a good nights sleep." She offered as he removed his other shoe and sock.
"Dearie, I'm always ready when I know I have you at my side." he whispered as he pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
"Come on. I'm having breakfast with Mary Margaret before school so I'll need to be up by sunrise." They shut off the light in the house and readied for bed where they were able to sleep peacefully.
The next morning, Sapphire pulled herself from Richards' arms and readied herself for the day. She placed a light kiss to her boyfriend's lips before slipping out the door. She reached the diner before Mary Margaret arrived so she seated herself at the booth by the door where Ruby greeted her with a smile.
"Hey there Jewel, what can I get ya?" she asked, using the nickname she started calling Sapphire almost four years ago.
"Morning Rubes, let me get a coffee, light and sweet, for now. Mary Margaret is meeting me for breakfast so it shouldn't be too long." The brunette smiled and walked away to get the drink and fill other orders.
A few more patrons came in, one of them being Sheriff Graham who got a coffee to go.
"Morning Graham, Henry get home okay?" Sapphire asked giving Ruby a smile of thanks as her coffee was brought to her.
"Yes, Mayor Mills wasn't too pleased to hear that he sought out his birth mother. She was even more furious when she got a call from me saying she hit the town sign trying to leave. I did warn her about Regina's drinks, even threatened with a breathalyzer." This confused Sapphire.
"Wait, Emma drove into a sign drunk? I know I just met her briefly last night but that doesn't seem like something she'd do on purpose." Graham just shrugged.
"Well right now she's passed out in a cell at the station which I should be getting back to in case she wakes up." He gave her a final smile and left the diner, holding the door open for the school teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard.
The short haired, simply dressed teacher spotted her friend and took a seat opposite Sapphire.
"You look well rested." The teacher commented and the blonde smirked.
"Well it helps when you tell your boyfriend that you have to get up early. Then he's usually not as handsy." She joked causing Mary Margaret to blush furiously. "Relax, I'm teasing." She waved Ruby over and together the two had a pleasant conversation before they had to go their separate ways.
It wasn't even an hour after she opened her shop that her phone rang.
"Twice in twenty-four hours, Regina?" Sapphire asked as she answered.
"Cut the crap, Sapphire. Henry's gone again."
'Cripes, what is with this kid?' "Alright well he can't have gotten too far this time so I'll start searching, just keep calm." and she hung up.
They never really said, 'Goodbye' to one another. Taping a note to her store window and switched the sign to close before starting her search again. This time it proved successful because the first place she tried turned out to be the exactly where he was, his castle.
"Thought I told you to warn me when you decide to take another day off?" she warned/joked as she came up beside the kid and sat down.
"Sorry." he mumbled, his voice sad and depressed.
"What's the matter?" she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and she felt him hesitate to answer.
"I thought that with my real mom here things would be different, like people would start to remember."
"Remember what?"
"Their real lives. See everyone in this town is really a character from a fairy tale but they were sent here by a curse that the Evil Queen cast. It took away all their happy endings and the only one to break the curse is my mom, Emma." This was quite intuitive thinking coming from a ten year old; especially since he was right in every aspect.
However, she knew that such a subject would have to be approached carefully. Truth or not, not even a kid should be going around claiming that people are not who they're supposed to be. It would just cause them to think that the imagination of a child has gone wild and it wouldn't become a pleasant thing down the road.
"What makes you think that Emma is the one to break the curse?" Henry smiled.
"Because she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She's supposed to return to her family on her twenty-eighth birthday and Emma's birthday was yesterday!" he beamed and Sapphire couldn't help but smile.
"Alright Henry." She couldn't say anything else. She didn't wasn't to tell Henry that he was right but she also didn't want to say anything that might crush his hopes. While Archie couldn't tell her anything about his therapy sessions with Henry, he did warn her to be careful with her words around him.
"So do you have any idea who the people are?"
"Just a few. My teacher, Mary Margaret is Snow White. My mom Regina is the Evil Queen and Archie is Jiminy Cricket."
'Smart kid.' "What about me? Who do you think I am?" Henry looked her over before biting his lip while thinking.
"No offense but you're too old to be Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. Plus you're dating Mr Gold so that makes it a bit harder. I still don't know who his is." he shrugged and at that point their conversation ended as it was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Hey kid!" The two turned to see Emma approach them, clutching an old and worn book in her hands.
"I'll leave you two alone. Remember what I said about calling, Henry." Sapphire patted the kids head and left the beach.
The rest of the day wasn't filled with too much excitement. Granny had called and asked about something to help her sleep at night and Sapphire told her that she'd have something ready by tonight. Poor Granny recently had a heart attack and she was having some trouble sleeping through the night. Within six hours, Sapphire had pulled all the necessary ingredients together for a special tea. She had just walked in the door to home when her phone rang.
"Care to join me for dinner, dearie?" Richard's silky voice sounded through the phone.
"Most certainly, my love. Just let me get changed and I'll meet you there."
"No need, I'll come pick you up. I'll be there in ten minutes."
Dinner went by nice and smooth though the waiter did panic a lot which Sapphire knew was because of Richard's reputation. As they got back into the Cadilac, Gold stopped in front of Granny's Bed and Breakfast where Sapphire spotted a familiar yellow bug.
"This'll just take a second." he said getting out but she got out as well.
"I have to give Granny a sleeping soother so I'll join you." With a smile, Gold offered her his arm which she took with a smile of her own.
They had just gotten through the door to hear Emma introduce herself.
"Emma. Emma Swan." Sapphire felt Richard go rigid for a moment before he spoke.
"Emma. What a lovely name." Granny grabbed a roll of bills from the register before handing it over to Gold.
"It's all here." she reassured quickly.
"Yes, I'm sure it is. Thank you dear." As he pocketed the money, Sapphire took this opportunity to reach into her purse and pull out the brown bag and handed it over to Granny.
"Here. Brew this in your tea and drink one up a half hour before bed." She instructed with a smile. "Let me know after a week how it works." Granny smiled warmly.
"Oh thank you so much dear. How much do I owe you?" She made to open the register again but Sapphire shook her head.
"No charge, Granny. Just happy to help." Gold wrapped an arm around her waist before looking to Emma.
"Enjoy your stay." And led his love from the inn and back to the car.
The drive home was a bit too quiet for Sapphire and she knew something was wrong. Richard's face was cast in a distant look and she worried about the cause. When they entered the house, Sapphire made the way to the kitchen but a grip on her wrist stopped her.
"Something on your mind, Rich?" she asked as he led her through the house to the parlor, illuminating the room with a quick flick of the switch. The light was never too bright as they usually spent their time in this room reading. It was a few moments after they sat on the black leather couch that Gold finally spoke.
"How long have we known each other?" Though Sapphire knew the true answer to the question she had to play along this fantasy their lives were currently living.
"About twenty-five something years now, though it feels like so much longer than that." She admitted, thinking back to the memories they had shared in the past.
Safira rushed through the catacombs towards Rumplestiltskin's cell. There were no guards to stop her as they were all scrambling for their lives. The curse was approaching and coming fast.
"Rumplestiltskin!" The impish man grasped the iron bars in his cell as he watched his long time friend and companion practically fly towards him. "We have to go, now! Regina cast the curse, it's almost here!"
"No, you've got to get out of here and fly away from this place as fast as you can. I need to be here." Safira looked both puzzled and confused.
"But I can't leave you here." She grasped her hands over his like on their last visit.
"You must. Don't worry about me, my Firebird. I will be fine but you must go before something happens." he urged.
He knew she wouldn't be able to escape the curse but he needed her as safe as possible which wasn't going to be accomplished if she was stuck down there with him. Reaching between the bars, Safira caressed the Dark One's cheek.
"You'll find me, won't you? I don't want to be alone in this new world. I was alone for so long." Her eyes clouded and began to blur but she refused to shed any tears; it hurt too much.
"Yes my Queen, I promise. Now hurry!" He urged, placing a kiss to her palm.
Suddenly without warning, Safira's hand was at the back of his neck pushing his head towards the spike gate until his lips collided with something soft. Like the feel of lotus petals after a rainfall. It took him a moment to realize that they were Safira's lips. He was kissing Safira, the Phoenix Queen. Before he could react to such a huge feat, he no longer felt the soft petals. Safira had pulled away, a sad look on her face that saddened his hardened heart.
"Goodbye, Rumple." she whispered, retracting her hand and took a few steps back.
Because she didn't want to risk doing anything else, she bolted back down the corridor. Bursting into the light she jumped into the air and took flight. The massive purple green cloud began to over mass the kingdom, consuming everything in its path. Safira tried dodging the trees but they were too clumped together and her wings were too big. When she looked back to try and gage the distance between the curse and her but in doing so, she failed to see the large Douglas fur in her path. Her body collided harshly with the tree, the branches doing nothing to slow her descent as she fell towards the ground. As her body made contact with the forest floor her head was struck sharply against a rock. As the wind picked up furiously and the curse cloud passed over her limp body, she lost her vision to blackness and her final thoughts were about the one she loved who sat trapped in a cell.
'Rumplestiltskin…'
Gold's hand grasped Sapphire's as he prepared to ask the next question.
"What is my name?" This question puzzled her slightly.
"Richard Gold, why?" But Gold shook his head.
"No, I mean my real name. Do you know my real name?" His hands moved to her hips, pulling her closer to him; almost possessively.
"Richard, what is this about because you're starting to scare me a bit." The look in Richard's eyes held a large sense of desperation as his body shook with frustration.
"No, my Firebird. My real name." He repeated and something inside of Sapphire snapped at his words.
There was only one person in her entire life who called her Firebird.
"Rumplestiltskin?" she whispered wondering if this could really be true.
"My dear Queen." He leaned over and instantly captured her lips with his own.
The notion caught her completely off guard but she didn't let it deter her as she kissed back, opening her mouth to him as she felt his tongue glide along her bottom lip. Her hands found their way into his thick locks as his grip on her hips tightened. As they pulled away breathlessly after a few minutes, he rested his forehead against hers.
"Wow." she whispered with a smile.
"It's been twenty-eight years, dearie. I had to make up for lost time." He replied with his trademark smile.
"Honestly, you've done a very good job over the past 5 years." she complimented as she intertwined her fingers behind his neck.
"How long have you been able to remember our other lives?" he asked.
"Well, it took a few years because at first I thought they were just dreams but when they started coming more frequently, I started getting a little scared so I began writing them down. But over time, I knew that they had to be true. Our first kiss those five years ago in this world…that's when it all came flooding back. But that's not all." She released her hands and brought them back to her front, clenching her fist and opened it to reveal a small flame.
It was meek and small, nearly transparent but Gold could still feel heat from it as his hand hovered over the top of it. He was surprised but not as much as she thought.
"You're able to still use your magic?" With a wave of her hand, the flame disappeared.
"To be honest, I'm just as surprised as you are. It's certainly not as powerful as it was in our world but yes, for some reason I still have it. Right now though, water is the strongest."
"Perhaps it's due to your rebirth. You were an Air life when the curse hit but now you seem to be in a Water life. How did this happen?" He cupped her face gently with one of his hands as if to look her over but made no motion as he truly took in her looks, remembering how she last looked.
"I think something happened in the transition. I flew into a tree trying to escape the curse cloud and the last thing I remember was my head colliding with a rock after the tree failed to break my fall." she winced at the memory and Gold pulled her against him so they lay on the couch, her head on his chest.
"I'm so sorry that happened. Believe me, I never thought you would be forced to change. I would have kept you with me had that been the case." He nudged her chin with his hand to move her head up. "It would have given me the proper chance to do this." He leaned down and captured her lotus petal lips again, breathing in the scent of blossoms and jasmine.
"What does this mean for us, Rumple?" She asked when they broke away again.
"That for being someone so smart, I made an incredibly stupid mistake letting you go when I did and I'll be damned if I let you walk away from me now." he growled and Sapphire couldn't help but smile.
"Good because I don't want to have to go anywhere. There's too much that needs to be done now." She fiddled with her pendant as she nestled her head against Gold's chest again.
"Never again, my Firebird. The baby has come home, the ultimate showdown is about to start." he chuckled. "Now shall we retire to the bedroom?" he suggested as Sapphire lifted herself from the couch.
"If by retire in the means of sleep, then I agree." she giggled as she helped Gold to stand, handing him his cane.
"Of course, sweetheart. My magic is still missing so until we can get it back, we'll just have to be a little creative." He mused, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"Still as bold as ever, Rumple." She mused as they made their way to the master bedroom where they fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
I know that characters like Regina and Gold might seem OOC but just go along with it. Be patient if you're interested. I chose to use the Phoenix because I find them to be remarkable and they haven't been seen nor used yet in the show so I figured why not take a chance. We've seen unicorns, dragons, mermaids, why not a Phoenix. If the show does incorporate them at some point then I will make it work. Until then, it will be a while before I post more as I said due to work and school. I know that some things might be confusing but as the story goes on they continue to be answered.
I also chose Gold's name to be Richard since I've seen a lot of other R names used. Rupert, Ronald, I haven't seen a Richard but there's probably one out there.
Until then, enjoy dearies!