Enchanted Forest, Before the Curse
After the visit with Rumplestiltskin, Charming had called a meeting of his and Snow's closest friends and advisors. Red Riding Hood and Granny were there, Geppetto and his young son Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, and of course representatives from the Seven Dwarves, particularly Grumpy, Sleepy and Doc. Julia sighed as she took her seat in between Sleepy and Grumpy. The recent revelation from Rumplestiltskin had made it hard to sleep at night. Julia now wondered if Snow got any sleep at all.
"I say we fight!"** Charming exclaimed, once the meeting had started, slamming his fist on the round table that they had gathered at.
"Fighting is a bad idea"** Jiminy replied "Getting into one's dark side, never accomplishes anything"**
"And how many wars has a clear conscience won?"** Charming countered "We need to take the Queen out before she can inflict her Curse"**
"Can we even trust Rumplestiltskin?"** Doc asked
"We don't have much of a choice" Julia replied "He seems to know an awful lot about this and he seems to be telling the truth. I don't see any reason for him to be lying since he is going to be effected by this Curse as well. He needs the Curse ended just as much as we do"
"I've sent my men into the forest"** Charming said, as everyone looked back at him "The animals are abuzz with the Queen's plan. This is going to happen unless we do something"**
"There's no point"** Everyone turned when Snow spoke. "The future is written"**
"No"** Charming said, glancing at the people surrounding the table and then back at his wife "I refuse to believe that"**
"Neither do we" Julia said "We have to have hope. We can't go into this thinking that we are all going to fail otherwise we will"
"Good can't just lose"** Charming added
"Maybe it can"** Snow said, sadly, as she looked away from everyone.
Charming looked back at his wife and then knelt by her side. "No"** he said "No, not as long as we have each other. If you believe him about the curse, then you must believe him about our child. She will be the savior!"**
Just then the doors burst open. Everyone turned to find the Blue Fairy flying into the room, with some guards dragging a tree in behind her. Everyone straightened in their seats and Charming stood.
"What the hell is this?"**
"Our only hope of saving that child"** Blue replied
"A tree?"** Grumpy said, as Julia looked at the tree being brought into the room "Our fate rests on a tree? Let's get back to the fighting thing"**
"I'm with him on this one" Julia said, looking from the tree to Snow and Charming "Fighting sounds a lot better than trusting that a tree would save us"
"Hear her out" Snow said "We need to be open to all options"
Grumpy rolled his eyes and Julia sighed and looked back at the tree as Blue spoke. "The tree is enchanted"** Blue explained "If fashioned into a vessel, it can ward off any curse"** Blue turned to Geppetto. "Geppetto, can you build such a thing?"**
Geppetto nodded as he patted Pinocchio's head, who was sitting on the floor playing with some toys. "Me and my boy. We can do it"**
Blue turned to Snow and Charming. "This will work"** she said "We all must have faith"**
Julia was smiling as she turned to her friends. Snow grabbed Charming's hand and they looked at each other with hope in their eyes. All was right with the world once again.
"There is, however, a catch"**
"Of course there is" Julia said, a little sarcastically, as Snow and Charming turned back to Blue "What is it?"
"The enchantment is indeed powerful, but all power has its limits"** Blue said "And this tree can protect only one"**
Julia sighed as she looked at the table and rubbed her forehead. She saw Snow turn back to Charming and saw Charming hang his head out of the corner of her eye. Why was she surprised that this was the catch? She should have been expecting it the moment that Blue said there was one. This now meant that only one person – Snow – was going to be saved from the curse. The rest of them were going to be ripped away from their family, their friends…their lives.
Well, better enjoy it while it lasted.
While Snow and Charming spent time together discussing the next step to ensure the baby's safety and Geppetto and Pinocchio worked on the tree, Julia thought that her services would be better put to use watching for anything suspicious along the walls of the palace with the guards and the Dwarves. She had been lucky enough to have been posted alongside Grumpy. She smiled a little and shook her head when she saw Grumpy reach for his belt.
"Really, Grumpy?" Julia said, as Grumpy took a swig out of a bottle he had in his belt and she crossed her arms. "Do you think this is the best time?"
"Better than never" Grumpy replied, offering her some of the drink "Besides, we have more things to worry about than this"
"I suppose you're right" Julia said, with a sigh as she took a big sip and handed the bottle back to him.
Grumpy looked at her for a moment and then put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't tell me that you are having the same doubts as Snow"
Julia looked at her friend for a moment before she sighed. "No" she said, crossing her arms "No, of course not. I'm just…scared. This is worse than anything else that we've gone up against before"
"I know" Grumpy said, as Julia looked away from him "And, I understand your fear. Why do you think I wanted to go back to the fighting thing?" Julia laughed a little and Grumpy chuckled. "Look, I know you're scared. We all are. Think about Snow and Charming. They must be out of their minds with worry. But, if what Rumplestiltskin says is true, their baby will save us all"
"In 28 years" Julia reminded him
"It's better than being lost forever"
Julia looked at her friend again. "Fair point"
"Remember what the Prince said" Grumpy said "Good will always win"
Julia smiled as Grumpy took another swig from the bottle. Both of them turned to look at their surroundings at the same time and their eyes widened.
"My God…" Julia said, softly, as her arms uncrossed themselves.
"Wake up!"** Grumpy exclaimed, kicking the foot of a sleeping Sleepy. "Wake up!"** Sleepy quickly stood as the three looked out and into the forest. "Look!"** Grumpy almost growled.
They watched as a dragon flew in their direction, screeching as it did so. Julia ducked, so it wouldn't hit her in the head. But, the dragon didn't matter. Julia's and the Dwarves' eyes were watching the bluish-green smoke that was coming towards them.
"The Curse…" Julia said "I can't believe this is it…"
Grumpy quickly moved to the bell and started ringing it loudly. "The Curse!"** he screamed for all to hear "It's here!"**
Storybrooke, Present Day
During her lunch hour, Jessica decided that she would surprise Mary Margaret at school and eat with her. As she made her way down the halls crowded with children, Jessica saw Regina also trying to get through the mass of children heading out to recess.
"Jessica!"
Just by the tone of Regina's voice, Jessica knew that this wasn't going to be a fun conversation. "Hi, Regina" she said, as Regina approached her "How are you?"
"Where's Henry?"
Jessica's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Isn't he here?"
Regina rolled her eyes. "Clearly, you don't know where he is" she said "Henry was gone from the house this morning. And, I just talked to Mary Margaret, she assumed that he was home sick"
Damn it, Henry! "I'm sorry, I have no idea where he is" Jessica said, out loud "Last I talked to him was last night when he called to apologize for running away to Boston" She paused for a brief moment. "Do you need help looking for him?"
"I can handle it just fine!" Regina almost snapped. Clearly she was upset that Henry had run away twice in 24 hours. She started to walk past Jessica. "I'll see you tonight"
"Provided you have a kid for me to babysit by then" Regina stopped and turned a glare on her. Jessica had a smug smile on her face and shrugged her shoulders. "Good luck with the search, Madame Mayor"
Turning away from Regina, Jessica continued down the hallway and spotted Mary Margaret just outside of her classroom, talking to a woman with blonde hair and wearing a red leather jacket. The blonde left just as Jessica approached her friend.
"Who was that?"
Mary Margaret jumped a little at the sudden voice but then smiled when she saw it was Jessica. "Henry's birth mother" she replied "Emma"
Jessica's eyes widened. "Really?" she said, trying to get a better look, but was unable to as the blonde had rounded the corner "Did you tell her where to find him?"
Mary Margaret nodded. "I did" she said "What are you doing here?"
"It's my lunch hour" Jessica said, with a smile "And, I wanted company"
Her friend laughed a little. "You want to go outside to eat lunch today?" Mary Margaret asked, as they started walking down the hall "It's pretty nice out"
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all" Jessica replied with a smile. "Especially after running into our beloved mayor just now in the hallway"
"Yeah, Regina is not too happy right now" Mary Margaret said "Not that I can blame her, really, because I'm sure I'd be upset too. But, you should hear the way she talks to Emma"
"She feels threatened, that's all" Jessica said "Especially since Henry now thinks she's the Evil Queen. Do you think she knows about the book?"
"She does now" Mary Margaret said "I just had to explain it to her and Emma"
"Fantastic" Jessica said as they reached the outdoor tables "I'll protect you from Regina, though, don't worry" She laughed a little when Mary Margaret gave her an odd look. "You know" she continued "The Evil Queen and Snow White aren't exactly best friends"
Mary Margaret laughed a little as Jessica smiled. "Right" she said "Forgot about that. Come on. Let's eat before recess ends"
Enchanted Forest, Before the Curse
Julia raced through the halls of the Palace, trying to find Snow and Charming. Utter chaos had ensued after Grumpy had rung the bell. Fear for everyone that she loved and held dear crept over Julia's body. She couldn't believe that this was happening. How could this be happening? What was going to happen next? Would she ever see her friends again?
All these questions buried themselves into her mind when she finally found them.
"What the hell is going on?" Julia demanded, when she spotted Charming racing down the hallway "Did you not hear the bells? The curse is here!"
"Yes, well, we were a little busy" Charming said, looking down at the bundle in his arms.
Julia looked and her eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"
Charming shook his head. "I'm taking her to the wardrobe"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Julia asked "She's a newborn! We have no idea where that wardrobe is going to bring her or what will happen to her in this land with no happy endings!"
"I realize that, but it's what we have to do" Charming replied "To give her, her best chance"
The pain in Charming's voice and eyes spoke volumes. Julia gave him a quick hug. She nodded as she pulled away. "You get the baby to the wardrobe" she said "I'll take care of Snow"
Charming nodded. "Thank you, Julia" he said "See you soon"
Tears formed in Julia's eyes as she and Charming both tried to keep their strong façade. "See you soon"
Julia stood in her spot for an extra moment as Charming continued on down the hall with baby Emma in his arms. Gathering herself together, she then raced towards Snow and Charming's chambers. When she got there, Julia automatically climbed onto the bed and gathered the crying Snow up in her arms, starting to rock her back and forth as Snow mourned the fact that she had to send her daughter away. "It's going to be alright" she whispered, as Snow cried "She will save us. Your daughter will save us all"
Not knowing what else to say, Julia just let Snow cry, keeping her eyes on the door just in case anyone decided to attack them.
Storybrooke, Present Day
Jessica was hoping, as she headed back to the Mayor's Mansion, that Henry had been found and returned home, not just because she wanted to be sure he was safe, but also because she wasn't sure she could handle another night of angry and agitated Regina. But, after literally running into a blonde in a red leather jacket leaving the Mayor's Mansion, Jessica was fairly certain that Henry had been returned home.
"Oh my God, I am so sorry" Jessica said "I was lost in my thoughts"
"No, it's…" Emma trailed off once she got a look at the girl's face. There was something…familiar about the girl standing before her. "It's my fault. I was angrily storming off"
Jessica laughed a little. "As do most people who have run-ins with our mayor" she replied. She stuck her hand out. "I'm Jessica Gold. Henry's babysitter"
"Emma" she replied, shaking Jessica's hand "Emma Swan. I'm Henry's…uh…Henry's…"
"Yeah, I heard" Jessica said, cutting in when she realized that it was a hard thing for Emma to say out loud "It's nice to meet you! Henry is a great kid, and I'm not just saying that. He's like a little brother to me" Emma smiled as Jessica laughed a little. "Are you going to be sticking around here for a while?"
"I'm thinking about it" Emma replied, stealing a glance back at the house "Got a good place to stay around here?"
"Oh, yeah" Jessica said, pointing back towards the main part of town "Granny's doubles as a diner and a bed and breakfast. Best place in town for a bed and some food"
"Thanks" Emma said. She stared at Jessica for another moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry, but…do we know each other? You look so familiar…"
"That depends" Jessica said, with a small smile "Have you ever been to Storybrooke before?"
Emma shook her head. "Can't say that I have"
"Well, I've never been out of Storybrooke before" Jessica admitted "Though, believe me, I really, really want to…just to see what else is out there, you know?"
Emma smiled a little. "Oh, I totally get it" she said "Well, I better go and see if Granny's has any spare rooms…I'll see you around?"
"Most definitely!" Jessica said, waving as Emma got into a yellow bug parked right in front of the house "Nice meeting you, again!"
Emma waved back and Jessica turned to head into the house as the car sped off back into the main part of town. Now that she got a good look at Emma's face, she couldn't help but think that there was something oddly familiar about her. And, clearly, Emma felt the same way about her. But, how could that be when neither one had ever met before?
Shrugging it off, and deciding against telling Henry for fear that would send him on another quest for evidence in favor of the Curse, Jessica headed into the house for another fun night with her Little Bro.
Enchanted Forest, Before the Curse
After Snow ran out of tears, she decided that she needed to go to the nursery, to make sure that Charming had succeeded. Julia protested, saying that Snow needed to stay in bed and rest, that Snow didn't have the energy to walk at the moment, but Snow wouldn't listen. So, Julia helped Snow out of bed, put Snow's arm over her shoulders, and carefully led her friend towards the nursery.
"Almost there" Julia said, as Snow moaned a little "Just a little further"
They came upon the doorway and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what was in front of them.
Charming, bleeding and unconscious, on the floor of the nursery.
"No!"** Snow exclaimed, breaking away from Julia and stumbling over to her fallen husband "No! No! No!"**
Julia rushed into the room as Snow gathered Charming into her arms and knelt down next to them. She watched as Snow tried in vain to wake Charming up with True Love's Kiss. Snow looked from Charming to Julia. Both of them had tears in their eyes as Snow held out her arm and Julia carefully moved herself so that she could be closer to her friends, putting her arm around Snow in an attempt to comfort her.
"Oh, don't worry, Dear"** said a familiar voice "In a few moments, you won't remember you knew him…let alone loved him"**
Snow and Julia looked up to see Regina standing over them, a smug smile on her face. "Why did you do this?"** Snow asked, clutching Charming closer to her
Regina bent down closer to them. "Because this is my happy ending!"**
"You are a sick and twisted woman!" Julia practically growled
Regina merely smiled at them as two guards came into the nursery. "The child?"**
"Gone"** One of the guards replied "It was in the wardrobe. Then, it was gone. It's nowhere to be found"**
Regina turned back to Snow and Julia. "Where is she?!"**
"She got away"** Snow said, with a smile on her face. She looked at Julia, who was also smiling, before they both looked at Regina. "You're going to lose! I know that now…"** Snow looked down at Charming. "Good will always win"**
"We'll see about that"**
Just then, the ceiling above them began to crack and crumble. Snow and Julia looked up at the noise and Snow instinctively pulled her friend closer to her and Regina started laughing. Strong winds started blowing around them as Snow clutched Charming, Regina smiled, and Julia started to panic for the first time in a long, long time.
"Where are we going?"** Snow asked, over the noise of the wind
"Somewhere horrible"** Regina replied "Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be mine"**
Julia ducked to avoid shards of glass flying into her face. There was no stopping the curse now. But, Julia knew one thing for sure and made sure that it was the last thing that Snow and Regina heard. She shouted over the noise as the curse came over them.
"The happy endings will return! Goodness will prevail! Just like it always has! And, always will!"
And, with that, the curse transported them to the place without happy endings.
Storybrooke, Present Day
Later that night, Jessica was sitting on her bed reading a book when there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in"
She looked up and closed the book when Gold entered the room. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm home" he said "Have you eaten yet?"
Jessica nodded. "I ate with Henry" she replied "I actually only got back about a half an hour ago"
Gold nodded. "Did you hear that we have a visitor to our small town?"
"I did!" Jessica replied, with a smile "I met her just as she was leaving the Mayor's Mansion. Apparently, she's Henry's birth mother."
"I take it you like her?"
Jessica thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah" she said "I think I do. I pointed her in the direction of Granny's earlier."
"I just ran into her getting a room at Granny's myself" Gold said "Looks like she'll be staying with us for a little while"
"Great!" Jessica said "It's nice to have a new face around here!"
Gold smiled a little as he started to leave the room. "Indeed" he said "I'll leave you to your reading. Good night"
"Good night!"
Jessica sighed as Gold closed the door behind him and she looked up at her ceiling. She couldn't even remember the last time someone new rolled into town. She was sure that everyone in town was going to be talking about this new arrival for quite some time.
Hey everyone!
I hope that you all like this newest chapter in the story! I promise that future flashbacks of Julia's history before the Curse will be a lot more interesting!
Please, please, please send reviews my way! I really want to know how to make this story better, how to improve my writing skills, whether or not I am succeeding in keeping the characters as in character as possible (though I know it's a little early to really tell) etc. Any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!