Hope you enjoy! I do not own anything except for my character, Mandy.
Chapter 2: Getting to know you
The Next Day
Emma was gathering the last minute things she wanted to take with her to NYC. Henry was eating a bowl of cereal, while Snow was cleaning up the kitchen.
"Do you really have to leave?" Asked Henry not wanting Emma to leave.
"I'll be back soon kid. Don't worry; you're not going to get rid of me that easily." Emma said and she ruffled his hair. Both Henry and Snow smiled at her, leaving Emma feeling satisfied that she comforted them in a way.
"Do you have everything?" Asked Snow.
"Yea, I think so. Give me a hug kid." Emma said with her arms out wide waiting for her hug from Henry. Henry jumped off the stool and gave her a hug.
"See you soon." Said Henry letting Emma out of the hug.
"Please be good for Mary Margaret and David." Emma said knowing Henry can get himself into trouble sometimes.
"I will!" He said running up the stairs to get his things for school. Emma was watching him go up the stairs when she was suddenly tackled by Snow who was giving her a bear hug.
"Whoa! I'm only going to be gone for a few days." She said returning Snow's hug.
"I know, I know. I just can't bear the thought of spending any more time without you." Snow said. Emma flashed her a smile. She didn't know what else to do so she gave her mother another hug.
"I almost forgot!" Snow said letting go of Emma and heading to the fridge. Emma gave her a puzzled look when Snow handed her something wrapped in tin foil.
"It's a pie for your journey…Don't worry, it's not apple!" Snow said and began to laugh at her little joke. Emma couldn't help but join in on her laughter. Seeing her daughter laugh filled Snow's heart with joy. She missed so much of her daughter's growing up; she couldn't help but revel in her daughter's laughter.
David came down the stairs, followed by Henry with his school bag.
"Have a safe trip." David said as he hugged his daughter. Emma was getting sick of all these hugs but she knew it was something families did so she was going to have to grow to like them.
She returned his hug and said, "I will. You're taking Henry to school right?"
"Snow and I have things under control. You don't have to worry about anything on out end." David said reassuring Emma that they are capable of taking care of Henry.
"Okay, well I better get to Gold's so he can give me the 411 on this kid of his. See you all later!" She said before she left. She couldn't wait to get this stupid trip over with.
Regina was sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading the paper when a puff of purple smoke appeared followed by Cora. This startled Regina, resulting in her spilling her coffee all over the table and herself.
"Ugh, really? Must you use magic mother?!" Regina said angrily.
"I'm sorry, how else would you like me to do everything in the strange world?" Cora said flatly.
"Well walking is the same in every world. You don't have to pop in and out all the time."
Cora shot her a look like 'That's never going to happen'.
Regina continued ignoring her mother's glare. "And you could learn how to use things in this world, like the oven or microwave, instead of using magic to make yourself something to eat."
"These appliances are strange and I don't have time to learn how to use them nor do I want too."
"Never mind. You'd probably blow something up if you tried using the appliances." Regina said rolling her eyes. Her mother was driving her crazy and it was only the third day since she met up with Cora.
"You need to change out of those clothes, dear. You're all wet." Cora said.
"Yea, thanks to you. I was just heading up to change."
Before she could take a step, Regina found herself engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke. Magic. When the smoke dissipated, Regina was wearing a dress she would've worn when she was 18 back in FTL.
Cora looked her over, nodding her head in approval. "You look wonderful, Regina!"
"Mother! I can't wear this! I look like I'm going to a prom."
"A what?"
"Never mind. People don't wear these outfits here. You need to change as well."
"But I like my clothes." Cora whined.
"Too bad. My house, my rules." Regina said with a smirk on her face. Cora gave a little smile in return.
"Fine. I'll play along dear." Another cloud of smoke engulfed the pair and both were now dressed in black paints and blouses. Regina's red and Cora's purple.
"Better?" Cora asked.
"Much!"
"Now what?" asked Cora not knowing what to do now.
"How about you tell me your plan to get Henry back." Said Regina not wanting to show her mother how eager she was to hear this plan of hers.
"Well it involved Rumplestiltskin…"
"No way! I am not involving him in anything I do. He's just bad news and I do not want to owe him anymore favors."
"If we have his knife then you won't have to…" Cora said holding Regina's hands in hers.
"No one knows where it is." Regina said hopelessly.
"Then we will have to find it. That will be the first thing we do."
"..and once we find it?" Regina asked curiously.
"Let's handle phase one before we get ahead of ourselves." Cora turned and began to walk out of the kitchen.
"What are you planning mother?!" Regina said wanting to know the rest of her plan.
"You'll see." She replied continuing to walk out of the kitchen, Regina eying her the whole time.
Emma pulled up to Gold's shop. She wanted to get in and out fast so she could be on her way. She got out of the car and began walking towards Gold's shop when she noticed Gold coming out with a suitcase.
"What's going on?" Emma asked with a confused look on her face.
"I'm coming with you." He said.
"What?! No you can't!" She said realizing she actually said that out loud. "I mean…you can't cross the line or you'll forget everything."
"That's where you're wrong, dearie."
Emma shot him a confused look. She didn't want to go on this trip in the first place, let alone be accompanied by Gold.
"What are you talking about?" She said finally.
"I created a potion last night that will allow me to cross the town line unscathed if I am wearing this scarf."
"Great, so you can go yourself. You don't need me." She said beginning to walk back to her car.
"Wrong again." Emma stopped and turned around to face Gold.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"You're the only one who can truly convince Bae to come back with us."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the Sav.." Emma cut him off before he could finish.
"The Savior….I'm getting tired of this 'Savior' crap."
"Like it or not, that's what you are."
"Don't remind me. Get in and you can explain everything on the way." Emma and Gold both got into the car and Emma pulled out. The 'You are now leaving Storybrooke' sign came into view. Emma stopped a few feet from the line.
"Ready?" She asked.
He put the scarf around his neck. "Let's go!"
Emma stepped on the gas and they soon passed over the town line. A flash of magic wished across their faces, blowing their hair back in the process.
"Do you remember who you are?" Emma asked with a concern look on her face. That's all she needed right now was for him not to remember anything.
:I remember everything. Drive on." He said rather confidently. He hid the fact that he wasn't feeling 100% like himself.
Emma had a feeling this was going to be a long trip. A really long trip.
Henry went to the stables right after school that day. He couldn't wait to see Mandy again. He told Snow he was going to hangout with some kids from school at the playground. When he got there, he looked around to see if she arrived yet. She did. She was sitting on a blanket in the middle of the field. She waved to him; he waved back before walking over to join her on the blanket.
"Hey!" Henry said before sitting down.
"Hey Henry, how was school?" She asked.
"Boring, as usual. How about you?"
"Oh, I didn't go to school today. I only go when I feel like it."
"What do your parents say?"
"I don't have parents. I live in the orphanage, well used too. I go back and forth between there and our house in the woods."
"A house in the woods! Can I see?"
"You ask a lot of questions, kid. But I suppose I can show you around sometime."
"Awesome! Can't wait." He said trying to contain his excitement. He then asked yet another question. "What's in the basket?"
"Oh, I almost forgot." She said as she put the basket in front of Henry. "I thought we could have a little picnic while we got to know each other better."
"Cool, what do you have?" He asked. Mandy laid out everything she had brought. She packed a lot of food because she didn't know what Henry liked. He chose a ham and cheese sandwich, while she had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
He took a bite of his sandwich and gave her a thumbs up. "This is really good."
"I'm glad you like it." She said taking a bite of her own.
"What's your last name?"
"What?" Mandy asked giving him a weird look. She was caught off guard by the question.
"People's names have a meaning here that give clues to what they were before the curse." He said confidently.
"It's Vega. Mandy Vega."
"Vega, got it!" He said knowing he would remember. "So are you going to tell me why you don't want to use magic?"
"You don't forget anything, do you Henry?" She asked knowing this kid was smart.
"Nope, so go on with your story." He said taking the last bite of his sandwich.
"Well I don't use magic a lot. I only use it when it's absolutely necessary. Like saving you yesterday." She said giving him an example.
"Why don't you use magic more often though? You use your powers for good." He asked more curious than ever. She knew he wouldn't understand the price that comes with using magic but she would try to explain it to him as best she could. She looked away from Henry, hiding her face from the boy. She didn't want him to see the hurt look on her face. She hadn't always used her powers for good, but she wanted to be a good role model and friend to Henry. She looked back to Henry forcing a smile before answering.
"I suppose you already heard this but…all magic comes with a price…..even good magic."
"Good people shouldn't have to pay." He said.
"All good people have been bad sometime in their lives. Some just take a little longer to come back from the dark side." She replied trying to get Henry to understand.
"I suppose you're right." He said agreeing with her answer. "So you don't want people to know you have magic because you're trying to quit?"
"That and I don't want people to like or hate me just because I have magic. Not to mention the fact that magic can corrupt even the purist of hearts and turn it into something so dark, so twisted that it is hard to come back from." She said knowing all too well what magic can do to a person.
"That sounds like my mom." He said putting his head down in disappointment. He knew Regina wasn't all evil. He remembered times where she was the nicest person in the world. He was happy with Emma, Snow and David, but there were time where he really missed Regina.
"Emma? I thought she was good?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"No, my other mom. Regina." He replied with a sad look on his face.
"Oh right! How could I forget you were the Mayor's kid."
"Yea….she's evil." He said flatly.
"Do you truly believe that or are you just saying that because of her recent actions." She asked seriously. Henry turned to face Mandy, locking eyes with her. She could see the sadness in his eyes.
"Well from what I've heard about her…it hasn't been good."
"Sounds like you don't have the whole story." She said as she was shifting her position. She was now lying on her side talking to Henry. "I'm sure there was a time in her life where she was kind and happy without a single hint of darkness."
"Maybe." He said hoping she was right. "She is trying to redeem herself for me. She wants to prove she can change."
"She's changing because she loves you, Henry. Have you seen or talked to her since Emma and Snow came back?"
"Not really. When I was told she killed Archie, I thought she went back to her old ways. But it turns out she didn't kill him. It was Cora." He said feeling guilty he didn't tell Regina he knew she was innocent.
"Who's Cora?" She asked. It was the second time he mentioned her name. The first being when he mentioned her having magic and she was curious to know who this woman was.
"Regina's mom. She's evil." He said.
She rolled her eyes at the mention of Cora being evil. She was getting a little tired of how this kid thought everyone and their mom were evil. "I don't think anyone is evil, Henry. Just misunderstood. I think you should pay Regina a visit, even if it's just for 5 minutes."
"I don't think Snow and David will let me." He said remembering his promise to Emma about being good for Snow and David.
"Isn't it up to Emma?" She asked confused as to why he mentioned Snow and David.
"She had to go out of town to complete a favor for Mr. Gold." He said. The sudden mention of Gold's name sent shivers down Mandy's spine. She remembered the horrible tasks Gold had her do back in her world.
"Something wrong?" He asked looking at the scared face she was making.
Mandy's memories faded as she was pulled back to reality by Henry's question. "Ugh, nothing. I hope Emma finds what she's looking for." She said offering him a smile.
"She will, it's what she does…find people that is."
"Oh okay. Well, if you really wanna see Regina to see if she's improved or not then I think you should pay her a visit, even if you don't have permission. I'm not condoning on disobeying your parentals or anything, but I think Regina deserves to see you." She said firmly.
"I do want to see her but I'm scared of Cora. She's probably staying with Regina."
"Well what if I come with you? I'll just wait outside until you're finished talking." She said hoping he would accept her offer.
"Great! I would definitely feel better if you were there." He said more confidently.
"Cool, we'll go tomorrow afternoon." She said now laying down on the blanket, hands behind her head. Henry followed suit. It was now dark enough to see the stars. They have been talking for hours.
"Wow! I've never noticed how many stars there are." He said looking up at the night sky.
"I love looking at the sky at night. See that star there? She said pointing to the sky, expecting him to find the star she was pointing at.
"That one there?" He asked pointing to one of the many stars in the sky not knowing which one she was talking about.
"No the second star to the right. That's my favorite star. See it?" She asked hoping he found the one she was talking about.
"Oh yea…Isn't that where Neverland is? He asked remembering the story of Peter Pan.
"How do you know about Neverland?" She asked curious as to how he knows about her land.
"From Peter Pan." He forgot she didn't really know about the stories on Peter Pan, or for any other fairytale character for that matter.
"You know Peter?!" She asked, sitting up.
"Just the movie, not the person. You know him?" He asked trying to find out more about her life.
"Yea, he's my best friend! We grew up together." She couldn't stop smiling when she talked about him.
"You're from Neverland?! He asked with a shocked look on his face.
"Yes and no. I was born in the Enchanted Forest but I found my way to Neverland with Peter."
"You might be more complicated than Regina." She couldn't help but laugh at that remark. "Anything's possible." She replied.
"Are you gonna tell me how you met Peter and found your way to Neverland?" He asked wanting to know more.
"Shouldn't you be getting home?" She asked knowing the kid would have to be home soon.
His eyes widened when he realized what time it was. "I forgot all about my curfew. I gotta go!" He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "Do you want help cleaning up?" He asked looking at the mess they made.
"No Henry. You go. I'm going to stay a little longer." She said shooing the kid away.
"Okay see you tomorrow. Is 1pm and the playground good for you?" He asked.
"I'll be there!" She said flashing him a smile. He smiled, turned and began running to where he tied up his bike. Mandy watched him go until he was out of sight. She laid back down to look at the stars. She wanted to go back to Neverland, but she did like Storybrooke too. She missed the adventures she used to have with Peter and the Lost Boys. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, dreaming of her life before the curse.
Let me know what you all think. Reviews are appreciated:)
