Chapter Two We are Both
NYC, Eleven Years Ago
"Ellie!" She jumped as her head shot up, suddenly wide awake and completely attentive. She rubbed the back of her neck, ignoring the stinging pain of the whiplash.
"How much sleep have you been getting?" Her sister asked. The twins were in a diner, having their weekly breakfast. She had been slowly drifting off as they waited for their order to come out. She wasn't bored of her sister, oh no, it was just that her lack of sleep was catching up to her.
"I've just been nervous. Haven't gotten any calls recently." Ellie lied. Though it was somewhat the truth, she hadn't been getting any calls for her to do any projects. Being an artist and a Broadway performer certainly made good money, it just also caused some unnecessary stress. Her sister didn't need to know that she was having nightmares. The dreams had just gone away. Telling her sister would most certainly cause Ellie to be thrown in the nearest mental institution.
Given how many years the Emma had to listen to Ellie insist that the dreams she was having weren't dreams, Ellie wasn't surprised that she wasn't already thrown in there. But she also knew her sister, not only would she not do that to her only family but she didn't want to be alone.
"Someone will call. You always get your best calls when things are looking bad." Emma reassured, reaching over and patting her sister's hand. Ellie mentally sighed, either Emma didn't catch onto her lie or she was just going along with it. And usually Ellie could lie to anyone but her sister. Maybe acting was paying off. Emma resumed talking as Ellie took a sip of her coffee and stared out the window, only pretending to listen.
Ellie usually enjoyed these breakfasts with her sister; they would often be the highlight of her week. However, her heart just wasn't in it today. And usually it was Emma who didn't want to do things like this. Ellie had been the one to start the weekly breakfast, saying that it would be a good way for the two of them to keep up. And it was either breakfast or trips to the spa…naturally, Emma chose breakfast.
"He should be here any minute." Emma said, making Ellie frown and look at her sister. She put her coffee down. Not only was the breakfast usually meant for the two of them, sometimes one of them would bring someone for the other to meet, but Emma bringing somebody? And that somebody being a guy?
Who was the person in front of her and what had she done with her sister? Because Emma NEVER got that excited about guys, she was the one who was always guarded…saying that she was the older sister and it was her job to take care of Ellie. Although there was no proof on who was older, Emma still liked to believe that it was her. And Ellie never really argued, the main reason being because Emma could be very scary when she wanted to be.
"Who?" Ellie asked. Emma didn't answer, instead waving at someone behind Ellie. She turned around, watching a guy walk up to their table with a smile on his face. Ellie would usually be happy for Emma to have found a guy but she had her reasons for already not liking him. Emma got out of her chair and kissed the man. The two sat down across from her, the guy still smiling at Ellie and making her very cautious and nervous.
The guy was the one who tried to pick-pocket her last week on her way home from her studio. And he wasn't being very discreet when he tried to do so, he tried (key word being tried) to bump into her and nick whatever he could from her pocket. Though Ellie knew the look he had, it was the look Emma had whenever she had to do it when they were having a rough time. Like she didn't want to do it but she had to so they could eat. Ellie allowed him to bump her before she kneed him in…you know where.
"Ellie, this is Neil. Neil, this is Ellie." Emma introduced with a smile. Neil put out his hand for her to shake, though Ellie ignored it and glared at Neil. Her eyes drew to slits and she scowled, Neil quickly took the sign and instead ushered a waitress over and ordered some coffee.
"Why are you suddenly so crabby?" Emma asked, noticing her sister's sudden change in behavior. Two waitresses came over, one with coffee for Neil, and the other with the twin's breakfast. French toast and eggs for Ellie and pancakes with bacon and wiped cream for Emma. The two of them always wanted a family that would make that for them every morning when they were growing up…naturally, they didn't get it.
"Remember about how I told you a guy tried to pick-pocket me last week?" Ellie asked her sister as she began to dig into her bacon. It was scary, sometimes, how well the twins knew each other. Ellie could tell you blindfolded how her sister would eat her breakfast. Bacon first, wiped cream, then she drenched her pancakes in syrup. Ellie knew that Emma could probably do the same for her. It unfortunately showed how much time the two of them spent together.
"Yeah, why?" Emma asked with her mouth full. Ellie had to roll her eyes at her sister's table manners, if she wasn't pissed at Neil then she would be happy that he didn't mind her sister's manners. Neil cleared his throat, taking a sip of his coffee and looking anywhere but the two of us.
"Good, you should be nervous." Ellie thought angrily and then began, "Well…I never did go to the police because he never did steal anything…"
"I told you those karate lessons would pay off." Emma interrupted, swallowing her food. Ellie rolled her eyes, the lessons had nothing to do with taking down Neil. It was a simple defense move, if a guy is attacking you, knee him in his balls. However, if it's a girl, punch and then run. Anybody knows that.
Ellie knew why her sister wanted to take the lessons, it didn't take a genius to figure it out. She was a young girl, an up and coming artist and performer. The job certainly did come with creepers, there was no doubt. Ellie had already had her fair share, though they were nothing that she couldn't handle. She just learned to always carry some form of weapon on her…which is why she had yet to tell her sister that she had stopped going to the lessons. But...that would be for a later discussion.
"Anyway," Ellie began again, "I figured out who the guy was." Emma smiled.
"That's great! Now we can go to the police and…" Emma began before Ellie pointed over at Neil, interrupting her sister's ramble. Emma frowned and looked over at Neil.
"Why's she pointing at you?" He cleared his throat, and gave a shrug.
"Don't lie asshat. I beat you up once and I can most certainly do it again. I really don't care if my sister is here to see it." Ellie spat.
"Neil…what's she talking about?" Emma tentatively asked her boyfriend. Which was strange in of itself, Ellie was usually the one who kept the peace.
"I don't know…she must be confused." Neil offered and Ellie scoffed loudly, causing some heads to turn and look over at the table. Really!? Was her sister that blind that she couldn't see that her own boyfriend was lying straight to her face?!
"He's the one that tried to pick-pocket me Emma! You're dating a criminal!" Ellie argued, pointing at Neil. Emma shushed her sister, not wanting any more attention brought to them. Ellie dropped her mouth open in surprise at the action.
"Really? You believe him and not me?"
"Ellie…it was late at night, it could've even been a girl who tried to rob you. We don't know that." Ellie couldn't take it anymore. She pushed her plate to the center, threw a ten on the table and stormed out of the diner, ignoring her sister's calls.
"Ellie! Ellie!" still ignoring her, "Helena Maryanne Swan!" Ellie stopped. The full name, it was an agreement between the two of them that whenever the other called them by their full name they had to stop. No matter how much they didn't want to. However, when the twins were found neither of them had middle or last names. Just their blankets with Emma and Helena stitched into them. 'Ellie' came from Emma not being able to say Helena, so she shortened it to something simple for her.
"What Emma Marie Swan?" Ellie asked, stressing her sister's name and feeling a bit prideful when Emma slightly flinched.
"What is the matter with you?"
"ME!? What's the matter with you? Emma, the actual Emma, would be happy to know that I found the guy that tried to steal my stuff. Emma wouldn't bring a guy to our weekly breakfasts without telling me first. Emma would use her common sense to see that the guy is shady and can't be trusted. There are a lot of things Emma should be doing. So, you're obviously not Emma!" Ellie snapped, stomping her foot for good measure. Emma stared at her sister, and remained staring until Ellie scoffed and bid her sister goodbye and resumed walking.
"You're jealous." Emma finally said, and Ellie rolled her eyes. Emma must be blind and forgetting things, the only thing she ever got jealous of where the kids who got adopted while her and Emma remained in the foster system. She quickly learned that if she wanted something, she'd have to work for it. Honestly, at this point in her life, there was nothing that she really needed, so there was no reason for her to be jealous of her sister. If anything, she should be happy…but her sister was dating a man that would ruin her.
"Em…" Ellie turned back around and hugged her sister, "I don't want to be there when he ruins you because I know he will," Ellie pulled away, "You're my sister and I'll always love you but I can't watch you destroy yourself. Call me when he's out of the picture." She put her hands in her pockets.
"Least you won't have to do the weekly breakfasts with me anymore." And with that Ellie whistled for a taxi. One pulled up and she got in, barely looking at her sister. Emma watched the taxi drive away before sighing and going back inside the diner.
"Central Park ma'm?" the driver clarified, bringing Ellie out of her thoughts. She nodded and resumed looking out of the window, watching people. Ellie could only hope that her sister would take her words to heart and talk to Neil. Emma usually did…but then again, Ellie had never seen Emma act like this. So, who knows what could happen.
-OUAT- Present Time in Fairy Tale World
"Did you ever give me and Emma middle names?" Ellie randomly asked her mother after she thought about the memory of her and Emma's biggest fight. Mary Margaret looked at her daughter strangely, given that it was a strange question for the current situation they were in. Mulan and Aurora, Ellie was having a hard time trying to wrap her mind around that, turned out to be the two women who found them. They claimed that they were the reason that…somebody was dead, honestly Ellie was having a hard time trying to pay attention to anything.
Then they tied her and Mary Margaret up and began dragging the two of them along. Actually, that makes it sound worse than it actually is. Only their hands were tied together, so they could still walk with Mulan and Aurora, who were riding horses. Ellie had complained, due to the fact that she was wearing a dress and wedged boots but her complaints were ignored and she soon learned to shut up.
"Why on earth would you ask that?"
"Because I was thinking of when Emma and I had our biggest argument. We had made an agreement that if the one called the other by their full name that they had nothing to do but listen." Ellie explained, stumbling a bit as Mulan yanked on their ropes.
"What names did you chose?"
"Helena Maryanne and Emma Marie…" she faltered off, noticing the change in scenery, "What is this place?"
"Our home." Mulan answered. Mary Margaret looked around, confused by everything. They arrive at an island, which causes Ellie to panic because she had been drawing scenes from this island for a few weeks. All the different Enchanted Forest people in the village looked exactly like Ellie had seen them.
"Mary-Margaret...I've seen this place," she whispered to her mother and then in a louder tone said, "It's like they're refuges."
"We're survivors." Mulan corrected. Mary Margret looked over at Ellie, who gave her a nod, she kneed Aurora in the gut and makes a run for it.
"Ellie run!" Ellie quickly follows but skids to a stop when Mary Margaret is knocked unconscious by Mulan. Ellie falls to her knees and tries to wake her up.
"Mary Margaret! Mary Margaret!" she looks up at Mulan, furious at her, "What did you do?!"
"Take them to the pit." Mulan commands, ignoring the copper-head. Some 'guards' come over and literally pick the two of them up and throw them in the 'dungeon'. Ellie coughed and brushed some dirt off, glaring at the guards as the shut the door.
"Would it kill you to be careful!?" they ignore her and Ellie returns her attention to Mary Margaret, "Come on…wake up. Can you hear me?"
"Do you need help?" a voice from the shadows asked, causing Ellie to jump. She squinted and tried to make out some sort of figure, from what she could tell…the voice was definitely female. However, she was currently in the Enchanted Forest with her mother Snow White…so really, anything was possible.
"Who are you?" Ellie asked, remaining in front of the unconscious Mary Margaret.
"A friend," an older woman emerged from the shadows, wearing a dark dress and cloak, "My name's Cora."