The ship rocks and swings. Lucy grips the bars of her cage, trying to stay upright. Bangs come from all sides and she can hear shouting above – but Lucy knows from sailing lessons that the Jolly Roger is made up of two floors and a deck. Right now, she's in the lowest floor, surrounded by barrels of freshwater.
Water flicks up against her ankle and Lucy thinks for a moment that those barrels have been knocked loose, but then it happens again, before four separate torrents of water explode through the side of the ship from cracks, a high-pitched screeching becoming audible.
"Help!" Lucy shouts to be heard as the room quickly begins taking on water. "Help!" Settled on a platform of sorts, the water doesn't come up over her ankles, but Lucy can see it rising on either side of the cell in the dip where the hull comes together in the middle. The steady stream scares her and she feels the bars grow warm under her grip, static spiking her wrists and fingers.
"No, no, not right now, please," Lucy pleads. Now is not the moment for my magic to act up.
For something like five minutes, the attack – because is has to be an attack, the mermaid attack that Henry wrote about in his copy of Once Upon a Time – goes on and on, until presumably, her mother throws various fireballs to scare the mermaids off. Unfortunately for Lucy, they're still taking on water and more cracks have appeared – some of which turning into geysers.
Water actually at her ankles now, Lucy becomes terrified, wondering if she's changed something – that if by increasing the amount of people in the ship, she's increased the number of mermaids that have appeared. Is the Jolly Roger going to sink? Am I going to die here?
Panicking, Lucy shouts for help over and over, but no-one hears her. Then the horn blows and Lucy knows that the water-damage is going to get worse as the storm rages.
"Rumplestiltskin! Rumplestiltskin! Rumplestiltskin!" she calls, putting all her magic into the call, all her desperation and fear.
A storm begins – thunder booming and lightning cracking. Lucy struggles to stay upright and attached to the bars, the water level creeping up past her feet, even despite her heels. Her arm aches where she once broke it – fuck you Gideon, you fuck things up for me when you aren't even here – and she keeps on swaying.
"No, no, no, no-" she falls over eventually, splashing in the water there, the angle of the floor suddenly rising. Lucy tumbles backwards and hits the bars, inwardly rejoicing that the nailed-down bench won't be following her.
"What the devil have you called me for?" her grandfather's familiar angry bluster follows, before she sees him hanging to the side of the cage.
"Granddad, please, get me out of here," she begs, struggling to stand.
"I've no understanding of how I'm your grandfather, girl," he says, gritting his teeth. "What do you have to trade me?"
"Trade?" Lucy breathes heavily and instead inhales some water, coughing violently. "What do you want?"
"Tell me about the future. Information. Does Bae have another child out there – you, somewhere out in the land without magic?"
"No, no, he's not my father!" Lucy shakes her head, managing to get up as they settle out – only to be practically slammed the other way as they seemingly go vertical to vertical. A small wave of water slams into her, pushing her against the bars of
"Then how are you my granddaughter?"
"Are you thick?" Lucy questions.
"Would you like me to leave you here in this god-forsaken ship?" Rumplestiltskin snaps, causing Lucy to panic.
"Cora lied! Cora lied about Prince Henry being my mother's father!"
"She what?" Rumplestiltskin looks at her, haggard. "Regina-"
"-is my mother, from the future and your daughter, she always has been!" Lucy yells, before the familiar feeling of heel snapping under her snatches her attention. "Oh no!"
"What is it?"
"I broke my shoe!"
Rumplestiltskin looks at her with a genuine are you fucking with me face, before he appears inside the cell with her, arm wrapping around her waist.
"Brace yourself!" he snaps, before they're on the deck. Lucy reaches over, grabbing a handy rope as rain lashes against her. The sound of shouting catches her attention and to her shock, Regina and Snow are having a fist-fight right in front of them.
"Pull yourself together!" Rumplestiltskin shouts, before Lucy notices David and Killian fighting on the upper deck.
"You need to listen to me!" Lucy hears Emma shouting and – knowing what's about to happen – twists her head around to see the blonde diving off the side of the boat.
"No!" she shouts.
"Emma!" David calls at the same time, a flurry of cries calling out from Snow before a pulley rope snaps, hitting the water.
Hitting my mom, Lucy thinks, before breaking out of her grandfather's hold, rushing to the side of the ship haphazardly, kicking off her heels and dropping her jacket on the deck as everyone gathers at the side. Climbing up, she summons the end of a nearby cord of rope before diving in.
Hitting the water, Lucy reaches out with her magic, finding her mothers familiar presence and swimming in that direction without looking, letting her eyes adjust to the water slowly rather than all at once.
Arms burning, it feels like swimming through lead, this deep. Her mother floats in the water, eyes shut. Don't you drown on me, don't, please, Lucy thinks as she grabs her, hauling them upwards. When they reach the surface, she tries to remember her life-saving course, which seems all too far away.
Using her magic, Lucy focuses on tying the rope around Emma, using her remaining limbs to keep her mother afloat, kicking towards the ship. She thinks of Roni and what she would do – which would have likely involved telling Elphie that Gideon wanted her to steal the time beans in the first place.
"Breathe, mom, please," she says to her, pulling her arms in sharply a couple of times.
"Emma!"
"We've got the rope! Pull!" Killian shouts and honestly, if he wasn't weirdly maternal to her uncle, Lucy could kiss him. In her arms, Emma starts to be dragged faster towards the Jolly Roger and Lucy lets her, holding onto both her and the rope to keep her upright.
As it happens, just before they hit the side of the boat, her compressions convince Emma to upchuck whatever is in her lungs and as she goes up the side, she can keep her head well enough. However, while, Emma goes up and Lucy is stuck in the water.
"Here." Rumplestiltskin throws another rope over as David pulls Emma over the side, disappearing from view. Lucy grabs it, fingers numb, but managing to somehow scale the side of the boat with his help, grateful for the warm jacket he puts around her shoulders as soon as she's upright.
Pulling his coat around her – and wondering if he raided Killian's wardrobe, at seeing the black, pirate-y shirt left underneath – Lucy leans into his side, internally thanking whoever let him see the future that they let him see her.
Above, the clouds clear enough so they can see the moon.
"I told you," Emma says, before looking to Lucy. "You saved me."
Lucy gives a small grimace. "You shouldn't have needed saving. You're welcome, though."
"It's kind of a big deal," Emma replies, before her eyes flicker sideways to Rumplestiltskin. "I thought you were gone."
"The young lady made a deal with me, to save herself from drowning in that cell."
"Dammit! I knew there was water coming in," Killian curses, before disappearing down into the hold. "A little help!"
"Go help," Emma says to David, sitting up. "I'm good."
David quickly disappears and Rumplestiltskin turns to Lucy. "If you were telling the truth, then our deal is done. If you weren't, expect me to call in a favour."
"I wasn't lying," Lucy denies, before he disappears, leaving her in his jacket.
"What did you tell him?" Regina questions.
Lucy glances at her, seeing her impeccable face and reminding herself that yes, that is magic keeping her together in the face of a storm and yes, I've got the same spell on. It would have been a nightmare if her makeup came off while diving for Emma.
It's so strange to think that my moms don't like each other right now, let alone are having Roni and I in the next year.
"A secret of Cora's," she says, fully aware of Emma's lie detector. Regina clenches her jaw.
"What secret?"
"A secret," Lucy says, feeling childish. Stepping forwards, she tugs at her own jacket on the deck, giving her shoes up for a lost cause – the broken heel isn't there, hanging on by a thread, so she can't repair the broken one. Wiggling her toes a little, the strain of wearing heels gone, Lucy picks them up and throws them overboard.
"What did you do that for?" Regina predictably demands.
"Snapped the heel while in the brig," Lucy shrugs, wondering what to do with her jacket seeing as she's half-wearing her grandfathers. As if hearing her, it disappears and Lucy quickly puts her own back on, noticing the difference in temperature immediately.
"Are there changes of clothes or like, towels, do you think?" Emma asks after Lucy answers Regina's questions.
"I know where they are," Lucy says, to Emma's surprise. "I think, at least."
"Cool," Emma says, getting up off the deck.
"I'll just…go help the others," Regina mutters, the three of them making their way down below, Regina leaving them quickly. Emma watches Lucy as she leads her to near Hook's quarters, opening a latch cupboard and pulling out some thin blankets that supposedly are meant to be a towel-substitute.
"Still saying you're from the future?" Emma questions her as they dry off there, in the corridor. She can hear Hook yelling, below her feet and for a moment thanks the fact that she almost drowned, so she gets out of emergency repair-work.
"I'm born in this year," Lucy replies. It takes Emma a moment to realise why that is a bomb of information.
"What?" Emma stares at her. "Regina's pregnant?"
"Not yet. Or maybe she is. She was never quite sure," Lucy says, sighing and leaning against the wall as if she'd given up. "I'm not sure if you've been told this before at this time, but in the Enchanted Forest, it wasn't uncommon for True Loves to have children together – even if they weren't a man and a woman."
"…woah, wait, you mean you're born from True Love?" Emma questions, avoiding the impossible idea that same-sex couple could have children together.
"Between two True Loves," Lucy corrects. "So are both my siblings and no, I don't mean Henry when I refer to either of them. True Love is magic, by the way."
"I know that," Emma replies, slightly weirded out. The problem with all this, is that she can't hear her lie detector going off. Everything coming out of Lucy's mouth is the truth – to her, at least. "Regina's going to have kids. Plural, kids." It's a weird thought. Not a bad thought…but, definitely weird.
Lucy falls silent after that, surprising Emma by stripping off her dress briefly to dry, putting on her jacket inbetween drying her torso and squeezing her dress in the towel, for some form of modesty, Emma supposes.
Soon, though, both of them are vaguely dry and a little warmer. Those doing the emergency repairs all head up from the bottom of the boat and they make a game-plan.
"We need to land," Hook says. "Or we're sunk."
That is said and agreed on easily. As Hook steers them towards Neverland, Regina gives them both a short rundown of what happened.
"We patched up some holes. I banished some of the water out and spelled the water-pump to keep going while we're away."
"Good," Emma nods, before Mary-Margaret clears her throat.
"Lucy, I'd like to thank you for helping Emma."
"It was nothing," Lucy shakes her head. "Really. Emma's integral to my future."
"How?" Emma questions, slightly alarmed. Lucy glances back at her, smirking suddenly.
"You'll see. Say hi to Roni for me."
"Who's Roni?"
"Quiet," Regina snaps at the girl. "Unless you're willing to swear an oath on your magic, I refuse to believe you're from the future."
"Fine," Lucy huffs, before stepping forwards and holding out her hand. Regina balks and Emma looks between them, confused.
"What's happening?"
"A witch vow," Lucy replies, sounding slightly nervous. "It's sworn in blood though and I haven't carried a knife with me since the last time I went to Wonderland."
"What makes you think I do?" Regina asks. "Have you ever sworn one of these before?"
"Once, when I was twelve," Lucy replies, voice still slightly shaky. "You refused to teach me how to make a cut in my hand, though."
Regina's lips purse and Emma imagines she's angry, before she moves her hand sharply, a thin cut appearing on Lucy's palm. She hisses, before Regina does the same, clasping their hands together.
"Magic binds you," Regina says, before a dark purple glow comes from their hands. Emma watches with unblinking eyes, staring at the exchange with an unparalleled focus.
"I swear on my magic that I am telling the truth when I say I am from the future," Lucy replies, the purple glow changing to a soft pink. Regina hisses, as if in pain. "Sorry," Lucy says, before the light dies and they pull their hands apart sharply. Emma notices how Lucy winces herself.
"You're a light witch," Regina says, as if disgusted.
"Only right now," Lucy says, which potentially sounds both ominous and cheery. She snaps her fingers, a small spark of lighting flickering upwards.
"So, what did that do?"
"It means she's telling the truth when she says she's from the future and that's all. Anything else is up for grabs," Regina explains and Emma looks sharply at the girl who is supposedly Regina's daughter, born of True Love.
But who could Regina's True Love be?
"So, can I go home now?" she looks to Mary-Margaret, who Emma remembers has her magic bean.
"You're really from the future?" Hook cuts in suddenly, calling from the wheel. "You're really, truly from the future?"
"Yes and I need to get back to it before I change the timeline again," Lucy says sharply.
"May I ask you a question, love?" Hook says, not waiting for an answer. "Do I get a happy ending?"
Emma watches Lucy's face as she pauses, looking at him critically before something in her face goes soft.
"Yes, you do. I've babysat Liam often enough to know his parents are happy together."
Hook is going to have a kid, Emma thinks with wide eyes as the captain himself stares at the woman in shock, looking slightly overwhelmed.
"That's not to say there aren't ups and downs – hearts broken and suchlike," Lucy warns. "So don't lose hope, unless you're counting on it being someone on this ship. A little anecdote that younger me didn't exactly like was you trying to make out with my mother."
"I what?" Hook looks around, between Emma, Regina and Snow before settling on Emma, to her slight confusion, before looking back to Lucy sharply. "Well…sorry in advance, love."
"I've told you now, so if you still do it – because memory potions are in such short supply here – I'll know it was on purpose," Lucy warns.
"…right," Hook falters, giving an uneasy smile. "We wouldn't want that, would we?"
"No," Lucy says flatly, before looking to Mary-Margaret, holding out her hand. "Can I have my time bean back now, please?"
Mary-Margaret purses her lips, before taking the bean out of her pocket, holding it in clear view. Lucy goes to take it, stepping forwards, but Mary-Margaret holds it away from her.
"Answer some questions for us, first."
"Mary-Margaret, give her the bean," Emma breathes in deeply. "If- because she's from the future, she needs to go home. Did you never read or watch any sci-fi stuff?"
"What Mom said – I've already told too much, any way," Lucy says, eyes fixed on the bean, not noticing how Emma looks at her, thoughts of breaking the space-time continuum aborting as she realises what Lucy just said.
"I thought Regina was supposed to be your mother," Emma says, confused, glancing at the woman herself, who has an equally-as confused expression on her face. Lucy wavers in her concentration, eyes flicking back between Emma and Regina.
She's supposed to be born from True Love, Emma recalls, frowning deeply.
"Yes, I thought that was the case as well."
"…it's complicated. Like Henry. Uh…yeah, I need to go, right now." Lucy says, reaching out to take the bean, which Mary-Margaret lets her grab out of her hand. Emma watches her look around, before she goes over to the bow of the ship.
"Wait, you need to explain," Emma starts, as she moves some rope and crates out of the way – creating a clear space. "Who are you, really?"
"Lucy Mills," she says. "By the way," she turns slightly, looking at Regina, "when I'm eight and I break my arm, don't believe me when I say it was an accident. Gideon was fucking around with his levitation spells and slammed my arm between a rock and a tree. It still hurts, sometimes."
She rubs her right arm for emphasis, even as Emma remembers a scene from Back to the Future, where Marty asks his parents to be lenient when his younger self burned the rug.
"You didn't explain why you called Miss Swan your mother," Regina demands an answer without saying.
"I can't tell you. It's not happened yet." Lucy says in an apologetic tone, before turning to the clear space, throwing the bean onto the deck. Emma expects a portal – for something – but the seconds tick past and nothing happens. The bean remains on the deck, motionless. "What the hell?" Lucy steps forwards, picking it up. "Did I steal a fucking dud? Oh my god, oh my god, how am I going to get home?"
"With difficulty, I'd imagine," Regina states even as Emma feels a strange tugging in her gut, that tapers out after a moment. "The magic here is strange, different…"
"Imagination, it all works on imagination," Emma clarifies, remembering what Gold said earlier.
"Well, I imagined that the bean worked and that didn't help things," Lucy says, sounding frantic.
"We're coming up to the island," Hook says a moment later, before the Jolly Roger flies into a reef, a river in the distance. "These are shallower waters. I'll anchor down. Get into a row-boat."
"I can fix the ship, if you give me a little time," Regina states, before Emma shakes her head.
"No, save your strength. We're going to need you to help fight Pan. Do what Hook says."
Regina grumbles, but follows David to where he gets into a rowboat, Mary-Margaret helping out with the ropes and pulleys to lower it down into the water. Emma looks back to Lucy, who stares at the bean in her cupped hands.
Wary of the girl – the girl from the future, the girl who knows them all and calls both Emma and Regina her mothers – Emma puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Kid. I know you want to get home. Someone will come and get you, if the bean really isn't working."
"It's a dud," Lucy repeats, showing her it. Up close, Emma can see how it sparkles, the bean itself a light green with a blue centre. "It should be green and orange. Every time bean has the potential of a time portal trapped inside of it. I gave up my magic for these."
"You what?" Emma looks at her in confusion. "But, earlier-"
"Every time a bean is used, the magic returns to me. It's something that took Elphie time to get right, but she did it. Time portals need the magic of a True Love child to work. Usually, the magic gets used up, but Elphie managed to get the power of the bean itself to power the portal, rather than the magic used to create it."
"Elphie, like Elphaba?" Emma recognises the name.
"Yeah, actually," Lucy says, before tucking the bean away in her pocket. "But don't tell anyone. No-one's ready for what that means, yet."
"That, what, people from Oz are in Storybrooke?"
"They aren't," Lucy murmurs, catching her eyes. "Yet."