AN: Hi everyone sorry for the slow update, finals are coming up so I've been grinding.
Anyhow… let's get back to story.
Chap 4: New Beginnings
Enchanted Forest
Cling.
Prince Charming swung at the guard in desperation. He needs to get to the portal. He holds Emma even closer to his chest and she coos. Her fate depends on it, all their fates do. As the guard goes to strike again, David strafes to the left and aims for his side. He connects and the black clad soldier falls. The prince dashes down the halls, one goal in mind.
"Save Emma." Snow had said to him when the Evil Queen had arrived, curse on her heels. She'd made him promise the night before that he would leave her if it meant saving Emma.
"We have to protect her from that woman David." She'd looked so serious and so afraid. "No matter what." She choked up at that. He tried to comfort her, to ease her worry. "She'll be okay. You know why?" He caressed her hands. "Because she'll have you to help her every step of the way." The soft tentative smile he received for his efforts warmed his heart. It almost made him okay with the fact that he was going to lose them both.
Now it seems that his efforts were for not, because not only had Emma come at the most inconvenient of times, but Regina had stormed the castle with her guards and it was clear that her curse was no bluff. David bursts through the door of the nursery, frantic he runs to the portal and places Emma in the trunk. The tiny newborn looks at her father with big curious green eyes. Tucking her in her blanket, the prince soaks in the image of his daughter.
"I'm sorry Emma. I'm sorry that Mommy and Daddy won't be there for you." He chokes up, his breathe caught in his throat. This wasn't fair. He'd just got her only to lose her immediately after.
"But, I know you'll find us baby." His heart feels heavy and his tears fall freely now.
"Because that's what we do. We find each other." Emma babbles and slowly David exhales before closing the trunk door. Drying his eyes, he closes his eyes as he feels magic rush through the room.
She's gone.
Opening his eyes, he grabs his sword as he feels determination fill him. He turns around and attacks two dark knights with vigour. He swings, ducks and parries. Out the corner of his eye, he spies the reflection of a sword, so ducks before clashing with the knight. Pushing apart, he dodges a stab to the side from the knight to his right before quickly returning the favour. He spins and does the same to the other knight. In comes a group of several more guards but they do not attack. Instead, the sound of clicking heels on stone echo through the halls. It and sound of his own heavy breathing ring in the prince's ears.
There she was in all her malicious glory. And yet…
Clad in a deep satin red gown of simple yet elegant design, the Queen looks beautiful. Her dark brown tresses fall down her face like a flowing curtain hiding her view. Peeking out of said blockade, her dark brown eye has a certain unfamiliar light in them and her soft rosy pink lips curve into a small smile. David blinks.
This was different.
Where were the wicked grins and evil smirks? Where were the eyes filled with hatred and rage? Where was the overly accentuated cleavage? This woman was the Queen, of that he was certain.
And yet… The room is silent.
No one dares speak as if not to shatter this fragile innocent illusion of the Queen. David expects some sort of speech or evil monologue. He waits for her to rant about how they all saw this coming and how she's got her revenge.
Silence.
Little does the farmer turned prince know that the woman in question has no speech. After seeing Snow White begging her not hurt her baby before quickly singing a different tune of how she won't win and that good will always triumph over evil, Regina is left feeling an overwhelming sense of calmness and peace. She'd done it. She no longer feels cold all over. She feels warm, toasty and at home. The hole in her heart feels full of lava instead of the usual bone deep frost. This must be how Maleficent felt when she got her fire back.
She closes her eyes and bites her lip. She hums before exhaling. Opening her eyes, she addresses Charming.
"At last." With that her guards attack. At first, Charming does a decent of job of fending off the assault, but all things come to an end. The prince is on his knees, holding his side.
Blood flows freely, staining the hard stone floor as the dark curse takes hold of the castle and all its inhabitants. David sways on his knees before slumping down the ground. He feels the darkness of death but he resists because he's fighting for Emma, for Snow, for their future together wherever that may be.
Turning to look at Regina, she smiles at him kindly as if she wasn't killing him and destroying his happiness. As she is engulfed by the dark purple clouds of the curse and his vision blurs, David swears he sees her mouth move as though to say…
"Thank you."
A forest on the outskirts of Maine
You are perhaps wondering what has happened to our dear twins since we've last seen them. Funny that you ask as that information is unknown even to me, my friends.
As you may know, the twins are now Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries and the things they do there…well you could say they also are unspeakable.
The ministry takes great pride in the secrecy surrounding the Department of Mysteries. Many have theories of what transpire there. Some say that's where they keep the first and only working time machine.
Others say, (mostly muggle-borns) that it's like area 51 and they deal with alien life. A very small amount of people think it's the nargles.
If one were to ask me, I'd say they dabble in the various mysteries of the world such as: love, space, thought, time, death, and others. But you didn't hear that from me. That being said, it's certain that the mysterious phenomenon that would later be called "The Temporal Warp of Maine" is definitely one of the departments best kept secrets.
In magic, space and time warps are a commonplace. They are used for rapid journeys around the worlds and realms or for travel through time if only for a short while.
However, what happened in Maine was a rather peculiar anomaly in space and time. For all at once, magic did something it shouldn't have. It froze time and in the place of the once vast northern woods of a mostly forgotten state stood a town that wasn't there before. Identities were changed and pasts created.
The department refuses to comment on the two agents that went missing responding to a magical disturbance in the U.S. When questions came up as to why two members were responding to a call overseas, the department swore silence and over the years all was forgotten.
For the Tilford family who saw their sons rarely, the lack of letters was worrying, but they simply chalked it up to the work they do. They were grown men after all. A 57 year old Annabeth Tilford watered her poinsettias in her garden. "At least, I know you're both alive." She fingered the petals of her flowers as she smiled to herself.
Storybrooke, Maine
When Regina Mills awoke in bedroom very different from her own, she sighed in relief.
Looking around, the room was very "modern" (that was the word that came to mind, a result of her altered memories no doubt.) the walls were white and were accented by the mostly black and gray furnishing.
Removing herself from her bed, she walked over to her closet. She opened it to reveal a variety of pantsuits, dress shirts, skirts and dresses. Shifting through, she finds a pair of dress pants and a white shirt that she quickly put on, excited to explore this new world she had created herself.
She exited her bedroom and climbed down the stairs and went into the kitchen to prepare something to eat. As she entered the kitchen she's suddenly hit with the information or rather lack of to prepare a meal. She furrowed her brows.
She knew what the "stove" did and how it worked. As well as the toaster and microwave, but she didn't know how to utilise this information. Shifting her gaze between these three objects, she shrugs in defeat before taking an apple from the bowl on the counter.
"At least I still have my apples." She mutters before going to take a huge bite of it.
Ding Dong
Her head snapped up. Instantly her mind went to the worst case scenarios. Did the curse not work fully? Did one of the towns folk know who she was and has come to kill her?
She cautiously moved to door, grabbing a decorative statue from the mantle along the way. She slowly unlocked the latch on the door and opened it.
"Morning Gina! We didn't think you'd be up by now." Said the man stood on her doorstep. He was about a couple inches taller than her. His hair was dark and tousled by the wind. He had kind brown eyes and his mouth was curled into a wide friendly grin.
"We thought you'd like some actual food instead of the usual burnt cereal and apple." That's when she noticed the man beside him. The looked exactly alike although this man had a full blown beard while the other had a little scruff. His hair was also longer, tied back to the base of his neck. He was carrying a container and basket in his arms.
Before she can demand what's happening here and why these peasants (because surely they were peasants, she'd never seen them before) were trying to feed her, the names Jake and Will popped into her head. These were her…brothers?! She didn't remember that part of the curse. From what she knows the curse is meant to cause all those besides her unhappiness. Why would being related to her be a punishment? She suddenly felt a little offended. Sure, she killed both her parents, but still! She was a delight!
Snap Snap
"Earth to Gin-Gin." Regina was torn from her thoughts to Jake snapping his fingers in her face. "Are you done planning world domination or can we come inside now?"
"Don't call me that you fool." Regina slapped his hands from her face as he went to pinch her.
"Again, who somehow managed to burn cereal?"
"That was one time."
"Still happened though. Oh, and didn't you burn instant ramen?" Jake jumped back to avoid Regina's slap.
"I'm not the one who ran over a squirrel on a bicycle! Which, by the way, I looked it up, should be virtually impossible!" Regina rummaged through all the new memories the curse gave her of her childhood with her "brothers" and oh wow, Jake was annoying.
"Cut it out you two, you're both grown adults not five year olds." Will interjected.
Jake sniffed.
"Oh please! She's the one who is failing to adult correctly-"
"That's not a thing, you idiot."
"- I mean what self respecting 30 year old woman can't cook?"
"Jake." Will sighed as he held Regina back. His twin has always pissed their sister off easily.
"Let me go Will! I'm going to kill him!" Regina was now trying to kick her brother, who crossed his arms and smirked at her.
"You're barely off the ground pipsqueak." Regina screamed in rage before remembering the statue in her hand. She stopped struggling against Will and simply smiled sweetly at Jake.
"You're right Jacob. What was I thinking?" Both the men tensed, their sister only called them by their formal names when bad things are about to happen. Connecting the dots, Jake looks between the statue in her hand and Regina's smile.
"Now Gina darling, let's not do anything drastic." Jake chuckled nervously, backing away slowly.
Wham
The statue hit Jake right in the crotch, sharp end first.
"Ahhhh!" His scream tore through the early morning. Jake fell to his knees holding his surely bruised genitalia in pain. Will just sighed and moved to help him up while Regina laughed evilly in the background.
"Oh god the pain! The humanity! Woe is me!"
"Shut up! People are trying to sleep here!" Regina, slightly out of breathe from laughter, turned to her neighbour Mr. Iago, who was leaning out his window, hairnet intact, shaking his fist at them.
"Sorry sir, won't happen again." Will waved at the man while glaring at his siblings.
"Right guys?"
"Yes of course."
"Totally."
The neighbour glared at them. "It better not." He closed his window.
The siblings all turned and look at each other. Jake got off the ground and started kicking his feet while Will whistled. Regina pointed behind her to the door. "We should probably.."
"Yeah that's a good idea."
"Definitely."
And with that they headed inside to have breakfast and not at all laugh about the neighbour's hairnet. They are mature, sophisticated adults. How dare you suggest such things! No, they were not impersonating him. Honestly, ye of little faith.
"Hey! Some of us need our beauty sleep." Jake said shaking his fork at the others. Will shook his head in amusement before cutting his pancakes. Regina laughed and took a bite of her scrambled eggs. As Jake continued his amazing, according to him, impersonations, Regina couldn't help but smile. See? This curse was already turning out to be a great investment.
AN: Hope you all like this chapter. It was very fun writing both the twins and Regina in the same scene. Any suggestions to the misadventures the Mills can get into pre and post Henry? Leave a review! Thanks for reading :)