The Once Upon a Time Virtual Series
presents
Virtual Season 3
Episode 10
"We Can Be Heroes"

Executive Producer: Silverbluemoon
Story By: RebelByrdie and Silverbluemoon
Written By: RebelByrdie
Illustrated By: Konako
Edited By: Silverbluemoon

Advisors and Consultants
Characterization: Rushemiiaah
Research and Development Assistant: Archaeomedic

This series is Rated M for language, violence, drug references, and adult situations.
It is not intended for all audiences. Please use discretion.

Publication Date: 03/07/2015

The unholy screech of the electric alarm clock cut through her sleep and into her dreams. Ashley (or was she supposed to be Ella again?) reached out blindly and swatted at the machine. Not that alarms back in the old world had been any better. She had hated the bells that had connected her small closet-sized bedroom off of the kitchen to her stepmother and sisters' room. They, too, had woken her every day before dawn. She didn't have to worry about them anymore, though; she had her own family to tend to. She had a daughter now, and just thinking about her precious little girl got her up and moving. Her calves, still sore from yesterday's double shift, were tight, and she winced when she put her full weight on her feet. She stood though and curled her toes into the the threadbare tan carpet. Her nightgown was a soft, oversized Storybrooke High Knights t-shirt that her false memories told her Sean gave her when they dated in High School, and it was almost too thin. The weather was getting cooler, and in Maine there was a very short time between falling leaves and falling snow.

She walked from her bedroom and into the living room. Thomas, her own Prince Charming, was asleep on the couch with Modern Warfare still flashing on the television screen, controller on his stomach. She turned away from him and walked to the second, much smaller bedroom. She had painted it pink when they moved in, because what little princess didn't like pink? The fluffy white kittens and lace curtains matched the white trim she had fussed over. It was a perfect little room for her little girl. The only thing she hadn't picked out was the furniture; the gorgeous oak crib, changing table and the bassinet had been gifts from Regina Mills. The Evil Queen had given her the furniture with a negligent flick of her hair. "It's not as if Henry still needs it, dear." If she had known then what she knew now she would have— Ashley shook her head, though. Regardless of where that thought has been headed, she knew she would have still accepted the gift. The furniture, though over a decade old, was gorgeous and far far nicer than what she and Thomas could have been able to buy.

Alexandra, her Little Princess, peeked at her between the bars of the crib. Her bright green eyes sparkled, and her little fist curled around a white stuffed cat toy that Ashley would swear she'd named "Ree". Her baby's smile was so big that her pacifier fell out from between her lips.

"Mama," spoke the breathy tiny voice.

There was nothing in the world as magical to Ashley as hearing Alexandra call her "Mama". Nothing. The little girl, all dimples and golden curls, abandoned her stuffed toy and reached for her mother, all ready for morning cuddles.

Ashley let herself revel in the moment, in the feel of her daughter, damp diaper and all, in her arms. The morning routine, as set in stone as any routine that involved a toddler could be, began. She changed and dressed Alexandra and worried that even with tights, her daughter wouldn't be warm enough. Though she spent hours combing through sales and bargains, there simply wasn't a market in Storybrooke for toddler clothes. Which wasn't really surprising, since Alex was exactly the second baby in Storybrooke in twenty-eight years. Thank God for Amazon, though, Ashley didn't dare try to figure out how the shipments got over the line, she was just glad that they did. For the most part, she had decided that the seemingly strange exception of package mail had to be the result of some dark shopaholic streak Regina couldn't control. She chuckled at the thought, and Alex, half-dressed in her tights and plain white cotton onesie, kicked and giggled, too, even though she had no idea what her mommy was laughing about. Finally dressed, complete with a fuzzy jacket with floppy rabbit ears on the hood and tiny sneakers with pink rhinestones on them, she planted Alex on her hip and walked out to the living room. She sighed and wondered, not for the first time, if she was doing the right thing. This wasn't the happily ever after she was supposed to have, was it? A low-end apartment in a tiny town, a job she worked doubles at just to get by, and a Prince who seemed more interested in video games, fantasy football and hanging with his "boys" than their baby. Was this Happily Ever After? She did not know. She flicked the overhead light on and off again until a groan rose from the lump on the couch.

"Why'd you do that?"

Ashley counted to five in her head, "Because I have to shower before work, and Alexandra needs her father to take care of her." Then, before he could complain, she deposited their child on his lap and hoped he didn't have Dorrito crumbs on his clothes—again. Alexandra, very much a Mommy's Girl, let out a small grumble that was usually the predecessor to a full blown tantrum.

"Mama," Alex said breathily, reaching for her.

Ashley leaned over the back of the couch, "Be good for Daddy for a few minutes, baby," and kissed her daughter on the top of her head.

Her shower—short because their hot water heater was about half the size of a normal one—was just another amenity of Forest View Luxury Apartments. Luxury, Ashley scoffed as she towel-dried her hair, what a joke. Also, the view only included the forest if you had binoculars, but since Mr. Gold was the landlord, exactly zero people complained. She finger-combed gel into her hair and twisted it into a serviceable bun before starting to dress, pulling her Diner uniform onto still damp skin. Thank God she had lost the baby weight so quickly. The short red skirt and fitted white shirt uniform didn't leave much to the imagination; her matching red, off-brand canvas were by the door. She took one last look in the mirror before leaving to retrieve them, and saw not Ashley or even Ella, just Cinders-Ella—the girl who was forced to be a servant in her own home. Would she ever be a princess again? She wanted that life for Alexandra, not the one she'd been forced to live.

She shook her head; there was no time for fairy tales anymore, not when there was work to be done. The living room was full of light and sound; Sean was playing his game and the loud explosions, gunshots and shouting had him glued to the scene. Alex had her little hands over her ears. Sean had popped her pacifier back in her mouth, or she bet the baby would be crying.

Ashley wanted to rip the XBox's cord out of the wall.

"How many times have I told you not to play violent games with the baby right there?" she accused, hands on hips.

He didn't even pause the game. "She doesn't even know what it is, Ella. It's just bright colors and stuff—shit!" He jammed buttons and jerked to the side, as if his movement would help the character on the screen survive. It didn't.

She counted to ten in her head, "Watch the language, she's repeating!" She didn't have to see his face to know that he was rolling his eyes. "Courtney will be over at eight to get Alex and then—"

He yawned, "Eight? That's so late. I was about to head to bed. Can't she just pick her up from Grannys? I thought that old Wolf said it was okay for you to take her in with you."

She sighed yet again. "The Diner during the breakfast rush isn't exactly the best place for a toddler. She doesn't just lay in her carrier and sleep through it all anymore."

Instead of starting another round, Thomas let the controller fall to the floor negligently and stretched, "You should just quit."

Ashley opened her mouth to scream. To scream they don't have enough money for her to stay at home. Sean only worked four days a week at the cannery and his little extras like the XBox Live Membership, beer, and DVDs, often cut into the necessary budget items like diapers, groceries, and car insurance. She closed her mouth without a word and counted to fifteen in her head.

"Well, I can't quit, and if I don't leave in the next two minutes, I will be late."

Sean turned to look at her, "We're royalty, Ella. We shouldn't have to work like dogs. Snow and David didn't stick to their curse-jobs. They got to declare themselves rulers of Storybrooke. Like they were the only ones with a royal pedigree. You didn't see Snow White rushing to make it the elementary school everyday—nope. They won't even put me on first shift, do you believe that? I have to work second shift; it's undignified."

Ashley knew when Thomas said dogs, that his disgusted tone meant peasants, and for a prince born with a silver spoon in his mouth, there was nothing worse.

"And I especially don't like you working for those monsters."

It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation, and Ashley could feel a headache coming on. She wasn't even surprised by his reaction; she had already put Alexandra's jacket on, a step ahead. She picked up her girl, and sighed. She had a double shift ahead of her, and a clattering, coughing, cheap Chevy Cavalier that she needed to coax into getting her where she needed to go, at least one more time. Just a few more payments, and it would be all hers. The tips that were waiting on her would make that payment, and working a double would make the difference between creative cooking with ramen noodles and fresh groceries. So as Thomas stumbled towards the bedroom to sleep, she walked to the door with Alexandra's diaper bag over one shoulder, and her baby's head resting against the other.

She was about to open the door to walk out into the morning air when Thomas's voice stopped her.

"I could be a hero too, you know. You don't have to run off to freaking Neverland to be a hero. I could be the best hero Storybrooke has ever seen if I got the chance."

. . . Thank you for reading! You can now receive update alerts by following/favoriting this story here on ff.n (or subscribing on ao3), as a portion of each new episode will be uploaded in both locations as soon as we publish on our main site. Please find the rest of this episode *AND* its amazing illustrations at ouatvs *dot* com.