A/N: I'm back! Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through my hiatus (good news - I passed, so yay) and welcome to everyone who joined along the way.
As always, I don't own anything. Please enjoy and review.
10 years before The Day
It was hours after her mother had been taken to hospital that Zoe was finally allowed to see her. She had been quickly placed in the care of a family friend after her sibling had finally decided it was time to be born, and she was too worried to be distracted by the television or the games the woman was inviting her to play.
The hospital was sterile and unfriendly but Zoe felt all her fears fall away when she finally reached her mother's room, her parents staring at a bundle in her arms. They both looked up when she entered, broad smiles on their faces.
Her mother looked tired, black hair stuck to her forehead and a tired air to her, but her voice was still bright as she invited Zoe over, "Hey Zoe, come sit beside me, there's someone you need to meet."
Her Dad ruffled her hair on his way past, taking Zoe's babysitter into the corridor, murmuring excitedly the whole time.
Kono shuffled on the bed to give her some room and Zoe crawled on, getting the first look at her new sibling. The baby was red and squishy and her sibling yawned and moved its little arms. Zoe brushed her finger along its tiny hand and the baby shuffled again.
"Zoe, this is your new baby sister," her mother said, pride resounding in her tone.
"Hi, baby sister," she whispered, moving to stroke her cheek.
She looked to her mother and is startled when she sees tears filling her brown eyes.
"Mom, what is it? Are you in pain? Do you need Dad?"
She shook her head with a small smile and impatiently wiped her tears away.
"I'm okay, I just love you both so much."
Zoe smiled back, "I love you too, Mom," she before turning to her sister, "And I love you too. Does she have a name yet?"
"About that," her father said, as he wandered back into the room, taking a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the bed, "We were thinking that you might want to name her."
Zoe's eyes widened and her grin grew larger, "Really?"
"We'll have to approve it," her father replied with a laugh, "But yes."
Zoe looked down to her baby sister and waits for a name to come to her. She doesn't often think of the realm she left behind – sometimes she looks at her life and wonders if it was real, but suddenly she wants to acknowledge it, so even if she can't tell her baby sister where they come from, that some part of her knows it.
The perfect name suddenly comes to her and she looks to her parents with a shy smile, "Lilo."
"Lilo," her mother tests, "Like in the movie we saw?"
Zoe nodded eagerly, "Ohana, means nobody gets left behind or forgotten, right? She'll be Lilo and I'll be like Nani in the movie, take her surfing and always look after her."
Her father's head jerks at the mention of her old name and she meets his gaze with a silent plea, a plea for a small trace of her old life.
He slowly nods and stands, moving to stroke his youngest daughter's downy hair.
"Welcome to the family, Lilo Pelekai."
Her mother opens her spare arm wide and Zoe snuggles in, accepting the kiss on the top of her head. She looks over her sister and makes her a promise to always protect her.
After the Day
Zoe stared at the Dark One with fear, trying to stop her trembling as she clutched Stitch's shoulders. The Dark One smirked and she flinched as she raised his arm, hesitantly taking a step back when nothing happened.
The Dark One frowned and Zoe pushed Stitch to her side, absently noting that his eyes seemed a more intense shade of blue in the dim light. Zoe looked past the Dark One in the hopes of seeing an exit and sees a door at the end of the corridor that may serve. Other people are crowding in the doorway behind the Dark One and before she can react, the Dark One summons a fire ball that is quickly sent in their direction, only to disappear, as if it hit an invisible barrier around them.
Zoe notices Stitch's eyes are almost glowing with a blue light now – something they will have to investigate later – before she grabbed Stitch's hand and ran, hoping to get past before everyone can move past their shock.
They made it to the end of the hallway before a voice rung out behind them, "Stop, or I will shoot."
Zoe reluctantly froze and forced Stitch behind her as she turns to face the Sheriff. The hallway is crowded with the Sheriff, the Evil Queen, the Dark One, the leather-dressed man and two other people she has not identified yet.
The Sheriff adjusted her gun, "Stop your magic and walk over slowly."
"We didn't use any magic," she snapped back, "We simply stopped the Dark One from killing us."
There was a collection expression of shock displayed at the mention of the shopkeeper's true identity and it gave Zoe a moment to assess the strangers. There is a blonde man and a woman with cropped hair –a baby on her hip – and they both seem oddly familiar.
"Hands up," the Sheriff repeated and Zoe understands it as her last warning. She lifted her hands and saw Stitch do the same out of the corner of her eye.
"Emma, they're just children," the woman whispered.
"I know, Mom," the Sheriff responded, then directs herself at Zoe, "Start walking over slowly."
Zoe is too busy gazing at the woman, understanding who the Sheriff – the Saviour's – mother must be and she takes a leap of faith.
"Mercy, your majesty," she implored, "We mean no harm, we only want to find my sister."
A/N: I've had some trouble slipping back into this universe because of my absence so sorry if it seems a bit disjointed (also, my apologies if I messed up with the tense, I kept on changing it throughout and I don't know why). You may have noticed that I changed it from a crossover fic. I figured it was a mistake a couple of chapters in (Once is pretty much already a crossover show already and I'm stealing stuff from Hercules and Treasure Planet as well as Lilo and Stitch) and I only just figured out how to change it. I'll hopefully have the next chapter up within the next two weeks.
Hope you're all well!
Adrina Stark.