Note: I do not own any rights to the Once Upon A Time series/characters/etc. Same A/N applies to all chapters in this little festive series. These are all shorts, one shots. If I get enough inspiration some might end up longer than others.
To those who comment:Thank you again! Your comments really mean a lot to me. Here's everyone who's commented on the series from the beginning; gimadca, RumpledRegina, wolfenqueenyuri, No Fate 1990, Martha, and Sadie. I appreciate it so much!
This chapter has a slew of character mentions as well as GoldenQueen, Emma, Henry. Also this is the final chapter. Thank you to everyone who has stuck by the story this long and I really hope you as well as any future readers enjoy the festivities!
Rated T.
Here's a few little drafts that didn't make the cut! Enjoy!
One;
Regina jolted forward, her hands clinging onto the object in nearest her. The cold leather of the steering wheel felt foreign as she glanced down. Her hands were shaking, almost chilled to the bone. Hesitant eyes glanced around the interior of the bug that Emma Swan usually drove. Apparently it had been her turn to drive, only, they were parked. Emma slowly rising out of slumber in the passenger's side of the vehicle.
"Where are we?" The blonde asked, bringing a hand to her forehead to brush stray strands of golden locks out of her eyes before settling on the fearful expression of the brunette that currently sat frozen behind the wheel. Emma followed her gaze to the view along the windshield.
Fog seemed to surround them as well as the entirety of the road before them and beyond.
"I don't know." Came Regina's shaken voice.
Simultaneously they both climbed out of the car and walked forth, trying to see past what they could in the car, only to come up on the sign that told them exactly where they had arrived during their unconscious moments.
"Where's Henry?" Emma whirled towards the car, feet pounding loud against the pavement and echoing off of the surrounding engulfed in the haze. Throwing open the door, she glanced in the backseat. Gripping at jackets and other clutter, only to grip the lone backpack of her son. Pulling back, she placed a hand on the roof of her bug. "Who did this?"
"I can think of a few guesses that would ring true." Regina scoffed, bring her hands to her hips and shaking her head.
"This isn't fog." Emma stated, remembering exactly where this little idea could have come from.
"Nope. Not fog."
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Two;
Henry shook his head as he watched his Mom sit down against the animated ground, bringing her arms up to wrap along her legs, head resting on her knees.
"It's actually pretty cool." He said, trying to express to her exactly why he had wished them into this mess. "I mean, we can go track down Jack before he goes through the tree and follow him. Or we could be here when he finally brings Christmas to this world."
"You're right." Sighing, she pushed herself off of the ground and glanced back at her son, giving him a reassuring smile. "This will be fun. More fun than we can even think of right now. Let's...uh.."
"Explore." Gold stated, placing a hand on the lad's shoulder before motioning towards a collection of trees.
"Great idea! There's so many, we don't have to waste time waiting to check them out." Henry hurled himself forward, his phone at the ready to capture his first time going through one of the trees and into lands devoted to one holiday.
"This is like some sort of inside out version of Cool World." Regina muttered, giving Gold a nudge with her elbow.
"I could make that happen, dearie."
"Don't even think about it." She snapped, giving him a glare before they joined Henry at the tree with a four leaf clover painted on the bark.
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Three;
"Kids keep claiming they are seeing someone with balloons down here..." Regina sighed, pointing the flash light along the damp insides of their sewer line. "I really don't feel up to this."
"I could go on ahead, if you want?" Emma stated bluntly, placing her hands on her hips. "We can see everything, right?"
"Yeah Gold made it so that we can see anything that chooses to appear to children only."
"This is creepy. In fact it reminds me of something-"
"No. Every day this month you have told me often when stuck in predicaments about films that don't really end well for most people, so I don't want to hear it."
"Well, the bad people usually survive."
"Yeah if they are the ones killing people off!"
"Point made."
Emma ventured in further, staying out of the line of Regina's light so she wouldn't be engulfed in darkness. She however used her hands to take hold of her gun, aiming it ahead of them as they made their way further through the damp confines of the sewers. A distant dripping noise dairying to drive Emma insane in the silence as the corridors seemed to stretch on for forever until she came to a sudden holt, the water beneath her feet sloshing against her shoes. "Holy-"
"What the fuck is that Emma?!"
"You don't want to know."
"Would you two like a balloon?" Came an eerie voice that echoed off of the walls surrounding them. The clown's expression changing from one that seemed welcoming to something entirely different.
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Four;
To say he felt sated after a month of being up to no good, would be an understatement. Gold had spent countless hours creating terror and fright for as many as possible. Tricking souls into unspeakable things. He was a true trickster at heart - after all. Forget the treat, he would take the trick any day.
Unlocking the door to his shop, he padded inside. Flipping the sign on the door before he made his way over to the counter. A black box wrapped in gold ribbon coming into view. A surprise. For him. After this long into the month, the idea of someone trying to give him a trick caused his insides to go all gooey and giddy. With the wrapping, he could surely guess who it had been from.
Plucking a card from beneath the bow, he opened it gently and ran his eyes over the scribbled message written in Regina's hand.
YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF. AFTER ALL, YOU NEED THE PAIR.
Glancing over at the scorched chuckle doll in the glass casing, he chuckled. Indeed. He had brought the entire game on himself, hadn't he. It only took him a second to realize the backside of the present had been torn to shreds. Wrapping, box and all. Something had escaped.
The sound of something crashing to the floor in the back room caught his attention, following the noise, he just at the entrance and leaned against the door frame. Taking in the small figure on his work table. A slew of his prized possessions in pieces on the ground. The figure turned to face him, an eerie smile forming on her twisted features. "I think you have something that belongs to me. That charred hunk of plastic in that case."
"Hello to you too, Tiffany. Perhaps we could work out a deal." Though he never intended for the doll to leave his shop, he would have the matching pair. Charred plastic and all.
Fin. Happy Halloween!
