Showdown
Henry sat at a table alone during recess with a new comic book in his hands. Lately the time he used to spend reading about the X-Men was now occupied with playing games or reading his older comics to Alice. She enjoyed watching Henry read the comics with excitement, then sketch the characters in her book for him. For some time, they had been making up their own superheroes and making up stories for them.
His brief moment of reading time was interrupted by two intruders to his table. Gideon and John sat down on the opposite bench and watched Henry for a moment.
"What?" he asked without looking up. "I'm in enough trouble with my mom cause of you guys."
"We're not here to fight you, dude." John answered. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I guess, I just flew off the handle because I was jealous."
Henry put his comic book down. "Jealous?"
"Yeah. See, Gideon and I are orphans and it's like, everyone knows the Mayor adopted you and you get to live in this big mansion and get special treatment cause your parents run this town and your grandparents are Snow White and Prince David. And like, Alice is adopted, too. So for us, it doesn't seem fair. I'm sorry, man." John replied, lowering his head.
Henry definitely didn't like John and Gideon right away. But seeing how much John must be struggling tugged at his morality core. He knew what it was like to be discarded and then adopted by someone he thought didn't love him. Henry felt somewhat sympathetic and decided at that moment that maybe he just needed to help Gideon and John believe in something again. Believe in a family and believe in real friends. He reached into his backpack and pulled out two comic books: The Amazing Spiderman and Justice League.
"You guys wanna check these out?" he offered, holding the comics out to them.
John and Gideon exchanged a glance and then a smile. "Sure!" Gideon answered excitedly, gingerly grasping the Spiderman comic and sitting down on the bench with Henry. John took the other book and sat down on the table, suddenly finding himself engrossed in the heroics of the Justice League.
Halfway through the first page, John looked up at Henry. "Why are you being nice to us?"
"I dunno," Henry shrugged. "But whenever I was upset about something, I would sit in my room and read comics. Sometimes my mom would come home and bring me a new one. It just makes me feel better."
"Thanks." John smiled a little, grazing his eyes over the page. "You wanna hang out with us?"
Hearing the hopeful tone in John's voice made Henry grin.
When Henry wanted something, he would ask Emma. But if he knew it was something that she would just ricochet to Regina, he knew to skip past the formalities and ask his other mother instead. So when Regina saw her phone light up with Henry's low level cellphone number, she picked it up with a smirk.
"Yes, sir?" she answered playfully.
"Um.. Mom?" His voice was quiet and somewhat pleading. This meant that either he got himself into trouble or he wanted something that she would normally say no to.
"What is it, Henry? I'm trying to finish up my work so Emma and I can pick up you and your sister."
"Is it okay if I hang out with some friends after school?"
Regina gave the request some thought. Storybrooke wasn't as dangerous as it had been before, giving her no reason to worry for her son's safety. It was rare for Henry to ask such a thing, since his group of friends was almost non-existent to begin with and even after the town had regained his memories, his companions were few. Most kept their distance, albeit respectfully, as no one wanted to be near a boy as prolific as Henry Mills was. Regina felt bad for him, seeing that his only friends were the Hatter's daughter and Hansel and Gretel. Surprisingly, they didn't have any qualms about being friends with her son, despite their interaction with the Queen in their past. Given that train of thought, Regina loosened her reigns on her son slightly.
"Where are you going?"
"Just to the park with some guys," Henry answered.
"What guys?" she questioned.
"Just some of the guys from class. We're going to hang out for a bit. I promise, I'll be home before dinner."
Regina was slightly wary of the fact that Henry wouldn't tell her who he would be out with. For all she knew, he could be out gallivanting with Hook or worst of all, Neal Cassidy. Thieves and vagrants, the both of them. "Fine," she replied, "But you better be sure to be home before it gets dark. Otherwise, I won't even send your mother after you. I'll send Mulan."
"Mom, seriously!" Henry whined. "You don't have to do that. I promise I'll be back." Mulan was a family friend, but when she was on duty, she was the most straight laced out of anyone that worked at the station and possibly the most boring babysitter he had ever had the displeasure of being stuck with.
"All right, you have permission. We'll see you at dinner, son." Regina said, ending the conversation.
"Thanks, Mom." Henry hung up his phone and put it away, then turned to his new companions. John and Gideon gave him a thumbs up. "So what are we going to do, guys? We still have two hours before school gets out."
John shrugged, "Who says we need to go to class?"
Henry's eyes widened. "Wait, I can't skip class. Dude, Miss Blanchard is my grandma. If I'm not in class, I'm in serious trouble. Do you know what my mom will do to me?"
"Which one?" Gideon asked. It would have been a sarcastic comment if the boy didn't look so genuinely confused by his own question.
"Either of them!" Henry hissed. "Look, I can hang out after school. But I can't skip class."
"Sure, you can." John assured him. "All you do is say you got sick and were stuck in the bathroom for a while and then you were too embarrassed to come back to class."
"Why are we even skipping class?" Henry tilted his head slightly, catching the movement of the hand on the clock tower in the distance.
"So we can go hang out. Haven't you ever skipped school before?"
"Well… yeah. But that was when I was trying to find my mom. You know, before things changed around here." Henry kicked a tiny pebble near his foot and watched it skid across the pavement.
John sighed, "Fine. Gideon and I are going to the park. We got a couple of skateboards stashed in the playground. Go to class if you're chicken. Otherwise, you know where to find us." He hopped off the schoolyard bench he was perched on and brushed off his jeans. "Let's go, Gideon. Leave, Mama's boy here to go to class."
Henry watched them walk away for a moment. But he was Henry Mills. There was no way he was going to let anyone think the heir of the Enchanted Forest was a chicken. "Hey, wait up!" he shouted as he ran after them. John and Gideon turned to see Henry running to catch up with them, his backpack flopping on his back haphazardly.
The final school bell rang, freeing the children from yet another seemingly long day of education. Alice felt a bit lonely since she hadn't seen Henry all day and she certainly hadn't made any friends. No one wanted to approach the quiet little girl who was dropped off in the Mayor's car in the morning. She quietly gathered her things and made her way to Mary Margaret's classroom. The pixie haired woman looked up at her and smiled from her desk.
"Hello, Alice. Ready to go home?" she asked.
"Where's Henry, Grandma Snow?"
"I'm sure he's off with his friends. Let's go to the front gate and wait for your mom?" Snow stood up and rounded the desk to offer her hand to Alice. The girl grasped her fingers and nodded. "Did you have a good day today?"
Alice shrugged. "It was okay."
"Did you make any friends?" Snow's eyebrows knitted themselves together as she walked down the hallway with Alice.
Alice shrugged again, effectively cutting off any further conversation with Snow. As they reached the gate, her eyes widened slightly as a woman waved frantically at her with a big smile. Snow's free hand immediately went up to her forehead with a quiet slapping sound.
"Alice!" Cora called out happily. "Over here, darling!"
An obvious circle had been cleared around Cora where other parents were hesitant to stand. With or without magic, many of them saw Cora as a threat. Snow held tighter to Alice's hand as they approached Cora.
"Oh... Snowball. Good afternoon."
"Hello, Co- hey! 'Snowball?' Really?" the teacher pouted.
"Ugh," Cora scoffed. "Stop being a baby. You always were an incorrigible child. Hard headed, too."
Alice watched the exchange between the two women with mild curiosity. Movement of red and black fabric caught the corner of her eye. Suddenly she felt a hundred times lighter as she picked out both of her mothers walking towards them. She wiggled out of Snow's grip and rushed towards them, latching onto Regina promptly.
"Well, hello, dear." Regina greeted her with a smile. Alice looked up and grinned, then released her grip on the Mayor and threw her arms around Emma's waist. The blonde lifted up the small girl in her arms, eliciting a giggle from the child. Regina's eyes met Cora's as she unconsciously took a defensive stance between Snow White and her mother. "What are you doing here?"
"Why the hostility, Regina? I was only coming to pick up the children from school."
"Mother, you're not allowed to pick up the children at school unless Emma or I says so." Regina defended.
"Flaunting your power is unbecoming of a lady, dear." Cora stated, waving her hand in the air.
Snow frowned, "Actually, it's school policy. Only guardians registered with the school can pick up the children. It's part of our child safety precautions."
"I believe I was having a conversation with my daughter, Snowball." Cora snapped.
A muffled giggle came from behind Regina as the three women turned around to see Emma's reddened face. She sputtered as she lost her control of the unstoppable giggle. Regina narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend.
"I'm sorry. It's just... 'Snowball'? That's hilarious." Emma snickered. Snow frowned at her daughter. "What?"
Regina shook her head and turned towards Emma and Alice. She gently removed Alice's backpack from her shoulders and brushed her hand over the girl's hair. "Are you ready to go home, honey?"
"Henry isn't here." Alice answered dejectedly.
"He's spending some time with friends." Regina did her best to reassure the girl, but Alice's disappointment was clear on her face. "Henry promised he'd be home before dinner. How about we make something he likes as a surprise? You can help me in the kitchen."
Wide blue eyes lit up as Alice became excited about playing in the kitchen with Regina. The kitchen, with its smooth marble countertops and pristine white cabinets always felt like a sort of forbidden territory in the house. Emma only wandered into it for a drink or a snack. Henry would occasionally poke through for something to eat. But it was well established that the kitchen was Regina's personal domain, stock full of a plethora of sharp objects and machinery that could tear off a finger.
"Looks like that worked," Emma chuckled. "Let's get going. I'll drop you two off at home and then I've got to do an evening patrol. Mulan's off for the night."
"Is everything all right?" Snow asked.
"Yeah. Date night. The girls are going out or something."
Cora clapped her hands, "Then why are you two spending the evening at home? You should be out enjoying the town!"
Emma rolled her eyes and shifted Alice in her arms as they headed towards the car. Regina turned to her mother, "First, I like staying home with my children and Emma. Secondly, this is Storybrooke. There isn't much for a 'night on the town.' Unless you think dinner at Chien Po's or Granny's is the epitome of a night out, then go right ahead. We're going home." She turned to Snow briefly, "Thank you for walking Alice out. How is she doing?"
Snow frowned, "She's having a bit of trouble making friends, but it's only her second day. I'm sure she'll have an easier time once she gets used to being in school again. Otherwise, her mathematics lessons could use a little help."
"Then I'll help her with that. Your daughter has some difficulty trying to count how many beers she drank."
"I heard that!" Emma's voice carried over from where the Mercedes was parked as she looked up over the rear passenger door.
"Enjoy the rest of your day, Snow; Mother." Regina turned sharply and headed to the direction of the car where Emma and Alice waited.
"It's so sad when your daughter blows you off." Cora sighed.
"You know, Emma and I have a very healthy mother-daughter relationship." Snow retorted. She folded her arms and scowled at the older woman.
"Of course you do, dear. Let me give you some advice, from one Grandma to another. It's our role to spoil the children and ignore what the girls say." Cora waved her hand in the air, demonstrating her flippant attitude on the subject.
"Let me give you some advice, Grandma Cora. Their lives aren't ours and I'm well aware of that. I think it's time you should, too. Move on and live for yourself." Snow sighed and lowered her arms. "I'm going back to work. At least try to occupy yourself with something other than Emma, Regina and the kids, won't you?" She left Cora there at the gate of the school and retreated back into the building where she could finish her work in peace and go home.
After diligently working on her homework, Alice was happy to escape the confines of the study desk in Regina's home office and don on a small white apron and stand in the kitchen with her mother. Regina looked down at the girl and smiled. The counter was laid out with various ingredients for the Mayor's failsafe recipe: lasagna. She hadn't made it in awhile and since Henry had no interest in cooking, she hoped that Alice would be able to carry on the recipe.
Regina's cooking was top notch, developed over years of having to cook for herself. After adopting Henry, she focused on preparing meals that were nutritious and balanced, training the boy at a young age to treat sugary snacks as an occasional goody and to have a healthy appreciation for vegetables. By the time Emma became a part of her life, Regina was determined to shake the blonde's poor eating habits. She's had some success, but could not stop Emma's affiliation with cinnamon topped hot cocoa and bear claws. She was at least pleased to find that Emma could cook breakfast and the infrequent meal, although most of the time it was tacos and burgers. But she would take what she could get.
"Alice, can you please open the tub of cheese?" Regina asked as she strained sheets of lasagna pasta into the sink. Alice climbed up on a small step stool and reached for a white plastic container of ricotta cheese. Together they built the layers of the lasagna into a casserole dish, carefully spreading out the cheese, ground beef and Italian sausage, pasta and chili flakes. "Thank you for helping me tonight, sweetheart."
"I like cooking with you, Mommy." Alice beamed. Once the lasagna was done being built, Regina let Alice sprinkle the mixture of mozzarella and romano cheese on the top. Regina carefully put the lasagna in the oven and set the timer. "There. Now we clean up."
"I'll set the table!" the girl announced proudly.
"Not yet, young lady. First we clean up from the mess we made, then we can set the table for dinner," Regina untied the apron from her waist and then helped Alice with hers. They gathered up the various utensils, pots, pans and dishes that were used and loaded them into the sink. Alice was assigned the task of taking the dishes Regina cleaned and putting them into the dishwasher.
"Mommy, if you already washed the dishes, why do we have to put them in the dishwasher?" Alice asked as she carefully placed a pan in the rack.
Regina tilted her head for a moment, then smiled. Although Alice struggled with some of her academics, the girl was smart and thrived on curiosity. "I'm using very hot water to clean the dishes, but I can't make it hot enough to get rid of the bacteria that will make us sick. So we put in the dishwasher that will clean it with very hot water to make sure all of the bad germs are gone."
"Oh, okay." Alice replied. Regina's somewhat simple answer seemed to be all the girl needed to satisfy her curiosity. The front door opened and shuffling was heard through the kitchen entry. Alice stopped what she was doing and looked towards the hallway.
"Why don't you go see if that's Henry?"
Alice nodded and quickly dried her hands. Moments later, she was brought back into the kitchen by a tired looking blonde. "Dinner smells good." Emma said, announcing her presence. Alice was holding her hand as they entered. She let go of the woman's hand and returned to her duty beside Regina.
"Thanks for bringing my helper back." Regina chuckled. "She thought you were Henry."
Emma frowned as she sat down on a stool by the kitchen island. "No… you mean he isn't home yet?"
"Not yet, but he should be coming home soon. I told him he needed to be home before dark."
"Regina, do you know what time it is? I came home expecting him to be here already." Emma folded her arms across her chest for a moment before she sighed and stood up. "I'm going to go look for him. It's almost eight and it's well past dark out."
"What?!" Regina screeched. Alice shrunk back as if trying to avoid the older woman's wrath. "He was only allowed to go out as long as he promised to be home on time."
"I bet you anything that he's going to give the excuse that he lost track of time, despite that he's got a watch and a cellphone." Emma walked over to Alice and patted her head. "I'll go find him, kiddo. Don't worry about your mom. She's just worried about Henry."
Alice frowned and nodded, though she kept her gaze focused on the ground. She was used to adults yelling and getting mad, but this was the first time she had really seen Regina look so angry. Although she was scared, she loved her new family far too much to want to run and hide. Hoping to diffuse her mother's anger, Alice tugged gently on Regina's skirt.
"Mommy?"
The dark haired woman sighed and looked down at her daughter. "What is it, dear?"
"Please don't be mad. Mama said she's going to get Henry."
"I know, dear. I'm upset because Henry broke a promise.
Alice nodded, somehow accepting the wrong that her adopted brother had caused, "It's not right to break promises, but please don't be mad..." she choked out her plea, although tiny pools of tears formed in her eyes.
Regina frowned and crouched down in front of the small girl. She gently wiped away the tears and smiled softly, "What are the tears for, child?"
"When adults get mad, I get sent away. I don't want you to be mad... I just...I love you, Mommy. I love Henry and Mama and Grandma Snow and Grandpa David and Nana...everyone is nice. I don't want to have to go away again." Alice sniffled.
The mayor bit her lip. In her momentary loss of her temper, she forgot how fragile Alice could be. She took the girl into her arms and brought her to one of the dining room chairs and sat down, propping Alice into her lap. "Now, Alice, listen to me. This family loves you. I love you very much. I don't know what the other families did when they were mad, but I would never ever send you away. You're our special girl and everyone here wants you to be here. Do you understand me?" Regina asked softly. Alice nodded, causing blonde locks to fall in front of her eyes.
A moment later, Emma returned with Henry at her side. "Look who I found outside."
Henry shuffled his feet and stared at the floor. "I'm sorry I'm late, Mom."
Regina released Alice and waited for the girl to slide off her lap. Alice scurried to Emma's side and clutched the edge of the sheriff's jacket as Regina stood up from the chair to gaze down at her son. "Henry..." she began. She caught the movement of Alice flinching in the corner of her eye. As if the wind was knocked out of her sails, Regina's shoulder dropped as she sighed. "Son, we have a curfew for a reason. Why were you late? You promised me."
"I dropped my house key at the park. When I was walking, I was looking for it in my bag. I went back to go find it. I should have called, I know. But I just wanted to find my key and come home."
Emma snapped her fingers and procured a keychain with a carabiner on the end. "Easily solved. Hand me your key, kid." She demanded. Henry handed over his house key to Emma. While the younger woman worked at putting the key on the keychain, Regina took Alice by the hand and quietly instructed her on putting the finishing touches on dinner.
Holding up the newly attached key, Emma clipped it on Henry's belt loop. The boy frowned and looked up at the blonde, "I look like a dork."
"Well maybe you should've thought about that before you came home late."
"I couldn't help it if I lost my key!" Henry argued.
"Enough!" Regina snapped. "Henry, Emma... you're frightening Alice. Both of you go get cleaned up for dinner. You have five minutes."
Henry sighed and begrudgingly retreated upstairs. Emma frowned at her girlfriend, "Why am I being punished, too?"
"You don't need to argue with him, Em. You're an adult."
"I dunno... maybe it's because he's kinda taking after me when I was a kid. I've used the lost key excuse before. But back then, we didn't have cell phones. We were supposed to call home from the payphone... but it was always easy to make up an excuse. I just don't want to see Henry go down the same path." Emma sighed as she washed her hands in the kitchen sink.
"Mama," Alice whispered. Emma turned around and looked down at the small girl who had appeared at her side. "Mommy said the kitchen sink is for washing dishes, not your hands."
Regina snickered as her lover looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. The mayor shrugged with a smile, "What? She learns quick."
"Very funny." Emma dried off her hands and lifted Alice into her arms. "Just this once okay, half pint?"
"What's a half pint?" Alice asked curiously.
"It's a tiny little squirt, like you." Emma answered playfully. She felt her muscles strain slightly as she held the girl. Alice wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and hugged her. The blonde laughed a little, amazed at how much Alice had grown, even in weight, since she had first brought the child home. "Woah, you're getting heavy already, squirt."
"It's not nice to talk about a lady's weight, Mama." Alice scolded. Regina snickered again.
"Oh, you're a lady now?" Emma replied.
"Yes. Mommy, I'm a lady, right?"
Regina set the lasagna pan down on the dining table, making sure that it was neatly placed on a pot holder to keep the lacquered surface safe. "Of course you are, dear. I am a Queen and despite how she doesn't act like it, your mama is a Princess. You are most certainly a lady."
As they joked about Emma's lack of princess-like behavior, Regina's phone rang. She scowled at it as she picked it up, answering the call from Snow.
"What is it now?" she sighed. Emma watched as Regina's face went from annoyance to anger. "He what?! Fine, I'll handle it." She turned off the phone and looked up with a scowl as Henry quietly entered the kitchen.
"Sit down, mister." Emma said. "Got something to tell us?"
"Huh? Um… no." Henry answered quietly.
Regina put her hands on her hips and scowled. "That was your Grandma Snow on the phone. She said you skipped last period."
"I didn't skip!" he said quickly. "I.. um… ate something that didn't agree with me at lunch and ended up spending most of the last period in the bathroom."
"Uh huh… and then you were able to go out and play?" Emma inquired, raising an eyebrow. She caught Regina's eye and shook her head. The mayor took that as an indicator to step down. Emma had spent plenty of time being the bad kid, so this sort of thing was her area of expertise. At moments like this, Regina had to succumb to Emma's way of parenting. "Well, since your stomach is acting up, I guess the chili flakes in the lasagna won't be good for you. Why don't you go upstairs and lay down and I'll bring you some soup?"
Henry's face turned red. "Um, no… it's okay. I'm fine now."
"No, no. I insist. Come on, I only get to be the caretaker sometimes. Up to bed with you, kid." She flashed a knowing smile to Regina and ushered Henry out of the kitchen where he would be confined to his room for the rest of the night.
After dinner was cleaned up and Alice was put to bed, Regina sat down in front of her vanity and watched Emma move around the bedroom. "I'm impressed with how you handled Henry."
The blonde shrugged, "I was that kid once. Please, saying you have the shits is a perfect excuse to get out of class."
"That's disgusting," Regina said as she scrunched up her nose. "I don't understand why our son finds it acceptable to lie. He knows better. Look at what it did to August."
"Well… I think August was a special case, but you're right. Henry's at that age, though. He's going to test our limits and try our patience. Remember who he got his genes from and who raised him. Together, you and I aren't exactly the perfect examples of righteous human beings." Emma changed into her shorts and a t-shirt, then tied her hair up in a pony tail.
Regina sighed, "I suppose… I'm just worried about what will happen to him if he continues to act this way." She got up from her vanity chair and climbed into bed, having already changed into her pajamas, which happened to be one of Emma's t-shirts.
"We're going to do what I never got. Scoldings, restrictions and then rewards. The families I lived with and the orphanage gave up on me after awhile. I bet if I had parents that looked out for me and got angry when I messed up, I wouldn't have turned out the way I did."
"What role do rewards play in if you're handling troublesome children?" Regina asked curiously, as she was unfamiliar in what sort of psychology Emma was working off of.
"Remember when you hated my guts and Henry was always sneaking off and finding me, then you'd punish him and lock him in his room and he would pull further and further away from you?" Emma asked as she climbed into bed, nestling into the pillows next to Regina.
"Things were different then," Regina argued defensively. "I couldn't risk losing my son."
"Babe, I get it. That's in the past. But I'm just saying, look at how he closed himself off to you and then as he saw the good in you that I see, he did a 360 and now loves you more than you ever thought."
Regina folded her arms and scowled. "Except that he's prone to lying now."
"He was prone to lying from the beginning. All kids are." Emma pointed out. She scooted up against the pillows and put her arm around Regina, pulling her close until the older woman curled up in her arms. "Don't worry… we'll do this together. Henry and Alice… they have good hearts and we're going to guide them, right?"
"Hm… yes, you're right. For once." Regina smiled playfully then leaned up and kissed Emma on the chin. "Good night, dear."
"Good night?" Emma looked down at Regina like a depraved animal.
"Oh? Were you not tired? I thought we were getting ready to sleep."
Emma smirked, "Who said anything about sleep? Besides, it's really hard to think about sleep when you're wearing my t-shirt and just panties."
"Well, then… turn off the light."
"Yes, ma'am."
John and Gideon sat quietly in front of the computers in the library as Madame Medusa came on screen from the comforts of a room at Granny's. "As you can see, boys, I'm already here in town. I think it would be best for all of us if we keep our involvement with each other a secret for now, hm?"
"Why didn't Mr. Snoops come?" Gideon asked.
Madame Medusa's jaw tightened and it was clear her patience with the boys had grown short in a minuscule amount of time. "Snoops is on another project for me. I will not let that scepter slip past me. You will bring the girl to me tomorrow afternoon. I don't care how, but make it happen. You are to bring her to the park by the beach and I will take care of things from there. Succeed and I will ensure that you can leave this town and go back to New York. Understood? If I don't get what I need, then you'll be working in a field in California!"
The screen quickly turned black as Madame Medusa cut off the connection. John frowned as he took his phone from his pocket.
"What are you doing?" Gideon asked.
The boy began typing at the screen of the phone. "I'm protecting us. I'm not letting her send us to California. No matter what it takes."
Quietly, they left the library as Belle peered around the corner. It was late and past time to close up for the evening, but she hurried to her purse hidden under the front desk and pulled out her phone.
"Rubes? Call Mulan and Rory. Something's going to happen and we need to talk. Now."
Belle paced around the library with the doors locked for nearly half an hour, although it felt as if it had been well over 6 hours. The situation was getting to her head. A knock came at the door and she rushed frantically to let her lover and friends through.
"Hurry, don't let anyone see you."
Ruby frowned as she walked into the library with Mulan and Aurora behind her. They sat down at a conference table as Belle locked the door before wandering over.
"What is the trouble, my friend? Ruby had alerted us that you were quite frantic."
Belle shook her head as she joined them at the table. "Those boys aren't too smart, using the public computers to speak to their employer. They were just here, speaking to the woman that wanted them to kidnap Alice Mills."
"How can you be sure of this, Belle?" Mulan asked, growing skeptical. So far, all they had to go on was what Belle heard. Although they had faith in their friend, Mulan was conditioned to question every assumption.
"Mulan's right," Ruby agreed. "Belle, what if it's not Alice they're after?"
The librarian frowned. "I know what I heard. She told them to bring the girl to park by the beach. I don't know what's going to happen but we need to do something."
"Yeah, like call the police?" Ruby pointed out.
"You're sitting right here," Aurora answered, looking directly at Ruby and Mulan.
"Oh... right... I mean, David and Emma. We should probably tell them.. and Regina. I mean, it's their kid that's in danger, even if it's a speculation." Ruby folded her arms and sat back. "Did you find out what they want Alice for?"
"I'm not sure," Belle sighed. "I know it has something to do with a scepter and it might be something only Alice can get to."
"So what do you propose we do?" Aurora asked quietly. She sat on the edge of a chair, fidgeting slightly. "We can't keep gathering like this and talking about what we think is going on."
Mulan walked towards a window and looked outside, carefully surveying the streets. She turned to her friends and folded her arms. "We shall do what Sheriff Swan calls a 'stake out.' Contrary to what it is called, there is no meat involved. Ruby and I will follow the boys while Aurora and Belle will keep an eye on the beachside park. The moment something suspicious happens, we will call each other and the Sheriff and Mayor Mills."
Aurora smiled. "I've never seen you take charge like this, Mulan… I quite like it."
"It is my duty, my love, as I am a member of this town's guard. I am tasked with keeping the peace, which includes the safety of the children."
Ruby snapped her fingers in the air. "Hey, lovebirds. No time for that. Focus! Belle, how much time do we have?"
"Tomorrow afternoon," Belle answered.
Mulan nodded, "Then we do not have much time to prepare. Here is what we shall do…"
The afternoon bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the day. Henry rushed out of his class to meet Alice. He had been instructed to walk home with her, since both Emma and Regina would be stuck in town hall meetings until late. They were told to walk to Snow and David's place and stay there until their mothers would be able to pick them up. Although it would have been easier to just have David pick them up from school, Emma had convinced her girlfriend that the children needed some freedom and walking home should be simple and safe enough.
As they walked down the sidewalk towards the apartment complex downtown where Snow and David lived, Henry took a detour towards the park.
"Henry… that's not the way to Grandma Snow's house." Alice said as she looked up at her brother. She adjusted the half-filled backpack on her shoulders, grasping the straps tight as she hopped on the sidewalk in a short game of invisible hopscotch.
"I know. I just wanted to meet the guys really quick. I promise, we're just going to get a comic book I loaned them and then we'll go straight to Grandma Snow's." He explained.
"Okay." Alice agreed, skipping ahead of him slightly.
When they reached the park, Henry looked around for his friends. John and Gideon were nowhere to be seen and the only things at the park were a black car, some birds and a squirrel that decided now would be a good time to make a mad dash for the playground. He stopped and frowned, wondering how he might have missed his friends.
His vision went dark as something struck him on the back of his neck. Henry's consciousness quickly faded as he heard Alice's muffled cry for help.
Mulan raced down the street on Mushu. Their timing was off. She had been patrolling the area around the park, but by the time she had reached the open area, she caught sight of a woman loading a wriggling figure wrapped up in a pillow case into the back of a black car. Henry's limp body was being tossed into the trunk of the car by two boys.
"Stop! You're under arrest!" she shouted as she pressed her heels into Mushu's side, urging him forward. The horse galloped quickly, but not fast enough to catch the kidnappers before they climbed into the car and sped off.
Still moving at full speed, she pulled out her phone and called Ruby. Her friend answered quickly, but Mulan could barely keep herself from shouting. "I lost them! It's a black car, four doors. Headed down Cottage towards downtown."
Ruby hung up on Mulan and looked over at Belle and Aurora who sat in the passenger and back seats. "Hold on tight!" she warned. She threw the car into drive and the tires screeched as she pulled out of the spot they had been parked on near the school. "Aurora! Call Regina and Emma, now! Belle, get ahold of David and Snow!" The girls nodded and immediately pulled out their phones, trying their best to stay stable enough and hold onto whatever they could as Ruby sped through the streets.
She caught sight of the black car as it whizzed past her. She skidded through a corner, nearly clipping Sydney Glass's BMW. He honked angrily, but Ruby ignored it. The black car turned down an alley once they had reached downtown. Ruby pursued the car, but came to a screeching halt, throwing Belle and Aurora forward. She thanked the powers above for seatbelts, although Belle had managed to bite her lip. The librarian glared at the black car for causing her mouth to bleed. At the opposite end of the alleyway, Mulan and Mushu blocked the exit. Ruby revved her engine to intimidate the car.
The black car flashed its high beams in warning to Mulan, but the warrior stayed rigid on her proud horse. The tires screeched and instinctively Mulan pulled Mushu to the side, just barely able to duck away before the black car sped past them. She cursed herself for allowing the slip, then followed as Ruby's red Camaro gave chase. The black car was clearly headed for the town line. Mulan knew she couldn't let them get that far. But all she could do was continue to run after them, pressing Mushu forward and praying that her steed would not be angry at her for the hard run.
The cars and Mushu barreled down the two lane street that led to the only exit out of Storybrooke. The trees gave off an eerie mist, even though it was still mid-afternoon. The mist became thicker until it was nothing more than a dense blanket that caused the black car to slow down. Ruby slammed on the brakes as red lights flashed in front of her. The Camaro fishtailed and stopped sideways along the street, blocking the black car from going back into Storybrooke. But what surprised them was that a barricade of vehicles had stopped the kidnappers. The familiar burgundy Mercedes, yellow Volkswagen Beetle, blue Chevy truck, a white and brown Wagoneer and strangely enough, a Cadillac Fleetwood, created the barricade of bright lights blaring through the mist. In front of the cars were its drivers: Regina, Emma, David, Snow, Cora and Gold.
The driver door of the black sedan opened up and a waifish woman in a red dress and worn out heels stepped out. Her wild red hair only played into the look of madness on in her green eyes. "Out of the way, the girl is mine."
"Madame Medusa," Gold sneered. "I've waited a long time to come across you."
"Who the hell are you?" she spat.
"It doesn't matter now. What matters is that you've been cornered and you have something very valuable. We'll be taking it back now."
"Not on your life," Madame Medusa hissed. John and Gideon climbed out of the car, holding a struggling Alice. They pulled the pillowcase off of her head, making a mess of her long blonde hair. John let go of Alice and Gideon held tight to the small girl. The trunk opened and John dragged Henry's limp form out of the trunk.
"Henry!" Regina screeched. "Return my children or so help me I will kill you!" To many others, the threat was real, tangible and very dangerous. However, Madame Medusa was indifferent.
"I don't think so. I've come too far to stop now. This girl has power that is unimaginable. Once I get my hands on the Queen of Hearts's scepter, I will be able to travel to any world and take any artifacts I want!"
"It doesn't work that way." Cora said quietly. Medusa narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "I am the Queen of Hearts and only the Queen can use the scepter. You would simply be a madwoman waving a stick around."
"Enough! Everyone just shut up!" Emma shouted as she raised her gun towards the woman. "Let go of my kids. You don't know who you're dealing with."
Madame Medusa smirked. "Ha! A bunch of old folks, some parents and a woman on a horse? You honestly think you can stop me? I can have you all killed!" She spun around as the snarl of a wolf behind her grew louder. Ruby had changed her form and was stalking ever so slowly towards the frenzied woman with sharp teeth bared.
While she was distracted by Ruby, Rumplestiltskin waved his hands towards Medusa, capturing her in a holding spell. Having a tiny bit of magic restored from Rumplestiltskin, Cora raised her arms and summoned large vines to pick up Medusa and the boys, lifting them high in the air. Regina winced slightly, it was a spell she was quite familiar with.
"What the hell?! Who are you people?" Medusa screamed as her prize ran to her mothers. Mulan moved quickly behind her, gathering up Henry and carrying him to Ruby's car. Ruby howled, causing Medusa to gasp and attempt to turn her head. Belle and Aurora quickly took Henry into their care.
Snow glared, "We're the things that fairy tales are made up of."
A fireball appeared in Regina's hand, although it was quickly draining all the tiny bits of magic she had in reserve, "And we're the ones you should be afraid of."
"Set them down, Cora, please," David instructed. The witch snorted and obliged, although she was regretful to do so. David, Mulan and Emma approached Medusa and the two boys, handcuffing them before they could regain their strength to run. "You're under arrest for kidnapping and resisting arrest. I would read you your rights, but we do things differently here in Storybrooke. You're also accused of treason to the crown, assault on the crown prince, and attempted thievery of realm artifacts."
"What?! That makes absolutely no sense!" Medusa argued as she was dragged to her feet by Emma.
Regina stepped dangerously close to the woman, bringing her fireball to her adversary's face. Medusa cringed as the heat nipped at her hair. "I am the Queen and this is my realm. You want to dabble in other worlds? Then you play by our rules."
The sound of two frantic boys and a screaming madwoman disappeared into the air of the forest as they were taken away into town.
Regina sat in her office and looked around. It was unusual for her to have so much company in City Hall. But she was surrounded by the most unlikely group of saviors she could hope for. Belle, Ruby, Mulan and Aurora squished together on a couch. David and Snow took up one arm chair while Gold stood by with Cora pacing around the room. Henry sat on an empty desk chair as Alice climbed up into another one next to him and swung her short legs over the edge.
Emma holstered her gun and leaned up against the mayor's desk. "Well, we're sending the boys to Blue. Gold did a pretty good job of a memory wipe and now they're going to start over with the other children in the orphanage."
"And what about Medusa?" David asked.
Rumplestiltskin chuckled, "I've done my part. She'll be taken to the Portland Mental Institution. Even if she does say anything about Storybrooke, or us, it'll all come down to madness."
"Mulan, Ruby, Belle and Aurora. I can't thank you enough for what you've done. If you hadn't been keeping an eye out for my kids…" Regina's unusually heartfelt thanks was cut off by her own voice.
"It is our duty, Madame Mayor. We are relived that the children are safe," Mulan said proudly. Ruby grinned, but Belle and Aurora simply smiled in receipt of their praise.
"But most of all… Mother, I'm surprised at you. First, you managed to get some magic back, but you used it to protect the children." Regina said, her eyes meeting Cora's as the woman stopped pacing.
"Honestly, Regina! What do you take me for? I'll admit, I searched all over to find ways to restore my magic instead of taking little potions from Rumple, but I will not let anyone touch this family." Cora's eyes softened. "I made the mistake once of letting you grow up without me. I'll not make the same mistake again."
The remainder of the evening was spent arranging plans to move Medusa out of Storybrooke. Rumple excused himself, but Cora ducked out to follow him.
"There isn't anything more I can do for you, Cora." Rumplestilstkin tapped his cane on the ground as they walked out of City Hall.
"I wanted to thank you, Rumple. For helping protect this family."
The imp shrugged, "You made your choice. Like it or not, I'm just as much a part of that family as you are, although I prefer to maintain my distance. Don't forget, you owe me for the magic."
"I know." Cora stepped forward and held out an oblong stone on a leather cord. "My payment is the Lodestone."
"What use do I have for a rock?" Rumple spat. The stone's iridescent surface caught his eye and he looked at it closely. "No.. this is the Lodestone… for tracking down magic."
Cora nodded. "I've been using it while I travel. But… I think my search for magic is over. If I need it to protect this family, then I'll owe you as many favors as you like."
Rumplestiltskin took the Lodestone and placed it in his pocket. He felt it move abruptly in his pocket as it reacted to his own magic. "You've changed. You remind me of a young girl who was trapped in a tower to spin gold because she stuck her foot in her mouth."
The older woman turned and headed back towards the City Hall. "Perhaps you should go on a cruise. Traveling puts life into perspective. Now is my time to cherish the things I neglected. Not everyone gets a second chance, so I'll not pass this up. Good night, Rumplestiltskin."
The old imp smirked as he watched Cora walk away. The confidence and nobility she carried throughout her life was somehow different this time. It was warm, perhaps even welcoming, and for the first time in many years, Rumplestiltskin missed the young woman who had ripped her own heart out for him.
Some weeks after Madame Medusa had been sent off to Portland Psychiatric Ward, Regina and Alice sat in Archie's office for a follow up visit. The small girl, much like her brother Henry, had taken a liking to Archie and was now quite talkative in their sessions, while still perched on Regina's lap. They had been meeting once a week since the last incident to ensure that Alice was not suffering from any further trauma.
Archie sat down in the armchair across from the couch where Regina and Alice sat together. "Hello, Alice. How are you today?"
The girl shrugged, "I'm adjusted. I eat four food groups a day and take long naps…" Alice said as if reciting a poem.
"I'm sorry?" Archie urged her curiously.
Regina shook her head, "I'm sorry, Archie. She's been watching Lilo and Stitch. My mother bought her a handful of Disney DVDs, so she's been watching all of them repeatedly. Honestly, if I hear Frozen one more time, I'm going to Let It Go."
The psychologist laughed, "I understand." He turned his attention back to Alice, "Now, your mother tells me that your Nana Cora was someone you knew in Wonderland. Who was she?"
Alice frowned slightly, "Nana was the Queen of Hearts. Sometimes she was really nice, but then sometimes she was really scary and she would scream, 'Off with their heads!' But Nana Cora isn't like that anymore. Now she's really fun and she watches movies with me and we go to the park."
Nodding sagely as he wrote notes, Archie moved on to his next question, "Does the Mad Hatter scare you?"
"He used to," Alice explained. "When I went to Wonderland, he ran around all the time and yelled a lot. When I first came here, I saw him and I got really scared because I thought maybe he was coming to get me and take me back to Wonderland. But Mommy protected me, so I'm not afraid of him anymore."
After scribbling more notes on his yellow steno pad, he looked up and smiled, "It sounds like you're really happy here, Alice. How's school?"
"I like school, but sometimes it's really hard."
"What are your favorite classes?"
"I like art. That's my favorite. We have music class sometimes and that's fun, too. Oh, and I get to read a lot of books. Mommy has lots of books in her office at home, so we read there together." Alice reached to her backpack next to her and pulled out a fairly thick paperback book. "Mommy gave this one to me. It's called The Book of Three and she said when I finish with it, she'll let me read the next one, The Black Cauldron."
Archie looked up to Regina and gave a lopsided smile, "That's some heavy reading for a 4th grader."
Regina shrugged, "She's already finished the entire Harry Potter series, the Hunger Games and Percy Jackson. Not to mention all the books Belle recommended for a 4th grader. She finished most of those in a few days."
In the few moments they were chatting, Alice had opened up her book to where she had tucked a strip of black leather into the spine. Regina placed her hand on the girl's head as she became engrossed in her book. Archie decided it was a good time to speak directly to the mayor. "Alice seems to be adjusting quite well. I believe the catalyst in preventing any further mental setbacks, even in the presence of the Queen of Hearts, is your family. Alice's mental condition is highly dependent on her immediate environment. As long as she feels safe with you, the fears she had before seemed to have subsided."
Regina narrowed here eyes at the ginger haired man. "Sometimes I feel like I should be impressed by you, but then I remembered where you got your doctorate."
"From you, I'll take that as a compliment, Madame Mayor. In any case, Alice's conditioned improved significantly when you returned from your short trip upstate. Perhaps another family trip would be a great way to strengthen her connection to you." Archie suggested.
The mayor hummed quietly for a moment, then smiled at the little girl next to her. "I think that's actually a really good idea, Archie. Thank you. I think it's time this family went on a trip outside of Maine."
Alice seemed to catch just bits and pieces of the conversation. She closed her book and looked up at her mother expectantly. "Where are we going, Mommy?"
Regina smiled and put her finger to her lips. "It's a secret."
Thank you for everyone who's been soooo patient with this story and the long release between chapters. The story arcs have gotten a bit heavy and I wanted to make sure that all your questions have been answered. This certainly isn't the end just yet! Can anyone guess where the Swan-Mills family will be going? Please keep the reviews coming. Chapter 14 is already underway!