So, this first part was supposed to be the end of the last chap, but I forgot to put it in. This is to explain why Hannibal is going out of his way to help defend Archie.
The Enchanted forest, on a hill top.
"From the ground all things have come, and to the ground all things must go. Please except this kind and honorable woman into the life beyond. And may these last words help make your journey easier."
Hannibal stood over his aunt's grave. She had died only a week ago. He was now truly alone.
"Forgive me." Hannibal looked down at his uncle's grave, the promise to love and protect the man's wife fresh in his mind. He had a tantō with him. And he was defiantly considering using it.
"Why do you need forgiveness?" A small voice asked. Hannibal looked around and saw simple cricket, or not so simple because he had a umbrella, hat, and coat. "The dead cannot offer you that."
"That is why I think I must die to gain it."
"And what good will that do?"
"It might end my suffering." Hannibal said. He then chuckled. "And it might end the apparent insanity that I now have; talking to insects in cloths is an interesting form I'd say."
"You are not crazy. But let me ask you, why do you need forgiveness?"
"I fail to keep a promise."
"And what was the promise?"
"To love and protect my aunt until my death."
"And now that she is dead, you believe you failed. How did she die?"
"Sickness."
"And are you a doctor?"
"Yes."
"Do you know every disease there is, do you know how to cure every sickness from a mild upset stomach to the plague?"
"No."
"And are there any diseases that are incurable? That will always claim the life and it is only a matter of time before they pass on?"
"Yes."
"Did you try and cure her?"
"Yes."
"Did you make her comfortable?"
"Yes."
"Were you there for her in the end?"
"Yes."
"So tell me young man; how did you fail? You treated her sickness to the best of your knowledge, you did all you could to make her comfortable, and when the time came, you did not leave her."
"She is dead. That is how I failed her."
"We all must die. Believe me; I have seen enough of this world to know that to pass on with the love of your family by your side is better than to live alone. But surly, at a young age, you have something left to live for. Some ambition left unfulfilled, some curiosity left unknown."
Hannibal sat there. It is better to die with friends then to live alone, and he was alone. But the cricket had a point; he had yet to avenge his family's death. His sister still needed to rest in peace. And who would do that if not him. "What is your name?"
"Jiminy Cricket. And yours?"
"Hannibal. Hannibal Lecture." He then put the blade on the ground and stood. "And one day Jiminy, you and I shall meet again." He then walked away. Because he now had a reason to live.
We Now to Our Regularly Scheduled Program.
Mary Margret was pretty sure she was currently attempting to scrub dishes. She either wanted them to be clean, or wanted to reduce the pan to little shavings. She was so busy doing something closer to the second option, she didn't notice Emma, Belle, and Zelena coming in with a bottle of whiskey. "Mary, there is no stain left." Belle said. "From the way you were going at it I doubt there is any pan left."
"The dishes were very dirty." She defended.
"And you had to do them, because they were going to evolve language skills if you waited tell after the welcome home party." Zelena said.
"And it has nothing to do with David." Emma asked.
"We just, uh… He just…" Mary Margret said. And right now you couldn't tell if she was Snow White, of Flounder.
"Yeah, I know. You're both just. And you did the right thing."
"He made a pretty compelling case."
"Yeah, well he is kind of married." Belle said.
"If I were you, I'd do what Belle and I did when we fought over Gold."
Both Mary and Emma turned to look at her with an expression on their face only ever seen in nature on a fish. "I thought Gold was your Dad." Emma said very confused.
"He is." At least in Storybroke. "But before I found out he was my dad, I thought he was hot." Both Emma and Mary could give a clown fish a run for its money. "This was back when he and Belle was just recently married and I had been living with Gold for about two weeks after leaving for a month or two. He had apparently sent out the test and was waiting back for the results. But before they came, I told Belle how I felt about Gold, and we agreed that if she every hurt him, I would rip her heart out and put it between my fist and her face when I punched her." Zelena said smiling.
"And I promised her that if I ever did hurt Gold, I would help hold it up right in front of my nose and she could then go and marry Gold. When we told Gold about our agreement, he said if Zelena killed me for anything less, he'd do the same to her, and that he'd never marry his daughter. The conversation after that was very weird." Belle said laughing. "Now we just laugh at it."
"So how does this help me?" Mary asked confused.
"I was honest with Belle that I loved her husband." Zelena said.
"And I, like Kathryn, am an understanding and forgiving person." Belle said. "So if you tell her that you, being human and unaware of his being married developed a hard to get rid of crush."
"And then if she is like Belle. She will throw something at you. Yell a bit, calm down, and then you can approach this logically." Zelena continued.
"And then you can both go to David and talk like civil adults about you honest and understandable feelings." Belle said.
"And unless David is a lot older then he looks, odds are you won't find out he is your father Mary." Zelena finished. They then all shared a laugh and some whiskey.
The Dark Castle.
Rumple was having a good day. "Rum, could you come in here." Belle yelled. And it was getting better, a few moments to spend with his beloved before going off to deal with George.
But when he got to the main hall door, he suddenly wished he could just run to the nearest bar.
Both Belle and Zelena were looking at him seriously and with slightly reddened eyes. Rumple had been around long enough to know that when the women in your life were crying and looking serious when they wanted you, it was never good.
The only good thing that it could be was Belle was pregnant. But a moment of feeling their link told him she wasn't. So that left only options were a wiser man would have found an accuse to be anywhere else that was safer, a dragon's lair perhaps, oh the irony.
"Yes dear, what is it?" He said kindly.
"Please sit." Belle said, and now Rumple felt truly afraid. As he sat, he wondered if this was how a rabbit looking at the pointy end of a hunter's weapon felt.
"Zelena and I have been talking." Belle began, not good. "We had a disagreement." Very not good. "And we want you to help settle it" Oh gods, he was a dead man, or lack thereof.
Every man knew, to get into an argument between the girls of his life ended in one of them killing you in his sleep. He looked at Zelena, then Belle, then back to Zelena, then back to Belle.
"I. Love. You." Zelena said.
Rumple was sure he heard wrong. "What?"
"I love you." Zelena said again. "I realize you were right. I love you. You were the only person to ever love me other then my adoptive mother. You helped me, guided me, and taught me to be proud of myself. And I, I, I betrayed you." She started to cry.
Rumple was dumbfounded. He looked at Belle comforting Zelena. "So, we had a long talk. Zelena told me she loved you. And then I tried to hit her with a vase." Belle said smiling. "But we agreed you should choose. And we agreed that no matter what happens, we would remain friends, still love you. And if the one you chose ever hurt you we would kill her and marry you."
Rumple would have answered, but first he had to relocate his jaw, brain, and knowledge of the language. "So… you have agreed that I chose who gets to be my wife." They nodded. "The other person stays here." Again they nodded. "And if the person I chose ever breaks my heart, the other one will?"
"Rip out her heart and punch her in the face with it." Zelena said having regained some composure.
Rumple was dumbfounded. "Belle, we are married, you're willing to risk your happiness to be fare to Zelena and I." Belle nodded. "Zelena, you are willing to risk you head and heart to be fare to Belle and I." Zelena nodded. "I guess I can't just chose you both and have a small harem." They looked at him for a moment, and actually seemed to consider it, looked at each other, and then shock their heads no.
Well so much for this being easy. "I love you both, but I love Belle the most." He said, and then looked at Zelena. "I love you Zelena, but Belle has always been there for me. But if she dose ever break my heart, you can crush hers." Zelena looked happy at that, Belle looked a little offended. "But, if you ever try and hurt Belle, or are the cause of heart break for me. I can promise you that all the emotional and physical pain you have felt up to now will be as insignificant as an ant to a boot compared to what I will do to you."
The Next Day in Storybroke.
"Hello, Dr. Whale." Mary said as she enters Granny's.
Dr. Whale looked over. "So, I heard that you resigned from the hospital. I hope it wasn't because of me." He says somewhat nervously.
"Why would it be because of you?" Zelena said coming to sit down.
"Well, our date… I never called her after."
"Could that be because you were staring at Ruby's but?" Zelena said smiling at the way the doctor's eyes got wide.
"Yeah, I know, I know. It's not classy. And I'm sorry. But, if you could find a way to get over it, you know where to find me. Have a good day." He said leaving, giving Zelena's cleavage a glance.
"That man has a very interesting ego."
"Miss Blanchard, may I have a word?" Regina said walking up to the table.
"A single word madam mayor is that from a lack of vocabulary of effort." Zelena prodded.
"I don't remember addressing you Zelena." Regina said.
"It's Miss Green to you Regina. And remember, Gold is my father and I can have him make your life very unpleasant." Zelena then lent back and smirked. "It is nice having a father that is so willing to make sure his child is safe, I'm sure, your own father was like that Regina, willing to give you his heart in love."
Regina looked irate at that. "Yes, but luckily my father was always there for me, unlike your parents, like your worthless whore of a mother. Is it true she abandoned you at birth?"
Mary Margret looked shocked that Regina would say that, but before she could defend her friend, Zelena put her hand up. "No Mary, it's all right." She then turned to Regina. "I want you to remember this moment Regina, because you never know, karma is a bitch and your mother might have been just as bad as mine." She then got up to leave. "But unlike you I haven't let that destroy my chances of happiness at every turn. Have a wonderful day Regina, because you never know when a bad one will come."
Gold's House.
Zelena had just gotten home when she heard a loud thud. "Belle, are you all right?"
Belle came out of the kitchen, looming pale as a ghost, or a girl covered in flour. "Remind me of this next time I ever get a craving for pancakes again." She said humorously. "Next time I should just go to Granny's or get Hannibal to make them."
"How bad is it?"
"I think there is flour in my underwear." Belle said laughing, and Zelena soon joined in.
"I'm impressed, maybe you should keep them on for an accuse to strip when Gold comes home."
"One; has anyone ever told you you have a wicked and twisted mind, and two; since when have I ever needed a reason to do that?"
"And you call me wicked and twisted." Zelena said laughing again.
"So, how was your day?" Belle asked. Zelena and Belle had never worked in Storybroke. Well, Belle had always been trying to open the library, but politics and a dragon had prevented this. And Zelena was a nurse, mid-wife, and home care giver, who had given up working to care for an unstable Belle, although officially it was because of Gold getting on in years.
"Regina is causing trouble for Mary Margret, I heard through the grape vine that David left Abigail."
"Ohhh." Belle was now excited. "So true love may yet be reunited." She was getting all happy.
"Honestly, I wouldn't hold my breath.
It was a while latter when Hannibal and Clara came over to play bridge. After a few games, with Hannibal and Belle on the same team, much to Zelena and Clara's dismay, had won every game and 84 off the 100 match sticks.
"I hope you both realize that you're each out $170." Hannibal said smugly.
"Who ever thought it was a good idea to gamble at bridge was an idiot." Clara complained.
"Just be glad those sticks aren't actually ten dollar bills, otherwise those two would own every crumb we have" Zelena said.
"We'll look on the bright, at this rate it will only be two more games before your both out." Belle said happily.
"Next time we play go fish." Clara said upset.
"Oh no, last time we did that Hannibal and Belle were going back and forth for three hours." Zelena said.
In all honesty they all enjoyed the game, it was just that Belle and Hannibal could beat anybody when they played together, and when they went head to head, the game would end in a draw, hours later.
But the door bell rang. "I'll get it." Clara said jumping up, she had no wish to see her and Zelena lose again, and if she could delay it in any way she would. "Hi Mary." She said happily. "And Emma." She said like there was something disgusting in her mouth.
"Oh stop Clara, we have a truce. More or less." Belle reprimanded.
"Has anyone ever told you you are far to forgiving?" Hannibal asked. "Oh, and I believe this is a grand slam." He said setting his cards down. "And that's the game." He then grabbed the rest of the match sticks while laughing. "One of these days Belle, you and I should team up and play for money."
"I don't think anyone is that stupid." Zelena said. "So, I take it you heard about David leaving Kathryn." She said looking at Mary.
"Yeah. Emma said go for it." She said looking at Emma. "Somebody tell me this is a bad idea, he said he chose me and that he wasn't the man she married, and then he left his wife, and now."
"Mary." Hannibal said in a low voice, it was soft, but carried with it the authority to swing even congress into action. "I once knew a man who was six men." The confusing remark grabbed everyone's attention "This man was at one point an innocent child, then tragedy struck and he became a tortured husk of a man who only made sound in the form of screaming from nightmares. After many years and a lot of help, he became a driven individual whose only purpose was to protect his loved ones. After they died he became a husk again with no other wish in life but for his to end. Then he gained a purpose again and helped rehabilitate his destroyed home. And after that, he became a loving husband who settled down."
"So you see, this one man, throughout his life became six very different men. The same is true with David. What are we but a mix of our past? David has no past, but maybe he has a future with you." Hannibal finished and then went about cleaning up the cards.
"In case you're wondering, I agree." Clara said.
"Me to." Both Zelena and Belle said in unison.
Storybroke. Gold's Pawn Shop.
Mr. Nolan was at this moment admiring a rather lovely glass unicorn mobile. It had always amassed Gold slightly by how little effort Regina had put into the curse other than to insure Snow White's unhappiness. But it did allow him a bit of theatrics with his entrances, they were always far too distracted to notice him make his way behind the counter. "Charming."
David looked up shocked and a little scared. "I'm sorry?"
"The mobile. Isn't it charming? Exquisitely designed, masterly crafted… I can get it down, if you like." Gold said smiling. He was enjoying how the reference just flew over his head.
"No, no. I mean, it's… It's very nice, but actually, I'm looking for the Toll Bridge. The Mayor said there was a fork in the road by your shop, but…" David said. Dear heavens this man was thick, and compared to how Charming was, that is saying something.
"It seems Miss Mills has lead you astray."
"Yeah, yeah you would think the Mayor would know her own town."
"One would think." Belle was going to hate him. Gold almost wanted to throw the man out because then what was likely to happen wouldn't. "Out of the door, turn right, two blocks you'll find a trail. Can't miss it."
"Thank you." David then turned to leave but his eye caught the windmill. If it wasn't for the fact it was in their best interests, Gold would have tried to stop it for Belle's sake.
"See something you like?"
"Where did you get that?"
"That old thing? That's been gathering dust for…forever."
"I think… This belonged to me".
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Yes. …I remember." Was the last thing David said before running out.
Gold's Pink/Salmon House.
"I'm going to say sorry in advance." Gold said coming into the room were Belle and Zelena were sitting.
"What for?" Belle asked.
"I had a very Charming patron come into the shop."
"Oh no." Belle said, her face going white, whiter with horror. "Why didn't you stop it?" She, kind of yelled, but her heart wasn't in it.
"I can't stop him from getting cursed memories seeing that windmill. I'm magic-less, remember. And even if I could have stopped it, Regina programmed the curse to target Snow White specifically; they would have ended up in a coma, in a car crash, shot and killed, or any number of unpleasant things."
"So until the curse is broken." Belle said.
"They need to stay apart." Zelena finished.
Sorry about the wait, but I have a good reason. Yesterday, 50 years ago, my grandfather said "I do" and my grandmother said "I do" back. So the last few weeks have been a night mare. Normally it's grandmother's job to plan events, she once saved a wedding in ruin for a half cousin in one week, and without her it has been us children and grandchildren doing the planning. And let me tell you, she always made it look easy. It's not however.
So, as a quick note, if I don't reply to your reviews by Monday or so, or I haven't updated in the next week or two, assume the worst, and I either killed members of my family because they were annoying an am now in jail, or was killed by an over stressed relative.
Thank you to Grace5231973, AquaJasmine23, sorry Zelena is not his daughter, but I hope that the way I wrote her in this chap will help clear some things up, and more shall be revealed about her relationship with Gold and Belle later. Then there is xxxLeanniexxx, Twyla Mercedes as always thank you, and last, but not least, well, technically she was actually the fist to review, but whatever, thank you belle.
Happy 4th of July.
And congratulations to all couples who have managed
Not to kill one another after 50 years.
(and still love each other.)
:)