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Both women whirled toward the source of the noise to see a huge, dark mass standing on one end of Main Street as the once carefree pedestrians began scream and scatter. Mulan whipped out her cell phone and dialed the Sheriff's number just as Thomas pulled up in the patrol car. Merida had fitted an arrow into her bow and had it steadily aimed at the roaring, agitated beast as Emma's voice came on the line.
"It's here; we're at the library."
Not twenty seconds later, Emma and Regina were stepping out of smoke to glance around and assess the situation. Ruby ran toward them with Granny and her crossbow. "Snow and David are coming." She told the group as Thomas hurried to slam the cruiser's door and approach the people gathered on the sidewalk watching the feral beast saunter down the street.
Merida, without taking her eyes off the warrior by her side, muttered, "So much for settling in, eh?"
Mulan's mouth twitched. "If we make it out of this alive, I'll take you to dinner." She promised with a dry tone just as Snow and David came hurtling up.
"What do we do?" The group turned to Emma who glanced to Regina.
The blonde watched the bear closely as it spotted the group of people crowded on the sidewalk. "Spread out." She told them. "I'm going to try and...reason with it."
"Reason-?"
"Emma-"
"You can't-"
"Do as I say!" She growled at them. "If I give the signal, kill it. I'm not suicidal, but this person that has been transformed deserves a chance to be heard."
"Emma." Regina said softly.
"I'll be fine." The blonde shook her off, but the brunette put a hand on her arm and held her back.
"If it so much as takes a swipe at you-"
"You'll light it up, yeah, I know." She smiled. "I'll be fine."
She pulled her arm from Regina's grasp and started a walk that seemed very long and very short at the same time. The blonde put her hands out as she neared the animal that ambled down the middle of the road almost docily. It was as if the beast were simply looking for a parking spot on the curb as it swung its massive head back and forth.
"Hey!" The blonde yelled and the bear stopped and looked at her before giving out a strange, soft whine. Emma felt something amiss and narrowed her eyes at the large brown eyes of the beast before her. "Do you understand me?" She asked quietly. "Nod if you do."
The bear nodded.
"Thank god." She sighed and looked heavenward. "Alright, we're trying to figure out who you are and what you need to transform back." She shouted at the animal as it continued toward her. "So if you could give us any information-" The blonde stopped speaking abruptly for she had just noticed something about the bear that she'd not observed before. The beast, now walking compliantly toward her was limping. Squinting at its feet, she realized it was missing one front paw. Suddenly, the air seemed to be much heavier than before as it constricted in her lungs. "Killian?" She whispered.
The bear paused in its walk and stared at her.
Emotion rushed the blonde as this information surged to her brain and she became aware of a flood of feelings. "God, Killian, why? Why this?" She asked weakly.
The bear shook his head emphatically, causing his ears to flap.
Emma glanced back to the assortment of heroes in her war party on the pavement in front of the library as they watched on warily and with great interest. They stood there, all of them armed to the teeth to protect the town from a monster she'd had an indirect hand in creating. A bit of shame tinged her pale cheeks as she edged forward to where the animal had stopped in the middle of the road. She could feel all eyes on her.
"Killian, this was not the answer. I think you probably realize that now." She put a hand out, within touching distance of the massive beast who had sat down on the pavement. "I do care for you very much, but you betrayed my trust and put everyone in jeopardy. I know you had you own reasons and if you had given me time, I would have probably come to forgive you and trust you again. Now…" She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry I didn't handle the situation...the break-up, if you want to call it that, with more sensitivity. I was mad and frustrated and just found it easier to avoid you than really sit down and discuss it. I regret that, Killian. I could have handled it much better." She sighed into the night. "But this isn't just about me, Killian. It's also about you coming to terms with the end of...this." She waved a hand between them and though the gesture was vague, the bear knew what she was implying. "You've got to forgive me and you've got to forgive yourself. If you don't, you'll be like this forever. You will lose yourself to this bear and you'll never come back from it."
The beast looked up at her and grumbled out an anguished chuff.
"You know I'm right." She met the dark eyes of the animal as she put a hand on its shoulder.
The bear looked down and hunched its shoulders for a moment and, suddenly, a flash of smoke plumed thick and acrid causing Emma to cough and back up. When the magical screen had cleared, Killian lay shivering and naked on the pavement. Emma waved a hand and suddenly the trembling nude form of the man was cloaked in a thick black blanket.
"Emma…" The man panted. The blonde looked down at him with mingled pity and relief.
"We can talk about this later." He looked up. "I swear we will. But right now, you need to rest." She helped him from off the pavement and then led him over to the group while he stared at his bare feet. "Granny, can you put him up in a room?"
The older woman shouldered her crossbow and onced the pirate up and down. "Sure." She motioned for him to follow her, which he did, as Ruby trailed them closely.
The blonde then turned to her mother and father. "Now, let's all go home before something else abso-fucking-lutely crazy happens." Snow looked like she was going to ask, but Emma waved a tired had. "We'll have some sort of meeting next week and I'll fill you in about this and a few other things. Let's just...not do this tonight." Her mother closed her mouth, smiled a bit, and put a hand on her arm. Emma nodded back in a reassuring way, before walking over to where Regina stood. "Can we take a vacation? Me, you, and Henry?" She asked.
"What did you have in mind, Miss Swan?"
"Somewhere tropical with beer and no magical demons or beasts tailing around behind us."
"Tall order." Mulan smiled.
"Speaking of orders-" The redhead placed the unloaded arrow back in her hip-slung quiver. "I do believe you owe me dinner."
Mulan arched a brow, but gave the forward woman a small smile. "I believe you're right."
Emma and Regina exchanged a glance before Merida turned to them. "We can all go together; couples' dinner."
"It's called a double date." Emma supplied a bit bemusedly.
"So we're dating now, Miss Swan?"
"I suppose if I'm expected to buy you dinner, Madam Mayor." The blonde quipped back and then turned back to Mulan and the redhead. "We would love to have dinner."
"And now you're answering for me?" The brunette hissed snarkily.
Mulan stifled a grin and pulled the tall woman away from the ensuing spat the Sheriff and Mayor were bound to tie into in mere moments. "I don't know how I didn't see it earlier." She told the woman quietly.
Merida chuckled. "It's rather obvious, eh?"
"So...now that the threat of Storybrook is over, are the will-o-the-wisps going to come and take you back?"
The redhead considered this. "That's a very good question." She commented, but didn't answer.
"Well?" Mulan prompted as they walked toward the diner, blocking out the sounds of Emma's and Regina's irked voices behind them.
The redhead stopped and looked at her; locking into her with her incredibly turquoise eyes. "I don't know. They usually give me a choice of sorts."
"A choice?"
"Yes, they gave the choice of coming here to help."
"You chose to leave everything you knew behind to come and help total strangers?"
"You would have done the same." Merida waved a dismissive hand. "At any rate, I said my goodbyes as I always do when I have a journey."
"So you don't plan to return." The brunette said. "I hope it isn't because of me-"
"It isn't." Merida said quickly. "Don't misunderstand, Mulan. I like you very much and I'm looking forward to getting to know you very well-" Something about the emphasis she placed on her words caused the dark-haired warrior to blush once again. "But this is more about me."
"Won't you be missed?"
"I'm sure my family will miss me, but they don't need me there. I have three, hulking, mighty brothers and my mother and father are fit to live long lives. Here," She gestured around. "there is an adventure around every corner. There's always a problem to solve and a fight to win. I'd rather spend my life fighting against an unending tide of darkness than sit on a throne and look forward to solstice parties full of drunken clansmen."
"So.." Mulan said slowly. "If given the choice, you would stay?"
Merida nodded. "I would just like to get a message to my family…"
"That shouldn't be a problem, dear." Regina suddenly reappeared with Emma lagging behind. It seemed the latter had lost the small tussle of wills. "I'm sure when the will-o-the-wisps return our brew-bartering friend, they will extend to your family a message of triumph and health."
"Good point." Emma chipped in. "And for the record, Regina and I aren't technically dating."
Mulan and Merida exchanged a glance as Regina rolled her eyes. "Well, Merida and I are." The dark-haired warrior said quietly and smiled at the three stunned women before turning to the redhead. "Hungry?"
"Starving." She responded, shaking her bemusement. "Let's double dinner."
"Date." Regina corrected.
"Right-"
"I thought we weren't dating." Emma huffed a bit impatiently.
Merida and Mulan entered Granny's and left the two women bickering behind them.