I had a difficult time with this chapter. I've been so distracted lately that it's hard to focus on writing. That, and I often find myself writing at 2 in the morning, nodding off between sentences. You think reading gets weird when you're doing that? Try writing, hahaha. Interesting things happen. Very interesting things. That said, hopefully this chapter will read okay. I only had a few hours to write/edit it.
Quick refresher: Bae is Brian in this world. Brian is Bae. Refer to the last section of ch.14 in All That Follows if you want the Brian crash course. You will want it if you don't remember.
I might not be in a place where I can easily publish for the next few days, so this might be it until later in the week. Sorry :( I'll at least spend a lot of time writing (hopefully). It's my mini-vacation. In the meantime, reviews are the best kind of welcome-home present a girl could ask for ;)
Annie stayed glued to Daniel's side the entire way back to the ship and after they'd climbed aboard. She still wasn't entirely convinced that he was real, despite his being right there. Losing him was still so fresh in her mind that she didn't think she could handle it again if it turned out that this was all some horrible trick. She didn't notice the clear tension between him and Regina or the way Regina was watching them; happy but with a sadness borne of exclusion. This was a family reunion that she could only observe from the outside. She wasn't welcome in any other capacity.
"Well, my dear," Hook said, moving to stand directly in front of Annie. "Did you have a plan in mind? My crew awaits instruction."
She nodded. "This is Neverland isn't it?"
Hook looked surprised. "It is."
"Then take me to the island of the Lost Boys."
Hook shook his head sadly. "If that was your escape, I'm sorry to say, you'll all be trapped. There is no way for you to cross into that side of this world."
"Leave that to me," Annie told him. "Just take us there."
He raised an eyebrow questioningly, but gave in without argument. "As you wish." It wasn't his time that would be wasted. "Until then, I have dry clothes all of you can change into. You are welcome to use my captain's quarters to talk." His behavior on the boat may have been less than polite, but he wasn't completely insensitive to the situation. He led the way to the cabin where he rummaged around in a trunk before finding the clothes he'd mentioned. He laid them out for his guests and exited without further comment.
Annie cringed at the sight of the dresses that had been chosen for them. Not because they were ugly; Annie had always found the dresses women pirates wore to be exotically beautiful and unique. It was just that it was a dress. She hadn't been fond of them as a child, nor as Rapunzel, and she certainly wasn't fond of them now that she'd had twenty-eight years of jeans.
Regina silently picked hers up and left to change. It was the first time Annie noticed how quiet she'd been since she'd been reunited with Daniel. Looking at him now, she was shocked to see the expression on his face as he watched Regina go. Pain, but mostly anger.
"Daniel?" she asked quietly. "What's going on?"
Daniel's expression quickly changed as he looked at her, but it wasn't quite a smile. "We should put on dry clothes," he said simply. "We can all talk later."
So Annie picked up her dress and followed in the direction Regina had gone. Behind a screen in the corner of the room, she saw Regina, already changed into the borrowed dress and tightening the strings on a vest she wore above it. "That dress looks perfect on you," Annie told her.
Regina looked up for a moment but there was no further acknowledgement. She finished lacing the vest and then brushed past Annie.
"Wait," she grabbed Regina's arm. "Regina, what's the matter?" Only a few minutes ago, Regina had been hugging her, laughing with her, and now she wouldn't even give her a small smile.
Regina shook her head. "Daniel wouldn't want me talking to you without him there to hear what was being said. In fact, he's probably worried to leave you alone with me."
"That's not true, Regina. He loves you. Why would you think he's worried?"
"He knows about everything that I've done." The way she said the words was so final. As if there was no hope for any kind of redemption, a path she'd already started down. Regina gave Annie one last sad glance before leaving her alone. Annie stood there in shock.
How had things gone wrong so quickly? And why did everything always have to go wrong? She changed quickly and when she returned, she found Regina and Daniel seated opposite each other. Regina was pleading with Daniel in a voice too quiet to hear and Daniel was watching her, stony-faced and unresponsive. Both looked up when Annie approached.
Daniel's face softened immediately. "Come sit, Annie." He gestured to the spot next to him and she started for it but she caught the expression on Regina's face. It wasn't one that was meant to be seen, but Annie saw it nonetheless; loss, pain, hurt, and maybe just a bit of fear. As happy as she was to have her brother back, Annie couldn't stand to see Regina suffering; especially not after what they'd been through the last few days. Regina needed to know that Annie was on her side, and that that wasn't going to change.
Daniel frowned and Regina started in surprise as Annie sat next to her, leaning into her side.
Regina was surprised, but it only took her a moment to wrap her arm around Annie and pull her in closer. Annie laid her head on Regina's shoulder while watching Daniel. It was so strange to have him sitting right there across from her after all of this time. In some parts of her memory, it felt like only yesterday, while in others, it had been almost forty years. That realization was appalling. She certainly didn't feel it had been that long. She didn't even feel her own age; having her childhood ripped away from her at such a young age, she felt like she was back to being eight again. She wished more than anything that it were true. That she could somehow gain back all of that lost time with her family. At least they were together now – in some ways. The icy silence suddenly became very noticeable, and Annie couldn't take it any longer. "Your plan wouldn't have worked, Regina," she started. It was the only safe topic she could think to bring up.
"And what makes you say that?" Regina asked.
"I'm not sure entirely. I just know somehow. Ever since I found out I was a traveler, I've been getting random bits of memory back along with this, I don't know…feeling of… power, I guess? It's been much stronger since I woke up outside in the Hall of Doors."
Daniel had tensed immediately at the mention of them being travelers. It wasn't something anyone was ever supposed to find out; especially this new Regina that he didn't trust. He was also curious as to why Annie had said that it was something she'd had to remember. How could she forget? One didn't just forget who they were.
Annie frowned at Daniel, wondering why he was staring so intensely at her.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Regina asked. Surely Annie would have mentioned feeling the sudden change.
"It wasn't as strong before. And I had those headaches." She saw Daniel flinch guiltily and that made her sit up. "Daniel, what's wrong?"
There was only silence, and for the first time, Daniel looked at Regina without the hatred. He was thinking about what she'd said before about Annie. How he had been causing her pain by somehow broadcasting his thoughts and memories to her.
"Wait," Annie said, realizing for the first time what was going on. "It was you." The pieces were all there. All of those desperate voices she'd heard in her head – they belonged to the souls trapped in this world. And Regina had said that Daniel knew about everything she had done. He'd been the one to send those terrible images to her in her dreams. He'd done it all, but hadn't realized he was doing it. It all made sense now.
Daniel opened his mouth but Annie shook her head. "It's okay, Daniel, you didn't know. It's not your fault. I don't really want to talk about it anyway." She smiled at him and reached for his hand. "I love you, Daniel."
"I love you to, Annie." He swung her hand a few times before laughing and letting it go. "I can't believe you're alive." He looked at her seriously. "Everything will be better now."
Annie nodded and smiled again, though not as brightly this time. Looking between the two people she loved and called family, she hoped more than anything that it was the truth.
Emma was sitting back in her chair, feet propped up, drumming her fingers on the desk as she watched Cora with suspicion. It was a slow day and she'd been doing this for the past hour. Cora had tried to provoke her into some form of conversation in the beginning, but had quickly given up. The blonde was nothing if not stubborn.
Both were grateful when they were provided the distraction of someone walking through the door. Emma quickly pulled her feet off the desk and straightened. When she stood and turned to greet the visitor, she couldn't believe her eyes. "Brian?!"
He stood, mouth hanging open for a minute before he grinned widely. "Emma Swan!"
She launched herself at him, hugging him tightly. "Oh my god! Brian, I can't believe it! Wow!" She laughed as he pulled back and took her by the shoulders.
"You haven't changed one bit, Emma."
"And you've gotten old."
He laughed. "That's what happens when you have kids."
Her eyes went wide. "You have kids?"
"Two daughters; Claire and Sophie."
"Wow," Emma said again, shaking her head. "I can't believe how long it's been."
"Yeah," he smiled. "What's been going on with you?"
"Actually, I—" she paused to glance at Cora, only just remembering the woman's presence in the room. "Let's go talk in the hall," she said, nodding her head in the direction of the doors.
He followed without argument and once they were safely outside, he picked up right where they'd left off. "So? How've you been?"
"Things have been…odd."
He laughed at her response. "Same old Emma. Always something going on."
"You have no idea," she told him. She sobered some. "What are you doing here? No one ever comes to Storybrooke." She couldn't believe she was saying the clichéd words, but they were cliché for a reason – it was the truth.
"Actually—" Brian sighed heavily, shifting his feet a bit at the unwanted reminder of why he'd come. "I'm looking for someone. My father."