Hey guys! I know, long time no read. The semester is over sooo I actually have time to myself! (whaa? Sleep?!) anywho... omg the winter finale tonight... I can't wait to write it! (no spoilers). Enjoy this chapter for now!
When they arrived at Granny's, Avery immediately knew they had walked into a bad scene. Regina was standing out on the patio with Emma behind her.
"Regina?" Avery said, passing Archie the baby. "Hey…. What's going on?" she touched the woman's shoulder.
"Regina… I'm sorry. Avery, tell her I'm sorry." Emma said.
"Not now Swan." Regina's walls were up. Avery stepped closer.
"'Gin." She whispered.
"That woman… she's Robin's wife." Regina informed her softly. Before Avery could say anything, Robin came out with the woman.
"Marian... if you just talk to her."
"She tried to kill me! No I am not going to talk to her!" Mariam yelled while staring at her husband, stunned. Snow and Charming came outside when they heard the yelling,
"Regina? Is everything alright?" Snow asked hesitantly.
"What?" Marian started again, "Why is everyone acting this way? She is the EVIL QUEEN! She is dangerous… what is wrong with all of you?"
"Regina is a different person than you know. That is something you have to accept." Archie stepped up and placed a hand on Regina's shoulder. Marian put an arm around her son and walked off, Robin looked from Regina and followed his wife.
"Regina…" Emma said.
"Walk away, Swan." Regina said dangerously. Avery nodded for Emma to go back inside.
"Regina…" Archie started.
"If you say I can come and talk to you anytime I will smack you in the face." Regina growled, but Archie neither flinched nor moved his hand. Regina sighed. "Maybe in a day or so."
"Whenever you're ready." Archie nodded and Regina magicked away. "That isn't good."
"No… it's not." They walked inside.
"Avery.. where is Regina?" Snow asked.
"I'm assuming she went home."
"Without saying goodbye?" Henry asked sadly.
"Oh… honey, I am sure she didn't mean to hurt you. She is just going through something hard at the moment." Avery said.
"Don't worry, Henry. I won't let her go at this alone." Archie assured the boy. Avery sat, gently rocking Keegan. She was humming and staring at the sleeping face of her new born. She smiled when he wrinkled his nose in his sleep. She was just so happy to hold her baby close to her, he was such a warm little body. She looked up to see everyone staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing." Charming spoke for everyone. "So, Emma tells us you have lots of fun in the past."
"Yeah, when Dad comes back from his honeymoon we are going to do a sweep to make sure nothing else in the timeline got messed up." Avery sighed.
"Honeymoon?" Snow asked.
"Yes, her father and Belle had their wedding tonight." Archie smiled.
"Well now you and Avery need to get married, too many Golds in this town." Ruby joked.
"And with that, I'm going to put Keegan to bed." Avery stood up and walked out the door with her child.
"Hey." Archie jogged after her, "What was that?"
"Keegan needs to get to bed." Avery said, grabbing his hand and magicked to their home.
"Really? Because it sounded a lot like you not wanting to talk about marriage." Archie lifted and eye brow, as Avery walked to Keegan's crib and placed him in it.
"That's ridiculous. I wouldn't have said yes when you proposed." Avery puffed hair from her eyes.
"You are not a jumpy person… and you sure as hell jumped back there." He said.
"I just…"
"Yes?"
"It feels so wrong how totally normal everyone was acting… Regina's life was just torn up and they don't even care… how can they not care?" Avery looked at her fiancée.
"I don't think it was from a lack of caring…"
"They think she deserved this?" Avery asked. "Then what do I deserve?"
"Sweetheart… relax. I know you're feeling guilty. Maybe… maybe this can still be made right."
"How?" Avery asked.
"We'll figure it out love." He kissed her head. They both kissed Keegan and walked to the living room. Archie poured her a glass of wine and she had barely brought it to her lips when her pbone rang.
"Seriously?" she huffed and answered, "Hello?"
"Hey, it's Em. Do we know anyone who shoots ice?"
"Ice? Like… only ice."
"I'm assuming only ice. There is only ice here." Emma said.
"Where?"
"Sleepy was driving Leroy home and Leroy said Sleepy fell asleep and there was a woman in the road and Leroy said she shot ice at them and not Leroy's truck's front end is encased in ice." Emma explained.
"No… like I can make ice, but it sounds like whoever they almost hit was scared so whoever is only ice. That's rare… very rare… as in back home, no one within the Enchanted Forest, from what I know, has it."
"Well… someone does." Emma said, more to herself.
"From the sound of it, whoever it is, is no threat. Unless someone else tries to hit this person with a car. Are the boys okay?"
"Yeah." Emma said.
"Good. And they both learned a lesson, not to let a man named Sleepy drive a battering ram on wheels. Everything else can wait until morning. Go get some sleep."
"You aren't worried about this… at all?"
"What can this person do? Really?" Avery chuckled. "Oh no! Ice in Maine!"
"Fair enough." Emma laughed too.
"I'll meet you at the station on the morning." Avery said.
"Night Avery."
"Ice?" Archie asked.
"Nothing that can't wait until the morning… I love you." Avery smiled. The couple went to bed. The next morning, after two late night feedings and hours of having a strangely fussy baby, the couple bundled up a still fussy Keegan and began walking to the police station, hoping being in his buggy would put the baby to sleep. As they walked to the station, she saw Hook and Emma following a blue trail.
"Is that the ice?" Archie asked.
"Yes. Whoever made it obviously is so scared, they can't control it."
"We should probably go tell Emma that, before someone accidentally gets hurt." Archie said. But before they could make it across, Emma and Hook were backing up and a large creature made of snow came out from the alley.
"Av… is that… a snow monster?" Archie stared at her.
"Well… that's a new one." Avery stared shocked.
I promise I will try to update more often! I promise guys!