Daniel sat on the bench in Regina's backyard staring at the same spot on the lawn that he has been looking at for quite some time now. Emma and Henry were trying to beat each other in some video game, and David and Henry Sr. were watching in amusement. The events of the day happened so fast, that he really didn't have time to comprehend what had happened. He excused himself to go to the bathroom, and then snuck to the backyard. Regina, Snow and Ariel were still in the kitchen working on dinner so he knew they wouldn't notice his absence. He was still trying to process all the information that he received over the day; Regina's reign as the Evil Queen, the curse, Ariel, Whale, Cora…..there were too many to count. He was still trying to figure out a way to talk to Regina about something, but couldn't decide if it was better left alone or not. He was so lost in thought, that he didn't hear the soft voice calling him from the house, nor did he hear the footsteps that followed. He jumped slightly when a hand was placed on his shoulders, and he looked up to find Ariel's soft brown eyes looking down at him.
"Are you okay?" she asks softly.
His heart flutters at the concern and love in her voice and eyes; he had already seen them directed at Regina when they talked about Cora, knowing what her mother was feeling; and he saw it directed at Henry, Snow, David and Emma; even Ruby and Granny; but he was still not used to seeing it directed at him. He knew that she already hugged him when he first saw her, but he had no idea how to deal with her from that point on. He was scared that it was a spur of the moment, heat of the emotion kind of thing; and therefore he had no idea what is acceptable on her part.
"Daddy?" Ariel calls softly, and he can't help the face-splitting grin that forms on his face at the tittle.
"Yes baby?"
"Are you okay? You kinda disappeared all of a sudden." She asks again.
"Yeah, I just needed some time to process things I guess." He answers.
"Something's been on your mind all day." She points out, and he smiles at her.
"It's that noticeable?" He chuckles.
"I kinda know how to spot the signs; what's on your mind?" she inquires.
He is silent for a moment before he sighs, "I already told your mother this, but it is still nagging me." He looks up at her and she nods her head for him to go on. He gets up from his seat and takes a few steps, "I never believed good magic existed, and everything I knew about Cora just proved me right. I mean, anything that can make you hurt your own child can't possibly be good. And if good magic existed, then someone would have stood up to her and protected Regina. And everything Snow and David told me about Regina's reign as the Evil Queen didn't help, until they told me about you. How you had more powers than Cora, Regina and The Dark One, combined, and yet you still remained good and pure. And that you were the one who stood up to her. And the more stories they told me about her, the more I realized, that what your mother used to tell me was nothing compared to what she went through; that what we all knew was just a straw, and I ….." he trails off, waving his hands around him in frustration. He was now standing with his back to the house and facing Ariel, who had her arms crossed over her chest.
"You know, when we first got back I spent a night with Ruby in the woods to make sure she doesn't turn and kill people since she was rusty and all; when I got back I said something about not talking to my parents for three weeks when I found out the truth about my birth mother, and that I was beyond angry when I found out. And even though Mom knew that I was 10 when I found out about her, and that she wasn't even the Evil Queen then, that I had no reason to be mad for being hers; she still took it to mean that I got mad for being hers. And more over, that it was understandable and predictable." Ariel recounts and Daniel could feel his anger approaching dangerously high levels. He had half a mind to ask Ariel to bring Cora back so he can kill her himself.
"It's not the physical stuff that we worry about; they're not what did the damage. You can move past a physical injury, but the emotional ones….the knowledge that your mother, the one who is supposed to protect you against all harm, is the one who is capable of bringing about the most painful harm of all; that she doesn't love you because she thinks love is weakness; that your presence in her life is nothing more than just a means to an end; that she has absolutely no problem in torturing you and manipulating you in the most cruel way, just so that she gets what she wants; and what's even worse, is that you're not even worth the love, that she is giving you what you deserve. Cora didn't just make her believe that love was weakness; she made her believe that she wasn't worth it, no matter how trivial and frivolous it is. She made her believe that she's not worth anything good, and that she can't get anything right. That she basically deserved everything Cora did to her, and that she was ungrateful for not accepting it and thanking her. That is what we worry about; because that is what is still hurting her till now. You saw the look on her face when I mentioned the talk I had with Granny, even though I told her over and over again that I never got mad for being hers, even when she became the Evil Queen. And I told her time and time again that when I got mad at my birth mother was when I thought I was sold, and I explained it all. Hell, she even looked into the mirror and saw how I reacted to finding out I was hers. But she still expects us all to disappear any minute, and she still thinks that she doesn't deserve our love. She thinks I would have been better off if I never knew the truth about her, and the latest stunt with Cora didn't exactly help." She explains.
"But she has all the guarantees that we love her, that we're not going anywhere, that Cora's words were nothing but lies, that Cora herself is gone and for good this time." he retorts.
"Yes, but you can't take away years of words and events that corroborate said words with a few months of blissful happiness. Rumplestiltskin orchestrated everything so that Cora's words are proven to be correct time and time again; whenever something went right for her, it never lasted long. She had you for years and me for months, and then we were both gone, also to never return. She had Henry for 10 years, and then she lost him too. Cora always took away what was good in her life, and she lost Henry and Grandpa when she followed in her footsteps. You can't take away years with just a couple of months; especially after what happened last time. David told me that you guys saw my reaction to what Cora was doing, and that he told you the injuries that Mom and Dad had to heal; and I am very grateful that you guys did NOT see what Cora actually did! And she's been doing this her whole life; granted that this time was actually the worst, but that only means that the fears are rational and have grounds." Ariel states.
"Nothing compares to the loss of a child, and I'm sure all the physical injuries paled in comparison when she thought you died in her arms." He says softly.
"Yes, that's my point. The physical pain and injuries can be dealt with; they fade away with time and leave no trace. Dad healed her, so she didn't even have to wait to heal on her own. But the emotional one will take some time to shake, especially that since I'm alive, other feelings are starting to show their heads, and she's finally dealing with emotions that have been building up for decades."
"I just feel so helpless!" He exclaims.
Ariel chuckles, "You're kidding right?!"
"No, I'm quite serious!" he answers.
"Dad, you are anything but! She's been dreaming of getting you back for decades and she finally has her wish; you kept her sane and pure before in the face of what Cora did, and that's all she needs right now. To know that we will all be here no matter what, that we won't disappear on her again. She never had so many people around her like this before, and it will take her sometime to get used to the feeling and stop expecting the worse to happen. All we can do is be there for here, let her know that she doesn't have to fight her battles on her own anymore. She only surrendered to the darkness when she knew she was safe with David and Ruby, and that they will take her back here where she's safe; when she knew that Ruby was going to tear Cora to shreds. She stopped fighting, only when she knew she was safe. So we just need to let her know that she is safe, and that we all are." She presses.
"And there's no way Cora can come back like we did?" He asks.
"No, first of all, she is the last the last person I would want to bring back to life. Second of all, and most importantly, I burned the body, which means there's no coming back." She answers.
Daniel opens his mouth to say something, when Ariel's head snaps to the sky. He follows her line of sight and sees a shooting star. He looks back at Ariel to finish his sentence, when he notices the slight terror on her face and her clenched fists.
"Ariel?" he calls softly, and his heart sinks when her head whips back to him and he sees the fear and tears in them.
"Uh, right! Back to what we were saying…" she clears her throat and shakes her head.
"Oh no, what's wrong?" he asks worriedly.
"Nothing, I just hate shooting stars." She says nonchalantly, but he can tell that there's more to the story than that.
"You were gonna say something." she tries to change the subject.
"Oh no you don't young lady, what is it?" he presses.
"Like I said, I hate shooting stars. Ever since I was a baby, they scared me." She answers.
Daniel quirks an eyebrow at her, and scowls at her slightly so she would keep going.
"Dad, it's nothing, trust me, just forget it." She assures him.
"No I won't, you know why they scare you, I can see it in your eyes and I'm your father so I can't just forget it." Even Daniel was surprised at the remark but he didn't take it back; he was her father, and even though he was surprised at how easily and naturally the fatherly instincts kicked in, he wasn't going to dwell on the subject and was going to use them.
Ariel sighs, and he can tell that she is fighting the lump in her throat and the tears, "Mom said that you know that I've been dreaming about the night Cora….um.." she trails off.
"Killed me! And yes I know." Daniel finishes for her.
"Well, the only explanation to how I actually managed to dream about it before I knew, was that since Mom was pregnant at the time, I somehow saw it through her. And since I had the dreams when I was six, I always saw it from a different angle than Mom's. And at the moment Cora puts her hand into your chest, there was a shooting..."She is interrupted by her father arm snacking around her body and pulling her against his. She wrapped her arms around him, as she buried her face in his chest. He brought one hand to stroke her hair soothingly –he remembered that it calmed Regina down so he figured he'd give it a try with her- and pressed his mouth to her hair, where he murmured kisses and assuring words, as he rocked them both gently.
"I'm alive now sweetheart, and thanks to you no less!" he assures, and she lets out a tearful laugh.
"I know, but that was actually the point I was trying to make. Even though you are back, those images were reality for so long for both me and Mom; and with her it wasn't just them. So even though they are refuted now and are no longer a reality, it will take some time to shake off." She states, without breaking out of his hold.
"Take all the time you need baby! And look at it this way; there was a shooting star on the night I came back to life!" he speaks softly into her hair, and she tightens her arms around him.
Regina had chosen the moment when Ariel was telling Daniel about the dream to come out of the house to call for them, she stopped when she saw them talking and smiled softly at the scene she dreamed of many times. Her smile faded and her face contorted in concern when she saw the tears glistening in Ariel's eyes and was about to move closer and say something, when Daniel pulled her into his arms, and Regina was once again glued to the spot, watching the scene in silence.
Daniel was rocking them both from side to side, when Ariel opened her eyes and spotted her mother. She lifted her head from her father's chest, and smiled warmly at her mother. Daniel lifted his head when he felt her move, and followed her line of sight, beaming when he saw Regina walking towards them. He unwrapped one arm from around Ariel, and put it around Regina's shoulders.
"How long have you been standing there?" Ariel asks softly.
"A couple of minutes, but I didn't want to interrupt." She replies, "Are you okay, baby?" she asks softly, caressing her cheek with her thumb.
"Yeah, I'm fine, we were refuting a few childhood phobias." Ariel answers softly.
Regina looks skeptically at her daughter, and opens her mouth to press the issue further, when Henry's voice interrupts her.
"MOM! The other Mom is about to eat all the food, we need help in here" he yells, as he runs to the small group, causing Ariel to burst out laughing, as they all moved towards the house.
Okay I know that you all hate me for the long wait, and a few of you are planning my murder. I am very very sorry for the long wait, but having two jobs, a life and a bunch of paperwork is no fun and barely left me time to breathe.
Let me know what you all think of the chapter, I had a few requests for a father/daughter moment so here is it.
To Metope, thank you hun, hope you enjoy this :)
To XSerendipity92X, Me too :)
To Kcrane; I am not sure yet :) and good to hear from you again :)
To The Rising Phoenix, she cant do that since not all of those people made it to Storybrooke and not all of them remained alive.
To Debbie93, so sorry for the long wait hun, hope you like this.
To Jason, yes it is quite entertaining and I love their moments too :)
To sweetanglemist, glad you enjoyed it hun and yes I meant the Ursula review. Glad she's not pretending to be me, but I don't appreciate that she's pretending to be Ariel, although I'm flattered :D And Happy Valentine's to you too and yes I had a special someone making me feel better on V-Day.
To secretballetdancer, welcome back hun and good luck with college.
To evilregal007; yes she is and I am glad to hear that :)
To Gizela; do YOU have some sort of a death wish! You stay away from him missy :P
Apparently! ;) paging Archie ;)
"not from where I'm standing :P
Umm polygamy and all? ;) and you still haven't read 50 shades of Grey :P
"Trust ME I do :P"
Umm let me quote SOMEONE.. 'dream on' XD I wonder who that someone is :P
It isn't healthy:P At all:P Nights are reserved for mummy and he can make up for said lost time during the daytime:P she's a daddy's girl, live with it :P
The revenge's getting crap:( oh no! why is that? :/
Maybe I wanna meet up.. elsewhere? ;) somewhere over the rainbow maybe? ;)
Looks like I need to stay away from everyone *sulks* Am I even allowed to read the fic anymore? ;)stop asking to hit her and I will let you near her, and of course hun, i cant live without you or your review ;)
"he was hoping to catch her by surprise ;)"
He should have come earlier ;) maybe next time ;)
"you and your chart fascination :P"
It was proven that images are easier remembered by brain than the words:P oh I'm sure he's interested in other kinds of images ;P
Hmm let me think about it.. ;) Does it also involve staying away from your fic as well by any chance? *smiles angelically* ;) quoting someone as she quotes someone, DREAM ON ;P
Only one? LOL! And which one do you mean? Snow, by any chance? ;) right I forgot! we have three idiots :D
"she's her big sister ;P"
*rolls eyes* ;) scowlding :P
"there's the technical talk again : :P"
What else did you expect? ;P silent enjoyment :P
"that's what sleeping in the same bed is for :P"
Don't get me started, seriously! ;P couldn't resist :P
Umm but when Regina went to Wonderland with Jefferson to get her father back, she knew very well who Queen of Hearts was ;P didnt i already say that Regina didnt know :P
Brava! You're so clever, I'd never guess! ;P you really love her dont you :P
"but because he knew that what he was hearing was just the tip of the iceberg!"
You have no idea! he's starting to get one!
""She and I had a confrontation in Wonderland.""
Don't tell me you're Alice as well, huh? O.O no don't worry she's not! I am not a big fan of Alice in Wonderland to begin with so no worries dear :)
""She had no idea who I was; I had light brown hair and big blue eyes!""
O.O she looked like Daddy ;)
"So what else is new?! She's been trying to do that ever since you got pregnant; I kinda got used to it."
Hahahha sweet:P there really is no beating around the bush with her ;)
Is there anything you CAN'T do? ;P not really :P to quote someone, powerfully talented ;)
WOAH, be careful mister, I'm ALMOST starting to like you:P ...Wait, wrong show/fic:P ROFL
""What the hell were you doing in Wonderland anyways? Why weren't you in Atlantica?!" Regina grumbles and Ariel giggles.
"Surprisingly enough; Cora was the lesser threat!" "
EEEEKKKK? O.O I love it when you squeak :P
""Unfortunately no, she got her hands on some squid ink.""
Ekk you mean THE squid ink? the one and only :D
"he placed a potion on the ink using my blood to make sure that it can't be used on me, should anybody else get the idea; effectively rendering it harmless to Mom." Ariel explains."
Ok. I sense technical talk coming up :P
"The last thing we needed was the two of them forming an alliance. I can handle one of them at a time, not both!" Ariel replies."
Even one of them is too much! XD TRUE! i prefer none of them! :D
""Little Red Riding Hood?!" Daniel wonders.
"Long story."
We have time ;) HAHAHAHA! I might write a fic about Daniel watching the Disney movies of their lives :P
"Snow retaliated by teasing David about how he was growling at Jefferson-when he accused them of tricking him-with Ariel on his shoulders."
Huh? :P you'll know when you go back to review the previous chapters :P
"Even though Daniel was having the time of his life, "
Not sure if it applies to this case! XD time of his second life xD
Poor you, looks like you're gonna be extremely busy for the rest of your life.. second life I mean ;P EXACTLY :P
More like your alter-ego than you yourself.. true!
Haha like owner, like horse? ;) hey, horse gotta learn from someone ;)
Can't wait to see more of that room on the show XD me too xD
To impureEvil, happy birthday hun and I'm glad I could help even with a simple gift. Hope you had a blast at your birthday.
To lestralogranger, don't like Harry Potter and still have no idea who she is :D I'll see what I can do about Regina's birthday :)
To sweetangelmist; sorry for the long wait hun but like i said work and life got in the way. And since this story has about 4 more chapters at the most, there will be no more crazy Rumple moments I'm afraid.
To Guest; oh no, I hope your mother is okay now and I hope this will help cheer you up a bit.
To carriemarrie78, sweetie did you disappear off the face of the earth?!
