Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me. It's been a damn long time, but with quarantine apparently comes inspiration. I know I've made people wait a hell of a long time and I've just seen all of your amazing reviews if anyone out there is still reading I just want to say a huge thank you for that, it really made my day. I hope you like this next instalment, and hopefully, I'll actually get to finish the story - powerfulhallucinations
"You have got to be shitting me."
Regina's outburst managed to perfectly sum up the startled looks on the other's faces; David and Mary-Margaret too polite to say such a thing, though their eyes screamed that they shared the sentiment.
"Fairy Tales?" Regina continued, "Friggin' fairytales?"
"I know it's a lot to take in," said Emma, her eyes pleading for understanding, "but I promise you it's true. How else can you explain what you just saw?"
"Maybe you drugged us, shared hallucinations, alien abduction," the Queen hollered, "anything makes more sense then what you just told me."
Emma cast a look over to Killian, who was leaning (a bit too heavily for her liking) against her desk, hand rubbing faintly at the back of his head where Walsh had knocked him down. He stared back, giving her a small shrug, amusement somewhat evident at the ridiculous ideas Regina was throwing out; his own reaction to the truth now appeared quite understated. Still, Emma's eyes were screaming for help, so he sobered up quickly, coming to her aid.
"Regina, I promise you haven't been drugged. That was the second time one of those simian bastards attacked me, it was the same monster that took Swan a few days back, and probably the cause of all our disappearances."
Mary-Margaret and David looked contemplative for a moment, desperate to believe that Killian hadn't been sucked into this cult of weirdness, and was, in fact, telling them the truth.
"I guess…" David began with uncertainty, "there are a few holes in our lives that are kind of hard to explain. Like, I don't ever remember moving here or into our apartment, just that I've been there for what feels like forever. It's like there's some kind of haze in my memory, blurring things together, stopping me from thinking too deeply about it."
"That's the curse," Emma said, rounding on her father with so much hope seeming to pour out of her very being, "you said that that's how it was the first time, enough memory to suffice, but the second you start poking at it, things start to unravel."
She gazed at her parents, willing them to believe her, willing them to suddenly snap out of it and remember everything, to wrap her up and say that everything was going to be okay.
This curse had not treated her kindly. Emma hadn't realised how quickly she had come to depend upon the support of her family; through everything that they had been through together, the Charmings had become a team, an unstoppable force of good and heroism. All the knock-downs, all the setbacks, every scratch, tear, cut and ache that had been inflicted upon her since Peter Pan tried to doom them all, they were too much for her to take alone. Henry, her son, her guiding light, having him beside her had eased some of the burdens, but he couldn't fight, couldn't watch her back when the flying monkeys attacked, for her own sanity she needed him as far away from all that as possible. Then there was Killian, he had been there, but he hadn't. The man in front of her, the deputy of the law, had so many qualities of her pirate and he had done everything in his power to help her through this horrific time, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't as easy as the sparring they had done on the Jolly Roger in preparation to face the Lost Ones, wasn't as easy for her to turn away in battle knowing absolutely that he had her covered, wasn't as easy to face a monster, not knowing if his same instinct to protect her at every cost was still in place.
Emma could feel her body starting to tremble, the strain of facing down what seemed like impending doom all by herself, finally beginning to settle in. She could see in the eyes of her parents and Regina that they didn't believe her, that nothing she, Killian, or Henry could say would make them see the truth that was right in front of them. Rumplestiltskin had warned her of this, that by failing to make a believer out of one person and breaking the curse, she would have to watch her family die at the hands of the Wicked Witch. It was over, she'd lost.
Her body finally gave out, collapsing back onto the small sofa, hands pressed against her eyes, Emma willed the floodgates to remain closed; she couldn't cry, not in front of these virtual strangers, not anymore.
She felt Henry come to sit beside her, reaching out to clasp her hand, squeezing with all the might he had, trying to use all his ten years of optimism to encourage her. She could also feel Killian's eyes, a hot-sparking in her skin seeming to alert her to his attention, yet she didn't have it in her to face him, to look into his face one more time and see the lack of recognition, a man whose affection for her has only recently begun, opposed to the man who already loved her with everything she was.
"We're so sorry Emma," Mary-Margaret whispered, shuffling closer, her hand twitching to offer some manner of comfort to the distressed blonde, "It's just so much to believe, to try and comprehend living this whole other life as a character from a book. We might not understand, but we can still try to help."
Her mother, the eternal optimist and philanthropist. Emma knew she should have been prepared for this, rather than the far from reach dream of them just immediately accepting her story; her family may not believe her, but they would still try and do something because that's who they were.
She heaved a huge sigh, raising her head from her hands to face the room, trying to ignore the concerned and pitying gazes that seemed to come from every side.
"You don't have to believe me," she sighed, "But either way, you have to know what you saw on the rooftop and understand that this isn't going to be like any problem you've ever faced. If you want to keep this town and it's residents safe, if you want to survive these coming days, then you're going to have to listen to me and try to do as I say."
"You are demanding rather a lot from us Miss Swan," Regina said, having been silent and listening after her initial outburst, "Especially considering the ludicrousy of what you're asking us to do. How can we possibly trust you?"
Her arched eyebrows were challenging, eyes cold and fierce, like it or not, Regina always had a touch of the Evil Queen about her. Still, Emma had faced far worst, so she stood resolutely toe to toe with the other woman, looking her dead in the eye and said:
"Because I'm the only hope you've got."
The Mayor stared her down for a long hard minute, sizing up the blonde in front of her and the steely wall of determination she was exuding. She glanced quickly at her town deputy, who was gazing at Emma Swan with such intensity, hanging on her every word and believing them with sincerity. Catching Jones' eye, he gave her one firm nod, and so it was agreed.
"Where do we start Miss Swan?"
Emma sucked in a small breath of surprise, the tension in her shoulders easing ever so slightly, before returning in full force, but this time set for battle.
"First," she said, "We talk to Rumplestiltskin."
~E&K~
The bell to Gold's shop tinkled, as falsely comforting as ever. Neal looked up at the sudden crowd of people who were making their way inside, the new deputy leading their way, glaring at him ever so slightly to warn against any attempts at his previous behaviour.
"Well this is surprising," he said, "The Mayor, the Sheriff's department, and a school teacher walk into a shop; sounds like the beginning of a bad joke."
"We're here to see your father," Emma stated cooly, not wanting to mess around any further, "and before you start-" she carried on, causing Neal's already open mouth to snap shut, "-believe me when I say, he's going to want to talk to me."
Without further ado, she strode past the counter and her gaping ex-boyfriend, shoving the curtain aside to reveal Gold, already sitting up expectantly in his cot.
"Well, well Dearies, I was wondering how long it would take for you to come back, and with such an impressive entourage, I feel so flattered."
"Cut it out Gold," Emma hissed, "You know I have questions, so give me the answers I want and we can all get on our way and stop this Wicked Bitch before anyone else gets hurt."
Unconsciously, her eyes had moved towards Killian, who was standing directly to her right, the cuts and bruises from his last couple of counters still horrifyingly prominent. Rumplestiltskin followed her line of sight, a small malicious gleam entering his gaze as he looked over the various injuries of his nemesis.
"My, my, you have been busy. I'd have thought you'd be more careful with the things you care for Miss Swan."
Killian, who had been following the exchange carefully, chanced a glance at Emma, her jaw and fists clenching at the taunt, her body moving ever so slightly in front of his. He'd never liked Gold before, or his son for that matter and he disliked them both even more now, for the way they seemed intent on riling Swan. It felt wrong for her to be trying to shield him, even if it did spark some small manner of pleasure within him, but he knew to move was pointless, so he settled on glaring down at the little imp of a man in front of them.
"I said cut the crap Gold," Emma continued, not allowing herself to be further shaken, "Tell me more about Zelena and how to defeat her, unless you enjoy the life of a cripple without any real power."
Her words had had their intended effect, the mocking smile being replaced with something far more sinister, the Dark One limited, but not fully gone.
"As I told you once already, Zelena was the first child of dear, old Cora, before she packed her off to Oz without a second glance. You see what Cora desired most in the world was power, and the child of a gardener wasn't going to cut it, her claim to the throne needed to be from the birth of a queen."
With this, he fixed his gaze heavily on Regina, who was listening intently and doing her best to hide her apparent discomfort at the mention of her mother, whether she believed the story or not.
"The abandoned child was raised in Oz by a peasant couple, but the father wanted nothing to do with the girl as the signs of her magic grew stronger. He cast her out, never to return….blah, blah, blah, the story goes on, her magic turns sour and the girl turns green, but that's where it gets interesting. Tell me, Miss Swan, you must have heard the saying 'green with envy?'" Emma nodded, waiting for the Dark One to continue.
"Therein lies the driving force behind the Wicked Witch of the West. I sought the girl out, knowing her to be Cora's daughter and believing that she might be the one to cast my curse, but she continued to fail under my tutelage, being overrun by her jealousy for the little sister who knew nothing about her, but had everything that she wanted."
Zelena's determination to have a confrontation with Regina was becoming all the more obvious.
"So she's jealous," Emma said, "She hates Regina for living the life that she thinks was meant to be hers, presumably for you abandoning her as well, and now we all have to suffer over this stupid spat - god, I hate our family tree sometimes!"
"Zelena is more unhinged than you can ever imagine Miss Swan, she has been planning this vengeance for years, nothing is going to stop her. You alone won't stand a chance, and with this band of clearly memoryless idiots backing you up, you're done for I'm afraid."
As much as she hated to admit it, Gold had a point. If Zelena was as deranged as he said, there was no way she could bring these people into the fight, they would get torn apart and she'd never be able to forgive herself. But, if she went it alone, the Witch and her minions would surely overpower her, she'd been bested too many times already, what was there to stop it from happening again. Not even Gold could help her, his magic too weak to be of any use. She had no idea how long she had until Zelena launched her next attack, but surely not enough time to come up with a plan that might actually succeed. Despite the confidence she'd had when she had strode into the shop, Emma could feel her hope starting to wane again; this was a fight she couldn't win.
"What if we learn?"
The moment he spoke up, Emma's head snapped to attention, staring at Killian who was, in turn, staring at Gold.
"Excuse me?" The old man said, clearly not happy about the pirate addressing him so coarsely.
"What if we learn," Killian repeated, turning his attention to Emma. "I know none of us fully remember, but the flashes I've had, the dreams where we-" he quickly cut himself off at the sudden looks of interest he was getting, "What I'm saying is that the man you know, Captain Hook, he's obviously still there just buried in my subconscious. Perhaps if you teach us what it is we're meant to know, some of that subconscious might take over."
"Like muscle memory," Henry piped up, the excitement of Killian's words seeming infectious.
"Exactly," her pirate said, smiling at the boy, "Just like muscle memory."
He was daring her to deny him, his gaze screaming out the challenge, one she was almost willing to take on if not for…
"Killian, I don't know how long we have, but it's definitely not enough time to teach you how to handle a sword, besides," she said, moving ever so slightly closer so that they were almost chest to chest, "you're already injured and I can't- I...I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you, to any of you," she continued, tearing her eyes away from him to look at her parents and Regina.
"I don't think we can win this fight with you not remembering, and you don't even believe that this kind of fight is even coming. How am I...I mean I can't...Killian, it's-"
She could feel herself starting to panic, the inevitability of fate seeming to close in around her, the walls of the shop shrinking oppressively making it hard to breathe if it weren't for his hand suddenly cupping her cheek.
"I believe you, Emma."
Those four words, just those four words, they were enough to break her and save her all at once. Of course, he'd told her already, she knew he believed, knew that he hadn't turned back from any of the fights; but the fact that he wasn't giving up on this fight, it was almost too much.
"Even if it's just you and me out there," he said, thumb stroking a soothing like along her jaw, "I will stand by your side until the bitter end."
There was a brief silence, green and blue boring into each other, allowing the words to settle, the truth of what he had said to be fully comprehended: he wasn't going to leave her alone.
"It won't just be the two of you."
Robin strode to the front of the group, "that Witch has hurt my family too, and I'm not going to let her get away with it. You have my bow," he said, with a small sincere bow to Emma.
"And my axe," Henry chimed in, followed by an instant shout of 'NO!' by all the surrounding adults, effectively putting an end to his hopeful attempt at a Lord of the Rings moment.
"I'm coming too," piped up Mary-Margaret to the apparent astonishment of her husband, "I don't quite know what it is that I'm going to face, but I refuse to let you fight whatever this battle is on my behalf while I cower on the sidelines like some kind of damsel in distress."
Her mother was standing somehow straighter, far more like the woman Emma knew, her resolve apparent with every word.
"If my wife's going, then I guess I am too," David added, his hand coming to rest on Killian's shoulder, "I'm with you mate."
The prince and the pirate clapped each other on the back, before turning hopeful eyes towards Regina.
"For god's sake. Fine! Let's go hunt my sister I guess."
It felt like people should be cheering, it would be that point in the movie where people would cheer, instead all they got was Gold's slow, sarcastic clapping.
"How wonderful," he sneered, "just like old times. I suppose you'll be wanting all your weapons back. Neal!" he suddenly shouted, "Bring the large black trunk back here."
The group waited as Neal slowly hauled himself into the room, puffing and wheezing, dragging the large trunk behind him, before letting it drop the floor with a heavy metallic thud.
Emma popped open the clasps, glaring silently at Gold for once again stealing their stuff, before lifting the lid. Inside was her father's longsword, Mary-Margaret's bow, Killian's pirate sword, even her little cutlass. She quickly passed them all out to their owners, who took hold of them quite gingerly, examining every angle of the deadly weapons with apparent interest.
She was about to stand, planning on grabbing an extra sword for Regina on their way out, when she noticed a small compartment, almost hidden on the bottom of the box. Popping it open, she let out a soft gasp, reaching down to carefully pick up the item within.
Closing the lid, she stood up slowly, her fingers tracing the curve of the hook before turning around to come face to face with Killian. He looked from her to the hook and back again before decisively taking it from her hand. She watched as he detached the prosthetic he'd been wearing and then resolutely clicked the hook into place, testing the new weight and turning it around a few times.
She watched as something seemed to settle behind his eyes, as if something small had just clicked into place, before the devilish smirk she was oh so familiar with began to take over his face.
Emma looked at her pirate, eyebrow raised in challenge.
Strapping his sword to his waist, he swaggered forward, leading with his hips, and used his hook to tilt her chin up ever so slightly so that their lips were almost brushing.
"Whadda you say Swan; let's go witch-hunting."
She licked her lips once, revelling in how it made him swallow heavily, his Adam's apple working double-time and then, throwing a sarcastic salute at Gold, led the band of heroes back out into the street, grinning as she heard Neal yell:
"What the hell was that?"
