TemperanceTales: I do not own Once Upon a Time in anyway shape or form and I give full credit to the creators. I don't own any fairytales not done in the show either and give credit to respectful owners.
Chapter Fifteen: Stranger.
Autumn walked down the side walk, nervous. She was dressed in her uniform, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The sweater was nice and soft; as newer sweaters usually were. Her skirt went to her knees and her stockings were thick and black. She wore lace up brown leather boots that stopped just below her knees. Her bag was on her back as she walked down the side walk. As she walked she noticed someone pulling to the side of the road on his motor bike.
Autumn slowed to see that someone getting off his bike in front of the home. Pulling off his helmet, he glanced around. Gasping, Autumn's jaw dropped as she got a better look at his face. The blue eyes, dark wavy hair, the stubble that he always refused to shave. August, it was August. She watched as he got off his bike and began tending to it. Taking a few steps back, Autumn found the world spinning beneath her feet.
Her heart was in her throat. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was parted. The man didn't turn back around as he attended to his bike. What was he doing here? I mean she knew what he was doing here, but why had he suddenly appeared now? Notice the rigidness in his leg, she realized why. Autumn's eyes went glassy, but she didn't look tearful. Instead, the look was one of determination and anger.
She had pleaded for years while she was in the foster system that she had an Uncle by the name of August W. Booth. He had been gone, no one could find him. He had been unreachable and unfindable which made her believe he had been in the burning house. Clear that was not the case, for he was alive and well in front of her. Tears prickled her eyes as she watched him. He was here and it was a problem. Autumn was so lost in a trance that she didn't notice that he had stopped what he was doing and was looking at her with surprise eyes.
"Hey," August said, "Hey you!"
What was she going to say? Running would only fuel the curiosity and confusion on his face. Gathering up her courage, she held a calm face and walked over to him.
"What?" Autumn asked, staring at him square in the face. August stood up, rubbing his hands with his rag absentmindedly.
"I was wondering if you knew a good place to eat around here," August asked, clearly.
"Granny's diner is a good place," Autumn said, "Excuse me, I have to go to school."
Autumn walked past him as he watched her with a nostalgic expression. He then allowed a more serious one on his face and said, "Hey, kid. I didn't catch your name."
Autumn looked back and said, "That's because I didn't give it. But it's Autumn Doe if you must know. And I know why you're here."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Autumn said, "And if you have any intention of getting Emma to believe, you better hurry yourself up."
She left him on that statement, unsure of why she had even said it. Maybe because he didn't seem to recognize her at all? She would have thought he would have had more of a reaction to seeing her. But then again, it had been years since… Autumn swallowed, a lump growing in her throat. She didn't know what hurt her more; the remembrance of things past or that August didn't seem to recognize her. Her shoulders slumped at this thought. Tears managed to escape her eyes even though she didn't want them to. She wiped her eyes as she heard, "Hey Autumn!"
"Hey, Ruby," Autumn said, forcing her voice to sound strong. Ruby caught up with her as Autumn's somewhat friendly mask overtook her face. Ruby then shoved her hands into her jacket saying, "So today's your first day of school. How are you feeling about it?"
"Alright," Autumn said, shuffling her feet, "It's just weird."
"I know," Ruby said understandingly, "But it is for the best. I'm surprised Kathryn isn't with you."
"She offered, but she had a meeting this morning and I told her that she could walk me home later," Autumn said, shifting her bag. Ruby smiled and held out a bag saying, "Here, Granny made your favorite things for lunch. She would have come walked too, but she's managing the diner."
"It's okay," Autumn said, taking the bag, "Tell her I said thanks."
Ruby smiled and said, "Your boots are awesome kiddo. You look like you're about to go riding."
Autumn grinned and said, "I like them too. So, do you have to work today?"
"Yeah, just not till lunch," Ruby said, letting out a sigh, "You're lucky that you're still a kid."
"I guess," Autumn said as they approached the school. Ruby then reached out pushing her hair back. Smiling, Ruby said, "Alright you, off to school. I don't want to be the reason you're late."
Autumn then hurried off toward Paige, saying a hasty goodbye. Paige spotted her and ran over to her friend. Pouncing on her, Paige hugged her saying, "Finally! I thought you were never going to get here."
"Sorry, Ruby and I were talking," Autumn said, hugging her friend back briefly. Autumn felt Paige release her and step back. Autumn's arms fell to her sides as Paige asked, "How are you?"
"I'm fine Paige," Autumn said gently. Paige gave her a look and Autumn said, "I promise, I'm doing better. Otherwise Dr. Whale wouldn't have let me come."
Paige still looked weary but then said, "Well once the bell rings, we'll be able to head in. You can sit next to me, there is an empty seat."
Autumn nodded and kicked her foot back and forth gently. Paige's face didn't change as she said, "So… is Kathryn nice?"
"Kathryn's nice, David's nice too," Autumn said, "We had Chinese food last week, I guess it's like tradition for them. It tasted good, except for the fish it was kind of chewy."
Paige hesitated before asking, "Have either one of them hurt you?"
"What?" Autumn said baffled, "No! No, Paige, they're not like that. It's not like that, they're not like them."
"Okay, okay," Paige said hastily, her voice gradually getting shaky, "I just wanted to make sure everything is okay. I mean… I just don't want you to get hurt again. Promise me, if someone ever hits you again that you'll tell me."
"I promise," Autumn said, surprised to see her friend so upset. It shouldn't surprise her really, but it did. Hugging her friend briefly, Autumn said, "I'm sorry."
Paige laughed weakly and said wiping her tears, "Don't be, idiot, it's not your fault."
Autumn smiled pathetically as the bell rang. Paige took Autumn's hand and said, "Come on. I'll show you where everything is today."
S.C.
"Hey Kathryn."
"Sheriff Swan!" Kathryn said looking up with a smile. Kathryn was sitting down at her office desk as Emma came in. Smiling, Emma asked, "I just figured I would stop by and ask how things are going with Autumn."
"Things are going alright," Kathryn said, closing her file, "It's just… a rather big change in pace."
"Yeah, kids can do that to you," Emma said, sitting down across from Kathryn. Kathryn folded her arms gingerly on the desk, watching Emma gently. Emma then asked, "How is she?"
"So far she seems to be adjusting," Kathryn said with a bit of a sigh, "But… I noticed something that's bothering me and I'm not quite sure what to do about it."
"What is it?" Emma asked, concerned. Kathryn sat back in her chair and said, "Autumn's personality is a little bit… apathetic. I don't know her well enough to know if that's normal though."
"It's not," Emma said biting her lip, "She can be a little quiet at times, but apathy was never something she displayed."
Kathryn looked disheartened at that but Emma then said comfortingly, "Hey, just remember. She's been through a lot with the foster system; it's a little expected her to be a little closed off. I know it's hard, but you're doing a great job. I mean, you've managed to get her into school, given her a place of her own. Maybe now it's just the next step of getting her to just start talking."
Kathryn smiled and Emma smiled back. She then stood up saying, "Well I should be getting back to my rounds. I just wanted to come see how you were doing."
"I'm doing well, and thank you," Kathryn said smiling, "I appreciate the help."
"No problem," Emma said, as another woman came in with envelopes in her hand. Kathryn took them as she said, "Thank you Dottie."
Emma went to leave when Kathryn said rather alarmed, "Sheriff!"
Emma turned back to see Kathryn holding out the newspaper. A mixture of shock, anger, and confusion was on her face as she said, "Look at this!"
Emma took the paper and narrowed her eyes at the title: Abuse in Storybrooke. Right on the front page, with Autumn's picture, was a rather lengthy article. Emma's eyes fumed over in anger as she said, "What the hell!"
Kathryn stood up grabbing her purse and jacket saying, "I'm sorry but I need to go see Regina and figure out what is going on. This case wasn't supposed to have any media attention."
"It wasn't," Emma said, gripping the paper, "Look, I'm gonna head to the school. If this article is on the front page, Mary Margaret needs to know as well as Autumn."
"If she doesn't know already," Kathryn said, hurrying out of her office.
S.C.
Autumn walked along the hallway, heading towards the outside yard. Paige was held up by a couple of her friends and Henry was held back by Mary Margaret so Autumn was heading out ahead of them. She noticed a lot of stares and whispered from the students. Looking a little confused and irritated, Autumn moved to leave quicker. Finally making it outside, Autumn went over to her tree and leaned against it. Looking around, Autumn heard behind her, "Hey! You!"
Autumn looked to see a few boys looking over at her grinning, but not in a nice way. Autumn rolled her eyes and one of the boys said, "So you the new kid. The one in the newspaper."
Newspaper? What newspaper? Autumn was confused but didn't want to be talking to this kid. She ignored him as she stared ahead and he continued, "So I heard your dad hated you so much that he tried to drown you. You must be a pretty big snot to have him punish you that bad."
Autumn gritted her teeth in prevention in answering him. Taking cue, Autumn walked away as if she didn't hear him. Unfortunately, he didn't like that she wasn't giving him the time of day. She heard him snap, "See? She's such a stuck up snot!"
Autumn kept going but she wasn't expecting what happened next. She felt something run behind her and grab at her hair. The boy pulled hard, not quite as hard as that man, but hard enough. He then snapped, "Don't walk away from-!"
Autumn swung around, her fist hitting him in the side of the face. He was set back, but he didn't let go. His force of his next pull set her to the ground, scrapping her hands. He had finally let go of her hair but there was a new voice yelling.
"Get away from her, Gage! Or I'll punch your nose in!"
Autumn looked up to see the boys scrambling away. A girl and a boy stood in front of her. The girl was staring down the boy hard as Gage glared. He threw his hands in the air and said, "Whatever Ava. Go be friends with the tattle tale."
Ava sprung at him causing him to sprint away frightened. The boy turned, helping Autumn up. He looked apologetically as Autumn stood up. He then asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," huffed Autumn, smacking her hands together to get rid of the dirt, "Just caught off guard."
Ava walked back over to them and said, "Sorry, Gage is the 'bully' of the school. He's really not all that tough, just hot headed."
"I noticed," Autumn said obviously irritated. But her voice softened as she said, "Thanks."
"No problem," Ava said with a shrug, "Besides, it looks like you knocked him pretty good. My name is Ava and this is my brother Nicholas. I'm taking a guess that your name is Autumn."
"How do you know my name?" Autumn asked and Ava said, "We're friends of Henry, we met him a couple of days ago. He told us about you. Not only that, your picture was in the paper."
"What paper?" Autumn asked as the two exchanged looks. Ava pulled out a paper from her bag and said, "My dad was looking at it this morning. I'm sorry."
Autumn took it before looking at the title. Gripping the paper, she let out a shaky sigh. Handing it back to them, Autumn said, "Thanks, that's all I need to know."
"People really don't know how to mind their own business," Nicholas said, looking at Autumn sympathetically. Autumn nodded in agreement and said, "Excuse me, I have to go."
Autumn ran off without another word. She went into a corner outside of the school where there was no one around except bins. Rage wasn't a good enough word to describe what she was feeling. Loss of control was occurring at an unreasonable pace as she heard screaming old voices fill her head; One of pain one of anger, one female one male. Grasping her hair, Autumn stomped her foot in frustration and paced the cement. Tears began to form and Autumn screamed, throwing her hands down, "No!"
There was an explosion behind her and Autumn jumped. She looked behind her and saw that one of the bins had been blown to smithereens. Shaking, Autumn stepped back. In stepping back, someone had circled their arms around her. Looking up, she saw Jefferson with a sober expression on his face. Leading her away quickly, he said, "You needed to be careful with that temper of yours."
"Jefferson," Autumn started as he pulled her into the line of trees. The low branches hid them from people as he hugged her tightly saying, "Breathe slowly, I'd rather not have anything else explode."
Autumn did as he asked, her emotions dying down. She slumped as they disappeared and he knelt on the ground holding her still. Autumn finally looked up at him and said, "What is happening?"
"It seems," Jefferson said softly, pushing her hair out of her face, "That your magic is returning."
"Why did I lose it if I still had it?" Autumn asked, panting slightly, "Why doesn't it work the same?"
"Because here it is harder to use magic," Jefferson said, "It's much harder to wield it since there is no magic in this world."
Autumn nodded slowly and said, "I guess I have to stop getting mad huh."
"More like stop suppressing emotion," Jefferson warned, "You're trying to squash all your emotions instead of dealing with the pain. So it builds up inside you and explodes. Your magic is linked to your emotions, so it explodes when you do."
Autumn made a face as Jefferson said, "If you want your magic to work properly, you need to find a way to deal with your anger."
"I can't help it," Autumn said, rigid, "I just get this screaming in my head-."
"Screaming?" Jefferson looked concerned. Autumn continued, "It's-it's just a memory, I think."
"I see," Jefferson said, squeezing her tighter to him, "Well I can't say I'm exactly pleased with the guest that arrived at my house last night."
"Guest?"
"Gold," Jefferson said, "Luckily Belle was upstairs sleeping."
"Why is that lucky?" Autumn asked, "It would have been a good thing."
"For him maybe," Jefferson argued, "Not for her."
"But-!"
"Autumn, you read their story. The two were not on good terms when they parted ways," Jefferson said, "He pushed her away and she left. Belle has no recollection of that life which means she can't make the proper choice of going back to him or leaving. Do you honestly think that he would give her much of a choice to live a life of her own? Or for them to get close only to have her leave him, devastating him? I've seen an upset Dark One, it doesn't end well."
Autumn bit her lip, her heart being torn in two. He made points. Valid points. Jefferson kissed the top of her head as he said, roughly, "Besides, if he had seen me and her together, us working together would be impossible. Why you think us working together is a good idea, I will never know."
"Oh stop whining," Autumn huffed, her aggravation being forgotten, "Why you two still hate each other after working together for years is something I'll never understand. Hate is such a waste of time."
"Says the girl who despises a Heartless Queen to this very day," Jefferson said.
"Hey she tried to kill you," Autumn said, "And we all know how I feel about that."
Jefferson tightened his grip a moment before letting go. Jefferson watched her get up as he said, "Give time for us to awaken her memories. She has a right to choose to be with him or not without him trying to convince her to stay."
"But he loves her," Autumn said, "And he'll hate me if he finds out I've known."
"It's nothing you can control," Jefferson said, "If he's going to waste his time hating you, he'll do it. You deserve more than that kind of person anyway."
Autumn was snapped back to the current moment as the bell rang. Autumn looked over at the school as Jefferson said, "You need to go. I will see you later, alright."
"Fine," Autumn said with a heavy sigh.
"Try not to punch anyone else," Jefferson suggested, "It's not a good way to make friends here."
Autumn nodded as she walked back towards the school. Making friends or not, Autumn had a feeling this was not going to be a good day.
S.C.
August sat reading the article on the front page of the paper. He was sitting in the corner of Granny's by himself. Sipping his coffee, August put the paper down with a sigh. What a horrible thing to do, writing an article like that. Poor kid was probably having a rough time in school today.
Glancing back at the picture he felt a twinge in his gut as he looked at the girl's blue eyes. Such a reaction couldn't be helped; it reminded him so much of someone he had loved dearly. Seeing her this morning had made him do a double take. Shaking his head, he berated himself. He had to stop thinking like this, that little one was dead and would forever be dead. He couldn't let himself start thinking second thoughts again. August was so lost in thought that he barely noticed the waitress come up.
"Here is your sandwich!"
"Oh! Thank you," August said forcing a smile. Taking the plate, he set it down as Ruby saw the newspaper. She immediately made a disgusted face and said, "I hope that news reporter gets fired."
"Pardon?" August looked between her and the newspaper. Ruby then shook her head rapidly, saying, "I'm sorry, it's just that I know the kid well-."
"Ah, I see," August said, taking the front page of the newspaper. He crumpled it up and successfully tossed it into the trash can not too far from him. He leaned back smiling and said, "Well, that's what I think of lousy articles like that. My name is August."
"Ruby," she said with a big smile on her face now, "So I don't think I've ever seen you around here before?"
"No, I just came into town last night," August said smoothly, "I was traveling around for a while and found my way here."
"You travel a lot?" Ruby asked and August said, "You could definitely say that."
"Ruby!"
Ruby gave a disapproving look at Granny and said to August sweetly, "Enjoy your lunch, August."
August smiled as Ruby walked away and finally picked up his sandwich. Taking a bite out of it, August glanced out the window to see Autumn walking rather fast down the street. She was with a blonde haired woman that was stroking her hair soothingly. She looked rather upset as she kept on walking, talking with the woman beside her. Frowning a bit, he felt rather awful for the girl. But there was something that did bother him about her that raised a red flag in his already wary mind.
How did she know he was here for Emma?
Seconds thoughts were just too apart of his nature.
S.C.
"Mr. Gold?! Are you here?"
Gold looked up from his work to hear Autumn's agitated voice. Putting down the polisher, he muttered, "How am I supposed to get any work done with everyone barging in?"
Autumn had come into his office, livid as a bull. Her eyes were glassy her jaw set tight as she sat on one of work desks. He leaned back into his own chair and said, "I'm assuming your first day of school went well."
"As well as it could have gone." Kathryn pushed the curtain aside as she entered the room. She was holding a newspaper in hand as she walked over to his desk. She said, "I'm sorry to barge in, but have you seen the newspaper?"
"No, I've been rather busy with my work today," Mr. Gold said, taking the newspaper that Kathryn was now handing him. He examined the first page, his brows furrowing. Kathryn said, "Apparently someone down at the newspaper doesn't understand when a judge says no media attention that means no articles either."
"While I understand your agitation," Mr. Gold said rigidly, "And believe me I do, why are you here?"
"I need Autumn to stay with you," Kathryn said, sighing, "I have to go down to the school for a meeting. Apparently, a kid at school was harassing her and thought it would be prudent to grab her hair when she decided to leave. Autumn ended up punching him in the side of the face and a bit of a fight broke out."
"It was his fault, he should have kept his hands off me," Autumn said coldly. Kathryn looked back and said gently, "No one's saying it's your fault. I just need to go talk with Mary Margaret."
Looking back at Mr. Gold, he said, "I have no problems watching the dear for the evening. If you need anything else, I'm just a phone call away."
"Thank you," Kathryn said. She walked over to Autumn, gently patting her shoulder. Autumn watched her go out of sight and soon heard the bell ring. Letting out a sigh, Mr. Gold stood up saying, "Well, dear, I must say this was an unpleasant surprise. Although, I must say, I didn't think you were such a spitfire."
"What?" Autumn said, momentarily forgetting her problem as he made his way over to her. Leaning on his cane, he asked, "Did you really punch him in the face?"
"Yes," Autumn said, "Well, more hit him in the side of the face. He had a hold of my hair and wouldn't let go."
Mr. Gold nodded, before saying, "You just can't keep out of trouble."
"I guess not," Autumn said with a heavy sigh, "I hope we didn't interrupt you doing something important."
"No dearie, anything important I've already finished," Mr. Gold said, "Speaking of which, I think we need to talk about payment."
"Payment?" Autumn asked, baffled and he grinned saying, "Did you forget already. You have me working with that blasted Jefferson."
"Oh yes," Autumn said grinning, "How could I forget. So what do I owe you, Rumpelstiltskin? A piece of my hair, another song?"
"Oh no, I told you this would be much steeper," Gold said, gripping his cane, "I want something a little bit more special."
"And what is that?"
"Each week until you reach the end of your book Once Upon of Time," Gold said, quite serious, "I want to hear a story from you."
Autumn looked shocked, and said almost stammering, "Why-why would you want me to tell you them? Most of the stories your already know."
"Humor me," Gold said, walking over to his coat rack and taking his coat. Putting it on, he turned and asked, "Do you have the book with you?"
"Yes," Autumn said, nodding. Jerking his hand towards the curtains, Gold said, "Come on dear, we're heading towards my house. I'll leave a note for Mrs. Nolan."
Autumn slid off the desk and hurried out. She went and waited by his car not too far away from his shop. Leaning against it, she looked around to see the wind blowing around rather fiercely. It must have been the storm that was coming in. It had been on the new this morning. Mr. Gold appeared and said urgently, "Come, the storm is heading in faster than expected."
Autumn got into the car as he started it. Buckling herself in, Mr. Gold began to drive away just as the rain started. The car drive was silent and short, much to both of their relief. Turning the car off, Mr. Gold said annoyed, "Well, I suppose there is no avoiding getting wet."
It was true. By the two of them had gotten inside, they were quite wet. Autumn made a face and said, "Well, this has been quite the day."
"Indeed," Mr. Gold said taking off his coat, "There are towels if you want to dry off in the kitchen."
"Kay," Autumn put her bag down and took off her shoes. Walking into the kitchen, Autumn took one of the towels. Trying to dry off as much as he could, she heard Gold walk in. Autumn looked back to see him coming to sit down at the table. Leaning his cane against the table, he let out a sigh. He looked like he was in somewhat pain. Taking one of his other towels, she handed it to him. He took it with a grateful smile saying, "Thank you dearie. Why don't you get that book of yours? I'll get some tea going."
Autumn hurried out of the room as Gold grimaced. His leg was hurting more than usual, but he was a stubborn man. Standing up, he walked over to the stove getting the kettle. Putting water in his, he felt his leg throb painfully. Gripping the handle, he finished putting the water in and put it on the stove. He turned on the flame and heard Autumn say, "It's really pouring outside."
"Indeed," he said going back over to his seat. He groaned slightly as Autumn put the black leather book down on the table. She looked at him and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, when did you get the limp?"
Mr. Gold eyes went distant, rubbing his leg saying, "During the ogre war. We were attacked by them during night and this was the result."
Mr. Gold sighed bitterly, shaking his head slightly. Autumn watched him with patient eyes as he seemed to get lost in his thoughts. After a few moments past, Autumn finally said, "I don't blame you, for running."
"Pardon, dearie?" Gold asked, and Autumn said, "I don't blame you for running from battle, especially with your family. I mean, if you had died, then they would have been alone."
"Yes, but instead they were stuck with the town coward," Mr. Gold said heavily and Autumn said irritated, "You know what? I love how you blame yourself, yet no one blames the Duke for not using the first Dark One to stop the war in the first place. I mean, how stupid could he be?!"
"Not stupid," Mr. Gold said tightly, "He used the wars to get money from other kingdoms in keeping the other kingdoms 'safe'."
Autumn's jaw dropped and she said, "And you blame yourself why for running?! I wouldn't fight for such a greedy twit! At least you had enough sense to know the war wasn't worth fighting for."
"Stop trying to paint me in a better light," Mr. Gold said, trying to jest but Autumn scolded saying, "I'm serious. Stop calling yourself a coward."
"And why is it so important that I'm not a coward?" Mr. Gold said, leaning in. Autumn looked over at him briefly as she flipped the pages. She then said dismissively, "It's not, I'm just telling you a fact. Thinking of your family does not make you a coward. Now what story do you want me to tell you?"
"Random dearie," Mr. Gold said as the tea kettle whistled. He got up and went to prepare to the tea and Autumn flipped through the book. She finally stopped at a chapter as he said, "The usual?"
"Yep," Autumn said, watching him. He then said, "I have some chocolate if you want?"
"No, I don't like chocolate," Autumn said casually. He looked back with tea in hand and said, "Really?"
"Really," Autumn said, "I have the story once you're ready."
"Alright," Mr. Gold said, sitting down. He slid her tea over to her and said, "You can start once you're ready."
Autumn took a gulp of her tea, cleared her throat, and began.
"Once Upon a Time, in a world of frozen air and land, was a castle made of winter. In this castle was a beautiful queen chosen by Frost itself. This woman may have been beautiful but her heart was no more feeling the icy walls surrounding her. Upon her choosing, she took some magic and blew her breathe. In doing so she created a mirror in which she could see all across the worlds. Everywhere her beloved winter touch was where she could see. For years, she used this mirror to keep all in check, to make sure her winter was respected. All was well, until a boy came along. He was bright, cheerful lad, but his temperament could be said as hotheaded. This boy had a friend, a girl with a soft and timid manner. They lived in a town in the very world we live in."
Mr. Gold watched her as she took a sip of her tea and looked back down at the book. She then went to continue when the lights suddenly went off. Mr. Gold scowled and said, "Just grand."
He went to get up to grab the light he kept on his counter. Suddenly a light clicked on beside him and Autumn's voice continued, her face illuminated by it, "The boy had done it, insulted her precious winter. He had called it dead he did. In fit of cold rage, Snow Queen sent out her flakes of ice to capture his heart. Once his heart was captured, the Snow Queen came and stole him, leaving his friend behind brokenhearted and desperate. Gathering her courage, she traveled far from home in search of a way to get to the Snow Queens castle. In her travels, she came to a low point and began to cry. As she cried a little creature took pity on her, a mouse to be more precise. This mouse told her of a way to stop the Snow Queen: that if she were to reach into the hole at the base of the old tree she would find the cure that would save her friend."
Autumn slowly reached for her tea again and sipped it slowly. Mr. Gold was watching her in amusement, somewhat ignoring the storm going on outside. She put the cup down, picking her flashlight back up. She then started again:
"The girl did as the mouse instructed and pulled out a vial of gold. She looked in confusion and asked her how this was supposed to get to her friend. The door mouse said that all she would need to do is to fall through the ice in the nearby lake. Terrified but determined, she did as the mouse instructed and she fell through the ice. At first, the girl thought she was going to die. But then, she found that instead of sinking into water, she was sinking into icy air. Collapsing into the snow, the girl found herself in front of the Snow Queen's castle. Gathering the remainder of her strength, the girl snuck into the castle to find her friend. However the Queen caught her and laughed saying that she would never be able to save her friend. In her haughtiness, the Queen brought her to the boy to find him sleeping frozen. His skin was pale and his breathing nearly nonexistent; enough to make the girl cry over him. The snow queen laughed and told her to kiss him goodbye for she would kill her soon after. A sliver of hope filled the girl as she pressed the Golden vial to his lips and poured the liquid in his mouth. She kissed him then as the Queen cruelly continued laughing. Her laugh turned to screams as a radiating warmth came off of the boy. The vial was from Wonderland, filled with the pure magic that the Snow Queen could not stand. Fleeing to the room, the Queen cursed them, telling them that no matter what she would get her revenge. The boy thanked his friend, his smiling returning as well as the color of his skin. Taking her hand, he took her away from the castle where they never saw the Snow Queen again."
"Interesting," Mr. Gold said as Autumn shut the book, "I heard rumors about her defeat, but from two children? My she must have been stupid."
"Hmm," Autumn said, looking around, "So I guess the lights aren't going back on anytime soon."
"You aren't afraid of the dark are you?" Mr. Gold teased and Autumn drank the rest of her tea saying, "No, just gonna be annoying if it doesn't come back on."
Mr. Gold grasped his cane, standing up. He moved his hand about the counter to grab the bigger flashlight. He turned his flashlight on and pointed it at her face playfully. Autumn giggled as she tried to block the dancing light. He chuckled before finally relenting and said, "Come with me dearie, it's getting rather chilly and I don't feel like freezing."
Autumn grabbed her book and followed him through the rooms. They made it to a room where she had not been in before. Moving her own little flashlight around, she saw that it seemed like a study. She put the book down on a table as Gold asked, "Where did you get that flashlight from dearie?"
"Oh, it's just a little one. I have it on a keychain," Autumn said, "I usually have it on me when a storm is coming. Old habit."
Mr. Gold held his flashlight out as he bent down saying, "Here dear, take this while I start up a fire."
Autumn took it after turning hers off and held it out, illuminating the fireplace area. As he started a fire, Autumn looked around at the somewhat darkness. She wished she could see it better. She had never been in here before. But she did notice a black sleek phone by the couch she was standing by. While she stood there, a golden glow began to fill the room. The study had books shelves lining the wall filled to the maximum. Sitting down, Autumn turned the flashlight off once Mr. Gold had gotten the fire going. He then sat next to her as she pulled the book onto her lap. He smiled down at her and said, "You seem rather fond of the book."
"Yes," Autumn said, gently tracing the writing on the front, "I am."
A sudden ring of the telephone interrupted them and Gold leaned over to pick it up. He then said, "Hello?"
Autumn listened, but didn't look at him. He then said, "Ah Mrs. Nolan. No yes, we are fine. We're at my house, I wanted to get back before the storm kicked in. Unfortunately, the storm seems to have knocked out power here."
There was a pause and Gold said, "No I understand. No don't worry, Mrs. Nolan, she will be alright here with me. The streets are too much of a mess for anyone to be driving out anywhere. Just come pick her up when it's safe alright? Okay goodbye."
He hung up and said, "Well, Mrs. Nolan is stuck on the other side of town. Until then, we will just have to wait out the storm."
Autumn nodded as a crack of lightning struck outside. The warmth of the room was making her sleepy as she looked out the window. Lightning was striking and thunder rumbling constantly. She didn't seem frightened but said, "So Regina isn't gloating anymore, is she?"
"No, no," Mr. Gold said, "She hasn't been to see me since you told her off."
"Yeah," Autumn said glumly, "I think she's getting back at me for that."
"What do you mean?" Mr. Gold asked, somewhat sharply. It didn't bother Autumn as she said slowly, "In the article, it has an interview with Regina towards the end. I know sometimes writers aren't always exactly truthful, but still…"
"I know," Mr. Gold said, understanding what she was getting at, "I know…don't worry too much about it, dearie. We'll get this all sorted out, and then you won't have to deal with Regina much longer."
"Good," Autumn murmured, leaning against him. "Just don't hurt Kathryn, she's been nice. It's not her fault Regina's out to get me."
"I'll try," Mr. Gold chuckled, not bothering to push her off. Instead he sat there in gentle soothing silence as Autumn drifted off to sleep. He sighed when he felt her breathe even out and gently moved her so she was lying down against the pillows. Poor child was so tired out she probably could barely keep her eyes open. He pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and put it over her. Stroking her hair, he watched her peaceful sleeping face for a few moments. He finally sat by in the arm chair closer to the window and by a small table with drawers.
Yes a plan was already in place for dealing with Regina and her new plan on using Autumn to get to him. He had been quite angry when Regina had jumped the gun, but at the same time part of him had been expecting it. Lifting up the folder, he peered inside to see forms that were in the process of being filled out. After seeing all was well, he put them in the drawer, locking it up. He couldn't have her being sent back to Boston, he just couldn't handle it. He had already lost Baelfire and Belle; he would not lose anything else.
S.C.
"So where is Autumn?"
Kathryn looked over at Regina, who was finishing lighting the candles. Kathryn stepped away from the counter as she said, "She's with Mr. Gold currently. David's still at work."
Regina made a face, staring at the candle's flame for a moment. Putting away the matches into a drawer, Regina said, "I would be careful with how much you let her stay around him, Kathryn."
"I would imagine you'd say that," Kathryn sighed.
"So then why leave her with him?" Regina asked, pointedly.
"Because I know how much she means to him," Kathryn said, "And how much he means to her."
Kathryn stared at her friend pointedly as she said, "I am also aware of you undercutting the process of her adoption."
"I did that for her protection."
"Maybe," Kathryn said, "However, as her foster mother, I won't let her get subjected to your hatred towards him and vice versa."
Kathryn stared into Regina's eyes intentionally as she asked, "Now the question is will you trust by judgement or argue with me?"
"Kathryn, you are the kindest person I have ever known," Regina said, "Of course I trust you."
Kathryn nodded, obviously pleased with Regina's answer. Regina looked around before saying, "So… speaking of children, have you taken the pregnancy test?"
"Yes," Kathryn said, crossing her arms, "It was negative."
"Oh," Regina sounded disappointed, "I'm sorry to hear."
"Me too," Kathryn said, "But with Autumn, it might have been for the best. Poor thing has already been through too many changes at once."
"True," Regina said, "And I'll be hunting for that idiot that printed that article. They should have known better."
"Even if it was Sydney Glass?"
"Especially if it was him!" Regina huffed, "Anything I might have told him was off record to a personal friend! Not for him to plaster in the paper."
Kathryn nodded and Regina said, "I'm going to go in search of something in my office. Feel free to anything in the fridge."
Regina left the room, letting a candle light her way. The storm outside raged, hitting the windows mercilessly. Walking into the study she wandered over to where papers were stored. Everything was going according to plan, Sydney would be fired and Miss Swan would swoop him up as an ally. The stupid woman, did she really think she was going to beat her?
But Gold was a problem. She might have stopped the adoption from going through but he would have other plans up his sleeve. She need Autumn to be away from him. There would be no way she could control the friendship between Autumn and her son if he gained custody. Regina bit her lip, thinking of a plan for this. They both believed in the curse. Autumn was much coyer about it, but she knew. And if Autumn couldn't see the goodness in her, then Henry never would.
That had to change.
S.C.
"Well that was a crazy storm we had yesterday, wasn't it?"
Autumn was sitting out on the balcony with Belle. The sun was shining fiercely and everything looked much brighter. Autumn was sitting on the two seater chair, her legs curled under her. Belle had a book opened lazily in her lap, staring out into the forest. Belle smiled warmly as Autumn said, "Yeah, I know. It was crazy stuff. How has it been here?"
"Hmm? Oh, it has been nice. Jefferson is a little particular about me coming downstairs. Something about needing the area to work with a partner. However, he's been very kind to me."
Autumn wanted to wince, this was just another reminder that she was lying to Gold. Gold, the person that was the closest thing she had to family. But Belle didn't know that. Belle didn't remember much of anything. Autumn watched as Belle absentmindedly moved her hands and curiosity replaced some of Autumn's guilt.
"When you learn how to use sign language?"
"Hm? Oh, it's something I've always known," Belle said, thoughtfully.
"Oh," Autumn said, noting her distant expression. Belle looked at Autumn curiously as she asked, "Who taught you?"
"Oh, no. I only kinda know the alphabet," Autumn admitted, "I found it in a book."
"Well then," Belle mused, "I suppose love of reading is something else we have in common."
"What are your favorite kind of books?" Autumn asked, curiously.
"Well adventure books have always been a favorite," Belle said, "Romance stories is another."
Autumn wrinkled her nose and Belle giggled, "Not as fond of those I see."
"Not particularly," Autumn said, "I prefer ones where some villain is getting their butt handed to them."
"Any favorite authors?"
Autumn's eyes went turbulent as she murmured, "My father."
Belle looked surprised as Autumn seemed to withdraw into her thoughts. Picking up her book, Belle wandered over to Autumn. Sitting next to her, Belle said, gently, "I'm guessing he passed some time ago."
Autumn looked at her suspiciously as Belle explained, "I know the look, the feeling. My mother passed away when I was sixteen. It was quite literally the worst day of my life."
"Same," Autumn said, softly.
"So… how is the new foster mother?" Belle said.
"Nice, as far as people go," Autumn said, shifting as she looked up. Blue eyes met blue eyes and Belle couldn't help but notice the vibrancy of hers. "I'm not a good person to ask about mothering though."
"What do you mean?"
"My own mom didn't even want me," Autumn said, resentfully, "Every foster mother I have had since has been the reason I've never had a long term foster family."
Belle watched Autumn sadly as the girl explained, "Even if they acted like nice people."
"Well I hope she's the exception," Belle comforted Autumn, "If not, then she's missing out."
"Ahem."
Belle and Autumn looked towards the door to see Jefferson standing there. He stared pointedly at Autumn as he said, "Autumn, you should be getting home. Kathryn will be expecting you soon."
"Okay," Autumn said somewhat disappointed. Jefferson disappeared as Autumn stood up. Belle did not, but watched her as she asked, "See you soon?"
"Yeah, hopefully," Autumn said, "Kathryn watches me like a hawk so I'm not exactly sure when."
Belle nodded, watching the young girl pick up her sweatshirt. Pulling it on, Autumn saw Belle make a gesture with her hand. Autumn looked at her quizzically as Belle said, "It's how you say goodbye in sign language."
"Oh," Autumn said, before mimicking the sign, "Goodbye then."
Belle giggled softly as Autumn left Belle alone. Jefferson was waiting not too far away in the hallway, arms crossed.
"She really doesn't remember much of anything," Autumn whispered as they went down the stairs.
"Not a thing, not a thing," Jefferson mused, "Of her real life anyway."
"I kinda wonder what her fake memories are," Autumn said, thoughtfully, "And why she can't remember half of them."
"Probably to make her mad," Jefferson said darkly, "There is nothing more infuriating than not being able to remember."
"Kiss him goodbye girl, you won't be alive for too much long after."
The girl was on the floor of a room of ice with a boy the same age. She couldn't have been any younger that sixteen as her curly brown hair fell in front of her colorful tearful eyes. The Snow Queen towered over them, laughing her heart out. The boy next to her had blackish-brown hair that fell somewhat in his face. He looked near dead which made the girl cry all that more. Leaning over him, she quickly and sneakily slipped him the liquid in the golden vial before kissing him gently and chastely. She pulled away and at first nothing happened. Tears fell over her cheeks and said in a timid voice, "I'm so sorry."
The moment she spoke was the moment the Snow Queen screamed. A warmth began radiating out of him and flowed freely in the room. The Queen recoiled and shouted, "What did you do?! How did you get that disgusting magic in him!?"
The boy opened his eyes to reveal a warm brown. A bitter yet relieved smile crossed the girl's mouth as he began to sit up. Looking at his arms and himself, he finally looked up and around in comprehending. He then reached out touching the girl's cheek saying, "About time you got here, Lora."
The Queen fled, howling in pain. Lora, however, hugged him, saying through sobs, "I'm so sorry! I know you hate magic, but it was the only way to save you."
"I know," he hugged her tightly saying, "It's alright, the magic's not evil… hey now, don't worry. I don't think it will stick so strong forever, just long enough to get us out of here."
Getting up, he took Lora's hand and quickly led her away. He pulled her down the hallway as Lora said, "There is supposed to be a portal out of here somewhere."
"Yes, there is," he said, making a face, "I remember seeing it when she was taking me to that cell. I think it's in here."
He led her into a room with a large archway. Reaching out, it seemed to react to him as it sucked away most of the radiating warmth. A picture of a house appeared and Bae said, "There we go, there is home."
Lora looked relieved and went to walk through it. However, he stopped her and said, "Lora, wait."
She looked back as he said, a little nervously, "I'm sorry… I really messed up."
"Its fine-," Lora started but he cut her off with a simple kiss. Delight filled her as she kissed him back. They parted, but they both could still feel its simple love. Lora smiled and said, "Baelfire, you have the worst timing in the entire world."
"Well come on then, I don't want that crazy catching us," Baelfire huffed, pulling her towards the portal, but Lora stopped him. He looked confused as Lora said, "You know…this portal can take us anywhere. You could… you know… go back. I know how badly you want to make things right with your father."
Lora looked nervous, if not frightened for his answer. She didn't want him to go back, but it seemed almost unfair to deny him the wish that had been destroyed. Baelfire watched in surprise and then said, "No, I know I'll see Papa again Lora. But not this way, not there. He needs to be here. It's just how it needs to be. For now, it's just you and me. Forever."
Lora smiled warmly and said, "Forever."
