Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.
I would like to dedicate this chapter to WarriorGaia for her heartfelt and amazing review/message. Such a sweetheart!
Also, I am planning on taking this story into the fourth season of OUAT, though we won't be there for a bit! And I have not made a couple name for Peter and Lily, though with names like Peter Pan and Tiger Lily, the possibilities are endless!
Bit of a short chapter, but the next one should be longer and will divert from the plot of the episode 'Hat Trick' quite a bit.
Lilith watched in amusement as Regina sent the Huntsman away, swinging her legs as she waited for the Queen to notice her. As if on que, Regina spoke, though didn't raise her gaze to the balcony above the gardens.
"What is it?"
With a cheeky smile, Lilith disappeared in a swirl of misty, black smoke. She reappeared in front o f Regina, hands clasped behind her back. She rocked forward on her heels, a malicious smirk on her lips.
"You've been busy, hmm?" She lightly spun away from Regina, staring after the Huntsman's retreating back. "Enslaving that poor dear to service your ugly whims."
Regina gritted her teeth, holding back the urge to incinerate the girl before her. However, while she had heard Lilith had always been blunt and rather rude, she'd never been this... playful. As if she sensed the turn her thoughts had taken, Lilith spun back around to face Regina.
"Rumple's been getting antsy." She cooed, prancing forward to stand at the iron wrought fence overlooking the rest of the garden. "He so wants his Curse cast. After all, it was such a labor to create," she sighed, gripping the metalwork. "It'd be a shame not to use such a masterpiece."
Regina, however, eyed the girl warily. Her behavior was a far cry from the girl she'd seen through the Huntmans' eyes. That girl had been bitter, vicious even, which was exactly what she sensed now, despite the odd almost capricious behavior.
"What happened to you?"
Lilith's eyes, bright red, twinkled mischievously before she bent slightly, hands clasped behind her back again.
"Nuh uh!" She waved a finger at Regina, the mist surrounding her again. "Now that would be telling!"
Lily held back her sneer until she was safely in Henry's room. He caught her expression, his lips trembling. She forced her lips to form something other than a sneer, settling uneasily on a grimace. With a sigh, she sank down onto the bed next to Henry, who clambered to sit next to her.
Without a word, his hand found hers and she tangled their fingers together. His head rested on her shoulder as he tried to stop his shoulders from shaking. Regina had been over the moon once the news of Mary Margaret's arrest had broken. Lily assumed Sidney had told her, as it was obvious to clearly everyone but Emma that he was still in the mayor's pocket.
She, on the other hand, had learned from Gold. She'd quickly told Henry before his mother had that chance, allowing him to act with a modicum of calm when Regina had told him about his teacher's arrest. Personally, Lily had wanted to smack Regina upside the head. For all her claims about loving Henry, the dark-haired woman was rather oblivious to her actions when they hurt the very boy she claimed to love.
The moment magic is returned, I'm burning her Highness to a bloody crisp. Henry tugged her from her venomous thoughts.
"Sis... I'm scared."
Her expression softened and she tugged Henry towards her. He pressed his face against her shoulder as she gently sifted her fingers through his hair.
"I know." She swallowed thickly. "I am too."
After comforting Henry, which involved massive amounts of chocolate and telling him stories about the Enchanted forest, Lily stormed away from the house. As she came closer to the Pawn Shop, she nearly sighed with relief at the sight of Gold's car waiting in front of it. Without a sound, she slid into the passenger seat.
"How was your day with our illustrious mayor?" Gold asked as he drove away from the curb. He'd never truly enjoyed the fact that his ward was Henry's babysitter. While he found the boy charming and a bit precocious, being associated with him forced Lillian to be around Regina.
Even without her memories, the teen had never liked their mayor. As Henry had grown, Regina had been able to devote less time to the boy while Lillian had been forced to step in as a pseudo parent. He knew the two considered themselves siblings, something Lillian had always wanted, both here and back in the Enchanted Forest.
"Prancing about like a bloody peacock."The teen grumbled, sinking in her seat. "Do we have to do this?"
He pursed his lips and nodded. Truthfully, he wasn't too happy with helping Regina, even though it was only for his benefit. Kathryn was unharmed and he refused to let Lillian even near where the woman was being held. Regina had no idea the young woman remembered and he wanted to keep it that way.
"It will all lead back to Regina in the end, remember?"
Lillian sighed, tossing messy curls from her frustrated eyes. "So you've said." She conceded, still looking none too happy about it.
He took the chance during the drive home to study his ward. She looked drained mostly, though the shadows under her eyes had lightened considerably ever since she'd begun using sleeping pills. However, he had put his foot down and insisted she try without for a few nights.
Thankfully, this fiasco with Regina would be over soon and he could devote the proper amount of attention to help Lillian.
Regina glowered at her reflection, having sent the genie off long ago. She caught sight of him before he spoke, though didn't turn until his voice rang through the air.
"You called, dearie?"
Rumpelstiltskin perched on the edge of her vanity, already guessing what she wanted to discuss. Lilith had mentioned her run-in with the Queen, which meant the woman before him was now privy to Lilith's rather abrupt change in personality.
"Yes," Regina agreed, turning from her scowling reflection to face the... man, before her. "I had the most peculiar conversation with your assistant just the other day."
"Did you now?" He chirped, waltzing towards her. "Do tell, dearie!"
Regina watched him, catching the similarities to his behavior and Lilith's. She'd never met the girl personally, as Lilith had still been missing when she'd taken lessons from Rumpelstiltskin herself. However, seeing a girl that was infamous for being heartless act like her mildly disturbed teacher, was disconcerting.
"I just found it rather odd that the Dark Lilith - renown for her lack of emotion - showed up here acting like a giddy fairy."
She caught the tick in his jaw. She didn't know why, nor did she care to know, why he seemed to hate fairies so much. However, she had more important things to figure out, like why Lilith was suddenly as unpredictable as her mentor.
Amber eyes stared at her for several moments. She fought the urge to fidget under his glowing stare and squared her shoulders.
Suddenly, he smiled. "Ah, let's just say Lilith went through a bit of an... attitude adjustment while she was away."
Lily nudged Henry, pointing across the street. Emma was stalking down the sidewalk, her expression hard. Having heard from Lillian about Mary Margaret's interrogation that included Regina, Henry was determined to help prove his teacher's innocence.
Which was why they were camped out on a bench when Henry should have been safely tucked away in school for the next six hours. However, Lily had given in easily, especially because she didn't want to be around Emma all that much.
As they watched the blonde enter the apartment building, Lily held Henry back for five minutes before they stood. Hand in hand, they crossed the street and rushed up the stairs, entering the apartment moments after Emma.
Emma turned at the sound of footsteps, her eyes widening at the two. "Henry. What are you doing here?" She turned a narrowed stare towards Lillian. "And why aren't you in school?"
"We have to help Miss Blanchard." Henry stated, cutting off the argument he could feel brewing. "And don't blame Lillian, I asked her."
"I am helping her. That's why I'm searching the apartment." Emma explained, trying to shoo them away. "But you got to go home."
Henry simply entered the apartment and shook his head. "Not gonna happen."
Emma eyed Lillian one last time, sighing at the stony expression the girl wore. "Just stay out of the way." She said reluctantly, turning back to resume looking.
"So, what are we looking for?"
"I'm trying to see if maybe, someone broke in." Emma explained as Lily softly shut the door behind her. "Looking for busted door jambs, broken glass, muddy boot prints. That kind of thing."
Lily watched Emma wander towards Mary Margaret's bed. "So, you really think somebody's setting her up?"
"It's the only thing that makes sense." Emma sighed. "The only problem is, nobody's got a motive."
"My mom does."
Emma blinked at Henry in surprise. "Regina?"
"She hates Snow White." He explained before Emma sent him an unamused stare. "Hey, you wanted a motive."
The blonde held back the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, I don't think 'she hates Snow White' will hold up in a court, Henry."
With that, conversation came to a halt as all three of them began to look around. Lily studied the windows, frowning when she didn't find anything broken. A glance back told her Henry and Emma hadn't had any better luck than her. After glancing over the photos on Mary Margaret's desk, Emma flopped onto the bed with a sigh.
"Emma..." She glanced up to see Lillian standing at the window, her head cocked towards the bed. "What is that?"
Emma strained to listen, the noise getting louder when the heat turned on. Sharing a look with Lillian as Henry approached, Emma knelt at the heating vent.
"Did you find something?" Henry asked, watching her remove the grate and stick her hand into the vent.
Emma's eyes widened as her hand locked around something. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she tightened her grip and pulled out the large hunting knife wrapped in cloth.
"I don't think that hot chocolate's going to drink itself." August seated himself next to Henry, shaking his head at the approaching waitress. When Henry didn't reply, the older man softened his voice. "You're upset about your teacher, aren't ya?"
"She didn't do it. Why can't anyone see that?" Henry asked, a frown marring his brow.
"Because most people just see what's right in front of them." August explained, nodding at the mug in front of Henry. "And I don't think you're going to find the answers you want at the bottom of that mug."
"Then where?"
"That a book in your bag?" August tried, watching a wariness enter Henry's eyes. Well, nice to know he got something out of hanging around Lilith. "You know I'm a writer. So, I'm partial to finding my answers in the literary form."
"It's just a book." Henry said, a little too quickly.
"Is it?"
"Yeah."
August sent him a small smirk. "I think we both know that that's not the case. Can I get a water, please?" He asked a passing waitress.
"What do you know about it?" Henry asked softly.
"I know it's a book of stories." August answered evasively.
"Aren't all books?"
"Stories…that really happened."
Henry blinked up at him in shock. "You think my book is real?"
"As real as I am." August promised.
"How do you know?"
The older man decided on a version of the truth, well aware the whole truth wouldn't go over right now. "Well, let's just say that, uh, I'm a believer. And I want to help others see the light. That, my friend, is why I'm here."
"But I already believe."
"Oh, I'm not here for you, buddy." August chuckled out, his smile fading. "I'm here for Emma."
"So, you want to get her to believe? Why don't you just tell her?" Henry asked, though knew the answer already.
"Well, there are some people – like you and me – we can go on faith. But others – like Emma – they need proof."
Henry looked down. "Last time I tried to find proof, I got trapped in a sinkhole."
"There are less dangerous places to look." August deadpanned, tapping the cover of Henry's book. "By the way, where's your shadow?"
Henry's brow creased in confusion before he realized who August was talking about. "Oh, you mean Lillian?"
"Yeah," August agreed, inwardly shaking his head at Regina's lack of originality. "Lillian."
"The heating vent?" Mary Margaret asked, her eyes wide with distress. "Emma, I don't even know where the heating vent in my bedroom is."
Lily sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. Mary Margaret had, despite the evidence, continued to insist that she was innocent. While Lily knew this was true, keeping it in was harder than she'd thought it would be.
"Well, someone did, and they put a hunting knife in there." Emma explained, struggling to stay calm. "I checked for signs of a break in, but there weren't any."
"You don't believe me."
Emma winced at the words, shaking her head. "Of course I do. But what I think doesn't matter. The evidence is piling up by the hour."
"Okay, what are you saying?" Mary Margaret asked, her voice harder than intended.
"I'm saying, you should think about hiring a lawyer."
"An excellent idea." All eyes turned to the door to see Gold standing there, leaning on his cane.
"Mr. Gold." Emma said flatly, eying him warily. "What are you doing here?"
"Offering my legal services." He calmly walked forward, stopping next to Lily.
Emma's eyebrows rose into her hairline. "You're a lawyer?" She asked dubiously, eyes flashing to Lillian.
"You never wondered why he knows contracts so well?" The teen snarked crossly.
"I've been following the details of your case, Miss Blanchard." Gold said, placing a calming hand in Lillian's shoulder. "And I think you'd be well-advised to bring me on as your counsel."
"And why is that?" Mary Margaret asked curiously.
"Well, because the Sheriff had me arrested for nearly beating a man to death, and I managed to persuade the judge to drop the charges."
"Asserting your influence isn't what's needed here. We need to find the truth."
Gold barely spared Emma a glance. "Exerting influence may be exactly what's needed here."
"What's needed here, is for me to do my job." Emma defended.
"No one's stopping you," Lily snapped back. "He's only here to help."
"Enough." Mary Margaret had had enough of their arguing. "Please go."
Emma could barely hide her delight. "You heard her."
"No, I was talking to you." Mary Margaret directed at Emma, who turned with a wounded look. "Oh, Emma, he's right. I need help. And you need to do your job, or else I'm screwed." She whispered. "So, just please – do your job the best you can, and you'll prove me innocent. Until you do, I need some practical help."
"Trust me. This is in Miss Blanchard's best interests." Gold added calmly, unruffled as the target of Emma's displeasure.
"Good luck, Mary Margaret." Emma forced out through stiff lips, sending Gold and Lillian a warning glare. "I hope your best interests are what he's looking out for."
The blonde stiffly left the room, entering her office. Lily watched her go before she turned around and watched Gold and Mary Margaret talk.
"I can't pay you." The teacher started, only for Gold to hold up a hand.
"I didn't ask for money."
"Then why are you doing this?" She asked warily.
"Let's just say, I'm invested in your future."
She barely had enough time to slam the door and lock it before she was on the ground. Panting harshly, she curled her hand on the floor. Her fingers began to sink through the stone, her magic melting it beneath her skin. Raggedly, she began to fill her lungs with air as her head began to pound again.
"No... not again." She whimpered, curling tightly on her side. Her eyes snapped open, the color flickering between aqua and red rapidly. Eerie black mist began to rise around her as the ache worsened.
Thankfully, this fit passed quickly. While she was grateful for not blacking out this time, she knew it was only a matter of time before it happened once more. She raised a hand, quickly healing the hole she'd just bitten into her tongue. As she spat out blood, a knock came at the door.
"Lilith?" Snow's voice rang out sweetly. The princess frowned at the silence, pressing her palm against the thick wood. "Lilith, are you all right?" She reached down, jiggling the handle as silence continued to come from the room.
On the other side of the door, Lilith forced herself to rise on trembling legs. Stumbling to the balcony, she hissed when her vision began to blur around the edges. She needed to get away, now, before she blacked out and hurt someone. Without a sound, she gathered her magic and took herself away from the castle seconds before Grumpy kicked in the door.
Snow rushed into the room, looking around in confusion. "She was in here. I saw her go in."
"Snow."
Grumpy's voice made her turn, the hair on the back of ehr neck standing up at hsi tone. She followed the line of his arm to see his fingers resting against a mark on the floor. She knelt down next to him, her eyes widening at the sight of four perfect holes in the stone along with the indentation of a hand seared along with them.
Lily looked up when Emma entered the Pawn Shop, her expression resigned. Just as planned. The blonde looked around, clearly noting the lack of Mr. Gold.
"Hey, Lillian." Emma greeted, still not focusing on the girl before her. "Is Gold around?"
Lily nodded, her expression blank. "Yeah." She craned her head around. "He's in the back. Go on in."
Without a word, the teen resumed cataloging as Emma made her way past. She sighed, pressing her fingers against her aching temples. A migraine had begun to form behind her eyes when she'd woken up, slowly spreading to the rest of her head. Dimly through the pain, she could hear Emma and Gold's conversation, not surprised in the slightest that the Sheriff had come here.
"Mr. Gold." Emma greeted as the man flipped through a heavy book, pausing to scrawl an entry here and there.
"Just taking inventory. What can I do for you, Miss Swan?: He asked, raising his eyes. "Any developments in the case I should be aware of?"
"Yes. Regina set her up."
Gold raised an eyebrow. "And this surprises you? Show me your evidence, and we'll get this over with immediately."
"Yeah, that's the thing. There isn't any." Emma explained sheepishly, ignoring his flat stare. "Anything that's court-worthy. But I know it now."
"Look who's suddenly become a woman of faith. Why are you here, Miss Swan?" He asked suddenly. "To spin conspiracy theories?"
"I need help."
"From me?"
She nodded. "Every time I've gone up against Regina, I've lost. Except for once, when I became Sheriff. When you and Lillian helped.
"As I recall, you don't exactly approve of our methods." He chuckled.
"I approve of your results." Despite being obviously uncomfortable, Emma was determined to get his help. "And this time, I have something more important than a job. I need to save my friend."
"And you're willing to go as far as it takes?"
"Farther."
The smirk that spread across Gold's lips was positively feral. "Now we're talking. Fear not, Miss Swan. Regina may be powerful, but something tells me you're more powerful than you know." He looked to the doorway, knowing he'd need Lillian's assistance before beginning to plan. "Lillian?"
When she didn't respond or enter the room, he felt something cold settle into his chest. Without sparing Ms. Swan a glance, her rounded the counter and limped his way into the main room.
"Lillian?" He asked, barely aware of Emma coming beside him. All he could see was the empty room around him. Suddenly, it all made sense: Lillian's nightmares, her hallucinations, and now the crippling migraine that had happened just this morning. "Lillian!" He repeated loudly, stomping towards the door. It slammed open, the knob denting the wood on the other side.
"Lillian!"
Thoughts? Comments? Questions?