Every week, a package appeared on their doorstep. This troubled the twins for many, many reasons. One of those reasons being that they did not have a doorstep. They had a trap door that led into their basement hideout. There was a door, but they never used it. People would get suspicious if they came in that way.
Still. A package. They hadn't gotten mail in- ever. Their mom got mail. Bills, mostly. Or letters from school about the twins acting out. She never blamed them for their behavior. Any time a teacher yelled or kids made fun, their mom always hugged them and filled them with love.
They hadn't had a proper mom hug since she died.
Nobody noticed they were gone. No teachers asked around for them, no police came to take them away, it was like the twins stopped existing. You can imagine their surprise when one chilly Saturday morning, they found a care package waiting for them.
Toothpaste, travel toothbrushes, reusable water bottles, hairbrushes, a bottle of 3-in-1 hair care/body wash for Kids (No Tears!), Oreo cookies, packets of granola bars, cereal bars, and five cans of soup were waiting that first week.
Things they'd needed, yes, but also things they didn't. Their toothbrushes were old, yeah, but still usable. The food was appreciated, and devoured by the kids when they were too hungry to take it for granted.
They woke up the next morning, not poisoned.
Next Saturday, another package. More foods and drinks- more Oreo cookies, red Gatorades, cans of green beans and peas, more granola bars, more cereal bars, soup cans, and lunchable packets. As for non-food, they were given solar powered lanterns and flashlights, along with new shoes. In their sizes.
It made Ava panic.
Nicholas saw no problem with it. His shoes were really old, with holes in the soles. He'd needed new shoes.
The next Saturday, Ava stayed awake. She sat up, watching the trap door in wait. This time she would catch this person. How they kept getting in, Ava had no idea. There were no tracks in the dirt, or noises from the house upstairs. Just a box appearing. A more optimistic person would say it's like magic. Ava stopped believing little kid stuff a long time ago.
If they were found, that meant it was only a matter of time before they were taken away. Nicholas was the younger one, he didn't get it. They were in danger. Ava could tell. She could tell as soon as Mom got really sick. Grown-ups kept trying to talk to them, but Ava never trusted them. Grown-ups could never be trusted.
But Ava waited and waited. She held out as long as she could. She fell asleep, leaning on an old wall hiding beside old pipes. She woke up tucked into a sleeping bag.
The adult was just showing off at that point!
Ava woke up in a rage. The new package was much smaller, but still full of the usual cans of soup/veggies, bars, and comic books from the grocery store. Nicholas was reading one as Ava woke up.
She tore it from his hands.
"Hey!" He reached for it back.
Ava jerked it away. "We can't take this! It's a bribe. We can't take bribes!"
"It's been three weeks! We can take bribes." Nicholas reached for the book again.
"No! Because this means an adult found us-"
"And they haven't told anybody!" Nicholas argued. "Or else we wouldn't be here anymore."
They'd been having this argument since they first got the package. Ava never trusted it, but Nicholas had been hungry. Wasn't eating this better than stealing from a store again, or stealing from somebody's house when they weren't looking at the grocery bags? The food lasted some of the week, and was actually good to have. It filled their bellies. The other things kept them clean, and cared for, like their mother would have wanted.
That made Ava cave.
The next week, two boxes waited. Two big boxes, by each of their sleeping bags. New clothes waited inside. New to them, anyway, as these were clearly old and worn by somebody else before being passed onto Ava and Nicholas.
The food was there again, but different. Trail mix with chocolate mixed in, lots of dried fruits, and cans of beans. There wasn't any soup this time. Instead, the mysterious gifter left bread and peanut butter, with little packets of jam. There was packets of take-out knives too, presumably for the sandwiches.
Someone wanted them to eat. Not just eat, but eat well. To sleep well. To be cared for, and safe.
Ava hadn't felt like that in two years.
Not for two long, long years. She wasn't sure she was comfortable with it. Nobody cared for them except for their dead mother. Who was this person, giving them things they needed like they cared? If they really cared, they would show their face. A bad person would do all of this without ever saying who they were.
==BOL==
Ava smiled at Henry. "Whatcha reading?"
Henry, the Mayor's son, looked up at her. Ava remembered being in a class with him, before her and Nicholas' mother died. They'd lived on the streets ever since. He held up the comic in his hands. "'The Hulk versus Wolverine.'"
Ava tensed up. She tried to hide it, to shake it off. That's the same comic their gifter gave to Nicholas. "I'm Ava. I think I've seen you around school. You're in Miss Blanchard's class, right?"
Henry nodded.
It was risky, it was very, very risky.
Nicholas slipped past Henry. "Almost ready, Ava?"
Ava pulled him closer. "This is my brother, Nicholas."
"Hi. Come on- let's go." Nicholas grabbed her arm, pulling her away.
Ava stopped him. She smiled at Henry. "You want to come hang out?"
Henry beamed, excited. "Sure!"
"Hold on there, H-man."
A woman walked out from the aisle. Ava tensed up, stepping to the side to protect Nicholas. The smaller boy hid behind her. Ava hadn't seen the woman a moment ago. Where did she come from?
"Dropped my stuff in your bag." The woman reached into Henry's backpack. From it, she found cereal bars and a can of soup. Ava silently fumed. She'd told Nicholas to put candy in, not the food that the gifter kept giving them. She held it up for Henry. "Sorry, slipped it in."
"It's okay." Henry smiled at the adult. The adult smiled back.
The woman turned her smile onto Ava and Nicholas. "Oooh new people. Well not new-people. The last new person was H-man's mom. Who are the two of you?" She turned to look at Henry. "Did you make new friends without telling me?"
Henry laughed. "No. That's Ava, and her brother, Nicholas."
"Ava and Nicholas. Good set of names for twins. Together it means 'guaranteed victory'. It's cute." The woman held out her hand.
Ava stepped back, pushing Nicholas back. "How did you know we were twins?"
The woman blinked, face scrunching up in confusion. "It's not obvious? He's the same age as you. Are you the older one? You look like the older one."
Ava grabbed Nicholas' hand. He squeezed her fingers tight.
The woman sighed, slumping. "Scream and run?"
Ava and Nicholas rushed for the door. They ignored the shouts from Mr Clark, and from Henry. They needed to get home.
==BOL==
A long time ago
The Hat brought us somewhere new. It looked familiar and normal, nothing out of the ordinary. A large, dense forest with the usual sorts of greenery and foliage. The sun shined down, warming us up. Granted, there was a cloud layer keeping it from being really an oppressive heat.
It made me grateful for our chosen outfits for the day. We'd forgone dresses for simpler clothes that were borrowed from one of the servants. Thankfully, Darcy practiced her stitchwork enough that the clothes fit properly. Two pairs of dark brown rider's trousers, leather boots, two white long sleeved undershirts, brown corset vests, and two large dark brown cloaks.
Darcy grinned. I grinned too, excited for the upcoming joke she would make. "Did you put us in our backyard?"
"I did not."
"Because it looks like our backyard."
"It's not our backyard."
"If it looks like our backyard, and sounds like our backyard-"
On cue, there were sounds of men shouting and yelling. Darcy and I turned towards it. Both of us were confused and- as the sounds got louder- concerned.
It wasn't the shouting of scared villagers. These were the sounds of a mob.
"That sound like our backyard?" I prompted. Grabbing my hat, I tied a ribbon around my neck to keep it close.
Darcy shook her head. "Nope. Not even close."
The cacophony of noise grew closer. Through the trees, I made out the tall pitchforks and swords.
"Going up!" I leapt onto a tree. Getting a grip, I climbed up. Darcy jumped behind me.
The two of us went as far up as the tree allowed us. Once perched on branches, the rioting mob marched by. They charged ahead without glancing up our way. I watched them march on.
"DIE!"
"DEATH TO THE KING!"
"KILL THE KING!"
"KILL THE KING!"
"BASTARD VLAD!"
"NO MORE!"
"LET'S KILL HIM!"
"WE CAN KILL HIM!"
"BEGONE VLAD!"
"DEATH TO VLAD!"
Their chants made me curious. I tilted my head, watching and listening.
Darcy tapped my shoulder. Turning to her, she bobbed her head down on the mob. "Wanna follow?"
I scoffed. "We can't stay long. They'll notice if-"
"They won't notice. Mother will make excuses for us." Darcy excitedly bumped my arm. "Let's go."
Before I could stop her, Darcy leapt. She landed on the tree beside us. My eyes bugged out. Darcy turned, waving her arm at me. She wanted me to jump too.
The mob below kept running a chanting, not noticing either of us.
I gulped.
Darcy motioned again.
Bracing myself, I whispered below my breath. "Just a jump...she'll catch me. Just a jump."
I judged the distance. The ground was twenty or so feet below us. If I fell, the fall wouldn't kill me. The pitchforks and swords were much closer.
"Come on!" Darcy called out. Her encouragement was lost by the sounds of the fuming mob. "Live a little- take risks!"
Nodding, I started to let go of the tree.
Darcy grinned, giddy.
Bracing myself, I leapt.
==BOL==
The castle was beautiful, and haunting. Dark stones that block sunlight from the village below. Everything here gave me shivers. The sunlight shone but it didn't warm me up.
Darcy beamed all the same. Her whole body lit up in delight, practically dancing instead of running. She jumped on branches like she was born doing it. If you met her today, you would believe it. I knew her all my life. I believed it.
The chase lasted until the edge of the forest. Trees stopped at a large clearing, revealing an even larger castle. Larger than Father's duchy could ever hope to be. Twelve solid, round towers piercing the cloudy sky, connected by lower, wide walls made of silver stone.
Tall windows are scattered thinly around the walls in seemingly perfect symmetry, along with same-sized holes for archers and artillery. One tower stood taller, and set apart from the rest. The windows were large and wide, facing to the west.
The castle was closed off to the people by a gate with huge metal doors. That, and a crowd of impaled naked corpses. All of them in various stages of decay- from barely hanging bones and skin still a healthy pink.
The mob marched on towards the castle. Towards the corpses. To save them or become one of them was still unclear. Perhaps they intended one, and it would become the other.
Sometimes...when traveling the Realms...we were met with tragedy. Devastation in a way few humans tolerated.
Darcy and I grew up on an estate. A grand, luxurious life. We wanted for nothing. Except, it seems, adventure. Look where it got us.
Darcy tapped my arm. A look between us confirmed the plan.
We leapt down from the trees. The mob continued on without pause. Darcy reached out, grabbing a man without a weapon.
"Hello there, good sir." Darcy bobbed her head. "Quick question. My sister's a bit stupid."
"Hey-"
"Yes and she's forgotten what we're fighting about. Can you share?" Darcy asked.
The man huffed. "We're fighting the king." He spat on the ground.
"Which king?"
"The only king!" The man repeated. "Vlad the Impaler."
"Ah." The bodies in front of the castle made that much more sense. "And he became king recently?"
"Slaughtered the royal family to do it!" The man snapped. "It was horrible. Their bodies were the first corpses he showed off! We've all stuck under his reign for three years!"
Darcy and I nodded along. It's not the first time we saw a new kingdom. It's the first time we saw a takeover this extreme. The idea wasn't new to us. The tutors shared lessons of old kings, of ancestors taking claim of the land we now ruled.
"It's not even the worst bit." The man grumbled.
"That's right! My sister forgot that too." Darcy patted my back. "Poor thing."
"Yep. That's me." I nodded, frowning in a show of confusion. "Totally forgot what Vlad the Impaler did."
The man scoffed, disgust all over his face. "He took them from our village- all of our villages. By the cart load. Some say that they were taken in the middle of the night- not a single sound made."
"They?" I asked.
"Our daughters. Our wives." Darcy tensed up. I froze- partly to feed the lie and partly genuine reaction. "He stole so many of them. My sister- taken from our home. She was collecting water."
"And Vlad took her?" I said. "He took all of them? Are they-"
"That's the worst of it. We don't know!" The man snapped. "None of them are on stakes. Nothing! They're just- gone. Some say he takes the women as wives. Others say it's to perfect his tortures. Me? I think there's only one reason a man takes a girl."
He rushed off then, chasing towards the castle the fight to come.
Darcy turned to me. Her eyebrow raised up, her smile smug and knowing. It enraged me. She was right.
"Fine! We'll help. Stop looking at me like that." I sighed, grumbling.
Darcy perked up.
"But we can't stay-"
"We'll take shifts." Darcy decided. "Reconnaissance. Spy from the trees. I'll watch the castle, and you can find the local villages to find how many girls are gone. That'll make it easy."
"Spy? How exactly do you think we'll help?" I asked.
Darcy laughed. "We're gonna kill him. Duh."
==BOL==
Storybrooke
Back at their house, Ava and Nicholas hid.
They couldn't hide very well. All of the things gifted to them, from the littlest toothbrush to the large sleeping bag, would need to be left behind. Maybe some of it would fit in their backpacks. Most of it would need to stay. They couldn't afford to waste the time.
Someone knocked on their door. The trap door.
Nicholas gasped. Ava held a finger, warning him to be quiet.
"If you want, I could open it myself." The woman's voice called out.
Ava glared. She marched over to the trap door. As she got there, it opened up. The woman stood there. A blonde woman- older than the first. Her eyes widened at seeing Ava.
"Emma, meet Ava and Nicholas." The woman introduced. 'Emma' continued to stare. "Ava, Nicholas, this is Sheriff Emma. She's gonna bring you to your dad."
That time, Ava gasped.
==BOL==
Enchanted Forest
Darcy blew out a breath. "Once again..no visuals of anyone. The windows are kept clear."
She twisted the telescope. It came to focus on another of the towers for the castle.
"Why would they be occupied?" Darcy mused to herself. "The castle defenses are solid enough."
The rebellion from the previous week showed that. Even from the tree line, the smell carried over.
"It's a thicker line of corpses to march through. Their brothers, fathers." Darcy mumbled. "They'd have to cut them down first."
The corpses spent a week roasting under the sun. Or, not exactly. The sun behaved oddly, Darcy noticed.
"The days aren't as long here." Darcy commented. She focused the telescope again. "Almost like it's winter time. But it's not cold enough. Maybe it's connected to the women- can't dismiss anything. Magic in other realms is weird than back at the-"
She stopped.
She focused the telescope again.
"...huh."
She closed the telescope. Darcy tucked it back into her pack. With another look towards the castle, she sighed. That place was disgusting. She could hardly wait to tear it apart.
"Great." Darcy began her climb down. "We've got a confirmed girl in the tallest tower. And she's weird."
==BOL==
"How weird?"
Darcy snickered.
"Hush." I glanced over to see our mother side eyeing us. "Be ladylike."
Darcy straightened up in her chair. Mother was giving us a lesson in embroidery. My sister and I preferred practical lessons. We excused this would make medical stitches easier.
To Mother, we seemingly returned from our riding lessons. She told the servants and Father as much. If she knew truly what we'd been up to, she kept quiet about it.
"Well?"
"Sorry, sister, I am trying to behave as a lady." Darcy replied. She raised the pitch of her voice, sounding all nasal and uppity.
It made me giggle.
"Girls." Our mother scolded.
"Sorry Mother." Darcy and I went back to our stitchings.
A moment of quiet.
Darcy leaned over. "Her hair." She whispered.
"Her...hair?" I whispered back.
"It was long-" Darcy made a show of switching out her color threads. She stretched out a long length- longer than necessary- of yellow. "-blonde hair. She could use them as curtains."
I blinked. "Are you sure?"
"Either her hair was too long, or the carpet was made of her old hair." Darcy replied. I blinked again. "It's long."
"Girls?" Mother spoke up.
"Yes Mother?" We perked up.
Mother nodded. "I will be out for a moment. We need more cloth to sow." She rose from her seat. Quiet as could be, she stepped out of my room.
We paused. Once sure of her absence, Darcy turned in her chair to better face me. "He's taken another girl. Or she's one of the old ones. What do we do?"
"It's only been a week. We can't be sure-"
"There is a girl. In that castle. In its tallest tower. And we still don't know why." Darcy reminded me.
"I know! Until we know, we can't take risks." I replied. "You know that."
All week, that's what my life has been. Darcy insisted at any opportunity that we go save the girls. There was, unfortunately, no sign of life. This girl was the first living person either of us have seen around Vlad's castle.
"We don't even know how to get in!"
"The basement." Darcy suggested.
I tilted my head. "Do you even know how to get inside?"
"No. But King Vlad does."
I gawked. "You are joking."
"No, think about it-"
"I did! It's stupid!"
"We play his game. We let ourselves be captured. Then, he's put us right next to all the other girls. Breaking out after that would be easy."
"If he captures them, and doesn't just kill them immediately."
"Then we use the windows!" Darcy guessed. "Nobody man's them. If we jumped from a tall enough tree-"
"They don't grow that close to the castle!"
"We storm the castle."
"No! We can't." I scolded. "Darcy, what is wrong with you? Each plan is more idiotic than the last! They'll get us killed before we can do anything to help!"
"It's better than doing nothing like the past week!" Darcy countered.
I hate that she was right
"If we stopped him last week, she wouldn't be in there going through who knows what. It's on us that she's there. It's on us to fix it." Darcy told me. "So tell me, Morgan of House Spencer, how are we going to save her?"
"...how long was her hair?"
==BOL==
Storybrooke
Emma leaned against the counter. She sighed.
I leaned beside her. "Mary Margaret, have I ever said how much I like your apartment?"
Mary Margaret politely smiled. "No, not that I remember."
"Well I do. It's gorgeous." I looked back, seeing the twins eating at the table. "Real sweet, like a fairytale house. Did it come like this, or-"
"Mary Beth."
"Right. Priorities." I nodded, solemn. "We need a good, solid plan to help these kids to their dad."
Emma glanced back at the kids, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Mary Margaret, do you know them? Do they go to your school?"
"I've seen them, but... I had no idea. None of us did." Mary Margaret replied.
Emma sighed. She opened a folder, showing it to the school teacher. "Ava and Nicholas Zimmer. They said their mother was a woman named Dory Zimmer. She died a few years ago."
"I could give an exact date, but that would only make you sad." I commented.
Emma gave me the thinnest of glares. "You're the only one that seems to remember her."
"Yeah. Sweet lady." I turned to Mary Margaret. "Do you have any bananas?"
"And the father?" Mary Margaret asked me.
"See, this is where problems come in." I shifted in my spot, fighting back the urge to check on the kids again. "They don't know him."
"What does uh-" Mary Margaret paused. She glanced at Emma before quickly looking away. "What does Social Services say?"
Emma and I blinked at her.
Mary Margaret widened her eyes. "You didn't report them."
"I report them, I can't help them. They go into the system." Emma reminded her.
"The system that's supposed to help." Mary Margaret told us.
"Yeah, the system I knew and was in for sixteen years." Emma argued. "Do you know what happens? They get thrown into homes where they are a meal ticket- nothing more. These families get paid for these kids and as soon as they're too much work, they get tossed out and it all starts over again."
"But they're not all like that." Mary Margaret told her.
"All the ones I was in." Emma countered.
"Which is why I've been leaving them care packages." I added. "Simple stuff they need to live. Foods, sleeping bags, the works."
"What? You're going to adopt them?" Mary Margaret asked.
My jaw clenched. "No. I'm 19, in this place. You need to be 21."
"So we're going to adopt them?"
"Emma adopting two kids that aren't Henry? Imagine the psychological damage!" I scolded Mary Margaret. "We're looking for their father. I've been searching for weeks. I needed Emma's help."
"And you think if he knows, he'll want them?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Definitely." I nodded. "Without a single doubt."
"We can't know that for sure." Emma reminded me. "All we do know is that it's hard enough finding foster families to take one kid that isn't theirs, let alone two."
"Uh, Emma-" I tried. My head jerked, trying to warn her about Ava.
"It's their best shot, or-"
"We're going to be separated?" Ava asked.
Emma turned. Ava stood beside us now. She stared up at Emma with watery eyes.
"No." I knelt beside her. "We'll find your dad. You aren't going to be separated. Emma, here, is a Savior. She gets things right."
"She does?" Ava turned to Emma. "You'll keep us from being separated?"
Emma stared at Ava, then at me. I smiled at her, beaming and bright and happy. Emma looked back at Ava. "Yes."
Ava sniffled. She rushed forward, pulling Emma in for a hug.
==BOL==
"I hate you for getting me into this." Emma said, as we walked into the station.
Laughing, I patted her shoulder. "Sure."
"I really, really am."
"Yeah, totally. I believe you." I cheerfully skipped across the room to my desk. Well, sort-of my desk. "Reuniting orphans with their lost parents- so not your style."
Emma sighed. "Alright. What have we got?"
"Well I've been trying to investigate for a few months now. Since you came to town and things started changing. Sadly, the birth certificate showed their father as 'unknown'. That got me thinking." I explained.
"Wait, how did you know it said that?"
I held up the file. "See, It got me thinking why hide his name-"
Emma deadpanned. "You took it. I thought it was Regina."
"What?!" I stood upright. Regina. She thought it was Regina. In the show, whenever she thought it was Regina, she confronted Regina. And in this exact episode, she did just that. By coincidence, Regina admitted it was her. But this time it wasn't her. It was me.
After all my work to keep Regina from finding out? Following the kids, keeping them off her radar? Stopping them from being arrested this morning for shoplifting, for getting Henry involved and thus Regina involved? All that work, Emma undoes it by making an assumption.
She's so much like her parents. I hate it.
"Well who else would try and keep kids from their parents?" Emma asked.
I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it
I hate that Emma is right. Because it is exactly what Regina did in the Enchanted Forest. She is right and I hate that she is right.
"She's a heartless person, I know." I replied. "But you should've come to me!"
"Right. I should go to the lady that hid two homeless kids for months." Emma snarked.
I stopped and stared. "Because if Regina found out, she'd separate them!"
Emma winced. "Look, I don't like it either, I of all people know what it's like for them-"
"No. No you- you shut up!" I snapped. Emma's eyes widened. "You have no idea what they are going through. You lost two people you never even met. They are about to lose a person they have known their entire life. The person that has been there their entire life- since before they even had life! This is not losing a parent, this is not losing a child, this is about losing a sibling- your twin. You, Emma Swan, will never understand that pain. Do not ever pretend to understand that again."
"Hey. You've right. I don't understand. But I understand being without a parent. That's something those kids need." Emma scolded. "Not somebody helping them hide."
My lips pulled back in a snarl. She's so annoying I hate her. Darcy was a better partner.
She would've checked with me first before doing something so stupid.
Okay she wouldn't. But only because she knows when she gets caught, I kick her ass!
"Watch it-"
"And you don't understand what they've been through either!" Emma snapped. "You had parents, and I bet they loved you! If I don't understand them, neither do you!"
Thirty years as orphans. Heh. I understand that. I understand that better than Emma does. I understand it better than she ever will. Maybe, and on some levels I understand it better than Hansel and Gretel do. Because all three of them had parents to look for. I had parents to run from. That's always a lot harder. At least dead parents don't try to drag you back home to a life of misery.
If there was a chance to give a kid a better life than I had, with parents that actually gave a damn about their kids' happiness, I'll take it. And if that meant fucking up the plot, then I'll fucking take that too.
"No I don't." I said, just to be a bitch.
Predictably, Emma's face twisted. Her scornful stare changed. Gone was the little crinkle in her eyebrows that came with her frustration and rage, instead came the raising of her off blonde eyebrows.
Her superpower rang true once again.
Because, it has a small little tiny loophole. For even if Emma believes otherwise, it still will say I'm lying. Maybe that will convince her I'm right and she's wrong. Maybe it'll convince her to ask different questions- questions that will lead to us fixing this problem instead of causing new problems.
Or maybe, best of all, they will do a little to prove the curse is real.
"I don't understand losing your twin." I kept going. I hoped that this would make her shut up, so that I could get some words in that could help these kids.
She called me out on the parent thing. No as, if's, or butts. She was right. Granted, that's just for me personally. I'm sure my parents back home genuinely believe they love me. On the other hand, Mary Beth had a tragic backstory that made me jealous. As far as the memories I am getting show, she had an overbearing father and a dead mother.
Regina was just being a bitch when giving Mary Beth a backstory of dead parents- or maybe she was laying in the groundwork to get rid of me if I became too much of a bother. It was a very good plan. Can't wait to see if she actually does it.
For now, I just need to convince Emma that I'm telling the truth. (Actually I need to convince her that I'm lying. And then she'll believe me about the truth).
"Am I lying?" I asked.
"You believe it-"
"Am. I. Lying?" I asked. "Because if your super power only works if the person believes they are telling the truth, then everyone has that super power. You can either tell when I'm lying or you can't. So I'll ask again: am I lying?"
Emma bit the inside of her cheek. An interesting habit. She brushed back locks of bright blonde hair. "Can you prove it?"
I tilted my head. Ah, a decent question for once. "It's not in Henry's book. If it were, Regina would've rubbed in my face every chance she got. In other words, nobody in town would remember."
"So you can't."
I can. I can open up my phone right now and call Darcy and she will answer. I could pull up pictures on my phone. I could show off the necklace I have that says big sis.
Will she accept any of those answers?
Can I explain any of those to a Storybrooke backstory that I have no control over? Short answer: no. Long answer: no with a fuck you, Regina, do some research on people when you curse them with a fake life.
"How about this: a bargain."
"A bargain."
"Oh, haven't you heard? Death loves bargains. Deals of a different kind."
"I thought that was the devil." She deadpanned.
"I've been called worse." I replied. "Here's the bargain: If I get these kids to their father, using my own methods, then you believe me about my twin and without questions asked."
"And if you don't?" Emma asked. "What if I get them to their home, without your methods?"
"What do you want from me?" I offered.
Emma considered it. My offer was better than Gold's. He offered a vague deal, to call up on any time without Emma's approval. I at least was giving her some agency. She got to choose her fate. And when I am in a kinder mood, I'll probably give it to her anyway.
"I wanna know about them. The twin." Emma stated.
Curiouser and curiouser "It's a blank card you can use to ask me for anything you want whenever you want. You can ask about Gold, about what happened to my parents. Hell you can even ask why I am a mortician and an ME at my age. And you wanna know about her?"
Emma gave a small helpless shrug. "If I asked about those things, would you tell me the truth?"
"Would you trust your superpower if I did?" I countered.
Emma considered it. "Yes."
I smiled at her. This is something I would gladly give. And I would deny it if Darcy ever asked. "Okay. Bargain struck."
Emma nodded. "Okay. So, let's start. How are you going to find their father?"
At that, I handed Emma the file. "Like I said, the father came up as 'unknown'. It got me thinking. Why would a mother hide a name on a birth certificate? Not for her sake, but-"
"For his." Emma reasoned. "He doesn't know."
"Exactly. But, back then, she was sick. A slow, painful death. Plenty of time to reconcile your problems. She knows she'll eventually die. Either her kids get thrown into the system, or they meet their father. They don't know who he is, or they would've gone to him by now. Leads me to think the mom left something of the dad with the twins."
"You think they've held onto it. That she gave it to the kids to lead them to him?" Emma asked.
I nodded. "And soon as I realized that, I knew I needed to get close. So: care packages."
"You've been at it for weeks. What do you have?" Emma's green eyes looked up at me. None of the strong feelings of anger or annoyance that had been present since Graham died.
"I've got you." I replied. "The only other person in this town that knows what it's like to look for your parents."
Emma stared at the file, contemplative.
==BOL==
New Realm
Darcy eventually convinced me to go back to this new realm. The time we arrived was late in the day. The sun long since had set. The sky was a dark black- barely anything to be seen. To keep from being spotted, Darcy and I dressed in dark black clothes with hoods to hide our faces. We followed a path by memory. Moonlight helped as well.
The castle still stood in the distance. Flames shone around it. Different, again. Something seemed off again about this place. I couldn't put my finger on it yet.
Darcy and I made it to the castle. Though the walls were defended by a rolling patrol of guards, there was a small gap in there patrol of 30 seconds. We hid on the ground, silently counting until that time came.
Together we scaled the wall and leapt across. The guards took no notice. We jumped into a window. The walls were dark and gloomy, everything either a dark shade of red or black. The fires barely helped, with their white light over it all.
"Which way?" I whispered.
Darcy nodded her head to the right. "Tallest tower. It's this way." She snuck off. I followed behind, keeping my steps quiet and ladylike.
The stairs were easy to find. There were no other rooms in this tower, just a long winding staircase. We made our way to the top. There was no door to lead into the room, it was a wooden scuttle door held to the stone by heavy iron. A lock as well, obviously.
Darcy and I hummed at it, intrigued.
"We have the-?"
"Yeah I got it." Darcy brought out the lockpick kit. She brought it to the lock. "The land without magic is an amazing place."
"It really is." I nodded, agreeing.
The lock fell. I caught it, keeping the noise from attracting guards.
Darcy and I hefted the latch up. We looked around for any person. Nobody was in sight. All I could see was a large golden carpet.
Wait. No. Not carpet. What was this?
"Morgan. Is that-?" Darcy began.
"Hair." I confirmed. "It's long, golden hair."
==BOL==
Storybrooke
"Mary Beth!"
I jolted. "Hmm?" Emma stared at me, confused. "Sorry. Nostalgic- twin stuff."
Before Emma or I could move, Henry arrived at the station. "Any luck?"
"We think we have a lead." Emma told him.
"I do too!" Henry held up the storybook. "I know who they are. They're brother and sister, lost, no parents- Hansel and Gretel."
"Anything in there about their dad?" Emma asked.
"Just that he abandoned them." Henry answered. I hummed. "Wait, do you know something else?"
"He wants them. Magic is keeping them apart. They can't have their happy ending." I told Henry.
Henry sighed, shaking his head. "The Evil Queen again. He's here though, right?" I nodded.
"Just how do you know that?" Emma asked. "You said you don't know who he is."
"Not his curse self in Storybrooke, no." I shook my head. "Back there, he was a woodsman. Nice guy. Besides, the curse won't let him leave. Nobody in, nobody out."
"I came here." Emma pointed out.
"Because you're special. You're the first stranger here- ever." Henry explained.
"Right- I forgot." Emma put away the file I'd given her. "Well, if he's around here anywhere, I'm going to find him."
"Can you tell me about him?" Henry asked.
"I don't know anything yet. We'd need to-" Emma said.
"Not their father- mine." Henry said.
Emma paused.
"I suddenly have work to do. In another room. That's not this one." I stood up, scampering off.
To respect their privacy, I went out into the nearby hallway. The vending machine covered up any sounds of conversation. Besides, I already saw this conversation. There's not much else I want to know from it.
Sure enough, I only waited a few minutes. Emma scurried away without even looking at me. "Come on. I have an idea for the twins." She went out towards her Bug.
Henry came by, beaming. "Hey Mary Beth! My dad was a firefighter!"
I nodded at him. "Wow...awesome, H-man." My hand went up for him. Henry slapped it. As he rushed off after his mom I sighed.
Great. I wonder what stories Rumplestiltskin's dad said about me.
Was I a hero too, or a coward who ran away?
==BOL==
Emma drove us back to Mary Margaret's. Ava and Nicholas were reading books when we found them. Emma brought them over to the dining room table. As they sat down, she went over to her little bedroom nook.
I watched, smiling fondly. Henry watched from over my shoulder.
Emma brought over a box, full of items. She placed it on the table. "I want to show you guys something." She brought her baby blanket out.
"What's that?" Nicholas asked.
"It's my baby blanket." Emma held up the white and purple knit blanket. Her fingers traced over her name, stitched on the one corner. "It's something I've held onto my whole life. That's the only thing that I have from... From my parents. I've spent a lot of time with a lot of kids in your situation, and all of them-" She glanced at me, at my encouraging smile and Henry behind me. "-all of us- we held onto stuff."
My necklace warmed up. A peculiar thing, as currently it was tucked away in my Bag for safety. One of the only objects between my sister and I, hidden to keep her safe.
"I want to find your father, but I need your help. Is there anything of his you've held onto?" Emma asked the twins.
Ava glanced away from Emma and I. "I might have something. But if I give it to you, you'll make sure we stay together, right?"
"We promise." I assured her. No way was I letting Regina win today. Even if it meant that I got close to the town line, she's not winning today.
Ava reached into her pocket. She held up a copper compass on a copper chain. She showed it to us.
"A beautiful compass." I accepted the object. "You took good care of it."
Ava looked away, but a proud smile was on her face. "Our mom kept it. She said it was our dad's."
"Thank you." Emma nodded.
"Did you find them?" Ava asked.
"Who?" Emma replied.
"Your parents." Ava explained.
Emma's hand tightened on her blanket. "Not yet. But I'm going to find yours."
==BOL==
New Realm
Darcy pushed the latch up. I climbed into the room. Then, I reached for the hair.
Yes, it was indeed hair. Golden yellow hair that stretched out and out around the room. I tried to trace it back to the source. But it was long.
Darcy stood beside me. "Hair. Is it magic, or science?"
"Unsure." I knelt down, touching the hair. It was soft, well cared for. Someone maintained this hair. That might be the result of magic. "It's partly magical in nature. If it's magically grown or natural, I couldn't say."
The hair moved in my hand.
I jumped back. Darcy caught me, keeping me from tripping on the latch door. "It's moving."
"It's moving, yeah." Darcy spoke in the same sort of terrified-but-refusing-to-be-emotional tone as me. "Moving hair. That's magic for sure."
"It is." A new female voice spoke.
Darcy and I whirled around. The latch door slammed shut. A woman in a gray dress stood across from us. Golden hair came from her head, stretching down to the floor and spreading out to the rest of it. She held a lock in her hands, tightening them as she glared at us with big gray eyes.
"Magic, I mean." The woman raised her hair like a whip, casting it out. Darcy and I dodged it.
"Awesome!"
"Peculiar!" I rolled on the ground, rolling over some of her hair. "Is this the girl you've seen?!"
"Yes!" Darcy replied.
I ducked, barely avoiding anything swing of the hair whip. "Did you know about the hair?!"
Darcy dodged another hit. This woman was sending out whips to us both. "No!"
"Everyone knows about my hair!" The woman snapped. She threw more attacks. I jumped behind a couch, hiding there. "Don't lie to me! It's why I'm in this tower, because of rapscallions and thugs like you!"
"Do we look like thugs?" Darcy called out.
"You broke into my tower!"
"Okay so yes we look like thugs- ow!"
I leapt up.
The woman had my sister by the throat. Darcy pulled at the hair, only being yanked down to her knees.
I pulled my hood back, holding my hands up. "No! Don't hurt her, please!"
The woman turned to look at me, still holding tight to my sister. She paused as she could finally look at my face. "Why not?"
"She's my sister. Please, we're only here to help you." I promised her. "Help, not hurt."
Darcy tried to yank at the hair again. The woman stared at her, thoughtful. She pulled her hair. Darcy choked. "Yep! Helping!"
The woman turned to me again. Her gray eyes squinted at me. "Do you promise? You can't make a promise if you don't mean it."
"Cross my heart!" I pleaded. "Please let her go."
The woman and I stared at each other. I tried to express feelings, to let her see my emotions. She needed to believe my truth. My sister meant more to me than anybody else. Even if it meant hurting the very person we came to save, I would do it. But if my sister got hurt, that would devastate me.
I waited, tense as a bowstring.
The woman continued to stare.
Darcy coughed.
The woman let go.
Darcy fell to the ground. I ran to her side, helping her upright.
"Are you alright?" I asked, pushing her hood back. Then I could check her neck for any injuries.
Darcy coughed. "Ugh. No. Just got choked by hair."
I brushed my hand on her head, holding it in my hands so she could look at me. "You're fine. Stop complaining."
Darcy snorted, then winced. "Ow." I giggled.
The woman watched us. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Darcy and I looked at her. "We're from out of town, yeah. I'm Morgan, and this is my sister, Darcy. We saw you stuck in the tower so we decided to help you." I explained. As I did, I helped Darcy back to her feet.
The woman started gathering up her hair. I tensed up, carefully stepping in front of Darcy to protect her. "My hair is magic, yes. Magic comes with...side effects. My hair- well it glows when I sing."
"When you...sing?" I repeated.
The woman nodded. "Yes."
"Does that make sense?" Darcy whispered to me.
"It's...possible? It's an old form of spellcasting, using her hair instead of a wand or staff." I replied. "It's odd but doable."
Darcy sighed. "I love magic. It's so crazy, every time."
"Why does your hair glow when you sing?" I asked her. "What is it doing?"
"I- My name is Rapunzel. Years ago, there was this magical flower made of pure sunlight." She began. "It could heal, and give people a longer life. My mother- the former queen- she got sick. They gave her the flower. It cured her, and when I was born my hair-" She gestured to the golden locks.
"All the magic from the flower went into you." I reasoned.
Rapunzel nodded.
"Vlad discovered my magic when I was small. He killed my parents, and took over my home. He built a whole tower to keep me away from the world. It makes the King younger, and healthy. As he brushes my hair and I sing, it restores him. If I'm not here to do this, he'll go back to taking girls from the villages." She explained.
"For what? Did all the girls have magic hair?" Darcy asked.
"No. He'd drain them of their blood to drink it. Their youth would be gifted to him." Rapunzel replied.
"So the other girls are dead." I said, calmly nodding. Damn. A foolish hope to think they were still alive, but I wanted to believe it anyway.
"Gifted." Darcy nodded along. "Right. That old wife's tail. Completely fake."
"It's the loss of life that did the magic, not the blood."
"Well technically-"
"The blood being spilled did nothing. Bathing in a virgin's blood is as useless as wishing on an eyelash."
"Mainly because the blood needs to be from a virgin of spellcasting, not of sex."
"Yes. People kept getting that part wrong. I think it was a mistake in translation."
"Men tend to do that, yeah." Darcy grinned at a flabbergasted Rapunzel. "But not with you. This magic, it works on him? Makes him young?"
"Y-Yes?" Rapunzel looked between my sister and I. "Sorry. It's- when you said you could help me, can you make it stop? It's getting worse."
"We noticed." I said, thinking back on the angry crowd. "Riots aren't exactly a-"
Rapunzel shook her head. "No. I mean the side effects."
"Side effects? Being trapped in a tower isn't already a bad side effect?" Darcy asked.
Then, I started looking around the room. At the objects placed around, at the furniture, at even the tapestries on the walls. Little things on our journey into this place suddenly became clearer to me.
"Because your eyes are the first time I've seen the color blue in a year." Rapunzel said.
Darcy gawked. She turned to me. "...what."
"Sunlight. Her magic hair comes from sunlight." I realized. "Colors are just a refraction of that light. So every time Vlad uses it on himself-"
"This world's colors dull out." Darcy reasoned. "And purple is the weakest on the spectrum, so it's out first. Next would be blue-"
"The sky hasn't been cloudy. It's been gray-"
"But the trees! They've been-" Darcy paused. "Brown. We wouldn't have noticed that change because this land is having winter."
"Our trees went gray and brown last week. Along with my eyes." Rapunzel admitted. "They were green."
"Three years, then one, and right now. They're closer together. You'll lose all of them before long." I reasoned. "If the color goes out, there's no telling what that would mean to the magic in your hair. If that's not feasible, Vlad will go back to stealing girls from the villages. No wonder there were riots."
Rapunzel nodded. "Can you please help us?"
I looked at Darcy. Already, her blue eyes burned for a fight. Dealing with Vlad was the only way out of this. Either that or we save Rapunzel, and thus lead all the villages to lose their daughters. That's not an option I am willing to give.
"Will we?" I asked her.
Darcy nodded. She put her hands on her hips, grinning confidently at Rapunzel. "We'll save you, and your realm from him. Tonight."
Rapunzel fell to her knees. A smile on her face, tears pouring from her gray eyes. "Thank you. Thank you."
Darcy and I quickly exchanged a look.
"Lower levels?" I offered. If he kept her tower so far away from it all, it might mean he sleeps far away from her. A sign he's in denial of his own weakness, or of just things in general. Or he's in the dungeon torturing villagers from the riots.
Darcy nodded. "You're around the tower?"
Makes sense. As much as he hates his own weakness to turn to this magic, he still acknowledges it as a need. Being closer to the tower would give him better access to her. There's only one room here, so to decrease the amount he has to walk.
The chances are around...hmmm...carry the one...divide by that..maybe...
"Yes." This way, I'm more at risk than her.
Together, we went back to the latch closing us off.
"Please, Morgan and Darcy! Please save us!"
==BOL==
Darcy checked the lowest level she could reach. While staying close to Rapunzel made sense normally, it was too late in the day. He would've already gotten his dose of magic. There was another riot yesterday so clearly the man had new prisoners to torture.
She snuck her way towards the dungeons. With each step, she noticed the things she hadn't before. The walls were gray. Before her very eyes, the yellow flames became a pure white. Tapestries held only red. Everything else was a different shade of gray, or black.
But the bodies outside stayed a fleshy pink. The sick bastard probably enjoyed that. In showing off that even if colors were vanishing, he could still show off his way of handling prisoners.
The dungeons weren't even locked. Vlad considered his palace too secure for that, it seems.
Darcy paused. Then why lock up Rapunzel? Why leave the basement open for any to come and go as they pleased? Because why would anyone enter a room with him?
She pushed the door open. Quiet as the air, she entered the dungeons. The things she found down there made her freeze in panic.
Another reason the door was unlocked? This wasn't the dungeon. It's where he kept the bodies.
Girls. Girls of all ages. From the youngest of girls to maidens Darcy's age. Nothing more than bones, all fallen to the stone floor. The only signs were bloodied gray dresses thrown about, and the skulls still attached to the chains.
Darcy growled. She snuck further into the space, keeping her steps silent.
In her pursuit, she missed a small door beside the bottom of the stairs. The door silently opened. A man dressed in heavy black leathers stepped out from them. Reaching at his side, he grabbed a curved sort of sword. A kilij, to be more precise.
He approached Darcy.
==BOL==
Storybrooke
Gold's sign hung above our heads.
"I could go in." I offered her. "If you wanted to avoid him."
Emma braced herself, shaking her head. "No. I'm not afraid of him." She walked in without pausing in her steps.
Gold stood at his counter. He smiled politely at us both. "Emma. How lovely to see you. Doctor Mary Beth, a pleasure as well. I'm flattered you'd take time off your busy schedule for me." He got a polite wave from me. Emma kept walking to him. "What could I do for you, Sheriff?"
"I'm looking for information on this old compass. Any idea where it could have come from?" Emma held it up for him.
Mr Gold glanced over at me. "Well, well. Look at the detail. Mary Beth, have you seen it?"
"I have." Even though my memories lately were all for Darcy and Vlad the Impaler and a Realm turning Black and White, the story of Hansel and Gretel came and went. I'd done nothing. The Blind Witch came to the Underworld, yes. She decided to stay if only because she wanted to bake in peace. Also, Muerte apparently helped get her sight back. That was nice, I thought. A nice little bakery from the Blind Witch. Muerte thought the croissants were really good. "Could do with a cleaning."
Gold chuckled. "Yes. You know, this is crystal. This jeweled setting... In spite of the rather unfortunate shape it's in, this is actually a very unusual piece. The person who owned this obviously had great taste."
"So who bought it from you?" I asked.
Emma eyed me. "What?"
"He never praises people like that, unless he's actually talking about himself." I replied. "Who bought it from you?"
Gold grinned, but held back from preening. If he were in his Dark One form, he definitely would preen like a peacock. "A piece like this is difficult to forget."
"Do you remember who bought it or not?" Emma asked.
"Well, I'm good with names, Miss Swan, but maybe not that good. However, as luck would have it, I do keep quite extensive records." Gold walked over to his file cabinet. Reaching inside, he sorted through a large amount of cards and such. He pulled one out, staring at it. "And... Yes, here we are."
"What's it gonna cost me?" I asked.
Gold shook his head. "Not you." He looked at Emma.
Emma took a breath. "What's your price?"
"Forgiveness." Gold asked.
"How about tolerance?" Emma bargained.
"Well, that's a start." Gold conceded. "The compass was purchased by a Mr Michael Tillman."
"Anything else?" Emma asked.
"Just a name. But I generally find that's all that one needs." Gold explained.
Emma started walking away. I followed after her, giving Gold a wave. "Good job, Gold!"
"Good luck with your investigation."
"We don't need luck. We've got skill." J snorted, following Emma out the door. "That's way better than luck."
==BOL==
Land Without Most Colors
A man hissed.
Darcy whirled around. Vlad jumped out at her, fangs extended. Darcy reacted fast. She jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a blow.
She stood, slipping into another fighting stance. Her opponent grinned.
"You must be new around here. None of the peasants are stupid enough to enter my palace."
"Lord Vlad, I assume?"
"I am the King!" He spat.
Darcy grinned. She reached in her pockets, pulling out two daggers. "For now. Let's see how tough that immorality is."
Vlad leapt at her. The rapier high in his grasp.
As Darcy sliced at his arms, right on the tendons, Vlad aimed for her sides. Darcy barely avoided them. Her avoidance made her open for a very specific kind of blow.
Teeth tore in flesh.
Darcy yelled. She stumbled. She glared up at Vlad.
He chuckled. Her blood dripped from his chin. "You cannot...rid...this realm...of me."
Darcy spat at him. "I can try."
"I can never be cleansed from this land!" Vlad warned her. "I will always be a part of it. With every color that fades, they are reminded that I command them! It can never be undone."
"Maybe." Darcy prepared for another attack. "But I'm gonna kill you anyway."
Vlad slashed his sword. Darcy leapt at him. Her knife dug into his side. Vlad flipped his sword around.
Darcy choked. Vlad chuckled.
She used a second blade, stabbing up under his chin and slashing his throat. Vlad gasped, letting go of his sword. It stayed stuck in Darcy's back.
A scream came from behind them. Morgan. Oh no.
==BOL==
Storybrooke
I flinched, shooting upright in the seat.
Emma reached over. Her hand on my shoulder, pushing me back into the seat. "Hey, what's wrong?"
I blinked, panting. The image stayed in my head. Darcy, bleeding, a sword dripping her blood. The large man above her with an open neck. My sister, swaying where she stood. Her slow turn towards me. Vlad's blood was black. Darcy bled red.
My sister was bleeding.
Bleeding-
I shook my head. "Bad memories." Emma watched me still, her hand not leaving my shoulder. The touch grounded me to the here and now. Maybe her magic as the Savior, maybe because she never visited any other realm. It's not clear nor does it matter. It worked, so that's what counts. "Ready to pick up the dad?"
"Are you sure you're okay?" Emma asked again.
I eyed her. "What?"
"The bad memory. Did you-" Emma shifted in her spot. "Did you want to...talk...about- about it?"
From the sound of it, Emma would have an easier time pulling out my teeth. "No. Why curious?"
"Because you were staring out the window the past ten minutes, and came out of it freaking out in my car." Emma replied.
"It's fine."
"Clearly not. If you can't help me on this case-"
"I can help. Why are you saying I can't help?"
It was only a stab wound. Darcy walked away from worse. Hell, she's gotta still be alive. There are memories of her existing after that. She can't die then. She can't. I won't allow it. Now, or then.
"You're freaking out again."
"Because you won't let me explain my totally awesome plan." Pulling out my phone, I searched for Michael's workplace. Emma didn't need to know it'd been saved there for weeks. "Our bargain was you'd let me try."
Emma paused. She stared at me in that assessing way she did. Using her superpower to detect the truth- not just my truth, what I believed to be true. She needed to check that it was true. Her magic must've confirmed, because she reclined back in her seat. "I did. What's your idea?"
"We're going to Mary Margaret's, first, to get the kids ready." I explained. "They'll have a part in it."
Emma put the car back in drive. She turned us towards her apartment, still driving. As I tried to sort my new memories out, we drove in silence. "Do we even know if he's a good father?"
"In my experience, working with him in the police department, he's great." I replied.
"He works for us?" Emma asked. "I haven't seen him."
"He's the only towing guy in town." I told her. "Any time a car got booted or in an accident, Michael was the one called to take it to his shop. He's a good guy."
"But what's the actual plan?" Emma asked. "You've not said it yet."
"Because it needs to be dramatic, and big." I replied. "So big and dramatic that he has no other choice but to take the kids in."
"How?" Emma asked.
"It's a little underhanded, and we'll be lying to him for a minute. But it's our best bet." I told her. Plus, it ensured that Regina couldn't interfere. Or that her time to interfere was limited. "Here, pull over."
"But we're not at Mary Margaret's?" Emma pointed out.
"We need to be inside, the car doesn't." I countered.
Emma, confused, still pulled over.
We climbed out of the car.
"So far your plan isn't that big or dramatic." Emma deadpanned.
"Brilliance takes time, Sheriff." I told her. "Now let's get the twins. We need them in the backseat."
"Why?" I blinked at her. Emma huffed as she put it all together. My, she's fast. "We're calling him for a tow, only we don't need one. We just want him to see his kids."
I smiled at her. "Oh, you're so clever. Can I keep you around?"
"He might not want them."
"You did." I reminded her. "When Henry showed up for you."
Emma's face twitched into a frown. "That's different."
"Yes." I stepped around the car, closer to Emma. My words were lowered, to keep from attracting any attention from passersby. "Henry spent his whole life being told by Regina why you weren't around. The twins probably got similar stories about their dad. Maybe that he was a soldier, or a cop, maybe a fireman."
Emma winced. "He told you."
"I can't tell if you picked 'fireman' because it's a dangerous job, or because you just saved someone from a fire." I slide my hands in my pockets, watching her reactions.
Emma sighed. She crossed her arms over her chest. "He wanted to know. What was I supposed to say? His father's no real hero, and trust me- he does not need to know the real story."
"Okay." You gave birth to him in jail in a crime where you had no accomplice. I can believe that the story is fucking tragic. "It's not my place to say what you should have said or done. I've got no idea what that past is. But I do know, Emma, that the truth always comes out. And eventually, when that comes, you need to be prepared for that."
"He won't find out. His dad doesn't even know he exists." Emma replied, defensive and tense and green eyes glaring at me.
I stood my ground, despite how much I wanted to reach over and hug the poor woman. "He'll find out."
"Are you going to tell him?" Emma snapped.
"And ruin your relationship with him? I would rather chew glass." I promised. "I'm worried about what it'll do to him, and to you. Lying to him is a big deal for you. Will you be able to maintain the lie you created?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
"I said yes. I can handle it."
"I know you did."
Emma huffed. She turned away from me, taking a moment to herself. "I can handle it."
"I'll be here if that ever changes. Or Mary Margaret can help." I offered her, because at that moment that's all I could give.
Emma nodded. She stood on the sidewalk, watching the building she lived in. She needed this, really. More chances of being affirmed and aware that people supported her. From her own mother, and from others outside of that family unit. Friends mattered just as much as family. Friends like Jiminy, Red, and so on. People like that mattered.
It mattered to me, and my sister. If we had more friends, maybe things would be different. Instead, we stayed lonely little girls with only each other. Even in this universe, my family was ripped from me and I don't even know if I have them back. I don't know if it even wants me back. My actions could help somebody avoid my fate.
Emma needs to avoid that fate. If she can, maybe there's hope for Darcy and I.
"I'll call Michael." I offered. "Can you get the kids from Margaret?"
"Fine." Emma started to walk away.
Out of nowhere, Regina appeared. My hand moved to my side, resting just barely inside my Bag.
"Sheriff, Doctor Spencer." Regina greeted. Her smile was wide and red, but her dark eyes never failed to fill me up with spiteful determination. "Shouldn't you be on the interstate?"
"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, snippy and annoyed.
"Seeing to it that you do your job." Regina replied, being a smug bitch.
"You know, you don't have to check up on me. I know what I have to do." Emma said.
"Really? Because those kids are supposed to be in Boston tonight." Regina reminded her, frowning but her eyes glimmered with delight.
"Why?" I asked, blocking Emma from Regina. I held up my phone, showing off my email app. "I already emailed them that we'll be behind."
"There's no need for that, Doctor Spencer." Regina said. "Because Sheriff Swan can make the trip."
"Yes, but that's a two, three hour drive there, hours spent making sure the kids are settled and case transferred properly, and then another three hours back. Not taking into account stops for gas, that the kids need sleep, and that we'll be without law enforcement for approximately eight hours." I rattled off information. "I explained to the officials there that things needed to be settled and arranged before we could send the kids over."
Regina's jaw clenched. "We can survive for one day without a sheriff."
"Now, you and I both know that's not true." I told her. Regina narrowed her eyes. "A lot more goes on at the Sheriff office than you are aware, Madame Mayor. Maybe you should leave this work to the professionals, and go back to doing your job. Trust us to do our's."
Regina huffed, scoffing. "Don't count on it." She glared again at Emma. "I don't care what she said. Take them to Boston, Sheriff." She turned on her heels, practically stomping away from us.
Emma watched her go. "Did you really email them?"
"Yes." I held up the phone. "But I said we found their father and he accepted parental rights. Ready to prove me right? Or, beat Regina in a fight?"
"Definitely." Emma walked over to the apartment. "And Mary Beth?"
"Yes, Sheriff Swan?"
"Thanks. For not telling him." Emma said.
"I'll take the hit if you can." I reminded her. Though my trust for her went a long way, and my ability to take damage, it wouldn't matter at all if Emma wasted the chances. "Plan a time to fix it, or it gets planned for you."
==BOL==
Land Without Most Colors
Darcy grunted in pain.
"Shut up." I snapped.
"It's my stab wound! Just leave it!" Darcy mumbled.
"Your outfit is barely holding the blood in. Stop wasting air." I ordered.
Darcy, grumbling, obeyed.
We climbed the rest of the way to the Tower. Rapunzel opened the door. She gasped at seeing us.
"She's hurt!" Rapunzel reached down.
Together, we lifted Darcy into her chambers. I laid my sister out on one of the couches. Her bag held a lot of medical equipment. As she bled on Rapunzel's couch, I pulled out cleaning materials.
Darcy tried to push my hands away.
"You found Vlad?!" Rapunzel yelped. She looked down the way we came. "Is he-"
"I killed him." Darcy promised her. She hissed. "No warning?!"
"No time." I replied, wiping the wound clean. No infection would take her later. "Turn over."
Darcy snorted.
"Turn over!"
"Lady Morgan, it's a fatal blow." Rapunzel pointed out to me. "Something like this, it'll kill her."
"Don't say that!" I snapped at her.
"It's true!" Darcy chuckled. Her bloody hand reached for mine. She squeezed as tight as she could. I returned her grip, but held tighter. "I'm about to die, and we both know it! Sorry, Morgan, but you'll have to get used to a life without me. No more baby sister dragging you down."
"You never dragged me down." I promised her. "And there's a way to fix you. I know there is."
"There's no way." Darcy shook her head.
"No! I can't- I can't lose you!" I pleaded. Darcy smiled at me. It dug in my chest, as if I'd been stabbed. I would prefer it. Why her? It should've been me. She was the better one, the braver one, the sister that deserved a life. All I was good for was using a hat. Look where it got me. "Please, no."
Darcy squeezed my hand again.
Golden hair fell over our hands. Rapunzel came, squeezing tight.
"Flower, gleam and glow-"
==BOL==
Storybrooke
I leaned on the bug. Emma sat beside me. Ava and Nicholas sat in the backseat, waiting.
Michael stared at us. "Not possible."
"Actually, it is." Emma replied.
"Well, I'm sorry, but Dory- she wasn't my, um... It was just once." Michael insisted.
"That's all it takes." I reminded him. I really hope the Curse memories just gave everyone a terrible understanding of human biology, and that they were a lot smarter in the Enchanted Forest. It would be an accurate look at our public education system.
"I met her when I was camping and we, um... No. It's not possible. I don't have twins." Michael shook his head.
"Yes, you do. You have twins that have been homeless ever since their mother passed away. You have twins who have been living in an abandoned house because they don't want to be separated from each other. You have twins who are about to be shipped off to Boston, unless you step up and take responsibility for them." Emma told him.
"Look- I can barely manage that garage. I can't manage two kids. And why are you so sure they're mine?" Michael asked.
I held up the compass. It kept pointing at him, shaking and twitching despite anyone with a brain knowing that north didn't go that way.
Michael focused on it.
"You lost it, a long time ago." I told him. "Didn't you?"
Michael nodded, still staring at it.
"I know it's a lot- believe me, I know. A month ago, a kid showed up on my doorstep- I gave up for adoption- asking for help with...something. And I ended up moving here for him." Emma assured.
"I heard about that- it's the Mayor's son. But staying in town is... It's a lot different than taking him in." Michael pointed out.
"I don't have my kid because I don't have a choice. You do." Emma stepped forward, lowering her voice to keep the kids from hearing. "Those kids did not ask to be brought into this world. You brought them into this world- you and their mother. And they need you. And if you choose not to take them, you are going to have to answer for that every day of your life. And sooner or later, when they find you- because believe me, they will find you- you're going to have to answer to them."
Michael stared past her shoulder, seeing them in the backseat.
"Those are them?" Michael asked.
"We figured we would skip the wait." I said. "Ava and Nicholas are due in Boston. If you mean no, we'll get in the car and take them away. Mayor's orders."
"You would need to see them." Emma added. "Just once."
Michael looked away from the kids, instead staring at Emma and I. He even ignored the compass still in my outstretched hand.
"I didn't think I could do it either." Emma admitted. "I gave up Henry 'cause I wanted to give him his best shot. When I saw he didn't have it, I couldn't leave. I was just as scared- more, probably. But once I saw him, got to know him, I couldn't go back."
Michael walked towards the bug. He didn't spare us a glance. He focused back on his kids. "You said you were taking them? To Boston?"
"We don't have to." I reminded him.
Michael looked at the compass, pointed at him still, and then looked at his kids. Ava and Nicholas stared back at us, eyes wide and big and you could see fear and hope written all over their faces. Even through the Curse, their relief was powerful.
"No." Michael started walking. He took the compass from my hand. "You don't."
He went to the car door. The twins watched his every move. Michael knelt by the car, as they rolled down the window.
I bumped Emma's side. She bumped me back, smiling so wide. For a second, I thought the Curse would break with the love I saw in that grin.
==BOL==
Enchanted Forest
Darcy stared around her bedroom. I stared too, but only at her. She reached for her chest again.
"Don't make a new one." I warned her.
"Wasn't gonna." Darcy sat herself down on her bed. She slumped down. I went across, sitting and lying down so our heads were side by side. "It glows when she sings."
"It glows when she sings." I repeated.
"Her land lost all color." Darcy said. "Because she saved my life."
The Land did lose color. As we retreated back home, we saw more of it. All the shades of gray, black, and white. Rapunzel shouted an announcement to the castle guards and messengers, to spread the news that the King was dead. The magic binding him was gone. She wanted to say we saved them, but we asked her otherwise. Let them have the real hero.
Queen Rapunzel had a nice ring to it.
"We'll repay her."
"How?" Darcy asked.
"We can send her things." I replied. "Little gifts. Maybe."
"They would have color."
"Would that be so bad?" I asked. "They would get color back."
Darcy hummed, staring up at her bedroom ceiling. "It wouldn't be the same."
"It would be there. That's all that matters."
"They could lose it again." Her voice did not tremble as she spoke. Still, I saw the water in her eyes. They were in mine too. "That'll be worse. To have it, and lose it. It might not be permanent."
"Or maybe it'll stay that way forever." I reached up. Darcy reached back. Our hands met, between our heads. "Magic is weird after all."
She gave me a teary laugh. "Yeah. It's weird." She sucked on her lip, biting it. She quickly stopped. "What if he comes back?"
"They can call us." I told her. "And we'll kill him. Over and over. Until it sticks."
She squeezed my hand, as she did when she was dying. "Good. Once wasn't enough for me."
"Nor me." I agreed.
"He killed so many, Morgue, so many girls like us." Darcy whispered. "Hope wherever he ends up, he's hurting. A lot."
I squeezed her hand back. "Maybe one day, we'll meet him there. And give him that hurt. Over and over again. It'll be our happy place."
Darcy laughed, wetly. "Gods please." I laughed too, ignoring the burning water on my cheeks. "Oh I can't imagine a better place. Or a better way to spend the afterlife. Hurting the people that hurt other people, over and over again. Forever. Getting vengeance- or is it justice?"
"Doesn't matter." I chuckled. Darcy turned her head to look at me. "It'll be done."
==BOL==
Underworld
She had a laugh. A good laugh. One that reminded her of her own, but just a bit deeper. Not as high pitched. Or maybe it only sounded that way because of how voices tended to sound to oneself.
She laughed a lot. She got her to laugh a lot. The jokes were always funny. She may not have always laughed, but the jokes were always funny.
Blue eyes turned to her. Not her eyes. It was her face but not her eyes. Not her hair either- this hair was long, and straight, pulled up into braids. Muerte kept her hair down and curly, loose to catch in the wind.
The eyes were a dark shade of purple now.
'Come and get me, stupid. I'm running out of time.'
I gasped awake. "Darcy!"
==BOL==
Storybrooke
It took very little time to get everything settled. All the forms Michael needed to sign were conveniently lying in wait in my bag. I even gave him my number for help with an accounting he would need for the kids. Sure, Gold would join me on it, but he'll jump at it when he hears it pisses off Regina.
Rage. It fuels us all.
Nicholas excitedly showed off his things to his dad, explaining each item. A normal parent in this situation would get overwhelmed. Michael only smiled, a heavy emotion in his eyes, letting Nicholas go on and on. The twins left, giving Emma and I big goodbye hugs as they climbed into Michael's tow truck. Ava's was a surprise. I never expected her to hug me tight. Emma, yes, but not me.
Emma and I split for a minute after that. Myself, saying I needed to turn the paperwork in. Emma wanted to let Mary Margaret know how it all went.
"How'd I do?" I asked her.
Emma's lips tilted up. "You got the job done. Getting him to come to us, that was a good touch."
"Thanks. My sister and I did those all the time." I replied. Emma paused, looking at me. "We liked the looks on their faces when they figured out they'd been had."
"You won the bet, you know." Emma reminded me. "You don't have to tell me about her."
"Maybe I want to." I replied. Emma smiled at me, those eyebrows raising and tilting in amusement. "Identical twins, us. Well almost. Different colored eyes. She had purple."
"Stop. No she didn't."
"Superpower?"
"Okay, she did. How? That's not a real thing."
"She was born with blue. After a time, they changed to purple. It's completely natural. A mutation of her genes, but it's possible." I said. It's a twisting of the truth. Her eyes changed under bizarre circumstances. They still changed after a time. "It made the tricks that much more fun. People were always so mystified by her eyes that they believed whatever BS we spewed at them."
Emma laughed. "You two must've been a riot."
"We were." I giggled, brushing my hair behind my ear. "Our bounties hated us."
"You were bounty hunters?"
"Girls gotta make their own living." I excused. "You don't got a place to judge, Ms Bail Bondswoman."
"I'm not! I just don't think I can picture you doing my job." Emma replied, still smiling.
"That's 'cause we were better at it." I shrugged. Emma snorted. "Think about it. Look at those streets. We got them all, then jumped in our money Scrooge McDuck style."
She slapped my arm. "Okay. You're testing me."
"Every word I just said was true!"
"No it wasn't."
"Okay. Fine. Jumping in a pile of coins is really dangerous. We spread it on a bed and jumped around on it until the money was all on the floor."
"Yeah. That part was real." Emma admitted. I giggled, giddy. Emma shook her head, sighing. "I must be insane to believe all of this."
"A wise man once said: all the best people are." I assured her.
Emma gave me a look that told me she doubted it.
Someone knocked on my window. I turned, seeing Henry waiting there. I rolled down my window. "What are you guys talking about?"
"My past. What's up?" I asked him.
Henry held up a small to-go box. "Pumpkin pie." My stomach sank. I turned to Emma, who stared at Henry with a touched expression. "I... I thought you'd like some. It was pumpkin, right?"
"Right." Emma climbed out of the car. Henry went to her side, handing her the box. I climbed out of the car, watching the exchange. "Henry, about your father-"
"Yeah?" Henry looked up at her.
Emma met his stare. She glanced over at me. I tried to give her a supportive smile, but I could feel my eyes saying something different. A desperate, heartfelt plea. He needed to hear the truth. All Regina did was lie to him. If Emma did this, kept with it, she would lose Henry. If she's willing to lie about his dad, what other lies must she have told?
The psychology of a kid is complicated, like all matters of the heart. In moments like these, it's painfully simple. But it's simple for orphans too. They don't want to lose what they worked so hard to gain.
"I want to tell you more." Emma said. "But I- I just can't. Right now."
"It's okay, Mom." Henry smiled at her. "I'll be here when you're ready."
Emma smiled back. Even in the low light of twilight, anyone could see how those words impacted her. "Give me that." She took the slice of pie.
I went to their side. Standing beside Henry, I leaned back on the car. "H-man, your mom said I was a hero."
"No I didn't."
"She said I was a good hero." I continued on. "But I gotta tell ya, I couldn't have got Ava or Nicholas home without her. She changes things."
"She really is." Henry proudly agreed.
Up the road, a motor revved up. The three of us turned towards us. Coming down the street, a motorcycle came by. He pulled over to the side. At us, he pulled off his helmet.
"Hi." August greeted us.
"Zup." I replied.
Emma nodded at him. "Hey."
"Is this Storybrooke?" August asked.
"Yeah." Emma replied.
"Anyplace to get a room around here?" August asked.
"Uh, you're staying?" Henry countered, oh so confused.
"That's the plan. Just looking for a bed." August explained.
"Granny's Bed and Breakfast." I pointed with my thumb. "Two blocks that way. Huge sign. You can't miss it."
"Thank you." August put his helmet back on.
"Hey, I didn't catch your name." Emma said.
"Well, that's because I didn't give it." August drove off.
I hummed. "What a polite man."
"I thought you said strangers don't come to Storybrooke?" Emma asked us both.
"They don't." Henry and I replied.
==BOL==
AN: Sorry this took so long! I got sent online harassment, and when I complained to my bosses about it they said it was *all my fault that I got the harassment- and I'm lucky I didn't make it worse*. So to fix it, they fired me. As one does. But I managed to finish this and other chapters in my new free time.
I had to do science research for the light thing. The science teacher from the school I worked at helped me with it. It just felt like a really cool idea for how the Land Without Color came to be, and to incorporate Tangled. She said it made enough sense for the series.
Thanks to Dark Repaer, Temperanceinsane, kelsi106, and wolfzero7, for favoriting
Thanks to Dark Repaer, Temperanceinsane, pauoagirl, RainbowFalls345, and kelsi106, for following