S8: E14: Partners
August's Workshop...
He was used the the quiet in his workshop. Used to the lack of tiny footsteps everywhere, the lack of the clatterings of tools that somehow ended up on the floor, or the quiet snores filling the room at night as he worked tirelessly.
Used to the lack of another voice that he was thankful to hear. That spoke the name he was called: "Dad.".
And the fact August is used to that is what is making him feel that...he shouldn't have been used to this.
"Hey, August?"
The appropriately grown man looked up and saw...
"Hope," he gave a small smile, "what do you need?". To be perfectly honest, he was a bit disappointed to see her. But August told himself that Hope might be the key to bringing his son back, so he came back to his cheeky, polite self.
"I-" It looked like Hope was struggling to say what she wanted to say, "I- I- need your help."
He drew his eyebrows together and set his wrench down, "What for?"
Hope looked like she spewed all her words at once and she didn't mean to, "Finn. He is gone, into the forest? Yeah, we had an...argument then he left. I don't know what- how he is. Can you help me...with supplies?" Her face looked sickened afterward.
"Oh." he leaned back in his chair, "Yeah...yeah I can do that."
Hope walked forward and sat on the chair in front of his table, littered with bits and pieces or wood and tools. The same chair where Will used to sit at to watch his dad work on something.
Silence.
"So...what are we gonna do?" Hope looked down at her shoes, and August then realized how awkward it was for her. She was visiting a person who she doesn't know that much personally for help.
"Did you tell your parents? Or anyone else about this?"
She shook her head, eyes still glued to the floor, "No. Everyone is busy with...well...the Dark One."
"Um..." August fingered nervously. His son was the Dark One, after all. "...yeah...right."
Will was also her best friend, and the one to save him is the stranger in front of you.
"Why don't you get to sleep, since it's- what- 3:00 in the morning?" August looked at her quizzically. How does her parents not know where she is right now, and that she's not home? "..um...we can't find Asher with tired eyes, right?"
Hope nodded numbly, "If you say so...where should I sleep?"
"I-" He then realized the only bed to sleep in was Will's.
Hope realized what August was about to say and quickly shook her head, "No! No. It's okay. I won't sleep there...I will sleep here. On the chair."
She gave a weak smile, sat down and, before he can say anything, dozed off before his eyes.
She must have been really tired, August thought. He looked for a blanket, and when he did, he draped it over her.
The not wooden man sat back on his wooden chair. Hope's presence was still unnerving, like she was the reminder of what he lost.
He knew he had to overcome that.
After all, they are partners now.
Hopefully.
Oh my-
10 years ago...
Emma visited August one day, who was sick in bed. She opened the door lightly to August's plain bedroom, where August laid sickly. She walked and sat on the edge of his bed.
He didn't show sickness until a couple of weeks ago, when he kept coughing while he was working. As the moon and the sun kept coming and going, the sickness kept coming and coming for August, until every part of his body hurt to move.
Wilbur was doing alright. Since he was alone most of the time, nothing really changed except that his papa was sick. He spent his time alone in his room, practicing carving small figures out of wood.
August smiled a little, "Emma."
She smiled back, "Hey August. You okay?"
Emma heard a grunt and then, "If I was okay, I would be with my son, you know that."
There was silence until August shifted and asked, "How is your daughter?"
"She's fine, with her father." Emma's smile grew bigger at the smile of her 6 year old.
"Is she...safe?" Emma looked at August, who's face said exactly what he meant by that.
"She hasn't seen Wilbur." August nodded and relaxed.
Emma gave a reassuring smile, "You'll be okay, August. Regina is still working for a cure for you."
August then shook his head, "What if it doesn't? What if me dying will affect Wilbur into-" He stopped, not wanting to say it while his son was in the house.
"What if," Emma whispered, "you will be okay and nothing will happen?"
August knew, just like him, Emma was very stubborn, so he didn't say anything.
Satisfied, Emma got up, "I need to go. Feel better, okay?"
Emma left the house, feeling uncertain about the future of August, Wilbur, her daughter Hope, everyone in the world.
So concerned that she didn't notice a curious 6-year-old was looking out the window of her room, feeling suspicious.
-/
Morning at the present...
"Hope. Wake up."
She woke up and saw electric blue eyes, which at a first blurry sight looked like her father's. But with a few rubs on her eyes, she found that the eyes that were on her had no loving, mischievous look in his eyes. It was just plain politeness.
August looked away and moved toward a small bag on the floor, "I packed the essentials we need to find him at the forest. For, ya know, if we don't make it back."
Hope slowly nodded, blinking her eyes awake, "Okay."
He tilted his head, studying her, "Luckily you took action right now, since your parents aren't gonna be home for the day. They are busy and doing everything they can to find Will."
"Why aren't you helping them?"
He looked away, "I don't think Will wants my help."
Remembering about last night's interaction with Will himself, Hope stayed quiet. She didn't want to tell August about this now.
"Well...let's get it going." August went to stand up-
"No!" She got up and then realized how she sounded, "No. I mean, thanks for helping with the supplies but I think I'll take it from here."
August was taken aback and he sat back down, "I wanted to help you look for him...what if you get lost too?"
Hope nervously laughed, "Well, I didn't study magic for nothing." Before August said anything, she quickly took the bag and head out the door, closing it on the way out with a sarcastically cheerful "Thank you!" yell.
Well, it is time to act like a mature young-adult. Planning to find Finnian.
Even though he doesn't want to be found, most likely.
But most likely holds possibilities to the pirate-eye for adventure.
As Dad would say.
Jump back 10 years...
She pushed the door of a weird looking cottage that Mom keeps visiting every now and then. Full of tools. Why would Mom be going here? To fix something? Hope thought. But she has magic and can do it back home...
As Mom getting into her "yellow bug" as Hope likes to call it, she didn't check the trunk. Which was where, you might already expect, Hope was lying in.
I mean, she didn't steal car keys or get a "license" for pick-pocketing in a day to unlock the trunk or anything. I mean Hope just touched the trunk, which glowed yellowish-grey, and then it opened.
Maybe that is how trunks open these days, Hope thought as she opened another door, which most likely goes into another room full of tools. And she was right...except she didn't expect a man in his bed looking quite sick.
Hope tiptoed to the bed and looked over who was sleeping there. She noticed that his hair was ruffled, his eyes were closed, his breathing was a little unsteady, and that he looked a little red. And that he is familiar...
She went to go touch his forehead, curious about who this guy is. Then suddenly his reddish skin turned a bit glowing grey...and in sickness, that usually isn't a good sign.
When the glowing energy suddenly went away, the man's breath was steady again and his skin went back to a slight tan. Hope reached to his arm and-
She looked up and heard noises coming from the front door. Not knowing what to do, she hid beneath the bed.
Mom came back to the room, looking really worried, "August! AUGUST! What happened?!". She shook the man until he woke up.
Hope felt the bed shift as the man sat up and looked at her mother, "Emma?"
Mom started to laugh, "August! You are okay! But...how?" Her brows furrowed just like when Hope asked her to help with her math homework once.
August looked around for the magic source and then said, "I- I don't know. All I felt was magic. Magic restored me somehow."
Magic? Hope was shocked. She knew that she didn't have magic like her mother did. But how was she able to cure Mr. August?
Mom gave a reassuring smile and patted Mr. August's arm, "It's okay. We will find out who or what did this later."
They both smiled and hugged while Hope stayed under the bed, so confused.
She did magic? That can't be possible! Hope thought. It is known that Hope Swan-Jones had no magic, like her father did. It made sense, Regina reasoned. Emma had magic because she was the Savior. However, Hope isn't destined to be anything that needs magic or power.
...Right?
The bed shifted again when August got up to accompany Emma to her car. This is my time to go! Before Mom sees me! Hope quickly scrambled to the door before August closed it. Luckily the two close friends didn't realize that a six-year-old girl was crawling behind them like an exotic monkey. She made it through the front door before the door shut.
Now what to do? Hope panicked. How can she go open the trunk without anyone seeing? She looked at her mom, who was busy chatting with August. They were near the passenger door of the car and were probably distracted, so Hope quickly ran to the trunk.
Come on, come on, come on... Hope put her hands on the trunk. It glowed the familiar grey and then opened. After looking around for onlookers, she slide into the trunk and closed it quietly behind her. After awhile, the car started and drove away from the workshop.
-/
Present time
Hope has been walking in the forest for an hour and 30 minutes now and has started to give up. Each and every nook was filled with plants after plants after plants. Her legs are about to give way but she was holding on to her namesake: hope.
She looked around and found the tallest tree. Maybe I can rest here for a moment, she thought. Her legs immediately bucked and hit the soil when she reached the trunk of the tree. Her head leaned against the wood and she started gasping for air. Hope was weak right now and she needed rest. She knew that, but every part of her filled with determination to find Finn before Will gets to him. Hope felt delirious, so delirious that somehow Will was standing right in front of her.
Wait what?
She widen her eyes and tried to get up, but Will pushed her back. "Weakling Hope of the Realms," Will snarled. He pushed her shoulders into the bark as hard as he can. To Hope, it felt like she was going to break.
Then she heard a voice, and it wasn't Will's.
"HOPE! HOPE! You alright?" She felt the person lightly shake her. Hope opened her eyes and saw two pairs of sea greenish-gray ones looking at her. She slowly sat up.
"Finn?!" He nodded and Hope slapped him. He got up, shocked, and put a hand on where Hope slapped him.
"Hope-" He tried to say, but Hope slapped him again.
"Why did you leave? Why didn't you come back? You know how dangerous this forest is!" She yelled.
Finnian held his hands in peace and Hope sat back down, frustrated. "I was gonna come back the minute I went back out but... I got lost?" he scratched his head, thinking, "I don't know..."
Hope sighed, "I guess we should make camp? Get food? I am starving."
Finn nodded and held out his hand, "Partners?"
"Partners."
Hi-lo!
I know it has been awhile since I have posted and I am so, so sorry! I am in a writing slump and I am still trying to figure stuff out with the story.
So yeah! Just know that I am still writing and continuing the story. If it has been a long time since I have updated, it doesn't mean I have abandoned it (if I did abandon it, I would've told you!).
Btw, this fanfic is also available in Wattpad! Though, all the chapters aren't published yet on the website.
So yeah! See you again!
-AConfusedCrab
-A
