A/n: It's been almost a year since I updated. Sorry. I suck at writing dialogue and everything else. I need help. Pm me or something if you have questions are wanna talk or wanna complain about the trash that is my writing. I'm usually doing nothing. Chapter 4 is in the works. Ideas are helpful.
Characters: Emma Swan, Regina Mills, Timothy Swan, Trevor Lucas, Henry Mills.
Appearance: The Sheriff, A guy, His dog.
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When Emma wakes up, it's in an unfamiliar room and, for a second, she panics. She tries to jump out of the bed, not realizing that the covers are wrapped around her, and falls to the floor in a tangled heap with a loud thud. As she lays on the floor trying to figure out where she is, the door to the room is thrown open and in walks a frantic brunette. Emma quickly hops to her feet as the brunette assesses the situation.
"Are you okay, Emma?" She asks, eyebrows furrowing in concern. Emma tries to take a step forward but stumbles and almost falls. In frustration, Emma tugs the cover from around her waist and off her legs. The cover falls to the floor and brown eyes dip down to take in the revealed skin. Her eyes widen and a tongue darts out to wet dry lips when her eyes fall on red lace panties. When her eyes meet Emma's again, Regina is obviously flustered, her face heating up slightly. She shakes her head to get rid of the highly inappropriate thoughts that flood her mind.
Like the night before, there isn't much thought as Regina moves forward until she's standing directly in front of Emma, not much space between. Her hand reaches up to cup Emma's cheek and Emma's eyes flutter closed. She leans into the touch before stepping flush against Regina. Regina's eyes flutter at the feeling of Emma pressed against her.
"I'm fine," She mumbles after a moment. Her eye remained closed as she leans her forehead against Regina's. Her own hands come up to rest on Regina's pajama-clad hips.
"You sure," Regina questions not even a second later. Her voice is barely above a whisper but Emma hears her. She nods and her nose brushes against Regina's. Regina's hand slide down to Emma's neck and her other hand moves up to join it behind the blonde's neck. Emma's eyes open and when green meets brown it's as if time stops.
Regina isn't sure if it's Emma or her who moves first but before she knows it, soft lips are brushing against her own. Her eyes slip closed followed by Emma's when, suddenly, she feels a warmth spread through her body. She pushes Emma away when she feels her hands start to tingle and her eyes open instantly when the air starts to warm as a strange energy surrounds them. She watches with wide, shocked eyes as the lasts bits of magic fade from around them.
When Emma's eyes flutter open, they are glowing a golden with the tiniest flecks of green instead of the usual, vise versa. Regina gasps at that and takes a step back and Emma's eyes widen as she takes in Regina's purple orbs. The brunette rushes over to the door with thousands of thoughts running through her head. Why had she done that? Again.
"Regin-" Regina holds up her hand to stop the blonde from speaking.
"I need to go get dressed. The bathroom is over there." She points to a door that Emma had yet to notice. She hadn't had much time to take in her surroundings before Regina had busted the door down or last night when she had stumbled her way up the stairs and into the offered room. "You are welcome to use anything you find in there," She finishes and exits the room before Emma can finish processing.
"I can't believe I did that," Emma whispers at the same moment that Regina leans against the door and says the same. The mayor isn't sure what spurs her to act so weirdly around the other woman but she's sure that it's going to result in a lot of awkward confrontations and it's likely going to drive her crazy.
The previous night comes rushing to the forefront of her mind as she starts to walk back to her room and it's the same for Emma as she picks up her duffel bag and walks into the bathroom to start on her morning hygiene.
How the hell Timothy convinced her to spend the night at Regina's and how they convinced Regina to let them, Emma and Regina would continue to wander throughout the rest of their preparations for the day.
They'd later remember that it was Regina who offered after Timothy had fallen asleep on her couch.
~Last Night~
It's almost three hours later when the sheriff finally leaves. He assures her that the whole town would not rest until Henry is found before he places his hand on her shoulders, gives her a nod, and turns to leave, not even glancing back to see if she was following him or not. He locks the door on his way out.
She watches his car drive away from the window before she walks off to get herself a cup of water. Water acquired, she walks to her living room, firmly planting herself on the sofa that's in front of the window that looks out at the front yard. She doesn't realize it but she quickly zones out.
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Emma stops the yellow bug in front of the large white mansion on Mifflin street and has a mini heart attack. What the hell is she supposed to do now? She turns to Timmy and finds him staring out the window while chewing the inside of his lip.
"We didn't come up with a plan," He says. "We don't have a plan. Why don't we have a plan? Why didn't we come up with a plan? We need a plan." His rant ends when Emma places a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"How 'bout we start with getting out."
-E-
"I thought you said we were getting out," Timmy asks, turning to his mom. She has her head down with the palm of her hands pressed into her eyes. She doesn't answer, instead, taking a deep breath, maybe to calm her nerves. He isn't sure.
"You okay?" He watches her with a concerned look. He knows that answer she's gonna give and he's positive that she's not. Okay, that is.
"Yes," She says even as she shakes her head no. His mom is too stubborn and proud to admit that she's not okay and hasn't been for a while. She looks dizzy like her head is spinning and she can't get it to stop. He's about to ask about it, no doubt stalling the inevitable when she opens the door and quickly steps out. He does the same, watching as she rounds the car to stand next to him.
Emma shivers as she once again wishes that she had brought her warmer jacket. She shakes away the thought and rounds the car. When she stops next to Timmy she notices his stiff posture and fidgety stance. She places a hand on his shoulder and he turns his head.
"You ready?" He doesn't know why he asks. He can tell that she's not. Maybe he's hoping that the question will make her realize that this is a bad idea and they should turn back or something. Who knows.
"No," She pauses to stare up at the looming mansion. She can't help but notices how there are no lights on. "Let's go," She says before she can change her mind.
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Regina hears a door shut and her eyes fly open. She sits up to peer out of the window, eyes landing on a blonde woman and a young boy. Henry? She quickly stands, forgetting about that glass that sat in her lap. Thankfully the floor is carpeted. She sits the glass on the table after picking it up and rushes to the front door. She doesn't even stop to make herself presentable. She knows she looks a mess but she just can't bring herself to care. Especially if someone's found her son.
Instead, she pulls open the door and rushes out as fast as she can. Well, as fast as she can in a pair of five-inch heels.
Regina tumbles out of her house and down the steps with all the grace of a madman. She had watched the blonde woman and young boy walk through the gate and into her yard through the side window and couldn't bring herself to wait until they made it to the front door. She watches from the bottom of the steps trying to make out the boys face, her vision still blurry from tears. They hadn't noticed her yet. She wipes her eyes as they continue to walk forward. She isn't able to make out their whispered words yet but she can finally make out the boys face.
Henry!
Henry and the blonde's eyes both snap to her but she has already crossed the yard and has him wrapped in her arms before either of them can say anything.
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Before he can register what's happened, Timmy's being pulled into a tight hug by his other mother. He doesn't even have to think about it before he's wrapping his arms around her and hugging her back. He's pretty sure he's crying now. She pulls back before he is ready for her to.
"Where the he-heck have you been? The whole town has been looking for you all night." His face scrunches up in confusion at her words. What's she talking about? It takes a moment before he realizes what she means. She thinks I'm Henry. The thought makes him grimace and when he turns to his blonde mother he can see that she has come to the same conclusion as he has.
His blonde mother clears her throat and they both turn to her. Regina gives her a once over and her face scrunches in confusion, having obviously forgotten that the blonde woman was there. She tightens her hold on her son and asks: "Who are you?"
The blonde gives her a nervous smile and a small wave. "Hi. I'm Emma Swan and that is my son, Timothy." She gestures to the young boy that is still tightly wrapped in the brunette's arms.
The brunette is visibly confused as she glances between the blonde and her son. "What?"
-R-
The next thirty minutes go by in a blur. The time is spent with proper, albeit awkward, introductions and small talk that is even more awkward. If asked about what had occurred in the past hour- hell, even in the last twenty minutes- Regina is not sure she'd be able to recall enough of it to give correct or even coherent answers.
~Present~
Ten minutes after her shower, Emma steps out of the room, and into an expertly decorated hallway, just in time to see Timothy do the same. He steps out, still in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes before trying to flatten out his bed hair. He has little success.
"Morning," He mumbles through a yawn. He turns his head left, then right, before scrunching up his face in confusion. "Where are we?" His voice cracks with sleep.
Emma cracks her neck then leans on the closed bedroom door. "Mom's," She replies simply. She tilts her head back as she thinks about the night before, and suddenly, she's grinning.
Timmy shakes his head while trying to figure out Emma's dopey grin. He doesn't get to analyze for long because, a second later, the door at the end of the hall opens and Regina walks out fully dressed, sans shoes.
She walks down the hall, stopping next to Timmy, and Emma watches silently from her place against the door. She had not yet been noticed.
"Good Morning, Sweetie," She says, leaning over to smooth out his hair and place a kiss on his temple. It takes a few moments for Regina to realize what she'd done, and as soon as she does, she starts to apologize. Timmy only grins at the action and name, not opposed to either.
"I don't mind," He says before she can even finish her apology. Regina shakes her head and Emma continues to silently watch with a smile on her face. She reaches up to smooth out his hair again and Timmy realizes that she must be trying to wrap her head around all of the information from last night.
"It's just," Her face scrunches in thought. "You look exactly like him," She says with a slight frown.
Timmy grins. "Well, we are identical. So, one would think that we would look exactly alike."
Regina smiles. "Don't sass me," She says in a slightly reprimanding tone. Her smile makes it obvious that she's messing around. "It's going to take some time getting used to. Henry having a twin, that is." She pauses to think about everything that she had happened in the last twelve hours.
"I hope he's okay," She says after a moment. As if in response, a phone starts to ring. She turns her head to watch Timmy's blonde mother trying to slip back into her room unnoticed. She grins at being caught.
Has she been there the whole time? Regina questions herself because she hadn't noticed her and that, in itself, is weird.
"I'm gonna go get that," Emma says as a way of excusing herself. Regina purses her lips and watches Emma retreat into the guest room before turning back to Timothy.
"I'm going to go downstairs and get started on breakfast. Do you need anything before I go?" She asks with a faint smile. Timmy starts to shake his head but stops as something comes to mind.
"I forgot to bring toothpaste," He half yells with wide eyes. "I knew there was something else I was forgetting." He squints. "Sorry for yelling."
Regina shakes her head. "It's alright," She says, leaning forward to place a kiss to his forehead. "There is toothpaste in the bathroom." She points him in the direction and adds, "Make sure you brush long enough."
Timmy nods along and when she finishes, Timmy lurches forward and wraps his arms around her middle. "Thank you, Mami," He says into her stomach. Her eyes widen at the name yet she holds him close and really doesn't want to let go. Henry doesn't like to give her hugs anymore.
All too soon, he pulls away and runs back into Henry's room to get his toothbrush. She stands there, silently, for a few seconds, until she hears a throat being cleared behind her. Regina turns to find the blonde, Mis-Emma, she remembers, leaning against the wall behind her, watching her with curious green eyes and a slight tilt of her head.
She pushes herself off of the wall and walks toward Regina with a glint in her eyes that the brunette can't decipher. Her tongue darts out to, once again, wet dry lips and Regina' eyes follow to movement while she has a thought, something along the lines of hot blondes, droughts, and chapstick, but it's gone as soon as Emma stops in front of her, less than a foot away. Her eyes dart down to look at pink lips as she thinks about what happened less than an hour ago and the night before. When her eyes meet Emma's again, there is an amused twinkle in her eyes along with something else that makes Regina's chest tighten and her head pound.
The horrid sensation from the night before is suddenly back and tugging at the back of her mind as if trying to pull something to the surface. Regina hands reach up and tangle in her hair as she stumbles forward and Emma catches her. Black spots are clouding her vision and she squeezes her eyes shut, trying to block out the fuzziness as Emma starts to call her name sounding too far away considering the fact that she's right in front of her.
Images flash behind Regina's closed eyelids but they're blurry at best and Regina doesn't know what to make of them. She feels like she is at least vaguely aware of what's going on around her but when she suddenly hears another voice in the room her mind protests as she tries to focus on the words. She can feel the tears in her eyes and tries to take in as much air as possible. She starts to feel light-headed but is also in so much pain.
"Make it stop," She gasps out and in the next moment, everything is black.
-R-
When Regina opens her eyes there are a pair of hazel eyes and a pair of green eyes staring back at her, both filled with unshed tears. Emma leans forward and brushes the hair from her face and tucks it behind her ear.
"Are you okay?" Hen-no Timothy asks. He's kneeling on the floor, one hand on his knee the other stretched out towards her as if he wants to touch her and make sure but is too afraid to. The hand drops a second later.
She tries to stand up and Emma's hands immediately shoot out to help steady her. She gives the blonde grateful smile when her dizziness finally fades. She pulls away from the blond when she feels a humming in her veins that she recognizes as magic.
"I'm fine," Regina says and takes a step back when Emma tries to reach for her and ignores the look of hurt that flashes across her beautiful face. The brunette's eyes fall to the ground and green eyes meet hazel. Emma nods in the direction of Henry's room and the boy takes the hint. He quickly stands and disappears into the room. Emma waits for the door to close before turning to her wife.
"Regina, What just happened?" She refuses to meet Emma's eyes as she thinks about it. She had no idea what had happened. One second she was talking to the blonde and the next it felt like her head was being split open. When she glances up and sees the look the blonde is giving her, her heart twists.
"Nothing. I'm fine." She finally makes eye contact with the blonde hoping to convey that she was alright even though she felt anything but. Emma takes her hand and she can feel her magic fluttering to life again. She pulls away with wide eyes and takes a few steps backward. That can't be right.
"You're not alright, Regina. You passed out. You were in a lot of pain." I was so scared, She doesn't say. She reaches for Regina again and the look the blonde gives her compels Regina to not move. Emma gently places her hand on Regina's shoulder and the tension leaves both of their bodies.
'I didn't say I was alright. I said I was fine." Regina shrugs Emma's hand off her shoulder and glares at Emma warily. For some reason whenever Emma touched her she could faintly feel her magic. If that wasn't a cause for wariness then she didn't know what was.
Emma sighed and put her hands into her pockets, watching as the woman's walls start to rise.
One of the things she had learned the night before about this Regina, the one who looked exactly like her wife but was cursed with the life someone else, was that she seemed to have walls. Lots of walls that reached so high it would take years to get over them and even longer if she wanted to break them down. But it seems that Regina often forgot that she was supposed to have these walls. She'd seem open and kind and then she'd shut down. Like now.
Emma opens her mouth to respond but Regina shakes her head.
"I was just worried. What if it happens again," Emma tries to say.
Regina turns away from the worried green eyes watching her. The blonde probably thought she was weak. That she couldn't take care of herself.
"I'm fine. I do not need some strange woman that I just met last night worrying about me. You will be gone soon, so even if it did happen again, it will not matter because you will not be here to do anything. I can take care of myself." Regina glares in Emma's general direction, daring her to argue.
"I didn't say you couldn't," Emma said. She didn't want to touch the rest of that little rant with even a twenty-foot pole. She steps back but continues to try to make eye contact. It was easier to check on how Regina was doing when she could see her eyes but right now Regina refused to look at her.
"Mom, I'm hungry," They suddenly hear. They both turn and there Timmy is, eyeing them warily, standing in the opening of a partially opened door. He must have eavesdropping, Emma thinks. Praise the boy. But he's in trouble for listening in. He should know better.
"Are we leaving soon. I'm hungry," He repeats eyeing his mothers warily. He had started to feel on edge while in Henry's room and knew the feeling wasn't directly coming from him. Since it was still coming from close by he figured it was one or both of his mothers and decided to check it out. He was glad he had because the look like they were about to start fighting. Not physically though. While waiting for an answer, Timmy uses his superpower, as he calls it, to calm them both down.
They both visibly relax.
"Yeah, Tim. Give me a minute and we'll go." Taking that as his cue to skedaddle, he ducks his head back into the room praying that his mom doesn't piss his mami off.
"You guys don't have to leave yet. I was planning on making breakfast. You can stay if you like," Regina says first. She has her thumb and index fingers pinching the bridge of her nose and her eyes are closed. Despite that, her face is relaxed.
"I don't wanna overstay our welcome. We'll be out of your hair soon."
"You're not," Regina says. "Please. Just stay until after Henry gets back. I have more questions that I want to ask you. And I think he would like to meet the two of you." Emma concedes and nods.
"Um. Okay... Do you or H-Timothy have any allergies?" She asks, smoothing out the nonextant wrinkles on her clothing. Her eyes are or on the floor.
"Er- Timmy is allergic to raspberries and I'm allergic to quite a few flowers but that is not relevant. Sorry. But other than that neither of us are picky about food" Regina smiles at that.
"Henry is allergic to tuna," She offers. "Do you need anything before I go or." Regina makes a weird gesture with her hands still not looking at Emma.
"No. I'm good." She watches the fidgety brunette for a moment longer.
"Regina." She finally meets Emma's eyes and for a second Emma forgets what she was about to say. "Thank you," She says instead. Regina nods and turns to walk away.
Emma watches for a few seconds, still processing the swift change in emotions as the brunette walks away. Regina's and her own. She'd have to talk to Timothy about that later.
As she walks away, Regina tries to feel for her magic but comes back empty as if it were never there. She turns back to look at Emma and finds that the blonde has already disappeared into the room.
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The night before
It's hot. He pulls off his boots and socks and slips his feet into the water. A young boy who is identical to him is right next to Henry but he does not do the same even as he too complains about the heat. Their guard is close by, watching silently as he pulls up the bottom of his pants and walks forward into the cool water. The sun beats down on them from above even as the large trees block out some of the rays, scattering them like broken fragments of glass.
"Don't go out too far, Your Highness," His guard says. Henry's head turns and he finds the man standing off at a distance but still close enough to be able to quickly reach him in the off chance that he needs to. The kingdom had been peaceful since the defeat of the Dark King. Nothing much happened except for everyday kingdom stuff that he's too young to understand. He knows that they had been fighting with the Dark King for a long while, the battle only recently coming to an end. For some reason though Henry felt as though that wasn't quite true.
While lost in thought Henry doesn't notice the brown snake that swims closer to him, beady red eyes following his every movement. The snake circles around him before latching onto his leg and quickly climbs. His guard doesn't notice until that rather large snake has fully wrapped itself around Henry and the boy is frozen in terror. Before his guard can react, the snake bits Henry's neck and falls back into the water. Henry's body follows as he passes out.
"AH!" Henry jolts awake, his hand flying to his neck where the snake had bitten him in his dream. He jumps up and quickly finds himself in the bathroom that Trevor had shown him earlier. When he looks in the mirror and sees that the only thing on his neck are the scattered freckles that he had for as long as he could remember, Henry started to calm down.
"You okay, lad? I heard you scream," Trevor asks from behind him, nearly scaring Henry to death. Once his heartbeat returns to normal again, Henry turns around and answers.
"Yes. I had a nightmare but I'm fine now. I'm gonna try to go back to sleep." Henry rubs his left eye and tries to stifle his yawn with his right hand.
"You sure you're okay? You don't need anything?" Trevor watches the boy shuffle and avoids eye contact. It was obvious that he didn't want to go back to sleep. Whatever his dream was had spooked him quite a bit.
After a moment, Henry decides.
"Can you make me a cup of chamomile tea? My mom usually makes it for me when I can't sleep or when I have a nightmare. It helps me calm down." A look of guilt comes over Henry's face as he realizes the trouble that he's probably caused by running away. It was for the best though. Everything would be right once the curse broke.
"Of course, Ti-He-Kid," Trevor tries to brush off his slip up by turning and making his way to the kitchen. Henry follows with wide eyes as he realizes that Trevor's voice matches the voice of his guard in his dream. His eyes are the same too.
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Emma follows Timmy as he made his way back into Henry's room a few minutes after he disappeared, hands stuffed into her back pockets. She glances around the room and smiles even with the thought running through her head. It is just as cluttered with comics and merchandise as Timmy's. Timothy is sitting on the floor with his backpack in his lap as though he had not been eavesdropping earlier. Or trying to.
"Timmy." He turns to her. "Were you listening in on our conversation.
"No," He says turning back to his backpack. She believes him.
"I did have toothpaste." He says, one hand in his backpack and the other in the air holding a tube of toothpaste. He tilts his head and narrows his eyes at it before shaking his head and putting it back in his backpack. It didn't matter now. He already brushed his teeth.
"Trevor and Henry are on their way. They've been drivin' for about, like, uh- a bit over two hours. They'll be here in an hour and a half or so, depending on traffic." She sits down next to him on the floor when he doesn't respond. She has a feeling that something is wrong.
He leans into her side and says, "I'm worried about mami. I hope she's okay."
"She's gonna be fine." Emma's not sure she fully believes it. She runs a hand through his hair, eyes never leaving the window as a bright red bird flies by. She isn't sure what else she's supposed to say.
"Is it time to go now?" He asks, chin falling to his chest. He doesn't want to leave yet. They just got back together. Emma turns to Timmy for a moment.
"No," She finally responds and he turns to look at her. "Regina invited us to stay for breakfast." His smile finally returns when she says that. He was nervous but excited to be spending more time with his other mother. He hadn't got to see much of her last night. He turns and launches himself into her arms wrapping his own around her torso.
"We should ask her to spend the day with us. Ask her if she can show us around town, maybe?" He mumbles into her side. His hands grip her cardigan and Emma can feel his body shake as bits of wetness seep through the fabric. Emma rubs his back to soothe him.
"I miss her too, Timmy. Why don't we brooch the subject after breakfast?" She asks. Timothy nods into her side before going completely still. He pulls his head back and his hazel eyes that are slightly red meet her green.
"We're going to get her back," He says in a moment of clarity. "Henry too."
Emma nods and ruffles his hair. Timmy pulls back with a groan of protest.
"I just brushed it. Don't mess it up." He gives her a look. Emma just laughs it off and gets to her feet. Once up, Emma helps Timmy get up too.
"Let's go see if Regina is done yet or if there's anything left to help with." She and Timmy make their way downstairs both lost in thought about what to do with the problems that would arise with the situation that they found themselves in.
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Early in the morning
"You ready," Trevor asked, walking in just as Henry finished tying his shoe. He was wearing a pair of Timmy's clothes, his own stuffed into his backpack next to his storybook. He nods his head in response but then realizes that Trevor is looking down at his phone and not at him.
"Yeah." Henry turns to pick up the backpack that lies next to him on the bed and throws it over his shoulder. Trevor looks up from his phone and gives Henry a pointed look upon seeing his foot on the bed. Henry slides his foot off of the bed with an unashamed grin. Trevor rolls his eyes, having experienced the same situation with Timothy, and it puts a small smile onto his face at how similar their mannerisms are, even after everything.
"There is breakfast on the bar. I tried to call Emma but she didn't answer, so I guess she's still asleep. Once you're done eating, go use the bathroom then we'll be on the road. I want to make as little stops as possible, so we'll grab some snacks before getting on the freeway, 'kay." Once finishing, Trevor waits silently for Henry to agree or disagree. He didn't have to wait long.
Not having a reason to disagree, Henry nods. "Okay. I'm gonna go eat so we can go," Henry said, bounding out of the room. Trevor follows with a look of something on his face.
-T-
The radio was on low and Trevor hummed the song while bobbing his head back and forth to the tune. Henry's book was open on his lap while his head is lolled to the side. He was fast asleep, snoring lightly.
Trevor glanced over at Henry before taking the next exit off of the freeway. He pulled into an empty parking spot at the nearest gas station. He reached over to gently shake Henry until he slowly stirred.
"Bathroom," He says simply when Henry gives him a questioning look while rubbing his eyes. The young boy lets out an "M'kay," before getting out of the car, followed by Trevor. Once inside of the store, Henry runs off to the bathroom while Trevor walks around the store. He picks up multiple bags of chips, two drinks, and a couple of candy bars.
Emma would not approve of all this junk, He thinks as he passes a red neck pillow on a shelf. Regina probably wouldn't either, His mind adds as he backs up to look at the pillow. He reaches out to touch the pillow, relishing in the softness of the cotton-filled pillow. He grabs it and adds it to the pile of junk in his arms.
Trevor walks over to the register and pays for the stuff just as Henry exits the bathroom. Together, they walk back to the navy blue Toyota Camry, each with a bag in hand. After they slip into the car, Trevor gets back onto the freeway with little words exchanged.
After ten minutes, Trevor pulls the red neck pillow out of the bag that he had previously held, and, without looking his way, places it around the back of Henry's neck. He then tosses the young boy a bag of Hot Cheetos. Henry grabs the bag out of the air and grins at Trevor.
"Thanks," Henry says before he pulls open the bag and digs in. Trevor smiles slightly and switches lanes.
"Can you hand me a Brisk tea," He asks with a wave in the direction of the bag. Henry pulls the bag into his lap and pulls out the two bottles. He squints and them before turning to Trevor.
"Which one," He asks Trevor's attention is back on him.
"The lemonade one," Trevor responds. Henry hands his the requested drink and turns to put the other one back in the bag.
"The other one is your," Trevor adds and Henry nods. Henry opens his drink to take a sip and Trevor places his in his lap so that he can open it and do the same. It's five minutes later when one of them speaks again.
"So," Trevor says, breaking the comfortable silence. "That's a pretty big book." He pauses, trying to find the right words without it seeming like he's fishing for information. Which he is. "Have you read the whole thing." Is what he settles on after a moment. Henry's eyebrows raise and he tilts his head.
"Yeah," He replies right as Trevor starts to fidget in his seat. "There's no end yet, though," Henry divulges before turning back to the page that he had already read fifty times.
"What do you mean, 'There's no end,'" Trevor asks.
"Well, the book has a place where the story stops, but… The story isn't over yet." Trevor isn't able to get another word after that. He tries but Henry is non-compliant. After five minutes of hounding, Henry turns on the radio, effectively ending the questions. Neither speaks again. Well, until they reach the town, that is.
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Breakfast had been an interesting affair and afterward, Regina finds herself in the kitchen, helping with the dishes, along with Emma and Timothy. Emma was on wash and rinse duty because she lost at rock paper scissors, Timmy was drying, and she was putting the clean dishes up. They were all silent, lost in their own thoughts. A knock on the front door broke them out of their reverie.
"I'll get it," Timmy yells, unnecessarily, considering that they were right next to each other, and takes off in the direction of the door.
"No running in the house," Emma and Regina say at the same time. Emma grins at that and Regina lets out a small laugh.
"I should probably go see who that is," Regina says right before Timmy yells. "Mom. The Sheriff is at the door. He wants to talk to you." Regina gives Emma a confused look. Emma shrugs and makes a small gesture telling her to go.
Turning in the direction of the door, Regina walks until she's directly behind Timmy. She places one hand on the door and the other on the young boy's right shoulder.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Sheriff," She asks as Timmy leans into her side. He wraps his right arm around her waist and she places her left arm around his shoulder.
"Just coming to check up on the lad. 'Heard that he caught a ride with a nice lady that brought him home," He says with a polite smile.
"Actually… This is-" Regina starts to say but is cut off by Timmy.
"Yeah," Timmy interrupts. "Sorry for causing the town trouble. I heard that everyone was helping look for me. I didn't mean to worry anyone." He tries to sound as apologetic as possible, eyes cast downwards. "I'm fine, by the way," He adds, finally looking into piercing blue eyes.
Regina's eyebrows scrunch in confusion and she squeezes his shoulder to get his attention. Timmy turns his head back and looks into soft brown eyes that are so very different from that of the sheriff. She raises an eyebrow in question. He shakes his head and whispers "Later. Please," low enough that only she hears. She's a bit surprised by the fact that she isn't surprised by how well he can read her.
The sheriff watches the interaction curiously with a slight tilt of his head. Last he knew, Regina and Henry did not get along that well. He hadn't seen Henry let Regina hug him in almost five months. This wasn't technically a hug but it was close enough.
He shook off the thoughts.
"Where did you go last night, Henry," The sheriff asks as he hooks his thumb through one of the loops on his pants and rocks a little. Henry's eyes widen and instead of answering he looks up to Regina.
Neither of them sees the smoke that enters the sheriff's mouth through his slightly parted lips.
Regina looks down to see Timmy looking at her with wide hazel eyes that clearly say, "Help me." She tries to wrack her brain for reasons on why he would look so panicked and comes up basically empty-handed. There is clearly something going on that she doesn't know about. And why doesn't he want the sheriff to know that he's not Henry, but his twin?
She purses her lips. "I don't think that's important, Sheriff. He's back now and that's all that matters," She says, looking up with narrowed eyes.
The sheriff doesn't notice. His eyes are on Timmy.
"Actually," He states. "It is very important. He could up and disappear again at any moment. I'm not trying to insult your parenting skills Regina, but you didn't even know where he was. You couldn't even keep track of your son when he was at home. What makes you think you'll be able to find him when he disappears from school or any other place?" He asks harshly.
Regina is too lost in her anger, sadness, and confusion to notice the sheriff's eyes turn a cloudy black before returning to normal. Timmy, though, does notice. He also notices the tears that Regina is trying to fight back and the pain in her eyes. In that moment, he wants to strangle Henry. How could he treat their mom so terribly and run away? They were going to have a serious talk when Henry returned.
"Your own son ran away from you."
It's at that, Timmy feels a burst of anger and something else that he does not yet have a name for.
"That's not true!" He yells, untangling himself from his mother and stepping forward. His hands balled into fists, teeth clenched. "I would never run away from her. And neither would Henry if he was in his right mind." He doesn't even notice his slip up. "And! And! YOU! You don't get to talk about my mom like that. And it's none of your business where he went, you stupid ass hat!" Timmy points and unsteady finger at the sheriff as his eyes prickle with tears. He's so angry. At Henry, at this stupid sheriff dude, at the person who brought them to this world; the person who caused his family to be separated for five years. FIVE YEARS!
He can already tell how much anger, pain, and suffering lies just beneath the surface of this town. He's only been here for a little while but he had sensed it as soon as his mom woke him up last night. Everyone was angry and it's just too much. All of the energy that's running through him is what causes his next outburst.
"So shut up and go away," Timmy yells as he thrusts his hands outwards. He hadn't yet noticed the energy gathering around him but when he does, it's too late. The sheriff goes flying backward and hits the ground with a loud thud.
Timmy's eyes grow wide, his shock at his own display of magic causing his anger to dissipate. He glances around frantically and sees that no one had been there to notice what had happened. Even Regina was gone from where she had previously been.
He's too shocked to even notice as the sheriff picks himself up off of the ground and stalks towards the young boy with angry eyes that rapidly alternate between icy blue and cloudy black as if fighting for dominance. Black wins.
"You!" The sheriff yells pointing an angry finger at Timmy, cheeks puffed out and face red. "What the hell did you do!"
"I didn't. I didn't." Timmy shakes his head, eyes still wide.
The sheriff's eyes flicker back to blue and, for a second, there is a look of soft recognition, but the red-faced anger is back a second later.
"You did! You did something!," The sheriff yells and it's a wonder, how they don't have an audience yet.
Timmy is still repeating those two words, like a mantra, because he had never hurt anyone before. Especially not with magic. And there wasn't supposed to be enough magic in this world for anything big. So how the heck did that happen?
The sheriff continues to yell and Timmy continues to repeat his two words until a voice speaks up behind him.
"You need to leave," His mother, Emma, repeats from behind him. Her voice is hard and when Timmy turns around, her eyes are too. "I don't know what happened here, but everything was calm before you showed up so, you need to go."
And this time, when Timmy looks back to the sheriff, the man's wide eyes are blue and on his face is a shocked expression. His eyes flicker down to Timmy's and he holds his gaze.
"Oh, God." The sheriff says. There is a look of confusion on his face. "I'm sorry." He takes a step back and then he's almost running in the direction that he had most likely come from.
Timmy turns around and rushes towards his mom, almost tripping on the way. He wraps his arms around her torso and starts to sob.
"I'm sorry. I didn't. I didn't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He continues to repeat those two phrases even when Emma starts to rock them in place.
"It's okay," She says on repeats as she continuously runs her hand through his hair, the other rubbing soothing circles on his back. He doesn't even notice when, a couple of minutes later, he drifts off to sleep and Emma picks him up before he can slide to the floor. She walks back into the house, kicking the door closed behind them and when she walks passed a clock and sees the time, she says:
"It's not even noon and the drama has already started."
Outside, a man grips the handle of a leash as he watches the scene unfold, from beginning to end. At one point, he casts a small spell of control and lets out an almost animalistic growl when it's broken before the other man leaves.
As the sheriff exits the gate, the man swiftly turns and makes his own exit, pulling his dog along with him.
"Next Time," He says almost silently. His green eyes narrow as he plots on how to have his pawns to where they need to be for him to win. It's still his move and he isn't going to waste it. His win is unavoidable if he plays his game correctly. The other pieces were falling into place and all he had to do was act accordingly.
ṨQ ṨQ ṨQ ṨQ ṨQ ṨQ
It's eleven-thirty when Trevor's blue Camry crosses over the town line. The car swerves to the side before coming to a halt. Inside the car, Henry is startled awake and Trevor grips the wheel as he apologizes.
He glances up into the rearview mirror and his eyes widen when he sees his own; yellow and like that of an animal. His lips pull back and he eyes his sharp teeth before sitting back with a sigh.
What the hell does this mean? He questions as he glances over to Henry. The boy is once again asleep, even as a faint glow settles into his skin. He seems, otherwise, unaffected by the energy that had passed through the car.
Trevor starts the car back up and continues to drive deeper into the town of Storybrooke.
I've got a bad feelin' about this.
So it actually took me almost a year to write this. Adhd, procrastination, and writer's block is no joke. -_-. Think I should continue. Or Nah. I know a lot is going on in this chapter, sorry if it was hard to follow. Also, anyone got a guess as to who the sheriff is. Don't expect another chapter til 2029. If you wanna know the rest of what happened the night they came to storybrooke let me know. Or don't.