Sloth: Hello, everyone! Boy howdy did this chapter go through a fair bit of revisions. I finally settled on finally getting to Emma's POV. But I just can't have Emma. So get ready for a fun little meeting.
I also totally forgot to make the time jumps more coherent. So, for the sake of this story, the adventures of the VK and Ben take place 3 months before the Dark Curse is cast.
And if you like where this is going, let me know. But without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter Seven. Daughters
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Storybrooke, October 27th, 2011
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It was a bright and earlier Thursday morning when Emma Swan was properly introduced to the third member of the Mills family.
The blond haired woman definitely had an interesting past couple of days. She met her son, Henry, who she had given up for adoption ten years ago. And while she did the responsible thing and returned Henry to his adopted mother, she found herself staying in the quaint little Storybrooke. Mostly because Henry's adopted mother got on her nerves. Emma had spent years refining that little gift of hers and Regina was causing all sorts of alarms to go off in Emma's head.
It really didn't help when Regina spent the entirety of Emma's second day in Storybrooke pissing Emma off. She could forgive the unmistakable threat in the form of a fruit basket. She could get over the shitty frame job. But to deliberately have Henry walk in on a conversation and make it seem like Emma thought Henry was crazy? Emma really wanted to know what made Regina into such a…well a bitch.
And Emma really didn't want to think about Regina's shady timing with Katheryn Nolan. Things didn't add up. Every time Regina talked it was like the woman was spewing lie after lie while smiling like an evil nanny.
But it wasn't Regina who greeted Emma that morning. Rather, her comfortable first night sleep in Mary Margaret's loft was interrupted by a tiny Regina-look-a-like. They shared the same black hair, though the girl's hair was much longer. They both exuded this regal and sophisticated aura through their posture. Though where Regina acted like a self-righteous drama queen, this girl held herself like a princess who knew she was in over her head, but was still going down fighting. The young girl was even about to make her school uniform looks as neat and pressed as one of Regina's outfits.
"Good morning, Ms. Swan. Coffee?"
And Emma already liked this girl way more than Regina. Who needed fruit when you could be offered the sweet nectar of the gods?
"Uh…sure…uh?"
"Evie Mills. I'm Henry's sister."
"Oh. Uh. Well, nice to meet you Evie," Emma greeted as she accepted the coffee. "Would you like to come in or…?"
The raven haired girl peered into the loft and Emma could see the genuine intrigue and awe in the girl's eyes. It was brief, but it was there. As Evie composed herself, trying to pat down her school uniform to appear more mature and professional, Emma could definitely Regina in the young girl. Which definitely meant they were biologically related.
"Actually I'm not here long. I'm just here to drop off Henry."
Emma raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What? Your mother's actually trusting me with him?" Evie's expression faltered and Emma raised an
eyebrow. "She doesn't know he's here, does she?"
"No. And for my sake, let's hope she doesn't find out." Though the last part was said quietly to herself, Evie's muttering made Emma curious. Evie's tone definitely said the girl was up to something. "I'll be frank Ms. Swan. I don't trust you."
"Ok?"
"But…Henry really wants to know where he came from. And he'll always be my top priority. So, for now, you've my permission to walk Henry to the bus stop."
If the words were said by anyone else, Emma would have closed the door in their face. Or give them a biting retort. But Emma could tell that the words were unnatural for Evie. As if she was trying to come off as stand-offish or intimidating, but couldn't do it because it wasn't in her nature. Yet there was a strong, protective tone in her voice when she talked about Henry. So, Emma gave Evie a smile.
"You've got my word, Ms. Mills. I'll get him to the bus stop safely."
"Good. Thank you, Ms. Swan." Evie turned, only to stop and turn around. What she said next, she said with a Regina-like confidence. "Oh. And if you hurt him again, I will be pressing charges."
As Evie left with a confident stride, Henry came stampeding up the stairs. For the briefest, miniscule of a second, Emma swore they high fived each other.
"Hi, Emma."
"What? Did you two plan this?" She asked with a chuckle.
"No. Evie's just protective. She means well."
"You mean like your mom?"
Henry scoffed. "No. She's not evil," he said as he plowed passed her to look around her new home. She was worried he was going to go after Mary Margaret's juice when he started to wander near the fridge. Thinking quickly, she asked,
"And if she's not evil, then who is she?"
"You really want to know?"
"Well, why now? You seem to like her more than Regina. Why?"
The smile on Henry's face was slightly predatory. Like a hawk that spotted a wounded prey. Suddenly Emma was regretting asking.
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The Enchanted Forest. 3 months before the Dark Curse
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"Stop messing with your hair," Evie scolded as she swatted Ben's hand.
"Sorry. This just feels weird," he replied as he tried not to adjust the beanie that had been placed on his head. Evie could see Mal roll her eyes and the princess tried not to laugh. Personally she found Ben's naivety kind of endearing. He was like a taller, a little more clueless Carlos. And who wouldn't want more Carloses in their lives? Plus, he was totally rocking the outfit she had conjured up.
The blue leather not only complemented his skin tone, but matched perfectly with Evie's own blue outfit and didn't clash with anyone else's. With the beanie on top of his head, Ben looked less royal and more street rat. Which was exactly what they needed. If he was going to tag along with them, they really didn't need to look like they had just kidnapped some prince from some unknown kingdom. They already got into trouble for just being villain kids, they didn't need any more drama.
Like the drama Evie was sure they were going to get once word got out about what they were doing. It was one thing to go and raid the Dark One's castle, but to kidnap his son? They might as well just stick the knife in their chests before they presented themselves to Rumpelstiltskin. But is it really a kidnapping if Ben practically through himself into their arms?
The deal was simple. He gives them the map and he gets to tag along. According to him, Ben's never even been beyond the walls that surrounded the place. Even now, as they stood before the gates that led into the big wide world, Ben looked hesitant to take a step forward. Evie figured that distracting him with "how to act like a villain" would get him to loosen up and be comfortable enough to take the big leap. It was working…even if Ben looked like a scarecrow with two left feet and no rhythm.
"Ok, now, lean back," she instructed.
"Like this?" he leaned far enough to lean against Jay, who helpfully set Ben up at the right angle.
"You need to nod your head," Jay added as he walked over to Evie's side. "Like this." As Ben mimicked Jay, he seemed to relax.
"Uh, you need to not stare," Carlos added helpfully. Ben blinked and tried to act like he wasn't paying them any attention. It came off as if he looked constipated. Mal snorted as his attempted and leaned into Evie's ear.
"He needs a whole lot of help."
Evie nodded, but kept a smile on her face so that Ben at least thought they approved. It was all about confidence and so long as he thought he had it, he could do it. Upon seeing her "approving" nod, Ben gave the biggest smile. She didn't have the heart to break it to him.
"Alright, I think I got this," he smiled back as he took a few steps forward. He paused at the gates. They watched as he hesitated. Just when they thought he was going to need a bit of dragon fire motivation, Ben took a step forward into the world. Then another. And another before turning around and smiling at them. "I did it!"
"Congratulations," Mal cheered with a smile that didn't quite reach her eye. For as long as they knew each other, Evie was impressed. It wasn't like Mal to sugar coat something or hide her cringe. She was about to compliment Mal's restraint when the purple haired girl quietly added, "he's so gunna get killed out there."
"Mal!"
"What? Evie, he's not your first charity case. Remember Audrey? Jane? Gil?"
"Hey, things worked out with Gil."
"Yeah, I wouldn't call joining Uma and Harry an improved life style," Mal deadpanned. "Evie, I know you're trying to be nice, but I don't want you getting your hopes up again."
"Well I've got a good feeling about this. I mean, look how happy he is," Evie said, gesturing to Ben. Who promptly fell into a hole he didn't see. As Carlos and Jay went to help their naïve tag-along, Evie flinched slightly. "That's just a minor setback."
Mal just gave a soft chuckle before following after the boys. "Well, at least we can still use him for ransom."
"Mal!"
"Hey, you really think the Dark One's not going to be pissed off we stole his kid? I'm just preparing for all the outcomes."
By the time they reached the boys, Jay and Carlos managed to haul Ben out of the hole. Despite his accident, he still had a fair bit of optimism. "I fell in a hole." He said. Evie wasn't sure if the expression on his face was because he found the whole thing exciting or if he was just making fun of himself. Either way, she found it quite endearing.
"Yes you did, Benny-boo," Mal teased. "But try not to do that the entire trip to…Evie where are we going exactly?"
Right. The reason they came here. She pulled out the Map of the World from her bag. She had used it earlier inside and it gave them a clear indication that Dopey's heart wasn't in the castle. At first, her heart fell at the discovery. She had been so sure that it would have been held here. But it would seem that they were fortunate enough that Rumpelstiltskin didn't toss the heart into another world or something. Unrolling it, the blood red geography told her where they needed to go.
They all crowded, all five of them bumping each other's head as they peered at the map. The map showed the realm, everything from the enchanted forest to nearby Arendale to the north and Valencia to the east. But where everything was either a splash of red on top of aged paper, there was one place that was different. To the west, near the edge of the Forbidden Fortress and just off the coast of King Stephan's Kingdom, was a tiny spec of gold.
"I don't recognize that area," Evie frowned.
"Don't look at me. I'm still getting used to the Enchanted Forest," Jay snarked as he threw his hands up.
"It's near your mom's place Mal. You got any idea what it could be?" Carlos asked. They all turned to the dragoness. She didn't look pleased at all, hugging herself as her frowned deepened. Evie became concerned, taking a step towards Mal. But their fearless leader turned down the approach with a shake of the head.
"It's ok. It's just…That's the Fairy Graveyard."
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Storybrooke, October 27th, 2011
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Emma frowned at the tale Henry was telling her as they walked to the school bus. When Henry had told her that Evie was part of a different fairy tale, Emma was skeptical. She only went along because the story of Snow White in Henry's book was a lot less Disney. It was nowhere near Grimm's brother's dark, but still not all singing animals and what not. The best way to describe it was the three musketeers and D'Artagnan. If they were the children of evil villains. It didn't make sense, but Henry just went on with so much excitement as he explained the story, Emma didn't have the heart to tell him to stop. So, she humored him.
"Wouldn't it be an Elephant Graveyard?"
"What?" Henry asked, looking up.
"Just thought, hey, Elephant Graveyard. Disney. You know?"
"Like in Lion King?"
"Yeah. Like Lion King."
"Lion King's just a movie, Emma. This was real," he said matter of factly, as if she was the crazy one. She didn't know if that was endearing or annoying. Maybe a little bit of both. She just ruffled his hair.
"Right. Because evil curses. Well, how about for now, we shelve the Story of Princess Evie and you enjoy school," she told him as they came up to the bus stop. Henry sighed and tried to protest. But she wasn't going to fall for those doe eyes of his. "Hey. I promised her I'd get you to school."
"Technically you said you'd take me to the bus stop. Not to school," he retorted with a big smile. She was suddenly reminded of someone else who gave her that same stupid grin.
"You were listening in."
"Duh."
"Go."
"Fine. But we'll talk later."
Henry climbed up the steps into bus. Emma stood there, following his movements from the moment he left her side to the moment his sat down in a window seat closest to her. She was torn between finding it the most adorable thing ever, and wanting to punch the nearest…anything. Henry was like a tiny, happy, and innocent Neal, but with Emma's spunk and – unfortunately – Regina's wit. God help the world when the kid becomes an adult.
As the bus drove off, Emma waved good bye. A flash of black and blond hairs grew Emma's attention across the street, but she saw nothing. Thinking maybe she was still sleep deprived, she decided now was a good time to just go back to the loft and crash for a bit long.
Well, it would have been if Graham didn't choose that exact moment to come right in her path.
"What's with the siren?"
"It's so hard to get your attention," he laughed, his accent coming out thickly.
"All right, well, you got it. Are you arresting me again?"
"Actually I'm thanking you. For finding that coma patient. We all owe you a debt of gratitude."
"Well, what do I get? A commendation? Key to the city?"
"How about a job? Rogers is still in the hospital after the…incident. And I could really use a deputy with all their limbs attached."
Emma reared her head back at the comment. First off because she thought the sheriff station was run only by Graham. He was the only one she had seen in uniform. Now there was this other guy? Who lost a body part? What was he doing, poking the local wild life?
"Do I want to know?"
"Mmm, No. No you do not," Graham frowned. From his expression alone, Emma just let the subject drop. "So, what do you say?"
"I don't know."
"Well…then how about you think about it then?" She was handed a card despite her protest. Not that she really tried. "Stay for a while."
He left with a smile, leaving Emma alone to look at the card, contemplating the offer. She was content with her job of a bails bonds woman. And it wasn't like she stayed in one place for long. She'd learn that mistake. Getting attached left you hurt.
But then she could see the bus in the distance.
She placed the card in her wallet before going to Granny's.