So this is quite a long chapter and uses the dialogue from 7x14 with a little bit of a twist. From the next chapter onwards will not follow the show. Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites on the 1st chapter.
Alice ran, jumping fallen tree trunks and ducking through branches, trying her best to escape the mysterious woman that set off after her. Alice dared to look behind and was happy to see that the brunette had disappeared without a trace, letting her guard down slightly Alice neglected to notice the faint grey wire in front of her. Falling hard, Alice cursed under her breath, quickly the blonde woman tried to stand, only to be trapped in a large makeshift trap, that Alice had no doubt that mysterious brunette had set.
"Who are you? Who sent you?" The brunette woman shouted at Alice as she reached to retrieve another arrow.
"Nobody sent me, I just…I just wanted to see my Papa." Alice shot back, as she tightly gripped the wooden bars that separated them. Alice took a moment to take in the woman before her, she looked so familiar to the blonde, but Alice couldn't quite place her. Was she someone from Wonderland? Or had Alice seen her on her other travels?
"Then why are you lurking?" Robin spoke through gritted teeth, as she stepped forward arrow ready to be released at any moment. Her facial features were stern and cold as she spoke, part of it scared the blonde, but another part of her wanted to know more.
"Because his heart is poisoned, If I get any closer he'd die." Alice's face showed a small glint of sadness as she spoke of her Father, the brunette pieced everything together. She now knew exactly who the woman standing in front of her was, and who the man she spoke of was.
"You're Nook's kid aren't you?" The brunette smirked slightly as she lowered her bow fully, thinking back to how she had gotten the idea of Hook's nickname.
"Nook?" Alice questioned innocently, tilting her head slightly to the side like a little lost puppy.
"New Hook, it's a thing that I came up with, with my Mom and Aunt- you know what doesn't matter. So you're the girl in the tower?" The brunette explained, earning a small eye roll at the mention of her former prison.
"I got out of that tower years ago…" Alice said proudly as she placed her hands firmly on her hips.
"So I heard, I thought Henry and Ella left you in Wonderland looking for a cure for your Father," Robin questioned, without really asking one.
"They did…but I failed…do I know you from somewhere? You seem awfully familiar. I don't think I got your name." Alice couldn't stop thinking about where she knew her from, it was truly driving her crazy, she just had to know.
"I'm Robin, Robin Hood..." Robin stood proudly at the mention of her name, her legacy. "I'm part of the team, my Mom, and Aunt, your Dad…he talks about you all the time...A…" The brunette started to turn a faint shade of pink, realizing that she had in fact forgotten the name of the girl that Nook had spoken of so often.
"Alice…Wait a tick…Robin, as in Nobin Robin?" Alice's blue eyes lit up brightly and she was practically jumping at the thought of the woman in front of her being the same Robin she had met all those years ago.
"Alice! I never thought I'd see you again…wait, so your Father really was a pirate?" Robin's face softened as she reached out her gloved hand to touch Alice's.
"The most fearsome of them all…umm Nobin, do you mind letting me out of here?" Alice asked matter-of-factly, tilting her head to the side once again.
"Only if you stop calling me that." Robin rolled her eyes, removing her hand from Alice's she walked over to the lever that released the trap, her hand hovered for a few moments before she turned to smirk at the still trapped blonde.
"If you can call Papa Nook, it only follows that you should be called Nobin." Alice challenged, not seeing any difference in the two names.
"It's not the same…" Robin argued back through gritted teeth. She wasn't a little girl playing make-believe anymore, she was Robin Hood and Alice needed to see that.
"How?"
"It's not cool okay," Robin mumbled, kicking the ground gently.
"Cool? Why would you want to be cool?" Alice asked innocently, sending Robin a wide toothy grin.
"You haven't gotten out much since the Tower, have you?" Robin couldn't help but smile at the girl before her, she was exactly like how she remembered her friend, her friend that she had never stopped looking for every time she visited her Aunt.
"I'll have you know Nobin, I've been loads of places…and this here cage, my least favorite in all the realms. So do you mind?" Alice gestured to the leaver once more, hoping that Robin would finally give in.
"Fine…Watch your head." Robin smirked, as she finally released the trap and made her way back over to join her friend.
"Thank you…Nobin." Alice teased, earning a head shake from the taller girl.
"Seriously…" Robin started, only to be interrupted by the ground shaking growl of the monster. "That's him, that's the monster. I've been tracking him for days."
"Wait, wait, wait…I know that sound, that's no monster. That's a friend." Alice placed her hand on Robin's arm, pleading with her to leave it alone.
"Well your friend has been tormenting villages, and I have an arrow with his name on it. See you around, Tower Girl." Robin smirked before pulling away from the blonde touch and heading off into the direction of the noise.
"Wait Nobin! No, you cannot shoot him, STOP!" Alice shouted, hoping that would be enough but when her old friend failed to turn around, Alice had no choice but to take off after her.
Robin was a breathless mess when she finally stopped for a break, confident that she had lost Alice somewhere back in the forest. The young archer had found herself outside of a beaten down tavern called The Double Woodpecker, that lay in the middle of what used to be a simple village. Armed with her bow and a large number of arrows, the young woman mentally prepared herself to enter the tavern, only to be stopped by a breathless Alice running towards her.
"Seriously, how are you still with me? I ran track for three years!" Robin moaned, annoyed that she hadn't been able to get rid of the strange girl. Alice didn't respond straight away, instead, she focused on getting her breathing back to normal, this small distraction gave Robin the perfect opportunity to give the girl the once over. There was no denying that Alice was a beautiful young girl, but Robin refused to let herself get distracted by it. She had a job to do and she wasn't going to let anyone, pretty or not, stand in her way.
"I once outran a Bandersnatch. You're not hurting my friend, he really is a sweetheart. The gentlest of giants." Alice smirked at the brunette, as she caught Robin's eyes trailing over her body, something Alice herself had found herself doing back at the cage, Alice always remembered Robin being pretty and well dressed, but she didn't think that Robin would look this gorgeous in the future.
"Well, I have to find him first…I think he's close." Robin looked around at the broken down houses that surrounded them, she knew that she had to do something to help these people, even if it meant killing Alice's friend.
"Well, maybe someone in there has met him. Then you'll see." Alice gestured to the tavern, completely oblivious to the damage her 'friend' had already caused this town.
Once inside the tavern, it was clear to Robin that they did, in fact, know Alice's friend, from the starving children, huddled with their mothers in the corner, to the men of the village sharpening their weapons.
"Oh, I think they've met him," Robin muttered sarcastically as she looked around the tavern skeptically, she knew that it was no place for someone like Alice and hoped that the blonde would keep her mouth shut.
"If you've come seeking shelter, you'll find nothing here. The monster destroyed our homes..." A scruffy looking man approached, instinct took over and Robin found herself gripping her bow tighter.
"He's not a monster, why does everyone keep saying that?" Alice chirped, taking a step towards the man, only to be stopped ever so slightly by Robin's elbow.
"Because non-monsters don't flatten villages." Robin side talked to Alice, without taking her eyes off of the man in front of them, who didn't bother hiding his dislike for Alice.
"Smart girl…I see you have a weapon. You can stay here and protect the women and children." Robin smirked at his words, this wasn't the first time that she'd heard a sexist comment and it most certainly wouldn't be the last.
"Like hell, I will! I'm going after him, same as you." Robin laughed back at the man, whose smirk was turning into one of annoyance.
"Right everyone stop!" Alice shouted, breaking the staring contest that was happening between the man and Robin. Her outburst, however, seemed to catch the attention of the rest of the tavern and now all eyes were on them.
"Alice quit it…" Robin whispered as more men started to gather around them.
"Right that Troll, that one you keep calling a monster. He's the only reason I'm free, he's my friend and he'd never hurt anyone, unlike you." Alice pushed past Robin's elbow and began to square up to the man.
"You're a crazy girl. How about we put you back where you belong? Lock her up!" The man shouted, making Robin jump slightly, Alice begins to panic, she couldn't get locked up again.
"What…" Alice trembled as the men enclosed around them.
"And her friend too…" He added with a smirk.
"Whoa, whoa. Friend is a strong word, I hardly know the girl…I mean there was that one time when we were younger…but you don't care about that." The look on Alice's face was enough to break Robin's heart as the men grabbed them both.
"And take her weapon!" He shouted with a laugh.
The dungeon was cold and wet, the two girls sat facing each other on chains. Robin could tell that Alice wasn't doing so good, the girl hadn't sat still since they locked them up.
"Ugh! Ugh! I've got to get out of here." Alice shouted as she tugged on the chains once again.
"Well, you should have thought about that before you went all hippie troll hugger on that Frankenstein mob," Robin added, she didn't really blame Alice for what had happened, she could tell that the man from the tavern had wanted to get rid of her someway or another.
"I had to try and stop them, he didn't mean it. The troll is just scared and confused and he's all alone." Alice looked like she was going to burst into tears at any second.
"It must be hard for you…being locked up again." Robin smiled sweetly at the blonde, she wished she could hold the girl and tell her that everything was going to be okay, she wished that she could go back to when they were kids and find Alice…but she couldn't. All she could do now was smile her sweetest smile and hope that it would be enough to calm the poor girl.
"The day I got out of that tower for good was a bloody dream come true…at least at first." Alice admitted, her blue eyes were glazed over with tears waiting to escape.
"Why? What happened?" Robin spoke sweetly, forcing the blonde girl's eyes to meet hers. No one had ever cared to ask Alice about her past, most just saw her as a crazy girl that had spent her life locked away and didn't dare to learn more.
"I thought I'd find a way for me and Papa to be together again…cause what's the point in being free if you're all alone?" Alice frown, causing little wrinkles to form on her forehead.
"I get that…back where I'm from I was never alone, that's when I felt the most trapped." Robin began to give up a small piece of her own past.
"At least you had people…I talked to a hat." Alice interjected, earning a small giggle from Robin, that caused Alice's eyes to light up at the most amazing sound she had ever heard.
"Storybrooke wasn't all it's cracked up to be, it's like everyone knew your name and your business…and they were all watching me, waiting for the day when I'd finally let the wickedness inside of me break free…it was all just too much, and one night I just had enough." Robin opened up as Alice gave her full attention to the girl. Alice had often thought of what her childhood friend would be doing in her hometown while she was locked away in the tower, so getting an insight into Robin's past was fascinating to the blonde.
"What'd you do?" Alice asked excitedly, leaning forward in anticipation.
"I hotwired the Sheriff's yellow bug…I stole it! I would have hit New York by morning if she hadn't of caught me, but for eight glorious minutes…it was just me and that bug and the wide-open road…no bullies, no stares, no expectations." Robin's eyes lit up as she spoke.
"You rode a bug?" Alice asked in confusion, she had seen some crazy things on her travels but someone riding a bug was not one of them.
"No, no, no…a bug is a type of car. Here, let me show you." Robin scooted closer to the blonde as she pulled out her magically charged smartphone and quickly pulled up a picture that Emma had took after she got caught with the bug. "See…"
"What is this thing? It's magic!" Alice looked on wide-eyed as she poked random places on the phone.
"No, it's not magic, it's called a smartphone. It held my entire life back home." Robin giggled at the blonde.
"A whole life, trapped in this tiny little box? And I thought I was in a prison." Alice stared into Robin's green eyes, the eyes that she had thought of many times over the years.
"You have a funny way of looking at the world, don't you Tower girl?" Robin gently ran her fingers through Alice's golden locks, as the two stared peacefully into each other's eyes. Alice was the first to break the stare, ducking her head to hide the faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"My Papa used to say that all the best people were mad…he'd say, Starfish, you meet loads of people in this world…but the best ones, they'll challenge you, make you see the world through a whole new looking glass…" Alice smiled shyly as Robin removed her hand from her golden hair.
"You're lucky, I never knew mine…he died when I was a baby. No cute nicknames, no fatherly advice…all I have is his name and his legacy to uphold…" This time it was Alice who saw the sadness creep upon Robin's face, she knew that Robin never knew her Father, but she hadn't spoken much about him the day they met. "Which is why I can't stay here," Robin smirked as she undid the handcuffs and held them up to show Alice.
"How'd you do that?" Alice asked in amazement.
"First lesson of escape and thievery…sleight of hand." Robin held up a single hair clip that she had secretly taken from Alice's hair.
"Amazing! Do me next Nobin!" Alice jumped to her knees and held her hands out for Robin, who against her better judgment ignored the girl and move to break the lock on the door. While at the same time trying not to giggle or blush at how inappropriate Alice's request had been.
"I'm sorry Tower Girl, as much fun as this little reunion has been…hitting that troll is my one shot at honoring my Father's legacy and I'm not gonna let you stop me." Robin threw Alice an apologetic glance before taking off in search of her bow.
Robin felt sick to her stomach as she made her way through the woods, after all the stories that Nook had shared of her childhood the last thing she needed was to be locked up in a cage again. She longed to go back to her, to at least let her free and then send her on her way. But she couldn't miss this opportunity, not for anyone.
"The troll is in there! I say we charge in, torches blazing." The man from the tavern bellowed, earning a series of grunts and small cheers from the mob. The cheers, however, were cut short by the whistling sound of the arrow that flew, skimming the ear of the mob leader. "How the hell did you get out?" The man shouted as he turned to face a cocking looking Robin.
"Basic twin tumbler lock…child's play. So, do you want my help? Or do you just want to charge in there like a bunch of losers?" Robin shrugged, knowing that it would push his buttons even more.
"You're just a little girl that couldn't even hit me from ten feet away." The man squared up to Robin, who in return refused to back down and stood taller.
"I wasn't trying to hit you…and I wouldn't underestimate little girls. I'm Robin Hood." Smirking slightly Robin thought back to the day she had decided to finally take up her Father's mantle…it was on the same day that she met the most adorable blonde ever, the same blonde that Robin couldn't bear to think of, not yet.
"You're the legendary Robin Hood? I thought he was a little taller…" The man chuckles along with his crowd, making Robin extremely pissed off.
"He was my Father! It's my mantel now…and I'll prove it to you." Robin buffed out her chest as her eyes narrowed on the man, there was no way that she was going to back down.
"I'd like to see this. Alright girl Robin Hood, you got one shot." The man smirked, moving away as the ground started to shake. Robin steps up as the troll moves into sight, the brunette drew a sharp breath as she lined up her shot, this was her moment to make her Father proud. Her fingers itched as she drew back the bowstring. Just as Robin is about to release her shot, a wild Alice appears completely flooring the brunette…quite literary.
"Seriously Tower girl?!" Robin screamed at the blonde, who didn't seem phased by her shouting, almost like it was something that she had to learn to get used to, this only made Robin feel more guilty for all the pain that she must have caused her within the last few hours.
"Turns out, I've got more than one hairpin." Alice snapped at the girl that she once called a friend.
"You troll loving lunatic, I warned you to stay out of our way." The man shouted, pushing past his men to face Alice, signaling for his men to follow his lead. "This girl's troubled…and I don't like trouble." The man shouted, pointing a knife at an extremely terrified Alice.
"Hey! Back off jerkwad. We'll find the troll again okay?" Robin shouted as she moved to shield Alice.
"No! She needs to be taken care of!" The man shouted back.
"Did you not hear me? I said leave her alone!" Robin spoke through gritted teeth as she aimed an arrow directly in the man's face.
"I thought you wanted to join us? Are you a troll lover now too?" The man smirked, unphased by what the brunette girl might do.
"I'd rather be a troll lover, than fight alongside a bully like you!" Robin spat back, as Alice looked on in amazement. She had never had anyone stand up for her like that and it was truly making her heart race.
In one swift motion, the man pushed Robin bow out of the way and threatens her with a knife. Robin is terrified and moves back towards Alice, as their backs hit each other Robin drops her arm, taking Alice's hand in her own, as the mob closes in on them.
"We need to get out of here…we need an escape!" Robin whispered to Alice, with the same fear in her voice that Alice had heard all those years ago.
"Escape…" Alice whispered as she closes her eyes, the only thing she can think of is that yellow bug that Robin showed. All of a sudden the crowd freezes at the growl of an engine heading their way.
"Is that?"
"The yellow bug…but it's impossible." Robin finishes the blonde's train of thought.
"Sometimes, I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast…get in!" Alice shouted as the two ran towards the bug. With Robin behind the wheel, the two girls drive away from the mob, only stopping when Robin was sure that they were far enough away.
"I think we lost the mob," Robin mumbled as she looked out the back window.
"Why did you help me out back there? You've been trying to get rid of me all day, so why the change in heart?" Alice spoke softly, as tears began to fill her eyes.
"I don't know…you know after we met, I sort of became a mean girl…all I cared about was being popular and I refused to let myself get hurt by someone again. I didn't want to be weak, so I became what everyone expected of me. I was the mean daughter of the Wicked Witch…but I hated it. So, I came here to start over and then I started seeking my Father's legacy for all the same, dumb reasons." Robin opened up, finally dropping the facade she had been holding onto all day. Gently Robin reaches over and grabs Alice's hand and squeezed it softly.
"But back there, I remembered something that someone special once taught me…we should always protect the ones who need it," Robin smirked as Alice's eyes lit up at the words she had shared with the brunette all those years ago.
"Thank you…for being on my side," Alice whispered.
Green eyes met blue ones and just like that the two girls are frozen in time. Robin is the first one to move as she leans forward slightly, only to be interrupted by the growl of the troll nearby.
"That's the troll. We need to find him before the villagers do. Are you with me?" Alice asked hopefully.
"Let's do this Tower Girl." Robin winked, before starting the car once again.
"This is it, isn't it?" Robin whispered as they pulled up outside of the ruins of what was once a tall tower.
"Yep, for the first 6,205 days of my life…this was home sweet tower. I hate this place! I hate its stupid stones and its stupid turret and its dumb mossy base and I hate…" Alice stopped as tears began to stream down her face. "I hate that all I've wanted to do since I left is come back, at least that when I was trapped, I could have hope that we I got free that everything would be okay. But then I did and it wasn't…"
"Hey, hey, it's okay…" Robin whispered as she moved to comfort the blonde.
"No! No, it's not okay! Who in their right mind wants to be a prisoner? I've escaped these walls, but I'm still bloody trapped…I'll never be free of it, will I?" Alice shouted, making Robin jump back slightly.
The loud growls of the troll growls bring the girls closer together as Robin wrapped a protective arm around the blonde. Quickly the trolls threw a tree through the remaining part of the tower, forcing Alice and Robin run to take shelter behind a large rock.
"Alice, you need to stop the troll…now!" Robin pleaded with the girl as they took cover.
"How am I supposed to do that? Just say: Hey troll, stop!" Alice asked sarcastically.
"Yes. If anybody can do it, you can do it. Look you may be mad, but you have magic…I can sense it. Alice the troll came home because you wanted to come home…and back there when we needed an escape, the bug appeared." Robin explained as she took Alice's hand in her own.
"What are you saying?"
"What if, all those years ago when you wanted to escape the tower, you created the troll?" Robin asked hopefully.
"I wished for him on my birthday, or at least to be free," Alice mumbled, as the tears filled her eyes once again.
"Why has he come back?" Robin mumbled while smiling sweetly at the girl in front of her.
"Because…because today is my birthday and I didn't want to be alone," Alice muttered, breaking Robin's heart at the look on her face.
"You're not alone, I'm here. Don't you see? It was you all along, you saved yourself…just like you saved me all of those years ago…you can do this Alice, I believe in you." Robin reached out to cradle Alice's face in her hand, as she softly stroked her thumb over the girl's cheek.
"Hello old friend…it's me, Alice. I'm old grown up, aren't I? And I've been so many places since we saw each other last, curiouser and madder and sadder and so much more wonderful out here than I ever imagined it could be. So thank you, you don't have to worry about me anymore, cause I'm okay. I promise. I think, after all this time, I'm finally…gosh it's such a big beautiful word, isn't it? Free." Alice shouted after running over to the troll.
Alice touches the Troll's nose, turning him to stone. Alice curls herself up into a small ball and begins to weep. Robin quickly moves to her, gently she wraps her arms around the blonde girl and cradles her as she weeps.
Once Alice had finally calmed down Robin pulled out the brownie that her Mother had given her as she left the camp. Robin had initially been saving it for the long walk back, but she knew that this was more important.
"You don't happen to have a candle for this, do you?" Robin smirked at the girl, whose eyes lit up at the sight of the sweet treat.
"Actually…" Alice's smile grew wider as she rummaged around in her bag, before pulling out a small metal box that contained a white candle and lighter, the same one that she had used every year on her birthday.
"Make a wish…just not for another troll." Robin jokes as she lights the candle and extended the brownie out to Alice. The blonde girl smiles sweetly at her friend and silently wishes for something she had wished for year after year, all Alice wanted was to be with 'Her Robin' and now that wish was finally coming true, she finally had her friend back. Without breaking her gaze with Robin, she gently blows out the candle.
"So…what did you wish for?" Robin asked in a hushed whisper.
"Well you know that's not how it works…" Alice teased, "But, I've got a good feeling about this one." Alice can't seem to look away from the beautiful green eyes looking back her, she would be content in simply sitting in that very spot for every, as long as she had those eyes staring back at her.
"Why don't we take this for the road and get the hell out of this place?" Robin finally spoke, breaking the intense staring contest the two were having.
"Lead the way Nobin…" Alice winked, as Robin reached her hand out to help the blonde off the ground.
"I thought we talked about the nicknames…" Robin rolled her eyes, as she gathered her bow.
"Yeah…I'm still gonna call you Nobin." Alice teased as she gently bumped into Robin. Both girls giggled as they shared Alice's birthday brownie, both extremely happy to have found each other again.