7:15 AM AU - Things go a bit differently in the cabin during 7:15 AM. With memories returned, how will this change things?
Face Claim for Narcissa: Eileen Davidson
Thanks for the amazing response to this story. It's a lot of fun. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the twists and turns. Season 1 can be very fun to play with. Enjoy this latest and keep reviewing! Here are individual responses to reviews:
Ghostwriter: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Grace5231973: Yep, two Evil Queens! Thanks, glad you like the move, but yeah, look out Storybrooke. Yeah, Kathryn kind of freed herself there and takes herself out of the line of fire. Yeah, I hope Neal ignores Tamara too. We know she's huge trouble. Glad you're enjoying it!
Number Ten: No, she did not and we see how she failed in flashbacks. Yep, Regina is getting desperate and that never ends well for anyone usually. Tamara is annoying and we know she had bad intentions on top of that. Yeah, change is hard, but Neal will put Henry first and some people that don't get that can't always handle that. Glad you're enjoying! :)
Sexystarwarslover: Yes, Eva is pregnant with Snow. We will see how Narcissa fails in flashbacks. Even though she does, she's still bad news now that she's in Storybrooke. Yeah, Emma's denial is thick. Yeah, if it was just depended upon Snow and David kissing, it would have broke, cause Henry's right. Emma is in denial and saying hurtful things, because of that. Yep, Emma and Henry are staying in Storybrooke and we know that Tamara is up to no good. Yep, Kathryn is fighting back and telling Regina no. Unfortunately, Regina has probably found an ally in Snow's evil aunt. Yeah, Tamara knows exactly what's going on and she's major trouble. Yep, Narcissa tried to kill Snow before she was born. We will eventually see her fail. Glad you enjoyed it! :)
mrhawkprime: I'm aware of Fables, but Snow's aunt is not based on that. She is basically based on the original version of the Evil Queen that was willing to do unspeakable things in the name of vanity. Fables is a turn off for me. I've read the premise and summary and it's not for me. There won't be any kind of crossover here. I think Once is much better than Fables and I'm glad we got Once instead.
AnonSnowing: Yes, the face claim for Narcissa is Eileen Davidson. Yes, Narcissa is based on the version of the Evil Queen that would do unspeakable things in the name of vanity. Yep, Miner's Day is the curse's way of giving Storybrooke a legit sounding history. Yeah, Snowing does kiss A LOT. I know, Emma is being very frustrating at this point. It is heartbreaking for Snowing. Yeah, if not for Henry, Emma would have probably split by now. It's hard not to be a little mad at Emma right now since the truth is right in front of her. Yep, Tamara is trouble. Regina is twisted and getting desperate, which won't be good for anyone. Fortunately, Kathryn refuses to help her and is unknowingly taking herself out of the line of fire since she's really of no use to Regina now. Even cursed, Kathryn can see that David and Mary Margaret belong together. Yep, unfortunately, Regina now has a new ally. Yep, Tamara is causing trouble and trying to cause division as well. I want to hug Snowing too. Narcissa is based on Ravenna for sure. She will end up being way worse than Regina. Yeah, I'll be taking her vanity to the extreme here. She's both a sociopath and probably has a mental illness, because of her vanity. Yes, she fails and we'll see how in flashbacks eventually. Glad you're enjoying it! :)
Clarity
Chapter 19: Miner Complications, Pt 2
Neal smiled and waved to Henry, who was making sure he was watching him play the vendor's game.
"Your argument with your fiance didn't seem to go well at all," Gold observed.
"That's an understatement," Neal deadpanned and then sighed.
"She's pissed...because I told her that I'm moving here and not going back to New York," he said.
"You and Henry belong here," he agreed.
"Maybe Papa...but it's not that easy to explain to her. Maybe I should tell her...everything," he said.
"Do you think that is wise? Not even Emma wants to believe it all and the truth is staring her in the face," he warned. Neal sighed.
"Yeah...there's no way she'd buy any of this," he agreed.
"Do you love her?" Gold asked bluntly.
"Of course I love her," he answered, a little too quickly.
"And if she makes you choose between Henry and going back to New York?" Gold asked.
"Papa...you know I'm going to choose Henry," he said sternly.
"Good...because I once chose something over you and it was the worst mistake of my very long life. I regretted it the moment I did it," Gold assured him.
"Yeah, yeah...I'm still trying to be mad at you, you know," he refuted. Gold smirked.
"And you have every reason to still be mad at me," he agreed.
"Stop being agreeable," Neal complained.
"Then you better make it clear to Tamara that you're not going back to New York. At least it can be a clean break then," Gold said.
"Hold on...I love her and I don't want to break up with her. Who says I can't convince her to stay?" Neal asked. Gold nodded curtly.
"Then you have your work cut out for you...but be careful telling her too much until you're sure she's on board with what it would mean for her to move to this world," he advised. Gold knew that, most likely, this was the beginning of the end for his relationship with Tamara. He didn't want his son to be hurt, but it was obvious to him, as well as to Snow for that matter, that he was still carrying a very bright torch for Emma. Tamara was out of place and didn't belong. She could never accept any of this, at best. And at worst, his instincts about her told him that she already knew more than she was letting on and meant nothing but trouble for them.
"Dad! Dad! Grandpa Gold...look at what I won!" Henry called, as he showed them his stuffed wolf.
"Nice buddy," he said, giving him a high five.
"A wolf...a very wise animal," Gold said.
"Let's go show Mom Emma, and Grams and Gramps," he said. Neal chuckled and they followed.
"You're here," Tamara said, as she rounded the corner and the blonde turned to face her.
"I decided I needed to come see the situation myself. A bit earlier than I thought, but I've been patient long enough, believe me," she said, as she quietly observed the people in the near distance.
"Neal reacted about like you said. He's dropped his life in New York like a bad habit," Tamara mused. She smirked.
"I've been told that children do that...they make you forget everything you previously have and forge a whole new life. Even if it means cutting out those that don't fit in anymore," she said.
"You sound like you're speaking from experience, Ms. Blake," Tamara replied.
"Yes…I once had a sister that cast me aside the moment her beloved daughter was born. She used to shower me with attention and then something she considered more beautiful came into her world and stole her and everyone else's attention," she said.
"I was cast away into obscurity, but none of that matters now. I paved my own path and became a star in my own right," she added.
"Yes…I'm still not sure what a fashion mogul like you wants with this town or its supposed secrets," Tamara replied.
"And you'll know that when I'm ready for you too. For now, keep observing as you have been," she said, as she observed her niece with her prince.
"So...no longer cursed it would seem. How interesting," she mused.
Emma sipped at her cocoa and browsed some of the vendor stands aimlessly.
"Cinnamon roll?" Ruby asked, as she offered one to her. Emma nodded and handed her some money, before digging in.
"Mmm...that's really good," she complimented.
"Yeah…I figured you'd like that. It's Mary Margaret's favorite too," Ruby said, watching the other woman's face darken a bit.
"When are you going to stop being mad at her?" Ruby asked.
"I'm not mad at her," Emma insisted.
"Then why the cold shoulder? I can believe that most of the stick in the muds in this town might shun her for supposedly having a part in ending David's marriage to Kathryn, but you don't strike me as the judgemental type. Am I really supposed to believe that you're shunning her, because of who she's sleeping with?" Ruby asked. Emma sighed.
"This has nothing to do with David," Emma replied.
"Then what is it? What did she do to ruin such a close friendship?" Ruby asked curiously. Emma huffed.
"Nothing...it's complicated," she insisted.
"Well...you should un-complicate it, because something tells me that Mary Margaret would do anything for you and somehow, I sense that David would too," Ruby said. Emma snorted.
"Yeah...don't be so sure about that," she muttered.
"I am sure...I can tell by the way they look at you. I don't know what's going on between the three of you...but for someone who has always wanted a family, you're sure giving the ones that want to be that family to you the brush off," Ruby said, as she went back to serving other customers. Emma looked at them and then saw her son run up to them so she made her way over there.
Snow accepted a bite of the warm, gooey cinnamon roll they had purchased from one of the food stands.
"Mmm...you always know when I need cinnamon and always manage to get it for me," she swooned. He chuckled.
"Yeah...it's nice that it's a little more readily available in this land," he replied. She smiled sheepishly, remembering how he would leave the castle many times during her pregnancy and ride to one of the village marketplaces to buy it for her. Then late at night, instead of waking the staff, he'd make sweet treats and drinks for her with it.
"You are so good to me," she gushed.
"I live to make you happy, you know that," he said, enjoying a bite himself. And she knew in turn that just being together made them both happier than they could have imagined at one time. She rested her head on his arm and reflected on that lonely time when she was living as a bandit and had lost faith that love was even real, much less true love. She was sure any hope of finding love, let alone true love, was lost to her. Then she stole his mother's ring and he tackled her and even after taking a rock to the face, he tracked her down to retrieve his mother's ring. That had sent them on a whirlwind adventure to get it back from some trolls and in turn cemented the instant connection they seemed to have upon their meeting.
She remembered trying on his mother's ring in an offhand move and not really wanting to take it off. The moment she had put it on he hadn't wanted it off her finger either. She had returned in then for a time and in the end, he placed it on her finger himself.
Despite a terrible dark curse and lost memories, the ring had survived and remained on her finger; a true feat that could only mean that their true love was unbreakable, even by the darkest of curses. He seemed to be thinking along the same line as her, as they both looked at the ring on her finger.
"It survived the curse and all these years," he mentioned.
"Mmm...like our love. You never wanted it off my finger the day you put it there and I never did either. Even the curse couldn't change that," she said. He smiled and kissed her tenderly.
"Grams, Gramps...look what I won!" Henry said excitedly.
"Wow...nice, kid," David said, patting him on the back.
"A wolf...they're a very special animal," Snow agreed, as they exchanged a glance.
"Wasn't it the Huntsman's best friend?" Henry asked. David nodded.
"It was...and he saved me from execution at his own expense," he replied.
"I miss him...I mean Graham," Henry said.
"Us too honey," Snow replied, as she looked up to see Emma there and knew her daughter missed him very much as well.
"Hey Mom...I won this for you. I know Graham is gone...but it reminds me of him," Henry said. Emma accepted the gift and smiled at him, as she ruffled his hair.
"Thanks Henry," she said.
"We're all here, because of him, right Grams?" Henry asked. Snow saw how uncomfortable that was making Emma, but she wouldn't lie to Henry.
"That's right honey...he was very brave and he spared my life. Then he helped free David so he could find me and wake me from the sleeping curse. We owe him everything," she admitted and then looked at Emma in the eyes. The blonde recalled the night of his death very clearly and the way he had looked at her. She then shook her head, refusing to play into it and stalked off. Snow's heart sank again and David put his arms around her.
"Why won't she believe?" Henry asked.
"Oh buddy...she will. It's just a lot for her to accept, but she'll come around. It's hard, but we have to be patient," David replied, as he put his free arm around him and hugged him too.
"Henry...it's time to go home," Regina snapped, as she approached.
"It's still pretty early," Neal protested.
"Henry has school in the morning and it's nearly eight. According to the judge, he's to be returned to me on the weeknights by eight," she reminded him. Neal sighed and hugged him tightly.
"I'll see you tomorrow, kid," he promised. Henry nodded and surprised Snow with a hug. She nearly melted at that and hugged him in return with a smile. The whole scene made Regina's blood boil.
"I miss you at school," he said sadly.
"Oh, I miss you too...but I'll see you soon," she promised, trying to ignore Regina's glower. She watched him go and looked around, but didn't find Emma anywhere.
"Can we go home?" she asked. David nodded and kissed her forehead. They said goodbye to Neal and Gold, before heading for the loft.
"Perhaps you should go find Emma," Gold suggested.
"I'd like to...but I know when it's best to leave her alone," Neal said, as they headed home too.
Narcissa walked along Main street and observed the properties present. There were no vacancies and that wouldn't do at all. She needed a place to set up shop, so she went into the dress store and wrinkled her nose. The fashions there were abhorrent and at least two decades old.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked. She didn't know who she was back in the Enchanted Forest and she didn't care. She was probably some peasant worth less than the price of her Armani pantsuit.
"Yes…I'm here to buy you out," Narcissa said.
"Excuse me?" the woman asked in confusion. The blonde smirked and pushed a check toward her. The woman's eyes widened with the amount of zeros on it.
"You want to buy the store?" she asked.
"Yes…and rebrand it. I'm Narcissa Blake...maybe you've heard of me," she said.
"Blake Fashions...the high end line from New York?" the woman asked in amazement.
"That's me...the envy of New England and the world, of course," she replied.
"This is more money than I've ever seen...sold," the woman said.
"Excellent…" Narcissa said. Now she just had to hire some movers to do away with all the inventory in the store and replace it with her own. She walked back into the office and wrinkled her nose. This place certainly needed a lot of work, but she had the money to transform this entire place into her headquarters in Storybrooke. Yes, this would do nicely as a base and allow her to observe her niece. Then she would find the perfect way to destroy her.