Sorry it took so long guys! School and Disney World got in the way. Yes, I did just go to Disney World...and yes, it was awesome ;)
This story is getting closer to the end...not sure how many more chapters, but I'd have to say less than 10 more...so be prepared.
Kingdompop: You said you wanted more of Willa/Finn brother/sister...and you're getting it! Hope you enjoy it! (spoiler)
Thanks for the wait and enjoy chapter 34!
Chapter 34: The Trek West
July 30, 2015
Philby Residence
Living Room
1:02 A.M.
Willa tapped her foot, pointlessly looking at the clock on the wall again. She knew it was late. She had no clue when her husband was getting back, but she was growing more and more anxious with each passing second. After following Maybeck and Philby earlier in the night, Willa had figured out part of her plan. They had met with Flynn Rider and Rapunzel tonight, discussing something, probably that "rabbit hole" they had mentioned.
When she was about to give up and go to bed, she heard the front door open. She turned on the couch and saw her husband—dressed in all black from head to toe—creep into the living room, trying not to make a sound. Willa smirked, for she noticed that Philby hadn't seen her. He still thought she was in bed asleep.
She stood up and purposely coughed, making her presence known.
Philby spun slowly on his heel and saw his wife standing there with her arms crossed. "Oh…uh…hi sweetie. What are you doing up so late?"
Willa narrowed her eyes. "How'd the meeting go, sweetie?"
Philby's eyes went wide. "Uh…h-h-how did you know about that?"
Willa smirked. "It's a good thing the OT's aren't after us now, because you two would get your sorry butts captured."
This time it was Philby who crossed his arms. He raised an eyebrow at her, questioning her.
"We followed you most of the night, Philby. We heard most of your conversation too."
Philby looked extremely frustrated. They were usually better than this. No slip ups. Why mess up now? He let out a deep breath and moved into the kitchen, sitting down on one of the two stools by the counter. Willa followed him, sitting on the other one.
Philby leaned onto the counter with his elbows and buried his face in his hands. He mumbled something incoherent.
Willa scooted her stool closer and placed a hand on his back, rubbing it slowly for comfort and support. Philby let out a deep breath and picked up his head, facing his wife. Their faces were now no less than a foot away from each other's.
"There really is no physical way to go after Finn."
Willa continued to rub his back. "Wayne told us this almost nine months ago. What's really bothering you?"
"Something Flynn and Rapunzel said."
Willa scooted closer. "And what would that be?"
"There's some big threat that's coming that only Finn can defeat with some big secret that he supposedly now knows…but…but…"
"He's still gone," Willa finished. Philby nodded. "Did they say anything else?"
"Amanda knows something."
"What do you mean 'she knows something?' Don't you think she would have said something if she knew anything about Finn's whereabouts?"
Philby shrugged. "That's what's frustrating! That's their exact wording: Amanda knows something. But they refused to explain."
Willa started getting frustrated as well. She closed to think about that phrase. Those three words could have so many different meanings. Willa's head started to ache with all the thoughts swarming back and forth. She let out a shaky breath and looked back up at her husband.
"Maybe you two should go talk to her tomorrow. Maybe there is something she's not telling us. She has been kind of distant lately."
Philby offered her a sad look. "That's probably because of the baby."
Willa's gaze lingered on the floor. Babies were the last thing Willa wanted to talk about right now. "Probably," she muttered.
Philby stood up, and Willa followed suit, leaving no space between the married couple. She slid both arms around his waist, pulling him impossibly close. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
"Is everything okay, Willa?" He whispered into her ear. "Work? Lizzie? ...Me?"
Willa leaned up and kissed him gently. "That's all fine. I just have this feeling that things are about to get worse before they get better."
Philby kissed her again. "Isn't that how it always goes? Right when you think everything's fine, Disney villains have to come in and wreck everything."
Willa laughed quietly, so that she wouldn't wake up their daughter.
"There's that smile I love so much," Philby whispered, an admiring smile growing on his face. "You know…you never did give me your answer."
Willa was confused, to say the least. "Answer to what question?"
"To whether or not you wanted to try having another kid."
Willa felt as if someone had punch all of the air out of her lungs. Philby had mentioned a second child several times over the past few days. Willa had been dodging the question, but now she had to give him an answer.
"Oh," if Willa was being honest, she had thought about it a lot. When Philby had first mentioned it back in that cursed world, she thought he was crazy. But now—especially after helping Amanda out the last nine months—she had been considering it more and more.
"So…" Philby begged. "What do you think?"
Yes! She wanted to say. The practical side of her was holding back the excitement. Now wasn't the best time. Was she even ready for a new child? Could they handle it?
Willa looked up at Philby's excited, expecting face. For the first eight months of Lizzie's life, Willa had never seen Philby happier. If there was one thing she could pick as something Philby was destined to be, it would have to be a father. He was certainly a lot better at it than her. After the curse was enacted, he had been robbed of that privilege. She could tell that he wanted nothing more than to have another go at it and get all the memories that he never got the first time around: first words, first steps…to name a few.
"Okay," she said as a smile grew on her face.
"Okay…as in yes?"
"Okay as in yes."
"Oh happy day!" Philby picked up his wife and spun her around. Once she was firmly on the ground again, he kissed her. "What do you want? A boy or a girl?"
"I could care less."
"What about a boy? We can't have all girls, now can we?"
Willa laughed as he went on and on about boy and girl names for their next child. It took her three tries to get him to stop, but eventually she kissed him—the perfect shut-up tool.
"Philby, sweetheart, we'll decide that later. Can we go to bed? It's one in the morning."
Philby curiously glanced at the clock. "Wow! I got so worked up about baby number two I forgot what time it was." He glanced back at his wife, a sour look on his face. "I have work in the morning."
Willa laughed, kissing him on the cheek as she walked toward the bedroom. "That's your fault," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear her.
July 30, 2015
Shell Gas Station
Unsure Location
2:42 P.M.
Finn threw open the door of the gas station. He had been walking all day and felt like he was going to die of exhaustion at any second. A mile or two back he had found a dollar. Picking up every coin he found between that moment and now, Finn had $1.89 to buy something to eat. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, but he had a feeling it was somewhere around December. His stomach growled in agreement.
He found the cheapest candy bar in the store and walked up to the register and stood in line behind an elderly lady paying for her gas.
As a habit of the average person while waiting in line, Finn's eyes scanned his surroundings. They landed on a TIME Magazine, whose main article title made him freeze.
TERRORISTS THREATENS DISNEY'S BELOVED DHI'S.
Read interviews with all of the victims and find out where they were for a year. Page 45.
Finn snatched up the magazine and flipped it to page 45 furiously, almost ripping the pages as he went.
On page 45, there were three rectangular pictures covering the first page with white, bolded letters stating the article's title again. The top picture was Finn with Maybeck, Philby, Charlene and Willa on a stage waving to a crowd. They were all wearing the standard Disney DHI polo shirts with khaki pants that they were told to wear at events like that. Finn recognized the picture from the Buena Vista theater aboard one of Disney's cruise lines. This particular picture had been taken during his ninth grade year. The same cruise that had cost Dillard his life.
The middle photo was of Finn and the DHI's, plus Amanda and Jess, standing on a porch—Finn's parent's porch, to be exact—in black graduation cap and gowns. All seven were smiling and excited about what life was to offer next. Finn smiled at that picture. In the moment his mom had taken the picture, Finn was sneaking a kiss on Amanda's cheek. She was shying away from it, embarrassed about him kissing her in front of everyone, but he didn't care. Finn's heart almost broke at the thought of his wife.
He took a deep breath and moved on to the last picture. The bottom picture had some things that seemed foreign to Finn.
Now that he was focusing in on it, the picture was a collaboration of a four pictures side-by-side. Each one had a different date posted in the bottom left-hand corner of each picture.
The one on the far left (dated 10/04/2014 5:32 A.M.) was of Willa, Philby and their daughter, Lizzie. Philby was walking out of his house, leaning heavily on a cane. Willa was carrying Lizzie on her hip. All three looked a little bit older than the last time Finn had saw them. Philby looked more exhausted than Finn could ever remember seeing him.
The photo to the right of that was of Maybeck driving a car (dated 12/21/2014 11:02 P.M). Obviously, the magazine had taken this one from a streetlight camera—the kind that only took pictures of those running red lights. Maybeck looked furious in this picture, determined to do something…what it was, Finn couldn't tell. The picture wasn't of great quality.
The next photo showed Charlene getting out of her car (dated 10/01/2013 7:45 A.M.). In the background, Finn recognized the gymnasium where she worked. She looked exhausted, like Philby, and Finn could tell she had been crying a lot. If he remembered correctly, that was the day they had disappeared into Maleficent's cursed world...meaning that she had called off her and Maybeck's wedding recently.
The fourth and final photo (dated 01/27/2015 3:01 P.M.) showed Jess and Amanda shopping in the mall. Amanda looked deeply troubled as she searched through the clothing rack. Jess, on the other hand, was smiling and enjoying her day.
2015? Finn thought to himself. He turned the magazine over and saw what month it was published. JULY 2015.
He almost dropped the magazine in shock. Maleficent's calendar hadn't been wrong. He was back home, but it was July 2015. The last time he had been in this world, it was October 2013—almost 2 years ago. Finn took a deep breath again and flipped back to the article, skimming it for information on his friends.
One subtitle caught his attention: Kidnapped.
Underneath was part of an interview with Willa.
TM: So, Mrs. Philby, please tell us how you were all captured.
WP: We…we were taken from our homes in the middle of the night. I'm assuming they drugged us with something, because none of us remember any of the next twenty-four hours after that.
TM: That must be agonizing…not remembering.
WP: It's frustrating, that's for sure.
TM: Now, a lot of people have asked you what it was like, and who your kidnappers were, and we all know by now that none of you actually know the answer to that. According to an interview with the New York Times a week ago, your husband said, and quote "We were kept separate in some underground complex. There was no light ever, except for when a masked criminal brought us food. We had no clue we had been gone for almost a year until we got out. We never once saw a face beside our own in the few seconds of light two times a day."
WP: That's all true.
TM: My question revolves around your escape. How did you manage that?
WP: We decided to break out in groups. My husband and I decided to lead the charge out, with our daughter of course. When the masked terrorist brought us our food, [Terry] Maybeck knocked him out while the three of us made our escape. The plan was to get a hold of a gun or two and come back for the others, but Philby got shot right as we reached the surface…forcing us to change plans.
TM: And that's how you ended up at the hospital? [Willa Philby nods].
Finn skipped ahead to another part of the interview. This time, the journalist was talking to Jess.
TM: So at this point, everyone had made it out except for you, your sister and her husband. Is that correct? [Jessica Lockhart nods]. So please explain to us how you and your sister got out.
JL: That big idiot Finn decided he would distract the guards so that we could make a run for it. After a lot of fighting, Amanda finally agreed to leave him. Things went perfectly with the plan, until Amanda heard Finn scream and a gunshot right before we got to the end of the hallway. She tried to run back for him and that's when a guard saw her and shot her. I…I…I had to leave her behind in order to make it out alive.
TM: But she got out on her own somehow?
JL: She's braver than anybody gives her credit for [laughs]. That idiotic sister of mine only got shot in the arm, not only saving her life, but mine…and probably Finn's.
TM: And you have no clue whether your brother-in-law is alive or dead?
JL: [shrugs] There's no way of telling. None of us can find the underground place where we were held. If he's alive, he's been moved to a new location. We'll…we'll probably never know what happened to him.
Finn closed the magazine and put it away. He didn't want to read anything more. They had created an elaborate story, one so convincing, even Finn had doubts about the past two years.
He walked up to the counter and paid for the candy bar. He stepped away from the counter with two dimes of change, but stopped before stepping outside.
He turned around and looked at the cashier. "What town am I in?"
"Right outside Orlando, Florida," the cashier mumbled without looking up from his cell phone. "About another 30 minutes to Disney. Probably 10 'til you hit Orlando."
"Which way to Orlando?"
The cashier, without looking up from his cell phone, pointed west.
Finn felt hope swirling in him again. He was so close to him. His friends. His family. Amanda. He thanked the cashier and began his trek west.
July 30, 2015
Orlando, Florida
City Lights Restaurant
5:15 P.M.
Charlene waltzed into the restaurant, bypassing the hostess, and sat down dramatically at the table Willa had gotten for them.
"You're not going to believe what I found out today."
Willa glanced up at her best friend. "Hello to you too."
Charlene pulled a manila folder out of her bag and slapped it down in front of Willa. "You're about to have your mind blown."
Willa eyed her. "What is this?" She was about to open the folder, when Charlene stopped here.
"Whoa there trigger. Let me explain how I got this first."
Willa leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, confused, frustrated, yet completely interested all at the same time. She gestured for Charlene to begin, which she did.
"First, I ate lunch with Amanda today. She's doing fine but freaking out about the baby—as usual. On my way back to the apartment, Jess called me, telling me how worried she was about Amanda…but what's new? The interesting part is what Finn's mom told me when I talked to her this morning."
Willa leaned forward onto her elbows. "What did she tell you?"
"You said Philby told you that Flynn and Rapunzel had told him and Maybeck about Amanda knowing something and Finn having some kind of secret that can help him defeat something…right?"
Willa nodded.
"Well I couldn't figure out what Amanda knew, but I did learn something interesting about Finn that could be a game changer."
Willa pointed to the folder. "And that secret's in here?"
"Yes."
Willa opened the folder slowly, almost as if it was a bomb about to explode. Charlene let her scan the documents inside for a few minutes and watched as Willa's face slowly scrunched up in confusion. After five minutes of reading and analyzing, Willa slammed the folder shut.
"Impossible." Charlene could see the anger on her best friend's face.
Charlene offered a sad look. "Finn's mom confirmed all of it."
"Finn and I are not twins."
Charlene took a deep breath. "That's what Mrs. Whitman said."
"Why on earth would that make any logical sense?"
"She claims that that is the only secret that could have something to do with our situation."
"Why would she keep a secret like that? How did she explain it? None of this makes any sense!" Willa pounded her first against the table.
"Whoa…" Charlene slid the folder toward her. "I'll explain…just calm down."
Willa took a deep breath. "Explain."
"She said that both you and Finn are twins but your biological parents died a long time ago. At least, Mrs. Whitman only knew about the father. She said she assumed the mother is dead as well, but she never knew for sure.
"According to her, your biological mother put you both up for adoption the second you were both born. Mrs. Whitman and your mom…adopted mom…were college roommates and both wanted a child. Your mom wanted a girl but didn't want to go through pregnancy again—since that would most likely mean another boy, since you have three older brothers—and Mrs. Whitman thought she wasn't physically able to have children…which we all know is wrong now, because of Finn's little sister, but back then she didn't know.
"So, according to Mrs. Whitman, the two college roommates made a deal that Mrs. Whitman would get the son and your mom would get…well…you. They promised to stay close and to keep the two of you close, but they never intended on telling either of you, unless you asked."
Charlene stopped, letting her best friend soak in all of that new information. Charlene knew that all of the documents in that folder only confirmed what she had just said. After talking to Mrs. Whitman this morning, Charlene had gone on a little investigative hunt to find these documents. Mrs. Whitman had given her a copy of Finn's birth certificate and adoption papers. Charlene had stopped by Willa's mother and found the same story to be true, and the documents to match. Charlene had then scoured the internet for information on Willa and Finn's biological parents, but found nothing. Neither name on the list existed anywhere. If their biological mother was alive, she had disappeared from everything…which probably meant witness protection—if crime shows had taught Charlene anything.
"So…so…Finn's my…twin brother? And…none of our parents are our actual parents?"
Charlene shrugged. "That seems to be the truth."
Willa's gaze lowered to the place where her food would be once it was brought out from the kitchen. "Wow."
"Willa, I…I don't know what to say…but…this is good."
"How is that?" Willa mumbled without looking up at Charlene.
"Now we know a secret that could help Finn. Maybe there's something to your biological mother disappearing after your birth. I'll look into it and see if I can find out anything."
Willa nodded. A waiter brought her food, but the second he left, Willa pushed the plate over toward Charlene. "It's yours. I'm not hungry anymore."
Charlene hesitated before taking the plate. "Willa—"
Willa looked back up at Charlene, managing a smile. "I'm glad you told me Charlie. I'm not mad at you…"
"You sure? I would be mad if I had just found out my parents weren't really my parents."
"I am mad…and frustrated…and confused…but not at you, Charlene. You didn't lie to me my entire life. That was my 'parents.'"
Charlene reached across the table and grabbed Willa's hand. "I'm sorry, Willa."
"Do you mind if I leave? I've got to talk to my…well I was going to say mom, but I don't know what to call her anymore."
Charlene nodded, letting go of her best friend's hand. "Sure thing. Want the folder to take with you?"
Willa took the folder slowly. "Sure. Thanks Charlene. Food's on me, don't bother paying me back."
And with that, Willa left Charlene alone at the table. Charlene waved over the waiter and asked for a to-go box. She had a lot more searching to do. If not for Willa or Finn, Charlene wanted to find out who their biological mother was to satisfy her own curiosity.
And when Charlene set her mind to something, she always found what she was looking for.
July 30, 2015
Magic Kingdom
Cinderella's Castle
11:32 P.M.
Maybeck felt old.
It felt like a million years had passed in between the first time he ever crossed over and being let into the park in the middle of the night. But the beautiful sight that was Cinderella's castle never ceased to amaze him.
He heard footsteps behind him and he turned around, surprised to see a young woman instead of Philby—who was supposed to be here two minutes ago.
"Ariel?" Maybeck asked. "What are you up to? I was supposed—"
"To meet Philby? Yeah…there's a problem with that." Ariel was now nervously wringing her hands together.
Maybeck felt his body stiffen. "What's going on?"
"Philby's been kidnapped."
The last one got cut short for dramatic effect...did it work? Cliffhangers are my specialty...after all ;)
I do apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors...I did update this one kind of fast. I didn't want y'all to be waiting for too much longer. Hopefully there aren't any...but I'm not perfect...so...yeah.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the wait! Lots of plot points. Lots of good secrets revealed. Lots of questions left unanswered (for now). Fun all around!
I'll try my best to update soon (but y'all know how that goes...)! Please update, I LOVE reading your reviews! They always make my day! I hope you have a wonderful day :)