Once Upon a Time Season 4 Part 2 - Frost Bites
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 3
Storybrooke, Present Day
"Hook, wait. Can we talk?"
The pirate/reluctant hero turned in the doorway of Emma Swan's apartment to face the savior. Ruby stole one last glance over her shoulder before shutting the door behind her, leaving the other two alone in the room.
Snow had decided that, until Elsa fully regained her memories and could finish the last part of the story, it would be best not to leave her alone. Charming, Mary Margaret, and Ruby decided to take her to Granny's. Hook had planned on going back to the library to spend the night alone but… hey, plans change.
"Yes, Miss Swan?" he asked. He sounded almost robotic as he sat down on the couch opposite Emma.
"What, we're back to Miss Swan now? Christ, you're starting to sound like Regina," Emma joked. She poured the last of the tea into the two glasses in front of them and handed one to Hook.
"Look, 'Mr. Jones', we need to talk about what happened last week… about the kiss." Emma could hardly believe it had been only eight days since they'd returned from the past. She supposed, in retrospect, that it had been busy; the Snow Queen had shown up immediately after and Belle and Regina had left town… not to mention the fact that they were plunged into an eternal ice age.
"Yes, Miss Swan, let's talk about it," Hook said, raising the cup of tea to his lips. He sipped slowly, his gaze not quite meeting Emma's.
"I just want to know if you're in this or not… for the long haul." Emma looked for some trace of emotion on Killian's face. So far, she saw none. "Listen, Hook. I've spent a lot of my life alone. The only other person I ever opened myself up to was Neal - and we both know how that ended up."
"Yes. He died," Hook said, matter of factly. She knew he could be blunt, but the way he was speaking now seemed… cruel.
"Yeah. What I'm trying to say is that this - you and I - doesn't happen for me very often. I… Hook, I'm kind of a mess myself and falling for you could… could be a mistake. So I just… I just need to know where you're at - because I have Henry to think about and I don't want him to get hurt. He doesn't deserve that and neither do I and I have to know you're invested in this and..." Emma fumbled awkwardly, looking for Hook to say something.
"I need time to think, Miss Swan." Emma's eyes went wide with anguish as he said the words. Hook set the tea cup down on the table with his good hand and rose, walking towards the door.
"Hook, wait. I -" Emma's words were harshly cut off as Hook closed the door behind himself, leaving the Savior alone in the apartment. She buried her face in her hands, berating herself for getting invested… for opening up.
It was just so… so unlike him. Killian Jones could be a lot of things, but he was never distant. He was never cold. He wore his heart on his sleeve and that had always made him easy to read. But now? Now he was acting as aloof as she herself used to.
She shook her head, blonde curls flying around, and rose. If she sat there alone all night she'd drive herself crazy. She needed to do something, and thankfully there was a pile of dishes in the kitchen just asking to be cleaned up. As she snatched up her own cup and Killian's she got to wondering what was more disturbing: the way Hook had acted, or the fact that all the tea in his cup was frozen solid.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Orleans, Present Day
"There's got to be something in here that can find them," Regina Mills mumbled to herself as she searched through her suitcase. Belle French sat down gently on the bed next to the bag and pulled a book out of the side, absentmindedly flipping through it.
"Tell me again what we're looking for?" Belle asked as she opened to the inside cover and discovered it was a book of spells. She tossed it on the bed with an air of contempt and a large cloud of dust rose up from the mattress. The two women had checked into yet another sleezy motel that night and Belle was beginning to see why they were so cheap. Not wanting to think about their rooming situation any longer she turned to help Regina search the suitcase.
"A magical item that can help us find whoever this 'Anna' girl is - and, hopefully, Baba Yaga," Regina explained. She'd thrown a few magical items into her suitcase just in case they needed them on their trip, but so far none of them seemed to fit the bill.
"What about this?" Belle grabbed a piece of tree bark from the bag and held it up to Regina.
"Gimme that," Regina snatched it from her hands and stuffed it in her pocket. "That's a piece of a tree from the Spellbind Forest. It's a magical power source that releases rays of the sun's energy."
"Right then, that won't be any help. Though I don't see how any of this will be any help. Magical objects don't work in a land without magic… right?" Belle asked, confused.
"Most don't. But some can if they carry an enchantment with them," Regina tried to explain the complex process to her companion. With most people she wouldn't have bothered, but Belle had the unique characteristic of being exceptionally intelligent.
"How so?"
"Most magical objects use the residual magic in the air around them to power them, but some - like the one's I brought with me - carry their enchantment with them and can be used even in a place where there is no magic."
"Gotcha. So all of these will work because their function doesn't depend on anything external. The magic comes from the inside out and no new magic needs to come in."
"Exactly. Now if only one of these damn things could help us track this girl down…" Regina said. Belle grabbed another object from the bag.
"This one?" she asked hopefully. Regina shook her head.
"No, that's a Fairy Candle. It casts a teleportation field that allows those inside to travel a short distance away. Keep looking." Belle put the candle back in the bag and began rifling through it again, her fingers curling around an old, tattered rag. Regina did her signature eyebrow cock which she used to convey contempt.
"That, Miss French, is called a wash cloth. In this world we use them to clean up," Regina explained, treating Belle as though she was far dumber than she actually was. Belle simply rolled her eyes and pulled the cloth out, stretching it between her fingers.
"I know that, Regina, but this particular one isn't just a wash cloth… at least I don't think. Rumplestiltskin gave me one when I… worked for him. He said it would help me with cleaning. See?" Belle pointed to the corner of the cloth where two small initials were stitched in. "The cloth he gave me had these initials stitched in as well. My guess is whoever enchanted them branded them also."
"Right, enchanted wash cloth. What does it do, clean your car windows while you sleep?" Regina asked, clearly not impressed. She had plenty of magical objects in her possession, so it wasn't surprising to have a few less-than-useful ones mixed in with her regular stuff.
"No, Regina. Remember, it helps with cleaning. The enchantment makes it find things that are out of place."
"Great, well I'll call around to the local maid services in the morning and see what they're willing to pay for it," Regina sassed. Belle supposed, despite the fact that she was insulting her repeatedly, that her sass was good; it meant she was healing.
"Listen, it finds things that are out of place. In Rumple's castle that meant books, magical objects, a thief one time. All things that don't belong."
"Kind of like people from our world don't belong in this world?" Regina asked, Belle's point finally clicking into place in her mind.
"Exactly. I'm willing to bet that if we wait long enough this little piece of cloth will lead us to this Anna girl. That is, assuming she's not from this world," Belle said.
"Can't hurt to try," Regina confirmed. She took the washcloth from Belle's hands and placed it on the ground in the middle of the room. After a beat she sat back down next to Belle and the two women waited to see where they'd be headed off to next.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Storybrooke, Present Day
"What the hell did you do to Hook?" Emma Swan asked as she kicked open the door of Granny's diner and pointed a finger accusatorially at Elsa. She was in no mood to be patient, amnesia or no amnesia. Whoever this girl was she'd done something to her boyfri - well, to Hook - and she'd be damned if she let anything happen to him after all they'd been through.
"Emma, slow down a second. What are you talking about?" Charming asked. He rose from his seat to get between his very angry daughter and the very confused amnesiac princess.
"Something's wrong with Hook. He's acting weird and everything he touches becomes ice cold… kind of like you," Emma said, maneuvering around Charming to stand next to the Snow Queen.
"Oh no…" Elsa said after a beat, thinking about what it could mean.
"What?" Snow said, stepping up and taking Emma's hand in an attempt to calm her daughter.
"The first day I was here… one week ago, when you all found me in the woods. I'd just been released from the Matrix and I didn't have any control over my powers and I… I touched that pirate's -"
"Hook! His… his name is Hook," Emma interjected, trying to calm herself.
"I touched Hook's heart with my magic," Elsa explained, fear flashing through her eyes. "I'm so, so sorry."
"You're sorry? Hook's dying and you're sorry?" Emma said, enraged.
"Emma, calm down. Elsa, what does this mean?" Snow asked.
"The frozen heart… beware the frozen heart," Elsa muttered, more to herself than anyone else.
"I'm getting pretty damn tired of these cryptic riddles people from our world seem to love speaking in," Emma said, tapping her fingers on the table. Suddenly another voice broke into the conversation.
"It's part of a song… a very ancient song." Rumplestiltskin rose from his seat several tables away and moved to join the party. "It tells the story of a boy and girl who come across a magical mirror. The boy is injured and captured by the Snow Queen with an ice crystal in his eye that makes him see only the ugly parts of himself. Only the girl's love is enough to thaw his frozen heart and save him."
"Beware the frozen heart…" Emma mutters, remembering what Elsa had said moments before.
"Exactly," Rumple said.
"But what the hell does that mean? Why is everything so complicated with you people?" Emma said, hopeless. She sat down in the booth, resting her chin in her hands. "It's a song, great. But it doesn't tell me how to fix Hook."
"I'm afraid, dearie, that it might not be as simple as 'fixing' him. The girl in the story could only save the boy through her love. Are you in love with our dear friend the captain?" Rumple asked, a touch of his old impish nature shining through.
"I… I don't know," Emma responded. If she was being honest, she didn't have any clue where she stood on her feelings for Hook.
"Well I suggest you find out soon… before all that's left of him is something to cool our iced teas with," Rumple joked. Emma was in no mood. She was about to suckerpunch Rumplestiltskin when Elsa suddenly piped up.
"Wait… I… I remember what happened."
"What?" Emma asked, annoyed at being jarred out of her conversation with Rumplestiltskin.
"I remember what happened to Baba Yaga… and to my sister."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Author's Notes:
-Did you like it?
-Reviews are welcome!
-Regina: is her sass hilarious or sometimes too harsh?
-Did you catch the reference to the original Snow Queen story?
-Will Belle and Regina Find Anna in time? Or will Baba Yaga get to her first?
-Will you actually keep reading this story?