The sea was calm that night. The dark waves gently lapped at the wooden raft, and the night was warm and tranquil. There was a half moon giving light that shone down on Aurelia. She was still unconscious, therefore not realising that a portal had formed suddenly, her heading towards it. Her body was pulling in, and suddenly, it was daytime, in another world. She opened her eyes, the water stinging them. Thoughts of executions and sea witches and kisses filled her mind as she tried to comprehend what had happened. She tried to breathe ass the water filled into her mouth. She felt strong arms around her, dragging her towards land and out of the water, but they weren't Killian's arms, she thought, as she passed out. This wasn't Neverland.
Everything was like a dream. She thought she heard Rumplestiltskin's voice, but then he was gone, and she felt better, healed for some reason. She heard hushed whispers and felt stares, stubbornly keeping her eyes closed, not sure if she wanted to wake up.
"But eventually I did, and here I am" Aurelia said to Emma, as she stood in the kitchen, Mary Margret, Charming, Henry and Emma all listening intently.
"My God" Emma said "You've been through a lot "
"As I'm sure you have" Aurelia smiled kindly. "But I must confess, I have no idea what to do now. Rumplestiltskin will want to talk to me soon, and I'm pretty sure he'll try something nasty. And meanwhile, my one true love and friends believe I'm dead. And I have no idea where I am or who anyone is"
"Don't you worry about Gold" Emma said "He won't try anything with us as your allies"
"Allies?" Aurelia asked.
"Yes" Mary Margaret agreed "And besides, we met years ago, briefly. Your father was invited to court. I remember your hair." she smiled.
Aurelia gave a small laugh. "It seems like a lifetime away. I was coming to find you, just not so soon. And here we are again, both a long way from home. Though I suppose mine doesn't exist anymore"
"This- Storybrooke, that is- can be your home now. Our friend- Ruby- is looking for a new flat, and a roommate to go with it. We can find you a job and once you're settled, you can figure out what to do then. These things take time, you know" Mary Margaret said calmly.
"That's very kind of you, thank you Snow. But first- I need to talk to Rumpel. This needs to be settled, sooner rather than later. I don't want to keep looking over my shoulder all the time. He's done me grievous injuries, and it's time to get over them or get one back" Aurelia said, her eyes narrowing.
"Go to Grannies. That way it's in public, so he can't do anything too stupid. Calmly talk about these things" David said.
Ten minutes later, Aurelia sat in the café, with a cup of tea and slice of cherry pie to keep her occupied while she waited. She finished, and as Ruby took her plate away, the door opened, and she heard footsteps coming her way.
"Well, well, well" he began. "You fit right in here, don't you? Don't make yourself too comfortable, my dear- I'm extremely angry to see the working use of your legs again"
"Stop making useless threats, Rumpel" Aurelia began. "Yes, maybe I broke a deal. And you punished me enough when I was in your services. I don't understand why you're so filled with hate that you needed to pursue me and cause me more than imaginable. You have no idea how much I've been through, and now that everything's changed you can't- you won't- make my life any more miserable now" Aurelia breathed in slowly, her hands folded on the table.
"Such wise words, my how you've changed. I can see the strength in your eyes. See- even if you can't admit it- I've made you stronger. More resilient. Maybe it was for the wrong reasons, maybe I did… ah, over-exaggerate the punishment. And although I'm not apologising- not yet anyway, I'm fairly happy now. I won't take anything out of you anymore. I was wrong; to turn you into a mermaid, but cruelness is in my nature. It's part of being the dark one"
"I can't forgive you until I have an apology, but for now, that'll do. I'm glad to hear that you found your true love again. Not just for your sake, but for all of ours" She stood, throwing a note down in payment for the food.
As she turned to walk away, Rumpel called after her.
"I actually liked you, dearie. Maybe I will again one day"
"Perhaps you will" she said, without looking back.
Standing on the street outside, Aurelia gave a long, happy laugh. She was free. A new town, a new world. Her enemy had been sorrowful of what he had done, and she was safe. She would soon make good friends and build a home. The only thing she needed for her happy end was a pirate. She walked off in the warm air, smiling away.
Two weeks later, and Aurelia had thrown herself into the Storybrooke community. After many meetings and drinks at Grannies, Ruby and Aurelia had moved into a small flat which they had just begun to furnish. Aurelia was also working at Grannies now, and had become a popular woman with everyone.
"It's bright and vivid, I love it!" Red exclaimed, looking at their little kitchen.
"Exactly, I thought yellow was a bold move at first, when the sun hits it, it looks just perfect" Aurelia sighed with happiness. The girls had spent their time buying furniture and discussing paint schemes. Red polished their new dining table as Aurelia placed a small vase of roses in the middle.
The two had become the best of friends, from spending their nights watching comedies and giggling into bowls of popcorn to sharing secrets. As Aurelia put up a vintage map of the world- that is- the world she was in currently- on her wall (painted in colours of sea blues and greens) she heard Ruby coughing. She paused, but went back to finishing up her room. She brushed her teeth and got into a new set of pyjamas, smiling to herself. Everyone was working together to come up with a plan to re-unite Hook and Aurelia.
The next morning, she woke up. She was normally the first, and as she made coffee and a healthy fruit salad for the pair, Ruby never appeared.
"Ruby?" Aurelia called, getting no answer. She frowned, but assumed Ruby had gone into work early which was unusual, but Aurelia got dressed and walked out. Since her shift didn't start until 9 today, she visited the library to stock up on some new reading material. On her way, Henry and Emma walked past.
"Aurelia!" Henry exclaimed, running up and giving her a hug. She squeezed him, laughing, and greeted Emma.
"Hey guys, how are you?" she said.
"Brilliant!" Henry said "For school today, we have to research sea creatures and sea life. You could help me!" the excitable little boy buzzed.
"Now Henry, don't badger Aurelia. I'm sure she's had enough of the sea for now" Emma winked.
"No, no, I don't mind helping you. When it's your lunch come by at Grannies and I'll help you, okay?" Aurelia smiled.
"Thank you" Emma said "C'mon Henry, or you'll be late for school" as she tugged on the little boys hand.
"Thanks Aurelia!" Henry yelled after, and the woman watched the mother and son.
Henry was chattering away, his free hand animatedly waving around as Emma listened intently, giving a little laugh every now and then. Aurelia could feel the love between them. It was beautiful. She felt a pang of sadness, missing her aunt. Suddenly a wave of sadness came over her, and she walked mindlessly.
She'd been happy since she was in Storybrooke. But it hadn't helped her with everything she'd been through. She wished that she could turn back time, change her life. If things had been different, her aunt and friends might still be alive.
No, they wouldn't. The queen still would've destroyed the village. Because she was evil. She wouldn't have met Hook, and Aurelia wouldn't change that, not for anything. She missed him. Maybe he turned evil, doing bad deeds in anger. Maybe he never really loved her, she just loved him.
She spent an hour until she winded up at the docks, her feet dangling in her water, her shoes in her hand.
She turned up for her shift, and Granny's was surprisingly packed. Granny was rushed off her feet, her face flushed and her hair wild.
"I'm going to kill that girl" she said to Aurelia "God knows how many times she's been late, but today's the special free coffee with every slice of pie and OH!" she dropped a plate, which smashed.
"Sit, down, I'll handle this" Aurelia said. She briefly worried about Ruby, making a mental note to check on her in her break, but was soon pulled into the disaster. She swept up the plate, and starting whirling around, making coffee after coffee, teas and serving slices of pie. She cleaned as she went, taking money and serving with a smile, until her break came, and she was exhausted.
"Thanks, Aurelia. I'll pay you double- not triple" Granny said.
"I'm just going to head home and see if Ruby's there" Aurelia said. Suddenly, Henry came rushing in.
"Oh, crap" Aurelia muttered, completely forgotten about her promise to the little boy.
They sat down at the table, an ice cream sundae between them as Henry asked questions, and Aurelia became absorbed in telling the little boy every detail of the sea.
She told him about how dolphins and sharks hunted and how the Mer had an almost agreement with the animals not to attack.
She told him about how fish change colour, if they live near the surface they are often blue, green or violet, but in what is called the 'twilight zone' fish are silver or light coloured. They discussed the medicinal properties of sea plants, and Aurelia even sketched some rare fish for Henry. She enjoyed spending time with the boy and his intent listening and enthusiasm made her happy.
"Thank you so much, Aurelia, that was brilliant" he said "Oh, my teacher is going to love this, you're the best!" he took a mouthful of ice cream, hugged her and ran out. She leaned back, giving a little laugh, before looking at the clock. Time for work.
After several more hours on her feet, running around, chatting to people, recommending flavours of pie, cleaning dishes and whatnot, they finally closed the place.
"Yep, don't even argue about it, you're definitely getting triple the pay" Granny said "we can afford it anyway; the profits of tonight are very beneficial to us"
"I'm glad" Aurelia yawned.
"Now get on home, have a nice bath and tuck into bed. And if you see Ruby- tell her if she's not in here by 6am tomorrow we're going to have very strong words" the old woman said sternly, before breaking into a smile. "Night, Aurelia"
"See you tomorrow" Aurelia said, walking off and yawning again to herself. He eyes were almost closed as she put the key in her door, closing and flumped on the sofa.
"Hey, Ruby? Reeeeeed? Ruby?" She called, with her eyes closed. Nothing.
She forced herself up, her feet almost buckling beneath her fragile body. She walked into Ruby's room. It was dark, and… almost humid.
She flipped the light on, and gasped.
Ruby was lying in the bed, crying. Her body was curled into the foetus position, still in her pyjamas from the night before. They were covered with sweat, and she was shaking violently. She was so pale, she looked like a corpse. Her lips were blue and her eyes rolled back and one hand reached out to Aurelia, a small, almost whine coming out of her dry, cracked lips.
"Ruby?" Aurelia ran to the girl grabbing her head and arm. "Shit, what's the matter? Oh God, what's wrong?"
Aurelia had no idea what to do. She grabbed the phone, dialling the first number that came to mind. Emma answered.
"Hello?" the woman yawned.
"Emma, you have to help me!" Aurelia panted.
"Aurelia?" Emma sounded concerned "What's wrong?"
"It's Ruby… Something's seriously wrong, I need help, please, please, send someone down here to help her"
After Emma has reassured her of getting help, Aurelia ran, getting a glass of water, and helping Ruby drink it. She then pulled back Ruby's hair as the poor girl threw it all back up.
She tried to cool the girl down, wiping her brow with a damp cloth, but Ruby was burning like fire, her forehead creased in pain, clutching at her legs.
Emma came, followed by Mary Margaret and Doctor Whale.
It was a long night in the hospital. Watery cups of awful coffee were being brought to Aurelia as she sat, unmoving; outside the room Ruby was kept.
"It's not your fault" Granny reassured.
"If I'd checked on her earlier, in the morning, or lunch, she might not have been this bad" Aurelia sighed, pushing her hair back. "I just don't understand she was fine before. What's wrong with her?"
Doctor Whale came out, his face impassive.
"Tell me everything" Aurelia demanded, standing up.
"According to our tests… Nothing is wrong. We can't find the source of the pain, I haven't seen an illness with these exact symptoms before" he said "we'll keep her in hospital until we know more, but for now, we're not quite sure how to proceed"
Aurelia told Emma and Mary Margaret when she got back to the flat.
"Do you think it's possibly a curse" Aurelia asked the two women, over a cup of tea.
"Highly probably, in this town" Emma said, her eyes narrowed. You could practically hear the cogs in her mind whirring as she mentally ran through the list of suspects in her head.
"But why Ruby?" Mary Margaret said. "She has no prominent enemies, not enough to curse her randomly"
Aurelia stood up, walking into Ruby's room. She searched it briefly, finding not much. To the side of Ruby's bed, however, was a fancy box of chocolates, with only a few having been eaten.
"Guys, can you come here for a second?"
After examining the box, it was decided that it possibly was poison or a curse on the chocolates.
"We only have one option" Emma mused "To go to Gold. He's the most magical person in this place; he may be the only person who can fix this"
"You're right" Aurelia sighed. "It's late, but the sooner we go the better. Ruby isn't in a good condition"
They ran over, thoughts of poison in their minds.
Aurelia rapped hard on Gold's door, again and again every minute until they heard the slow pace and tap of his cane as he walked towards them.
"Do you have any idea what the time is?" he asked, his face clearly furious.
"We need your help" Aurelia said, quickly telling him of the nights events.
"Well, thank you for informing me dearie, but I really don't care" He laughed. "Why should I use my valuable magic on a mutt like her?"
Aurelia could've slapped him, but gritted her teeth.
"You're the only person that can" she said.
"Actually, that's not true. Every single person in this town has the slightest hint of magic in them. The most powerful, being me, then the queen. Emma has a good deal of magic in her, but there is only one other person that can help you" he said.
"Tell me" Aurelia said.
"Why should I?" he asked.
"Why not? You'd be killing another person practically. How do you think your son will handle that?" she said.
"Touché, very well done. The other person… It's you, Aurelia. You have magic in you, I taught you that. Now, you just need to remember how to use it" he smiled.