Conjoined, a Worst Witch + Once Upon a Time Crossover fanfic

So, this is kinda old. I pulled it from my archive, where it's been living since at least 2020. It's a part of the 'Scars' universe, for anyone who might remember that old, unfinished story of mine. Eva and Leah (Dani and Ella here) are the same characters, with an obvious difference.

Anyway, I thought I should post something, since I don't do it as much as I would like. I really need to work on actually finishing things, lol.

Inspired by EvelynEvelyn

o0o

The rain was very nearly flying entirely sideways through the darkness as they fought the howling wind to descend, and finally land on the street below. The two grown witches steadied themselves on the thankfully solid ground as the twin girls that accompanied them stumbled awkwardly on their three legs.

"Mama!" One of them, it was impossible to tell which, cried.

The other joined in, sounding fearful as they made their way to the two women. "Where are we?"

On cue, lightning split the sky and lit up the world around them, revealing the empty streets and dark buildings of an unfamiliar town.

"I don't know, but it will have to do." The taller woman stated. "We need to get you girls inside and out of this dreadful weather." She added, noting the way the girls were shivering with the cold.

"Yes." The other woman, blond and clad in pink, agreed. She looked around for any ideas in the way of shelter. It appeared the power was out, as not even the streetlights were lit. "There. That looks like an inn." She pointed to a dark building with a barely visible sign over the door and an old oil lamp glowing in the window.

The small group hurried down the sidewalk to the inn. The blond opened the door and held it as her companion ushered the girls inside as the bell signalled their arrival.

An old woman appeared from the back room and greeted them with a note of suspicion in her voice. "Can I help you?"

The blond woman replied as her brunette companion fussed over the girls. "We need a room, please."

The old woman looked between them, her eyes lingering curiously on the twins. "For. . .four?"

"Yes."

o0o

Granny Lucas watched the peculiar group through narrowed eyes as they disappeared up the stairs. They were not local, of that she was certain. There was something inherently witchy about them - their dark cloaks and old fashioned brooms were only part of it. They hadn't seemed dangerous, they had children with them for goodness sake, but she had the distinct feeling that they were in danger. If that was the case, then what were they running from and why - how - were they here?

o0o

"Where on earth are we, Constance? The map says nothing about there being a town here." The blond woman said as they frowned over the map now spread out on the small table in their room.

"I suppose it's just not marked. Which isn't exactly a bad thing." The brunette, Constance, replied. She looked over to where the girls had climbed into their bed. They were clearly exhausted. She moved over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you all ready for bed?"

"Yes Mama." They replied quietly. "Mama, we miss Cackle's." Home.

Constance smiled sadly and stroked a loose strand of dark hair from the face of the girl who had spoken. "I know, Ella." Leah. "We'll be able to return one day. When it's safe."

The other girl sighed. "I wish someone would take Mistress Broomhead out behind the broomshed and cut off her head." She said darkly. "It's not fair that she gets to go around hunting witches and stealing magic."

The blond joined them then. "I agree. I would like to know why she was allowed to rise through the ranks the way she has. She should have been picked off long ago, before things got out of hand."

"Yes." Said Constance. "Perhaps if someone had stood against her before - perhaps if I had stood against her instead of literally running for the hills, then this could have been stopped before it started."

The blond shook her head. "This isn't your fault, Constance. You were young and traumatized. You had no way of knowing that she was anything more than your psychotic teacher. Besides, it's not too late. We can still stop running and face her. It's four against one now, you know."

Constance was massaging one of the girls' hands absently. "I won't - I can't put any of you in that kind of danger. It's safer if we keep running for now."

The girls looked up at her from where they were snuggled in their bed. The one on the left spoke. "She's after us. If anything, we're putting you in danger." She said sadly.

This seemed to upset the women. Constance shook her head vehemently. "No."

"You will never be a danger to us, Dani." Eva. "Ever." The blond agreed.

Constance leaned down and pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads. "And even if you were, we would still love you. More than anything."

"More than everything." The blond added.

"Forever and always?" The girls asked simultaneously.

"Forever and always."

o0o

The next morning, they walked into a nearby diner for breakfast. They chose a booth at the back and a young, dark haired waitress offered them menus. In desperate need of caffeine, they ordered tea and observed their surroundings. The old woman from the previous night was stood behind the counter, talking quietly with the young waitress as they watched them. A red haired man with spectacles eyed them curiously, but not unkindly, over his newspaper. There were a group of several men seated around a large table chatting amongst themselves and shooting odd glances at them. One of them, short, thick chested and dark haired, stared fixedly at the twins. They sent him an icy glare in return and they held each other's gaze steadily for several moments before he looked away.

The man turned to his spectacled neighbor. "Hey Doc, is it just me or is that a two-headed girl over there?" He whispered.

"Leroy!" 'Doc' hissed in return. "Don't be rude! They are conjoined twins."

'Leroy' stared at him. "What does that mean?"

Another man joined in then. "It means that they are twins who were born fused together. Right Doc?"

Doc nodded. "Yes, Happy. That is correct."

Leroy frowned. "Okay. So what you're saying is that something went terribly wrong when their mother was pregnant?"

The other men glared at him. "Leroy! That's an awful way to put it!"

"But it's true."

Doc and Happy just face palmed out of exasperation.

At the front of the diner, a young boy, younger than the twins, sat in a booth with a blond woman, a brunette woman and a sandy haired man. As the adults talked, the boy watched the newcomers with his chin resting on his hand and a curiously knowing look in his eyes. He knew who they were, for they were in his book. Their story, gruesome and tragic, cut itself off abruptly when they jumped through a portal. He had thought perhaps that that meant they had died, which had saddened him, but evidently that was not the case.

Some time later, after breakfast as the witches were leaving, an ebony haired woman was coming in. Her hair was shoulder length and impeccably styled, she had brown eyes and was well dressed in a blue dress and black coat. When she saw them, she blinked in surprise, not because of their appearance but because they were strangers, and watched them go.

Regina Mills stared as the door swung shut behind them. Who - she had never seen these people before. They were not simply strangers to her, either. They were strangers to the town and that could only ever lead to trouble.

She turned and strode up to the counter to address Granny. "Who were those people who just left?"

The older woman met her gaze. "I have no clue. They showed up at the inn late last night, in the middle of the storm. They seemed on edge, in a hurry as if they were running from something."

"I see." Said Regina. "Do you know their names?"

Granny glanced around them cautiously. "The blonde is one Pippa Pentangle. I think she called the brunette Constance. I don't know about the twins."

Regina nodded, still distracted with what she had just seen. "Thank you, Mz. Lucas."

o0o

The witches soon decided to use the day to restock their supplies. The first order of business was going out to the woods to collect potions ingredients, as they were running quite low.

The woods surrounding the strange town were equally strange. They found at least two seemingly abandoned cabins, a decrepit, decades old campsite complete with an ancient camper, and an old well in the middle of nowhere.

The twins strayed a bit, wandering through the forest and filling their basket with herbs as they went. They soon found a narrow, shallow river, scarcely more than a creek and crouched down at the edge to gather marsh marigold.

"Careful, Ella." Dani warned playfully. "Don't fall in."

Ella rolled her eyes. "If I fall in then you will too."

Dani smirked. "That's why I'm telling you not to."

Once, they actually had fallen in a river. They had been doing just as they were now and when they had tried to get up Ella had misplaced her foot. Because she also had partial control over their middle leg, she had moved to steady them, which made Dani misplace her foot and send them tumbling into the water. Now, they continually joked about it, as it had been quite funny.

As the girls continued with their task, Regina Mills was walking down a path nearby. A concerned citizen had claimed they'd seen strangers 'lurking' in the woods and she, knowing, after her talk with Granny Lucas, who they likely were, had decided to investigate. As she came to the bridge over the river, she spotted the twins she'd seen earlier at the diner. What were they doing out here alone? She left the path and moved towards them, unable to help her curiosity. Who were these girls and their apparent caregivers? Where had they come from and why were they here?

Meanwhile, Dani and Ella could sense a presence behind them. They got up (careful not to fall in the river this time) and turned around to see who it was and recognized the woman they'd seen enter the diner as they were leaving.

"Hello, girls. May I ask what you're doing out here all alone?" She questioned, seemingly concerned.

Dani shook her head. "We are not alone, Miss. Mama and Pippa are here."

Ella nodded. "We split up so we could find more herbs."

Regina smiled. "Oh. Well that's good then." She paused, as she observed them. "I can't say that I've seen you around here before." She prompted.

The twins looked at each other.

"We are not from here." Dani explained. "We are just passing through."

"Yes." Agreed Ella. "We are doing that."

"Really? We don't usually get visitors here. What are your names?" Regina questioned.

The twins exchanged another look.

"She doesn't recognize us, Ella." Said Dani.

"Well no. She never saw us. She told her you were dead." Ella pointed out.

"Should we tell her?"

Regina looked between them in confusion. "Tell me what?"

The twins nodded at each other. "The tragic events of '58."

"What?" Regina frowned.

Dani started, and her voice took on a solemn tone. "The year was 1958. A young woman lived a miserable life with her parents."

"Her father was a weak willed prince, fifth in line to the throne of a neighbouring kingdom. Her mother, a former peasant, was a cruel and heartless bitch, who cared for nothing but power." Ella continued.

"Her only joy came from the family's stable boy, with whom she was deeply in love." They said simultaneously.

"One day, a young princess lost control of her horse while crossing the family's land. The young woman saved her, but the price was her own future. She was forcibly engaged to marry the child's father, a king who was old enough to be her grandfather." Dani said.

Ella took over again. "Desperate, she made to run away with the stable boy, but the young princess saw them."

"She promised not to say a word to anyone." They continued in sync. "But she could not be trusted. She went straight to the young woman's mother and told her everything."

Dani spoke lowly. "She was furious. She confronted her daughter and the stable boy in the stables. In cold blood, she tore out his heart and crushed it to dust in front of her daughter."

"The stable boy was dead." They said in synchronized sadness.

Ella continued. "The wedding took place a single week later. Not long after, she discovered she was pregnant, but she feared it was the stable boy's child she carried. She was correct."

"The night of the birth was stormy and dark. The young woman laboured for hours but still the child did not come." Said Dani.

"Something was wrong."

Ella took over. "Not wanting to risk her daughter's death - she was too important for that - the young woman's mother cast her into an enchanted sleep to prevent her from feeling or remembering what was about to happen, and took up a large knife."

"She pulled up her daughters nightgown and used the knife to cut open her swollen belly. She was careful and precise. Not wanting to risk infection, she used her magic to remove the child. What she found when she did made her freeze." Said Dani.

"The young woman had delivered twins." They spoke simultaneously. "But they were all wrong, fused at the side. Between them they shared two arms and three legs. Later it would be discovered that they also shared three lungs and one liver. They were conjoined in a way of which they could never be severed."

Ella continued. "She was horrified by what she had just discovered. She set the children aside and let them scream as she sealed and healed the incision and ensured her daughter remained alive. Then, she called upon an old friend. Rumplestiltskin took the children away and sent them to another land. A timeless land."

"The land of untold stories."

"It was many years later, after decades of being shunted from home to home, that their grandmother appeared through a mirror from a backwards little place called Wonderland. She found them and took them back with her." Said Dani.

"The people of Wonderland were unbothered by their strange appearance, but their grandmother saw them as a monstrosity. She called them by the name their mother had chosen for the single child she thought she carried." Said Ella.

"Eva."

Dani took over then. "She was cruel to Eva. She beat them and broke them until they were as close to perfect as something as inherently wrong as they were could be."

"She told them that 'Eva's' other half did not deserve a name of her own, for she was nothing more than a parasite, unable to survive without her sister's aid." Said Ella.

"This upset Eva, for she loved her sister. So they went against their grandmother and picked a name for her." Said Dani.

"Leah."

Ella continued. "Eva and Leah were very smart. They learned and loved magic. There was no spell they did not know and no potion they could not brew."

"And then one day, their grandmother disappeared through a portal. The twins took this as their ticket to leave as well." Said Dani.

"They jumped through a portal to a far off land and found themselves in an old, crumbling castle inhabited by witches. The twins were welcomed into the church of Hecate with open arms. The coven cared for them and helped them to heal from their grandmother's cruelty. They were loved at last." Ella continued.

"One witch in particular loved them more than the rest. Their Mama. On the day of their adoption, they picked new names to go with their new lives." Said Dani.

"Dani and Ella, after their father."

It was Ella's turn again. "Dani and Ella, frequently called 'Daniella' by their peers, were loved by all, for in the coven conjoined twins were seen as a gift from the goddess."

Dani picked up. "It was three years later that a letter was received from the witches' council. They were sending an inspector to inspect the school. She was an unpleasant part of their adoptive mother's past."

"Her name was Mistress Hecketty Broomhead."

Ella continued. "The twins were powerful witches and Mistress Broomhead collected powerful witches. Fearing for their safety, their adoptive mother hid them away in their room for the day."

"Mistress Broomhead tore apart the school in search of the twins and their coveted power. Terrified, they and their mother fled the castle and sought shelter with an old and trustworthy friend." Said Dani.

"Aunt Pippa was the kind of witch who loved sweets, the color pink and a good cuddle."

Ella took over again. "But they were not safe in her home. Mistress Broomhead had sent her underlings after them and they soon found them. Without another choice they ran again, and so the cycle continued until they stumbled upon a strange, unmarked town."

"Storybrooke."

Dani was the one who finished the story. "Storybrooke was filled with strange people, some of which lurked at the edges of the twins' memory, reminders of the past. These people were from their birth realm, a place they couldn't remember but were certain they'd been."

"The irony of the entire situation was that had the young woman succeeded in escaping with the stable boy she most certainly would have died during the birth of her daughters, who also may have died if those attending did not have the wherewithal to cut them out of her." Ella added.

Their story finished, the girls looked up at the woman. She stared back, her brown eyes wide and wet. She knew.

"You - you're - she told me you were dead. She never said there were two of you." Regina gasped.

Dani curled a strand of Ella's hair around her finger. "Yes. Well. She always did see us as just one entity. Never two."

Ella leaned her head against her sister's. "I suppose we are one entity though. I can't survive without you and you mayn't survive without me. We're one entity with two separate minds. That's what Mama says."

Regina wasn't sure what to think. "You - you can't be separated?"

"No." Said Eva. "Not unless we're willing to sacrifice Ella. Which we're not. Ever. The goddess made us this way for a reason and we shan't change it."

Leah sighed happily. "We're just meant to be together. For ever and ever and ever."

"Why?" Eva said suddenly. "Do you think us disgusting? Wrong? Grandmother always said we were a monstrous thing."

"But Mama says we're beautiful. She says we're a gift. We don't need you if you are like Grandmother." Leah said.

"No! No, I think you're -" tears run down her cheeks. "- perfect. I like that you're different. It means I'll always be able to find you."