A/N: Sorry this has taken me so long to update! Between school and work, I lost my creativity for the story, but I really do want to finish it!
I can still remember the last deal my father made before he was imprisoned, mostly because I think it was my fault. I don't like to talk about it, but the next morning the memory was replaying in my mind, my nightmare the night before just being a memory on repeat.
When I was little, after Bay had left, I remembered being lonely. I was an only child at that time, and I remember wanting a sibling and voicing that to my father. Being a man who wanted to give me anything, he had claimed that he could get me a sibling. Now, I look back and recognize that he would go to any lengths to do so, including stealing a child. It was this desperation to make me happy that got him caught, as I'm almost certain now he made a deal with Ella just to get me a sibling.
I wasn't with him when he made the original deal, but I was with him when he went to sign the new deal. He had to bring me along, as he didn't trust me to be left alone that night. He'd sat me on the ground nearby and told me to stay there while he talked to the nice lady. Next thing I knew, Prince Charming was holding me while the "nice lady" demanded to know where her husband was. I remember watching as my father told the Prince to let me go, that I was just a child, while the woman continued to demand that my father return her husband. Anything after that is lost in my memory, and as I headed downstairs, I could hear my father humming.
"What are you so happy about?" I asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Being the weekend, I didn't really have anywhere to be. Usually, I took off this early in the morning, not wanting to be in the house with my father. But today, I didn't feel like I had anywhere to go. Emma was no closer to realizing her role in solving my problems, and Henry was likely with Regina, meaning I was alone unless I wanted to finally take Jack up on his offer.
"Good things are going to happen soon Sophia, I can feel it," My father said, tapping his cane on the ground.
"Right," I muttered, getting up. "I'm going to go to the café, don't wait around for me," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets as I walked towards the diner. I didn't even know why I was going, it wasn't like I really had anyone to meet, but the diner always seemed to be a comforting place to me. And more than that, the diner insured a sighting of Emma, who might not be closer to solving my problem, but was still easier to be around than my father.
I stepped into the diner, a bit shocked to see Regina there talking to Emma. Part of me wondered if I had stepped into a Twilight zone, but the anger in Regina's eyes told me that was far from the truth. Instead, I had just stepped into Regina trying to reclaim what was hers.
"What are you staring at?" Regina asked as she passed me. I glared back, keeping down my retort that involved the Wicked Witch of the West as I looked to Emma.
"Whatever she said, she's wrong," I said, knowing full well that Regina was just full of hot air. Emma didn't respond, and I wondered what exactly Regina had said to get to the woman.
"She's not wrong," Emma said after a minute. As she turned to look at me, the cocoa in front of her fell, causing the top she was wearing to be covered in brown liquid. "Damn it," Emma said as Ruby came by. "Do you have a place I can wash up? And maybe a washer?" Ruby pointed towards the back, and I quickly trailed after Emma.
"How's she not wrong?" I asked, wanting to know what had happened. I didn't want Emma being chased from town, not until I was allowed to leave as well.
"She said I don't have roots," Emma said as she pushed the laundromat's door open, revealing a crying woman. A woman I recognized as one of my former classmates, or rather one of my older classmates.
"Ashley?" I said in surprise. I didn't know the girl was pregnant, and on closer inspection, I realized I didn't actually know who she was until now. When I was in school with her, I always thought she was one of the fairies, but looking at her now, I realized she was the nice lady my father had been meeting that night, something that had me going quiet as I tried to process what was going on.
My mind replayed the scene in the forest, trying to remember why my father had gone to meet her that night. He hadn't told me his mission, he never did. In fact, I never know what his deals are for, just that when he collects he gets what he wants. That night, he didn't tell me why we were meeting her, and staring at her now, I wondered what he wanted from her that night. If her husband disappeared, it was probably him, though that thought confuses me further as I have yet to see the baby's father in my life, and my father doesn't make deals without there being a benefit for both of us.
I didn't say anything again until Emma told Ashley to take charge of her life, knowing that was a mission I did believe in. "She's right, you shouldn't let anyone hold you back," I said, not missing the way Ashley looked at me like I was a hypocrite. I didn't understand the look though, not when I knew she didn't remember the curse, and therefore couldn't know I was a hypocrite for remaining in this town when I maybe could of tried harder to get out.
"You're right, thank you," Ashley said, glancing at me once more before leaving. I gave Emma a smile, proud of her for helping before starting to lay into her once more about what Regina had said.
"Again, whatever Regina said is wrong. People change," I reminded her, not wanting her to believe that she couldn't change. She had changed, coming here had to be a change, and more than that, she needed to change into a believer before my problems could be solved.
"People don't suddenly grow roots," Emma pointed out as she started up one of the washing machines.
"You're not a plant, you're a person. If you want roots you can get some. Besides, even people with roots don't stick around places long. I have roots here, but that doesn't mean I want to stay here," I said, watching as Emma's face got thoughtful. I was about to continue, when my cellphone went off, indicating that I was needed somewhere.
"I've got to go," I said, looking down at the phone. I didn't recognize the number, but I wasn't about to answer it in front of Emma. "Just think about what I said," I asked, turning to answer the phone.
"Hello?" I asked, frowning as the other line clicked. "Hello?" I asked again before glancing at my phone and shrugging. Apparently they had the wrong number, and I had a library to go browse.
Heading home, I decided to swing by my father's shop. Normally, I avoided the place, but for some reason tonight I felt myself wanting to stop by. The sign on the door said closed, but I knew that my father would be inside. I opened the door, listening to the chiming of the bells above the door as I did.
"Hello? Dad?" I called out, closing the door behind me as I went inside. The lights in the back suggested he was in, though as I proceeded further into the shop, it became clear that he wasn't going to answer. "Hello?" I called out again, wondering if maybe he didn't hear me the first time.
I opened the door to the back area, nearly screaming when I spotted my father on the ground. "Dad!" I exclaimed, rushing over to kneel beside him. I put my fingers against his neck, grateful to feel a pulse. "Dad," I said, giving him a slight nudge. I wasn't sure what to do, but I had a feeling I needed to get some help. I was about to pull out my phone and call the sheriff when my father started to come around.
"Dad, can you hear me?" I asked, rocking back on my heels as he let out a groan.
"Sophia?" He asked, opening his eyes to look at me.
"Yeah," I said, putting my hands out to stop him as he tried to get up. "Easy, you got hurt. Do you remember what happened?" My father looked puzzled for a moment, before something that I thought was understanding passed over his face.
"No," My father said, and I wondered if that was a lie. The look on his face suggested it was, but I didn't want to ask either. This didn't seem like my problem. He ticked people off all the time, so why would I be concerned this time.
"Come on," I said, helping him up and giving him his cane that was laying nearby. "Let's go home. Or maybe to the hospital," I said, not sure if he needed medical attention or not.
"Home. I'm fine pumpkin," My father said, taking my offered arm to help support himself. "Why are you here? I thought you hated the shop." I shrugged as I started walking slowly forward.
"I felt like stopping by. Not really sure why," I admitted. Now I wondered if the curse was playing tricks again, or if being my father's child had meant knowing when he was in danger. I wanted to believe the first, as my feelings towards my father didn't feel strong enough for it to be the second.
"Well, I'm glad you did. Don't know how long I would of laid there otherwise." My father remarked as we reached the door to the shop.
"You really don't know who hurt you?" I asked, wanting to be sure he wasn't going to do anything drastic. I didn't know how the curse worked besides wiping memories, but I had a feeling that if he decided to kill someone, they probably wouldn't come back to life in the fairy tale world.
"No, but I'm sure it was just an accident." I almost laughed at that. My father accidently getting hit on the head, I knew for sure he was lying then. But again, I was reminded that I didn't want to know. His deals were his own, and I was better off not knowing them. Or so I had always been led to believe.