A/N: Sorry about the long delays. I found out that I needed glasses. So...I broke down at got them. I've only had them for two days, but I couldn't write for over two weeks while I was waiting on them to come in. So, hopefully we'll have regular updates for everything. I decided that I didn't want to wait to post this. I know with Swan Princess I was averaging 6k words, but these seems to be averaging 4k plus, so I think I'll stick to that. These chapters should be between 4 to 6k. Hope that gives you some insight into how I'm going to write this one. Love you all. Stick with me, this is going to be good.
Chapter 2
She'd gone back into her room in the mansion. She still wasn't sure how they had all ended up in Storybrooke, but that didn't matter at the moment. Red was the issue. She needed to help her. She hadn't really thought about what she was doing when she fled New York City for Storybrooke. She didn't even know what was wrong with Red. It had been a split second decision. For some reason, she just assumed that everyone was back.
The town was still intact, much to her amazement, but no one was there. Amazingly it wasn't over run. Belle told her it had been two years since she'd been gone. She wasn't sure. Life in New York had been easy and fast. Time didn't matter to her.
She stood in the hallway and looked around. She couldn't believe that there were pictures of Remy with them all there. She wanted to cry, but she knew that it was her own fault she wasn't in any of those pictures too. Any picture that she might have been in had been erased or Belle had taken them. She would have to ask her about that later, but right now, she needed to figure out how to get home.
She made her way into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine from the rack. She opened it over the sink, grabbed a glass, and went outside. She sat down on the edge of the lawn lounger. She poured herself a healthy amount and sat the bottle on the table beside the chaise.
"You remind me of Regina when you do that," Belle told her, walking up behind her with her own glass.
She sat down beside her, took the bottle and poured herself some wine. After taking a sip, she turned to look at Coraline, wondering what she was thinking about. She knew that the last few days had been rough for her and she understood her hesitance in helping. She really did, but she still hoped that Coraline would just admit that she missed them and come home.
"How?"
"How what?"
"Do I remind you of her?"
"The heavy thinking while drinking a glass of wine and trying not to stress out."
"So, Emma doesn't do that?" Coraline asked her.
"No, she uses physicality. Usually you can find her with Charming sparring or beating a bag. Regina drinks wine or goes for a ride on her horse," Belle told her.
"I guess I do all of that," Coraline replied.
"You do," Belle said.
Coraline was watching her now. She wondered when Belle would ask her about what she had been doing for the last two years. She wondered when Belle would tell her what was going on beyond the fact that Red was sick and needed Coraline to come back. Belle was hiding something and she knew that it was big. She could only wonder what was really going on.
"Just ask me," Belle finally said breaking Coraline's thoughts.
"Ask you what?" Coraline question in reply.
"You want to know what's really going on back in the Enchanted Forest, don't you?"
"I do."
"But, you won't ask me?"
"A lot has happened to me in the last two years, Belle. I can say the same for you. You've become harder and more direct. I can see Mom's tutelage in it. What has happened?"
"Wilhelmina is lost without you. She is broken. She is like the rest of us. She doesn't know or understand completely why you left, just that you are gone and her heart hurts because of it. Some of us have taken it harder than others, but none like Will has. There is nothing that we can do to cheer her up. She believes that you are gone forever and her heart is breaking in two."
"But, that doesn't tell me what happened," Coraline stated.
"Doesn't it."
"No."
Belle looks at her. She can see the hardened woman before her. She reminded her of the Coraline that she thought was her sister in the beginning and the hardened knight that Blue present to the Court. Coraline had let her life dictate her emotional response or lack thereof in every situation. She knew that the woman before her had a hard time loving anyone, which is why she still didn't understand why she left.
"Then, let's start somewhere else, then shall we?" Belle asked her.
"Fine."
"Do you still love Will?"
"Yes."
"Did you honestly think that releasing in her in the woods outside the camp where George was would break the bond between the two of you?"
"Yes."
"Did I not teach you magic?" Belle asked.
"A little, but yes, you did."
"Then, why would you think that you could break True Love's bond that simply?"
"Because I knew what I had become."
"And, what pray tell is that?"
"I am the fucking Dark One. I have the power of absolute evil inside me and sometimes…sometimes there is no tempering it. I couldn't watch her break beside me just because she loves me. I had to do something that would be for the greater good. I had to let her go. If I let her go and freed her from our bond, then she would be able to move on without me. She could have a life of her own," Coraline told her.
"There is only one problem with that," Belle started.
"Yeah, what?"
"Regina released her from her contract before she came to see you that night."
"What night? The night I left? Is that why she kissed me?" Coraline asked.
"Yes."
"What do you want me to tell you? Do you want to know that I saw the fear in Regina and Emma's eyes that night? That my own parents were frightened of me? That you were? You can't even deny it. You were scared of me and you had every reason to be."
"I won't deny it. There is no point. But, what I want to know is why you didn't give us a chance to help you? You just ran. You ran from your family and the love of your life and for what? To come here and work at a theatre? Coraline you were born for more than this and you know that. I just want to know why," Belle said.
Coraline saw the fire in Belle's eyes. She knew that Belle wanted answers, but she wasn't sure that she was ready to give them to her. She didn't know if she had them, anyway. Life hadn't been what she'd expected it to be. Being the Dark One clouded her mind sometimes.
"Because I didn't want to hurt you all," Coraline said with a defeated voice.
Rachel stood in the kitchen. She was amazed at the size of the house, but she didn't say anything to anyone about it. She couldn't believe that they were in middle of nowhere in Maine. This was not how she planned on spending her time off. A vacation would be nice, but this was just…she didn't know what. She loved Danni, but she knew that something was off as soon a she met Belle. Danni wasn't afraid of anything or anyone, but as soon as she saw Belle, she turned back into the woman that had rescued her from the alley way.
"What's up?" Santana said joining her in the kitchen and making herself some coffee.
"I don't know."
"She still hasn't told you where she disappeared to that six months years ago."
"No, she hasn't. She left after she made sure that Quinn was going to stay with me. Then she just comes back with a new name, a new life and lots of money. What was I supposed to do?"
"Follow her?"
"Like I was going to do that when I still had to perform the next week. You know how much I hate having an understudy take a show. It was bad enough that she made me wait until most of the bruises turned light enough to cover completely. Quinn wasn't happy about it either, but I wasn't going to betray her trust. She saved me that, San," Rachel stated.
"You still haven't told me what you were doing there to begin with," Santana said.
"It's not important. It doesn't matter anymore. Do you even know where we are?"
"Somewhere in Maine, but I don't think that it is on a map," Quinn stated joining them.
"It's called Storybrooke," Brittany added.
They all looked at the tall blonde in wonder. No one knew how she knew where they were. She just shrugged before saying, "Didn't you see the welcome sign?"
They all just stared at her. Brittany was the only one who payed attention to everything that went on around her. She was just so good at reading people. They had come with Belle to the little hamlet town because Brittany was worried about Danni. Had Brittany not been worried, they would have just waited at home for Danni to come back. Brittany told them that she might not this time and the next thing they were all in Quinn's Jeep on the way to Maine. It had been an easy decision.
"What do you think they are talking about?" Quinn asked.
"I don't know, but Danni seems troubled by it," Rachel stated.
"I don't know if Belle is really her sister. They don't look anything alike. My third eye is telling me that something is amiss with them. Can't you see it?" Santana questioned.
"It doesn't matter. What matters is that Danni needs us. What are we going to do about it?" Rachel asked them.
"Whatever she'll let us do," Quinn added.
"I don't want her to disappear like she did a few years ago, Quinn. We need to make sure that she knows we are willing to help. You didn't see the changes that happened after she left New York and came back. I did. I don't think she'll come back this time," Rachel stated.
"Isn't that her choice?" Quinn asked.
"It is, but this is bigger than that," Rachel replied.
"Meaning?" Santana questioned.
"This is bigger than just Belle and Danni. There is something going on beyond here and now. I think that we should wait to see what Danni tells us. She is our friend. We owe her that."
"We do, Rachel. I'll give you that, but she tried to disappear again on you. You….you were the only one that had contact with her before, Rachel. You know her better than the rest of us. She seems to trust you more. She always has," Quinn stated.
"So you want me to go talk to her?"
"You would be the best one to do it," Brittany added.
"I don't know that she'll tell me."
"She will," Quinn said.
Rachel looked at her friends. She didn't know if Danni would talk to her, but she knew that she had to try. She nodded at them and left the room. She knew that she would be interrupting them, but they had come with Belle all the way to Maine from New York on a whim. They needed more before they left.
She knocked on the door frame as she walked out. She wanted them to know that she was coming. She didn't want it to be that big of a surprise. She knew that Belle might not tell her thing that Danni would. She just hoped that Danni would tell her enough to make them understand what was happening.
Belle turned to look at the petite brunette. She smiled. She knew that Rachel was a friend of Coraline's. She could see it in the way she did things. She knew that there was some sort of close relationship between them. She couldn't define it and she didn't care. She knew that it was probably the same between her and Regina. It didn't have to have a reasoning because it just worked. And, because it worked, things got done.
Rachel continued her way over to them. Danni looked up at her and gave her a tight smile. Rachel knew that look and she hated it. It was the same look that Quinn made when she didn't want to talk about something. But, Danni also knew that Rachel would push and she'd get her answers. No one was good at telling Rachel no.
Danni waved her over and Rachel took the seat that Danni vacated. She sat down on the edge of the patio and stared out into the grassy yard, wondering what questions Rachel would ask, knowing she wasn't going to let it go. They all wanted to know why she ran back to Maine, to some unknown town that didn't show up on the GPS or the map, but yet, Belle had brought them there. She knew that they were wondering how Danni belonged in a seemingly deserted town.
"Just ask, Rachel," Danni told her.
"Ask what?" Rachel replied, trying to be aloof, but failing miserably as only she could.
"I know that you want to know, so just ask. I'll tell you anything. You already know that."
"Where are we?"
"Storybrooke, Maine…my hometown of sorts," Danni replied.
"You're from Maine? Funny, you've never sounded like it. And, Belle doesn't either. What are you hiding from here? Why here?" Rachel asked.
"This isn't where I grew up, no, but this is my home. This is the home in which my Mother and Ma live together…lived together until a few years ago. By all accounts, this town should be gone, but as you can see it isn't. I don't have all the answers and I am sure that you want more, but I am not sure I can give them to you. Well, not in any way that you would believe me."
"Danni, we love you. We followed you because of that. Why wouldn't you think that we would help you? I still owe you from what happened in that alleyway, Danni. I am still the only one that knows that you were once called Coraline. I've never betrayed that. Can you really sit there and tell me that you don't care about us at all?" Rachel questioned emotions building in her eyes.
"I can't and you know that. We've all come a long way in the past few years, Rachel. I won't deny that. I also won't deny my history before I met you all. But, there are some things that should be left unsaid. I thank you for your support, but you should all go back to New York. There is nothing for you to do here," Danni told her.
"I didn't ask you that."
"I know that, but that is my answer."
"Danni…"
"No, Rachel, I can't explain it in a fashion that you will understand."
"Try me."
"Rachel…"
"Show her, Coraline," Belle told her.
She turned. Her dark eyes meeting those of her aunt/sister. She couldn't believe that Belle would suggest such a thing. There was something in her blue eyes that Danni couldn't describe, but she understood that Belle knew more about how to deal with this realm than she did.
"Are you sure?" Danni asked her.
"It is the only way that she'll understand our truth."
Belle leaned back in the chair. She watched her as she waved her hands dismissively. Rachel watched the interaction and saw how easily they acted with each other. They obviously had a close relationship like the one that Rachel had with her fathers. She couldn't blame Belle in that instant for coming back for her. Danni was special, even Rachel could see that, but seeing her with Belle could actually explain some of her emotional responses and interactions.
Danni turned and faced Rachel a little more fully. She could see Santana, Brittany and Quinn watching them from the kitchen. Each of them had a cup of coffee and a strange look on their face. She smiled up at them before she turned her attention back to Rachel.
"Do you trust me?"
"What?" Rachel asked in response.
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course, I do."
"Anything I show you, any of you, in this town cannot leave it," Danni told her.
"The only people I would tell you already know," Rachel stated.
"I mean it, Rachel. You can't tell Kurt or Blaine, either. If the four of you know, then you know. But, what I am about to show you could put your life in danger, can you live with that? Because I not sure that I can. I haven't told you anything about my life, honestly, before we met in that alleyway years ago for a reason. I was doing it to protect you."
"Well obviously something from your past has come back to haunt you, Danni. We are your friends. We aren't going to let you face this alone. You know, now, that we will follow you, so you just might as well tell us," Rachel told her.
Danni sighed. She knew it was true. Rachel wouldn't let it go until she knew the truth. It was one of the reasons that they got along so well.
"Fine," Danni told her.
She turned off the edge of the porch and stood up. She faced Rachel a little more closely. She took a step forward and then another until she was right in front of Rachel. She knelt down before her and stole another glance at Belle, who just shook her head in the affirmative.
"I want you to remember that you asked for this," Danni stated as she leaned back away from her just a little, but enough to keep Rachel between her and those in the kitchen.
Rachel nodded. Danni sighed and then looked down. She didn't want to do this, but she knew that this was the only way that they might believe the tale that she would tell them later.
"I am not from this realm," Danni started.
"Realm?"
"Please don't…"
"Sorry, continue," Rachel replied.
Danni gave her a look and sighed. She turned to Belle again, hoping that her aunt/sister would stop her from doing this. Belle shook her head and motioned for her to continue.
"You know all those stories that you learned as a kid, the fairy tales and the fantasies," Danni started again and paused to see Rachel's reaction. When she nodded, Danni continued. "Well, I tell you that there is a lot of truth in them. But, they are the stories of my family and where I am from. I am not from Earth as you call it. I am actually from the Enchanted Forest."
"Danni…"
"Rachel, let me finish."
Rachel sat back and looked into her dark eyes. She could tell that Danni believed everything that she was telling her. She wasn't sure if Danni lost her mind or what, but she decided that she would hear her out. She knew that there were things that Danni couldn't explain and she hoped that maybe she could garner something from her tale.
"I was born here in Storybrooke…about…"
"It would have been last year," Belle added.
"Yes, last year. When I was born I was named Remy Aurora Swan. Some things happened and we were all transported back to the Enchanted Forest through a magic portal…but that honestly doesn't matter to this story…" Danni said as she watched Rachel shift in the chair uncomfortably as she continued to tell her about it.
"You know what, that doesn't matter. None of it matters now. That is a story for another day. I can't just tell you. I'll have to show you," Danni told her as she stood up.
She shook her head and looked into Rachel's surprised eyes. She knew that the singer was worried for her mental health and was really beginning to question Belle's relationship to her. She reached out for Rachel's hand, but she didn't take it.
"Do you still trust me?"
"Yes…"
"Then take my hand," Danni told her.
Rachel actually took it this time when it was offered. Danni still kept her between herself and the prying eyes in the kitchen. She knew that they sent Rachel out to find out what was going on, but she also knew that they weren't prepared for her truth.
"Please don't run," Danni said weakly.
It was enough to keep Rachel rooted to the spot. Her eyes followed Danni's dark ones. She gasped as the slowly turned green and looked down at her hands. Rachel followed her gaze. Her eyes got even wider when she saw the flames that were encompassing Danni's palms. Rachel looked back up into Danni's eyes. When she saw nothing but mirth, Rachel tried to dampen down her anxiety by what she was seeing.
"How?" she asked simply.
"Magic," Danni replied.
"Does it hurt?"
"No."
"But, it's fire."
"It is."
"Will it burn me?" Rachel asked.
"Yes, if you touch it, it will burn you."
Rachel reached out with one hand, finger extended. She got close enough to feel the heat from the blaze without needing to touch it. Her eyes got bigger as she realized that she couldn't see anything in Danni's hand. The fire was hovering over her palm.
"Danni…"
"I am trying to tell you, Rachel, but I knew that you wouldn't understand."
"The fire isn't touching you."
"No, it isn't."
"But how?" Rachel asked.
"Magic."
Rachel sat back down. As soon as she moved, Danni knew that the other three women in the house saw the fire. She saw the worried looks from Santana and Brittany. Quinn didn't look worried. She looked pissed.
Danni saw the change in her stature even through the window. Belle noticed the difference in Danni's posture. Rachel was still standing there gob smacked. She didn't know how to really react. There was so much running through her head.
"You need to tell them all," Belle urged when she caught the looks from the window.
Danni met her gaze. She knew that Belle was right, but she knew that she needed to convince Rachel completely first. She put the fire out in her hand and reached out for Rachel. When she didn't pull away, Danni urged her to sit back down. Rachel took the seat quickly. She kept her eyes on Danni's as she moved around the porch.
"I told you that you wouldn't believe me."
"How?"
"How what, Rachel?"
"How did you do that? And, don't tell me magic. How did you do that? Is that some sort of theater trick? How'd you do it?"
"I told you, Rachel. It's magic. It flows through me. Unfortunately for this land, this realm, there is no magic. I couldn't show this before. There is no magic in New York," Danni explained as she took a step back from her.
"There is no such thing as magic. They are all parlor tricks and showmanship. So, how did you do that?" Rachel asked again.
Danni shook her head. She knew that Rachel wouldn't want believe her even if she was in her face about it. She didn't know what else to do. Fire was the easiest thing to show them.
"You don't get it, do you, Rachel? I have magic. It flows through me. I can do things that others only wish they could, but the problem with that power is where I can use it. Your world, here, Earth, doesn't have any inherent magic. What magic is here has been brought from other worlds or realms and love, because love is the greatest magic of all. Storybrooke doesn't really exist in your world. Magic exists here because of love and well, other magics. I do things here that I can't do out there. This is why I didn't want you following me. This is why you shouldn't have come here. Because nothing that happens here will make sense to you," Danni told her.
"Don't get angry with me," Rachel stated.
"I am angry with you, Rachel. I've never been angry with you. Frustrated, yes, but angry no. Trust me on that. You'll know when I am angry," Danni replied.
"Danni, you can't convince me that you can do magic by putting fire in your hands. There are so many different stage tricks to make that happen. Come on. You work in a theatre. You know that. So, if you want me to believe you, you're going to have to do better than that."
"I should have known that the diva would need more," Danni muttered.
She backed up. She looked around the yard. She wasn't sure what she could that would make Rachel believe her. Then she spotted a weed, a dandelion in the grass. She picked it.
She stood back in front of Rachel. She held the dandelion in hands. She held it out for Rachel to see. Rachel brushed her hands over the stem. She then looked up at Danni.
Danni took a step back and dropped her hands. The dandelion was suspended in the air. She watched as Rachel's eyes went wide at the sight.
"You wanted magic. Here's some magic. Watch this," Danni told her.
She ran her hands around the floating flower to prove that there was nothing holding it. Then she wiggled her fingers to the right of it. Rachel watched in awe as the flower bloomed in front of her. The bright yellow expanded open for all to see its color. Then just as quickly it faded back into itself. But, knowing Rachel, Danni wasn't done. She stopped wiggling her right hand and started with her left. The flower turned into the puff ball of seeds. She was making nature speed up right in front of her. Rachel gasped at the sight, but Danni still wasn't done.
She grabbed the puffball, held it out for Rachel, and told her, "Blow."
Rachel did as she was bid. She watched as the seeds spread into the air. Danni raised her hands and the seeds began an artfully choreographed dance before spinning around Rachel and coming back to Danni's hand. She closed her hand around the seeds.
Rachel gave her a look of confusion. Danni held up her finger telling her to wait with her other hand. Then, slowly, she opened the hand that held the seeds. As fingers uncurled from around them, Rachel could see a flower literally growing out of Danni's hand. Danni reached over with her left hand and "picked" the flower before handing it to Rachel.
"Was that enough for you?"