Eloise's Wish

In Lost in Time, Mimi ventures into Hell with Oliver to get Kingsley back. Oliver, it's revealed, is still in love in Schuyler, because even before he was her familiar, he loved her. (While I desperately wish Melissa de la Cruz wouldn't do that to the poor boy, it's canon, and I like to stick with canon.) When they enter the Lair of the Sirens, Oliver is seduced by a siren that looks like Schuyler, and almost marries her, but Mimi quickly steps in and saves him before he bonds himself to her.

Eloise and Oliver have now been dating for seven months, but Oliver's deepest secret is that he's still a bit in love with Schuyler. Since sirens play to a person's deepest, most secret desires, Eloise finds herself prey, as well.

The beach was absolutely lovely. Eloise couldn't remember the last time her family had gone on vacation to the coast. All she knew was that she missed it.

Mimi and Oliver had gone off somewhere, but she found she wasn't worried. She simply wanted to enjoy herself. Even if this was in Hell, it didn't seem like it. If this was only the surface, she wouldn't mind going into deeper dimensions.

She suddenly had the desire to have Oliver's hand in hers. She wanted to share this moment with him. It was the first time they could relax since they'd entered the Glom, and it was only fitting if she spent it with him.

"Oliver?" she called, weaving through the crowd. When she didn't find him on the beach, she figured he must be on the terrace. Hiking up the gossamer skirts of her yellow dress, she rushed toward the hotel.

She saw his chestnut hair first. "Oliver!" she called again, smiling.

He didn't turn around. He hadn't heard her, she realized; she walked closer. She suddenly stopped, her blood turning cold.

He hadn't heard her because he was too busy making out with someone. And that someone looked a lot like Schuyler.

Eloise wasn't stupid; she knew Schuyler wasn't in Hell. This was an illusion, a way to disorient them. And she wasn't bothered by that.

What really got to her was the fact that Oliver was giving into it.

Did he not understand what going steady meant? He had been the one who proposed the notion in the first place. He had assured her he didn't love anyone else.

She didn't know she was crying until she felt the tears streaming down her face. She wanted to look away, run to a secluded corner and hide, but she was rooted where she stood. Her voice was stuck in her throat, unable to scream in anguish.

"Such a handsome boy, isn't he?" said a voice on her left.

Eloise was faced with an old woman, with hardly a wrinkle and her silver hair neatly in a bun. She smiled knowingly at her before continuing.

"And he was yours, wasn't he?"

Eloise slowly moved her head up and down, her voice still unable to work.

"But he's given into his desire," the old woman said gravely. "He may be with you, but he will never forget his love for her. To him, you will always pale to her beauty."

Eloise physically felt her heart rip itself in two. She wanted to tell the woman to stop talking, but she knew she spoke the truth.

"Oh, my dear, you're in pain." The old woman brought her freckled arms around Eloise. She stood stiffly, not wanting her pity.

"I'm so sorry," the woman told her. "Maybe I can help."

"How?" It was a croaked sob, a sound strange to her own ears.

"Come up to my room, my dear," the woman said with a sly smile. "I have just the thing you need."

Eloise would have laughed if she hadn't been so distraught. "This will help?"

Before her was an antique spinning wheel, something found in museums or in a summer house for decoration. What in the world this woman was doing with one, she couldn't guess.

"It's a special spinning wheel," the old woman said. "I know your secret desire, Eloise Rebecca Garrison."

There was one thing Eloise wanted even more than a greenhouse. Even though she claimed to hate Sleeping Beauty, she had always wanted to have her true love awake her with a kiss. Was this woman being serious? Was she making fun of her?

"Oh, I am serious," the woman said, as if reading her mind. "Once you touch the spindle, you will fall asleep. Only when your true love kisses you will you awaken."

"And…and how long will that be?"

"It could take centuries. But isn't it worth it?" The woman walked to the window, gazing down on the party outside. "You can forget all about the pain that boy has caused you. You will find someone else, someone who will love you without always comparing you to another."

If Eloise had been in her right mind, she would have said no. It was a selfish decision; she couldn't leave her parents, Lucy, the Coven. All this for love…

But it would be true love. She would feel whole again. Oliver wouldn't break her any further…

"Go on, my dear…"

Eloise saw the little red dot on her finger; there was no pain. She felt woozy, falling to the floor.

She would awaken to her true love…true love…

Love…

"Thanks for that," Oliver breathed, still in shock. To think he had almost given himself to a siren…

"No problem," Mimi replied, replacing her sword. "I think it's time we left."

"Right." He looked around. "Where's Ellie?"

Mimi shrugged. "I haven't seen her."

"You mean she wasn't with you?"

"No…"

They looked at each other before running in opposite directions, trying to scope her out. They met up on the terrace several minutes later.

"She's not out here," Mimi concluded.

"Dammit! I shouldn't have left her…" Oliver started to panic. "She must have seen me with…" A cold shiver came over him, and he suddenly felt sick.

Mimi groaned. "Well, that's just fantastic. How are we going to find her? She could be anywhere!"

Oliver looked wildly around, his eyes landing on a hibiscus bush. Of course.

"Wait. Sirens tempt you with your deepest desires, right?"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Mimi rolled her eyes. "You're her deepest desire, though. And there's no doppelganger of you out here."

"Exactly." Oliver spotted the sun glinting off of a building made entirely of glass several yards away. "She wants something else."

The greenhouse was filled with sweetpeas, snapdragons, and red roses - the flowers Eloise wanted in the greenhouse she wanted her future husband to build her someday. Oliver raced through the blossoms, searching for any sign of her.

He stopped short at the very back. There she was, asleep on a fainting couch, her hair and skirts fanned out around her.

"Oh, God…" He rushed forward, kneeling beside her.

Mimi was close behind, grabbing her arm. "She still has a pulse. And she's breathing."

"Ellie, wake up," Oliver whispered, shaking her gently. "Ellie, we gotta go."

Eloise stayed unconscious.

"Ellie, please." He shook her a little harder, his voice rising. "Come on, Ellie…"

"She must have made a deal with one of the sirens," Mimi said. "She won't wake up until it's been fulfilled. Those are the rules."

"And how the hell are we supposed to figure out what the deal was?"

"Any one of those people out there could have made the deal. And the only one who will be completely honest with us is asleep," she said bluntly.

Oliver sighed, grasping Eloise's hand. "So she's stuck like this?"

Mimi nodded. "And we can't leave until she wakes up."

Oliver felt himself start to tear up. He was an idiot. He should have never been seduced by the siren; he didn't love Schuyler like that, he realized now. Eloise's life meant more to him than any other dumb fantasy he had.

He saw a splotch of red on her index finger. He brought it closer, running his own finger over the bump. "Where did you get this?…"

And then it hit him. All those years of her complaining about fairy tales, about how unrealistic they were, how cheesy and overly romantic. All along, she wanted a little bit of that in her life.

"This was her deepest desire."

"What?"

Oliver looked at Mimi. "She always said she hated fairy tales, but I think this is what she secretly wanted." He showed her Eloise's finger. "It's like Sleeping Beauty."

"Well, great. Then kiss her and let's go."

Oliver paled. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"And why not? Don't tell me you're still in love with Van Alen."

"I'm not. I just…she's like this because of me. I…I don't want to…I don't deserve…"

"I don't think it's a matter of if you deserve it or not," Mimi said, her voice quiet. "If this really is like Sleeping Beauty, she'll need her true love to wake her up."

It took him a few moments to realize who she was talking about.

"Me?"

Mimi gave him a "Duh!" look.

"But…"

"Just do it already!" She turned and walked away. "I'll give you two some alone time."

Oliver sighed, turning back to Eloise. She sighed in her sleep, her fingers twitching slightly.

"I'm so sorry, Ellie," Oliver whispered, caressing her face with his thumb. "I never wanted…I shouldn't have…" He cupped her cheek, allowing the warmth of her skin to soak into his palm. "Don't leave me. Please."

She sighed again. He felt his heart leap in his chest.

Oliver lifted her head slowly toward his face, taking in her russet hair, the freckles on her nose, her lips…her soft, pink lips…

At this moment, she'd never looked more beautiful.

"I love you, Ellie," he said softly, and gently pressed his lips to hers.

He knew that the kisses in the stories he'd grown up with hadn't lasted long; at least, that's how the movies played out. But he wanted more than anything for Eloise to wake up; he wanted to hold her in his arms, keep her safe from anything else that came their way. He needed her like he needed to breathe.

And because of that, the kiss was longer than he'd intended. It may not have been special, but Oliver poured his soul into the simple act of his lips on hers. Even if he wasn't the one to wake her, he wanted to be. He wanted his love to to be enough.

When he pulled away, he saw her eyelids flutter. She blinked a few times before looking at him.

"Oliver?"

His face broke out into a smile. "Thank God." He pulled her to him, encircling her in his embrace.

She pulled away, confused. "I'm supposed to sleep until my true love kisses me. And…you're not my…"

"Ellie, I didn't mean to…I'm sorry that I…" He sighed. "I don't know what came over me. But I know that I'm wholeheartedly in love with you."

Before she could answer, there was a loud clap of thunder outside, and rain began to fall.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Mimi called from the entrance. "We gotta go before we get into any more trouble!"

Oliver scooped Eloise into his arms, and he followed Mimi to the convertible. He set her down in the back seat, planning to sit in the front.

"Oliver?"

He stopped, getting drenched by the downpour. She didn't need to say anything else; he climbed into the back as Mimi put the top over the car.

As they sped away, Oliver reached out his hand, but Eloise pulled back. She glared at him.

"I'm not sure I want to forgive you right now," she said coldly.

Oliver nodded, and withdrew his hand.

"It doesn't mean I don't love you, too," she said after a minute, grabbing hold of his hand with hers.

Oliver managed a small smile, and he was glad to see it mirrored back at him.