A bunch of stuff happens here. We get some answers to questions I'm sure people have been wondering about how things come together or rather how all these live intersect by starting with the one I'm sure cropped up about last chapter: Where the fuck has Hook been?
*OUATE*
"Where the hell have you been?" Regina glared at Killian. "Could you have cut it any closer?"
"Where I was love was speaking with some old friends ...and acquaintances. I cut nothing close, all I did was keep a certain set of someone's from letting their rage blind them." he stared at Gabriel and Pan who just stared back. "Bloody hell that hellspawn was sent as a test and you both failed. What was stopping the bloody MOON from doing what I just did?"
"Shut up dead boy." The silver haired young man snorted. "I know that. I wanted see how much he'd talk."
"Right. And I'm a ruddy mermaid. Anyways I come bearing the gift of information." He rolled his eyes. "You see, Destane's been planning this shindig for some time, a lot longer than you might think. Now that the Moon has officially joined the fray, I can reveal what I really know."
"Hmph, you've been holding out. For shame pirate." Pan narrowed his eyes
*20 years ago*
"That be a good starfish child."
"Thank you Miss Dalma." Emma beamed. She really liked Miss Dalma. The dark skinned woman talked funny but she was so much fun! Other adults were always so serious with her when they talked in these sessions but Miss Dalma always had her draw whatever she wanted while they talked. Today it was all the things under the sea...she's just seen the Little Mermaid with her foster mother.
"So how was your day Emma?"
Miss Dalma's job was to check on her, she knew that. She knew this lady wrote down things she said and talked with her foster parents because she had to. Still she couldn't help but feel at ease around the woman. Others weren't outright mean to her but they were so...not real? Like pretending to care about her, smiling to play along. Like the family she lived with now...
Not Miss Dalma. She always listened. Really listened. She talked funny but Emma could understand her just fine.
"It was nice. I found a frog but Billy screamed when he saw it. I dunno why I thought boys liked gross things."
"Well child, sometimes tings be not quite as simple as we like them to be. Billy is a boy but not all boys like frogs and tings." the doctor laughed, "You be a young lady but I hear you're not too fond of dresses right?"
"No.."
"There you go."
"Miss Dalma? You have a call on but the line transfer isn't working." A brunette woman stuck her head on the office. "I'm sorry the door was open-"
"Sall right Suzie. Excuse me a minute child."
When the therapist left the room, eight year old Emma continued to color. As she reached for the blue to fill in Flounder's stripes, it rolled just beyond her grasp and onto the floor. True to Murphy's Law, it kept on once on the tile and vanished under the bookcase.
"Aw..." she scurried after it hoping to catch it. Alas, the wax cylinder was much thinner than her small fingers and vanished into the void. She looked up at the sturdy wood furnishing and wondered if she could move it without knocking Ms Dalma's books down...
"Why are you on the floor? Is it a game?"
Startled, Swan whipped around to see a young girl her age in the doorway wearing the loudest orange and green polka dot shirt the blonde had ever seen. Her denim dress jumper covered in multicolored patches of all sorts of patterns. Well worn brown leather boots on her feet and mismatched socks; a solid black one just under her knee, the other rainbow banded and vanishing under the jumper skirt. Her bright red hair done up in two messy (lopsided) pigtails. Freckles splashed across her tanned face her.
"Um, no my crayon is under here and i can't get it."
"That all?" The girl scoffed. "I'll get it for ya."
Emma started to point out to her that they were the same size and if she couldn't reach it, neither could the red head. She got as far as opening her mouth before her jaw went slack. The other girl stepped around her, bent over and lifted the edge of the bookcase with one hand. The other reached under to retrieve the lost crayon from the sea of dust bunnies.
"Here ya go." She held it out proudly while setting the case down like it weighed nothing.
"Y-y-you're amazing!"
"Naw! I'm Pippilotta Viktualia Rullgardina Krusmynta Efraimsdotter Långstrump Dalma Sparrow. But Mama and Far and everybody just calls me Pippi." She gave a gap toothed grin.
*OUATE*
"You weren't working for them?" Gold couldn't understand. The pirate told them the Moon God made him Davey Jones after his suicide. That would make him his servant like Pan...right?
"With yes. For, no. Sometimes, things aren't as simple as we like them to be Crocodile. Gabriel, I was appointed to watch over you by your mother's regent. She'd known for sometime that things were about to go south, all leading to reality imploding. Then fate dropped her regent quite literally in her lap." The first part of his statement caused Emma to blink.
"What did you say?" she asked. Unfortunately like Granny before her, she was overshadowed by another speaker.
"You mean to tell me mother knew about this and didn't bother to tell me or Syl shit was about to go down?"
"Believe it or not there's more at stake here. Your sister is needed elsewhere. And Lady Aurii believed your...heavy handed tactics would be a better fit if left in the dark about the situation." Hook produced a glowing orb from...wherever.
~My dear son. The very fact that you are seeing this means I was right to trust in you. In the event you are not alone when this message finds you, greetings. I am known as The Supreme Mother, Lady Aurii, guardian of this reality.~ The ghostly image of a woman curtsied daintily. Slightly taller than Hook with ethereal blue skin she smiled warmly at the moon god. Strange as that may sound with pure white eyes that gave no real indication of just where she was looking. Her bright pink hair cut short to follow the slope of her jawline to her chin.~ It is I who created the worlds you live in..~
The hologram let out a sigh as she appeared to survey the townsfolk. They all looked back at her with a mixture of awe, wariness and shock.
~As you know Gabriel, one of our greatest strengths is The Sight. But I have long believed it to be one of our greatest weaknesses. Knowing the future does not always mean it can or should be changed and sometimes the desire to avoid undesirable scenarios breeds even worse ones. I tell you this now because I have known since the moment of his birth that Destane would be a powerful force but what he chose to do with that power was entirely up to him. Knowing what he could do meant nothing. My job is only to ensure this reality continues to exist, to support it with my power. It is you and your twin who must balance it. In turn I am able to guide you both. No single being is ever meant to have absolute control and this is what Destane does not understand. He seeks my power and position but not my duties. To have his cake and eat it too as it were.~
"That sounds kinda-" Leroy started to be snide only to find himself without a mouth before the comment was done.
~I imagine you are quite angry with me right now. To learn I did not explain the trials you would face and did not trust you. I did not tell you because I DO trust you my Raven. Trust that when given the task of preserving the balance without my guidance, you would do splendidly. Loopholes are there to be exploited and there is no shame in that. Even I am guilty of it. I chose a powerful Sorcerer to be my regent and he has watched over this reality in my stead. Because he is not like us, he cannot fully replace me as he is now and neither can The Black Death. That is why he requires his diamond in the rough.~
"God damn it! Neale!" Gold exclaimed.
*20 years ago*
"How did you do that?!"
"Mama says it's just what makes me special. Far says there's no one else like his lil Powerhouse Princess." Pippi giggled. "Yer Emma right? Mama talks bout you, wanted to adopt ya but they won let 'er."
"Your Mama wants to adopt me?" The blonde blinked at that, replaying the long jumble of words that came out of her mouth when she introduced herself.
"Yeah, she jus left to speak on the phone." Pippi flopped down on the Hello Kitty bean bag chair next to the bookcase. "All I wanted ta do was get a good look see at the gorillas. Climb one fence and people go all kooky."
"You got in there with those big monkeys?!"
"Gorillas ain't monkeys, no tails." she kicked at the ground. "But yeah. Mama's gonna be kinda more mad at the school...I came here all by myself cuz Mr Burk was bein a butt. Far won't be happy with 'em either."
Wow...
She'd only known her for like five minutes. But in those five minutes, she learned Pippi was strong and clever. Smart and sassy. Had a family that would stand up for her (even though she was sort of wrong) and let her dress like she was colorblind. All the things she wanted for herself. Well maybe not the last one. But definitely to feel so sure of herself. To have a family that took care of her because they loved her, flaws and all. Not because the state paid them too.
It wasn't fair. What was wrong with her? Pippi had to have been adopted by Miss Dalma, so why wouldn't the state let her take in Emma too? Why?
"Ems, let's play a game til mama's done." The red head popped up. "You like cards? Far taught me lotsa card games. Dice too."
"Ok." Maybe some play would help her feel better.
*OUATE*
"All alone...poor thing." A voice whispered with a cultured, suave edge.
"Who's there?" Neale reached for the cane he had been walking with in the Echo Caves with one hand, holding Micheal close with the other.
"Someone who will never abandon you. All you have to do is give into the cold Neale." the whisper continued. "Let it go and be free."
"Passing on the block of ice in my chest you nut. Also pretty sure you're not trustworthy."
"Trust no one, hasn't that always been your way Neale? Get over on them before they get over on you? The world is a cruel place my boy. Only the cold hearted ever survive. Ever thrive."
A swirl of black smoke yielded a man dressed in regal navy blue robes. A native of the desert kingdoms...great this must be Destane. Oh he was fucked.
"You have no reason to fear me Baelfire."
"You want to possess my body so you can destroy everything I love. That's a good reason to be afraid. "
"Now that's not true." The evil sorcerer chuckled. "You don't love anything. All you have shown are feelings and actions you assume are appropriate given the situation. Let's see, you were eager to abandon Emma after promising to whisk her away to Tallahassee once a proper excuse presented itself. You met Tamara and asked for her hand only because she seemed stable, put together with no baggage. But having learned of her betrayal, her brutal death...you shed not one tear."
"Shut up."
"But you relished the chance to validate your behavior in the caves did you not? In doing so you revealed the truth to them and now they see the sociopath lurking within; you have only to admit it to yourself dear boy. Only your pain and you happiness matter, everything else is of no consequence."
"That's not true."
It couldn't be. He cared about people. His feelings were real. He wasn't a headcase like Dexter or some random unsub from a crime show. He knew that. But...he also knew Tamora was dead. The fact that she had worked for Pan to steal his son was heinous. That still didn't wipe away the 2 wonderful years they shared, that he was ready to give up his con artist life to settle down with her and make an honest living.
.
Did he love her or the idea she represented? That he was normal and could have the life he desired. No deserved. Learning of her death coincided with his image of a normal life being shattered- reuniting with his papa...Emma...meeting Henry. All confirmation that magic would forever curse his existence.
He felt no sorrow for her. Only rage. Rage at the world. That can't be right!
"Yes...that's it my boy...give in to those feelings. They have preserved you this long..." The man smiled at the struggle happening within the broken young man before him. Bending over to snare Neale's chin.
"Get bent!"
The Black Death had zero time to register the young childish voice before a couple of things happened at once.
There was angry chittering before something scurried up the back of his leg and bit his thigh. HARD.
The room filled with tell tale purple mist, reforming into a group he had hoped to avoid using his distraction.
A god damned battering ram collided with his face.
A sword pressed to his throat as he tried to recover.
"Ah...brave now after hiding for so long are we?" The Evil Magician couldn't quite pull off the aloof and regal bit with blood pouring down his face.
"Hello pot? Yes the kettle's calling." The sword wielder drawled. "And bravery has little to do with the situation. Just too stupid to stay out of certain affairs for me own good, a trait I seem to have passed on to me Powerhouse Princess. Now, skitter back under yer rock. We both know ye can't stay long. Not after what Rufio did to ye. In fact...you should start to feel it ab-"
"RAGHHH!" Her roared dissipating in a noxious cloud.
"Well damn. There goes me dramatic effect."
"Who are you to have commanded Destane so?" Jasmine looked at the scruffy rogue with suspicion. Appearances can be deceiving, she was well aware. Dressed like a swashbuckler who had spent a fair deal of time sailing the few areas where those of the 7 Deserts had access to the seas. The small ruby haired girl with him looked like a fabric caravan had exploded and the aftermath draped itself all over her.
"All I did was remind him why he hasn't set foot in this realm in over a century. As for who I am, jus someone ol Dezzie wishes he could be. The roguishly handsome devil 'oo got over on death."
"If by got over on you mean had his lady love cash in a favor owed sure." Killian huffed.
"Semantics."
"Wow Ems you gots big!"
Emma really shouldn't have been shocked. After all her parents (Snow White and Prince Charming) tossed her in a cabinet as a baby to escape the wrath of her vengeful (misguided) step-grandmother...who now just so happened to be the adoptive mother of the child she herself gave away. So seeing what she had been made to believe was a product of her active imagination as a girl standing before her? Just another layer to the insanity right?
"My first friend really was Pippi Longstocking. Of course she was."
Everybody but the new man, Hook, Pippi and the smartly dressed brown monkey that leapt on to her shoulder just stared at the Savior.
*OUATE*
Yep. I was actually kinda surprised OUAT hadn't already incorporated the plucky Swedish heroine into their plot. As a girl i loved her stories more than Peter Pan and I think she would have made a great friend for Henry. But I don't think Disney has the rights to the Longstocking adventures...the same reason there's a Victor Frankenstein but not Sherlock Holmes even though there's zero magic in either. Oh well.
And yes, her Mama and Far (A Swedish endearment for father) are exactly who you think...it explains her mixed up accent don't it n_n
Who noticed the Frozen reference?
Chapter Title Recap:
Price to Pay- Careful you don't loose yourself to the game...
Pompeii- Sometimes you have to just accept fate
Pain Redefined- A bit of foreshadowing of the trials to come.
Dance With the Devil- His greatest trick is bring out the worst in ourselves
Black Heart- A song about a man who can only express "love" by killing...a serial killer with no soul
Absolution Calling- Salvation is a stone's throw away...if only you hear and answer it's call
Flaws- We aren't perfect. And should thank our lucky stars for it.
Love it? Hate it? Let me know. Reviews are like hugs! Sirensoundwave out!