This is basically just a filler chapter but I hope you like it anyway!
Chapter 9: Young Romance
Henry was sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal rather quickly.
"Slow down, kid. No one is going to take it away from you." David said walking into the kitchen to get something to eat himself.
"I'm going to meet a friend and I still have to get a shower and get dressed." He mumbled with his mouth full of cereal.
"What time are you meeting Mandy?" David asked as he began pouring milk into his own cereal.
"It's not Mandy and 2pm." He said casually.
"It's only 11am, you have plenty of time to get ready. But who are you meeting then if it's not Mandy?" He asked curiously.
"I have other friends ya know! Her name is Tiger Lily and before you say anything, we are just friends." He said pointing his spoon at David.
"Alright, alight!" David said putting his hands up.
"I just got off the phone with Emma. She said they would be back sometime tomorrow." Snow said coming into the kitchen to tell them the news.
"Cool, so she found Mr. Gold's son then?" Henry asked.
"Yes…she did." She said in a worried tone that Henry didn't catch but David did. "We need to talk." She whispered in David's ear so Henry wouldn't hear.
"Henry, why don't you go get ready for your date." David said quickly.
"Date?" Snow asked raising her eyebrow at the young boy.
"It's not a date!" He said angrily as he hopped off the chair and marched up the stairs.
"I meant hanging out!" David yelled after him.
"Henry has a date and it's not Mandy?" Snow asked.
"Her name is Tiger Lily. He says their just friends but who knows. Now what did you have to tell me?" David asked.
"Emma is on her way back with Mr. Gold and his son, who also happens to be Henry's father!" Snow whispered.
"How the hell did that happen?" David asked loudly.
"Shh, I don't know the whole story." Snow replied.
"That makes Gold Henry's grandfather…this is crazy!" David said.
"I know. She doesn't want us to say anything to Henry until she can explain it to him when she gets back." Snow said.
"I won't say anything." David said reassuring her.
Mandy came down the stairs still in her silk pajamas Regina let her borrow the night before. She didn't bother to brush her hair so her dark curls were all over the place. She heard voices coming from the kitchen so she made her way there and found Cora and Regina sitting at the table talking.
"Look who decided to get up!" Cora said when she saw Mandy come through the door. Mandy walked over to the table and stood next to Regina, rubbing her eyes.
"I trust you had a restful night?" Regina asked.
"I did. Best sleep in a while." Mandy replied.
Regina smiled. "Have a seat dear." She said motioning to the seat next to her. "What would you like for breakfast? I can make you French toast or pancakes or..."
"French toast please!" Mandy interrupted before Regina could finish her sentence. Regina began getting the ingredients out for French toast.
"Miranda, how did your training go with Rumplestiltskin?" Cora asked.
"Mother, she just got up!" Regina said with a frustrated tone.
"I am just trying to understand everything Regina" Cora shot back.
"It's okay." Mandy said quickly. She didn't want them to fight, at least not over her.
"When I went back to him the second time, I was more determined than ever to learn how to use magic. I was willing to do everything and anything to get rid of Wendy." Mandy said.
"Wendy?" Cora asked.
"I'll fill you in later mother. " Regina said.
Cora nodded. "What did he have you do?"
"He taught me a lot of the spells the first time so I would be ready when I had to go to Oz and Wonderland to retrieve things for him, with the possibility of facing powerful witches and Queens." Mandy said.
"You were in Wonderland?" Cora asked, shocked.
"Yea, I heard the Queen of Hearts was awful. Did you know she cuts off people's heads?!" Mandy exclaimed.
Regina couldn't help but laugh. "She is the Queen of Hearts, dear."
"You are?!" Mandy asked in shock. "I'm sure you were a very nice Queen and the rumors weren't true. Please don't cut my head off." Mandy whispered trying to please Cora.
Cora and Regina both laughed. "The rumors were true but I won't be cutting your head off dear." Cora said. "Now, what did Rumple want from Wonderland?"
"He wanted a piece of a mushroom, which was easy to find. He also wanted a key that was locked somewhere in your castle. That one was tougher to locate, but I found it eventually!" She said grinning. Regina placed the French roast in front of Mandy and she began cutting it up right away. Regina sat down in her original seat to listen to the rest of the conversation.
"What key did you take?" Cora asked eagerly.
"It was tiny, gold, and had a red heart on it. It was in your room, locked in a box, hidden under your bed." Mandy replied as she stuffed food in her mouth.
"How the hell did you get into the palace, let alone find that hiding spot?" Regina asked curiously.
"You become a very good spy in Neverland when one is constantly on the lookout for pirates and their treasure. I snuck in through the servants' quarters when she was holding court." She said nodding towards Cora. "There weren't that many people in the palace. I searched her room very carefully, making sure I put everything back where I found it. It was like finding Hook's buried treasure! You hide your treasure much better than he does." Mandy said to Cora grinning. "I found the key to the box in your pillow sheet, unlocked the box, took the tiny key, relocked the box, and put the key back where I found it." She said between bites. Cora looked at her granddaughter with anger in her eyes. Mandy and Regina both noticed.
"Are you mad at me? What was the key for anyway?" Mandy asked. Cora didn't answer. She flicked her wrist and froze Mandy mid-bite.
"Mother! What the hell did you do that for?" Regina yelled.
"Her necklace doesn't work anymore." Cora said flatly.
"What are you talking about?" Regina said frustrated.
"I wouldn't have been able to freeze her if it still worked. That key she took from my room unlocked the spell that I had placed on her necklace. She gave it to Rumple. He probably unlocked it while she was sleeping." Cora said angrily.
"Can't you just redo the spell?" Regina asked.
"It's not that simple. Honestly Regina, you should know this by now." Cora said frustrated.
"Unfreeze her now." Regina said flatly. Cora flicked her wrist and Mandy was back to eating her breakfast like nothing ever happened.
"Miranda, why did you leave Rumple in the first place?" Regina asked.
"He wanted me to rip out a heart. I wasn't comfortable, so I left. But when I came back the second time, I could do it no problem."
Regina was afraid of that answer. "How many hearts have you ripped out?"
"I kinda lost track…" Mandy said, putting her head down.
"We both know how you feel, dear." Cora said she patted Mandy's hand. It was the first time Regina saw Cora show affection toward Miranda, even though it was small. It was a start and she figured it was good enough for now.
"Miranda, how would you like if my mother and I trained you to help get control of your magic?" Regina said, changing the subject.
"Really! You would do that for me?" Mandy asked eagerly.
"Of course! We should start today." Cora exclaimed as she stood from her seat.
Today?" Mandy asked
"The sooner we start, the better!" Regina replied.
"Okay. I have to run home real quick to get changed." She said standing up and putting her plate in the sink.
"You should bring a few pairs back with you. I think it would be best if you stay here for a little while, just incase you have another magical outburst. We can control it better." Cora demanded more than suggesting.
"Okay. I'll be back shortly." Mandy replied. "Oh Regina, do you know where my clothes are? I can't find them."
"I threw them in the wash. They should be dry by now." Regina responded.
"Thanks. See you later!" She said leaving the kitchen.
"Quick thinking! Coming up with an excuse for her to stay longer." Regina said smiling.
"You can thank me now dear. You know I don't like waiting." Cora replied.
"Thank you mother." Regina said genuinely.
"When are you going to tell her you're her mother?" Cora asked
"I was going to tell her tonight, after her training." Regina responded.
"Good luck, dear." Cora said putting her hand on Regina's shoulder before leaving the kitchen.
Mandy was on her way home to get some clothes for her stay at Regina's. She was walking past the docks when she saw two people sitting on the edge. She recognized them as Henry and Tiger Lily. She began walking towards them when she saw them both lean in for a kiss. She stood there in shock for a minute. She soon regained her composure and walked closer to the pair. She crossed her arms and smiled.
"Well, Well. What do we have here?" She asked, her tone light. Henry and Tiger Lily broke apart quickly when they heard her voice.
"Young love perhaps?" Mandy asked.
"We're not…" Henry said before getting interrupted by Mandy. "You don't have to explain anything to me. What you two do is your business. But you guys are so cute together!" She giggled.
"It's not a..."Mandy put her hand up causing Henry to stop talking. "Henry, I don't care what you say. This is a date, just admit it already!" Mandy said putting her hands on her hips.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Tiger Lily asked trying to change the subject.
"I was on my way to get some clothes. I'm staying over Regina's for a lil while." She replied.
"Why are you staying with her?" Henry asked with a tad bit of jealousy in his voice.
Mandy caught the jealousy in his voice but didn't say anything. "She and Cora are going to help me get my magic under control."
"Cora's helping?" Henry asked shocked.
"Yea, she knows a lot about magic. You sound worried." Mandy said noticing his scared tone.
"Nothing good comes from Cora's involvement." Henry said.
"Well she seems to be the only one, other than Regina, who can help me." She said frustrated.
"What about the Blue Fairy?" Henry asked.
"She's not good with dark magic. She won't be much help to me." Mandy said.
"How do you know it is dark magic?" Henry asked.
"Remember when you told me my last name means 'Falling Star'?" Mandy asked. Henry nodded.
"Well it turns out that is actually a thing and I am the 'Falling Star'. It's kinda like Emma being the Savior but not really."
"That doesn't make sense." Tiger Lily said.
"I don't have time to explain it right now but I will later" Mandy promised.
"Just be careful." Henry begged.
"Don't worry about me Henry. I'll be fine." She said before walking back to her house in the woods.
"What's wrong with Cora?" Tiger Lily asked.
"I just heard she's bad news."
"Well Mandy can hold her own in a fight. I'm sure she'll be fine." Tiger Lily reassured him.
"I hope so." He said before Tiger Lily pulled him into another kiss.
Mandy arrived at her house in the woods. She saw the three Lost Boys practicing their sword fighting and two others having a catch. She walked in expecting to see Peter sitting in his chair which was where he was.
"Hey Peter." She said walking over and kissing him. He pushed her away and stood up. Mandy didn't know what was going on.
"Peter, what's wrong?" She asked.
"You haven't been around lately. The boys miss you and so do I." He said angrily.
"I'm sorry Peter. I've been trying to control my magic. Regina and her mother agreed to train me. I'm only going to stay with them for a few days." She responded apologetically.
"You're staying with them now?" He yelled.
"Just until I get my magic under control. It shouldn't take long." She said stroking his bare chest, trying to calm him down.
"This is ridiculous! I miss spending time with you." He confessed.
"Let's make up for lost time then." She said wrapping her arms around his neck.
"That could work." He said picking her up and kissing her. He carried her over to the bed, not breaking their kiss. He gently laid her down and began undressing her. They didn't waste any time getting to what the other liked doing most. After they had both finished enjoying each other's company, they laid in bed breathing heavily.
"It's been a while." She whispered in his ear.
"Too long! We hadn't had sex since before the curse was broken." He whispered back.
"I know. Why did we wait that long?" She asked leaning on his chest. He put his arm around her, holding her close.
"I don't know but let's not wait that long again." He said kissing the top of her head.
"Agreed." She responded. They heard voices getting closer to the house.
"The boys are coming back. We should get dressed." She said trying to get up.
"I wish I could stay in bed with you all day." He said not letting her go.
"So do I." She said before giving him a kiss. "Now let me up. The boys are coming and I need to get back to Regina's." They both got up and just finished dressing when the boys came in.
They all ran over and began to crowd around her. "Mandy! When did you get back? We missed you!" Slightly exclaimed.
"A little while ago. I'm just getting clothes. I missed you all too!" She said trying to answer all their questions.
"Where are you going? You just got back." Nibs said.
"I'll be staying at the former mayor's house for a lil while but I will be back to visit of course!" She said not wanting to upset them. Peter whispered something in Cubby's ear. He quickly ran over to Mandy and wrapped his arms around her legs.
"I'm not letting you go!" Cubby declared. The rest of the Lost Boys followed his example and wrapped themselves around her.
"You're not going anywhere!" Nibs said. Mandy glared at Peter causing him to glare back at her before giving in.
"Okay boys. Mandy has to go now but she will be back…I'll make sure of it." He said giving her a wicked smile. The boys unwrapped themselves from her legs and stood up.
"Is that a threat or a promise?" She asked, returning the same smile.
"Does it matter?" He questioned, still smiling wickedly.
"Not really." She said before walking over to give him a kiss. The boys freaked out. They don't like when they kiss. They think it's gross.
"I'm going to pack now."
"Do you really have to go?" Tootles, the youngest boy asked.
She picked up the little boy and placed him on her hip. "I do but I'll make you all dinner. How does that sound?" She asked hoping that would satisfy them for now. They all let out screams and shouts in excitement.
"That satisfied them." Peter said grinning.
"Food always does." She said before getting started with dinner.
I know this chapter wasn't action packed or full of information but I thought it was necessary. Let me know what you think! I look forward to your reviews.