Chapter 36: Two Little Girls
Henry couldn't stop staring at the two little girls. They were still dressed in their dresses they wore to the party but were more appropriate for a 5 year old. Jake noticed the purple smoke and decided to see what was going on.
"Henry, where are Mandy and Emma?" Jake asked when he rounded the corner.
"You're looking at em." Was all Henry could say.
"These two little girls…are Mandy and Emma?" He whisper yelled. Henry nodded. "But how?"
Henry held up the spell book. Jake put two and two together. "Could you go get the Blue Fairy for me?" Henry asked. "I'm hoping she can change them back before anyone else finds out."
"You better pray to God she can." He said before leaving.
"What's goin on? I don't know any of you." Emma shakily said.
Corinne also became trembling. "Me neiver. I scarewd."
Henry kneeled down to their level and tried to comfort them. "Everything's fine. Why don't you two get to know each other? You're both the same age, ya know."
Emma grabbed Corinne's hand and brought her over to a bench and started talking.
Jake came back with the Blue Fairy and explained everything to her on the way. "Henry, do you know how dangerous it is to use magic…especially when you don't know what you're doing?" Blue yelled.
Henry put his head down." I'm sorry. Is there any way you could change them back?"
Blue shook her head. "It's not that simple Henry."
He sighed. "It never is…"
"How long will they stay like that?" Jake asked wanting to know when he would have his girlfriend back to normal.
"Because Henry doesn't have magic, it shouldn't last long, a few days at best." She responded.
"A few days!" Henry yelled in shock. "But that means someone will have to take care of them…and people are going to wonder where they are."
"You're going to have to tell Snow, David, Regina and Cora." Blue informed.
"Yea…I'd rather not." Henry said shaking his head.
Blue argued. "You don't really have a choice Henry."
Henry sighed; he knew he had to tell them. "Fine."
"Well you're gonna have to find them first." Jake said motioning towards the empty bench the girls were once sitting on.
"Oh no!" Henry said with eyes wide. They all ran back into the party, their eyes eagerly searching the crowd of people.
"There they are!" Jake yelled pointing to the small pair on the dance floor.
Cora saw this scene unfold and she thought it seemed suspicious. Why would Henry, Jake and Blue be talking to those 2 little girls that she hadn't seen before until now. They were wearing similar dresses as Emma and Mandy and they were nowhere to be found. She brought this to Regina, Snow and David's attention.
"Henry, could you come here for a minute?" Regina called him over.
Henry gulped. He would have to tell them what he did and he knew he would get in trouble. "I think you should come with me." He said to Blue.
"Very well. Will you stay with them Jake?" She asked. He nodded and started dancing with the young girls.
He slowly made is way over to the four adults who were anxiously waiting for him. "You wanted to see me?" He asked with a forced smile on his face.
"Who were those 2 little girls you were just with?" Cora asked suspiciously.
"I haven't seen them around before." Snow added.
"Yea…" Henry diverted his eyes. "…about that."
"Spit it out, kid!" David barked.
Henry quickly blurted it out. "I stole mom's spell book and changed Mandy into the 5 year old version of herself. Emma caught me and I got scared…so I did the same thing to her."
They all stood there in shock. They couldn't believe what he did. Regina was the first to recover. "Henry what were you thinking?!" She snapped.
Henry put her hand up to stop her from talking. "Blue already yelled at me."
"Now I'm yelling at you!" Regina scolded. "You don't know anything about magic, Henry! You could've seriously hurt them, or yourself. This was the most irresponsible thing you have ever done."
Henry put his head down. "I know. I'm sorry."
"Why did you do it in the first place?" Snow asked.
"I didn't want Mandy to become dark. I thought if I made her younger, it wouldn't happen. I also did it because I know how much you wanted to raise Mandy and watch her grow up. She wanted to have you when she was younger so I thought it would help both of you." He turned to Snow and David. "And you two get to see Emma when she was little. I know you wanted that too."
Snow sighed. "Your intentions were in the right place, Henry, but magic was not the answer."
He nodded. "I realize that now. I'm sorry."
"They are going to need a place to stay and I'm assuming you all want to take them home with you." Blue said. They all nodded so Blue continued. "It shouldn't last long, a few days…but they don't know anyone here so they are a little shy and scared. They have their 5 year old memories."
"So they don't know any of us?" David asked for confirmation.
"Mandy will recognize people from our world but Emma will have no clue who anyone is." Blue said. "Now you have to remember, they didn't have the best childhood growing up. You can give them new memories, happy ones."
"Will they remember anything when they return to their normal state?" Cora asked.
"Shouldn't you know the answer Cora? It's your book." Snow said.
"I never used that spell, dear, so I wouldn't know how it works." She said bitterly to the pale younger woman.
"We will have to wait and see on that one." Blue said answering her question. "Mandy will have some trouble because this is not her normal world so everything will be foreign to her. She also has trouble pronouncing some words, so bear with her." She informed both Regina and Cora.
"What about Emma?" Snow asked.
"Emma should be fine. She grew up in this world so things shouldn't be too unfamiliar to her. She's had proper schooling so far so she's fine." She answered.
"Can we meet them?" Regina asked desperately wanting to see her daughter at that age.
"We will introduce you to them but I don't know how they will react, so brace yourselves." She said before signaling Jake to bring them over.
"Mandy goes by Corinne so you have to call her that." Henry reminded them. Regina rolled her eyes at the stupid name her mother gave her.
They both hid behind Jake as they walked closer to the adults. Henry walked over to grab Emma and Corinne's little hands, pulling them out from behind Jake. "Would you like to meet your parents?"
"Parents?...not foster parents right? Real parents?" Emma asked with hope in her eyes.
"Real parents." He confirmed.
Corinne tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you wying to me? Jackson used to do it aw da time."
"I'm not lying. Would you like to meet them?" He asked again. They both nodded. The parents couldn't help but notice how cute the girls were. They really wished they had the chance to raise them.
"Emma, these are your parents. " He said pointing to Snow and David.
"Your parwents are Snow White and Pwince Charming." Corinne asked Emma is shock.
Emma looked at her confused. "They aren't real. Those are fairytale characters."
Corinne didn't know why she didn't recognize them so she remained silent.
Snow and David bent down. "Hi Emma. I'm mommy and this is daddy." Snow said in a sweet voice.
Emma was unsure at first but walked over anyway. "Are you gonna keep me?"
"Of course we're going to keep you. We love you!" Snow said.
Emma's eyes lit up with excitement. "You love me?"
"We love you so much, Emma." David said. Emma jumped into her father's arms and Snow joined in on the hug.
"Corinne, this is your mommy." He said pointing towards Regina.
Corinne didn't move; she looked frightened. "But she's da Queen." She whispered to Henry.
Henry nodded. "She is the Queen, but she's also your mother. You were stolen from her when you were a baby." He told her. Cora glared at him, indicating he was telling her too much.
Corinne nodded but still didn't move. She had a hard time trusting people given her history. Regina knelt down, trying to make Corinne comfortable talking to her. "Hi sweetie."
Corinne waved at her but didn't say anything. Henry whispered in her ear. "Don't be scared of her. She's super nice."
Corinne nodded. She felt like she could trust Henry so she let go of his hand and took a few steps over to Regina. "Are you my mommy?" She asked shyly.
Regina nodded. "I am sweetie and I couldn't be happier!"
"Rweally?" Corinne asked with eyes wide. "Really!" Regina repeated. Corinne jumped into her arms and Regina stood up with her. "Where's my daddy?" She asked looking into Regina's eyes.
The questioned pained her. "He's not with us anymore, sweetie." She wasn't sure if Corinne knew what she was talking about, but was hoping she didn't have to explain it any further.
Corinne wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. "I sowy mommy. I don't wants you to be sad."
Those words melted Regina's heart. "It's okay, baby. I'm happy now that you're with me."
Corinne smiled. "You're rweally pwetty mommy."
Regina let a small laugh escape her. "You are just too adorable for words, little one." She said putting her finger on Corinne's nose. "I would like you to meet someone." Regina turned around so Cora would come into view. "This is your grandmother."
"Hi gwama." Corinne said waving at her.
Cora laughed. "Hello my love." She said holding her little hand.
"Can I go pway wiff Corinne?" Emma asked her parents.
They nodded and David set her down just as Regina did with Corinne. They ran off to the dance floor and began spinning in a circle with each other and laughing.
Henry tried to sneak off with them but was caught. "Where do you think you're going, young man?" Regina asked in a motherly tone.
"Just playing with the girls…"
"You know you're grounded, right?" She asked him.
He put his head down. "Yea, I figured."
Snow and David were worried. This would be the first time they were going to be parents and raise their little girl, even if it was just for a few days, their dream would come true. Regina was worried Corinne wouldn't like her since things didn't go so well the first time around. The girls soon grew tired and slowly made their way over to their 'new' parents. David saw Emma coming towards him and quickly picked her up in one swift motion.
"I think someone's tired." He said noticing Emma's eye struggling to stay open. Snow went to find Henry so they could leave.
Corinne tugged on Regina's dress. "Mommy, I tired." She said rubbing her eyes.
Regina picked her up, her head resting on Regina's shoulder. "Mother, I think we better go now."
"Alright, dear." Cora was about to magic them back to the house but Regina stopped her.
"Wait!" Regina whispered so Corinne wouldn't hear. "I don't want Miran…I mean Corinne to see either one of us using magic."
"She's asleep, dear. She won't notice."
Regina looked down at the sleeping child in her arms. "Very well, mother. Continue."
Cora waved her hand and they were home in seconds. Regina brought her daughter to her room and quickly changed her with magic. Regina magically changed all of Mandy's clothes to a size that would fit Corinne. She tucked her in and kissed her head. She then went to get changed herself, for it had been a long night.
It was the middle of the night when Regina heard someone crying and calling 'Mommy'. She then remembered her daughter was 5. She rushed into her daughter's room and saw her tossing and turning in her sleep and screaming. 'Mommy, help me!'
She quickly awakened the frightened little girl and held her close. "Shh, honey it was just a bad dream. You're safe. Mommy's got you." She said rocking Corinne back and forth trying to calm her down.
"I sowy I woke you. I didn't mean too." She said fearfully.
"Honey, it's okay. You don't have to apologize for needing me. It's what I'm here for." Regina said smoothing her hair away from her face.
"You never came before when I called you." She sniffled.
Regina realized she was referring to her time back in the Enchanted Forest. She pulled her daughter close and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry, I wasn't there baby. But from now on I will be."
Corinne sniffled again as her head rested on her mother's shoulder. "Pwomise?"
"I promise." Regina patted her back. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."
"No, I scared." She said still clinging to Regina.
"I'll stay with you." She offered.
Corrine pulled back to look at Regina's face. "Da whole night?" She asked shocked.
Regina smiled. "If you want me too."
Corinne clapped her hands. "Yay! Mommy's stayin!"
Regina laughed as she got under the covers with her daughter. She snuggled closer to Regina. "You smells good, mommy. Just wike I thought you would."
Regina smiled as she stroked Corinne's hair. "Thank you, darling. Now please try to get some sleep." She kissed her head. Corinne was silent the rest of the night and went to sleep with a smile on her face.
Regina awoke to an empty bed with Corinne nowhere to be found. She quickly jumped out of the bed and ran out into the hallway. "Corinne? Corinne?" She yelled.
"What's going on, dear?" Cora asked coming out of her room still in her night gown.
"Corinne's not in her room." Regina said panicked.
"She couldn't have gotten far, Regina." She said trying to calm her down.
They heard a loud crashing noise coming from the kitchen. Regina's eye's widened and they both quickly hurried down the stairs. Regina burst through the kitchen door to see the 5 year old standing on the counter and a bunch of broken plates on the floor.
"What are you doing up there, Corinne?" Regina kinda yelled.
Corinne jumped at the sound of her mother's sudden voice causing her to almost fall off, giving Regina a mini heart attack. "I swoy mommy. I was gonna make bweakfast for you and gwama."
Regina made her way over to her without stepping on any of the broken pieces. "That's nice of you, dear, but you could've gotten hurt." She said trying to hold her anger in.
Corinne was so used to seeing people angry at her so she could see it in Regina and soon became very nervous. "I rweally sowy. Pwease don't hit me! Pwease!" She begged as tears started rolling down her face.
Regina's heart broke. She couldn't believe her daughter would think she would hurt her. It was those stupid people who put this kind of fear in her daughter and she was pissed and sad that her daughter had to live in constant fear most of her childhood. She looked back at her mother who only shrugged her shoulders.
"I will never hurt you, angel. Can I help you down?" She asked softening her tone as she extended her arms.
Corinne sniffled and nodded so Regina picked her up and led her away from the broken glass on the floor. "Are you mad at me?" She asked nervously.
Regina shook her head. "I was worried you had gotten hurt. I don't want you doing any cooking unless you're with me or your grandma. Understood?"
Corinne nodded. "Don't worwy mommy. I not hurt." She kissed Regina's cheek.
Regina smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."
"Can I pway wiff Emma today?" Corinne asked.
Regina was puzzled but remembered Emma was also 5 and they had become friends. "I'll give her mother a call." She said which made Corinne clap her hands in excitement.
Snow agreed to meet Regina and Corinne at the playground with Emma. Snow was sitting on a bench watching Emma play when they walked up.
"Hi Corinne. How are you?" Snow asked sweetly.
Corinne was shy so she hid behind Regina. "You know who I am?" She asked her eyes wide.
Snow looked up at Regina for an answer but she didn't have it. "Yes, I know you." She answered smiling.
Corinne looked up at Regina. "You're her mommy too, wight?
Regina looked to Snow for help but Snow was just as lost for words as she was. "Yes, but she's a big girl now and can take care of herself." She patted Corinne on the head. That answer satisfied her and she ran off to play with Emma. Regina was thankful she didn't ask any more questions.
"Nice save." Snow said approvingly.
Regina sat down and sighed. "Thanks."
"Tired?" Snow asked.
"I forgot how exhausting little kids can be." She replied.
Snow nodded in agreement. "They have so much energy; it's hard to keep up."
"I take it your night wasn't a restful one either?" Regina asked arching her eyebrows.
"Not at all. She was scared to be alone in her room. She thought there were monsters under her bed. Then she got into the pantry this morning. I had cereal all over my kitchen." Snow explained.
Regina laughed. It was the first time in ages Snow heard her genuine laughter and reveled in hearing it. "At least it wasn't broken dishes." She said.
Snow laughed as she looked at their little girls playing together. "Is it bad that I kinda want Emma to stay this age?"
Regina also looked at the girls. "No. I feel the same way." She said softly. A few minutes passed before Regina spoke again. "I'm sorry I took her away from you." She said without making eye contact with her stepdaughter.
Snow was surprised by her apology but knew how hard it was for Regina to say those words. She reached over to grab her stepmother's hand. "I sent her away, so it's my fault." Regina only nodded.
"I think we will be spending more time with each other until the spell is broken." Snow pointed out.
Regina agreed and pulled out her phone.
"What are you doing?" Snow asked.
"I'm not missing a second chance to get a picture of my daughter at this age." She said taking a picture of the girls going down the slide. Snow thought it was a good idea so she did the same thing.
Emma and Corinne were busy playing in the sandbox. "Do you wike your parents?" Corinne asked as she kept digging.
Emma thought about it as she filled up her bucket. "Yea, they're really nice. Do you like yours?"
"Better den my odder ones. I wike my mommy a lot." She answered as she helped Emma make a sand castle.
The sun that was shining down on them, quickly disappeared as a shadow of a huge man shaded them. The girls looked up when they saw the shadow.
"Emma run!" Corinne yelled.
They got up as quickly as they could and began running. One of them couldn't get away fast enough and Emma was caught.
"Let her go!" Corinne shouted at the older man.
"Get my mom, Corinne!" She managed to get out before the man covered her mouth with his hand. He picked her up as she tried to get free from his grasp.
Corinne ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. "Emma's mom! Emma's mom!" She yelled running over to them.
"What's wrong Mand..ugh Corinne?" Snow asked. It was weird calling her Corinne instead of Mandy.
"My foster dad gwabbed Emma! He's gonna hurt her like he does to me." Corinne grabbed Snow's hand pulling her up. "Come on!"
Snow's adrenaline was at a high when she saw the older man walking away with her little girl. "What do you think you're doing with my daughter?!" She yelled angrily. The man turned around and Regina, Snow and Corinne could see the fear in Emma's eyes.
"She's the one I meant to grab." He said pointing to Corinne. "But I grabbed this one instead." He said referring to Emma.
"Let her go!" Snow demanded.
"And what are you gonna do about it?" He asked knowing she wouldn't be able to stop him.
"Put her down…NOW!" Snow yelled.
She didn't scare the man. "I don't think so. If I can't harm that little brat" pointing to Corinne "Then her little friend will do."
Corinne tugged on Regina's pants, causing her to look down at her hysterical daughter. "You have to do something, mommy. He hurts when he hits me. It rweally hurts. I don't want him to hurt Emma." She pleaded as tears began to form in her eyes.
Regina stepped in front of Snow and took charge. "I'll give you one chance to let her go, or else!" She warned him.
"Or what?" The man asked not taking her threat seriously.
"You don't know who you're dealing with, do you?" Snow asked him with a smirk on her face.
Regina flung her hands out freezing the man in place and he instantly dropped Emma. Emma gasped as she hit the ground, not because she fell hard but because she didn't know how Regina was doing that. Snow put her hand on Regina's shoulder. "I think he gets it, Regina."
Regina did stop but she was still angry that this man had the balls to stand up to her. "Get out of here before I do something worse." She yelled forcefully. "And don't even think about harming one of those girls or you will regret it." The man took off running.
Emma got up as quickly as she could and began running towards Snow. She picked up her daughter and held her close. She was trembling and Snow could feel the tears on her shirt.
"Snow, her knee is bleeding." Regina informed the younger woman.
Snow carried her over to the bench and sat her on her lap. "I don't have anything to stop the bleeding." Snow said worriedly as the blood seemed to keep seeping out.
Corinne climbed up next to Snow to check out her friend's injury. "I could heal it with magic, if you want." Regina offered as she whispered in Snow's ear.
"Will it hurt?" Snow whispered back to Regina.
"Not at all." She assured her.
Snow contemplated her offer. She didn't want Emma to be in pain so she agreed to let Regina heal her. Emma watched in awe as Regina waved her hand over her cut, making it disappear.
"Neat trick. How did you do it?" Emma asked in amazement.
Regina smiled. "Magic!"
"I always knew magic was real! I could feel it!" Emma exclaimed. Snow and Regina exchanged worried glances.
"How do you know, Emma?" Snow asked curious.
"Because I wished and wished to find my real parents and I did. My wish came true! That can only mean magic is real." She responded smiling up at her mother.
"Magic works in mysterious ways." Regina said.
"Thank you, Regina." Snow said softly.
"For what, dear?" She asked confused.
"For saving Emma. I don't know what I would've done if he took her." Snow admitted.
Regina shook her head. "I would never allow that to happen." She said offering a genuine smile. This reminded Snow of the time she saved her from the horse and she couldn't help but smile back.
The silence between them was getting too awkward for Regina; she was dying to get out of there. "Honey, we need to get back to grandma. Who know what trouble she's getting herself in to."
"Do we have to mommy? I'm havin fun with Emma." Corinne pouted in protest.
"Can Corinne sleep over?" Emma asked her mother.
Snow didn't know what to say. "It's up to Regina."
Regina glared at her. "Thanks Snow." She said sarcastically.
"Pwease mommy. Pwease!" Corinne begged as she gave her the puppy dog look
Emma saw what she was doing and thought she would help out. "Please, Corinne's mom. Please!" She pleaded also giving the puppy dog look.
Regina couldn't say no to their cute little faces. "You think you can handle two 5 year olds, Snow?" She smirked.
"I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem with David and Henry's help." Snow replied.
"Alright. I'll bring her over around 6:30pm then." Regina said grabbing her daughter's hand and walking away.
So let me know how this chapter went. The girls are gonna cause some trouble before they turn back. Review!