Chapter 3 Operation Family Reunion
Author's Note: Hey guys! How is everybody? I'm sorry it took me so much to update my stories but that writing binge back in May really took a lot out of me and I had to recover. I honestly never written so many stories in just one month before. Also I had to deal with a little thing called life so I didn't have time to write as much.
I can't tell you how happy I am to finally post up this chapter. I've been picturing how the little family reunion would be like and I'm pleased to say that I finally finished.
I would like to say thank you to TARAMACLAYFAN, Buffyluvsspike, Andrea316, aveave, eeemkaaayy, BayonettaN7, Kara-24, zuleika126, JimmyHall24, gabriele. daher, kellym01.2, Kagome Echizen Fan, Historyfreak20, Zarbi, livingwitchfun, kalminroth, Fantasy-Mania31 for favorite/following my story.
But I would to especially thank Cotto for favorite/following my story because your reviews gave me the extra push I needed to finish my chapter.
So I dedicate this chapter to Cotto.
Happy reading!
Manhattan
Home of Willow and Tara Rosenberg
Tara was sitting in the dining room doing her English homework, while her mother was in the kitchen cooking dinner.
"Is dinner ready yet mom," Tara called out.
"Almost honey! I'm still cooking the pasta," Willow called out.
Tara continued to do her homework when Willow called out. "Tara! Could you hand me my cell phone? It's in the living room somewhere."
"Okay!" she answered.
Tara got up and went into the living room. She checked by the TV and the coffee table. Finally she saw her mom's phone on the couch. Instead of picking it up, she stares at it for a moment and soon it was floating in mid air.
Tara felt a sense of pride and giddiness as she watched the cell phone float in the air like that.
Tara was a witch, just like a mother. Well, a witch in training. She was still young and she wasn't nearly as powerful as Willow but maybe someday.
She concentrated on the phone and it slowly started to float toward the kitchen. Tara followed it as it went through the door.
Willow had her back to her as she was trying to open a bottle of spaghetti sauce. After a few attempts she finally got the bottle open.
"Look, mom!"
"What is it..."
Unfortunately when she turned around she didn't notice her cell phone floating in front of her face. She shrieked and dropping the bottle. Tara loses her concentration and the phone drops in the puddle of sauce and broken glass.
"Tara!" Willow exclaimed.
"I'm sorry!" Tara declared.
"What did I tell you about using magic," Willow scolded her.
Tara groaned. Her mother always got this way whenever she used even just the littlest of magic.
"You can't use it every it for every little thing. But it's just one little cell phone," she tried convince her.
"That's not the point! The next time I ask you to hand me my phone use your hands, like a normal person," Willow said.
"We're not normal."
Willow was not having this argument today.
"Look, just go grab the broom and dustpan from the hall closet please," she told her.
Tara did as she was told. Willow reached for her cell phone that was covered in Prego Italian sauce. Luckily it wasn't broken. She grabbed a kitchen towel from the towel rack and wiped it down really quick. Soon Tara returns with the broom and dustpan.
Together mother and daughter were working together to clean up the mess. Willow carefully picked the broken glass out of the sauce and placed them in a small pile, where Tara swiped up the glass in the dustpan. As Willow wiped up the sauce she noticed how quiet Tara was and she knew why.
"Honey, I'm sorry for snapping at you. But we've talk about this," Willow pointed out.
"I know. I've heard it all before. From you. Aunt Buffy. Uncle Xander. Grandpa Giles. Aunt Dawn. Aunt Faith. Uncle Spike. Even Uncle Andrew. Well actually what he said was 'Remember my little Padawan: with great power, comes great responsibility.' He quoted Spiderman while making a Star Wars reference," Tara admitted.
Willow couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yeah, that sounds like something Andrew would say. But he's right. You should be more careful when using magic," Willow lectured her.
"I know, but I just wanted to show you that I can make something float besides paperclips," Tara said.
Willow gave her a little smile.
"That is true. You are getting better. When I started learning magic all I could do was float pencils," she said.
"Yeah, but you used them to kill vampires. That's pretty cool," Tara smiled.
"It was one vampire and it was dumb luck," Willow pointed out.
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
"Tara, can you get the door? I'll finish cleaning up here," she said.
"Okay," Tara replied.
She ran out the kitchen to answer the front door, not knowing that both her life and her mother's were about to change.
~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~
Ten minutes before the doorbell rang...
Rumplestiltskin was driving like a mad man on a mission.
It's been seven hours since they left Storybrooke and hit the open road but they finally made it to the Big Apple.
It was amazing that a cop hadn't pulled them over yet.
Neal had offered to drive for a while but Rumple refused. He was a bit annoyed by his father's stubbornness to accept help, but he couldn't blame papa for wanting to get to New York as quickly as possible. He wanted to see the daughter that he thought he lost all those years. Neal was also on edge wanting to meet his baby sister.
"Are we there yet," Henry asked his dad from the back seat.
Neal turned to look at his son.
"Almost buddy. We're just three blocks away," Neal looked at Whistler, "Right, Whistler?"
"Four actually but don't worry. We will get there," Whistler assured them.
"By the time we get there, it will be bloody Christmas! These people can't drive worth a damn," Rumple growling as he honked his horn.
"Papa! Calm down," Neal said patting his shoulder.
Rumple looked at his son and took a deep breath. Baelfire was right. He had to calm down.
"I'm sorry son," he apologized.
"It's okay. Just relax."
Rumple nodded.
"Do you think Aunt Willow will like us," Henry asked hopefully.
Henry was just as excited as his dad and grandpa in meeting Willow. As much as Henry loved his mom's side of the family, both of them, he was excited to have some relatives from his dad's side.
"I hope so Henry," Rumple answered.
"Don't worry kid. She's gonna love you guys. Red is one of the nicest people I know. And she's also a great mom..."
"WHAT!" all three Gold men exclaimed in disbelief.
Whistler didn't mention Willow having a child.
"Whoa! Whoa! Back up! She has a kid," Neal asked.
"Yeah, I was gonna tell you guys when we got there. That's my bad," Whistler sheepishly confessed. And then he quickly added. "Before you ask, Willow has a daughter. She's the same age as Henry."
I have a granddaughter, Rumple thought.
When Rumple first found out that Henry was his grandson he couldn't believe it. He always dreamed of having more children and maybe a couple grandchildren along the way. Of course that never happened when Milah ran off with Hook leaving him to raise their son by himself. Now he learns that his long-lost daughter was alive and she had a daughter of her own.
It's all he ever wanted. A family.
"We're here! We're here!" Henry declared happily.
Rumple pulled up in front of a beautiful townhouse. It looked like his daughter was doing well for herself.
"Let me do the talking, okay? Willow doesn't know the truth of her parentage or about you guys. So we need to ease her in gently," Whistler said.
Rumple wanted to beat the man senseless, but a look from his son stopped him. Whistler was right. They couldn't just walk right in and say "you were adopted! we're your real family." They had to take it one step at a time. Taking a deep breath Rumple got out of the car. Soon Neal follows. Along with Henry and finally Whistler. They slowly make their way up the steps and until they reach the door. The Gold men stood behind Whistler as he raised his hand and rings the doorbell a couple times.
They waited until they heard the sound of footsteps inside.
"Coming!" a girl's voice called out.
As soon as the door opened they were greeted by an pretty little red head girl.
"Whistler!" she cried out.
"Hey Shortcake," Whistler greeted the child.
She ran up to the half demon and gave him a big hug.
"What are you doing here? Did someone die," she asked a little worried.
"No, nothing like that."
She was about to ask Whistler something else but then noticed the three people with him.
"Hi there! Who are you guys," she asked them.
Rumple opened his mouth to answer but Whistler beat him to it.
"They're friends of mine. Is your mom home," Whistler asked.
"Yeah, she's in the kitchen. Come on in," she said.
As they all entered the house, they heard cursing from the kitchen.
"Mom! Are you okay," the girl called out.
"Yeah, but I overcooked the pasta! Looks like we'll be ordering pizza tonight," a woman's voice called.
"Great! Can you make it two pizzas with everything on it," Whistler called out.
Suddenly the door to the kitchen swung open and a beautiful red head woman came out.
Willow, Rumple thought.
Rumple couldn't believe this was his daughter. For a moment he thought he was looking at his mother. Rumple's mother, Delilah, died when he was three leaving him his father, who never cared about him. He remembered Delilah was a wonderful woman, who loved him very much. And that she had the most beautiful red hair. Just like Willow.
Speaking of Willow.
She looked from the strangers in her house and to the familiar half demon with confusion.
"Whistler?"
"How's it going, Red? It's been a while," Whistler smiled.
"Yeah, it has. Um, what are you doing here? Is there another apocalypse? And who are they," she said pointing to Rumple and company.
Not wanting to shut down a second time by the half demon Mr. Gold stepped forward and introduced himself.
"My name is Mr. Gold. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, sticking out his hand.
She stared at him for a moment before finally shaking his hand.
"Hello. I'm Willow."
Rumple noticed her uncertainty and quickly turned to Baelfire and Henry.
"Allow me to introduce my son, Baelfire and my grandson, Henry," he said.
Neal stepped forward and shook his sister's hand.
"Call me Neal," he told her.
"Okay," she smiled at him.
Henry wanted to run up and hug his aunt but didn't want to freak her out so he followed his dad and grandpa's example and just politely shook her hand.
"It's nice to meet you," Henry declared.
There was something about Henry's smile that made Willow's heart melt.
"It's nice to meet you too," Willow answered. Then she turned to Tara. "This is my daughter Tara."
"Hey," she waved to them.
"Tara. What a lovely name," Rumple commented.
She smiled at him.
Tara was an exact copy of her mother, from her red hair to her cute little heart shape face. The only difference between the two were their eyes. While Willow inherit his mother's green eyes, Tara's eyes were blue. Obviously the girl had her father's eyes.
As if hearing his father's thoughts Neal asked the question he was thinking.
"So, will your husband be joining us," Neal asked Willow
Willow became uncomfortable by the mention of the word 'husband'.
"I don't... I don't have a husband," she confessed.
Tara stared down on the floor with sadness.
Henry didn't like seeing his new cousin so sad. Without thinking he walked up to her and placed her hand on her shoulder. Tara looked up surprised.
"It's okay," he assured her.
Tara smiled at his words.
"So, Whistler. Are you finally going to explain to me why you're here," Willow asked the man.
Whistler had stayed silent long enough for the introduction between the families. Now it was time for the hard part.
"There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna say it. You're adopted," Whistler told her.
Willow looked shocked by the news.
"Excuse me," she asked.
"You're adopted. Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg aren't your real parents," Whistler added.
"No! No, you're wrong. My parents would have told me..." Willow started to say.
"Think hard, Red. At some point in your life you must have realized there was a reason why you never connected with your parents," he explained.
Willow wanted to deny it and that Whistler was wrong but now that she thought about it, she was starting to see the signs. She was never close with her parents growing up. They were always so busy with their careers for their only daughter, which was funny according they were child therapists. Luckily she had Xander and Jesse to keep her company. When she was old enough to take care of herself they leave on random trips leaving her home all alone for weeks, even months.
As the years went by she excepted that would never have a real relationship and she was all right with that.
When she met Buffy her sophomore year that's when her life changed.
She discovered that monsters were real. Vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, zombies etc.
The loss of Jesse broke her heart in that first year after he turned into a vampire but she still had Xander. Soon Buffy and Giles joined along with others over the years and they formed their own little Scooby Gang.
They were her family.
Family.
Willow turned to Mr. Gold and turned into his eyes. There was something about his eyes that felt...strangely familiar to her.
Suddenly she has a vision.
*She's in some old cabin. She sees a man wearing peasant clothes.
It's Mr. Gold!
And in his arms is a beautiful little baby. That's her!
Willow watches as he rocks the sleeping baby back and forth white, while singing a lullaby.
"My precious baby girl. Daddy loves you very much," he said sweetly to her.*
Willow gasped.
"D-daddy," she chocked.
Rumple felt his eyes begin to fill with tears. Without a second thought he pulls Willow into a big crashing hug.
"My precious baby girl," he declared.
At first Willow felt rigid.
Her father, or should she say adopted father, Ira Rosenberg never hugged like this. In fact, she couldn't remember him or her mother, adopted mother, hugging her like this.
Giles was the closest thing she had to a father and Joyce Summers a mother.
Slowly she gently wrapped her arms around his waist and breathed in his scent. He smelled like straw and spice. He smelled like home.
"Daddy," she cried, pulled him closer.
Neal watched his father and his baby sister hug for what felt like forever. Slowly walked over to the two and gently tapped his sister's shoulder. She looked up and with tears in her eyes.
"Hey sis," Neal said.
Of course! If Mr. Gold my father, that means Neal is my brother and Henry my nephew, she thought.
She pulls him forward and soon Neal found himself in a group hug. Now it was his turn to get teary eyed.
Henry and Tara watched as the adults hug before they all pulled away.
Tara approached Rumple first with a curious look on her face.
"Grandpa," she stated.
"Yes, sweetheart," Rumple smiled.
Tara threw her arms around his middle. Then she goes and hugs Neal.
Henry not wanting to be left out he ran up and hugged Willow.
Willow was almost knocked off her feet but the sudden hug.
"Hi Aunt Willow," Henry declared.
"Hi Henry," Willow smiled.
Whistler smiled at the little family reunion. It wasn't often he gets to see happy moments like this. Moments like these make 'fighting the good fight' worth it in the end.
Eventually both families will want answers and as an agent to the Powers That Be it's his job to provide them.
He pulls out his cell phone to order some pizza. It was gonna be a long night.
Author's Note: Before I start talking about the newest chapter I just want to get something off my chest real quick.
What the hell happened to Rumbelle?! Seriously? I hate what the writers are doing to be my babies, especially Belle. She's so annoying and judgmental now. I know Rumple isn't perfect but he was trying to protect her and their unborn baby. I mean, would it kill her to say thank you! The writers better fix because after six seasons they don't get their happy ending I'm gonna be super pissed off!
Save Rumbelle!
Okay, I'm done venting.
Now, back to the story. Did you guys enjoy the little family reunion? I always thought it was sad that Willow didn't have a good relationship with her parents. I remember Willow's mom from episode 3x11 "Gingerbread" and I didn't like her. It was clear that she didn't really care about Willow. I mean, she kept calling Buffy "bunny" through out the whole episode.
That's why I picked Rumple as her biological father because despite his flaws he loves his family very much. Plus, I know he and Willow have a lot in common. They are both smart and they've been bullied in their earlier years. And they've both been addicted to magic and gone dark.
Next chapter we're gonna get some answers, like what happened to Willow when she was a baby? Why was she taken? There is going to be a couple of visits from members of the Scooby gang. Also a couple of clues to who might be Tara's father. I know you guys were thinking it.
Off to write the next chapter!