Chapter Four The Crocodile
New York City, Ten years ago
Ellie was early, not that she minded, she enjoyed the quiet. It was hard to find any sort of peace and quiet in a bustling city like New York. Call time for rehearsal was one and it was only ten. She smiled as she sat on the stage, waiting for Joseph (the light's technician) to turn on the stage lights. Ellie teased him, saying that he never went home, and he teased her, saying that she should just move all her stuff in to the theater.
Harry, the man who was playing Gaston, and Eva, she was playing Mrs. Potts, teased her. Saying that Joseph only came to the theater to see her. That's why he was always there, never to do the work her was supposed to do, only to watch her.
Ellie smiled, she had been spending a lot of time in the theater, ever since she got the part of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. It had always been a dream of hers to play a leading role on Broadway and she didn't want to disappoint anyone. Practicing day and night also helped her with forgetting a certain someone who wouldn't be coming.
Emma.
It'd been a year since the two of them last spoke, the longest before this was four hours. She missed Emma so much. Ellie wished that Emma would call, even to yell at her for doing something stupid like leaving her curling iron plugged in. Anything was better than the silent treatment.
Granted, Ellie had basically asked for this treatment. She just didn't think that her sister would actually follow through with it. Ellie flinched at the sudden lights, using her hand to shield her eyes.
"Thanks Joey!" she yelled after her eyes finally adjusted. She heard a faint 'no problem' and smiled. Ellie switched her shoes, stretched, and began to practice. Starting with her first scene. However, her dialogue with Gaston was interrupted by her cell phone. She frowned, walked over to her bag, and pulled it out.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Ellie?" Emma questioned on the other end. Ellie almost began to cry with joy, here's her wish finally being answered. Maybe there is such a thing as magic, or prayers, whatever the cause for her sister finally calling her, she just was thankful that it existed.
"Yeah," she cleared her throat, "Hey Em. Nice of you to finally call." Emma chuckled.
"So, how are you?" Ellie asked, unsure of what to say. What could she say without making her sister even more mad at her? Emma sighed, that wasn't good.
"I need you help Ellie." Emma stated, getting straight to the point.
"Course…what do you need?" Ellie asked, removing her dancing shoes and slipping on her flats. She picked up her bag, pressing her phone between her shoulder and ear.
"I'm pregnant…and I'm in jail."
Enchanted Forest, Now
Ellie finished her peach, throwing the pit into the fire. She sighed and cracked her fingers, making sure not to wake Mulan and Aurora up.
"You should be sleeping." Mary Margaret chastised as she came back to the camp ground with firewood. Ellie shrugged, wiping her stick hands on a wet cloth.
"Can't. Too much on my mind." Mary Margaret tossed the wood on the ground and sat next to her daughters.
"Like what?" Ellie's mouth almost dropped open, unsure of where to begin. She cleared her throat.
"Well, huh, umm…" Start with burning the wardrobe with your mind or the dreams you've been having for years! Or maybe how you could see through Cora's disguise!, "I miss Emma and Henry." Why?!
"Oh," Ellie noted the tone of disappoint in Mary Margaret's voice, "Well don't worry, we'll..."
"And I have nightmares," she quickly interrupted, not being able to bear the look that Mary Margaret gave her anymore, she could definitely see where Emma got that look, "Some are nightmares, others are just...weird dreams. But, I've had them all my life and it makes it hard for me to sleep sometimes."
"What are your dreams about?" Mary Margaret asked her daughter, thankful that her daughter was finally opening up to her. Ellie shrugged, picking pieces of grass and letting them blow away in the wind.
"They're always different. It can sometimes be about the same person but it's always a different event. Though I now know that they're about, well," she gestured to the area around her, "here. Emma used to think that I was crazy, though she was kind enough to not say so. Whenever I had the dreams, I'd draw what I say, so I wouldn't forget about everything that happened." Mary Margaret nodded.
"That's what you meant when you said you had seen the island before." Mary Margaret stated and Ellie nodded.
"All of my pictures are in a case under my bed, back in your apartment." Ellie explained. It was quiet for a few moments between the two of them, a question rising in Mary Margaret's mind. Though she didn't want to make her daughter uncomfortable but she couldn't take it anymore, so she had to ask.
"Did you...ever dream about...your father and I?" Ellie smiled, the dreams about her parents (though most of the time she didn't know that it was her parents) were her favorite. She was envious of the obvious love between the two of them, she had always dreamed of having a love like that.
That's why she allowed Eva and Harry to tease her, she liked to pretend that maybe one day Joseph and her could fall in love like her parents had. Unfortunately, she left to go help her sister with her pregnancy before the two of them could 'fall in love'.
"They were my favorite. Before I went to bed every night, I wished to have dreams of the two of you." Mary Margaret smiled, placing an arm around her daughter's shoulder and giving her a side hug.
"Well...then I hope that you have a dream of the two of us tonight." Mary Margaret said, making Ellie smile.
"Thanks mom." Ellie said, not even noticing the look of surprise on Mary Margaret's face of the fact that she even called her Mom. She stood up and walked over to a patch of grass, flattening it before laying down and closing her eyes.
Mary Margaret smiled to herself, tears glistening in her eyes, her daughter had finally acknowledged her as her mother. Though it may have been a slip-up, Mary Margaret didn't care. It was amazing to finally here that after twenty-eight years.
-OUAT-
Ellie's Dream
A limping human Rumplestiltskin came home carrying a basket of wool. He desperately hoped Milah was already home, he didn't have the heart to take Bae out and go search for his mother. He walked in, calling for his family.
"Milah? Bae? I'm home. Hey…" His son, Baelfire sat at the table. Baelfire looked up at his papa, a hopeful look of his mother being with him.
"Papa?" he questioned. Rumplestiltskin couldn't bare to hear that.
"Where's mum?" he asked, pretending to not notice her obvious absence, "Well, she probably just…lost track of time. Grab your cloak. We'll find her."
-OUAT-
Rumplestiltskin walked into the tavern, alone. He didn't want Bae to be part of this. He glanced around the noisy and disgusting room, finally finding Milah at a table gambling and throwing back shots with a group of me. He sighed and approached the table.
"Milah. Milah. It's time to go." He informed his wife, almost begging her. He didn't want to cause a scene but Milah had responsibilities, she was needed at home.
"Good. So go." Milah told her husband.
"Who's this?" A man dressed in black leather asked Milah.
"Ah, that's no one. It's just my husband." Milah answered, waving him off.
"Oh? Well, he's a tad taller than you described."
-OUAT-
The dream shifted, now Rumplestiltskin was boarding one of the pirate ships at the docks. He tries to climb on but he trips and falls onto the deck. He looked up and saw the same black-leathered man from the tavern, the one who impressed Milah so much.
"Oh your feet for the captain." Two pirates grab Rumplestiltskin and pull him to his feet.
"I…I remember you. F-From the bar." The poor man stuttered, pointing at the 'captain'. The man gave him a coy smile.
"It's always nice to make an impression. Well, where are my manners? We haven't been formally introduced. Killian Jones. Now, what are you doing aboard my ship?"
"ELLIE!"
Dream Over
Ellie jumped, now staring at Mary Margaret. She let out a shaky breath, thankful that it was only her.
"Don't do that Mary Margaret." Ellie snapped, clutching on to her chest and trying to make her racing heart slow down. Mary Margaret apologized and sat next to her daughter, who tried to gather herself.
"What did you dream about?" Mary Margaret carefully asked, knowing that it was a touchy subject.
"Gold…before he became the Dark One. And his family…his wife and son. Milah wasn't happy with him for some reason, she was seeing another man…Killian Jones," she turned to Mary Margaret, "I don't know any characters from Henry's book who are named that. Do you?" Mary Margaret nodded.
"There's only one," she held up a finger, "Captain Hook is what he's more famously known as." Ellie became quiet, remembering all the pictures she had stashed of him, and Henry's comment of him looking like Captain Hook.
"You okay?" Mary Margaret asked, noticing the look on Ellie's face. Ellie quickly brightened up, pushing all the questions she had to the back of her mind. She nodded. "Okay, well we're getting ready to go. Mulan and Aurora are just getting us some breakfast." Mary Margaret got up, walking off to get some water.
"For the first time…I'm actually looking forward to going to sleep tonight." Ellie thought as she gathered her supplies together. As she shouldered her crossbow, she looked down at the ground, where some wild flowers were growing. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, making sure that no one could see what she was foolishly going to do. She held her hand out, imagining the flowers lifting up and dancing around her. After a few seconds, she scoffed and walked off to the stream to help Mary Margaret, unaware that the flowers were following her and dancing to unheard music.
-OUAT-
"Tell me a story." Mary Margaret said to Ellie as the four of them were walking in the forest. Ellie frowned and looked over at her mother.
"A story about what?" she asked, stepping over a log.
"You and Emma, there must be something." Ellie thought about it for a moment, trying to choose the perfect one, until she thought of it and smiled.
"Well…we were in high school..." she began.
Fourteen Years Ago, St. Louis Missouri
"I'm nervous Emmie." Ellie confessed to her sister as she paced in the girl's dressing room of their high school. It was opening night and Ellie was playing Snow White in their high school show. It was a very big deal when Ellie got the part, a simple quiet freshman who beat almost a hundred other talented classmen.
Emma rolled her eyes, having heard her sister say this a thousand times before. She picked up a flower that a 'secret admirer' had sent her sister from the bouquet and began to pick the petals. It really wasn't that big of a secret, Jacob Kimberly a junior, was smitten with her copper haired sister. Actually, quite a few upperclassman thought that Ellie was easily the prettiest, sorry, hottest girl in the entire school.
"She'll do fine…" she began, teasing her sister. Ellie sighed and slapped the flower away.
"Don't do that." She scolded her sister and began to pace again. It was something that drove Emma crazy, saying that she didn't understand how her sister was able to do that without getting dizzy. Ellie teased her, saying that she was the smarter twin, able to do more things because she had the bigger brain.
Emma watched her sister as she did so, the costume that was chosen for Snow White was altered so that it was more modern. All the costumes were, in hopes of drawing in more of a crowd. Mr. Brack was quite pleased when he saw that their auditorium was overflowing with students. Ellie was wearing a navy blue button down shirt tucked into a knee length yellow skirt. She had on black flats and a locket around her neck.
Emma wasn't stupid however, half the crowd was only there to see her sister. Casey McKyle, a junior who was playing the Evil Queen, came in and told Emma that she had to got take her seat because curtain was in two minutes.
"Thanks Casey." Ellie said and Casey nodded, closing the door. Emma hugged her sister.
"You're going to be the best Snow White ever," she pulled away, "Disney's gonna call you, saying that they're redoing the Snow White movie because you were a thousand times better." Ellie chuckled.
"Thanks Emmie." Emma nodded and grabbed the black wig for her sister, placing it on her head. She tied the signature red ribbon around her head, completing the bow on top.
"There. Now you're all princessey."
Enchanted Forest, now
"Really?" Mary Margaret asked as the four of them stopped for the night and Ellie chuckled and nodded again, "You played me in high school? Who played your father, er, David?"
"A senior named Luke Priestly. You were my first acting job. I was so excited when I heard that I got the part, I rushed home, singing all the songs and burst into Emma and I's room. Though Emma wasn't all that happy with my singing, she was happy to hear that I got the part." Ellie explained. Mulan volunteered to take the first watch, leaving the other three time to sleep.
Ellie laid down and placed a hand under her head, looking up at the starry sky.
"Used to know them all…" Ellie thought, her eyes slowly closing from sleepiness, "Now…I can't name…" Ellie was fast asleep.
Ellie's Dream
Now, the dream was taking place on Killian's ship. Rumplestiltskin, as the Dark One, was walking behind Killian and Milah onto the ship. However, Ellie couldn't hear the conversations that were happening, all she could do was watch.
"Interesting isn't it?" Emma asked, appearing next to her. She jumped in surprise, clutching her chest.
"What do you want?" Ellie asked 'Emma'.
"Just watch, it's getting good." Emma said with a sly smile, pointing to the scene before them. Several ropes anchored along the ship began coming magically undone as the Dark One walked closer and closer to his wife. Ellie glanced nervously at 'Emma' who only shrugged. The ropes wrapped around Killian, holding him back from helping Milah.
"I don't understand what's going on." Ellie said, glancing around. 'Emma' sighed and waved her hand, momentarily pausing the scene.
"Do you want the short version or the long version?" 'Emma' asked, Ellie glanced around, seeing the fear and terror in everyone's eyes.
"Just answer me this…and then you can skip to the end. Does Milah die?" Ellie looked at her subconscious. 'Emma' sighed and then nodded.
"Don't make me watch someone die," she begged, "Please skip to the end, I don't have the heart to do so." 'Emma' sighed before waving her hand, the scene fast forwarding like a DVD player before it stopped. Ellie turned around, seeing Rumplestiltskin and Killian, though his hand was off and a sword was in Rumplestiltskin's hand.
"I want you alive. Because I want you to suffer like I did." Rumplestiltskin hissed at the Captain. He picked up the decapitated hand and turned to leave. Killian grabbed a hook that was on deck and stabs Rumplestiltskin with it.
"Killing me's going to take a lot more than that dearie." Rumplestiltskin stated.
"Even demons can be killed. I will find a way." Killian swore.
"Well," Rumplestiltskin began, "Good luck living long enough." With that, he disappears in a puff of red smoke, leaving the hook behind. Killian picks it up, staring at it.
"That's it." 'Emma' said, making Ellie jump. 'Emma' waved her hand, everyone else disappeared except for Killian, who was still staring at the hook.
"That's what?"
"When Hook became Hook. Swearing to find some way to kill the Dark One in hope of avenging his lost love. It's so teen drama, vampirey sweet, I kind of want to puke." 'Emma' teased, and then gestured throwing up on the ground. Ellie rolled her eyes.
"Why should I care about this?" Ellie asked, walking around Killian and then taking the hook out of his hand for closer examination.
"Because Helena," Ellie flinched, "He's your true love. He's you heart's desire. And it's the same for him too." Ellie shook her head, tossing the hook aside.
"You saw it, he only cares about avenging Milah." 'Emma' shook her head.
"That's because he hasn't met you yet."
"When am I going to met him then?" Ellie sarcastically asked. 'Emma' smirked, making Ellie heartbroken at seeing that. She really did miss her sister.
"Soon," she promised and leaned in close to Ellie's face, "Now…wake up."
Dream Over
Ellie slowly opened her eyes, seeing the sky turn a light pink at the coming dawn. Aurora was on watch. Ellie picked up her crossbow and walked over to the princess.
"You can go, get some sleep. You'll need it." Aurora jumped at Ellie's sudden presence then smiled at her offer.
"Thank you." She gathered her dress and stood up, walking over to a place to lie down.
"Ellie," Aurora said as she sat down, Ellie looked over at her, "Who's Killian? You were speaking his name while you were sleeping." Ellie sighed before looking over at Aurora.
"I don't know yet." And she left it at that.
Because it's true, she didn't know who he was.
Not yet at least.