Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke
A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover
Season 1, Episode 3, Chapter 5

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"My apologies, Mrs. Nolan," Hartley said. "I was unavoidably detained. Did my associate visit you today?"

"Yes, he did, Mr. Winter," Kathryn Nolan answered. "He assessed the problem and told me you would be able to fix it."

Kathryn Nolan was an attractive blonde woman in her mid-thirties. She looked sad, even slightly depressed most days. Her husband, David, had left her a while back and she never heard from him again. Their relationship hit many bumps that they could not resolve, so he made the decision to leave. Kathryn had since regretted not trying harder to reconcile with David. Now she lived everyday with the thought she would probably never see him again.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Nolan," Hartley said, "I'll get to it immediately."

She offered him a weak smile. "Thank you."

Hartley already knew that Ned had come by and reviewed the problem. An email was sent to his touchscreen phone detailing what needed to be done. Winter rang the bell and spoke with Kathryn as a courtesy. Learning from Charlie, Hartley went out of his way to speak directly to his customers often and keep them as happy as possible.

Mrs. Nolan's central air and heating system had been on the fritz recently, allowing the temperature to drop below the customer set minimum before kicking in. Then it would shut the heat off prematurely leaving the house chilly. Ned had determined that it was probably a faulty circuit board, but he didn't have the necessary tools or the electronics training needed to be completely certain. Thus, when Hartley was dropped off by Tina and her mother, he picked up his go to nerd: Penelope Steveston.

Penelope, or Penny as she preferred to be called, was just sixteen, but was already an accomplished computer and electronics technician and programmer. She had graduated high school early and was actively taking internet courses from M.I.T. in electrical engineering, with exams proctored locally. Penny earned the bulk of her income from apps written for the iPhone, iPad and Droid tablets and phones. However, she also did tech support for the city and many of the residents and businesses of Storybrooke.

Ms. Steveston stood barely five foot two, was waifishly thin and was a natural platinum blonde. She was energetic and pleasant enough to speak with, but her conversations were often punctuated with words, phrases and acronyms that only another nerd could understand. As far as Hartley was concerned, she may as well have been speaking Klingon.

As it turned out, Penny actually did speak Klingon, fluently, and with the correct accent.

"What's the problem?" she asked Hartley.

He explained the difficulties Mrs. Nolan had been having recently. Penny pulled from her satchel electronic tools specific to the model Mrs. Nolan had in her backyard. Hartley removed the access panel and allowed Penny to test the system. After a few moments, she noted which board was failing and needed replacement. Then she shot off, running like a frightened mouse and squeaking like one, too.

"Penny! Penny, what are you doing?" Hartley called out to her.

She stopped just long enough to point up at the roof. Hartley took a look and found a large bee's nest hanging from the eaves of the home. They were buzzing about and one or two of them were near the unit outside.

"Why is that important?" he asked her.

"I'm allergic," she answered. "One sting and I'm a goner."

He nodded his head in understanding and told Penny to inform the homeowner of the nest. While the young girl went to the front door, Hartley began the repairs on the unit, disconnecting the power to replace the failing circuit board.

The door opened and the homeowner greeted the young girl. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Hi, I work for Mr. Winter and we noticed a HUGE bee's nest hanging over the air conditioner unit," she said.

"What? Where?" Kathryn, led by Penny, walked out to the back yard where the unit was situated and looked up. There she saw the nest. It was almost the size of a football. The surface was crawling with the insects. "I'll call an exterminator right away. Thank you."

Kathryn went back into the house and flipped through the town's yellow pages directory. She found a listing for Jo's Exterminator Services. The ad in the yellow business directory claimed it had high ratings on both Angie's List and the Better Business Bureau. When Mrs. Nolan called she was greeted by an enthusiastic woman. "Thanks for calling Jo's Exterminators. If you got 'em, we kill 'em."

"How reassuring," Kathryn said under her breath. Mrs. Nolan explained the reason for her call. The woman on the other end, Jo, said she could be out there tonight after sunset.

"Why not now?"

"If I spray now the bees will just fly off and come back later," she explained. "But they can't see well enough at night to fly, so they'll just stay there getting soaked by the insecticide and die. One treatment is all it takes and I'll even knock down the nest and carry it away."

Kathryn Nolan, satisfied by the explanation, made and appointment for after sunset that evening.

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Restoration Period on the Mainland)

She had wretched several times already. Vidia had been hiding in the blueberry bush for several hours now. The sun was high and her stomach was empty. She ate a light breakfast very early this morning so she wouldn't be weighted down for this excursion. It was now after lunch and Vidia was so, so hungry. The only thing she wanted at this moment was to get out of here alive and eat every plate of food put in front her.

Listening and watching and thinking about the path that got her here, Vidia started to formulate a plan to get out. She was, after all, the fastest and most talented fast flyer in the guild and the most talented fairy in all of Pixie Hollow. That had to count for something even in this situation. She reached out of the safety of the shrubbery and grabbed a fallen leaf. Folding it and forming a sling, she plucked two blueberries and laid them carefully inside. Then she tied it around her neck and shoulder and studied the path in front of her. If she could shoot out at top speed and dart from bush to bush, shrub to shrub she might be able to stay out of danger. The hawk hadn't been seen or heard in hours. Staying off the ground would keep her away from the trap door spiders that seemed to litter the earth here.

"Okay, now someone just give me a push," she muttered. Nothing.

"Okay, I'll give myself a push." Still nothing. She hung her head in shame.

How can I be a respected fast flyer if I can't even do this? She asked herself.

How can you be anything if you get eaten, stupid? Was her reply.

Yet, if she stayed here indefinitely she would die of dehydration or starvation. More ways to die than to live.

Vidia shot out of the blueberry bush and disappeared into a nearby shrub.

I did it! I can't believe I did it! It was a heady feeling. Okay, now don't get cocky, but you've made the first step and that's the hardest one. You can do this.

Another quick flight and into another bush. She zipped across the pathway, moving this way and that finding safe havens along the way. Vidia heard no sounds from the creatures that frightened her earlier. No rattling of snakes, no screeching of hawks, nothing bobbed up and down from under the blanket of fallen leaves. It seemed safe, so she took a chance. Instead of darting into the nearest shrub, she dared to rocket down the path towards the exit. Towards the safety of the border at Pixie Hollow.

Blasting out of her cover, Vidia flapped her wings faster and faster. Her eyes darted about looking for anything even remotely dangerous. Halfway there, Vidia began to feel her confidence swell. She felt good, the nausea drained from her, her lips curled into a cautious smile. Vidia was going to make it.

She felt so good about herself that Vidia began to relax, she reached a point where the predators that could eat a fairy were now far behind. All that remained was to reach the boundary of Pixie Hollow and claim her prize. Vidia sighed with relief. She shouldn't have, for if she hadn't then the low hanging branch that knocked her out of the air could have been avoided.

Getting to her feet, Vidia felt something wet against her body. She peered inside the sling and found that one of the blueberries was squashed. She nearly panicked. The requirements were that two blueberries had to be delivered unharmed to the border. Now she would have to go back into that rat's nest to get another blueberry. Part of her just wanted to get this over with and plead her case to the two guys who had sent in there. Part of her wanted to go back and prove she was more than worthy of that purple feather. After all, this was a test of her nerves. To complete this task meant facing her fears. If she was unwilling to go back and pick another blueberry then how could she say that her fears had been suitably conquered?

Vidia stood there, deep in thought while contemplating her next move.

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The old GMC truck rattled down the residential road, Tina was at the wheel while her mother sat in the driver's seat. With the house in sight, Mrs. Kensington suddenly demanded that Tina turn around and go back to the town square.

"What? Why?"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I forgot to pay Mr. Gold," she explained, clearly wishing she could just go home and nap. "The money is due today or else we'll lose the house."

Mr. Gold was nothing like those loudmouthed idiots on Pawn Stars. He was a serious man who did not tolerate late payments, even if the borrower had always been on time in the past. Tina turned the vehicle around and drove back to the main street and the pawn shop.

~O~

"Henry thinks that John Doe is Prince Charming," Emma said to Mary Margaret.

"And if I'm Snow White then we're meant to be together," Mary Margaret concluded, rather amused.

Emma's only real friend in town was Mary Margaret Blanchard, Henry's schoolteacher. She had bailed Emma out of jail despite barely knowing her at the time. Now she had offered to let Emma stay in her empty room, though Emma hadn't agreed to anything yet. Yet Mary Margaret was a friend to confide in, a girlfriend to talk to and a friend to hang out with.

Now, however, Henry's assertion that Mary Margaret and John Doe were somehow soul mates was so out there that Emma had to do something to put his daydreams to rest. She didn't want to just tell him he's nuts, it would crush Henry's spirits and permanently drive him away. So instead, Emma recruited Mary Margaret.

She told Mary Margaret what Henry had in mind. "You should read that story to him," Emma told Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret was taken aback by the suggestion. Emma said that when nothing happens it will finally convince Henry to drop this fairy tale nonsense. Mary Margaret thought it was crazy, but a great plan.

"I better go get ready for my date. I guess I'll be doing all the talking."

~O~

A single vehicle was blocking their path. The driver was slow and holding them up. Although they had plenty of time before Mr. Gold closed up shop, Claire's nerves were shot and she just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Now this jerk was in the way.

"C'mon, c'mon, move," Mrs. Kensington muttered. She rolled her eyes, wrung her hands and shook her head in disgust. Finally, she rolled down the window and started yelling. "Hey, stupid! Get your fat ass off the road. Yeah! You! Get off the…, sorry. Sorry, Mother Superior. I've had a very bad day. No, your ass is not fat. And you're not stupid. My apologies. …yes, we will be there next weekend to mow the lawn for free like always. Again, sorry."

Claire rolled up the window and then buried her head into her hands. "I just called a nun a stupid fat ass. I'm going to Hell."

"Mom, were not religious," Tina reminded her. "We don't believe in Hell."

"I kno-ow!"

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the Mr. Gold's pawn shop and made the monthly payment. With the receipt in hand Claire felt sweet relief. At least something is going right today, she thought.

~O~

That evening at the hospital Mary Margaret read from the fairy tale book she had given to Henry. She sat by the bed of the handsome John Doe and in a tone like a bedtime story read of Snow White and Prince Charming meeting and then falling in love at the troll bridge. It was a usual story because their meeting was antagonistic, not the usual cute or heroic one typically found in other fairy tale books.

Mary Margaret found herself absorbed by this telling when she felt something. John Doe had put his hand on hers.

Note: Penny Steveston is Periwinkle. Her last name is a reference to the town of Steveston, BC where the show Once Upon A Time is filmed.

Jo the exterminator is Fawn.

Thanks for reading my little story.