Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke
A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover
Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 3

Early Monday morning, Mrs. Kensington received a visitor. Sheriff Graham was at her door. He was dressed, as always, in a shirt with matching vest and tie. As the weather was turning cold he added a jacket over his nice clothes.

She was still dressed in her robe.

"Oh, sheriff, I'm sorry I must look affright in my morning clothes," she said.

"You look fine, Mrs. Kensington," he said with a smile. "I have some good news for you."

"Well, I could certainly use some," she said.

"Ms. Collingsworth found her iPad," Graham told her.

Claire's mood instantly lightened up. "She did? Where?"

"It was under her car seat," Graham informed her. "She must have hid it there the last time she left the studio. Probably stopped somewhere before going home and didn't want it to be stolen."

Claire laughed at the surreal nature of it all. "Well now isn't that something? How ironic."

Graham smiled again. He had a good heart and preferred to bring good news to people rather than the bad. Moments like this made his work as sheriff rewarding and affirming. "I just thought you would like to know."

"Oh yes," Claire answered happily. Claire told him that she had been losing business all weekend long since the story appeared in the newspaper. He told her a new story will be in today's edition and would set everything straight.

"Keep an eye out for it. By the way, how is Valerie? Still causing trouble for you?"

"Oh no, ever since she read the newspaper article she has been minding herself. Mostly."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear," he answered. "You have so much on your plate and you deserve a break. Good day, Mrs. Kensington."

Graham turned and went back to his police cruiser. Claire closed the door and when she was certain that the sheriff was out of earshot let out a joyous yell. "YEEAAAAOOOWWWW!" Her two girls came running downstairs. She explained to them that the TV lady found her iPad, Claire wouldn't be held responsible and a news article would detail the mix-up. Hopefully, clients would start to come back and soon.

~O~

Regina sat in the mayor's office reading the tiny newspaper article. Sydney had brought her an early copy so she could see her handiwork. The article read:

Tablet mystery solved.
by Sydney Glass

Desiree Collingsworth's missing iPad was found under her car seat yesterday. She had left it there while going out for lunch when she last left the set of her television show. The tablet was reported missing last week. The early morning talk show host was quoted as saying, "Silly me."

No mention was made of Ned who found it or Claire's business. The article was meant to be clean of any such references. The intention was a) no one would see it since it was mixed in with the classifieds and b) if anyone did stumble across the article they probably wouldn't make an immediate association with Kensington Contractors or the front page article that ran Saturday. Claire's reputation would still be held in low regard by the townspeople. Her business would continue to suffer until she would be forced to shut down.

"Well done, Sydney, I have a use for you after all," Regina said. She disliked useless things and whenever Sydney could not deliver what she wanted, Regina would declare him "useless" and threatened to get him fired. Though Regina didn't have the direct authority to do it, she had the political clout to force his dismissal were she so inclined.

"Glad you approve," he said, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Don't get too smug yet," she said. "You still haven't made up for bungling the Emma Swan history that I asked for when she first arrived. Speaking of which, I need you to look deeper into her past. Find out where she's lived, what jobs she's had and how long. I want income tax returns, credit card and bank statements. Anything that will give me leverage against her."

"You mean anything you can use as leverage to pry her and Henry apart," he summarized.

"Don't try to think, Sydney, that's my job," Regina hissed. "Now go and do what you are told."

"Right away, Madam Mayor." Sydney Glass nodded his head to her and then left the office to do her bidding. Keeping Henry away from Emma was paramount right now for Regina. The Swan woman was becoming more and more a thorn in her side. Her recent success at reviving David Nolan only enraged Regina. Not only did Emma undo a major component of her dark curse, but it gave Mary Margaret hope for the future. Something Regina dearly did not want her to have. Now she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. All that was needed was the right moment.

~O~

Emma had spent the better part of Sunday consoling Mary Margaret Blanchard. The school teacher was so heartbroken when Regina informed her that the handsome John Doe was happily married. Emma could not understand why someone as level headed as Mary Margaret could get so caught up in Henry's imaginations. No one in Storybrooke was a fairy tale character. Fairy tales were by definition, fictional, and therefore none could be alive and well in a town on the coast of Maine.

For her part, Mary Margaret was responding well to Emma's presence as a house mate. Ms. Blanchard had lived her adult life alone, with no other roommates or companionship in her life. The woman really seemed to come more alive with Emma around. Emma liked that she could be at ease around Mary Margaret. There was little false about this woman. She had lived the life of falsehoods and learned it was fraught with dangerous liabilities and turncoats at every corner. It was the reason why she found it so hard to trust anyone. Yet for some reason, Emma believed she could trust Mary Margaret. It was an odd sensation and the bail bonds woman couldn't nail down why she felt this way.

~O~

At the office of Winter's Heating, Ned was talking with Hartley about the woman he had met yesterday at the ice cream parlor. He found her beautiful, though a bit of a flake.

"She was hitting on me, no doubt about it," Ned told his business partner.

"Who is this mystery woman?"

"Desiree Collingsworth," Ned answered.

"The host of Storybrooke This Morning?"

Ned nodded his head yes. Hartley told him to be careful with media stars. They could be incredibly vain and selfish, insulated from their own consequences by the people that surround them. Ned understood this, but still thought the relationship might be worth pursuing. "Who knows, this could be real love."

"I know that feeling," Hartley said. His wistful look clued in Ned immediately.

"Mrs. Kensington?"

Now it was Hartley's turn to nod. "I can't stop thinking about her. There is just something about that woman that just won't let me be."

Ned confided in Hartley that he had always had strong feelings toward Desiree from the first moment he had seen her on television. Of course, since Desiree was a celebrity and Ned was just a small business guy he never thought he had a chance with such a lovely lady. "That she actually finds me attractive, well it's sort of like the planets have aligned."

"Then go after her," Hartley advised. "Show her how much you love and care for her."

"How do I do that?"

Hartley told him that in his experiences women wanted two things. First a woman wanted to know a man was reliable and trustworthy. "That's their practical side." But a woman also wanted to live a romantic fantasy. "Treat her like a princess, make her the center of your universe and she will love you even more. And once she is yours, do not ever take her for granted. You can never destroy her fantasy."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Ned observed.

"Yes, but it can be very rewarding," Hartley told him.

"If you could date Mrs. Kensington, would you do that? Help her live a romantic fantasy?"

"My boy, that was how Charlie landed her and kept Claire happy for their entire marriage."

"Alright, if it worked for him, it might work for me," Ned concluded.

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

"What should we do today, Ro?" Sled asked his fiancée. "I thought you might like an owl ride across the forests and watch the Northern Lights from atop Never Peak Mountain."

"Hmm…, no. I don't think so," she dismissed casually.

Sled was somewhat perplexed by this. Rosetta had expressed interest in watching the Northern Lights in the past and he gone to the trouble of setting up a romantic dinner just for the two of so they could share a little one on one time together in a wonderful setting.

"Those are some beautiful lights, Rosetta," he told her, trying to get her to agree. "They'll be particularly easy to see tonight. A clear sky, a waning moon and perch atop the highest point on the island."

"Not interested," she answered back glibly. "I think we should go into the Summer Gardens and meet with the other garden fairies. Ooh, we want to design some new floral arrangements for the queen. Would you be our stand in, Sled?"

"That would require an awful lot of ice to keep me cool over there, Ro," he answered. "And I would have to dress up like the queen."

"Hmmph, I get the feeling you don't want to spend time with me anymore," she said with a huff.

"What? Of course I want to spend time with you, Ro," he replied, sounding a bit confused and off balance.

"Oh good, then we'll expect you tomorrow morning after breakfast," she said.

"What's gotten into you, Rosetta?" he asked her, frustrated. "Ever since you accepted my proposal you've been acting more and more, I don't know, crazy."

"WHAT?! I am not crazy. You take that back this instant, sir!" she demanded.

Sled explained why he had made these plans for them atop Never Peak Mountain. He was sure she would find his gesture romantic and endearing. Instead, she dressed him down, saying she didn't want someone to control her time or make decisions for her.

Sled was confused, irritated, exasperated and downright angry. Rosetta was a different fairy since she accepted his proposal of marriage. She refused to do anything he suggested. Ro insisted that they only do what she wanted.

"If you want to watch some goofy lights in the night sky you can go and watch them yourself!" Rosetta screamed.

"Well I wouldn't want to keep you in chains," Sled spat.

"Fine," she yanked off the ring and threw it into his face. "If you aren't willing to put aside your selfish needs for little old me, then the wedding is off!" With that, Rosetta turned on her heels and stormed away.

~O~

"I don't know, Lord Milori," Sled told him, exasperated. "Something is definitely wrong."

The Lord of Winter only chuckled.

"What?"

"She is testing you," he said.

Sled cocked a confused eyebrow.

"Rosetta wants to know that you will put aside everything just for her," Milori advised him.

"That's stupid!" Sled remarked. "Why would she need to test me? I love her, isn't that enough?"

"Not for a woman, they need to know the depth and breadth of that love."

"Did Queen Clarion do that to you?"

"Oh yes, my boy. She did indeed," Milori admitted. "It was a difficult time in our relationship, but we both persevered and our love has never been stronger."

Sled growled and grumbled and shook his head. Then he ran his hands through his hair, mussing it up as he grumbled some more. "I don't know. It sounds like she's playing head games with me."

"That, dear boy, is the very foundation of marriage," Milori said. "At least from a woman's point of view. They always have to test us, play games and ensure we aren't going to leave them."

"It sounds like they are insecure about their relationships," Sled concluded.

"Sometimes they can be," Milori said. "The more insecure, the more they play games with us. Just do as she says, never contradict her and you'll be just fine."

"I feel like I have to lose my snowballs just to make her happy" Sled added.

"Yes, you do."

"Well what about us? When do we get to be happy?"

"When I found out, I'll let you know," Milori said with a sly grin.

"You're pulling my wings, aren't you?" Sled answered. "This whole time you've been handing me a one big steaming pile of Owl poop, haven't you?"

Milori chuckled again. "Indeed, I have. The best advice I can give you is to go talk to her. The strongest relationships are founded on two people who can talk openly with each other. Do that and both of you will be happy together."

"All right, I'll give it a try, but she didn't seem too keen on talking the last time I saw her," Sled told The Lord of Winter before winging off to the summer gardens.

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"It's not here," Claire said, flipping through the pages of The Daily Mirror. "It's not here, Sheriff Graham told me this morning there would be an article confirming everything I told you about the Collingsworth iPad."

"Sure, he did," Granny told her with a suspicious tone. "Look, I've got other customers to take care of, so either order breakfast or leave."

Thief. She didn't say it outright, but Claire could practically hear that word in Granny's voice. She could feel that same sentiment from every pair of eyes that set upon her inside the diner. She looked around, but each person quickly went back to their meals, keeping their eyes turned away from her.

"It's the truth!" Claire begged. "It wasn't my fault! No one in my employment took anything from anyone."

"If that were true, why didn't we hear Desiree say something about it on her TV show this morning?" Leroy said, voicing the one question everyone wanted to ask.

"I don't know, she should have said something," Claire responded. Her voice was cracking and her body trembled. "Talk to Sheriff Graham yourself. He'll tell you."

"We don't need to talk to him," Leroy pronounced. "I know a liar when I see one." The short, stout man who worked as a janitor at the hospital threw down his money on the counter to pay for his meal. He got up from his chair, but stopped and said to Claire, "Don't start thinking you can take that. It doesn't belong to you."

"Leroy, I'm not a thief," Claire replied. She clutched the crumpled newspaper to her chest, trying to create a shield, a barrier of any kind between her and the people she knew were judging her.

"I dislike turning away paying customers," Granny said. "But I don't take kindly to people who steal. Please take your business elsewhere."

She was stunned, Claire's eyes were wide as saucers. This place held many fond memories for her. Charlie brought her here for their first date. Then he brought her back on their first wedding anniversary. Both Valerie and Tina had their fifth birthday parties here and Granny gave both of them cake with a candle. This was where they celebrated Valerie getting a learner's permit. It was also where she and the girls came after Charlie's funeral. Widow Lucas, Granny, was the first to console them as they walked in the door.

This little diner played a large role in the lives of her family members. Now she was banished from it forever. With no story in the newspaper Claire could never prove her innocence. All that stress and self-doubt was coming back again. She worried about her children. Where would we live? Would I be able to find work? Who would hire me? How will we eat? What am I going to do?

Claire slowly climbed back into her work truck, feeling completely dejected. Instead of being a spectator in her own life, she decided to take action. From her cell phone Claire called the Sheriff's Office to speak with Graham, but he wasn't available. All she could do was leave a message.

"I hope he calls me back."

A moment later her cell phone rang. She thought it was Graham, but the Caller ID read "Winter, Hartley."

"Oh please not now," she grumbled. Unwilling to take the call, she let it go to voicemail.

Rather than sit and wait, Claire drove to the renovation house. There was a surprise awaiting her there, too. No one was doing any work.

"What's going on?" she asked Valerie, who had driven to the work site on her motorcycle.

The homeowner stepped forward and informed Claire that until the matter with the iPad was resolved to his satisfaction all work was to stop on the house. She tried to convince him that the tablet was found, but like before, when the homeowner called the sheriff there was no answer.

"I'm sorry, Claire, but I can't have you working on this house until I know for certain what happened," he told her. With no work for them to do, Claire had to release the workers for the day, but now they were asking for a full day's pay. They would have to try and find other work and most of the better jobs were already taken by day laborers, they argued.

Claire was about to agree when Valerie stepped up. "You didn't do anything but drive here," the young woman said angrily.

"We can't find more work today, girly," one of them said with condescension dripping from his voice.

Oh no you didn't! Valerie barked and roared, "If you can't find work it's because you're not trying hard enough! Now get the hell out of here! No work, no pay!" She was letting out all of her pent up anger that was usually reserved for her mother and directing it at them.

The workmen paid her little heed and instead pressed Claire even harder. This time she didn't budge, "No work, no pay. That was our agreement from the beginning." Her voice was meek, but she repeated herself and the workmen backed down. When they left, Claire grabbed Valerie in a giant bear hug. "Oh, Sweetie, you were great!"

Valerie just wriggled free. "Don't touch me!" she yelled. "I'm still mad that you made an appointment with that shrink for me because you think I'm crazy."

"No, Valerie, he's going to help us work things out," Claire told her. In a familiar replay of previous events, Val jumped onto her bike and brought it roaring to life.

"Where are you going?" Claire asked her.

"I'm going to see Kyle," she answered. Then Valerie rocketed down the street on her Harley Davidson motorcycle.

"I forbid you to see that boy," Claire yelled. It didn't matter, Valerie was too far away and too headstrong to listen.

Another milestone, two thousand views. Thanks to each and every one of you that has clicked on this story and enjoyed it.

I hope you enjoy this new chapter, please leave a review. Thank you for reading.