Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke
A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover
Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 7

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

Vidia went to Kelly and Fairy Morrison. She asked them about real purple feathers being a privilege. They confirmed what she had been told by Festus. But then she learned something else. Something truly damning.

"You should have been told from the beginning," Kelly added. "Every new fast flyer is made aware from the outset that the feathers they initially earn are painted pigeon feathers. After the flyer has proven him or herself worthy, they are given the real feathers."

Kelly then excused himself to bring the replacements. Because Vidia had found herself in the middle of all of this, Morrison told Kelly to bring one more. "She deserves it," the guild master told him.

"So does this mean I'm in good standing with the guild?" she asked them.

"You've always been in good standing with us," Morrison replied. "This just means you're no longer wet behind the wings." This was a phrase akin to "wet behind the ears." She wasn't a rookie anymore. The hazing was over and advanced training would soon begin. This time, Fairy Morrison would oversee it personally.

"Swift and Festus should have given you the real feathers some time ago. They were probably just stringing you along until you were at your most emotionally vulnerable," Morrison told Vidia. "They need you to be attached to them with your heart, not your mind. Strong emotions can cloud your judgment, it makes it harder to apply reason and logic. It also makes it easier to be controlled."

Kelly returned promptly, exchanging all of Vidia's fakes with genuine fast flyer purple feathers. Plus the extra one that Fairy Morrison asked for.

"You have everything it takes to be the greatest," Morrison added. "I'll see to it you get there."

~O~

Vidia was excited to receive her new feathers. But the knowledge that Festus and Swift lied to her again broke her heart. She was now more confused than ever about whom she should believe, or side with. Or if she should take any side at all. The love she felt was still there, though it was now tempered with a growing sense of betrayal. She returned to the stockade hoping for more answers.

"Look, they're real," she told him. "I'm not a rookie any more, I'm one of you."

"Congratulations, sweetie," Festus answered. "I'm so proud of you. We knew this moment would come. I just wish I could have been there with you."

"It's okay," she said. "But why didn't you tell me that the originals were fake? Fairy Morrison said every flyer knows from the beginning."

"Of course we told you," Swift answered sharply.

Festus, however, turned to his friend with a terrified look. "You did tell her?"

"I think I may have forgotten that," he admitted. He turned back to Vidia. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I was just so tickled at having the greatest talent Pixie Hollow has ever known in our very own guild that it must have slipped my mind. Please…, please can you forgive me?"

Vidia remembered what Fairy Morrison had told her. Strong emotions can override logic and reason. Yet, his excuse seemed to make sense. She smiled at him. "There is nothing to forgive."

"You're the best, Vidia," he answered. Festus pressed his face through the bars as far as he could. Vidia leaned in close and kissed him.

"Okay, okay, that's enough of that," one of the scouts told them. Close contact of this sort was not allowed between visitors and prisoners. Vidia was then searched for any contraband that might have been given to her. Festus was also searched for anything he might have received. This was the reason for the rule, to avoid such illicit transactions. Nothing, though, was found on either of them.

"Go, my love," Festus whispered to her. "Don't let our movement falter."

"I won't" she answered, doe eyed.

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

A joyous morning turned sour the instant the residents of Storybrooke learned that Sheriff Graham had passed away last night from a massive heart attack. His death cast a dark shadow over the entire town. Everyone was in shock. It numbed the senses and some, like Leroy, took to the bar for some drink. He and others like him felt a need to drown their sorrows.

Graham was well liked in the town, making it harder for everyone to accept his sudden death. Granny and Ruby were a little slow in opening the diner this morning. The usual gang showed up for breakfast, but the one stool that remained empty was Graham's, who always came in for a good meal when the diner opened each day. The cook even made Graham's favorite plate until he remembered that the Sheriff was dead. Just force of habit, Granny supposed.

The sheriff's office was not quiet at all. Many citizens called up Deputy Emma Swan to both offer condolences and to find out why and how it happened. "I have no idea," she said to each new caller. "It just came out of nowhere."

Such a reply only made his loss that much harder to accept. Why it had to be such a good and well liked person was beyond anyone's comprehension. Emma, for her part, made her daily rounds. It was clear, though that her heart just wasn't into it today. Her mind still wrestled with all of the unanswered questions that surrounded Graham's sudden death.

Mayor Mills appeared the most devastated. She cried at the council meeting when she asked for a moment of silence to remember their fallen sheriff. These were crocodile tears, of course, though only she knew. The other members of the town council had a hard time holding back. Their sympathy at his loss was very real.

Only one other person in town seemed to know what happened. That was Henry Mills, the Mayor's son. Though he was sharply aware no one in town would believe him.

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

A few moments after Vidia had gone Festus and Swift began talking again. They spoke rather quietly to prevent the scouts and sentries from hearing them. "She's all in."

"Yes. When we go to court she'll be our ally on the witness stand," Swift said in agreement. "The most talented and famous fairy in all of Pixie Hollow testifying on our behalf will be hard to ignore."

Festus replied by saying, "I'll coach her up. Convince her that what she has seen of Fairy Morrison proves his senility. The queen will have no choice, but to retire him."

"That will leave the guild without leadership," Swift correctly observed. "Then our people will promote Vidia for the new guild overseer."

"Once installed, she'll be ours to control."

"Can you keep stringing her along?"

"Oh she's mine already," Festus admitted. "I'll even start to cry, telling her how I'm not worthy of her greatness. When she tells me how much she loves me, I'll ask for her hand in marriage. That will ensure Vidia remains ours forever. And heck, I'll even get a few good rolls in the hay with that nice piece of petunia. Win-win."

What neither of them knew was that Vidia was nearby, listening. When she received her new feathers, Vidia was certain of their innocence. What she had been told of the feathers and the hazing ritual was proven right. However, Fairy Morrison's comment about trying to win her over with strong emotions managed to put enough doubt into her head that she was no longer sure of anything. Vidia then decided to hide close enough to the entrance to listen in on their conversations without being seen. It was Fairy Morrison's idea. He knew the best spot to eavesdrop even when the speech was in hushed tones. The scouts allowed it because they had been informed earlier by Morrison to play along.

When she took in the fullness of their plans, her heart shattered. She felt so completely betrayed by them. Swift and Festus had been using her all this time. She was being groomed to be their puppet. Well no more. The anger welled up in her and she rocketed off to tell Fairy Morrison and Queen Clarion.

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

In the Kensington household, all three women were taken aback by the news of Graham's sudden passing. Their big and festive dinner just wasn't festive anymore. Not even the much anticipated NFL games could hold their attention. Which was saying something considering that all three Kensington women were big sports fans. Claire being the biggest… and usually the loudest, too. But not on this day. She was quiet and reserved as she and her two girls tried to get through such a normally enjoyable day after such horrible news.

Valerie, whom Claire expected to be in full obnoxious mode, didn't disappoint. She had been quiet during the day, but by the evening thing changed. "Serves him right for being such a jerk."

"Valerie, that's a terrible thing to say," Claire said, reprimanding the girl.

"Oh please, he was always making my life miserable," she answered.

"How could you be so heartless?" Tina asked in disbelief.

"Humph, he was always arresting me at The Rabbit Hole or chasing me down on my bike," she answered. "He got what he deserved."

"That is enough out of you, young lady," Claire said with a stern voice. "I will not have that kind of talk in my house."

What Claire did not realize was that Valerie was trying to emotionally separate herself from her mother and sister. Every time she thought about leaving, Val's heart would flare up with pangs of heartbreak. Leaving Claire and Tina behind was harder than she first realized. So Valerie used this occasion to try and fill her heart with anger towards her mother and sister. Hopefully, they would become so angry with her they would welcome her departure.

"Fine, you don't want me here? I'll leave!"

"Oh? And just where would you go? To live under a bridge? Because that is where you will end up in no time."

"Why do you care?" Valerie spat as she stomped through the house to get away from her mother.

"I care because I am your mother," Claire shot back. "I care because you are my daughter."

"No, I'm not your daughter," Valerie yelled. "That is your perfect little daughter right there." She pointed at Tina. "I'm just some girl you adopted so you could feel all mommy inside."

"That doesn't even make sense," Claire responded. Valerie ran up the stairs. "Don't you dare run away from me, young lady. You are not leaving this house."

"I'll go wherever I damn well please. I'm not a child, I can leave when I want and there is not one damn thing you can do to stop me."

"Valerie, what has gotten into you?" Claire asked, obviously confused by this strange outburst. "You've been so good lately."

That hit Valerie's angry button with a thud. "So good? You mean like your little angel over there?" she said once again motioning to Tina, who had followed them up the stairs. "Do you want to know what she's been up to lately?"

"Hey!" Tina interjected.

"She and her boy toy, Clarence have been planning on having sex and getting preggers," Valerie said with an in your face attitude.

"Don't you dare say that about my little girl," Claire answered back with repugnance. "She is sweet and innocent and young. Nothing like you. I would figure you for getting into that kind of trouble, but not my little Tina."

"And that is another thing!" Valerie yelled. "You always assume the worst of me. She can do no wrong, I can do no right. Well to hell with both of you. I'm getting out of this house of horrors and going someplace where I will be appreciated and loved."

"You're appreciated and loved right here," Claire shouted back. "But you are just too stupid to realize that."

"Stupid?! Stupid?! Now I'm the stupid one, too?" Valerie stopped talking and ducked into her room. She started cleaning out her drawers and stuffing her clothes into the saddle bags for her motorcycle. "Well, if I'm too stupid why did you adopt me? If I'm so stupid why didn't you send me back when you found out?"

"You are not stupid," Claire conceded. "You're just-."

Valerie cut her off. "YOU JUST CALLED ME STUPID RIGHT NOW!"

"You know what you are?" Claire shouted back. "You're a prideful little monster who deserves every bad thing she gets."

Valerie stood nose to nose with her mother and said, "Screw you."

"Get out!" Claire shouted.

"That's right, I'm getting out," Valerie yelled back. "I'm getting out because you never loved me, you never wanted me, you should have just let me sit in that orphanage and let me rot. It would have been far better than this crap hole."

"GET OUT!" Claire shrieked. "GET OUT. I DIDN'T WANT YOU! I NEVER WANTED YOU!"

"Mom?" Tina whimpered. "You never wanted her?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Valerie said angry, but pleased that she had been right all along. She finished packing her bags. Then Valerie opened a small coffee can which had been hidden from view. From it she pulled several huge wads of cash. They were thick rolls of hundreds, fifties and twenties which she then stuffed into her pockets. The older girl then slung her saddle bags and a backpack over her shoulder and started for the door. "You can kiss my ass goodbye on the way out, for all I care."

Valerie stormed passed her mother and shoved her "perfect" sister to the ground.

Claire went to the little girl and grabbed her into her arms. "Did she hurt you, baby?"

"Mom, you're not going to let her leave, are you?" Tina asked. Claire did nothing but hold onto her youngest. "Mom? Don't you care?"

Claire snapped out of the moment. The kitchen door slammed closed. "Oh my God. Valerie. What have I done? VALERIE!" Claire ran down the stairs, calling out the name of her oldest. "Valerie? Val, wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. Let me explain."

The roar of Val's motorcycle could be heard throughout the entire house. "VALERIE?!" Claire shrieked again. "VALERIE! STOP!" The mother of two stepped out of the back door just in time to see Val rocket off on her motorcycle. Claire chased after the girl on foot, but the motorcycle was blasting down the block.

"VALERIE-E!" Claire shouted one last time. She ran back towards the garage. "Lock the door and get into the truck."

"What?" Tina asked, not quite keeping up after seeing her sister just up and leave this way.

"Lock the damned door and get into the truck," Claire shouted. Tina did as instructed. Claire jumped into her work vehicle and started the engine. She put it into reverse and began to back out of the driveway. Tina had to run and catch up. The truck stopped momentarily to let her in, then Claire shot down the street giving chase to her wayward daughter.

The mother of two couldn't understand what had gotten into her eldest. Maybe it was the stress of Graham's death. She didn't know, but Valerie had to be stopped so Claire could explain herself. But the motorcycle was faster than the truck.

Hope, however, diminished as Valerie pulled father and farther ahead.

I hope you like this new chapter. Sorry for the evil cliffhangers, but there is lot more to come in the next chapter. So stay tuned.