Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke
A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover
Season1, between episodes 7 and 8
STORYBROOKE, MAINE
Tina knew her mother would be busy all day today. Valerie would be released by around noon and then she and Claire would have to return to the Town Hall to continue working to avoid losing that coveted city contract. The sixteen year old blonde had been instructed to take the school bus or call Clarence for a ride home. Tina was still mad at Clarence for his impossibly inappropriate question at the hospital. So to get around this unfavorable situation she called up Blake asking him to pick her up at the school. In exchange she would go on that date she promised him. "As long as I get home before my mother. She usually stops working at about 6:30. We've got a few hours to kill."
The young man couldn't have been happier. He had just ended his shift that day and was looking to party. What better way than with the girl of his dreams. Together they split a pizza, played video games at the arcade and he earned enough tickets from games of Skee-Ball to trade in for a teddy bear, which he promptly gave to her as a token of his affections. It wasn't all that large, but she appreciated his effort, nonetheless. At six fifteen that afternoon he dropped her off at her house, giving her some of those wonderful pumpernickel mini muffins she enjoyed so much. She repaid his kindness with a kiss on the cheek.
It wasn't more than a light peck, but it sent the love struck Blake fluttering with joy. "Hey, maybe next time I can show you the stables. Care to ride a horse?"
"A horse? They have horses here in Storybrooke?"
"Oh yes they do," he said, nodding.
"That would be terrific, Blake. I'll call you when my mother is too busy," she told him before saying goodbye.
Inside, Tina sat down at the dining room table to study. Remembering the bear, she stuffed it into her book bag along with the muffins. If Claire asked how she got home, Tina would just say she took the school bus. That should cover all the details.
All accept one.
Clarence had not seen them together this afternoon. That was the whole point of this operation, to make that boy jealous. Then she could decide to stay with Blake or return to Clarence. Decisions, decisions. Life was tough for a sixteen year old girl, she concluded. Being twenty-two and on your own like Blake was much easier and more fun to her young eyes.
PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid-Georgian Period on the Mainland)
Vidia was happy with her progress. Her new leggings with the rudders really made the difference. In flight she was cutting corners so much better than ever before. Wisp was going to get her comeuppance soon enough, but there was more that needed to be done. For Vidia it wasn't enough to just be good with her new gear. They had to be an extension of herself. Just like her wings, using them had to be instinctive. Stopping to think for even half a second would put her behind in the race, but in a truly dangerous situation it could be harmful or even deadly. Death Row could be very dangerous. So she kept practicing.
Clank had been watching her progress and offered to help. Normally this fast flyer wouldn't bother with those lowly tinkers, but when she saw his ideas it made sense to accept his assistance. The fat tinker built a modular obstacle course with gates that could be easily changed. She never knew what the track would look like from day to day.
At first Vidia had trouble and often found herself thinking about what to do next. She had to pause frequently in her turns to make proper use of her leggings. A race against Wisp now would be disastrous. She would lose badly. Vidia, though, did not like to give up. Her competitiveness kicked in ands he pushed herself to make flying with her rudders as natural as breathing. It took time, perseverance and having that fat and ugly tinker around her for several hours a day, but it was all about to pay off.
~O~
Vidia's performance in The Kessel Run was breathtaking. Wisp was keeping up, unsurprisingly, but the addition of the rudders was making all the difference. It wasn't just in her turns, which were sharp and crisp, but her flying overall had improved. She was effortlessly precise. No longer did she pierce the air, instead she slid through it with unimaginable ease.
When approaching Death Row Vidia's heart began to race uncomfortably. Her breathing became shallow. Apprehension filled her like a bitter bile. When practicing this segment of The Kessel Run Vidia had real trouble. Despite all of her precision she kept messing up, kept crashing or making bad decisions. It made no sense, she had memorized the entire race from beginning to end to the point that it began to invade her dreams.
Clank, who had been observing, was able to diagnose the problem. Vidia was failing because for all of her preparation she was being too careful in the trees. Death Row had earned its reputation in blood and she had no desire to add her own to that legacy.
"You need to be more reckless," he told her.
This advice struck her as insane. Wisp was always reckless and completely so with absolutely no regard for the consequences. Vidia was different, according to Clank. She knew when not to be reckless and when it was necessary and to what degree. Basically it all came down to a mental block. She had to break though it to win.
"Be reckless. Be just reckless enough to win this race," Vidia told herself. Those words galvanized in her heart. Now the fast flyer was ready and exploded into the forest that formed the second to last segment of the race. Vidia was slicing through the gates like a hot knife through mouse butter. Each turn was exact, no speed was lost and her flying was beyond excellent. The spectators who were witness and the judges who watched for any malfeasance were flabbergasted. It had always been assumed that flying of this caliber was unattainable. Now they were watching it unfold before their very eyes.
Vidia had been born to ride the currents of the air like no one else. She knew that. From the moment she arrived in Pixie Hollow she knew it was her destiny. Yet for all her trying it always seemed as if she could never attain that goal. Had she peaked early? True she was better than every other fast flyer, yet there was that nagging feeling that there was more to her than what she had already accomplished. At this moment she felt that the ceiling had been torn off and a whole new level of almost infinite potential had been opened to her. It was a thrilling sensation.
~O~
The first to emerge from the forest was Vidia. All that remained before her was a straightaway to the finish line. This was a test of pure, straight line speed. No curves or twists or turns. Just flat out acceleration. A quick look over her shoulder was especially gratifying. Wisp was far behind. The little blonde flyer wore a look of distraught confusion. She wasn't just going to lose, she was going to lose badly.
Crossing the finish line was an intensely satisfying experience for Vidia. The roars and cheers from the gathered onlookers filled her heart with such joy. The first to congratulate her was her own guild master followed by none other than Queen Clarion herself.
"Today you have proven yourself without equal," the elegant monarch told her. "You truly are the daughter of the wind."
That brief conversation meant so much to her. Vidia had never been described in such wondrous verse. No medal or prize could equal the power of those four words. Daughter of the Wind. It was an inspiring description. If Vidia were one to be moved to emotional outbursts, she would have cried with happiness.
With the race over Vidia considered the rivalry between her and Wisp a closed subject. She would quickly learn that no defeat could dampen that little imp's competitive spirit.
It would have devastating consequences.
STORYBROOKE, MAINE
"Where have you been?" Claire raged when Hartley appeared at her door that evening. She was quite angry with him. She would not even allow him into the house without a proper explanation. "You weren't at the arraignment, or the jailhouse or even when that little girl you recommended was arrested. What is your excuse?"
"I was unfortunately preoccupied with town business," he answered. The morning of the arraignment his office received a call from the city. Winter's Heating had the town contract to maintain all of the HVAC units in every municipal building in Storybrooke. The city had received a complaint that a unit in the elementary school unit was not working properly. Hartley's company was ordered to do an emergency maintenance check of every unit in each school building.
"My company had performed that service check in mid-October," Hartley said. "Not one unit was malfunctioning then and not one unit was malfunctioning now."
Lydia, who had come by to prepare the three Kensington women and Hartley Winter for the upcoming hearing overheard the conversation. It wasn't hard as Claire had raised her voice when speaking to him. Hartley had very nearly returned the favor, projecting almost like stage actor as he spoke.
"That sounds like Mayor Mills," the lawyer interrupted. "Sorry for listening. I remember when Mr. Winter sent out all of those flyers in your defense. Claire, she knows Hartley will be at your side to offer every ounce of assistance he can. I wouldn't be surprised if she cooked this whole thing up just to keep the two of you apart."
Claire turned back to the man she loved so dearly and apologized, followed by a sweet kiss on his cheek.
~O~
Lydia Van Buren told the four what to expect in the hearing and began prepping them for Albert Spencer's method of questioning. "Spencer is very good at provoking witnesses to say what he wants them to say." A common tactic is to use the same word or phrase over and over again while pressing the witness. The witness becomes so angry that they blurt out that word or phrase like it was of their own invention. "He puts those words in your head and then coerces you into saying them. Don't worry, we'll practice how to stay calm when he tries it."
"Another trick he uses is meaning." Words have two accepted types of definitions: connotation and denotation. Connotation is the currently accepted cultural, societal or emotional meaning of a word or phrase. Denotation is the literal meaning, typically the dictionary definition or definitions. Spencer will listen and adroitly determine how a witness uses words or phrases and then uses the opposite during cross examination. If a witness uses connotation, for instance, he'll bring out the dictionary definition if it has the intended effect of undermining their testimony. "It's his way of casting you as a liar. If he can destroy your credibility then your testimony is without credibility no matter how accurate it is."
"Can you give us some examples?" Hartley requested.
"Yeah, I'm not clear on that, either," Tina added.
Lydia asked them to consider the word "cool." The literal definition relates to temperature. However, there are also several cultural uses of the word such as describing a car as "cool" or keeping "cool" under pressure.
"Oh my. Can you teach us to avoid that?" Claire asked, looking worried.
"The best way to prepare is through practice," Lydia replied. "I'll ask you the questions he will ask and try to provoke you the way he will try. I'll describe how best to answer those questions and to keep your head. By giving short and precise answers and not contributing any additional information you prevent Albert Spencer from using his most formidable weapons. Now before we begin I need to ask, do you trust me?"
"Of course, why would you ask that?" Vidia said in return.
"For the next few days I am not going to be nice," Van Buren told them bluntly. "I have to make you ready so you can weather the District Attorney's verbal assaults. That means I do what he does no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel. I will make you so angry you will want to punch me in the face. I don't care about hurt feelings because neither will he. My job is help you win this case, and to accomplish that goal I'll need your full cooperation. Now, do you trust me?"
All four nodded and answered yes.
"Alright, let's begin."
Okay, the heartwarming (or rather heartbreaking scene) will be in the next chapter. It will be a doozy, too. After that, the hearing will finally begin.
Thanks for reading and as always your feedback is greatly appreciated.