Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke
A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover
Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"How the hell did those images get to the courthouse?" Regina hissed angrily at Sydney Glass, her pet enforcer. She had retreated to the comfort of her mayor's office. "I thought this other person you sent in was supposed to stop that little girl?"

"How was I supposed to know Penny carried a Taser? Or that she would be so enthusiastic about using it?" Sydney replied.

Indeed, when Penny entered the elevator someone was waiting for her. He was dressed as a custodian, but the photo I.D. didn't match his face tipping off his victim. Penny dropped him in a second with a Taser. When the doors opened this tiny teenaged girl was shocking her assailant over and over and OVER again all the while yelling, if you mess with the bull you get the horns!

"Hospital security is holding the other person until Deputy Swan arrives."

Regina wouldn't stand for that. "NO! You make sure that never happens! If there is even one witness…"

"There won't be. The hospital Psyche Ward is about to add a new resident." Sydney was quite smug as he said this, knowing it should please his mayor.

"Good. At least you've done something right today, Sydney," Regina told him as she paced around her office. "And no matter how this hearing turns out you make sure that Kensington woman gets wasted in your newspaper the day after. Is that clear?"

"We tried that before," he answered hesitantly. When Regina got like this she despised anyone challenging her orders. But Sydney believed he was seeing a pattern beginning to emerge and had to inform his mayor. "She must have a guardian angel looking out for her. First it was that Hartley Winter fellow. Now Emma Swan has somehow coordinated the talk show host, a computer nerd and that video store owner into coming to Claire's aid."

"Yes, the video store owner who used to be a lawyer, the one lawyer in the whole town capable of matching Spencer in the courtroom." This burned Regina deep inside. Swan had upset this quiet little town ever since she arrived. But what really got the wheels turning in her head was the mention of Hartley Winter. Swan had nothing to do with him getting involved in her last scheme. And twice she had seen Claire and Hartley together. They were carrying on almost as if they were getting friendly. Maybe a little too friendly.

Then she recalled all the persons Valerie had identified as fairies from Pixie Hollow. When Regina cast the Dark Curse there were specific people she had targeted. Snow White, Prince Charming, Red Riding Hood, the dwarves and Queen Clarion of Pixie Hollow among many, many others. However, there were also thousands more who came along as collateral damage. Now she began to wonder just how many of Clarion's people were living in Storybrooke.

"You're right, Sydney. We have tried it before," she told him. "But I still want your best hatchet job on that Kensington woman. Understand?"

"Perfectly."

"And find out who Valerie thinks are fairies from Never Land," she added. "I want to know the extent of her mental impairment."

~O~

Lydia Van Buren was reviewing the images on her computer. Unable to understand the complexities of an MRI scan, Dr. Whale was with her deciphering what it all meant.

"This is the most incredible case I've ever seen," Whale told her. Then he got this look on his face, as if he had an epiphany. "My God, I could write a paper, maybe get it published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Do you know what this could do to my career?"

At that moment she received a phone call. It was Spencer. He wanted to speak with her about the hearing.

~O~

Less than an hour later, she along with Claire and her two girls were sitting in Spencer's exorbitantly appointed office. As the town's district attorney he received a tidy sum from the city for his services, but even before that Spencer was already the town's best and highest paid law professional. It showed. His luxury appointments made the office look like it was appropriate for a king, though it wasn't just for his own benefit. Sometimes when a lawyer was successful he or she would show it off to impress potential clients of their prowess in the courtroom. Spencer was clearly that kind of lawyer and that kind of person.

"Well, if it isn't our little Miss Van Buren," he said with a condescending emphasis on "little" as she walked into his office.

"Hello, Spencer. I see you still have a strong distaste for me," she answered.

"Now what would make you think that?" he said with an elegant if utterly fake grin.

"You always insult or dismiss me whenever I walk into the room," she replied. "What's wrong, can't handle getting your ass handed to you by a video store clerk?"

"No one hands me my ass," he growled. "Ever!"

Van Buren knew her rejoinder had infuriated him. Spencer wasn't used to losing and he reacted very poorly to it. However, she could gain no additional satisfaction from insulting him further so she dropped the entire subject and pressed on. "Fine, let's get this meeting started, shall we?"

Lydia and her clients sat next to her while the D.A. and his associates sat across the desk from them. He prefaced by saying he analyzed the images with a professional neurologist. "They reveal…, a somewhat noticeable change in her mental state, but I don't think it will matter very much tomorrow."

This was a lie. Or at the very least a wild exaggeration. Dr. Whale had marveled at just how different the two images of Valerie's brain were. The before and after scans were so startling that he initially thought they were of two different people when he first saw them.

"What do you want, Albert?" she asked trying to remain as coolly professional as possible.

"I look at your clients and they are weary," he prefaced. "Their lives, their privacy, their personal lives are on display. No one wants to see their dirty laundry put out there for public scrutiny and ridicule. I propose a deal."

Lydia quirked a suspicious eyebrow. The deal he offered would end the hearing right here and now. Tonight. The terms were simple. Valerie would admit to reckless endangerment and her penalty would be time served and the suspension of her driver's license for six months.

To Claire it seemed like a great idea. "And this will be the end of it all?" she asked.

"Yes, no more hearing," Spencer promised. "You and your two girls can get your lives back."

"I think we should take it," Claire suggested to her lawyer.

"No!" Lydia said.

"But…"

"No!" she said with more conviction.

Claire was confused, "If this ends the hearing now…"

Lydia pulled her client aside and explained a few things to her in hushed tones. "This is what he wants," Van Buren said. "He knows that those MRI images will sink any chance he has of winning this hearing. He will try anything to prevent them from being entered into evidence. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, you take this deal and any question of Valerie's mental state will be put to bed permanently. Admitting to reckless endangerment will imply she is not mentally deficient to stand trial."

It was a simple equation, really. Getting Valerie to admit to reckless endangerment before a verdict could be announced would all but seal Valerie's fate. Her earlier claims of mental defect would be interpreted as an attempt to avoid prosecution and jail time. She would most certainly be arrested for obstruction of justice, interfering with a police investigation and lying under oath. This was his gambit, trade a small loss for a greater victory.

"I see your point," Claire replied. "Get those scans into evidence."

"I thought you might say that," the defense attorney responded with a cheeky smile.

Van Buren turned back towards her opponent and announced, "No deal, Spencer. You can't pull the wool over my eyes or my client's. I'll see you in court tomorrow."

With that rebuke Lydia stood up and left the room with Claire and her two girls following right behind.

"You're making a big mistake," Spencer yelled to the four women. "This will go to trial and you will lose. I'll make sure of that personally."

~O~

Outside the office, Claire looked worriedly at her attorney. "Is that true? Do we even stand a chance?"

"He's bluffing," Lydia said. "Spencer doesn't resort to these kind of theatrics unless his hand is weak. And it is very weak. Don't worry, you'll be free from this nightmare by lunchtime tomorrow."

"But what happens if those images go missing again?" Claire asked.

"They won't," Lydia answered. "I made plenty of backups. I've got one. So does Dr. Whale, Dr. Hopper, the court and Spencer. Even Penny has a copy. Not to mention the hospital's computer system is slowly returning to normal and the original images are still there if necessary."

"You sure know how to cover your bases," Tina said.

"When you deal with lawyers…, or Mr. Gold…, you learn quickly that covering your bases is a top priority," she answered. She sounded as the weary voice of experience.

~O~

The next morning court began in earnest and the first order of business was for Van Buren to present her new evidence. This time there were no counter moves by Spencer or this crack legal team. Nothing like suggesting that the images might be faked as they had already been verified by Dr. Whale himself.

A large LCD TV screen was again wheeled into the courtroom. This time a laptop accompanied the television and was connected via an HDMI cable. Van Buren called Dr. Whale to the stand to explain the MRI images. First, though, Lydia asked for his name, profession and qualifications as an authority on the subject at hand, thought it wasn't really needed.

Everyone in town knew who Dr. Whale was. Storybrooke had exactly one hospital. Dr. Whale was its lead surgeon and top physician. Most people in town had, at one time or another in their lives, been in need of his services.

"Dr. Whale, could you please explain what has happened to Valerie Kensington?" Lydia said, opening the door for the physician to begin his testimony.

"Of course. Now, I'll try to explain this in plain English," he began while bringing up three images of a child's MRI scan. Each was of a different orientation: Axial, from the top; Coronal, from the front; and Sagittal or from the side. "We are born with over 100 billion brain cells. These cells, called neurons, receive and send information through the brain. A neuron looks like a cell with tentacles called dendrites that receive the incoming information and then a tail with more little tentacles called an axon which sends the information to the next neuron. The connectors between the axons and dendrites are called synapses."

"At birth the cerebral cortex of the typical newborn brain has about 2500 synapses on each neuron. By age 3 that number increases to fifteen thousand per neuron in the cerebral cortex. This number is about twice as many as are found in an adult. This reduction occurs through a process known as synaptic pruning. Weak and unused synapses are deleted while stronger and often used synapses are maintained and strengthened. Which synapses are kept is determined though use which is itself determined by our learning and experiences. Our brains adapt to our environment and certain areas become more specialized. This is all part of a larger process known as neuroplasticity. An MRI image of a child will differ from an adult because of this synaptic pruning and neuroplasticity."

A second image appeared on screen of a normal adult female. The colors on the image revealed the activity of the brain. The arrangement of the colors differed significantly from the image of the child's MRI scan. An orange comma shape surrounded by yellow and resembling a ram's horn dominated the center of the sagittal image. This demonstrated his point of how the brain changes from childhood to adulthood. Because experiences determine how a brain is structured, an MRI image can also reveal the approximate age of a person.

Whale then clicked to an image which he identified as Valerie's brain scan when she was first brought into the hospital immediately after the accident. The image was similar to the previous image of the adult female. To further illustrate his point his next slide was of the adult female and Valerie's side by side. "Notice the similarities in the arrangement of colors. Take special note of the orange which is an indication of mental activity

Next Dr. Whale moved to another slide showing the most recent MRI image of Valerie. "This is after she woke up and claimed to be Vidia," he explained. The new image presented was so profoundly different from the others that nearly everyone in attendance gasped. Whale then made an equally startling pronouncement. "When I first saw this I thought it was an error on the part of the technician or the machine. However, after reviewing the procedure used and had the system tested I realized that this scan which you see before you is Valerie's current brain activity."

"Are you certain of that, Doctor?" Van Buren asked.

"Absolutely," Whale answered. "At first I didn't see the pattern, but when I consulted with neurologist Dr. Tate he found and explained the unusual symmetry. What you are seeing is a brain which possesses the sheer number of synapses of a human child coupled with the development and specialization of an adult female. A female of at least one hundred years' worth of experiences."

This prompted more gasps. Claire stared quizzically at Valerie as did Tina. The judged looked at her briefly before turning his attention back to Dr. Whale.

"Are you certain about that estimate?" Van Buren asked.

"Positive, though I couldn't tell you how it happened," he said. "The brain does not spontaneously grow new synapses, especially such a large number, in only a few hours and especially at this age. This is completely unprecedented."

"This 'unusual symmetry' you spoke of, is this why Valerie has lost her memories and created a new personality?"

"Yes, her personality disorder is no doubt a result of this incredible change in her brain structure."

"Is this change stable?"

"Absolutely," he answered.

Had there been any inconsistent memories or conflicting experiences the mind would not be able to reconcile them and it would show up in the time lapsed MRI imagery as agitation. None appeared. "In my opinion and the opinions of both Doctors Hopper and Tate this new personality is completely stable."

"What is your conclusion, Dr. Whale?"

"In my professional opinion, this is not some petty trick to avoid jail time. In fact, what we are looking at may very well be the most stable case of personality disorder in the history of mankind."

"Thank you, doctor." Van Buren sat down.

Spencer stood to cross examine. "Doctor, do you mean to tell us that Ms. Kensington suddenly has over one hundred years of memories rattling around in her head?"

"I couldn't be certain if they are memories," Whale stated, "we can't read minds, but when compared to accepted medical standards her brain does indeed reflect at least one hundred years' worth of experiences."

"And this wasn't an error on the part of the technician or the machinery?"

"No it wasn't," Whale answered.

"And you know this how, Doctor?"

"The MRI machine is in good working order," Whale replied. "Neither the neurologist on duty or the technician could believe their eyes when the scan results appeared so they performed full diagnostics on the machine. No errors were found. Furthermore, the MRI's were performed both before and after Valerie Kensington's images were taken, none showed any variances."

"You said this personality is stable. How did you come to that conclusion?"

"There are several types of personality disorders which are grouped into three distinct types known as Cluster A, Cluster B and Cluster C types. Each type includes a set of specific symptoms. Valerie, or rather Vidia, demonstrates no symptoms of any of these types other than a radical change in personality, new memories consisting of vivid detail and a completely new identity."

"Doctor, I noticed that this Vidia character from the movie seems to share a similar background to Valerie herself," Spencer said. "Don't you find that a bit peculiar?"

"Actually, no. Dr. Hopper and I have arrived at a consensus that Valerie may have subconsciously chosen the Vidia character specifically for that reason."

Both Vidia and Valerie appear to share similar types of personality traits, at least superficially. Both were outcasts in their own societies, both had sharp tongues, both loved speed and flight, and both found themselves dealing with someone who was the personification of a perfect child. However, at the end of the third movie Vidia learns who her real friends are and is able to reconcile and be accepted within her community.

"When her mind shattered and reformed itself Ms. Kensington most likely chose Vidia because she regarded her as a kindred spirit who got the happy ending Valerie never could."

"I see. And what about Valerie? Is she lurking about in there somewhere in all those pretty colors you showed us on the screen?"

Whale hesitated. He looked over at Mrs. Kensington who stared back at him. She was leaning forward and her eyes revealed a desperate hope swirling among a sense of dread and resignation.

"Doctor? What about Valerie? Is she still hiding in there somewhere?"

Whale gulped. "No. She…, that personality is gone forever."

Claire clasped her hand over her mouth. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she sunk into her chair.

"Doctor, what about Valerie Kensington? If her personality is gone does that mean Valerie is dead?" It was a horrible way of describing it. Claire was visibly stung by what she heard. Crueler words could not be spoken to a parent than "your child is dead."

"Medically speaking Valerie Kensington sits right there in this courtroom," Whale answered. "But from a psychological standpoint Dr. Hopper would be best suited to answer that question."

"Thank you, Doctor. No further questions."

THE MAINLAND, (The Late Victorian Period)

Tinker Bell had been captured by humans. That was what she had told the other girls at the summer camp. What she didn't tell them was exactly how she got capture. Vidia left out the part where she herself was responsible for Tinker Bell getting locked inside the little house made by the little girl who lived nearby.

The other girls mounted a rescue operation, but it was raining and Clank and Bobble had to fashion a boat from tree bark, a cat o nine tail and lots of stem twine to get everyone closer to the human house. During the trek, the fairies were pulled down a waterfall and the boat shattered. Now they were all on foot. It was still raining, though it had let up some.

Vidia and her companions used the blades of grass and leaves to shield themselves from the large water drops. Nonetheless, their wings were wet and it prevented them from taking flight. Vidia had been feeling sick to her stomach ever since that little girl picked up the tiny house and ran back into the human home where she lived. Her father was what humans called a natural philosopher, although now the term "scientist" was slowly replacing it. Keeping up with changes in the human world was hard.

Suddenly the conversation changed from idle chatter to Tinker Bell. Not that this was unexpected. They were on a quest to save her from humans. Yet quickly the other fairies began to ask just how it was Tinker Bell had come to getting captured.

"Every step we take takes that much closer to Tinker Bell," Clank observed.

Vidia knew her secret would come out. That she was responsible for Tinker Bell getting caught inside that little house. And for no good reason other than she couldn't stand that Tinker Bell was more talented than she was.

Ever since Tinker Bell's arrival Vidia had been looking for ways to discredit and belittle that tinker fairy. Now it was by her own hand that Tinker Bell was trapped by humans. The secret of the fairies could be revealed for no other reason than petty jealousy. That was when it dawned on her.

Vidia was obsessing. Years earlier Wisp went out of her way to prove she was more talented than Vidia and it nearly killed her. She had to accept and live with the fact that someone else was more talented. When she did that Wisp finally came into her own as a fast flyer. Soon Wisp was able to do things that surprised even Vidia.

When she had this epiphany a second, far greater one followed. She had always been obsessing. Ever since Swift and Festus had used her to their own ends Vidia had closed her heart and walled off everyone around her. She turned away everyone and clung desperately to the one good thing she had in her life. The only thing which give her life meaning and fulfillment: being the most talented fairy in Pixie Hollow. Vidia had jealously protected her status from Wisp and later Tinker Bell to the point of being irrational. As irrational as Wisp.

This introspection caused her to confess. "It was my fault," she told the other fairies. Vidia told them everything, how it was her who locked Tinker Bell in that little house. Now both Tink and all of Pixie Hollow was in danger. All because of her.

When she had finished Vidia fully expected to be vilified, condemned and ostracized. Instead she was forgiven on the spot. Tinker Bell could get herself into plenty of trouble all on her own, Rosetta reminded her. Vidia was surprised, relieved and even a little bit elated. For the first time in centuries Vidia's heart felt lighter and joyous. She had friends who cared about her, who rallied around her and who had the compassion enough in their hearts to forgive and embrace her as a friend.

Whew! Well this chapter covered quite a bit of territory didn't it? Most of the background information about the human brain I got from some websites on psychology and is fairly accurate for the purposes of this chapter. Thanks to MasterMind4892 for assisting me with this and the next chapter.

One or two more and chapters and we will get back on track.