Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke
Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 7

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret was desperate to get David Nolan out of her head… and her heart. So she immediately went for the nuclear option: Chocolate. After school Ms. Blanchard went to the pharmacy and placed into her hand-held shopping basket a gigantic bar of chocolate. It was so huge it didn't even fit inside the wire mesh basket. While deciding if she should buy two, Mary Margaret accidentally collided with David Nolan's wife Kathryn. Both spilled out what they were buying. When Mary Margaret knelt down to help Kathryn recover he lost goods she noticed that among her purchases was a pregnancy test.

Were the Nolan's expecting a child? If so it would put David further out of Mary Margaret's reach and it gave the schoolteacher another reason to stay away from him. It also broke her heart. A child would erase any hope that she and David might ever be together in the future.

Regina Mills, the mayor, watched the entire collision unfold. When Kathryn went to the register Regina walked right up to Mary Margaret and told her to respect the Nolan's privacy and be discreet. "This is none of your business."

~O~

"Get what's on that list as fast as you can, girls," Claire instructed her two daughters. The local meteorologist was predicting a strong storm with frequent lightning and possibly damaging winds. She wanted to be prepared. On her list were things like candles, matches, a large first aid kit, flashlights and batteries, and several bags of block ice. There were also items such as toilet paper, bath tissue, paper plates and plastic utensils, as well as fresh fruits and canned meals like spaghetti and ravioli. Claire had a reasonable expectation that the power in her neighborhood or the whole city might go out. She also expected that were it happen they would be without power for only about two or three days max and bought only what was necessary. The refrigerator was electric, so the block ice was to keep perishables cold inside an insulated cooler. Block ice melted slower than crushed ice and would last longer. Since gas and water were likely to continue to work she would still be able to cook on the stove.

"Do we really need all of this," Vidia asked.

"Yes, dear," said Claire. "I've lived through storms like these. It is always best to think ahead."

"Well, it's not like we don't know how to live without electrical power," Vidia replied. "Pixie Hollow has never had electricity. It's never bothered us before."

"Then how did you, I mean we, cook foods and heat water?" Tina asked sarcastically.

"Wood burning stoves," Vidia said. "And the water fairies can heat water. It's part of their talent."

"We don't have that here, sweetie," Claire replied as they moved to the checkout line at the supermarket. "So we'll just have to make do with fresh peaches and cans of Chef Boyardee."

During the drive home Vidia suggested bringing Penny over during the storm so she wouldn't be alone. Claire loved the idea, but Tina shot it down immediately. Tina still held a grudge against the other girl for their disagreement over Gonzo from the Muppets. This frustrated Vidia immensely. Ever since the spat broke up the friendship she and Claire had been trying to reunite them, but to no avail.

Vidia insisted that Tina and Penny were sisters born of the same laugh, but that only made Tina pout. The little blonde felt like Valerie was turning her back on her own little sister. Vidia eventually gave up on that approach for the moment and tried instead simply to rekindle the friendship. She was no further along now as she was the night Penny ran out of the house in tears.

~O~

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

A joyous feast and celebration were being held in Prince James' honor to celebrate his upcoming wedding to Princess Abigail. However, he did not seem to be in a joyous mood. Instead, the prince watched from the window of his private chambers and stared longingly into the night sky. A figure of loneliness amidst cheery music and revelry.

King George noticed this immediately and went to him. The king was concerned, he knew that for this union to succeed James had to give his heart to Abigail. However, it was obvious that James' heart was with someone else.

George reminded James of his duty. This marriage would save the kingdom and the people who lived there. The King's realm was out of money. Abigail was the daughter of none other than King Midas, the man who could turn anything to gold. With all the gold Midas could provide, George's kingdom could be well fed for eternity.

"Who is she?" the king asked James. The prince told his adopted father that it was a woman he met once on a journey. George reminded James that he was a royal now and that as a royal he had a terrible burden placed upon him. What he was doing was for the good of the kingdom. For David, now masquerading as his dead brother James, such duties and obligations were new to him and difficult to reconcile with this simple sheep herder's upbringing. For George, who grew up a royal, this was old hat.

"Do whatever it takes to get that woman out of your head," King George ordered, "because nothing is going to stop this wedding."

The moment King George left the room James penned a letter to Snow White, wrapped it around the leg of a dove and sent it out to find his beloved Snow.

~O~

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret had decided to take herself for a walk. She needed to get away from David and clear her head. She had bundled up against the cold weather which included a heavy jacket, scarf, thick socks and hiking boots. The clouded sky and distant rumbles of thunder didn't bother her. She was too consumed with thinking about not thinking about David Nolan. Or that Kathryn might be pregnant.

While hiking through the tall trees of the forest that surrounded Storybrooke, she heard a trilling sound and some rustling noises. It broke Ms. Blanchard from her reverie. Mary Margaret followed the sounds and found a dove trapped in some netting. She wasn't sure how it happened, but the first thing she did was take it to the animal shelter to have it examined by the veterinarian on duty.

~O~

At the shelter she was greeted by, of all people, David Nolan, who worked there. Jo the exterminator was also there. She was a regular volunteer who also brought in larger animals she captured when they invaded people's homes. Jo brought the bird out from the back in a cage. "Here you go, Ms. Blanchard."

A vet discussed the situation with Mary Margaret. The bird was unharmed and could fly under its own power. However, this particular specimen was a North Atlantic Dove. With winter setting in, its flock was migrating south. What made the North Atlantic Dove unusual from other doves was that it formed a strong, monogamous bond with its flock. If the bird was not reunited with the others before they flew away, the bird would be left behind and alone forever.

Mary Margaret didn't want this little dove to be lonely for the rest of its life. "No one deserves that," said Mary Margaret, who was feeling just as lonely and heartbroken. She decided to take the avian back to the woods where she found it and release it before the other birds took flight. David told her it was too dangerous with the storm coming in. The young school teacher thanked him, but refused his offer. It seemed to David that Mary Margaret thought she could do this before the storm reached Storybrooke.

~O~

Elsewhere, Mary Margaret's roommate Sheriff Emma Swan was also preparing for the storm. She was loading the trunk of the police cruiser with gear that included flashlights, batteries, flares and road signs. Like everyone else in town, she was dressed for the cold. She wore a thick, red turtle neck sweater over a city issued jacket with the word "SHERIFF" emblazoned in yellow across the back. A knitted cap with "pigtails" sat atop her head.

The mayor approached her and mentioned this stranger who was in town. "He must be one of the untold millions you cursed," Emma replied rather flippantly. "Y'know, Henry's whole thing." Despite Emma's attitude Regina was more interested in this man who was now in Storybrooke.

Emma was dismissive of the idea that she find out more about the visitor as he had committed no crime. This opinion changed the instant Regina told her that he seemed to be taking a particular interest in the one thing both she and Emma cared about: Henry.

"I'll get right on it," the sheriff instantly answered.

~O~

Penny Steveston was just as busy preparing her home for the severe weather. A lightning rod was installed when she first moved in and the house had been grounded to carry lightning strikes into the ground. Nonetheless, she shut down and unplugged all of her computers and equipment except for a couple of laptops with extra, fully charged batteries. The laptops both had Wi-Fi and 4G LTE internet services so she could keep up with online weather services. The gas tank on the electric generator out back was filled to capacity and the pantry was stocked with canned foods. The stovetop was electric so Penny bought a camp stove and propane cylinders for it. Flashlights, batteries, ice, a cooler and plenty of cans of soda were also made ready.

Fully prepared, she sat in her kitchen, a cold drink in hand as she blogged about the storm on one laptop and watched the weather radar live stream on another. A NOAA weather alert radio sat on the countertop to announce any emergencies broadcast. Next to it was an iPod playing music to fill the empty house with pleasing sounds.

When she was at her computers Penny had the companionship of her friends online. At times like these, however, she felt lonely and isolated. And even a little bit afraid as she sat in this large house all by herself waiting for the storm to roll in. Without all the whirring of cooling fans the house sounded empty and quiet. Every rolling rumble of thunder seemed to reverberate throughout each room in the house. It unnerved her.

Penny set her iPhone on the kitchen table and began scrolling through her phone numbers. She was looking for Hartley Winter hoping to wait out the storm at his place, but Claire Kensington's name came up first. Her finger hovered over the screen ready to tap it and place the call. She considered joining Mrs. Kensington and her girls to wait out the storm at their home. At least there she had someone her own age to commiserate with. Then Penny remembered the argument she had with Tina. The last thing she wanted was another shouting match about Gonzo.

"Stupid girl," she proclaimed about her one time friend.

The frustration that welled up inside her made Penny forgot about calling Hartley Winter. Instead she returned the phone to its home screen, sipped her drink and went back to monitoring the storm on her laptop.

~O~

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

Periwinkle and her friends joined up with the other winter fairies as they gathered to fly back to Never Land. Their contraband was well hidden so that no one, particularly their guild supervisor or the Minister of Winter, would find it.

"Okay, keep your distance, but don't look like you're keeping your distance," Spike instructed Peri and Gliss to avoid detection.

"How do we that?" Gliss asked.

"I don't know. Fly casual."

"Easy for you to say," Periwinkle replied. "You don't have pieces of glass ornament stuck up your corset."

"Just hold it," Spike told her. "It won't be long now. We'll be flying and you'll be much more comfortable."

"Hey, why don't we just ask if it is okay to bring this back to Never Land?" Gliss asked. Spike just fumed at Gliss. The three had earlier debated that they might not be allowed to bring any new "found things" back after what happened at the lake with the new ice skates. Somehow, Gliss had forgotten in just a short span of time. "Oh right."

Spike just sighed. "This isn't going to work."

Once everyone was accounted for the winter fairies lifted off and began their journey back to their home. The night sky was just beginning to give way to daylight as the large contingent took flight. A few humans stirred below, but none looked upward. The fairies were well aloft and beyond the sight of the Londoners. Smoke from chimneys blotted out the sky in front of them, but as the fairies rose to higher altitudes the sky cleared. It was supposed to be an uneventful flight all the way back home.

It wasn't. Shrieks from the front of the group sent dozens of fairies scattering. The glowing mass broke into individual points of light in the sky. Those in the back, including Periwinkle, Gliss and Spike, stopped in midflight to look around. They saw nothing.

"What's going on?" Peri asked.

"I don't know, but something has them spooked," Spike replied.

"Well I didn't see anything," Gliss added.

Everyone craned their necks looking for whatever it was that sent those in front into a panic. Moments later more screams and more fairies disbursed. Suddenly, everyone began to move away from the center, putting more open space between them. Spike then caught sight of the alarm. "Falcon!" she shouted. A peregrine falcon had begun diving on the group.

The peregrine falcon is a predatory bird found throughout the world from the Arctic Tundra to the tropical regions (only New Zealand is absent this avian). The peregrine is a bird eating raptor which is roughly the same size as a crow with a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache." This falcon is renowned for its speed during a hunting stoop or high speed dive. When descending on prey it can reach speeds of 242 miles per hour (389 km/hr) or faster. This makes the peregrine the fastest member of the animal kingdom and a most efficient predator. Even the fastest of the fairies, the fast flying guild, could not match this bird's incredible speed.

The only advantage the fairies had was their nimble agility in open space. Not relegated to simple forward motion, a fairy could move instantly in any direction to dodge the falcon's dive. As long as the peregrine could be spotted before it completed its hunting stoop the fairies had a chance.

Once the falcon was identified Snowflake barked the order for all winter fairies to dive back into the chimney smoke and seek shelter. Hundreds of shimmering streaks turned earthward and dove into the thick smoke belched by the chimneys. The Minister of Winter knew that if her fairies tried to fly back home the peregrine falcon would be relentless in its pursuit of a meal. It wouldn't stop until it had picked off one or more of her charges. Snowflake was many things, but she was not a pragmatist when it came to her fairies. She refused to sacrifice even one to allow the others safe passage home. They would wait it out here in the city until the falcon moved on to easier prey.

Spike, Periwinkle and Gliss raced down to near street level and looked for an appropriate hiding place. In the distance, more screams were heard. This sent shivers down Peri's spine. Each time she heard those screams it left her wondering if one of her winter fairy brothers or sisters would never make it back to the Winter Woods.

"Let's go!" Spike shouted. "Find an opening. Anyplace we can hide."

"Look out!"

The peregrine falcon was diving on them now. It sliced through the air as it descended upon them. Spike and Gliss made for a crack in the wooden window framing of a stone house. Periwinkle, who had never known such fear, was petrified. Peri's mind completely locked up as the falcon swooped down from above. Other fairies in its path shot out of the way, but the predator had one fairy in mind. It slashed through the air but found nothing. Spike and Gliss had yanked Periwinkle from certain death and shoved her through the crack they had found. On the other side of the window was an attic space. Above them, a thatched roof. Below them a house with a warm hearth, holiday decorations, a Christmas and recently unwrapped gifts in the parlor and bedroom.

It was quite the irony, an atmosphere of terror outside and merriment inside. "What do we do now?" Peri asked.

Spike responded with, "We wait. We wait and we hope that everyone got away."

"Well how long are we stuck here?"

The shrieks of frightened winter fairies pierced through the thatch roof once again.

"When the falcon says so."

Author's note: The information about the Peregrine Falcon comes from Wikipedia. The falcon's dive speed was actually recorded by National Geographic. It can in fact achieve 242 miles per hour during a hunting stoop. The Wikipedia entry has a link to an article on the Smithsonian Air and Space Magazine which describes the measurement and testing methodology.

There is a small shout out to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. (It's the "Fly casual" dialogue.)

Thank you for reading. Reviews and other feedback are always appreciated.