7x01

The Queen's apprentice

Part 2

"I already said, get away from me," the young girl said. She glared at the new intruders, her hands still outstretched.

"Let us try and help you," Regina said, cautiously approaching her. The girl prepared to fire again, so Regina quickly knocked her back.

"We're not trying to hurt you. In fact, I think I can help you." The girl sat up, still suspicious.

"I've heard people say that before. And it never worked out." Regina exchanged another glance with Zelena.

"You don't really have a choice here," Zelena explained. "It's either come with us, or wait to get killed by someone else." Her green gaze matched the girl's black one. Finally, the girl resigned, putting down her hands.

"What do want from me?" she asked. Zelena blew out a breath, stepping back towards Regina.

"Nothing," Henry said, sincerely.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"My name's Henry. Do I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" He looked at her, nothing suspicious in his honest gaze. She decided to risk it.

"Rachel," she mumbled. Henry was about to answer, when a puff of purple smoke cut him off. Gold and Belle suddenly appeared, right behind Regina. The young savior flinched, instantly withdrawing.

"No wait," Henry said, holding out his hand.

"Gold," Regina hissed, glaring at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Gideon told us what had happened. We came to find out more," Belle explained. Her eyes were still sad, but she knew Gideon would be doing what he wanted. She looked at the young girl, standing at the edge of the forest.

"Who's that?" she asked, gently looking at Rachel.

"She's the new savior," Henry said.

"New savior?" Belle asked, in disbelief. She looked at Rachel, curiosity in her eyes.

"When Emma defeated the black fairy, her magic was destroyed." Belle raised her eyebrows.

"And, now, we have a new savior?"

"I'm right here," Rachel said.

"Right," Regina said. "Well, we should probably get you into town. And then we can talk after you've rested." Rachel nodded slightly, willingly to go along.

"I can take her," Zelena offered, looking at the young savior.

"Or us," Gold said, also looking at Rachel.

"Or Henry and I," Regina put in, looking at everyone else. It was almost like a competition, for some weird reason.

"So, who do you want to go home with?" Henry asked, secretly hoping she would pick Regina.

"I...I don't really care."

"Okay, how about I take her, for a couple of hours. Once she's good to go, I'll take her to Granny's okay?" Regina asked. Zelena and the Golds both nodded, slightly reluctantly.

"Rachel, come with me," Regina said, leading her to the car. Rachel followed hesitantly.

"Did you notice that?" Belle asked, once they were both in the car. Rumple nodded, slightly grinning.

"It was like parent wars back there," he commented. "And you seemed like you wanted to fight as well."

"Did not," Belle shot back. "It's just… I don't know. She seems special." Rumple smiled slightly, but he knew that his wife was right. There was something special about the girl. And not just that she was a savior.

Emma woke slowly, on her couch. Hook was right beside her, softly stroking her hair.

"Killian," Emma murmured. Hook looked down, relief filling his gaze.

"You're okay." He gently kissed her on the forehead, holding her even tighter. She smiled, but knew that something was wrong.

"Hook, what happened?" She remembered defeating the black fairy, then meeting up with Regina and Zelena, then everything just went black. And, wait, she wasn't the savior anymore.

"I don't know. You just passed out. I took you back home, Regina and Zelena stayed at the town line." Emma shook her head, trying to clear it. One look at Hook, and she could tell he had more to say.

"What is it?" she asked, worried. Hook swallowed, uneasily.

"David called. He wants us to meet at Granny's in a few hours. Once you're stronger. He said they found a potential savior."

Henry looked out the window, itching to talk to Rachel. She seemed fascinating. Currently, she was sitting next to him, a look of wonder in her eyes. But he was still cautious about talking.

"Okay, we're here," Regina said, after what seemed like hours. Henry hopped out of the car, before opening the door for Rachel. She climbed out, somewhat clumsily. She followed Henry down the pathway, stopping to admire the apple tree.

"This way," Henry said, motioning up the stairs. Rachel followed, wondering what exactly was going to happen.

"So, am I going to be staying here?" she asked, looking around. Henry led her to a guest room, waiting at the doorway. She entered, before turning to face him.

"I don't bite," she said, raising her eyebrow.

"Right," Henry said, walking into the room. They both sat on the bed, waiting in awkward silence.

"So, how old are you?" she asked. He looked at her, smiling slightly.

"15. How about you?"

"14," she answered. "But I think I'll be 15 in a few months."

"You think?" Henry asked. Rachel looked away, clearly not ready to share her past yet. Henry completely understood. But he would get through to her. Sooner or later.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Rachel asked, pointing to a small picture on his desk. Henry glanced over, seeing the picture of Violet on his desk.

"Not really," he muttered, bitterly. Rachel raised an eyebrow, looking at him curiously.

"What do you mean by not really?" Rachel asked. Henry, unlike her was more trusting. Something about her made him trust her.

"We grew apart. And then her father wanted to go back to Camelot. She chose to go with him." He turned away, a slight sadness clouding his eyes. Rachel could pretty easily tell what he was feeling. She'd always been able to tell how someone really felt about something. She knew that Henry didn't really care for Violet anymore. She knew his hurt just came from the betrayal he felt, at Violet passing him up.

Henry was ready to put the past behind him, so he stood up preparing to leave.

"You should get used to things. In a few hours, we'll take you to meet everyone else." She nodded, knowing there was no other choice. As he turned to leave, Henry suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, and welcome to Storybrooke."

Rachel's backstory will come eventually. Don't worry, everything will be explained in due time. Also, tell me what you want more of. Pus, I'm sure you can guess why I sent Violet away.

Next time… Rachel meets the family of Storybrooke, and tries to find her place. Emma struggles with her own twist of fate.

You guys are amazing. R&R

NightLightning21