Deceitful Hearts - Part 2

Mulan sat down at the table, Gothel sitting across from her.

"Did they buy it?" Gothel asked, raising an eyebrow. Mulan swallowed and stared into the witch's steady gaze. It was unflinching.

"Yes," she forced out, feeling a squeeze in her chest. Gothel smiled, and revealed her heart, clutched in her right hand.

"Don't try to fight it, dear. It simply won't work. No one and I mean no one can stop the influence of the heart." Mulan didn't reply. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing her defeated like this.

"Now, everything is coming into order. Once you kill the savior, I will finally have the key to destroying light magic. Once and for all." A look at Mulan revealed a stoic face.

"Now go onlittle warrior. Go and kill me a savior."

They were in Granny's when it all happened. The Charmings were just having a cup of coffee when the sky seemed to darken rather quickly. Like a storm that was approaching a little too fast.

"David," Mary Margaret said, looking out the window. David looked up from his pancakes and saw what his wife was looking at. A large gathering of clouds was stopping right in front of Granny's.

David could actually feel the tension in the air. Ruby came out of the kitchen and quickly noticed what was going on as well.

"What.. is that?" she asked, looking at what was seemingly forming a tornado. The clouds curved around each other, twisting until they formed a funnel shape. The sky seemed to darken around the funnel as if the energy in the sky was getting sucked in.

The world suddenly seemed to electrify, as the funnel cloud slammed down just outside Granny's diner. Lightning clawed at the sky and David was almost blinded for a minute.

"Get out!" Mary Margaret yelled, pushing the diner door open. The few customers ran out behind her.

By the time she was outside, it was like nothing had happened. The sky was blue again, with just a few white puffs floating around. Yeah, everything was normal. Well, everything but the smoking hole in the ground. It was maybe half a foot deep, with dust still rising from it.

Yet it was still obvious what or rather who was there.

"Henry!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, pulling the boy out from the smoke and haze. Henry stumbled out, a cut on his cheek and fairly dazed.

Rachel came next, nursing a swollen arm, with cuts around her shoulder. Apparently falling directly onto pavement wasn't good for the body. Ivy was the best out of them, with just a bruised eye.

Rumple and Belle came out together, with Emma following last.

"Hey guys," Emma said, stumbling to her feet. She flinched as she put weight on her now injured ankle.

"You're… here," Mary Margaret said, enveloping her daughter in a hug. Ruby meanwhile began to shepherd the rest of them into the diner. The three kids stumbled together, with Rumple and Belle trailing behind. Emma stayed behind for a moment to talk to Mary Margaret.

"What happened to you guys?" Ruby asked, sitting them all down at a booth. It was Ivy who answered.

"Well you know, portal travel is fairly rough on the skin. You know, takes the moisture out of your skin and stuff." She relaxed into her seat, gingerly touching her bruised eye.

Ruby scurried off to get some ice for that injury, giving the weary travelers a rest. David and Emma were talking outside, probably calling the other people. These next few hours were not gonna be fun.

"When did you guys get back?" Mulan asked as she entered the Charming loft. She was the last one to arrive, with everyone else already seated. She took a spot next to Rachel and Henry and waited for someone to explain.

"We got back an hour ago," Rachel told her. Mulan nodded.

"Okay, now that we have everyone here, we can start planning," Regina said, standing up.

"Now, first the reason why we brought you back. We used the Apprentice's wand to bring you back. Because we no longer need Rapunzel to help us. Mulan found an old script. A spell really. One that Belle knows how to translate. Now, it says that with the combined force of two saviors, any evil can be truly destroyed." She nodded at both Emma and Rachel.

"This is our chance to defeat Gothel once and for all. Now, according to the script, the only thing we need that we don't have is the Author's quill. But, we're already working on trying to fix it."

Everyone in the room felt a stab of hope. Even if the odds weren't exactly in their favor, they had a chance. And when people from Storybrooke had a chance of winning, they usually did. Everyone was talking excitedly except Mulan. The warrior sat, stone-faced, in her spot. She had a look on her face that looked very much like misery.

"I've… I've got to go," she finally said, getting up and exiting the diner without another word. Everyone stopped talked when they heard the door closing. Rachel and Henry exchanged glances, both with confused looks on their faces.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, still looking out the door. Rachel just shrugged. But after a minute, she realized she should probably go after her.

"I'll just… be right back."

Rachel searched for a good five minutes before she found Mulan. Her mother was sitting on a park bench, clearly distraught. She was also deep in thought, as Rachel was actually able to approach her before Mulan noticed.

"Mulan?" she asked, coming up to face the warrior. Mulan looked up and saw who was talking.

"Rachel?" she asked. Confusion and a hint of panic flashed in her features before she blinked and it was gone.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked, tipping her head. Mulan didn't answer for several seconds.

"Nothing. I'm fine," she said, then grimace slightly. This didn't go unnoticed by Rachel of course.

"You're not though," she said, looking her mother directly in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," Mulan said. "I'm so sorry." Before Rachel could respond, Mulan had flicked forward her hand, and suddenly held her beating heart in her hand.

"I'm sorry."

Just a few more chapters. Maybe two more.

Next time… The heroes of Storybrooke are faced with an impossible decision that could change their town forever.

R&R

NightLightning21