disclaimer: We do not own any of the OUAT characters. Just our added characters.
Extra info: This story has two writers. One of us writes Helena and the other writes Amy. You will notice a difference in how Helena's and Amy's perspectives are portrayed, we wrote them like we ourselves notice/see things. Fair warning: we are insane. Enjoy!
Amy and I are changing the publish date to Wednesdays
Amy had followed Rumple out to the carriage. He was stiff and clearly just following her orders; meanwhile, Amy knew if she wasn't the holder of the dagger at this moment, she could kiss any chance of getting home goodbye. Or at the very least getting home before the curse would become extremely difficult. Thank goodness, he's going to forget this in a few minutes. He apparated them to the Dark Castle once they were out of the gate and away from prying eyes.
"You do realize Rosa, that even after I take this potion, I will find the dagger missing again and again. You can't play this game forever." Rumple told her as the carriage pulled into the courtyard.
Amy rolled her eyes as she stared out the window waiting to come to a stop. I'm not going to play this forever, just long enough. Although… crap! There's going to be a gap in his memory… How in the world do I fix that? Stupid impulses. The carriage stopped, "Let's go."
They entered the dining hall. "Plan. Plan. Plan. Think. How to fill the gap?" Amy murmured to herself trying to trigger her brain to think under pressure. An idea formed in her head, 'No. That's a bad idea.' But it could work. 'Not if it requires you getting injured.' It would only be a cut. Amy could feel Helena glaring at her with a resounding 'No.' shone clear across her face. What other choice do I have? 'Plenty!' Any you, who is really me, can come up with? Amy again could feel Helena glaring at her as she made her way to her room and Rumple headed towards his study which had previously reminded Amy of Snape's potion classroom.
Amy summoned a knife, then paused. "Wait." She summoned or rather created a replica of Rumple's dagger, "Much better. Now, to injure myself…" Amy shut her eyes, clenched her jaw, and prepared herself… What are you doing?! Helena screamed, furious. Eyes tear-stained and worried. Where is your head?
Amy dropped the dagger and it clamored onto the ground. Her hand shook from the horror of what she was about to do, "What the hell! Idiot." Amy looked over at a very real Helena, "Helena, I-"
"What would possess you to do such a thing? Look, here's another option, Rumple has probably only started making the potion. You need him to wait on taking it long enough to get him back into the carriage and place it somewhere in the woods. Then, he can drink it with you in the carriage and you can fill him in when he wakes up if he mentions anything at all."
"Uh, huh." Amy replied weakly, summoning the real dagger, "Um… Dark One, I command thee to not take the potion immediately but take it and me to the carriage. Then place the carriage along our route home from the wedding, and then you will take the potion."
"Good." Helena said, then smacked Amy upside the head, which hurt, "Don't ever scare me like that again!" She disappeared.
Amy cried, huddled in her blankets until Rumple whisked her away to the carriage.
"Why are you crying, Dearie?" Rumple asked before transporting them to the wooded location.
"Trust me, you don't want to know," Amy said regretfully. At least I can play this off as anger about dancing with him all night.
Rumple transported them and took the potion. Amy played off her part well enough that he didn't question it. She immediately went to her room and went to sleep, praying that her stupidity and demons didn't follow her in her dreams.
To Amy's annoyance, Rumple did not leave her all morning. So, Amy had to be strategic in her research mostly to make sure she didn't look as if she were researching or just to keep her mind off of what happened the other day. She couldn't believe what possessed her to do what she did. At the time she couldn't see any other way out but now there could have been other ways. Ones that wouldn't have left her as scarred. Helena, why was I so stupid? 'I don't know, why were you?' I just… I guess I got caught up in the story but I'm not a character in a book with multiple lives. If I die here, would I make it home? This feels like a surreal dream, one I can control and where I can die because all I'll do is wake up right? 'Except that this isn't a dream Amy! When have your dreams lasted a month long?' I know Helena, I… I was such an idiot. Why put me on the task of finding this? There's no way I'll figure this out in time. You probably would have by now. 'Because you have access to books and the Dark One and specifically magical books that no other person has access to because they all go to him.'
Helena, I can't do this. I can't. If he figures this out. 'He won't.' He's Rumplestiltskin of course he'll find out! I can't keep a poker face. I'm not good at this stuff. That's you and Dylan, not me. I make things dramatic and try to keep things light and bubbly. 'So you're champagne?' Amy facepalmed at her imagined reaction of Helena.
Rumple raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Amy smiled at him awkwardly and then returned to the book in front of her. 'Hera. Poseidon. Hades.' Greek mythology? Why? Oh… Amy mentally facepalmed, Right fifth or sixth season, they introduced Hades. Great… this might be useful but I do not have the brain to read the Odyssey right now. Or really anything. "I'm going to go to my room for a bit. Let me know when you're ready for dinner."
"You can get your own dinner, Rosette."
"As you wish." Amy left, taking the book with her. She ran up the stairs to her room. She smiled and breathed deeply, It feels so good to run without worrying about my knee! Amy tried finding a positive thought, remembering her recurring knee injury that decided to resurface before she ended up in this world of fairy tales. Continuing her speed, Amy threw herself on her bed. Her head landed on the comforter near the pillows. Her tears were stubborn but, wanted to fall. She crawled up to her pillow, the suppressed anger filling her veins, she was in her room. She could react. She could let it out now, nowhere else, just in her room.
Amy screamed into her pillow, then punched and clutched at it until she threw it across the room. 'Told you, you were worthless.'
"Shut up! Go away!" Amy's eyes grew in horror, "No, no, no, not again! Stop! You are worth it." She told herself, "I am worth it to someone, just not him."
'Really? How many people have left you? Do you think you were worth it to them? How many people have used you? Leah. Audrey. Me. And did you think John wanted you? He left you for his sister.'
"Technically, we were never together and he was protecting me." Amy told her attacker.
'How about your newfound friends? You're just a burden to them. You entered their lives and created more drama. Do you think they want to be your friends?'
"Shut up, Benjamin! Go away!" Amy pulled at her hair, normally when her mind went here, which hadn't happened in a while, she'd immediately leave her room and find someone to prove to her and her doubt that she was worthy. That she belonged. She hated her thoughts. She hated that the dark place that she had fought so hard to escape had so easily returned. Her parents never knew. Her closest friends had no idea the extent it got to. It was a prison. A prison she had escaped. She had believed in herself again. She felt broken now.
'You were so desperate. You took me without a second thought. It was so easy.'
Some piece of her brain was still fighting, but she couldn't voice what was screaming at her. I didn't have any reason to say no. "I didn't have a reason…" She whispered trailing off. Some of her courage came back for a moment, she got off her bed to approach the attacker. "What was I supposed to do? You asked. I accepted. We made a mistake. Gosh! You aren't here and still, you have to throw it in my face." Amy paused, "Just a lot more bluntly."
Amy shook her head. This attacker was easier to blow off. "Nevermind. Just, leave me alone." She waved him off and grabbed her book.
'But is it not true? Come on, Amy.'
"Seriously, Dylan, just go away! This isn't you anyways! Just my horrid imagination deciding to change the form of the tactics. Please, just leave." Amy groaned in annoyance, "Okay, Greek mythology. Give me some insight please." Amy attempted to change her course of thought, except that it wasn't easy to go from emotion to something that needed her entire focus.
Amy sighed in partial defeat, "Helena? Elizabeth? Any of you want to appear and smack me out of this?" No answer. "Great. So… myths." She again returned to the book and went to mythical creatures to ease into it. "Ooh! Griffins! Wait. I still haven't seen Zach! Wow… worst pet parent ever." Amy got up and left to go to the courtyard and cellar where Zach was being kept.
She opened the cellar down and as soon as she entered was pounced on by the griffin, "Hi, Zach. How are you? I'm sorry, I left you for so long. It's been a long day… or night." She petted him. She summoned some steak and tossed it to him, then had to avoid his wing, as he flapped his wings in excitement. She summoned and filled a water basin for the griffin. He ate the steak happily and did circles around her afterward. She laughed and sat crisscrossed the floor, allowing Zach to come near her. Which he did but in a very playful manner, squawking at her to play with him as she would her dog. Thankfully, he was a baby griffin about the size of her small dog. So she rough-housed with him for a while until, finally, he was worn out.
Amy lay down exhausted on the ground sensing that Zach was now tired. The griffin came over and lay stretched out against her body. She finally had a sense of safety and belonging in her new circumstances. She limply petted his back and slowly fell asleep, "Goodnight, Zach."
As always, Hope you enjoyed it. Leave a comment. Thanks for reading!