Hey, Guys! we're so sorry for not posting last week. It was Christmas and we were both really busy. Please don't kill us...
Anyway, I have some interesting news for you guys. Now that Amy and I have a better feel for the characters and where the story is going we have been going back and editing our earlier chapters. Personally, I think they look and flow better now. So, If y'all want you can go and reread those earlier chapters.
Cookies or muffins? Cookies or Muffins? For once Helena actually felt like she did not need to keep such a close eye on Amy and she was taking that opportunity to bake. One of her favorite pastimes. Which left the very important question: Cookies or Muffins? Helena loved baking both and both had wonderful uses. Muffins could be had with tea and a book to make a lovely afternoon. Cookies were great for new memories. Plus they could be eaten with so many things. Unfortunately, given Amy's state, maybe a nice afternoon was not in the cards. Cookies it is then.
Helena had just finished gathering all the proper ingredients when Amy sluggishly made her way into the kitchen. "Good morning." Amy groaned which turned into a yawn mid-groan.
"Morning." Helena answered absently, "Your breakfast is on the counter."
"Uh-huh." Amy answered in acknowledgment, "I'm not hungry right now. Can I have some coffee first? Then I'll have breakfast." She sat on a chair near Helena's workspace and used her arm as a pillow.
"Amy, you know I don't approve of your coffee addic- Wait! You asked for coffee!" Helena said, turning around suddenly, for once showing excitement over something.
"Yes… and?" Amy popped her head up to look at her. Her hair was a tangled mess as she looked at Helena with a confused expression on her face.
Helena just smiled, "It's something you used to ask for a lot. You haven't since being here." She explained.
"Oh…" Amy let that comprehend itself to her tired brain, "Well, can I have some?"
"Oh… Well, um…no… They don't have coffee here. That's something from our world." Helena said, for once feeling bad about the lack of coffee in this world.
"No coffee…" Amy pouted mournfully, looking thoroughly disappointed at that fact.
Helena sighed, turning back around. "I'm sorry, but I'm making cookies if you want one of them when I'm done. You'll have to eat your breakfast first though."
"Okay…" Amy got up to get her plate and carried it into the dining room. Suddenly, Helena heard a clatter of a plate and an "Ow!" from Amy, "I'm fine. It's fine. Everything's fine! Just walked straight into the chair, it's fine."
Helena just laughed.
Helena glared out the window as the sunset. Her eyes were a mix between blue and gold. It was not that she had anything against the scene before her. The view from the Dark Palace was all soaring mountains and trees that went on for miles. No, she certainly was not upset with the beautiful scenery. She was frustrated with herself for wanting to explore. More specifically, The wolf, or more accurately the remnants of Rieka's consciousness, inside her head desperately wanted to run and hunt. Sure, with Amy thinking of her wolf form as a pet dog she had plenty of opportunities to let her wolf out, but with Amy around, she had to be extremely careful. Calm. Tame. Her wolf hated that word. Tame. She was not a tame beast. She wanted to run, hunt, and kill. She wanted the taste of fresh meat.
Helena shook her head. Mentally telling her wolf, and Rieka, to shut up. But it was harder to deny them when she too wanted to move. She needed to move. Helena had never been good at staying still and it seemed that three months locked up here keeping an eye on Amy was getting on her nerves. That and constantly feeling like
Maybe…
Maybe she did not have to stay cooped up here. Amy had been doing much better these last few weeks. She had started recreating many of her old habits. Yelling or saying "I'm fine" when she hurt herself was a good improvement. Hopefully, that meant Amy would be fine alone if Helena took the day to herself. As much as she wanted to say it would be easier, and safer in Amy's case, to just stay in the castle with Amy, Helena knew many other people would disagree. Emma always told her she needed to take care of herself and Dylan also would be upset with her for letting Amy take up so much of her time. To be fair, Amy had needed her and she was happy to take care of her while Amy could not herself, but now Helena needed a little time and space.
Her mind made up, Helena went to go inform Amy she, and Sirius were leaving for the day. The fact that Amy called her wolf form 'Sirius' still got on her nerves, but it was not to be helped. Amy could not know, for now at least, that Helena was both the wolf and herself. Given all the mixed-up memories Amy was fighting in her head, that knowledge would not help her.
Unsurprisingly, Amy was in the library. It seemed to be the only place either of them where. Though, Helena was often in the kitchen. At least she was after realizing the kitchen cupboards had magic of some sort and provided any ingredient she wanted.
Amy was in the middle of trying to balance at least seven books in her arms without tripping over her dress and killing herself. Helena could see Amy had already collected many more books into a pile around her couch. Helena glanced over to her own collection of books and papers scattered around the chair and table at the other end of the small sitting area. Amy had not disturbed any of her things. Good.
"What are you doing?" Helena asked as she moved to save Amy from her unstable stack of books.
"Researching!" Amy dropped the books on the couch and clapped three times in excitement, "I have most of the book series plotted out, but I have no sticky notes! Why, world, did you have to be medieval?" Amy rifled through the mess of notes on the couch, "Where is it? Ah hah! Found it!" She pulled out a quill. "Yay!" She went to the table and began frantically writing down a bunch of words in cursive that Helena would never be able to read.
"Well, glad to see you're being so… you," Helena said, a bit of a chuckle in her voice. She watched Amy for a moment before remembering why she had come in here in the first place. "Hey, um…" Helena cleared her throat. "Amy? Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Uh-huh." Amy vocalized absently as she continued her work.
Helena sighed. She's not even listening. "I'm going to go ride a pink elephant."
"Ok, see you later! Meanwhile, I need to figure out what the heck Jonathon is doing in this counsel!" Amy yelled in frustration at her paper.
Helena could not keep the smile off her face. Walking over to her own stack of papers Helena quickly wrote a note explaining what she was actually doing and dropped it close to where Amy was working. Hopefully, she would see it before she freaked out wondering where Helena had gotten to.
With that done Helena simply left. There was nothing to pack and no one else to inform of her absence. She was free to let her wolf and Rieka run.
Asleep on the couch, right where Helena had left her. Did Helena expect any different? There was a small amount of hope she would go to bed. Helena did not know how one could scoff both at themselves and in their own head, but she pulled it off. Or more accurately, Rieka scoffed at her in her head. She would have continued her mental argument if it were not for the morning sun that decided to shine through the window at just the right angle to wake the sleeping –well, no, not princess… what was she? Who cares? Helena does clearly. Well, can you think about it later? Helena sighed– girl. Said sleeping girl let out a noise somewhere between a shriek and a groan, "No… sleep. I like sleep." Amy rolled over so she was facing the cushion and pulled the blanket, she had found somewhere, over her head successfully blocking out the light hitting her.
Helena laughed. "Oh no, you don't! It's time to wake up. You made the poor decision to stay up and I'm not letting you sleep it off." As she spoke she moved forward to pull the blanket back off of Amy's head. Amy whined, trying to grab it back, but Helena kept it out of her reach and successfully stole her pillow as well.
"You were out all night! Not my fault. I have nothing to do. I can sleep." Amy stomped her foot then turned and walked zombie-like to her room.
Helena shook her head. She may be the parent in this dynamic, but for now, she had no actual authority to parent Amy. However, Helena did have the power to be petty and keep Amy from being able to sleep. Every single person in her head agreed that this would be a very fun day.
Amy rolled over in her bed, finally getting the sleep she needed. Although still thoroughly upset with Helena, she sat up in her bed and groaned. "Seriously, I'm not a child!" She flung herself back down on the bed in dramatic fashion. But, you are. "Shut up, Helena." She saw Helena in her inner mind with her hands up in false defensive mode, I'm just saying. "I know… you're right. I don't like it though. I'm nineteen… and fourteen. Help. I just… I can't keep fighting her. The story it's all I've got left… and possibly Helena. I need to stay strong, but I'm in her world." Amy sighed in contemplation, "Helena?" I need a hug.
Amy got up, wrapped a blanket around her for comfort, and left her room to go find Helena. "Where is she? Kitchen probably." She mumbled to herself then called out for her, "Helena?!" Amy went into the kitchen and found a sullen Helena who was making chocolate chip cookies. Oh.. crap she's not happy… should I just turn around? Amy started to backtrack out of the room.
"You might as well come all the way in. Cookies are better fresh you know."
Amy timidly went for a cookie and sat down, "Thank you." Haha! I haven't even had breakfast yet! She started munching on her cookie, finishing it quickly before her mothering friend noticed.
Helena watched as her friend wolfed down the cookie like she had gotten away with something. Rolling her eyes Helena simply returned to her task. Having been unable to effectively keep Amy from sleeping, due mostly to Amy's pet griffin, Helena had simply settled for, once again, baking. After being forced to play with the griffin for an hour or so, of course. The large creature had way too much energy.
"Where's Papa?" Amy asked then looked at Helena in horror of what she just said and started mumbling frantically to herself or Helena, she couldn't tell, "Stop! No. Heck no. I did not just. Ignore her. What time is it?"
Ignore her? That's not good. "An hour or so after lunch." Helena supplied, unsure whether she should answer the other question posed or not.
"Ok…" Amy breathed deeply, fear showed in her eyes, she shook her head, "You're fine. Suck it up." Amy got down from her chair and turned toward the exit, hesitating, "Helena?" She turned around sheepishly, "Can… can I have a hug?"
Helena was already turning around when Amy finished her question so she saw the fear and hesitance on her friends face. Helena winced, she should have been paying closer attention.
"Come here," was all she said as she opened her arms. Amy practically ran into her embrace, breaking down in sobs. She was clinging to Helena, her body convulsed, then she caught herself and attempted to breathe normally, "Helena… I'm tired, I can't keep fighting her."
Helena, used to being a more passive participant in… situations like these, knew that would not work this time. Though Helena herself had never felt like this she knew from others it helped to have something, or more specifically, someone holding on to you. So, Helena simply wrapped her arms tight around Amy and held her.
"Helena?" Amy pulled out of the hug, "How do you do it?" She paused, forming her clarification question, "Have both you and Rieka in your head? Or do you?"
Helena hummed, taking a moment to think through her answer. "I think it's different for you. Yes, I have Rieka in my head, but It's usually easy to tell which thoughts are hers and which are mine."
"I know which thoughts are hers and which are mine. I don't think that's the problem. It's that we both want dominance… I guess… It's like we're continually fighting for the spotlight. Oh! Have you seen Split?"
Helena fought to keep a smile off her face. "No, I can't say I have. Care to explain?"
"Well… the guy in it has multiple personality disorder and there's like fifteen of them. But they explain it as a council of personalities in his head and at the center of the council is the chair or spotlight. Where the personality shows in the actual person. So right now, it's like that, I have the chair, but Rosette is trying to continually push me off. She wants control. I mean… I don't blame her but, I keep having to mentally fight her off and it's exhausting. Which is why I was up at o'dark thirty working on my story because that is clearly only an Amy thing not a Rosette thing. It keeps her at bay. You really don't have this struggle with Reika?"
"Um… no. to use your analogy, It's more like I'm in the chair and she's standing to the side questioning all my decisions. But she's not actively trying to make me do something else. Like, she doesn't understand why we're here, but she's not trying to make us leave. Does that make sense?"
"Yes, it does and is definitely a 'you' response." Amy sighed, "Which also makes sense why Rosette's fighting so hard because, hehe, that would also be my response. Except when he's around, apparently. Really? Ok fine. Whatever." Amy looked at Helena oddly, "So, Rosette would like to talk with you. We are coming to a compromise. Hallelujah!"
"Okay…" Helena waited patiently for this weird sci-fi dilemma.
"Hi, Helena, I-I just wanted to thank you and really, officially meet you. I've never had this kind of friendship or mother before, I mean since Mom left, but even if it's through Amy. Although she doesn't enjoy the parenting, I certainly do. I just… maybe once you two figure all this out I could talk with you sometime as me and not Amy." Rosette asked her.
At this Helena did actually smile. "It's nice to meet you too," She said with a nod. "It's nice to know someone appreciates my attempts to keep the two of you alive. As for talking, I'd be happy to talk any time, but I'd appreciate it if you and Amy could work out a way to share. It's a little disorienting when you switch without telling me."
"She did tell you." Rosette looked at her matter-a-factly, then hugged her quickly, "We'll figure it out. I really liked meeting you, Amy has no idea how great you are. I'd be honored to have a mother like you." There was an evident change of emotions on the girl's face alerting Helena that they had switched, "Ok, one we switched so that you know and two, I do know how great you are, I'm just nineteen and don't need a mother all the time! Thank you!"
Helena's smile turned into a grin, "So, should I just stand here and say 'Well, perhaps we can just be friends' like Maria did in The Sound Of Music?"
"Yes, please. I don't mind the normal parenting that we generally have in our friendship, but you've taken it to an entirely new level because I'm physically in a fourteen-year-old's body… and granted I was insane. But, still. Can we try to keep ourselves as friends behind closed doors? Although, probably, depending on what life looks like in Storybrooke that might have to change because of prying eyes, but otherwise. I need to have some space to be the adult I mentally am."
Helena had been standing with her arms crossed and her right eyebrow raised for more than half of Amy's rant. "Did you even breathe through all of that?" She asked with a chuckle. "Nevermind, it doesn't matter. When I got here you were in no condition to take care of yourself and in fact, had almost killed yourself. I had every right to turn on the 'mom mode' but I am sorry I've kept it on as much as I have. You are clearly much better now. We can go back to the way we had it before we came here."
"Thank you. And I get it I was a wreck… one other question…" Amy looked at her hopeful, but with some thought that she wouldn't get it. However, she apparently was waiting for a cue to speak.
Helena simply raised her eyebrow again, "Yeah?"
Amy raised her forearm showing the cuff, "Can you take this off us now, so we can poof some apology cookies to Thomas?"
"Thomas?" Helena asked.
"Cinderella's prince charming." Amy clued her in.
"Yes, I recall who he is, isn't he missing though?"
"Yes, for everyone else, but he was brought here by P- Rumple's dark magic… Helena help me. Anyhow, the sacrifice was him, but Rumple didn't kill him. He just wants her baby." Amy explained, having clearly thought through the dynamics of this world.
"Oh… He's been down there the whole time?" At Amy's nod, Helena continued, "Well, I don't know about taking the cuff off yet, I'll think about that one, but we should definitely go down there and explain to him what's going on."
"Fine… we can do it that way. And how are you planning to explain this to him?" Amy asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I don't know, but we can't just leave him down there."
"You know he's been down there for the past…" Amy counted the time that had passed, "If I ignore my messed up memories, four-ish months, at least. That's when I met him. Don't know how long he's been down there before then." Amy came to the conclusion, "Yes, four months, sounds right… oh gosh… Helena, did I really marry…? Let me die now."
"My brother? Yes, and had almost three kids with him. Also, sorry, but no. No dying. Your pain is way too enjoyable." Helen said with an evil grin.
Amy groaned in embarrassment, sending her friend a glare and rolling her eyes, "Yeah, thanks for that. By the way, it was four not three, I was pregnant with twins, anyways… so… Thomas. Let's just go down there. Don't give me that look." Amy walked away mumbling under her breath, "I'm definitely going to die if that ever comes to be."
Helena just laughed as Amy walked away.
Well, There you go! we are so close to the first curse! Let us know what you guys think!