Monteriggioni
29 Years Ago
Monteriggioni was peaceful this time of year. As the leaves in the forest the surrounded the town started to change into Autumn and the day's got shorter it would remind the caretaker of the city of her younger days as she watched the day go by from the study located at the front of the Villa that overshadowed the prospering city. Vendor's sold their wares on the stretch up to the villa. From Blacksmiths to tailors trying to gain passer-by's attention by showing off the weapons and cloth they had for sale.
Behind her daughter Maria was stuck behind the desk her head deep in the cities accounts the city's guardian had left her in charge of the last time she was there. Amelia would be somewhere with the Evil Queen, putting the final preparation for whatever they had planned to finally defeat Snow White and her Prince Charming.
With her own vengeance over as her former brother's portraits all now sported a red painted 'X' across their likeness, she seemed at a loss at what to do next. The caretaker had suggested going back to the handsome thief that had stolen her heart a few years ago to ask his forgiveness, but she was too far gone. No, the woman who now possessed her heart was the one that made it dark in the first place. She held little hope of Amelia to do the right thing when it came to it.
"Are you nearly done Maria?" Paola asks her daughter as she walks behind her to look over the accounts.
"Yes Mama" the young woman says allowing her mother to look over her work.
"Good. Amelia will be pleased" Maria heard the sadness that came from her mothers voice. Amelia was like a daughter to her.
"You miss her, don't you?"
"I do. But I cannot control her anymore than you can, she-" the older woman is interrupted when she suddenly feels the ground underneath her feet starting the shake as the tremors got worse as the second as she found herself holding onto the table and chair as the room continued to shake.
"Mama! What is that?!"
Rushing to the window with her daughter they both saw something coming straight for the city. A giant purple cloud rained over the land in the distance outside the city, and it wasn't stopping. The screams from the street could be heard as people ran for cover. Panic stricken citizen's ran into the arms of their loved ones as children cried out for their mother's.
"mio dio" the older woman gasped in fear (My god). As quickly as she could the ground continued to shake violently as they heard from inside the Villa crashing down from there places.
Steeping out of the Villa the whole city shook as the purple cloud got nearer, she could see flashes of lightening from inside the cloud. She had never seen magic like this in all her life. Whatever it was. It was pure evil.
"Mama" Maira called out to her mother from next to her. Quickly she grabbed her daughter winding her arms around her shaking body as the cloud had finally reached the city.
"Shh, we'll be alright. I am here" she cooed in her daughters ear as the cloud hit the shield that protected the city from magic for centuries making the city shake even harder than before. Hard enough for the pair to lose their footing and end up on the ground holding onto each other for dear life.
Paola watched as the curse above that continued it's rampage up and over the done shaped shield until the whole city was plunged into darkness. The shield was holding up as the screams and cries only got louder.
As quickly as the quakes had started, they had stopped as sunlight once again poured into the city. The pair shakily stood up from the ground to see their home still intact. The shield had worked, as wispy purple clouds disappeared.
Taking, one, two, three steps she saw the damage the earthquakes had left behind. Corner's of building were missing as people rallied to help those who were hurt.
"Usignolo. What have you done?"
28 Years Later
The walls that surrounded the city hadn't changed as she and Tom got closer to the majestic turrets that overshadowed the centuries old city as it's flags rippled through the wind and mercenaries walked along the ramparts. The smell of the farmland that surrounded the city hadn't changed as wafts of fresh sea air came off the ocean miles behind the city.
"What is this place?" the former lost boy asked her.
"Home"
The Charming's, Hook and Regina stood in the loft's kitchen after discovering that it was the Wicked Witch that had brought them back to Storybrooke. Not only were they dealing with an unknown enemy in the Wicked Witch of the West but they were one member down as the absence of the reliable assassin was being felt as Regina stood alone against them.
Not only was the assassin's presence missing but the experience that went with it too. From what Hook and David had told them the previous night, the assassin was missing about fifteen years of her life. From the night she lost her husband and son on the Godspeed to when she woke up in Storybrooke the second time and everything in between.
Two of the most important people in her life didn't know who she was. Her former partner in all things in the Enchanted Forest and her son.
"So now that we know who we're dealing with, how do we find this wicked witch?" David started the off from next to his wife in the loft. The group of hero's and villains were meeting at the royal couple's apartment.
"Might I suggest we start by asking if anyone's seen a woman with green skin running around?" Hook spoke up.
"We're cursed in Storybrooke" Regina told the pirate "She'll look like any one of us"
"Then we start somewhere we know she's been... Regina's office" Emma suggested.
"I went over it with a fine-toothed comb" Regina told the blonde "She left no trace"
"But you were combing for magic. Maybe there's physical evidence that you missed" Emma told the group.
"Good idea. We'll track her" David said.
"What about Amelia?" Mary Margaret spoke up "Why would the Wicked Witch go to the trouble of taking a decades worth of memories?"
"Maybe she knew who the Wicked Witch was" Emma suggested to the group "Makes sense. She wouldn't want anyone to know what she looked like" Emma said aloud she looked to Regina "She ever mention a green woman before?"
"No" Regina answered gently shaking her head "She kept mostly to herself for the first few years of our partnership, she may have met her then and just thought she wasn't worth mentioning anything about it"
"Maybe if we took her around town, it might help bring back some of her memories" Mary Margaret suggested.
"A trip round memory lane won't work. This witch knew what she's was doing otherwise it would be much worse" Regina tells the younger woman "If you want to waste your time playing Nancy Drew, be my guest. But we can't let Henry wander around alone with that witch and her flying monkeys out there"
"Well, especially since one of those flying monkeys could turn out to be his father" Hook added.
"Still no sign of Neal?" Mary Margaret asked her daughter.
"No" Emma softly answered her.
"Point being, someone needs to protect Henry" Regina pointed out "He doesn't even know what's going on"
"I'm guessing you're volunteering?" Emma asked the mayor.
"If you find anything, call me" Regina stood up ready to leave the Charming family.
"Just remember, he thinks we're here because I'm on a case" Emma reminded the mayor.
"Well, look who's gotten good at lying"
"And just don't let anyone slip up. As.. As far as Henry knows, you're just Madam Mayor, and that's it"
"I'm well aware of how Henry sees me" she snapped at the blonde before storming out of the apartment.
Monteriggioni
One Year Ago
Her old home was a little rough around the edges as she and Tom took their time slowly walking up the main street up to the villa. Chunks of brick work had fallen from the edges of roofs as they walked past citizens of the magic free sanctuary. She and Tom both received looks from curious passerby's as they saw the gauntlets on her forearms.
She was glad she had opted for her everyday clothes to re-enter her old home now. Quiet murmurs reverberated through the street as they started to stop and look at the two newcomer's.
"Amelia" Tom cautioned to Romeo's daughter "Everyone's staring"
"Keep walking, eye's straight, stay calm" she tells him as they continued to walk closer to the fountain
"Assassin!" the voice made the pair stop mid-step the residents and vendors came to standstill around them as she they looked straight at her and Tom "You have a lot of nerve coming back after all this time" the voice continued as she slowly turned around to face the source of the voice to see a tall young man stood about a hundred feet away
"It is you" he breathed out as he quickly closed the distance as the crowd went back to what they were doing "Amelia, you have returned at last" at that he suddenly engulfed the redhead in a bone crushing hug that seemed to take her and the former lost boy by surprise
"I'm sorry, who are you?" the words took the man aback as he let her go only to keep his hands on her shoulders as he towered over her
"You really don't remember me?" the redhead could only shake her head at him in 'no'
"It's me. Aaron"
"Aaron"
Storybrooke
Present
He needed answers and there was only one person in the entire town that would give them to him. Neither Robin or any of the Merry Men were saying anything about the redhead memory. She didn't even remember him.
It was like a punch to the gut when she looked straight through him. In the short time they had together she was nice to him helping him adapt to the new world he found himself in. She looked at him the same way Romeo looked at him.
Tom searched high and low for the former Evil Queen, her home, the office only to find David and Emma there. His relief in his search for her came when he stopped her coming out of a building store with Henry.
The teen followed the pair into the park, keeping his head down and hands stuffed in his pockets, he switched on his vision the world going dark around him as he focused his hearing on the pair in front of him as the world around him returned back to normal.
"The ice cream good?" she asks Henry as they walked along the path. He had grown taller since the last time she had seen him at the town line.
"Delicious. My mom used to take me for gelato in Little Italy. But this is just as good" he tells the mayor.
"Well, Storybrooke's got its own charms, though I know it must seem quaint compared to the big city"she replies putting on a friendly smile as they veered onto the grass. The teen continued down the path until he came to stop in front of an empty bench taking a seat so that the Queen could clearly see him over Henry's shoulder continuing to listen.
"It's nice, actually. New York's great, but there's so many people, it can make you feel..." he trailed off only for the Mayor to finish for him.
"Alone?" she offered.
"Yeah"
"Mm. Yeah. That's the best part of a small town. Everybody knows everybody. It's like... It's like a big family" she tells him as the pair come to a stop near to the edge of the lake.
"Can I tell you something?" he suddenly asks the Mayor
"Sure"
"I don't think it was just the case that brought my mom to Storybrooke"
"Uh, what do you mean?" the mayor nervously asked him
"I think she wanted to get out of New York for a while"
"W... Why do you think that?"
"My mom's boyfriend... His name was Walsh. He proposed to her"
"Oh" Regina blinked in surprise
"And two days later, she's taking me out of school for some job in Maine. She wouldn't take a job in Queens if it meant I'd miss school"
"What do you think happened?"
"I don't know. But I doubt we'd be here if she said yes"
"And how do you feel about it? Did you like him, this... Walsh?
"I liked how happy he made her. Plus, it might be nice having more than two place settings during the holidays"
"I think one day, you'll have more family than you'll know what to do with.
"You think so?"
"I really do" the former Queen tells him with a smile. The moment quickly ended between the pair as she looks up to see Tom in the distance looking straight back at her making the smile from her face fall from her face
"W-Who's that?" Henry asks her seeing the older boy looking straight at them. She knew that look. It was the same look Amelia used to give her when she needed to speak to her about something. Somehow over the past year her apprentice had learnt some of her own mannerisms.
"Would you excuse me for a moment?"
"Uh yeah sure"
"I'll be right back, stay here" with a nod from the twelve ear old the former Queen leaves him to approach the former Lost Boy remembering to keep her temper in check for the impeding conversation
Storybrooke
Present
Amelia Montague was not one to sit a wait for this people to find out what had happened to her memories. So instead of staying with Robin and the Merry Men and the constant reminder that she was missing the last 15 years of her life. Instead she was going to find the person or persons that had taken them from her and politely ask them to return them to her in exchange for not killing them.
Her search started early that morning leaving the camp she trekked the snow-covered forest until she came upon fer first clue. It was a magic signature coming from a farmhouse that sat isolated on a hill away from the main part of the small town called Storybrooke. She'd always been sensitive to magic in her younger day's and it seems to have not changed since as she neared the isolated building. It was darker magic surrounded the house with something else that didn't quite mix
With a dagger firmly in her hand the redhead slowly crept up the steps that led up to the front of the house, instead of going for the door she peered into the widows for any evidence of the person being home, one sweep her vision told her it was empty. Going back to the door she knelt ready to pick the lock on the door only for couple of voices to stop her.
Swearing to herself she quickly dived behind the barrier out of sight of the 'savior' and Captain Hook.
As the pair got nearer, she silently crept round until she quickly rounded a corner as she stood up to press her back against the wooden exterior of the building as she heard footsteps climbing up the steps
"There's definitely someone living here" Emma whispered to the Captain as she peered into one of the windows "Looks empty right now, though"
"Why are we whispering?" he asked her
"Because good hideouts always look empty. Trust me. I spent a lot of time tracking down people who don't want to be found. I know about hiding out"
Hook went to follow the blonde only for his boot to kick something across the wooden porch making him look down to see a small knife on the ground. Bending his knees, he picked up the small knife that look out of place on the porch of the farmhouse.
"Swan" he caught Emma's attention quietly making the blonde look back to see him crouched on the floor holding up the small item in his one hand
"We're not alone" she stated as Hook stood up slowly. Unsheathing his sword from his belt he silently told the blonde to stand back as he quietly approached the corner keeping close to the wall until he jumps out sword first to meet the redhead who had been been on the family's minds the last few days stood there with a toothy smile on her face.
"Hey sailor" Amelia greeted the pirate as he held the tip of his sword to her neck as Emma quickly rounded the corner to see Amelia there
"Lia!" Emma exclaimed in surprise seeing the redhead around the corner. Rolling his eyes Hook sheathed his sword away "What are you doing here?" she breathed out as she willed her heart to slow down
"Someone has my memories" she tells the blonde she met yesterday "I want them back"
"What would've you done if the Wicked Witch was here?" Hook asked her to point at the dagger in her hand "Stab her?"
"The Wicked Witch" the redhead stated to the pair hearing the new piece of information "Is that who took my memories?"
"Yes" Emma says "Do you remember anything about her?" the blonde asks her
"Green skin, pointy hat, ring any bells?" Hook listed off for the redhead
"Can't say I've had the pleasure" Amelia drawled out dryly to the pirate with the Hook, before looking back at the blonde, she seemed the most competent out of the two "What would she want with my memories?"
"That's what we want to find out, she took a year from everyone else" she replies "Wait. How did you know where she was living?"
Amelia shrugged her shoulders at the blonde "I sensed dark magic and followed it"
"You can sense magic?" Hook stated at her with a pointed look
"Yes pirate, I can"
"Wait, if you can sense magic and the Wicked Witch isn't here, where is the magic coming from?" Emma inquired with the redhead
"Traces of it is coming from the house, but it's different coming away from it, like oil mixing with water, to be honest its making me a little nauseous"
"Where?" the redhead turned her head away from the house to look towards a concrete feature in the grass
"Storm cellar"
Monteriggioni
One Year Ago
She was right. The curse hadn't touched the city as the man before him uttered his name to her. The last time she had lied eyes on him was had been only ten summer's old that worked for her a Paola as a messenger between the barracks, the thieve's den, the brothel and the villa.
His small legs would take him all over the city as he carried messages between the four buildings, in return they would pay him for his efforts as well as a bed to sleep in, inside the barracks. Now was the man that stood before her that had grown from the boy she would give extra.
"Come I will take you to Maria" at that he made the her and Tom turn as they made their final journey to the villa.
"Maria?" she questioned the man.
"She took over as the caretaker after Paola stood down a year or so after the curse struck the land" he informed her as they climbed the stone steps up the training ring.
"And Paola?" she gulped.
He paused as he thought how he would break the news to the redhead that stood as the city's guardian "She passed away ten year's ago last month" he mournfully tells her.
She was bracing herself for the news of her death but it still seemed to cause a sharpness in her chest she had only felt a day or so ago when Romeo died again.
The trio stepped into white marble entrance of the villa as all the memories that she had forgotten washed over her again. Ghost of her former family seemed to walk pass them as if they were stuck on an endless time-loop only to know they weren't really there when she saw Tom stumble in to the middle with his head tilted up as he gawped at the chandelier that hung from the high ceiling.
"For the last twenty-eight years we've had to learn how to survive all over again and come out the other end unharmed by the ogre's" Aaron tells her "As the world around us remained frozen to the curse, it has been hard, but with your return there is hope once again we will be able to grow to heights we once reached with you before"
"It looks like you've been doing just fine without me"
"We have, but we have looked forward to your return once the curse broke a few months ago. Come Maria should be in the study" with that he turned to lead them through the drawing room where the model of the city still stood in the middle of the room that planned out every building a side street of the city.
Tom's curious had reached out to touch it only for a Amelia's quick hand to slap it away "Don't touch" she sternly tells him.
He nods in understanding as they came to the mahogany table that Angelo used to sit behind all day until he left often late into the evening looking into every detail of the city. She could still see the scratches his pointed nails would make in the table when he was deep in thought. Sometimes it was the only sound that could be heard in villa.
"Amelia?" Tom's voice snapped her out of the memories as she looked up to see both Aaron and Tom looking at her.
"Sorry" she quickly mumbles to the pair.
"Don't be" Aaron gulped, knowing what she was thinking about "I still hear them when I'm alone in here sometimes. They got worse after you left the first time" the redhead could only give the man a ad smile "Are they really all gone?" he asked her.
"I'm sorry. They are" she tells him. That was the first time she ever said she was sorry about about killing them, she didn't think she'd ever hear herself say she was sorry.
"Don't be, they deserved what they got"
"No one deserved that"
"Mmmh" he hummed to himself "I'll inform Maria of your arrival" he goes to leave to the study only for the redhead to stop him.
"No. Let me go in first"
"Of course" he stepped aside to let her follow the narrow connecting hallway between the rooms to stand at the doorway and see an older version of the teen she had known so well sat at the desk her mother once Paola sat.
"Aaron, tell the mercenaries I'll have the numbers for them when they are ready, not when they are ready"
A fond smile grew on her lips as she stepped further into the room. She had the same problem with the paid soldiers before the curse. Some thing were the same it seemed "Threaten to close the tavern if keep badgering you, only then you'll see their patience grow"
Maria's quill slid off the page at the voice that answered her as her head snapped up to the redhead she and her mother cared for stood in front of her "Amelia" the woman scrambled out of her chair, closing the distance between the pair as they wrapped arms around the others in a long awaited reunion as the redhead felt the walls around her crumble as her emotions got the better of her once again as she buried her face in old friends shoulder.
She was home.
Storybrooke
Present
He should be scared. He should feel his heart thumping against his chest as the Queen approached him. He should still be able to feel her shoved her hand into his chest to rip his heart out of it like she did in Neverland. But he wasn't scared of her anymore.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered to him coming to a stop in front of him, she kept her anger simmering at the edge of her voice as she turned she kept a close eye on Henry who stood watching the exchange.
"I want answers" he tells the woman plainly looking straight at at "No one know's what's happened to Amelia and of you all don't seem to care"
"We do, but we're a little busy trying to find out who sent us here" she argues "David only found out last night that the last thing she remembered before waking up here, it was something that happened that sent her on the path to becoming the Black Widow.
His brows drew together in confusion "How long ago was that?"
"Fifteen years before the first curse. Before she started working for me"
"Has anyone told her that?"
"No" she admits to him unable to look him in the eye. They all decided the redhead didn't need to know right now in case it made her spiral. The last thing they needed was the Black Widow to come out to play right now especially if it played right into what the Wicked Witch's plans somehow. Their partnership would spell the end for the town.
"Isn't it better she know's what's going on instead of lying to her"
"Tom.."
"You can't decide what's right for her. She can help, we both know she can"
"You don't know that"
"I do. And so should you" he fought back.
"You're really worried about her, aren't you?" it wasn't a question.
"Yeah, I am" he choked out "She's the only one who gave a damn about me since Romeo died" he tells her "When we woke up she looked straight through me like I was no one" he saw the hurt in his eye's. She knew exactly how that felt when Henry looked at her at Granny's.
She saw how scared he was in that moment. The woman who had promised to look out for him had no idea who he was.
"We'll figure out the best way to tell her"
"Promise?"
"I do" she promises him as his eye's stray towards Henry. A sad look growing on his face as he looks at the friend he made on Neverland.
"I-I should go, I'm sorry I interrupted you guys"
"You miss him?" she asks him referring to Henry who hadn't moved from his spot.
He nods at her making himself look away from the boy "We were friends" he gulps.
"Do you want to meet him? He could use a friend around his age. But you can't tell him anything about Neverland" she warns him "He doesn't remember anything from his life here"
"I'm sorry" he tells the dark brunette.
"It's fine. It is what it is, I can't do much about it" he could hear he sadness that laced her voice. The same sadness that he heard in his own voice whenever he spoke about Amelia to Robin.
"I'd like that" nodding in agreement the pair make their approach to the twelve year old.
"Henry" the mayor addressed him as she and a boy he didn't know stop near him "I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Tom, he volunteer's around the town every so often, he needed to speak to me about the next volunteer day at the hospital. I thought you two would get along"
"Cool" the excuse worked as Henry held out his hand to the older boy "I'm Henry"
The former lost boy seemed to hesitate before mirroring him, holding out his right hand, the sleeve of his coats tugs up to reveal the top of his forearm to reveal something she though she would never see again as they shook hands "Tom" he tells the younger boy with a friendly smile as the former Queen's eye's see's something on his forearm that made her heart skip a beat.
Sat upon the teen's forearm was one of the leather gauntlets that Romeo used to wear. Opening more questions for the former Queen to try and answer about the missing year from their memories.
As the trio approached the source of the assassin's uneasiness that Emma called a storm cellar. the redhead kept the questions about what it was to herself as her feelings only grew as they got nearer. Upon closer inspection they saw a padlock. The assassin saw the blonde pull out what she recognized as a gun from her waistband to shoot it open only for Hook to stop her.
"Whoa, wait, wait, wait" he stop her from making a mistake "It's one thing walking around a deserted farmhouse. It's quite another descending into a one-way cellar with no way out"
"Scared?"
"He's right" Amelia spoke up as she felt a shiver go up her spine "There's a difference between fear, strategy and getting killed" Amelia tells the blonde.
"Aye I agree with the Widow" the last word slipped out.
"Widow?" the redhead asked the pirate with narrowed eyes as he continued.
"We know she's got flying monstrosities. Who knows what's down there. If this witch is as powerful as we think, we could use some magical backup, unless you've been practicing in New York City"
"Okay, I'll call Regina, have her drop Henry at Granny's" Emma says taking out her phone "I'd like to see those flying monstrosities try to get past her crossbow"
"And her lunch special" Hook adds as alarm bells rang out in the redhead's mind at the mention of the Queen's name.
"You mean the Queen Regina?" she voiced to the blonde. She suddenly felt like the eighteen year old girl that had left the palace. She knew she didn't leave the woman on good terms. She had heard rumors of what she became of the woman she had saved all those years ago. Robin had tried his best to fill her in on the fifteen years that were missing from her her memories from what she told. Regina had taken that leap of faith into darkness.
She failed her. How the hell could she face her after all these years?
"Well unless you know another Queen, we're all ears luv" the pirate said to her earning an eye-roll from the redhead.
"I need to go" Amelia took a step to leave only for Emma to stop her.
"Lia, I know how things look to you right now, but I think that Regina would really like to see you" Emma tried to stop the woman from leaving.
"Look, I don't expect you to understand, I can't see her" at that the redhead left the pair at the storm cellar entrance.
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