It felt like her every move was being watched.
She wouldn't be about to move anywhere in town, including her own home knowing that the Widow would be somewhere nearby, watching, waiting, learning. Taking her time to strike when they were at their most vulnerable.
This was probably how it felt like when she was on the hunt for her former brothers, the paranoia, always on your guard. It wasn't' a good feeling at all.
Still, she couldn't let the Widow distract her at the moment, The Evil Queen had made her plans clear to the hero's by making her other half and Amelia kill Cristo to protect Snow and Charming, and they needed to find out what she was up to by using their new friends from the Land of Untold Stories.
Making their way down into the bowels of Storybrooke General into the psych ward/ prison, she and Regina led Snow and Charming to speak to Mr. Hyde safely tucked away in his cell for information he had. Only the comfortable silence between the four of them was becoming uncomfortable as she noticed David's side way glances towards her the whole way.
"How about Venice?" the redheaded assassin voiced to her wife as they climbed down the steps. Despite the fact they were now trapped in Storybrooke one again, didn't put the assassin off making plans for a honeymoon.
"What about it dear?" the former Queen replied.
"Went to a place similar back home for a target during their carnival season when I was younger. There were fireworks, games, music. Even met a girl". The smile that graced the assassin lips at the memory didn't go unnoticed by her wife when she looked over to the redhead next to her.
"Mmmh" Regina hummed trying to keep her annoyance to herself "Was she pretty?".
"Couldn't tell. She was wearing a mask" Amelia sighed out in disappointment "Never got a name".
"What a shame" the woman drawled out in sarcasm they reached the bottom for the woman to enter the passcode. That was Venice out then.
Letting themselves into the ward the pair led the couple inside and down the corridor where they were greeted by Nurse Rachet herself handing the former Queen a casserole dish the assassin recognised from the smell of what was in it straight away. Lasagne. Her favourite. Well, second favourite if she was being honest.
"You're sure about this?" David asked the dark brunette.
"You don't need Hyde's help" Snow added "You have us. Fighting the Evil Queen and the Black Widow for that matter, is kind of what we do best".
"No offense, but this is not the Evil Queen you remember" Regina retorted turning around "I crushed her heart and Amelia stabbed the Widow's heart, and somehow, they're still alive. How is that possible?".
"I... I don't know" Snow struggled to answer her step-mother.
"We're betting Hyde does" Amelia tells them "He seems to know a lot these days".
"And you think that's gonna make him talk?" the Prince points at dish in her hands, making the woman scoff a laugh.
"Compared to the cup of noodles Nurse Ratched serves, my lasagne is fit for a king" she finish's with a smile on her lips.
"She's not wrong" Amelia mused outload "Just one piece get's me talking every time" the redhead adds as a wicked smile grows on the former Queens lips, before turning to continue their journey down to his cell.
Opening the door expecting to see the man sat in his damp, cold cell on the uncomfortable cot, with his shackles safely around his wrists. Instead, they were greeted with the scene of Hyde sitting at a white clothed table, eating a hearty meal, surrounded by furniture as music played softly in the background. All topped off with single red rose sat in a vase.
At least his shackles were still on as he ate.
"What the hell is all that?" David said the words the group were thinking as they gawped at they stepped into the furnished cell.
"The Evil Queen" Regina sighed answering their question.
"And the Black Widow. Yes" Hyde confirmed for the group "And from the looks of that, great minds really do think alike" he points at Regina's dish with his knife "Hmm. It's too bad she got here first with a better menu and with better company" he adds as they see a second dish that had been served for the Widow.
"What did they want?" the former Queen asks him.
"The same thing as you: information" he replies "I told them a great deal about my friends, but now... I'm sated" he says dapping is lips with a cloth, before stand from his seat holding up his shackled hands at them "So the price of information has gone up".
His request was met by silence as they didn't move a muscle to take up his offer before giving up and turning to wooden box full of cigars, taking one out the man brought it up his nose to sniff the tobacco "Oh, it's hard to try to stay one step ahead of yourself. Isn't it, Regina?".
Their next stop took the couple's to the crash site of the dirigible that bought the residents of the Land of Untold Stories to Storybrooke. With impatience etching her face, the redheaded assassin, watched as Dr. Jekyll play with various glass science beakers of all shapes and sizes and various colours in them with Snow and David nearby.
"So, your little science experiment can really tell us why the Evil Queen and her Widow are still alive and how to destroy them?" Regina asked the scientist.
"It's a possibility if I can re-create the serum that split you" he says as he drops something in blue liquid it starts to bubble before fizzling out, disappointing himself and the others around him "Sorry. I need my lab, my equipment. It's a world away" he complains to the others around him.
"Well, in this world, we don't give up so easily. Come on, there's got to be something else inside we can use" David suggest to the man.
Seeing Amelia's own disappointment David taps her on the shoulder, silently telling her to join him and the Doctor on their search for something inside the crashed dirigible leaving Snow with her step-mother.
"He's as useless as his other half" Regina huffs in annoyance once the doctor is far enough away.
"Regina, he's trying to help" Snow reminds the woman.
"I know. I'm just... I'm sick of being one step behind her".
"So, get a step ahead. She thinks like you. Try thinking like her" she encouraged her.
"Fine. I used to be good at this" she pauses pacing in front of the princess as she thought "When you want to tear families apart, you... you look for the cracks that are already there. Like Zelena and Amelia" she realises "I have to talk to my sister".
As David and Amelia step out of the dirigible with a box of equipment they managed to gather in their hands to help Jekyll only to see her wife leaving the crash site.
Regina leaves just David and Amelia return with a box each of equipment to help Jekyll.
"Great" Amelia huffs dumping her box onto the table making it shake "Where is she off to?" she sent the question towards the former princess.
"To talk to Zelena" Snow informs her "She thinks the Queen will go after the crack in yours and Zelena's relationship".
"Yeah, because there isn't one since she accused me of her sister spitting herself with the part that was most like her" she spat out in bitterness .
"Lia-" Snow tried calling out to the older woman seeing how upset she became.
"You know what, I'm done with this little science experiment. I'm going to do something I should've done a long time ago" at that the assassin turned and walked in the opposite direction her wife had went leaving the Princess to deal with the endless cycle of defeat and repeat with only her husband to listen to her thoughts or normalcy in the town of Storybrooke.
Trudging through the wood's back to civilisation took longer than she thought as she continued on the straight line that would eventually take her to the trail and then into town only for the assassin to come across the same moss covered fallen tree trunk, she had passed at least three times.
Coming an abrupt stop the assassin took in her surroundings as she swore she knew she passed through this part of the forest in the last ten minutes.
"You've got to be kidding me" she seethed to herself. She was going in circle's.
Bringing her finger's to her lips the assassin sounded out a whistle to call out for Senu to find her and guide her the way out of the woods only for a red bird to appear in her eagle's stead to fly through the air and land on a nearby branch.
Making eye contact with the feathered creature the bird flapped it's wings and took flight again in a direction as her feet moved by themselves to follow it only for the assassin to shake herself out of the trance and stop herself from following.
"No" she sternly told the red bird in the tree's "There is no way in hell I'm following the damn bird".
"I'm afraid it's the only way out of your predicament Miss Amelia" the voice made the assassin whirl around to see the assassin she had only met the previous day only out of his robes, dressed in pair of blue jeans, shirt and white hoodie over his shoulders step out from his hiding place.
"Forgive me" Basim remarked seeing her surprise on her face "I didn't mean to startle you".
"Maybe you don't know but there's another assassin out there that might not be so apologetic if she made you jump".
"Yes the Black Widow" he mused to himself as she paused taking a minute to let her guard down "I've heard many stories of her even from Agrabah. I believe I saw her the other day when you held your blade against my throat" he jested with her.
"Sorry" she meekly apologised to the man.
"Forgiven. The Evil Queen put you an a corner we only know one way out of".
"Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment, what are doing out here?".
"I'm here to guide you to some of the answers you've been asking yourself since returning from the Land of Untold Stories".
"Only some?" a sceptical brow rose on her face.
"There is a great deal you will learn today Amelia, and not all of it will be from people you trust".
"Can I trust you?".
"No" Basim answered her honestly "While my story remains' untold, your own may have a chance of staying the same for it's the same story that has already started playing out for you".
"The vision's?" Amelia questioned the assassin "You got them too?".
A pained expression etched out on his features as he gave the redhead a deep nod of his head "And the nightmares" he added as his voice gave his fear of being killed over and over again replay in his mind.
"Well then" she gulped "You better lead the way then".
Turning on his heel the younger assassin walking the same direction the red bird had flown before the redhead followed a second or two later, easily keeping up with the younger man.
"Will you tell me how you ended up in a place like this?" Basim asked her referring to the question he asked in the diner.
"Only if you tell me about your finger" she rebutted glancing down at his missing ring finger on his left hand, all that remained of the appendage was up the first knuckle "I know why it was done, I was just wondering if it hurt".
"It did" he chuckled "It's not something a recommend even by a seasoned Master Assassin such as yourself".
"I think I'd rather keep that finger on my hand for the time being" she says flashing the silver band that encircled the finger at the man.
It didn't take long for the pair of assassin's to reach their destination as they came across a young woman sat on log with their back facing them
"I see you've found her Basim" the girl stated to the male assassin as she stood up from the log to turn and face them.
"Ahlan Oracle" he greets the girl with a respectful bow of his head.
"Hello Amelia" she greets the redhead with a gentle smile gracing her lips.
"No offence, but people who know my name before I've even met them is a big red flag for me, especially so called Oracle's".
"I know many things, like why you're here. The visions".
"So Basim said" she dryly retorts "If you know so much about me, then tell me what they're doing in my head".
"Because these visions, Amelia, they tell a story. The story of your future".
"But they feels like a memory. How do you know any of this?".
"I was once called an Oracle. I spoke through the person who sent you back to the land of the living. You'd be wise to trust me".
"Persephone" she states in realization.
"Correct" she confirmed "What you saw was a tiny piece of future time"
"Yeah tiny" she reminds the girl "I need to see more" the assassin argued.
"Knowing the future is a heavy burden" she warns the woman. "The future's always in motion, always changing, but also inevitable".
"Trust me, what I'm feeling right now isn't exactly light, even without my darker half holding me down, I still feel like I'm drowning. The visions are coming whether I want them or not. Just get it over with".
Nodding in agreement the Oracle summons a wooden staff in her hand shaped the same way as the bird was up in the tree's.
"Look" the oracle simply instructs the assassin as the wooden bird's eye's glowed a bright red meeting her's as the assassin's eye's shone bright gold as her sixth sense was opened up to show her the vision that had been plaguing her days since returning to Storybrooke.
In the middle of Main Street, she watched as Emma fought a figure with a sword in each of their hands until a hard kick in the Savour's stomach sent her tumbling backwards onto the ground managing to recover to meet the assailants sword as she knelt on road, as their swords met as the saviour pushed herself back onto her feet as Snow, David, Hook, Tom and Henry run up the street towards the street just as the sword was taken out of her hands, landing far from her reach as the weapon disappears in a ploom of smoke.
Turning to face her assailant the Savour looks them in the eye and states "I'm not gonna let you hurt them" raising her hand to use her magic only for her hand to violently shake the same way the assassin had noticed over the last few days, but before the deadly strike could be made the saviour is shoved out of the way for the blade to sink into her stomach instead.
Word's fail her as she chokes on them as she feels the long cool steel blade slide into her stomach making her look up to see another figure stood in a long white rode looking straight at her to see a face that almost mirrored her's in appearance.
The young girls face showed no sign of remorse or regret as she held her gaze pushing the blade further into her body until she was close enough for the girl to rest her forehead against her's, green eye's that reminded her of her own mother's looking back at her as her red hair fanned around them.
"No" she shivered as hot tears rand down her face as she felt her heart break in her chest.
"Goodbye" the girl states as she jerked the sword out of her body, allowing her to fall lifelessly onto the ground. Only for the original figure that Emma was fighting to reappear behind he saviour to kill her as she calls out to her friend.
Gasping out of the vision, cold sweat covered her face as her eye's faded back to their normal green colour as grasped at her stomach in panic like she could still feel the blade in her body as the wound on her side flared up in pain.
"What you saw was a small piece of the end of your story, Assassin. It's the reason why Persephone brought you back".
"So what, I could die again!?" she exclaimed at the Oracle is distress. No, that couldn't be right.
"The Oncoming Storm" the Oracle stated to the assassin, echoing Persephone's own words made the assassin still and stare at her.
"You and the Saviour have been connected for a long time. Your fates have been intertwined since you first met. Your life is not the first life to be connected by fate" the Oracle tells the woman looking at Basim who hadn't said a word as he kept his eye's downcast to the ground underneath his feet.
"You" Amelia shuddered at the man.
"The Savour has always had a protector Amelia" Basim tells her "An assassin that is destined to fight alongside them in all their battles, especially at the end. That is what I have been needing to tell you. Both you and Emma are having these visions and will continue to have them until-"
"Until what?" she interrupted him.
"Until one or both of you die" he answers her.
"No" the assassin stated shaking her head at the Oracle and assassin in front of her "T-there has to be another way. It can't just end like that".
"You can change the path to the destination" the oracle states to the assassin "But the destination is the same. On the day you saw, in the battle you saw...you or the Saviour will die".
There had to be more to the visions than what the Oracle has shown her, she needed clearer answers than the one's she was getting and there was only one other person in town that had any clue what was going on with her and Emma. Thankfully he was still shackled in his cell underneath the hospital.
By the time she had made it out of the woods the sun had already started to set, she had been longer than she thought. Rushing through the corridors of the hospital like a woman on a mission the assassin let herself down into the basement to head to Hyde's cell only to come to sudden stop as she rounded the corner as she saw Nurse Rachet outside Hyde's door wide open with the patient that spent the day mopping the floor peering into the cell.
Hearing the sound of the assassin's boot's skidding on the floor, Rachet's head snapped up to see her as her eye's widened in panic seeing the former Widow stood there.
"We were about to call you" Rachet's voice echoed down the hall.
Moving her feet forward the Rachet moved aside as she stepped into the threshold of the cell to see it empty of Hyde's presence except for the new furniture gifted to him by the Evil Queen. He was gone. And from the lack of force that she should've seen from a breakout. He had just walked out the door.
Stepping into the empty cell, angered fists clenched by her side as she felt her heart thump harder in her chest. Taking in a deep inhale of air trying to keep on top of the emotions in her mind to see the only person that would be able to give her the answers she needed.
Anger. Frustration. Fear. She never did well with those emotions as her fists clenched at her sides willing for the tears that threatened to fall, as her rage at the situation she had found herself in bubbled to the surface of her mind. Burdened with knowledge of the future with no one to share with.
"Leave" she instructed the nurse behind her "Now" her voice dropped to a tone the Nurse knew well enough to drag the patient with the mop with her as they left the assassin alone in the empty cell.
Alone in the cell, the Master Assassin lashed out at the furniture that surrounded her as the bottom of her boot covered foot met the edge of the clothed table Hyde was sat at earlier, sending it and it's contents crashing to the ground as she let out the strangled scream she had been holding in since leaving the Oracle and Basim.
Dropping to the edge of the cot the assassin held her head in her hands as she tried to make sense of her new dilemma, only for a the sound of someone slowly clapping their hands together reach her ears. Great, what she just needed. The Queen to gloat.
"You've been bottling that up for a while now, haven't you?" her own voice came from the door making the assassin snap her head up to face the woman that once stood in her way of getting back to her life in Storybrooke.
With her hood pulled down from her head, the tight ringlets of red hair cascaded over her shoulders as she leant against the threshold of the cell door with an air of confidence surrounding her, the Black Widow held her chin up taking how far her other side had fallen since parting from her in New York.
"Look who decided to crawl out of their hidey hole" Amelia drawled out to the Widow as she stood to her feet to face the assassin in front of her
"Can't exactly call it a hidey hole when I've been following your every move since coming home" she corrects her other half as she stood up straight to fill the threshold of the cell "And I couldn't exactly hide away forever, especially from you".
"Although, I'm surprise it took you this long to find your way out of the Queen's little trick. Performance Issues? Or you just that easily deceived since parting yourself from me".
"What trick?" Amelia questioned her.
"Her Majesty needed you out of the way for the day. What better way than to keep you running in circles in the woods. I was dubious myself but then the Oracle showed up to serve as entertainment".
"What do you want?" Amelia demanded out of her darker self.
"From you, like you are now. You're useless. I'm asking what you need from me".
"From you?" Amelia questioned her.
"Haven't you it noticed yet Amelia" the Widow started her slow approach towards her other half "Letting Hyde get the better of you to use your own blade against you. Arguing with your love over a letter. Zelena getting under your skin. Threatening that pathetic assassin in the diner as your son watched on. All those pesky little emotions getting the better of you when you need them the least. It all started when you decided, you were done with me".
"You. Need. Me" she slowly stated in her mirror self as she stood barely a foot away from her "I was the monster willing to take on all those fears, those burdens. You created me to deal with the trauma of the training ring. From losing our mother, our father, John. Thomas. When you watched as the man we loved let one of your targets away" the Widow paused as Amelia swore she saw the Widow's eye's shimmer at the mention of Robin.
"Every single time you've had to face death in the eye's I was there to fight back. Not you. Me!" she barked at her shadow-self hitting her chest with a closed fist to make her point "And what do you go and do? You throw me away like I was nothing!" she fumed at her mirror image "But luckily for you, I'm willing to throw you a lifeline from drowning".
"How?"
"By taking me back".
"I don't know how" the former Widow shook her head at the Widow.
"Yes you do" she grinned at her "You know we don't need a silly serum to undo your mistake. So, while you have a think of how you're going to do that. I'm going to see how many bridges I can burn before you do us both a favour and return things to normal for us. By turning those little cracks into chasms. In fact, I'm happy to report that I started last night after you all met the Queen" she smirked at her as Amelia remain silent.
"I'll let you sleep on it. After the day you've had, you're gonna need to get all the sleep you can get".
"Wha-"Amelia couldn't get out her sentence as the Widow brought a hand to her face her palm open as she blew red dust into her doppelganger's face.
Jerking back in surprised and the former assassin inhaled the poppy powder through her nose, taking hold quickly Amelia's knee's buckled underneath her as she tried to fight off the onslaught of sudden fatigue as her eye's fluttered shut. Stumbling forward the Widow caught her, guiding her to the uncomfortable cot as she succumbed to the poppy dust, pulling her legs up to rest on the mattress, the Widow left her shadow self to sleep the rest of the night.
"Don't worry, I'll have Rachet wake you up in a few hours" the Widow reassured the unconscious form "Wouldn't want your wife to worry for too long" at that the Black Widow turned to leave the cell only for a stabbing pain to come from the wound that had appeared on her side after the Queen visited her shadow-self. An 'incentive' the Queen called it, for Amelia to make the right decision in the end. However, The Queen failed to tell her that the 'incentive' would effect her.
Pausing at the threshold of the cell the Widow waited for the brief moment of dizziness to pass over her as she breathed through the pain that accompanies the poison making it's way towards it's final destination. Hearing the assassin shuffle behind her as she felt the pain in her sleep, it finally ebbed away allowing both the Widow and Amelia to relax.
"Fucking Dreamshade" the Widow grumble to herself as she made her way out of the ward.
AN: Filler chapter this time compared to the previous long chapter's. Hope you enjoyed the chapter neither less. Until next time!.
Happy May the Forth in advance!
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