#scarred by uncle giving him The Talk ... with many ...colorful metaphors | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

redrisingreaper · 5 years

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Ichor (fic preview)

Here's an excerpt/preview to the time-travel fix-it fic where (most) everyone lives/nobody dies, I'm currently writing. I'm trying to write it in snippets that when slappes together should form a decent-sized chapter (3000-4000 words). Hope this technique will work for me :) also this is totally not so i can give each snippet a title

So yeh Darrow's mind travels back on time into his body when he's buried post-execution, before the Sons of Ares find him. If you think it's written ambiguously, fear not, it's intentional (probably).

I'm not sure on the title yet. might change it later to something equally aesthetic lol

Unburied

Darrow wakes up buried.

Dark, red dirt surrounds him, chokes him. Blind panic engulfs him, but he retains enough sense to claw his way out, breaking his nails in the process. He gasps for breaths when he breaks out, damp air filling his desperate lungs. Through the haze of pain -his neck hurts, his back bleeds, but his head, oh his head is killing him- he sees the old tunnel he's in. The old tunnel. There's a flare next to his grave. The situation, as absurd and unbelievable as it is, slowly starts to make sense.

He's back.

Or is he? What if this is some elaborate ruse? What if this is a dream? Darrow doesn't remember ingesting anything suspicious -Obsidian mushrooms, Purple drugs or other weird cosmic shit- but the solar system is vast and he is a man with many enemies, and many willful friends who wouldn't hesitate to mess with him and slip something into his food and drink.

His fingers dig into the red earth. Deep breaths. Deep breaths, Darrow. Calm down and wait to see what happens.

When the tumbler comes with the men in Octobernacht masks, he stays silent, choosing caution over that weird mix of hope and dread it drudges up in him. Shut the slag up and analyze the situation, as Victra once aptly said.

Where once he would've balked at strangers helping him, this time Darrow quietly curses as they haul him by his upper arms in the tumbler. His small, broken Red body is a foreign vehicle. Seeing Harmony again, even with her half-scarred face behind the mask, makes his sword hand twitch, but unlike their first meeting he doesn't say anything.

Silence, he has learned, invited curiosity. Which led to information.

"Lazarus," Harmony says finally, after a long stare, "You're a damn mess."

Darrow takes the scarlet headband out of his pants pocket and clenches it in his fist. He looks down at it and tries to calculate how many years it has been since he last saw it. Decennia. They feel like centuries.

"Home sweet home,” she says after they pass the checkpoint. And when they pile out of the tumbler, “Now time to meet Dancer.”

Dancer is as handsome and as old as Darrow remembers him. It takes all of his control to blink away the tears, to gulp down the words stuck in his throat. If this is a joke, it has to be the cruelest of them all. He's missed his steadfast, eternally burdened friend.

"You must be wondering who we are." Dancer says.

"The Sons of Ares." Darrow answers, and is infinitely glad his voice comes out steady, if toneless. Let them think him still shaken by Eo's death, by his execution. Better than they know the truth.

Dancer studies him, "You need a patch-up. Harmony, take care of him." Then again to him, "We'll talk when you're not bleeding all over the bloodydamn floor."

He ignores all of Harmony's attempts at smalltalk, and when those fail, at provocation. He doesn't know what to think of her, the indirect cause of Fitchner's death, Adrius and Roque's betrayals. Avoidance is working well so far. And her less than gentle treatment grounds him into the present. Present. He barely smothers a snort.

Right.

The antinac and the shower make all aches recede, save for the migraine plaguing him. It feels like his head is being split open. Darrow is gripping his hair when Dancer comes in with food.

"Bet you got a lot of questions."

Darrow frowns and forces himself to think past his headache, tries to remember how past him would act. Grieving. Angry. "Do they matter? Eo is dead. I should be with her in the Vale."

Well, that might be laying it on a little thick but they'll both survive his melodrama.

It's Dancer's turn to frown, "We saved your life, Darrow. So your life is ours. No dying for the dead today. Or tomorrow. Or any day from now on. You owe us. You owe Ares. Your uncle does too and he knows this."

"Is he dead?"

"No."

Darrow nods, but another lump has settled in his throat at the mention of his uncle. Uncle Narol. Long dead, shot by the Jackal. His last words resonate in Darrow's head, momentarily driving away his headache.

Dancer is studying him again. His bright eyes read him like an open book, drawing conclusions from the sorry sight he makes. Hopefully his align with what Darrow wants him to know. Then, like the first time, Dancer proposes the card game.

Darrow wins, although he's tempted to lose. Let another take his burden. Let another suffer in his place. But those are wistful musings, like how he sometimes wishes he could fly, or that he could breathe in space.

Dancer tells him about Ares, about the Conquering, about Rhea. He still uses the same damn flea metaphor as last time. Everything fits, except that this time, Darrow is an old, wartorn soul trapped in his first body.

Dancer talks about Eo, the martyr of hope, the symbol of the rebellion. Of more import in death than she ever was alive. "They call her Persephone."

"She’s not coming back,” he snaps, "So what does it matter what they call her?" Eo doesn't ever come back. But he does. Darrow, the reaper -unworthy, undeserving- does. Not for the first time, Darrow marvels at the unfairness of it all.

And then Dancer takes him to the view that had torn his world apart, once upon a time. "You tried to die before,” he says. “Do you want to do so again?”

"I want..." to go back. To stay. He wants Mustang and his children and Sevro and Victra and the life he fought so hard for. He wants Ragnar and Roque and Cassius and Quinn and Tactus. He wants to change history, wants his dead friends to meet his children. He wants to do it again, but better. Can he? Will he? There's only one way to find out. "I want a world where girls like Eo don't have to die for a dream."

It earns him a sad smile. "Justice. I feared you'd want only vengeance."

He shrugs, careful to not stray from his young, impulsive, brash self, "Whichever comes first."

Dancer shakes his head but continues to lead him towards the upper floors. Finally they reach it. He turns to him when they near a door, the door, "Don't let this break you."

They enter.

And the city of Gold that sprawls before them brings him to his knees.

Darrow cries then, all his pent-up fear and guilt and anger pouringout of him. A dam with its floodgates opened. "A lie," he says brokenly, "It has to be a lie." He means his miraculous disastrous return, the lie he keeps on telling himself, but is grateful when Dancer thinks it's about the lie they've both been fed.

He watches the bright city through hazy eyes -eyes that are so lacking compared to his Gold ones- barely listening to Dancer as the latter explains.

Every Color has a purpose. Every Color props up the Golds. Red lowest of them all.

Darrow is inclined to agree. This body is... less. Nothing is as easy, nothing is as clear, nothing is as good as his Gold carved body. He feels like a wolf trapped in the skin of a rabbit.

The acrid smell of smoke fills his nostrils. Dancer has lighted one. The same bloodydamn Pixie with his gaggle of girls flies by. Darrow makes a stiffled noise. Madness. This is madness.

"What will it take to take it back?" He recites dully from memory.

Dancer smiles, "Blood."

Darrow stares at that smile, fatherly, but hiding a fierce beast. He thinks of what this means, a second chance,or something else. Something damning. A gift? Or a lie hiding behind the farce of one?

"Eo was right. It takes violence." He takes Eo's headband out of his pocket, lost so long ago. He feels the weight of it. Of Eo's dream. Live for more. A burden he thought shed in the years following Virginia's coronation. Now again his task is to bear it and make it come true. He looks up into Dancer's bright eyes, and realizes that it's quiet inside his head. His mind is free of any pain, and when he speaks again, it's with the clearest sight he's had since crawling out of his grave.

"What is my mission?"

#red rising #darrow au andromedus #dancer #harmony #fanfic #timetravel #reaper writes #pierce brown #this fic will probably feature everyonexdarrow #no regrets #also everyonexeveryone #theyre all so shippable i cant choose #i feel like darrow is ooc?#idk man i only have canon to work on #maybe it's the abrupt change to third pov #i dislike first pov #enjoy!#feedback appreciated

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lilacmoon83 · 6 years

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Finding You Always

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Chapter 152: Hyperion Heights

Storybrooke

2018

"Henry Daniel Nolan," the Principal of Storybrooke High School announced, as eighteen-year-old Henry made his way across the stage at commencement. Upon the announcement of his name, his family cheered loudly and at a slightly embarrassing octave. His cheeks colored, as he shook hands with the Principal and received his diploma. Following commencement, there was a big celebration at Granny's, with all his family and friends in attendance. If there was one thing he knew, his grandparents would go all out when it came to celebrating the accomplishments of their children and grandchildren. And he proved to be no exception.

That evening, they finally came out of Granny's after an afternoon of celebrating.

"We're so proud of you, kid," Emma gushed, as she hugged him again and Neal patted his shoulder.

"Yeah and don't worry if you don't know what's next for you. There's plenty of time to figure all of that out," Neal added.

"And in the meantime, we think we have something to help fill the void," David added, as he walked over to something that was covered by a tarp.

"What is this?" Henry asked, as David and Neal pulled the tarp off, revealing a motorcycle. Henry's mouth dropped open.

"You got me a motorcycle?!" he exclaimed. Neal chuckled.

"Sure did...obviously it needs some work," he added.

"Yeah, we thought about just getting you a new one, but we thought that this might be a nice summer project for the three of us to do together," David added.

"This is awesome!" Henry exclaimed, as he hugged them both.

"Can I help too?" eleven-year-old Summer asked excitedly, as he looked up at her father. He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Of course, peanut," he agreed, as his wife sided up to him and he put his arm around her.

"I still can't believe I let all of you talk me into letting Henry have a motorcycle," Snow mentioned nervously. He smirked and kissed her hair.

"Well, I was pretty convincing," he whispered to her and wriggled his eyebrows playfully. She grinned and lay her head on his shoulder.

"Well...he is happy," she mentioned. He nodded.

"He'll be fine," David assured.

~*~

A few months later

Henry turned the wrench, making the final adjustment on his bike.

"There…I think that's going to do it," he said, as Neal and Emma looked on.

"Okay...fire it up," Neal replied. Henry got on and the engine started right up. The bike was completely restored, complete with a fresh coat of paint.

"It works…" he said, grinning at them, before killing the engine.

"Yeah...so any decisions on the college front?" Emma asked. Henry looked at them.

"That's actually kind of what I wanted to talk to you both about," he replied. They exchanged a glance.

"Sounds serious," Neal said, as they sat down together.

"I know we went on a few college visits and that we have Storybrooke University here...but I'm not sure that any of that is the right path for me," Henry replied.

"I'm sure any of those writing courses would be great...but let's face it. I'm the author and I've penned all these stories over the years," he continued.

"Yeah, and you're a great writer, buddy," Neal said.

"He's right," Emma agreed.

"I know...but I'm not really in it. I don't really have a story," he replied.

"Sure you do...you're in the book," Emma reminded.

"Yeah, I'm in it as the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming...the truest love in all the realms. I'm in it, because I'm the son of the Savior and son of the son of the Dark One," he retorted.

"I'm in it, because I have the heart of the truest believer and I'm the author...but that's it. And I guess I'm looking for more. Is that wrong?" he asked.

"Of course not...I get it. You want to leave home to find your own path," Neal replied. Emma nodded.

"As much as it breaks my heart, I get it too," she agreed, as she hugged him.

"So...you're going to travel the country? Maybe the world? I've got some spots you should visit," Neal stated.

"Yeah...not this world exactly. I mean...I'm the author and something tells me that my story isn't out there in the Land Without Magic," Henry replied.

"You want to travel the realms," Emma realized.

"Think about it, Mom. The only reason that I recorded Rose Red and Fandral's story in the book was because they came here. Think about how many other people there are out there waiting for someone to record their stories. And maybe while I'm doing that...I'll find mine," he said. She sighed and swiped a tear away.

"Oh, I'm gonna miss, kid. But I know you have to do this," she agreed.

"I'll miss you too and it won't be forever. Tiny has so many beans now that traveling the realms isn't hard at all anymore," Henry reminded.

"Yeah...it's a really good crop," Neal said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"The author wouldn't have anything to do with such an unusually big crop, would he?" he teased. Henry rolled his eyes.

"Come on Dad...you know that would be against the rules. But Tiny does get plenty of magical Phoenix fertilizer from Leo at the reserve, so that might have something to do with it," he replied. Emma wrinkled her nose.

"Ew...I didn't need to know that," she complained, as they laughed.

"Well...I guess we should break the news to everyone and you should get packed," Neal said, as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I better go tell your Grams so she can go crazy with some outlandish going away party," Emma joked.

"Can't you reign her in a little? My graduation party was insane," he complained. Emma laughed.

"You know your Grams...in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she throws a town ball like she did when I graduated," she joked.

"Please don't give her any ideas," Henry pleaded, as his parents chuckled. He sighed.

"Can you at least make sure she doesn't line the walls of Town Hall with gigantic blown up baby pictures of me like she did at my open house?" he asked. They snickered.

"I'm still scarred by the bathtub pics," he complained.

"Hey, she did it to all of us, so if you think you're an exception...think again, kid," Emma replied. He sighed and shook his head, as they went inside.

~*~

A few days later, Henry was packed and readying his bike, as his entire family was there to see him off. His grandmother was already crying in his grandfather's arms and he went to hug them.

"It's okay Grams...I promise I won't be gone forever," he said. Snow sniffed.

"I know...but you know me, I have a really hard time when one of my babies or grand babies leaves the nest," she sniffed.

"A bird metaphor? Really?" Regina teased, as she hugged him too.

"Good luck," she said.

"Thanks Aunt Regina," he replied, as he hugged Snow and David again.

"Thanks again for the going away party. It was great," he said.

"See Charming...it wasn't too much," she chided.

"You were right...a carnival wasn't too much," he replied, as he and his grandson shared an amused look. Henry then hugged his parents, as well as Tink and Hook as well. Then Rumple and Belle. Then came time to say goodbye to all his uncles and aunts. Once that was done, he mounted his motorcycle and tossed the bean in front of him. A vertical portal appeared and with a wave to his family, Henry Nolan set off on his new adventure to a new land…

~*~

Seattle

Hyperion Heights

The past - September 2018

David pulled up to the building in his old truck. The old red truck had seen better days for sure, but it sufficed to get him and his daughter around, especially since he spent much of his time on the job driving his work sedan. Bobby hopped out of the passenger side and came around to the other side, before looking up at David. This old red truck brought memories back of his dad's old brown truck back home. It was good to know that some things didn't change.

"This place doesn't look so bad," David said encouragingly.

"That's because most people only see the outside, so Dr. Samdi makes sure it looks really nice so everyone thinks his patients are taken care of," Bobby replied.

"I take it you're not a fan of the care he gives your mother," David said.

"If you can even call it care. I told you, she's locked up all the time and the orderlies force pills down her. She has bruises on her arms where they hold her down," Bobby told him, with tears in his eyes. David instantly felt the instinct to put his hand on the boy's shoulder and followed that feeling.

"Okay...let's go help you Mom," he agreed in a softer tone, as they strode into the building.

The reception area was dark, given that it was technically after hours and David followed Bobby, who seemed to know exactly where he was going. They traveled through the labyrinth of stark, white corridors and eventually rounded the final corner. That's when they heard screaming coming from one of the rooms.

"That's my Mom!" he cried, as he hurried to her room and David picked up the pace to follow.

~*~

She sat in her tiny room on the bed, legs curled up against her chest, as she gazed out at the same dreary landscape that she had for the past two long, horrible years. Another curse plagued them, but this one was perhaps the worst one of all, at least for her since she was aware of it part of the time.

Her curse this time was having two lives in her head and two identities. Part of the time, she was timid former school teacher, Mary Blanchard, who sadly was institutionalized when she became disillusioned with reality and her mind split into two personalities. At least, that's what her file said. Dissociative Identity Disorder is what they officially called it. And her alter was none other than Snow White.

But the reality was that she didn't actually have D.I.D at all. She had a real identity and a curse identity. She had a feeling that this is not what they had actually intended for her under the curse. She wasn't supposed to remember at all, but somehow she did. And when they discovered this, she had been snatched up and locked away to prevent her from finding her family and unraveling the curse.

But they also hadn't intended for Bobby to remain with her either. Clayton had to manipulate hers and Bobby's records to claim to be her brother and thus wrestled custody of her son away when she was committed.

She didn't know where the rest of her family was and she almost relished the days where she was Mary. Her existence was miserable, but at least as Mary, she didn't remember anything except her son. Because when she was Snow, like now, she remembered it all and everything that had been stolen from her once again. She cried through the nights for Charming, begging and pleading with the powers that be to let him hear her. But it was no use. There was no magic here and it was likely that he had no memory of her, which further broke her already shattered heart.

She hated that Clayton had Bobby, but at least she knew he was relatively unharmed. She had no idea about her other four children and that was perhaps the worst part of all. She had no idea if they or her husband were okay. And if they were physically okay, she had no idea what kind of lives they were living. Were they sad? Were they with people they shouldn't be? Had her husband been cursed to be with someone else? She shuddered at that. She wasn't sure how much else her heart could handle and every day seemed as hopeless as the last.

As her cell door opened, fear gripped her again, as it did every night. The two orderlies that worked for Facilier's grandson entered with her meds. The meds would cloud her head and give her terrifying nightmares, as they usually did. She would fight them, but they likely would win and she'd been in for another bout of night terrors in which the horrors of her past plagued her. And Charming could not rescue her from these, for they had been successfully separated again. It made her heart ache so badly that she almost wished someone would just rip it out of her chest and end her misery. But then she knew that she didn't actually want that, for Bobby kept her going. Clayton tried to keep a firm hand on his whereabouts, but he was busy with his museum full of the priceless things he loved and her son was very good at sneaking in to see her.

"Well Princess...it's time again for our nightly battle," Horace said.

"Then I hope you're ready for the fight," Snow replied and then yelped, as he roughly grabbed her arm. She struggled, as he pinched her cheeks by grabbing her face.

"If you bite me again tonight...I'm afraid I'll have to get really rough. I'll make that split lip I gave you last week seem like a tickle," he growled, as Jasper handed the pills to him.

"Hold her Jasper," he ordered. Snow screamed, as the portly man threw all his weight into her and pinned her against the wall. He forced the pills into her mouth and she spit them out, only to earn her a backhand across the face.

"Damn you…" Horace growled, as he put his hand around her neck and she gasped for air. His smile was sadistic, as he watched her try to breathe and her lungs burned for air.

"Mom!" Bobby cried, as he saw what the two men were doing to her. David's eyes widened, as he saw it too.

"HEY!" he called and without thinking, he peeled the skinny man away from her. She gasped for air, as Bobby hugged her around the waist and she sat down, before pulling him into a crushing hug.

"I did it, Mom...I found him…" he said, as he looked at her. Snow could barely breathe again, but this time, it was not because she was being choked. It was because the man that owned her heart and soul was here and currently handcuffing her assailants. She stared at his profile, her breathing now coming in ragged gasps. He still took her breath away; that certainly had not changed and never would. Her heart felt lighter in her chest and she knew that was because the other half of it was once again the same room.

"Does he…" Snow uttered.

"Not yet...but he will," Bobby insisted, his voice full of faith; the same faith that his father had always had an abundance of.

"You're under arrest for assault," David said, as he looked at the woman and her child. His breath caught, as she looked at him with the most mesmerizing green eyes he swore he had ever seen. He was purely captivated by her in a way he was sure he never had been and that stunned him. He had barely looked at any women since Iris' mother...died.

"What is going on in here?" Dr. Franklin Samdi exclaimed, as he rushed into the room. Mary clutched her son close, as David flashed his badge.

"Detective Nolan...these two are under arrest for assault," he replied.

"Detective...this is not necessary. I assure you that my orderlies were only doing their jobs," Franklin refuted.

"Their jobs? Because if their jobs include abusing a woman, then I'm going to have to arrest you too, doctor," David growled.

"Miss Blanchard is a very difficult patient. If they have to get rough with her, it's only because she is very unruly about taking her mandated meds," the doctor replied.

"I don't care how difficult she is...a man should never put his hands on a woman like that and I'm going to make sure these charges stick," David said, as another officer in uniform arrived, having been called.

"Good...you're here. Take these two down to the precinct, Officer?" David questioned.

"Officer Rogers, sir," he answered in an accented voice.

"Rogers...I'm going to escort the witnesses to the station. I'll meet you there," he said. Rogers nodded and escorted the assailants out.

"Detective...I must protest. Miss Blanchard is a very disturbed woman. She can't be let out," Franklin protested.

"The law supersedes your protest, doctor. She's the victim of a crime; a crime which happened in your hospital. Expect a full investigation when Captain Weaver gets wind of this," David said, as he turned to the woman.

"Mary, is it?" he asked. She stared up at him and then swallowed thickly.

"Yes…" she answered.

"I'm going to take you down to the station. You need to make a statement about what happened here tonight," he told her. She nodded and stood up, as her son helped her. But she felt woozy and her head hurt, so it was no surprise when she stumbled. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick as ever and he caught her in his arms. They stared at each other, utterly captivated, as he helped her back to her feet.

"I'm sorry…" she finally said.

"Don't be…" he responded, as he led her out. Bobby smiled smugly at Dr. Facilier and followed them. Franklin looked livid and quickly took out his phone.

"It's me...we have a serious problem," he hissed into the phone.

~*~

Henry pulled up to Mr. Clucks in Hyperion Heights.

"Well...here we are," Henry said, as he killed the engine and they got out. Henry followed Lucy into the restaurant and looked around. Lucy went to the counter, but before she could ask one of the other employees where her mother was, they heard yelling.

"I've had it, Jacinda. First you're late...and now you want to leave early?" a portly man questioned, as he burst out from the back room.

"Please...my roommate just told me that my daughter is…" Jacinda started to beg, but then saw her standing there in the restaurant.

"Lucy!" she cried, as she scooped her into a hug.

"This ain't the place for your little family reunion. Get back to work or don't bother coming back!" the boss said testily, as he went into the back room.

"Lucy...I've been worried sick since your Aunt Sabine told me you sneaked out," Jacinda cried.

"I'm sorry Mom...but I had to. I found my Dad," Lucy said. Jacinda stared at her and then looked up at the man with her.

"Uh...I'm really not sure why she thinks that, but I thought the least I could do was make sure she got home okay," Henry stammered. Jacinda sighed.

"Thank you...that was kind of you. Lucy has a...very vivid imagination," she said, looking slightly mortified. He smiled kindly.

"It's okay...there's nothing wrong with that. I had a pretty good imagination too when I was her age. I hope she holds onto that...longer than I did," he replied, as she smiled too, before turning to her daughter.

"I'm calling your Aunt Sabine to come and get you. Hopefully, if we're lucky, your grandmother won't find out about any of this," Jacinda said, as she took her phone out of her pocket.

"Oh, she already knows and you can put your phone away. Lucy will be coming home with me," another voice said. Jacinda looked up to find her step-sister there.

"Ivy…" she uttered.

"Mother is, well to be blunt, pissed. She's tired of your irresponsibility and it's quite obvious that you can't handle Lucy," Ivy stated.

"Hey...take it easy," Henry chimed in, not even sure why he was getting defensive. Her eyes flicked to him.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Henry Mills...I brought Lucy back. She wasn't in any danger," he replied. Ivy snorted derisively.

"Right...she wandered off into Seattle alone one a bus and then was in a stranger's car. That screams of harmless," she replied sarcastically.

"He's not a stranger! He's my Dad! And I wasn't alone on the bus! I was with my...friend Bobby," Lucy interjected. She was reluctant to call Bobby by his true title, for he was around the same age, thanks to the fact that time passed so slowly in Storybrooke. So telling them that Bobby was actually her great Uncle sounded crazy even to her, for their relationship was much more like cousins.

"Really...you're the drunken one night stand that Jacinda had ten years ago?" Ivy questioned derisively.

"No...he's not," Jacinda chimed in, as she took Lucy's hand.

"Please...just let me take her home. This whole thing is just a big misunderstanding," she pleaded.

"Sorry...but Mother has ordered that she come home with me. She'll be filing a motion with a Judge in the morning on custody. And I'm sure they'll be some kind of investigation to prove what we already know. You're an unfit parent," Ivy replied.

"I am not unfit...please don't do this, Ivy. You know what she's like," Jacinda pleaded. The other young woman looked at her and she thought she saw a brief flash of sympathy in Ivy's brown eyes.

"I do...but when she's focused on you and all your problems, that means she's leaving me alone," Ivy replied, as she took Lucy's hand. The girl looked devastated and her eyes never left her parents, as Ivy led her out to her car.

"I'm so sorry…" Henry offered. Jacinda nodded.

"Thanks, but this isn't your problem. Thank you for bringing her back," she said again.

"It was no trouble," he insisted.

"Jacinda...get back to work!" the boss called from the back room and she winced.

"I have to go," she said, as she returned to the back room, leaving Henry alone.

He left the restaurant and got into his car, sighing, as he thought about everything that had happened. He glanced over to the floorboard of the passenger seat and instantly noticed that something was missing. His bag with his laptop was gone. He looked all over the car and then realized what had probably happened. Instead of being angry, he found himself shaking his head in amusement.

"That little sneak," he muttered, as his phone chimed and he read the text. It was from a number he didn't recognize, but somehow he knew it was Lucy.

"If you want your laptop back...meet me at Roni's bar tomorrow after school in Hyperion Heights," Henry read from his phone. He shook his head and found he wasn't really all that upset, especially if seeing Lucy again meant also seeing Jacinda as well.

~*~

Storybrooke

2021

A portal opened and deposited a young blonde haired girl in her teens upon the pavement. She looked around in bewilderment and started walking along the street. Few people paid her much mind. It wasn't like portals were an uncommon thing in Storybrooke now.

"Excuse me...can someone help me, please?" she called. But people just kept going about their business and she kept walking, until she saw a building with a star on the door. Henry told her about this building and that his mother and grandfather could often be found there.

"Can someone please help me? Henry Nolan sent me for help," she called. The three shorter men that were loitering around a very strange looking carriage eyed her suspiciously.

"How do you know Henry?" the one with a beard asked.

"I'm a friend and he sent me here. He told me to find his grandparents, Snow White and Prince Charming. And his mother...the Savior," she replied.

"Or so you say…" Leroy said suspiciously.

"Yeah...maybe you're really a spy," Sleepy said, as he yawned.

"She doesn't really look like a spy," Happy chided.

"That's why it's perfect," Sleepy argued.

"Can it, morons...what's your name, girl?" Leroy questioned.

"Alice…" she replied. Happy snorted.

"From Wonderland?" he joked. She looked offended.

"And other places!" she corrected hotly.

"You know I've been to all kinds of places, but one little trip to Wonderland and suddenly that's all I'm known for," she complained.

"Shut it...look if you want to see Charming, then you need to come inside and answer a few more questions. Too many nut jobs have come here looking for Snow and Charming, so we need to make sure you're on the level," Leroy said.

"We appreciate that, Leroy, but that won't be necessary," David interjected, as Alice looked passed the shorter man to see an attractive couple there, holding hands. Behind them was another attractive couple as well and her breath caught in her throat. Could it be?

"Papa?" she asked, looking at Hook. The former pirate and now deputy's eyes widened and he looked utterly flabbergasted.

"It is you! It is you, papa...she said you were dead!" Alice cried, as she started toward him. But unfortunately, that was when Hook suddenly felt a pain in his chest and he collapsed in agony.

"Killian!" Emma cried, as she knelt beside him. Alice started to cry, as she backed away.

"Oh no...your heart is still poisoned and now you don't even remember me," she sobbed.

"Hey...it's okay, it's okay…" Snow said gently, as she managed to get the girl to allow her to hug her.

"Take deep breaths and maybe start at the beginning," Snow urged.

"My name is Alice and he's my Papa. The evil witch that is my mother poisoned his heart, so he had to leave me or he would die. Then when I finally escaped the tower she imprisoned me in, I couldn't find him. She told me he was dead, but I should have known she was lying," Alice cried.

"I should have known she'd do worse than that. He doesn't even remember me," she sobbed.

"It's okay...fortunately, around here, we know quite a bit about stolen memories and I know someone that might be able to help restore those memories," Snow said. Alice looked at her in confusion.

"You'll help me?" she asked.

"Of course we will," Snow replied.

"But you don't even know me," Alice argued. Snow shared a smile with her husband and daughter.

"Your a friend of Henry's, so that makes you a friend of ours," David replied.

"He's right," Snow agreed, as she took out her phone.

"Regina...we have a bit of a situation. Can you come down to the station?" Snow asked and there was a puff of purple smoke, as the other woman appeared, before Snow could even hang up.

"What's going on?" she asked, as she saw the state Hook was in.

"Sounds like a poisoned heart and stolen memories," Snow said.

"So you called the dark magic expert," Regina replied, with a coy smile.

"Okay...let's get the hand-less wonder into the station and see what we're dealing with," Regina agreed.

"Can I just say that this whole thing reeks of trouble?" Leroy asked.

"Easy Leroy, I need you and Happy to take my afternoon patrol. I'm sure this will all be cleared up by the end of the day," David replied.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, handsome. Come on boys," Leroy said gruffly, as they left to run patrol, while the others dealt with this new crisis.

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming Family #OC Charmings #Season 7 AU #hyperion heights #Snowing & Charming family centric season 7 #Alice #Rogers #OUAT reimagined #romance #adventure #Glass Believer #Lucy #finding you always #the massive epic continues

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