#Hood Mills family

[countrymusiclover]

Princess Red Thief - Rumplestilskin

"She stole from the Dark One"

Everly, referred to as the "Red Theif" and who is also the daughter of Princess Abigail and Knight Frederick has been keeping a secret from her parents as long as she could. She seeks help from the one man who knew everything about magic, but was anything but good. Will her secret finally be revealed when the evil queen casts her curse???

1 - Life Changing Deal

2 - Cinderella's Prince

3 - Confusing Conversations

4 - Must Be Fought For

5 - Definition of Justice

6 - Directions of Truth

7 - Playing with Fire

8 - Getting Closer to the Truth

9 - A Man Named Jefferson

10 - Closest to His Heart

11 - Finally Awake

12 -Thief History

13 - We're in Trouble

14 - The Golden Newborns

15 - True Rumplestilskin Fashion

16 - Meeting the Parents

17 - Not His First Witch Lover

18 - The Pirates Crocodile

19 - The Pirates Crocodile pt 2

???

Comments really appreciated ❤️

Tag list - just ask to be added @mystrey101 @melvia-ito @kmc1989 @tallrock35 @onentaien-kwara

[oautincorrectquotes]

Ruby: Who do we know that has handcuffs?

Emma: Well, Regina and I-

Regina: *elbows her*

Emma: wouldn't know.

[whoruntheworld-lesbians]

I feel like the ouat universe is so messed up age gaps barely even matter in relationships except dear god don't you dare ship adult henry with any of the townspeople

[lilacmoon83]

A Rat in Storybrooke

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 5: Ratigan's Undoing

Goldie used a compact mirror to primp one more time, before they were about to go live. She rubbed a finger over her teeth to make sure there was no red lipstick on them and closed the compact.

"Mommy…why is she putting so much makeup on?" Eva asked innocently, making David nearly choke, trying to swallow a laugh. Eva had always been fascinated with anything girly and even had her own little playset of fake makeup so she could pretend to put it on while watching Snow. But her mother never used so much.

"Because she'd scare years off us without it," Emma commented, as David couldn't help but chuckle this time. His kids had no filter and he loved it. Goldie glared at the teen.

"Excuse me…but this is standard television makeup. I have to wear it so I won't be washed out by the lighting. With that fair skin, the lot of you are going to look like ghosts," she retorted.

"You'll be lucky if you look half as good as me when you get older, sweetie," she added. Eva's eyes widened in horror and she looked up at Snow.

"That's not true, is it Mommy? I don't wanna look like her," Eva whimpered, as her siblings snickered in amusement. Snow tried not to smile and leaned down to cuddle her daughter close.

"No honey…you're going to be so beautiful and you'll look nothing like her. I promise," Snow said, as Goldie glared at the Mayor.

"LeFou…are you ready or not!?" she snapped, as she picked up her microphone and prepared to make her live report.

"And we're live in five, four, three, two…" he said, trailing off.

"Good Morning Storybrooke! I'm Goldie Phillips coming to you live, on location, from the Mayor and Sheriff's residence with a special, exciting report today," she said, as Ratigan took his place beside her.

"We are witnessing history here in Storybrooke today, as the Mayor and Sheriff have vowed to resign their positions of power and leave our little town behind, all while we usher in the dawn of a new era with Ratigan as our new Mayor," she said, as she put the microphone up to him, but suddenly felt something fall onto her head. She gasped in horror, as she realized a bird had just released its droppings on both of them.

Leo burst out laughing, as some squirrels and rabbits scurried around their feet.

"Owe!" she cried, as she felt one of them bite her.

"You little brat!" she cried, as she started toward him, but David pulled him back.

"Easy…he hasn't done anything," David said. She huffed.

"Oh really? He's not making the animals stir crazy?" she asked.

"No…you two are doing that by creating this crisis in town," David replied.

"ENOUGH!" Ratigan growled, as he pointed his gun at David, who immediately pushed Leo and Emma behind him, while Snow stood in front of Eva.

"I have had enough of your foolish stalling, Sheriff Charming…and your children's antics. Tell the town you are resigning and handing the reins over to me or I'll shoot you in front of your family," he threatened. David glared daggers at him and stepped forward, before turning to Snow, as they spoke to each other with their eyes. They were out of time and she understood exactly what they needed to do now.

"Good…" Ratigan said, as the camera was now on him.

"Your Sheriff has surrendered to me and this town is now under new management…" Ratigan said, as he suddenly choked on his words, as Charming elbowed him in the throat and then grabbed for the gun, pointing it at the sky, as he tried to take it.

"Go…" Snow whispered to the kids, ushering them toward the house.

"Hey!" Goldie said, as she drew her arm back with the intent of hitting Snow with her mic, only to cry out, as Emma shoved her to the ground, right into the mud. She screamed in rage and pulled herself to her feet. She was a mess and she started to stalk toward them, only to be stopped by a growling wolf in her way.

"I hate you…I hate your whole family!" she screamed.

"LeFou…get me out of here!" she cried, like the diva she was, as they scurried back to the news van. David knocked the gun out of his hand and Snow was quick to pick it up. David punched the professor square in the face and shoved him back, as he wobbled, trying to stay on his feet. Snow handed the gun to her husband and he pointed it at the scientist. Ratigan smirked, as his minions encroached upon them and stood in front of him.

"You won't shoot your own citizens…" he said deviously.

"He won't need to," Regina said, as she and Paul arrived and began to immediately spray people with the antidote. Ratigan watched in horror, as his captives came out of their stupor and looked around in confusion.

"No…no…you're ruining everything!" he cried, as he started to run away, but David tackled him to the ground and cuffed him.

"You're under arrest, Professor Ratigan and with the list of charges you've racked up, you'll be lucky if you don't get life," David said, as marched him toward the patrol car and put him in the back. Snow sighed in relief, as she hugged Emma and the twins.

"What's going on?" one of the nurse's asked.

"I'll explain everything back at the hospital. I'd like to do a random blood test on all employees, just to make sure Professor Ratigan's drug has no long term effects," Paul announced, as his employees dispersed. He and David shook hands.

"Thanks for the help…both of you," he said. Paul smiled and Regina nodded curtly.

"Any time…thanks for making sure no one got hurt," the doctor replied, as Snow sided up to him and put her arms around his waist. He slid his arm around hers and kissed her tenderly.

"I'm going to take him to the station and process him, but I should be home soon," he promised.

"Okay…how about we meet at Granny's for dinner?" she suggested, as the twins cheered for that option. He smiled.

"Sounds perfect," he replied, as he kissed her again, before getting into the patrol car and heading for the station.

"Will you and Uncle Robin and Roland come to Granny's too?" Leo asked. Robin smiled, as he joined his wife.

"I think we can do that," Robin answered. Regina smiled.

"Sounds like fun. We can make fun of your parents when they start dancing to one of those cheesy ballads in the jukebox," the former Queen quipped.

"Hey…those are classics," Snow protested.

"I think the word you're looking for is old and cheesy," Regina teased.

"But tried and true, just like us," Snow said and no one could argue with that.

~*~

"This is quite a litany of charges you've leveled at the Professor," George stated, as he looked over the paperwork. David had locked Ratigan up in a holding cell, after processing him and then sent the paperwork off to the District Attorney's office. Unfortunately, George was still in the position and they really had no one else qualified to run against him, except Mitchell Herman, but he was content at the time to run his practice and serve as just about the only defense law firm in town.

"And let me guess, you're going to argue with me," David replied.

"I'm just pointing out that this is Storybrooke and we don't have many with knowledge like Professor Ratigan. Most of our teachers, save for Frollo, aren't actual teachers," George said.

"And most are still stunted by the remaining effects of the curse. My children aren't and we enlist Belle's help to make sure their curriculum is challenging enough. Ratigan isn't fit to be around people, let alone children," David argued.

"Hmm…I suppose you have a point," George said reluctantly.

"What became of the drug paraphernalia?" he asked. David smirked.

"Paul has already disposed of it. We have enough victims and testimony that we don't need the actual drug for evidence. Mind control drugs are much too dangerous to keep around so I guess you won't get to find out if they could work in your favor," the prince replied.

"I don't appreciate your assumptions that I would ever do such a thing, Sheriff," George snapped, as he sighed off on the charges and stormed out.

"Nice seeing you too, as always," he called sarcastically. Thomas shook his head.

"He's always a ray of sunshine," he commented.

"He still craves power and hates that Snow trounces him every time he tries to run against her as Mayor," David replied, as Leroy and Happy arrived for the night shift. He tossed the keys to Leroy and grabbed his leather jacket.

"Hot date?" Thomas teased.

"The hottest. Dinner at Granny's with the most beautiful woman in the world and three adorable, hilarious, and mischievous kids," David replied, as he made his way out for the night.

He made the short drive to the diner and the door opened with a chime.

"Daddy!" the twins called excitedly, as they barreled toward him and he scooped them up.

"That was so awesome when you punched that rat!" Leo said excitedly and David chuckled.

"Daddy, I got bad feelings from that bad man, but Mommy said he's going to jail now?" Eva asked.

"Yeah…he's going to jail for a very long time," David answered, as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. He put them down and let them run back to the table, while he slid into the booth beside Snow.

"Hey handsome," she cooed, as they shared a kiss.

"Hey yourself, beautiful," he replied, as they smiled at each other.

"I'm hungry…" Leo complained, as Ruby approached the table.

"Well, we better fix that," she said, as she took their orders and returned to the counter, as the song changed on the Jukebox and David offered his hand to his wife.

"Might as well work up an appetite while we're waiting," he said, as she took his hand.

"This song is so cheesy," Emma complained.

"Nah…just classic, like us," David said, as they started swaying closely, arms around each other.

"I'm sure you'll have songs with someone special someday, sweetie and then your kids will think they're cheesy too," Snow said.

"Yeah, hopefully when you're thirty," David commented sourly.

"Our baby girl is going to date, honey," she said, earning a grunt from him.

"But they'll always be our babies," she added.

"Yeah…sometimes I wish I could just freeze time for them," he said. She smiled.

"Me too," she agreed, as Regina and her family arrived. Gold and Belle soon followed and once again, the diner was full of family and friends. They ate and enjoyed dinner together, as they did often, and then the kids started a board game, leaving Snow and David to cuddle in the booth behind them. They watched their kids fondly and David pressed a kiss to her hair.

"You know, even though Ratigan was dangerous, I had fun on another adventure with you," she said. He smiled.

"Me too…Storybrooke is never boring, that's for sure," he replied, as he leaned in for a kiss, just as the diner door opened.

"Oh Sheriff…there you are!" Drizella called in full dramatics. Snow huffed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked.

"Excuse me, Madam Mayor…but this is a public establishment and I run the Storybrooke Mirror, after all. I'm here to interview the Sheriff about his incredibly heroic takedown of the dastardly Professor Ratigan," she said dramatically.

"I'll fax a copy of my report to your office in the morning," David replied.

"But Sheriff…don't you want to recount the details of the event for my article personally?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Not really…and it wasn't all my effort anyway. I could have never done it without my deputy, Dr. Sakura, Regina, Mr. Gold, and of course, my beautiful wife," he replied, as he smiled fondly at her, a gesture which she returned. Drizella huffed.

"Sheriff…" she started to argue, when she felt something pelt her in the back of the head. Her face scrunched in confusion, as she reached back and pulled an earthworm out of her hair. She shrieked at the top of her lungs and flung the worm toward the ceiling where it stuck.

"Which one of you little cretins did that!?" she growled, as she approached the Charming children.

"I did," Leo said, as she snarled at him, only for Emma to squirt her in the face with the mustard bottle.

"Whoa…direct hit!" Leo declared and Eva giggled.

"Why you…you little…" Drizella stammered, as she tried to wipe the mustard out of her eyes.

"Oooohhh…" Lucifer winced, as he rushed to her and handed her a single napkin.

"You idiot! How is this going to help?" she shouted. Snow walked up to the bar and Ruby handed her the nozzle from the soda wand behind the bar.

"Let me help," she said in a sweet voice, as she sprayed the crazy woman with soda.

"You…you monster! Mother was right…you're the real monster!" Drizella bawled, as she fled the diner with her assistant chasing after her.

"I guess that was kind of mean," Snow said, as she returned to her laughing husband.

"Nah…you're just protecting what's yours," he replied, as she gave him a coy smile and gently cupped his face in her hand.

"Mmm…you are so right," she replied, as they shared another kiss.

"Mom…that was awesome," Emma said.

"You too sweetie, but remember, we never do that to people, unless it's Drizella Tremaine, no matter what," Snow said. The kids nodded, knowing that their Dad's crazy stalker was the only exception for that kind of behavior.

"Guess we better head home," he mentioned.

"In a hurry, handsome?" she asked.

"I'm so turned on right now," he whispered to her. She smiled and bit her bottom lip.

"Ruby…check please," she called, as they paid the check and said their goodbyes and with that, the Charming family headed home. Storybrooke was safe and normal once again. Or as normal as Storybrooke could ever be. In a town full of characters the world considered to just be fairy tales…they weren't simply just anything. In their little corner of the world, belief, hope, and true love were everything and the cornerstone of a happily ever after that was really just the beginning and middle of their lives. And true love would never fail this family…

The End.

[believingispowerfulmagic]

We All Will Be Together

Summary:  Set in my "The Christmas Wish" verse. Santa has granted Henry and Roland's wish by making them brothers. Robin and Regina have decided to stay married. Follow them as they spend their first year as a family by seeing how they celebrate the special occasions throughout the year.

Chapter 1: FFN | AO3 | Wattpad

Chapter 7: The Wedding

FFN | AO3 | Wattpad

Excerpt: 

"Are you sure about this? I know we said that we wanted the full experience but we're also already married. I don't think we need to worry about this particular superstition," Robin said, standing outside the church with an overnight bag in his hand and looking hesitant to leave her.

She reached out, pressing her hand against his cheek as she smiled. "I know but I don't want to tempt fate. So can we just do this to put my mind at ease?"

Robin, though, didn't look convinced. "I know your morning sickness hasn't been as bad as it once was but what if you do get sick during the night? I don't want you to be sick by yourself."

"I'll be fine," she assured him, knowing he had been waking with her whenever she was sick to rub her back or hold her hair. It had been comforting to have him beside her during those moments. But they had lessened as she approached the end of her first trimester and the start of her second, so she was confident that she would not be sick that night.

"But what if you are?" he pressed, clearly reluctant to leave her side. For a moment, she wondered if maybe it would just be best to just let him stay and spend the night with her. She would love to fall asleep in his arms like she always did.

But she also wanted the full experience and that included the groom and bride spending the night before the wedding apart. So she squeezed his hands. "Tink is staying with me. If I get sick, she'll be there. And if it's really bad, she will call you. Promise."

He pressed his lips together but finally nodded. "Alright. Then I'll see you here tomorrow."

"Yes, you will," she assured him, pulling him closer as she rose up on her toes to give him a kiss.

He leaned into the kiss, deepening it for a few minutes before pulling away. "I can't wait for tomorrow night," he told her.

"I'm sure you can't," she teased him gently. She then gave him a little push. "Go on. Enjoy your night with John and the boys."

"I will," he replied, gently brushing some hair from her face. "And you enjoy some pampering before the wedding."

She smiled, nodding as John stepped out of the church. He clapped Robin on the back. "You ready to go, mate?"

"I am," he said, giving Regina's hand one more squeeze. "See you tomorrow."

John guided Robin down the stairs. They rounded up the boys and Regina watched as they climbed into Robin's truck. He gave her one last smile before getting the driver's seat and pulling away from the church. She followed the truck until it turned the corner and disappeared from her sight.

"Regina? Are you okay?" Archie asked, coming to stand next to her.

She nodded, looking up at him. "It's just…we haven't spent a night apart since we got married and I'm surprised that I'm nervous about sleeping alone."

He chuckled. "It is surprising how easily the right person can integrate into one's life, huh?"

"Yeah," she said, unable to imagine her life without Robin anymore. He now always seemed to be there and she loved it.

"Well, it's only for one night," Archie said. "You're a strong woman, Regina. I know you'll be fine."

Regina felt a bit buoyed by his words. "Thank you. So are you going to stop by tomorrow morning as we get ready for the wedding?"

Archie grinned but shook his head. "I think I would just get in the way so I'll just come a bit later. Tink's already promised to text me for when you're in your dress. I don't want to miss that."

"Good," Regina said, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, Archie. I couldn't ask for a better friend."

"Neither could I," he replied, hugging her. "Have a goodnight, Regina. And then tomorrow, we'll celebrate your much deserved happily ever after."

He headed down the stairs as Mary Margaret came out of the church, followed by Tink. They locked arms with Regina as Mary Margaret asked: "You ready to head home?"

"I am," Regina said. "I'm excited to see what you two have planned for me for the rest of the evening."

Tink grinned, guiding her down the stairs. "Well, we have an early night planned for you. Just a relaxing bath and then bed. Because everything we then start early tomorrow."

"Do I want to hear how packed my morning is going to be tomorrow?" she asked, amused and a little nervous that Tink and Mary Margaret would try to do too much.

"It'll be fine," Tink said. "Just trust me."

Regina sighed, nodding. "Alright. But if I think it's too much, I reserve the right to tell you to skip some things. Deal?"

"Deal," Mary Margaret replied. "Tomorrow is all about you. We're just there to make it perfect."

"Well, let's not worry about perfection. Let's just worry about having a good day," Regina told her.

Tink paused as they reached the car, looking her over with a soft smile. "Listen to that. It sounds more like Regina Locksley than Regina Mills."

"Robin certainly has rubbed off on me," Regina agreed, opening the door to the car. "I wonder how I rubbed off on him."

"He's definitely happier," Tink said, sliding into the car next to her.

Regina paused, frowning. "He always seemed happy to me before."

"And so were you," she countered, giving Regina a look. "Wouldn't you agree you're happier now that you and Henry are a family with Robin and Roland?"

"Of course I am," Regina replied. She then paused before realizing what her friend was getting at. "So naturally Robin is just as happy that Henry and I are now part of his family."

Tink nodded. "Exactly."

Mary Margaret started the car, glancing back at them. "And it's only been six months. I'm sure we'll all start to see more of your influence on Robin soon."

"Agreed," Tink said. She then leaned forward and tapped the driver's seat. "Now, let's go! We all need to get plenty of rest before tomorrow."

Laughing, Mary Margaret put the car in drive and pulled away from the church. Regina leaned back, watching it disappear behind her. The next time she saw it, she would be wearing her wedding gown and walking down the aisle to pledge to spend the rest of her life with Robin in front of their friends and family.

She couldn't wait.

[radiance1]

There was a new cafe open in Gotham.

Such thing would usually not be a problem whatsoever, except for the fact that the family that ran said bakery just appeared out of nowhere one day. No one knew who they were, not where they came from.

The two parents- Mr. and Mrs. Fenton seemed to be the usual case of brilliant scientists about to snap and go crazy, and yes, everyone who visited said store waited with baited breath for said thing to happen.

Except, it never did.

They were just being your normal (as you can get in Gotham) run of the mill parents taking care of their two kids while simultaneously running a bakery.

Almost made them feel silly for waiting for the other shoe to drop, but in Gotham you could never be too sure.

Their oldest child, Jasmine Fenton passed college with flying colors, and seemed to be your normal run of the mil teenage girl busy with taking care of school and stuff.

Their youngest and last child- Danny Fenton- was a bit of an enigma, to be honest. He didn't seem to be going to school, instead staying and helping run his parents' bakery alongside- or alone when they were busy with something else- his parents. The room noticeably got colder whenever he was around, his touch colder than the normal human should be, his breath a tad too cold whenever he was speaking over someone's shoulder, and his teeth literal fangs.

They assume him to be a meta, and if he didn't already have parents would have assumed him to be Mr. Freeze's long-lost child or something.

Everyone was determined to treat them like a normal family, maybe a tad weird but honestly, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say there was something weird about everyone who lived in Gotham.

They were just a normal family, maybe have a past they're running from, who are the Gothamites to judge. At least, until they were attacked by one of Gotham's rouges.

The daughter was at school, well out of the fire zone.

Ms. Fenton calmly rang out a bell on the counter, while Mr. Fenton didn't even stop from where he was carrying multiple people's orders (with the help from small green beings the Fenton's call blob ghosts) and then out from the ceiling appeared what looked like extremely high-tech weapons and without a second's delay were they fired, the villain was not killed, but were knocked out cold.

Then their son appeared from the kitchen, dusting his hands off on his apron, calmly walked to the villain and proceeded to throw them out of the establishment as easy as breathing and walk back into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

They knew there was another shoe just waiting to drop, and drop it did. They're just glad it wasn't the result of another villain added to the rogue's ranks.

And hey, they'll be turning a blind eye for as long as they could when said family makes some of the best pastries and meanest cups of coffee in Gotham.

(Two days after that was it made known that their daughter pulled out one of those same high-tech guns on the Red Hood.)

[tiger-grace]

I feel like in Gotham there’s crime rumor mills just based on who from the batfam is on patrol and their family drama bc it greatly impacts the violence level the melee criminals will receive 😭😭

Joker Goon #1: hey we still on for the shipment tonight?

Joker Goon #2: we delayed it. Red Hood just had a fight with his dad

Joker Goon #1: ah.

Bank Teller: hey man for your own safety you might want to get out of here early

Robber: I am literally holding a gun to your head?? wdym

Bank Teller: Nightwing is PISSED tonight

Robber: what- oh. he’s rampaging isn’t he

[wileys-russo]

Mary Earps blurb where you sneak into the Lionesses hotel in Australia and surprise her? The girls all know but she doesn’t

surprise visitor II m.earps

"do you know how much trouble i could be in if someone finds out about this?" millie chuckled as she handed you a lionesses tracksuit to change into, the two of you huddled in a back alleyway behind their base camp hotel in terrigal, australia.

"mills it was your idea!" you tutted quietly with a laugh, the blonde turning away as you glanced around to make sure no one was watching and began to change. "yeah well mary's been nothing short of miserable for days now and its getting on everyones last nerve." millie groaned.

you having been uncontactable to your girlfriend for a couple of days now claiming you'd gone away on a camping trip with your students and had minimal reception, had meant mary was seemingly lost without any sort of interaction with or from you.

the reality was you'd spent the last couple of days inbetween flights on your way to australia, jetlag kicking you something terrible but motivated only by knowing each minute that ticked by meant you were closer to seeing your favourite smile once more.

you'd originally been unable to accompany mary's family overseas for the world cup due to work commitments, but your boss seeing how miserable you'd been had taken pity and allowed you to take time off for the last two weeks of the tournament granted you still did some marking on behalf of the substitute who would take your place remotely whilst over there.

so you'd spun this elaborate story of taking a group of your students camping, where you'd have practically no reception and would barely be able to speak to her in order to hide the fact you were making your way halfway round the world.

you were lucky the woman was so gullible.

"acting like you haven't missed me too mills, that's cute." you grinned, tapping her to let her know you were changed as the blonde turned and rolled her eyes, messing up your hair before tugging the hood over your head.

having been with mary for a few years now you were well known to all of her team mates for club and country, all of them seeing how disgustingly in love mary was with you and how well suited you were as a pair meant you were cared deeply for by most of them as well.

"come on, game face time." millie and you exchanged a nod, having already gone over the plan with her and rach a hundred times when millie had found out you were flying over to surprise mary and proposed she help you out.

so here you were about to be snuck into base camp which was very much so against the rules, to spend the night with mary before you'd go to your own hotel tomorrow where her family were expecting you, thinking your flight was landing...tomorrow.

the only people who knew you were actually already in australia right now, technically a whole day early, were millie and rachel.

"head down, don't look up till i say so." millie murmered, having dressed you in rach's tracksuit and praying no one would stop the two of you she slung an arm over your shoulder and guided you through the hotel.

you'd left your luggage with rachel who had already hid it in her room till you'd be leaving again tomorrow, the girl instructed to wait it out there until millie gave her the all clear.

you did your very best not to trip over your feet as the taller girl dragged you through room after room until finally you stepped into the elevator and breathed a sigh of relief, grinning up at millie who wiped at her forehead before giving you a wink.

though your relief was short lived as the elevator stopped at a floor you didn't click, millie flicking your hood over your head again as you turned to face the wall and looked down at your feet again.

your heart raced as you heard none other than alessia and ella get into the elevator, chatting away to themselves about plans for a movie night in maya's room.

"hi mills, hi rach!" ella beamed, millie smiling politely in response as you stayed quiet, eyes wide as they bore into the floor and you prayed the elevator would go faster. "ya alright rach?" ella asked with a frown and you noticed her shoes appear in your sights as she shuffled closer.

"tickle in her throat, isn't feeling well so she's headed off to bed early." millie quickly excused, stepping in front of you slightly. "hey aren't your rooms on level six?" alessia asked confused, noticing millie had clicked the eighth floor.

"hang on..." ella took another step forward and before you could even blink she'd yanked your hood down, her and alessia gasping and throwing themselves at you as millie sighed in defeat, dragging her hands down her face.

"okay yes hello hello!" you were wrapped up into a bear hug by the younger girls who chatted your ear off, not even letting you get a word in as they asked a hundred questions. "girls!" millie interrupted, both falling silent as they placed you back down on your feet.

"listen. you never saw us, you never saw her, and not a word of this to a single soul ever. right?" millie warned sternly as both younger girls nodded wordlessly, giving you one more hug before stepping off on the fifth floor and heading away toward maya's room.

"don't worry about them, i'll handle it. go get your girl!" millie grinned once she'd walked you to mary's room, knocking on the door and legging it away in the opposite direction after you'd thanked her profusely.

when your girlfriend didn't answer though, you knocked again, and again, and again.

"for fuck sakes this better be a bloody emergen-" the door flew open and mary's angry glare dropped the moment she saw you, jaw almost hitting the floor as her eyes remained wide as saucers and you grinned.

"hi baby. you gonna let me in or am i gonna just stand here in the cold?" you asked as mary stuttered, shaking her head a few times before launching at you, picking you up and dragging you inside as she kicked the door closed behind her.

"you're really here???" mary asked still in shock as you wrapped your legs around her waist and she looked at you incredulously. "surprise." you grinned, hands resting on the back of her neck and playing with the hairs which had fallen out of her messy bun.

"oh my god." mary exhaled, pulling you as tightly into her body as she could in a bone crushing hug, inhaling deeply at the familiar smell of your shampoo. "but i thought...camping?" mary frowned in confusion as she placed you on your feet, arms remaining wrapped tightly around you.

"for such a smart woman you are very gullible darling." you grinned teasingly, the taller girl shaking her head. "but how did you even..." mary trailed off, cogs clearly turning in her head as you let out a laugh.

"rach and mills snuck me in, i have to go to my own hotel tomorrow but for tonight i'm all yours. your family think i don't land till tomorrow." you admitted biting down on your lip sheepishly. "god i love you." mary breathed out, wasting no more time as she dipped her head and pressed her lips to yours.

"i love you more and i can't wait to watch you achieve everything you deserve and more." you whispered, pressing your forehead against hers as the two of you stood together in silence for a moment, just taking in one another's presence. "its about time the world saw you how i do, you're the most fiercely amazing woman i know baby." you promised as you pecked her lips sweetly a few times.

"oh love." you laughed quietly as her eyes welled up with tears, wiping them away with the pad of your thumb. "such a sap." you teased as mary wiped her face with her sleeve. "shut up!" the girl rolled her eyes, burying her face in your hair and exhaling deeply as you snuck your hands up her top and scratched lightly at her back.

"my most special, wonderful and favourite girl, always." mary mumbled before pulling away slightly and once again smashing her lips to yours, your tongues swirling against one another as the kiss became a little less sweet.

"i missed you so much love." the keeper breathed out inbetween kisses, still looking at you as if you were a mirage that could disappear at her fingertips any given second as she backed you into the wall, pressing her body against yours.

"i know, heard you've been miserably insufferable without me." you mumbled teasingly against her lips, arms looping around her neck as her hands gripped your hips so tightly you'd not be surprised if they were bruised tomorrow.

but you didn't care, when you were with her you were home.

"mary!" you laughed as she suddenly picked you up, tossing you easily over her shoulder as you smacked her bum and she gently dropped you onto her bed, wasting no time crawling on top of you with a grin.

"now...what was that about having you all to myself for tonight beautiful?"

[stayevildarling]

could you do a hurt-comfort fic w either:

lou x tammy x reader

orrrrr

wilhemina x regina mills x reader pleaseee

Wilhemina Venable x Regina Mills x Reader- Burying our memories (AU)

A/N: I think this is absolutely not what you expected with this request dear anon. However the first thing I thought of was an AU with dark Mina x the evil Queen so I hope nevertheless you enjoy this <3 For anyone who has watched ouat please ignore how I altered the curse and changed the story

tw: dark mina, evil queen, cursing, degrading, blood, pain, angst, hurt

word count: 7k

taglist:

@lunaticwhittaker, @billiebeanhoward, @lanawinters-ily, @kenzbro, @minaslittleone, @httpfiftyshadesofgay, @whitelotus00, @ninaahs, @vintagepaulson, @isle-of-earle, @paulsonsratched, @stepintomyworld, @grilledcheeseandguavajelly, @lucyintheskywithxanax, @fanfics4world, @mymiraclewitch, @hazard-to-myself, @awritersometime, @ohrwurm26, @wastdstime

The dense greenery of the enchanted forest sways gentle in the cool breeze, casting shifting patterns of shadow and light upon the forest floor. With swift motions, you run through the tangled undergrowths, your breathing coming in ragged gasps as you glance over your shoulders, trying to see if they had gone, if you were safe.

Moments before, your day looked like it usually did, as you found yourself in the heart of the village, your heart heavy with the weight of injustice. The villagers lacking the most basic things including food, water and supplies to survive, due to the Queen's oppressive rules. And somehow over the years, after slowly losing your family and purpose altogether, you turned out to be an aid for the poor lost souls in the forest and village, their silent pleas echoing in the depths of your soul.

Somehow you had turned into your own version of a Robin Hood, wanting to help out, regularly crossing boundaries and stealing from the Queen's garden and palace grounds in order to provide for them, rid them of the poverty and pain they had endured for years now. And somehow, today you had been careless, not caring about the sound of alarms piercing through the stillness of the night. The queen's guards descended upon the village with ruthless efficiency, riding their horses, their gleaming armour announcing their presences further.

And now as you attempt fleeing through the labyrinth of the forest, trying to reach your sanctuary hidden deeply inside the forest, the branches tear at your clothes, the thorns pricking your skin and causing for blood to run down your arms and legs, leaving a crimson reminder of your foolishness before. Fear and desperation mingles in your veins as you push and push forward, occasionally glancing behind your shoulder to reassure that you would manage to lose them again, just like you had done many times. And if you were in a clear state of mind, you would have noticed that you took a wrong turn, ignoring the wanted poster with both your face on it, among other faces, like Snow White, all enemies to the queen who had been on her wanted list for quite some time now.

With a loud thud, you feel yourself losing your balance as you must have bumped into something, feeling a warm sensation before hitting your head on a nearby branch. It takes a little while for your vision to clear, before you find yourself face-to-face with a woman cloaked in darkness, her sharp features illuminated by a flickering lantern. Through a teary vision, due to the pain piercing through your body, you notice dark red hair styled in a sharp quiff, a shade of very dark purple, almost black coating her body. There's a calculating gleam in her eyes, as she finds you pathetically whimpering on the floor, her lips curled into a smirk.

,,Well well'' she remarks, her voice hushed ,,You seem to have gotten yourself into quite a predicament, running from the queens guards I presume?'' she questions and if it wasn't for the pain, you would have noticed the odd sense of familiarity you seem to feel and how you almost would have recognised her. Your heart pounds in your chest, torn between fleeing, the sound of shouting guards and horses still lingering in the air. But there was something about the woman's demeanour that stops you, a sense of intrigue mixed with caution.

Before you can respond, the older woman bends a little to place the lantern on the floor, the bright sensation causing you to close your eyes only momentarily. As you open them again, you watch as she balances on a cane before extending a gloved hand, offering assistance. ,,Come with me'' she offers, her tone surprisingly gentle. ,,I can offer you refuge, but you must trust me''.

Despite the feeling of doom and danger, you see a glimmer of hope in her offer, and so with a silent nod, you accept her outstretched hand, allowing her to lead you deeper into the shadowy depths of the enchanted forest. And it takes several minutes, for the pain to stop throbbing, the blood from your earlier wounds to stop pouring, until you can collect your thoughts. And as you walk behind her, following the sound of her cane and the light source provided by the small lantern she carries, something about the way she walked alarms you. And then it finally dawns on you, finding the familiar trees with carvings on them, where she was leading you, your secret path to the palace that you would often use in order to sneak to the grounds to steal in order to provide for the poor souls of the village.

And then at last it dawns on you who was walking in front of you, who's assistance you agreed upon. You didn't know her name, you had heard it plenty of times but you couldn't recall it, only remembering how she was the assistant to the wicked queen, the people in the village often mentioning her, how she never spoke much but was always by her side. As the forest echos with whispers of secrets, yet to be revealed, panic shoots through your veins, glancing around you to think of a quick escape and as you stop walking, you are quick to turn around, trying pathetically to begin running, however your legs give in as you feel a sharp pain, before everything goes black, having calculated your steps wrong, having put your trust in the wrong hands as the woman never had the intention of helping you, knowing you had been searched and chased for the longest time.

While you battle through unconsciousness, the woman had already alerted the same guards that had chased you before, who carried you inside the palace, the place that you had feared for years. And as the woman returns to the queens chambers in the middle of the night, not disturbing much sleep as her majesty had been awake, pacing back and forth contemplating her next steps and the secret curse she had been planning on casting for years, almost on the verge of completing it, finally having all the necessary ingredients, her peace is interrupted. ,,Busy'' she snarls as she is lost in her pacing, unaware who is standing in front of her.

,,Something demands your attention in the dungeons, your majesty'' the redhead woman announces, causing for the brunette to turn around, as her eyes sparkle with curiosity. And as her curiosity gets ahold of her, she brushes past her most loyal assistant yet, the sound of the queens heels and the other woman's cane echoing through the castle as they pass countless guards. And at last they make it to the dungeons, watching your almost lifeless frame on the floor, in restraints. ,,Well well'' the queen chuckles lowly, glancing at the other woman with a hint of excitement in her brown eyes. ,,Was she caught stealing my apples again?'' she chuckles as she approaches you a little closer.

,,No your majesty, I found her in the woods'' the other woman announces, causing for the queens head to snap in her direction, as she bites her lip in anticipation, almost a hint of lust in her eyes. As you slowly wake up, despite your body screaming in pain, you open your eyes, catching a glimpse of the woman who you had feared for the longest time, accompanied by the woman you had wrongly put your trust into hours before. ,,You lied to me'' you scream, struggling through the restrains as anger flashes in your eyes. The Queen simply chuckles lowly, seeing your pathetic attempts to regain your freedom. ,,My dear, you have no idea who this is do you?'' the queen remarks, causing you to avert your gaze in frustration. ,,This my dear is Wilhemina Venable, my most loyal companion'' she begins, her hand wandering to the redheads cheek, squeezing it a little, her eyes sparkling with pride for how she had managed to capture you after her countless failed attempts in the past.

And despite the circumstances, your eyes betray you as you watch the scene unfold before you, for the first time really getting a glimpse of both women. And you couldn't deny how utterly beautiful they were, at least from the outside, both their hair styled sharply, exposing their faces plastered in dark makeup, the same brown eyes despite the different shades. The queen was wearing one of her usual dresses, black this time, plastered in diamonds and jewels, Wilhemina dressed entirely in a dark shade of purple. While the queen is busy with admiring the other woman, feeling drawn to her for capturing you, you watch as the redheads brown eyes travel towards you, almost a sign of pity in them before she speaks again.

,,What are you planning on doing with her your majesty?'' causing for the queen to chuckle, and you knew what this meant as you had always been running from death, knowing you had deserved it for stealing and running from her for years. Closing your eyes, you wait for what awaits, waiting for her to open the bars, approach and rip out your heart, as you had watched her do it to innocent people many times. However to your surprise she begins pacing a little, thinking about what to do with you. ,,I think we'll keep her'' she announces with a chuckle, and as you open your eyes you notice the confusion in the redheads features.

,,Where she comes from my dear, people bathe in the river and use pinecones for money'' she exclaims, her eyes piercing right through you. ,,I think she can be of great assistance, considering she knows the village and forest so well'' she carries on, Wilhemina simply nodding, trying to avert your eyes. ,,She would make an excellent pet'' is the last thing her majesty says before leaving, leaving behind a very puzzled and confused Wilhemina. She looks at you one more time before following, leaving behind an ever confused you. ,,Pet?'' you think to yourself, trying to pinch yourself to see if this was all just a dream or if maybe you had already died a while ago.

The remainder of the night is spent in the eery dungeons, the restraints keeping you from moving all that much and so the only thing you can do is try and relax as much as the situation allows you, leaning your head against the cold and damp wall behind you, trying to calm the raging storm of thoughts. Eventually sleep finds you, despite it being broken as the castle was considerably loud, even in the night and sometimes you thought you heard screams from the lost souls that had found their ending in the same dungeons you are sitting in. The next morning, you are awoken by one of the guards, as he undoes your restraints, pulling you up by your arms and forcing your shaky legs to follow him as he takes you towards her majesty.

With heavy eyes from the remaining pain lingering on your body and lack of comfortable sleep, you blink a few times as he lets go of you, dropping to your knees in the process. And as you glance around, you notice an unfamiliar room, filled with fancy mirrors, a balcony overlooking the palace grounds, a large dining table and fireplace to the side. And you also notice the same two familiar faces that you had last seen last night, Wilhemina sitting in one of the armchairs by the lit fireplace, her cane resting beside her, the same shade of dark purple but a different outfit. And in front of you, you find her majesty, wearing a red dress, her hair down and despite it all looking beautiful, yet intimidating.

For some reason, you feel the urge to stand up and so with all the strength left you balance and face her as she takes slow and calculated steps around you, walking in a little circle, occasionally glancing at the other woman in the room before speaking. ,,Now now, what are we going to do with you, pet?'' she questions with a little chuckle and it causes you to gulp, wondering just why she hadn't killed you yet, considering all the wanted posters and the hatred you knew she felt towards you for your actions.

The room fills with silence before a low chuckle ripples through it, this time not from the queen but her loyal companion. ,,We can have her for supper can't we dear?''. And again they have you gulping and you could easily try to make an escape, the guards having disappeared now, despite expecting them outside this room. But your curiosity keeps you on your shaky legs, glancing at the older woman who continues circling you like prey. ,,No, no'' she tuts, shaking her head a little ,,We can't waste such a beautiful little thing, now can we?'' her voice sounds almost mocking and you have no idea whether she was being genuine or not.

Silence stretches on, before an idea pops into your mind, knowing what her majesty desired and considering she hadn't killed you yet, maybe you could truly be of assistance to her and her companion, maybe just maybe you could even continue to do what you had been doing, helping out the villagers if you played your cards right. ,,Your majesty?'' you try and her head snaps towards you, eyebrows raised as she never expected one of her prisoners to speak to her like this, adress her in the correct way, other than if she was about to take their life. ,,Yes?'' she questions curiously, her eyebrow remaining raised. You clear your throat before speaking again ,,You are trying to look for Snow White correct?'' you speak carefully, knowing this subject was more than a little touchy to her.

,,Yes, do continue'' she ushers, as her eyes lock with yours. ,,I am not the biggest fan of her either your majesty, perhaps I could be of assistance to help you find her?'' While Wilhemina chuckles, the brunette walks away sighing before she turns to you again, her eyes overtaken by anger. ,,Did she also get the one you loved most in this world killed?'' her voice is filled with venom, though her eyes filled with pain. Wilhemina averts her gaze, knowing Regina for a very long time now and knowing how much that had changed her. ,,No, of course not, I'm sorry your majesty'' you begin speaking again before adding ,,But we have met briefly and I can help you find her'' you try again.

This time the redhead woman stands up, her cane echoing through the room before she halts right in front of you, her dark brown eyes piercing through you. ,,We have our own spies in the village, what makes you think you can find her?'' she spits, almost feeling pitty at your pathetic attempt. ,,Well Ms Venable, you also have tried to find me for years and I know what it's like... to run, you know?''. Her eyebrows raise in the same way the queens had moments before, admiring how polite you are, admiring your manners despite it all and being able to tell that you didn't do any of this to be spared as she is utterly aware you could have tried to make an escape by now or even simply accept your fate.

,,If you don't like that, perhaps I could be of assistance with your gardens your majesty'' you try next, trying to think of anything to make yourself useful to them, while still seeing some of your own gain and advantage. The queen smiles then before turning serious ,,You mean those same gardens you have stolen from many times?'' she scoffs, glancing at Wilhemina who remains in front of you, her presence intimidating. ,,It's just I couldn't help but notice how some of the fruit didn't exactly look too healthy your majesty and your stunning castle, deserves a worthy garden'' you finish your proposal, assuming that she would kill you next or send you back to the dungeons.

,,Guard'' she shouts and as he enters hastily, you close your eyes, awaiting your fate. ,,Get me the gardener now'' she shouts and as he practically runs away, Wilhemina's eyes widen as she turns her head to face the queen, surprised she would listen to you, especially the possibility of agreeing as she knows exactly what is about to happen. A little while later a middle aged man enters the room, almost tripping over his feet, clearly intimidated by the presence. ,,I hear you haven't been taking care of my gardens the way you are meant to'' she tuts, and with a swift motion, before he even gets the chance to explain himself, she has him on the floor, with a flick of her wrist his neck snapped, moments later the guards carrying his lifeless body from the floor a few steps away from you.

All you can do is freeze, feeling terrible that this was the result of your words, not thinking about the consequences your proposal held for the innocent man. And despite feeling like screaming, you stay still, not daring to look up at either of them right now, the realisation slowly sinking in that this wasn't good, that you are trapped by a deranged witch and her odd companion. ,,Fine'' she finally speaks again ,,You can look after the gardens and you may be free to go to the village whenever you please and provide me with information on Snow White'' the queen speaks, before she approaches you. As you look up, you watch as she brushes past Wilhemina before taking your cheeks into her hand and squeezing them ,,But if you think for one second you can escape and not return, you are mistaken'' she warns and as your eyes lock with hers, you can't help and fight the tears beginning to swell in them. ,,Yes your majesty'' you agree with shaky breaths, before she releases you from her tight grasp.

,,Guard'' she shouts again, the same guard entering hastily yet again. ,,Take Y/N to a room, she will be overlooking the gardens and feed us information on snow white'' she explains, before he nods ,,Yes your majesty'' he speaks before he ushers you to follow him. And you do, not once looking back, your feet still shaky from the interaction that had unfolded. The walk feels like it lasts a lifetime, until he finally leads you to a door, opening it and ushering you to go inside. It wasn't nice in the slightest, a lot of dirt, spider webs, barely even a window but there was a little table and chair, a bed even and it connected to what you assume to be a small bathroom. And despite it giving you dungeon vibes all over again, at least you wouldn't be restrained any longer, regaining a small sense of your freedom. He leaves moments later, and you can't help but collapse onto the bed, it really wasn't much of a bed, more of a mattress but nevertheless, you close your eyes as sleep finally washes over your tired body and aching bones.

The next time your eyes force open, it's a few hours later and as you glance around the small room, you find some things that had been left on the small table. As your curiosity gets ahold of you, you find a few sets of clothes, a washcloth and even some papers and pens and despite unsure who had left it there, you appreciate it. Moments later you finally rid your body from the dirt and blood that the last two days had left on you, putting on some of the clothes and leaving your room. It takes you several minutes to find a guard, asking if he could point you in the direction of the gardens and hesitantly he does, leading you to what you assume to be the old gardeners shed as you find all the necessary tools and so without thinking about it, you get to work, watering the bushes, trimming some of them to get them into perfect shape, nurturing some of the fruits and vegetables and correcting any mistakes that the previous gardener had made, for whatever reason taking this task quite seriously.

It's dark as you eventually return inside, quickly having the hang of it by now and finding your room, finding a meal on your table and despite again unsure who had left it, feeling grateful as you hadn't realised until now how much you had been starving. After finishing your meal, you change your clothes again, washing the now dirty ones from working in the gardens all day, before sitting on your bed crossed leg, trying to figure out what to do as beside the day light, you had lost all sense of time a little bit. And so the only thing you can do is reach for the pen and papers, writing down the events from the past few days, sketching a little as well as it always had been your passion, unsure why but it really being the only thing you could do and several hours later passing out on your bed as sleep washes over you.

The next day, you find yourself doing the same things, her gardens were huge and as her majesty overlooks them, finding you working as you kneel on the floor, planting some flowers, she can't help but watch carefully, something about you utterly intriguing. You lose yourself in your task, unaware of who was watching before a presence startles you, causing you to drop your tools clumsily. You watch as Ms Venable circles around you, carefully observing without speaking a single word and it for sure intimidates you, having her observing and careful eyes on you. ,,You seem good at this'' she states, noticing how all the bushes and hedges had the exact same length and a part of her confused as to how you had managed that. ,,Thank you Ms Venable'' you almost whisper, after the last encounter quite terrified of them both and she can tell. ,,Have you managed to gather any information yet?'' she questions curiously and you gulp then before looking up at her as you still kneel on the floor.

,,Not yet, I was wondering whether I may be allowed to leave this afternoon to try and I was wondering whether I would be allowed to collect some seeds?'' you ask, your voice shaky. ,,Seeds?'' she chuckles then, almost mocking your words. ,,Yes Ms to plant some more vegetables and fruit and flowers you see'' you try your best to convince her. ,,I'm sure her majesty doesn't mind, as long as you return in the evening and report back to us'' she almost scolds, her features turning more serious and stern. ,,Of course Ms Venable, thank you'' is all you reply with a small smile, unsure why you had smiled in the first place but it somehow came natural. And before you know it she leaves, her cane echoing with each step before it stops altogether as she reaches the palace again.

Several hours later, you finally make your way to the village, using your secret path through the forest, stopping briefly by your hide out and gathering some of your things, putting them all in a small bag and changing into one of your usual outfits, feeling much more comfortable that way. You opted for one of your beige ones, leather trousers, boots and a vest, a shoulder bag with your belongings. On the way to the village, you had also collected some seeds, hoping if you worked briefly and hard on the gardens, you could still provide the village with food, hoping that you could somehow stuff it in your bags so no one would notice. And as you finally make it to the village, you are met with the usual families, the children greeting you excitedly as they knew you always brought them things but today you unfortunately come empty handed. ,,We haven't seen you for a couple of days'' one of the villagers exclaims, scanning your features and noticing some cuts and bruises on your face. ,,Brief encounter with some guards'' you chuckle, not wanting to go into too much detail. ,,I don't have anything today unfortunately but I should soon'' you exclaim, however you are met with compassion and understanding.

,,Have either of you heard anything about Snow White lately?'' you ask the group of villagers, before most of them shake their head. ,,I believe she has last been seen up north, by the rivers'' one of them exclaims and you simply nod, appreciating their honesty, despite feeling terrible considering what game you are playing. Noticing the beginning dawn, the sun beginning to set, you opt to return to the palace, knowing you would never be able to make the journey up north within the next few hours. And it doesn't take long until you find yourself in front of the familiar back door, some guards already awaiting you. ,,Your majesty wants to see you'' he explains before you gulp and follow him.

He guides you back into the room you had been in before, the two of them sitting by the fireplace, before you stand awkwardly, feeling as if you are interrupting their peace. ,,Tell me, any information?'' the queen questions before she stands up and walks over to you. ,,Yes your majesty, apparently up north by the river'' you explain before she signals to the guard who remained standing there before he leaves at her instructions. ,,I would have checked the information for myself but I know I needed to return tonight'' you explain yourself and she simply furrows her eyebrows before scanning you, noticing the outfit change and the bag. ,,Well well, did our little pet make a stop somewhere?'' she asks, glancing at Wilhemina who simply watches with a chuckle. The brunette is quick to take the bag from you, her eyes glancing through the contents of it, noticing some seed pouches and chuckling as the redhead had filled her in on your earlier request. ,,What is this?'' she questions, holding up your notebook.

,,My notebook your majesty'' you exclaim, averting her gaze as your cheeks grow red a little. She skips through the pages, impressed with the several sketches, some from the villages, some from the forest and even one of her castle. She slides it back into your bag, before walking back over to her armchair, leaving you confused and stranded, unsure what to do next. ,,I feel like some tea, you dear?'' the queen announces and you aren't sure whether to leave them to it or whether they still needed you. ,,Of course'' the redhead begins, reaching for her cane but the queen stops her by waving her hand. ,,No no'' she tuts ,,We have a pet now remember dear'' she instructs and Wilhemina simply chuckles before they both look at you. You glance around the room, unsure where you are supposed to get tea from, however the redhead glances towards a backdoor behind the dining table and you nod gratefully before quickly walking through the door, finding a small tea kitchen there.

And so it doesn't take long before you enter the room again, carrying a little tray, before approaching them, with shaking hands placing it in front of them. ,,Anything else I can get you?'' you ask almost obediently and if you would have looked, you would have noticed the sparkle in Wilhemina's eyes. ,,No pet, but how about you join us considering you did so well today, I heard they have a trail on Snow White'' the queen chuckles and your eyes widen at her offer, but as Wilhemina pats the space next to her, you simply obey, quickly pouring the tea for them, before glancing at the fire, softly crackling, providing you with some warmth, as you feel a little awkward, under their careful gazes. ,,So tell me Y/N, what led you to steal from me in the first place?'' the queen begins, causing you to gulp as the last thing you expected was to find yourself having small talk over tea with them. ,,Yes Y/N'' Wilhemina mockingly carries on ,,We want to hear all about you'' she exclaims, again having you gulping and squirming in your seat.

The next few weeks, carry on the same way they had previously, most of your days are spent with taking care of the gardens, regularly going back to your village, providing them with some of the food that you had grown and nurtured, in secret of course. Your nights mostly looked the same as well, spending them in your room, doing some writing or sketching in your notebooks. However lately, they had often demanded your presence in the evening as well, as you often provided them with tea, the occasional wine, and any information you had on Snow White. And you couldn't help but notice how they seemed a little less strict, they stopped calling you pet and started with your actual name. You are sure by now they know that you have continued providing for your village and they hadn't killed you yet, not even mentioned it. And so, ever so slowly, your life at the palace felt almost normal as you had quite the freedom now, not having to let the guards know where you are going as they and her majesty knew you would always return in the evenings. And so it almost felt like home, appreciating the fact that you don't have to sleep on the wet and cold forest floor anymore but you knew there was something off, you should be terrified, trying to run from them after seeing all the horrible things they had done in the past but something about being around them so much, you started to understand more about the queens pain and the reason for her actions.

,,Where on earth is she?'' she paces around her large chambers, the anger flaring in her eyes as her magic sparks, her emotions bubbling out of the brunette.

Her loyal companion, sits by the fireplace, trying to keep her composure, before balancing on her cane, the sound echoing through the room. ,,I'm sure she just lost track of time'' the redhead tries calming her down, placing a hand on the queens shoulder but she is having none of that, quickly escaping her grasp. ,,She always returns, we were foolish to believe that she wouldn't betray us'' her raised voice rings through the air again, startling the redhead a little.

And Wilhemina wasn't sure whether the queen was actually concerned for your wellbeing, or simply considering whether to kill you, having noticed how Regina had almost gone soft since bringing you to the castle, still plotting her curse that she had worked on for a while but considerably softer with the people in the villages, especially your village. She knew all about you still providing them with food and yet Regina hadn't kill you and so Wilhemina had began wondering whether the brunette may feel the same way about you that Wilhemina had started, despite never talking about it.

The silence is interrupted when a guard enters ,,Your majesty'' he begins but she was having none of it. ,,Not now'' she shouts, waving her hand, getting ready to send him flying out the door. ,,Your majesty, we have finally found her'' he announces, the sound of more guards filling the air before her head snaps towards him. ,,Snow White?'' she questions, despite your best information and efforts lately, they still hadn't managed to capture her. ,,No your majesty'' he begins, before Wilhemina's heart stops in her chest.

They watch as another guard, drags your body inside, your face filled with blood as it pours from your mouth, your clothes stained and bruises beginning to plaster your face. Your eyes are closed as they throw you on the floor, in front of both women, smiling at themselves thinking they had captured you. ,,Are you both out of your minds?'' she shouts and the smiles quickly vanish from the guards faces. ,,Your majesty, Y/N has been searched for years'' he tries to justify his actions. ,,Didn't you two fools get the memo? she hasn't been searched for months, she belongs to this palace'' Wilhemina shouts, usually keeping her composure but unable to in this moment.

,,Pathetic idiots'' the evil queen shouts, in a swift motion making them turn into dust, wiping them from their existence quicker than either of them can take their next breath or justify their pathetic actions. Wilhemina is quick to rid you from the chains, her hand brushing past your cheek, the blood staining her leather gloves. Almost helplessly, Wilhemina turns to Regina, who simply stands frozen, before turning on her heels, abandoning you both as she leaves towards her balcony, trying hard to keep her emotions and rage at bay.

The battle of unconsciousness wins in the end, barely aware of the encounter that took place and so when you wake next, you find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings, a dark room, the only light sources some candles. As you try and force open your eyes, you notice the interior almost entirely a dark shade of lilac and your eyebrows furrow, trying to recollect the events from before. All you remember is trying to make your way back to the castle, stumbling upon some guards who clearly had no idea who you were and how they didn't listen to your pathetic attempts of explaining. How they beat you, hurt you and dragged you back to what you assume to be the castle. The last thing you see before sleep washes over your tired and beaten body is the lilac large sofa you are laying on before everything goes black and quiet.

Meanwhile Wilhemina had returned to the queens chambers, opting between getting you back to your room or a little closer to them and so she decides for one of her rooms in the end, needing the help of a guard to get you there, yet she trusted that same guard, having helped her with some of her secret missions in the past. She watched over you for a while, gently ridding you from the blood and changing your clothes for you, unsure why she was doing it but ignoring the thought for now, wanting to check on Regina. She finds the other woman still standing on her balcony, overlooking the gardens, despite the darkness of the night surrounding them. The cane echoing announces the redheads presence, as she stands beside her majesty, silence surrounding them.

,,How is she?'' the brunette asks, not averting her gaze from the dark night sky for a moment. ,,Fine'' Wilhemina mutters, still unsure how to read Regina's actions so far regarding you. And as the redhead catches a glimpse of the other woman's brown eyes, she can see something unfamiliar in them, something she couldn't read. ,,She's causing me to go soft'' she suddenly speaks, taking Wilhemina by surprise. ,,Is that such a bad thing?'' she questions in return, the queen averting her eyes again at the redheads statement. ,,Where is she?'' Regina asks after a moment of silence before Wilhemina speaks again. ,,She's safe'' and the statement causes for the queens eyebrows to furrow as her eyes draw towards the redheads again. ,,Where is she?'' she speaks again before Wilhemina swallows hard ,,In my room''.

,,Your room?'' her eyebrows raise now, surprised at the statement. ,,You are going soft too my dear'' she chuckles before giving her companion that nod, that nod that indicated she was tired and would retreat to her own chambers for the night. ,,Good night your majesty'' Wilhemina speaks before giving her the space she had silently asked for and retreating to her own room. In her room, she finds you still asleep and a wave of worry washes over her, having seen some of your wounds when changing and washing you before, concerned at the severity of them. ,,Y/N?'' she speaks almost softly, almost lovingly, so unlike the usual stern and intimidating woman. And her soft voice draws you from sleep instantly, as you open your eyes. And then it kinda dawns on you, who's room you are in and you instantly jolt, thinking you didn't belong there, unaware of who had put you there in the first place.

,,I'm so sorry Ms Venable'' you try, your voice still hoarse from sleep. ,,I don't know how I got here'' you apologise, trying to balance on your feet, however a sudden wave of pain washes over your body, causing you to tumble forward but a steady body forces you to remain still, stopping you from falling over. ,,It's okay dear'' she speaks so softly yet again and as you look up, you catch a glimpse of her brown eyes and how they sparkle, how suddenly she seems so much nicer, so much less intimidating and just a person, not the evil queens loyal companion. ,,Come on, let's sit you down'' she tries and you quickly obey, not wanting to cause any discomfort for her, unsure why she used a cane in the first place, but often sensing how uncomfortable she was whenever you caught a glimpse of her.

,,I put you here'' she confesses, causing your eyebrows to furrow in confusion but when the realisation sets in, your cheeks growing red a little, feeling silly for your earlier panic. ,,Is the pain quite bad?'' she asks, her features filled with concern but you quickly shake your bed. ,,No Ms Venable'' you assure, the pain much better now despite the remaining feeling of unbalance whenever standing up. The room fills with silence as you catch a glimpse of what you assume to be her chambers, the large wooden wardrobe in a corner, a large mirror, a desk with several books on them, two armchairs and a fireplace in the corner. As your eyes meet hers again you can't help but notice how she is staring at you, looking at you up and down as your eyebrows furrow in confusion, mirroring her actions to check if there was something wrong with your appearance.

,,You are quite pretty for a peasant'' she speaks quietly and now you are definitely contemplating whether you are awake, whether this was real. ,,Tha- Thank you Ms Venable'' you stumble over your words, unsure what to reply before she speaks again ,,You may call me Wilhemina'' she offers ,,But only when we are alone'' she instructs and you quickly nod your head, feeling a knot form in your stomach. The room fills with silence again, as you feel yourself relaxing in her presence a little, trying to think how you had gotten here in the first place, how being captured after all these years got you to a first name basis with her majesty's most trusted person. ,,What happened to you tonight?'' Wilhemina asks, drawing your thoughts and eyes back to her.

And then without hesitation and the usual composure you have around them, you fill her in on what had happened with the guards, and she listens intently, her jaw stiffening a couple of times when mentioning some of the more violent details. Before she can reply, the door bursts open, and your eyes widen when seeing the queen enter, in a dark nightgown, her hair down, the makeup gone and for the first time feeling like actually seeing Regina. ,,I can't sleep'' she sighs before noticing your presence and tensing her shoulders, not expecting you to still be there as it had been hours since Wilhemina mentioned having you in her room and assuming by now that you had left to your own room again.

,,And what are you still doing here?'' she questions, more to Wilhemina than yourself really. ,,We were just talking'' Wilhemina informs, her features remaining neutral. ,,I'll leave you to it your majesty'' you speak, quickly on your feet and ignoring the pain and dizziness as you brush past her and return to your own room. That night you have a hard time finding sleep, equally to the queen before, as you toss and turn at first, before eventually giving up on the idea of sleep and retreating to the comfort of your words and sketches as the pen flies over the pages of your notebook.

The next morning you return to your usually tasks, going on about your day, finding an odd sense of peace and quiet in the gardens. Unaware who was again looking over you, observing quietly from her balcony. And the next few weeks continue just like that, you going on about your usual tasks, having your evening encounters with both women who stopped tolerating your presence and started appreciating it, as you bring an odd sense of calm around them, some life into their monotone lives. And within those weeks you feel yourself increasingly drawn to both women, especially after they had taken you to your village a few days ago in the queens carriage, how you assumed Regina was going to bring her usual wrath of violence over people but instead her carriage brought food and supplies for your people and you couldn't believe your eyes, just as stunned as the poor people who feared as soon as they heard the queens guards and carriage arrive.

And you wondered whether maybe, just maybe the queen was going soft, unaware of the events that had taken turn behind closed doors, of how the queen had casted her spell and how it was slowly brewing, unaware of what it would bring, chaos, forgetting and what she had always desired most- her own version of a happy ending. And so tonight, you were unaware that the upcoming day would bring just that, unaware that tonight was your last with them. You had been confused about the queens unusual cheerful mood, how she had invited you to join them for supper, how Wilhemina could barely stand your gaze. How silently Wilhemina had pleaded for the queen to stop her curse but she couldn't stop it as it had been brewing silently for months and how nothing could stop it now, despite her beginning to silently regret it, despite her never admitting that to no one, not even herself really.

You find yourself sitting beside Wilhemina by the fireplace, how her eyes linger on the dancing flames, not having said much all night. ,,Wilhemina, is everything okay?'' you question silently and as her eyes meet yours, you see the pain, the doubts in them and so many unspoken words. However, your peace is interrupted when the queen enters, the door banging shut in the process and your heart stopping in your chest as you notice what she was carrying in her hands. Your notebook slaps against the table as she throws it on it, leaving behind a very confused and startled Wilhemina.

,,What is this?'' the redhead questions, her eyes meeting the angry queens eyes.

,,Ask her'' Regina spits, her angry eyes meeting yours. Wilhemina's eyebrows furrow in confusion as she looks at you. You can't do anything but stand, taking a step towards her majesty, knowing if she had read it, you would be beyond screwed.

,,I can explain your majesty'' you pathetically try but before you get the chance to, she takes a step closer, the echoing of her heels matching her inner turmoil as her eyes shoot daggers towards you, before you gasp as a hand extracts your heart, watching in shock as she holds it in her hands, the sound of it beating steadily filling the room.

,,Regina-'' Wilhemina shouts, quickly on her feet and her eyes travelling from you to the brunette.

,,I have had a feeling this carried your secrets'' she speaks, her eyes wandering towards your notebook. ,,And I wasn't surprised to read all your little confessions, find all your little sketches'' she speak almost mockingly, her eyes filled with both rage and pain.

,,Regina- what is it?'' Wilhemina tries again, her heart beating fast, her hands trembling with fear.

,,She loves us dear, both of us, the pages are filled with it'' she informs her companion, who simply stands there with a shocked expression as the room begins spinning a little.

,,Regina stop'' Wilhemina demands, her eyes pleading with the queen, her cane banging on the floor twice.

Regina's grip on your heart tightens, her gaze cold as she holds it in her hands, causing you to gasp for air. ,,Stop?'' she repeats, her tone dripping with disdain. ,,Why would I stop? when I have finally uncovered the truth about our little pet?''

Fear courses through your veins as you watch the scene unfold before you. Wilhemina's eyes widen in shock, her features mixed with disbelief and anguish. ,,Regina please'' she pleads again, her voice barely above a whisper ,,This isn't necessary''

,,You know that she loves us, you have known for a while now, we both have'' she pleads again as she steps forward, her voice filled with desperation.

Regina's eyes flicker with anger but Wilhemina continues, her words gaining strength. ,,Love should triumph over revenge'' she argues, her gaze never leaving Regina's.

The Queen's expression softens slightly at Wilhemina's words, a flicker of doubt crossing her features. For a moment it seems as though she might relent, before she senses that her curse almost reached you, knowing it was too late, that she couldn't fix this, before her eyes harden once more, her resolve returning.

"Love is a weakness, Wilhemina," she retorts, her voice cold and unforgiving. "It blinds us, makes us vulnerable. We cannot afford such weakness in our world."

Before Wilhemina can respond, having heard those same words fall many times from the queens lips, Regina reaches out and places your heart back in your chest. The pain is intense, causing you to drop to the floor, and as Regina leaves the room, Wilhemina rushes to your side, abandoning her cane, pulling you into her arms as she braces for whatever comes next.

As she glances towards the door where Regina stands, a thick cloud of purple and green already surrounding her, the dark curse finally having reached you, she is quick to press a tender kiss to your lips, causing your eyes to open. ,,I love you Y/N'' she murmurs against your mouth, her voice filled with emotion. ,,No matter what happens, remember that''

Then, as the room fills with smoke and darkness, Wilhemina shields you with her body, trying to protect you from the curse's effects. As the world fades around you, you cling to her, unaware of what is happening, unaware that in a matter of seconds you would forget everything, forget them, forget your life and the woman still trying desperately to hold you close, despite it being useless.

[robthegoodfellow]

3DPC4EVA

@harringrovezine submission! Billy and Steve take a backseat while their cars get busy. Crack taken seriously. Brace for puns.

Summary: When the Camaro rumbles into the Hawkins High parking lot, she catches the attention of a certain luxury vehicle.

Harringrove, Camaro/Beamer (or Bimmer/Beemer whatever you prefer)

Rated G | ~2.2k (slightly expanded version) | Alternating Car POV

thank you @adelacreations and the rest of the zine team for all your hard work!

~🛞~

A car never forgot the moment it came to—became aware. For PC, it was rounding a bend of the Pacific Coast Highway, to the left a sprawling sea, baked cliffs sloping opposite. And inside… was a boy, death-grip on the wheel relaxing, his stiff back gone slack on a long exhale.

He was gazing at the water, mesmerized. Revved the engine, a vicarious roar—but not of rage.

Exultation.

They meandered north for miles, blue horizon painted pink and red, glittering in the sinking sun. Veering onto a rocky shoulder, he hopped on the hood. Reclined, sighing smoke, until the sky had bruised purple. 

The boy’s mind wandered on the drive back, and PC got a sense of him then—name, where he lived. Enough to nudge reminders before he missed a turn. 

PC learned its own names, too—knew the boy thought of it as a she. Called her Baby. Or sometimes he’d smush the first part of her plate together, PCE, and think peace.

~🛞~

3D didn’t belong here, wasting away parked outside a school. A BMW E23 7-Series? Far more befitting the head of the Harrington family, not his spoiled Lothario of a son.

But no—downgraded months after purchase when the wife gifted her darling husband a Rolls-Royce.

Who could compete? So here it was, surrounded by malformed AMC experiments, rusted-out Oldsmobile barges, decrepit Pintos liable to explode if you looked at them wrong. Oh, and tractors—let’s not forget the occasional farming equipment caked in mud and manure ridden to school for a laugh. 

3D could have borne the shocks without blowing a gasket—it was a high-performance vehicle—but then… then the boy made it his mission to bed every girl in town. And 3D had spacious seats. Spacious and luxurious: black leather, gleaming wood trim—not that the paramours would notice, too busy humping while 3D stared out its headlamps at the lake or the trees or wherever it could fix its attention that wasn’t the pair of humans copulating all over its pristine interior.

Finally, the boy hitched himself to a girl with standards, one who preferred privacy. Granted, that relationship coincided with some rather strange occurrences—early on, the boy sped off to a remote property with faulty wiring, lights berserk, and ran inside to much screaming and cacophonous violence. 3D was certain that menace would emerge grievously wounded if he emerged at all, and do you know how hard it is to get bloodstains out of leather?

Well, 3D didn’t, either, but it was bound to be impossible.

Anyway—despite that bizarre hiccup, the boy seemed happy, and so too was 3D.

Happy its rear bench was a Motel 6 no longer.

~🛞~

The blistering hurt he'd stoked from San Diego to Indiana—this despairing, gnashing fury—had simmered to a low-grade pang when PC rumbled into the Hawkins High parking lot, blazing past milling students.

Billy slammed the door—pat the handle, apologetic, before striding off. Max wheeled away on her skateboard.

Though PC was facing the school, she wasn’t limited to staring dully at the brick. Sky through her windshield, a side-view out her windows, the lot behind via the tail lights. In no time, she’d taken stock: not too different from back home. Less pervasive rust from salty air, fewer finishes sun-bleached pale pastel… and the crusty tractor was new… but a parking lot was a parking lot.

That’s what she repeated, again jerking her focus from a gleam in the next row. A BMW—PC had a weakness for German makes. Her first crush was a cute Volkswagen bug that belonged to one of Billy's surfer buddies, but the Beetle couldn’t hold a candle to this burgundy beauty—shining in the sun, the lines of its hood so proud, so pert and compact compared to PC. The appealing rounds of its double headlamps, spider eyes on either side of those distinctive kidney grilles. Like bared teeth.

The plate read 3Ds46T2.

Its wipers twitched, annoyance loud and clear. What?

PC barely reined in the startled beep, hot underhood. But then—well… what else to do when caught so blatantly staring?

She flashed a taillight, a quick, cheeky wink, and the headlamps across the way flared—a bright flush, though brief, firmly repressed.

Didn’t want to push it—the blush perhaps more embarrassment than pleasure—but when she risked a glance, 3D was looking back, intrigued. 

At final bell, PC blared both taillights, a last gambit—and her fan belt fluttered when 3D’s wipers swept a wide arc. A farewell.

Half-expected to overheat on the way back to the new house. Like all the coolant in the world couldn’t help her.

~🛞~

A showy, brutish Camaro Z/28 wouldn’t typically warrant more than an irritated huff of exhaust, but a car like that had never been bold enough to… flirt? Just brazenly wink for the whole lot to see, gazing like you were the most riveting object in existence.

It was… well, flattering, obviously—a Camaro was a handsome make, whatever its faults—but more than that, it had thrilled in a way 3D couldn’t shake. So next time the boy pulled into the lot, it gently nudged the wheel, willing them to the front where PCE 235 was sitting pretty.

Maneuvering to park next to the muscle-bound stunner took more of a push—enough to trigger a frown—but the boy rarely fired on all cylinders. He shrugged it off.

3D never dreamed it could be so forward, but the Camaro didn’t mind. Quite the contrary: as the school doors closed on the last straggler, 3D spied its neighbor’s window cracking open. A loaded quiet—then the soft static of the radio searching for a station. Odd squeals, a cut-off twang, belt, chorus, then—

—too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off you. Pardon the way that I stare—there's nothing else to compare.

An earnest crooning Oldie, and—it was like its undercarriage had bottomed out on nothing. 3D flushed hot as a busted radiator. 

If you feel like I feel, please let me know that it's real. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off you.

Seeming to sense its struggle for composure, the volume lowered until the song clicked off. The window rolled up, parted lips closing, and the wheel spun, nervous. Crunch of gravel as the front tires turned its way: Your move.

3D choked, butterfly valve sealing shut. The boy’s tastes weren’t exactly varied. Hardly strayed from the local channels piping nonstop Hot 100. But the silence would soon ring of rejection, so it powered the radio, scrambling, poised to blindly crank the dial and hope for the best—

Miracle of miracles. Rushing to open a window, it lowered all four, silently thanking Hump Day Hits of the 60s.

—thought love was only true in fairytales—meant for someone else but not for me. Love was out to get me—that's the way it seemed. 

Spontaneity sparking, it left the windows down. Let the whole lot hear! What did it care what they thought?

Then I saw her face! Now I'm a believer. Not a trace of doubt in my mind…

Last bell, after hours of trading silly ditties, their batteries were dead, and 3D was in love—felt drunk on diesel, sappy sentiment gumming up its engine.

PC. How wonderful, those two letters. And a she. Fascinating.

Their drivers were baffled at both needing a jump—a much remarked upon coincidence. Waiting for their cars to revive, the boy made awkward small talk with PC’s human—a blond ruffian who smoked like a chimney.

The boy asked the ruffian—Billy—if he was going to the Halloween party later.

Billy was.

“See ya there, man,” he said, tapping 3D’s roof. It would have cringed at the fingerprints left behind, if not for a more pressing thought.

It would see PC that night.

Perhaps all night.

~🛞~

Billy was nervous—PC could tell by his fidgeting grip, Metallica blasting. Odd outfit, too: leather jacket, shirtless, with fingerless gloves.

He parked behind 3D, no encouragement necessary. Before he’d even disappeared inside the pulsing house, PC waved her wiper, overeager but suddenly—shy.

They seemed to mutually agree not to drain their batteries again. Instead, at the risk of coming on too strong, PC reached out with the nebulous consciousness linking her to her body, linking her to Billy… until she felt a psychic bump. Not enough to dent. Just… alert.

She’d never done this—gone beyond basic flirtation—but something about 3D made her bold… and maybe Billy’s loneliness, the aimless despair bubbling under his skin since the move… maybe that had bled over more than she’d realized.

A bump, and she almost ignited her own engine, so intense was the bolt of excitement. 3D was reaching back, willing to open to her—

She had no idea how much time had passed, so submerged in their mingled selves, when Billy stumbled against her with a grunt, a slurred curse. The icy jolt must have transferred before she cut off to focus on the problem sagging at her door—a problem she knew too well.

Billy unlocked her after a couple tries, more falling than sitting in the driver’s seat. Shoved the key in the ignition—groaned when the engine wouldn’t start.

“Not tonight, baby—I’m fucking fine.”

She remained unmoved, even as he slumped, forehead knocking on the wheel.

“Just start! We’re three streets away, for fuck’s sake.”

An insistent bump—so unrelenting that she reconnected, conveyed through images, flashes of memory, that this was just something they did: Billy would drink too much, and she wouldn’t start until he was sober. But that only triggered a renewed wave of concern, a series of impressions in return: pulling over to assist a family broken down, the kids shivering in the chill evening air of autumn; 3D’s human, breath misting, joking with a pretty brunette about drinking until they were warm, the girl informing him that booze made you more vulnerable to frostbite.

But… it wasn’t nearly cold enough for that, right? Although what did she know? It had taken ages to warm up this morning. How cold was too cold?

Maybe Billy would just… go back inside the house. Or she could—start the engine but jam the accelerator? Or—

Billy jumped when 3D’s horn blared, obnoxious in the still night, its headlights flashing with each trumpeting blast. 

Not a minute later, PC understood in a burst of gratitude: 3D’s human trotted from the house. He would help. Flinging open the door, she spun her wheel, sharp.

A grunt, and Billy spilled onto the pavement. “Bitch.”

The alarm died with a chirp. “Hargrove?” 

Billy sighed, flopping backward. “Fuck off, Harrington.”

Harrington did not—kept coming until he towered, hands on hips. Prodded Billy with a curious foot.

“You wanna be roadkill, or what?”

Bratty snort. “Or what.”

“Well, in the interest of not scraping you up tomorrow, how about I drive you home?”

Billy propped himself on elbows. A hum, considering. “Pass.”

PC resisted whacking him with the door. From his expression, Harrington felt much the same.

“Take you to mine, then.” Stooping, he stuck his hand out, waiting while Billy curled his lip, rolled his eyes—finally took the hand.

3D’s lights beamed worry as Harrington started the engine, Billy safe in passenger. PC twitched a wiper—shoo—and settled in by the curb. Small price for peace of mind.

~🛞~

At some point between disappearing into the Harrington house and emerging in the early dawn, something had happened—3D couldn’t begin to guess. The surly quiet of last night now buzzed like coins in a cupholder. Glances darted, never meeting.

3D resisted cranking the radio to drown out the awkward. Or redirecting the beads of condensation cutting through the misted windows so their dewy paths spelled HELP.

It rumbled with relief to see PC, glistening in the gloom, right where they’d left her.

“Last night,” Billy said, as they rolled to a stop. “We—it can’t happen—”

“You scared?” The arched brow was bluster, his frame rigid with nerves.

“You dumb?” Sneered it, scathing.

He was dumb, 3D would vouch for that, but the boy only glared. Billy huffed, paired an eye roll with a shake of his head, reaching for the door. 

A lesser vehicle would’ve missed the other hand pounce across the console, but 3D fogged the windows just in time.

No one saw the driver yanked sideways by the shirt, arrested by snarling lips pressed to his own—or the hands that grappled in reply, cupping cheek and chin, fingers sinking into hair.

No one saw, but PC knew—was practically dancing, wipers waving, front wheels pivoting left and right. And usually 3D would sigh, resign itself to rounds of necking and worse, but it couldn’t muster the fumes.

Because it would put up with anything—happily, no matter the wear and tear—for more time right here, sharing PC’s air. 

Since keeping one meant keeping the other, this would be no fling. Not if 3D could help it. 

What was it humans liked to say? 

My way or the highway.

~🛞~

Read on Ao3

[countrymusiclover]

1 - Life Changing Deal

Princess Red Thief

Part 2

Tag list - just ask to be added @mystrey101 @melvia-ito @kmc1989 @tallrock35

Peaking my head through the treeline I saw the large castle in front of me. I ran straight for the nearest window reaching inside my cloak drawing a sword I stole from the soldiers armor outside my chambers. Swinging it against the glass it shattered when I ducked my head so it didn't get in my eyes. Climbing through the window I dropped down on my knees inside the castle. "Okay, now where's that dagger?"

Heading over to the cabinets filled with objects I began rummaging around for the specific blade in question. I started throwing books and other things on the ground until one of the globs shattered onto the floor and a voice called out behind me. "Looking for something specific are you, dearie?"

"Show yourself, beast." I draw the sword I used on the window holding it out in front of myself for defense.

A Purple cloud of smoke appeared in front of me. "Here I am, dearie." The figure in front of me had curly brown hair and scaly skin. He was dressed in leather and snake skins.

"What are you? Are you the one they call Rumple...Rumplestiltskin?" I questioned tightening my grip on the blade handle.

The figure giggles performing an over the rope bow. "Indeed I am Rumplestilskin. Now who are you and why so foolish to try and steal from the Dark One?"

"My name is Everly. My parents are Princess Abigail and Prince Frederick." I explained to him moving towards the long table that was in the center of the room.

The dark one clicked his tongue putting his fingers together. "Ah yes I recognize the princess's name. She and King George's son are supposed to wed through a deal I help arrange. But that doesn't explain why you've tried to steal from me."

"I am here because I am a threat to my kingdom." Placing my freehand on the table my palm turned red and I could feel the magic running through my fingertips. The cabinet behind me that had seen through glass suddenly shattered into a million pieces at my feet. "I have an uncontrollable amount of power even though neither of my parents were born with magic."

He nodded, waving his fingers at me. "And you needed my dagger to force me to help you control it."

"I do apologize, Rumplestilskin. I wouldn't dare steal from someone who is declared so powerful if I was not so desperate for a solution to this. I wish to help my mother free my father from his golden prison but I can't do that if this ability or curse isn't kept at bay."

"Magic is not always a curse, Red Thief." He stepped closer to me snapping his fingers and a silver dagger appeared in his grasp. He showed me that his name was engraved on the blade. "I will help you if you choose to embrace your power."

I fired back knowing the rumors that members across kingdoms had spread about him. He used only dark magic and was notorious for making deals with the most desperate types of people. "What do you want in return from me? I know you always want something back for a price."

"I'll enchant your cloak given that I do rather like the color red on you. Once it is enchanted you and I will be connected consciously. You will help me with my deals and the customers that are connected with them."

"What do you mean like if someone breaks a deal with you you'll make me kill them?" I questioned hearing the darkness in his voice.

Rumplestilskin smirked. "I'll decide what fate I wish to bestow on them. Now do you accept my offer or not?"

"I don't know if I can go through with this, Dark One. Ahhh!" I screamed bumping into one of the curtain covered windows seeing my palm turn red again but this time the curtain caught on fire.

Rumple snickers at me. "It appears you don't have any other option here, Red Thief."

"My name is Everly." I corrected him even though I probably shouldn't since he could turn me into a bug and kill me easily if he so wished.

He stepped closer where I shifted the hood of my cloak since it was blocking my view. Our eyes met and I could see he had deep brown eyes. "So long as you work for me I can call you whatever I wish. Unless you think you can find help through someone else."

"I suppose I will. So I'll take your deal." Extending my hand I paused unsure if I would hurt him if I touched him.

He grasps my small hand in his larger one. "We have a deal, Red Thief."

Resting my chin in the palm of my hand I kept scanning my eyes over the paperwork that was in front of me. I had been doing the storage inventory for the pawnshop for as long as I could remember. In my opinion every object had a story that needed to be told rather than just sitting in the dusty old store. But that wasn't what my boss believed. He thinks there's a price of money for everything. "Let's see the unicorn chandelier, tea set and red cloak are all accounted for. Wait red cloak, I didn't see that here."

"It has to be here. It has to be here. If it isn't he will dock my pay." I frantically began searching around every cabinet in the shop not finding the piece of clothing anywhere.

The store bell rang making me shriek running back to my desk in the back room trying to play it cool. The curtain got pushed open and Mr. Gold stepped inside the room. "How has the inventory gone tonight?"

"Uh, pretty good. How was your walk?" I asked him tapping my fingers on the desk nervously, hoping he didn't notice.

His brown, almost chocolate eyes focused on my gaze. "You seem nervous, Eve. Any particular reason why?"

"No reason. Just wishing to be done with work for the evening, sir." I lied to him.

He sent me a half smile revealing a bag from behind his back in his other hand that wasn't holding onto the cane he used to walk with since he had a limp. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you realized this was missing?" He drew something from the bag and I gasped seeing a red cloak fall down while he held it up in front of me.

"I....I....um. Sir, I am sorry. I thought I had accounted for everything. I don't know how it ever left the shop." I began panicking, running my fingers through my hair that I had left loosely.

Mr. Gold chuckles breaking the intense silence that I was feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Calm down, lass. I saw that it was dirty so I took it to the cleaners. Figured it should look in better shape before I gave it to you."

"Oh god that's a relief." Putting a hand over my forehead I sighed in relief. "Wait a minute. Give it to me, why would you do that?"

Gold moved forward offering me his freehand after he laid it on my desk briefly. Putting my hand in his I allowed him to help me get to my feet. "I saw that it was your size from the looks of it one day. And no one in this town has claimed it so I thought it shouldn't go to waste. May I?" He gestured holding it up and opened it in his hands.

"Sure...thank you this wasn't really necessary." I turned around putting my back to his front feeling him place the fabric on my shoulders.

Gold smiled when I spun around so he could clasp the front pins together. "Perfect fit, dear. Just like I had thought. Now don't you worry about paying me for it. It's on the house."

"Thank you, sir." I smiled looking up to meet his gaze since he was slightly taller than me.

He waved a finger in my face grabbing a hold of his cane prepared to leave to collect the town's rent. "I told you to either call me Adam or just Gold. Now come, we have money to collect."

"Understand, Gold." I nodded wearing the red cloak since it was quite cold outside. I followed after my boss and we drove out to our stops finding leaving the inn as our final one for the evening.

Granny, the owner of the inn, spoke as we walked up the wooden stairs. "Now, what's the name?"

Opening the door, Gold and I came face to face with a blonde woman wearing a bright red jacket that I had never seen before in this town. Meaning she must be someone new which hadn't happened for 28 years if I had done my math correctly. The woman spoke her name, giving me a name to go with the new face. "Swan. Emma Swan."

Gold responds to her squeezing my hand in his and I could have sworn I heard him say something else but in a completely different voice. "Emma. What a lovely name....Red Thief."

"Did you hear someone say Red Thief?" Looking at my boss I raised a brow at him confusedly swearing that I had heard something.

He shrugged his shoulders not saying anything yet I saw some light in his eyes where he had recognized something in this room but just wasn't going to share it with me. He shifted his gaze over to the elderly woman. Granny passes Mr. Gold a roll of bills. "It's all here."

"Yes, yes, of course it is, dear. Thank you. You enjoy your stay...Emma." Gold put it away in his suit pocket touching the door handle, opening it once more calling out to me. "Eve?"

"I'm coming, sorry." I paused standing behind the blonde woman while I ran my freehand over the red fabric that I was holding on my other arm feeling like I had seen it before.

Shaking my head I pulled myself from the trance that I was in following him outside being able to hear the conversation between the girls still inside. "Who's that?" Emma asked.

Ruby peaked out the window seeing me still standing on the front porch. "Mr. Gold. He owns this place."

"The inn?" Emma asked more.

Granny reached down in the drawer pulling out a key. "No, the town. So, how long will you be with us?

"A week. Just a week." She responded.

Granny handed her the key. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

"So who is the woman that is with him if you don't mind me asking?" Emma held the key in her hands heading towards the staircase to go check out her room.

Rudy closed the curtain focusing on the new women. "I don't know if this is true or not. But most people in this town have only seen her with him. She's worked for him for years. I think she was abducted by him or something."

"Rudy!" Granny snapped at her granddaughter. "What makes you think such a thing?"

The girl put a hand on her hip. "Maybe it's the fact that she doesn't talk to anyone else in this town. She's only ever seen with him or doing small jobs for him. That's just strange to me."

"I'm sorry for my granddaughters crazy theories. Enjoy your time here, Ms. Swan." Granny ended the conversation before things went further. Emma went up the stairs and I ran down the stairs meeting Gold at his old car. We drove past the clock tower and I couldn't believe I saw the hands move.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[oautincorrectquotes]

*Emma's phone rings*

Ruby: Really Emma, you still call your mom “Mommy?”

Emma answering the phone: Hi Regina..

*Ruby spits her drink out*

[apocalypseornaw]

Chapter Two

Settling in a new place, even temporarily takes time. You set out to get the twins in a daycare, Hayley goes to finish her ged and you find a job.

Dean takes a notice to how jumpy the new neighbors.

"Mom, are you sure they're gonna be ok?" Hayley asked as the two of you walked out of the daycare Simon and Kiya recommend for the twins. You took a deep breath and let it out slowly before nodding "If Simon and Kiya trust it, so do I. They haven't let us down yet" the place was locked up tightly and had a security guard. It wasn't some run of the mill place that just anyone could walk into.

She looked back over her shoulder one more time before nodding "Ok. I have my test scheduled for an hour" she'd decided to take her ged. You'd talked to Simon and as soon as she passed that meant he could cover her trail but also it would clear up any issues moving forward with her should she want to pursue college and keep you clear of truancy.

"Are you sure you want to do this? The local high school is supposed to be good! Plus they just got out so you'd have all summer to get ready" you wanted to make sure this was her choice, not what she felt like she needed to do. She smiled "It is. I can be through with school and help you out more. I can get a job part time or just watch James and Amelia more" "or just try to be a teenager" you offered and she laughed "or that"

------------

The first week or so that all of you were in town you spent simply getting used to the new house, routes to the grocery store, the daycare, nearest hospital and fastest way out of town. Everything you normally did when you ended up in a new place. You and Hayley practically had a checklist at this point.

Your neighbors Dean and Ben had proven to be fairly quiet considering. In fact the only times you'd heard anything from them was doors shutting when they'd come or go.

You'd saw in the paper Ben was in the recent graduating class so you weren't sure if he'd be leaving for college or sticking around. Not like it mattered, the four of you would be here a year tops before you'd have to move again. Like Hayley said, the only way to keep them safe was to keep moving. You couldn't let your past catch up with your kids.

------------

"Mom!" Hayley's voice made your head snatch in her direction. The two of you were standing next to your car but she was pointing a bit down the street to a rather large car garage "Winchester's Auto. Think that's our neighbors?" You shrugged "Possibly. Not like we know the area well enough to know if they're the only Winchesters" it would make sense though.

Along with the Winchester's Auto, there was Harvelle's diner which belonged to one of your landlords Ellen, a coffee shop, a bakery and a few shops in the main strip of town without going into any big chain stores. And lucky for you the bakery and coffee shops had now hiring signs in the window. "I'm going to take you to the library then head to the bakery first to check on putting in an application" you told Hayley as you backed out the parking lot. She nodded and held up her phone "I'll call if anything comes up"

Ben moved around the garage as well as he moved around his bedroom at home. He'd practically grew up in the place. At one time it'd been his great grandmother's and from what he knew the only thing worth passing down from the Winchester line. His grandpa Bobby had come into possession of it to keep it in the family when the threat of back taxes almost took it then when his dad was ready to take it over Bobby had signed it over to him.

He'd known how to work on an engine before he could ever legally drive on the road. Now that he had graduated he was taking classes at the local tech College and working in the garage. It paid good, he enjoyed it and it wasn't too bad having your dad as your boss.

"Ben" he heard his dad's voice and stepped back from under the hood of the car he was currently working on "Yes sir?"

------------

Dean was working on a stack of paperwork higher than his damn head when the phone in his office started ringing. He hated this side of the business. He loved working on cars, he loved owning the garage but the damn paperwork gave him a fucking headache.

He dug around for the phone before finally finding it "Winchester's Auto" he answered it a bit more gruff than he meant to and heard Bobby's scoff of a laugh "Been meaning to call you son. Have you met the neighbors?"

He sat back in his chair and nodded to himself more than anything, running a hand over his head. He needed a hair cut considering he now had to push his hair out of his face at times. He was starting to look like Sam. "Yeah. What happened to giving us a heads up before someone moves in?"

"An old friend's son called. He knew her, said she's in a tight spot and needed a place. She's a single mom with three kids Dean. What was I supposed to tell her? No? Would you rather her or some loud obnoxious assholes?"

Bobby was right, of course. Dean would much rather have Y/N and her kids next door than most other options but it made him wonder just why she was in a tight spot. Any time he'd seen her she seemed so, alert? No that's not the right word, spooked? Like she's waiting for someone to try to hurt her or one of her kids and that didn't sit right with him.

"Bobby, what she running from?" He knew he shouldn't sound so damn protective over someone he barely knew but he blamed it on how the man on the other end of the phone had raised him. "I wouldn't bring anything dangerous to yours and Ben's doorstep" Bobby reassured and Dean chuckled "Not what I asked. Have you met her?"

"Not yet. She's talked to Ellen though, I figured she'd be more comfortable with her for now" Dean nodded "What did Ellen say?" "She seems like a sweetheart but scared" "yeah she does" Dean agreed then ran a hand down his face "What did you need anyways?" Bobby laughed "I need to talk to my grandson and he leaves his phone on vibrate while he's at work so can you get him to the phone?" "Yes sir" Dean laughed and clicked the call onto hold before heading out to find Ben.

When you pulled up the library Hayley had just called you to say she was ready so it was perfect timing. You watched the door as she damn near came skipping out. When she spotted the car the skip turned into a car. You raised an eyebrow when she collapsed into the passenger seat with a broad grin "Let Simon know I passed!" "You passed?!" You squealed and pulled her into a hug.

She squeezed you then pulled back "How'd the job hunt go?" "I got the job at the bakery! Split hours but full time" she grinned "Awesome! Can we go pick up the twins now?" You laughed lightly and nodded "Yeah. We can go pick up the twins now"

------------

Everything was always a slow go at first then before you knew it time would slip and it would be the time to make that move again but for now you'd enjoy the few moments to catch your breath and enjoy what victories you could.

------------

Later that night after the twins and Hayley was asleep you were double checking the windows and doors. You couldn't sleep despite knowing you started work in two days. It was safe for now, he didn't know where you were. There was no way he could. Simon and Kiya covered every move you made. The job wasn't under your real name, the daycare wasn't under their real last names.

You checked the window over the kitchen sink, it looked over partially into Dean's backyard. You could see his firepit and a few chairs around it. Your heart ached for something so simple. A since of safety, to let down your guard that easily. You sighed and closed the curtain before deciding to go to bed as well. Morning could come quicker than you'd like and the twins never slept in.

@stillhere197

[hiddencityhijinksau]

I'm totally gonna create art for this - already have - but in the meantime I should probably explain this concept lol.

So basically, in one way or another, the turtles each stumble upon the Hidden City at around age 8 to 10, and decide to keep it a secret from their bros >:3

Leo is the first one, technically, when he goes out to explore NYC when he's eight, and discovers Run of the Mill Pizza, because I'm obsessed with the Uncle Hueso idea, but he doesn't go to the actual city until much later, though he knows of it's existence.

I actually kinda started writing this starting bit? It's totally unedited and missing bits but whatever, I'll include it under the cut.

Leo peered up at the manhole cover from the bottom of the ladder, imagining what he would see if he climbed up and lifted it. The young turtle mutant didn't get long to think about it, hearing his brothers call for him.

"I'm coming!" The 8 year old ran to catch up with his family, sending one last considering look at the rungs of the ladder.

Later that night, after his brothers were asleep and his father was dozing in front of the TV, the red-eared slider crept out of bed, utilizing all the stealth skills he'd learned from the lessons Splinter thought he hadn't been paying attention to. Once safely out of the Lair, Leo practically sprinted down the route to the manhole cover he'd spotted earlier. There were entrances closer to the Lair, of course, but this way, if he got caught sneaking back in he could say he was just wandering around the sewers.

Reaching the top of the ladder, the slider paused for a moment, savoring the adrenaline of what he was about to do. Splinter never even let them explore the sewers without him, nevermind letting Leo venture out on his own. And now he was about to go Topside!

Shoving at the metal disc with all his strength, Leo cautiously poked his head out, eyes wide to take it all in. Of course, this wasn't his first time on the surface – Splinter had taken all the boys with him once or twice for scavenging trips, especially when they were younger. But now, Leo was here on his own! This was so exciting!!

The slider climbed out of the manhole, tugging the cover almost back into place, but leaving a small gap so he could get in later, as he wasn't sure how to lift it from the top side.

Bouncing in place, Leo looked around the alley he'd surfaced in with a wide grin, wondering what he might find.

Hmm. There wasn't much in this alleyway. In fact, it was pretty much empty. Nothing but a few scraps of cardboard and a colourful graffiti tag decorated the concrete.

Well, Leo didn't come here just to hang out in one measly alleyway! Full of confidence, the eight-year-old marched to the end of the alley, pulling up the hood of his sweater as he rounded the corner.

Even with the late hour, there were still people on the streets, eyes focused on getting to their destination. No one paid attention to the small figure in a battered green hoodie hurrying along, sticking close to the wall.

Leo ducked into the next alley, heart pounding. Okay, so that was a lot more nerve-wracking without Dad or Raph than he'd thought it would be.

Luckily, he realized as he took in his surroundings, this alleyway was much more interesting than the one he'd come out of. There was a huge dumpster on one side, and the walls were covered in graffiti. Even better, the far end of the alley was actually a corner, meaning there was more to explore!

Leo started poking around, kicking at the small piles of trash and inspecting the locked dumpster. Not finding anything cool, he moved on, admiring the graffiti.

He ended up turning two more corners while following the trail of graffiti, and found himself facing the street again. The constant something of spray paint broke off at the corner, meaning the skull painting in this alley stood out sharply.

Bla blah blah some yokai open the door to run of the Mill while Leo watches from behind a dumpster or smth

Leo's eyes sparkled. Was that actual magic?! Donnie said magic was impossible, but Donnie also said it was impossible for the two of them to be twins, and Leo knew that wasn't true. The turtle bounced forward with glee, eager to see where those people had gone, only to stop short when the portal closed in his face.

Leo frowned. Clearly, he just hadn't been fast enough. Wait, what was that gesture they used to open it? Leo lifted his hand, trying to mimic the pose he'd seen, and wiggled it with great concentration.

Nothing happened.

Huffing, the boy tried again. And again. And was glaring at the wall, ready to shout at it to let him in, when he heard someone approaching the alleyway. Eyes lighting up with an idea, Leo darted behind the nearest dumpster and peeked out, watching carefully.

Sure enough, another mutant-like person entered the alley, heading for the graffiti tag. Leo stared hard at the gesture they made, but instead of waiting and trying to copy it, he darted in behind them as soon as the portal opened.

As soon as he was inside, Leo stopped. And stared.

There were so many people! And none of them were human.

"This is the coolest place I've ever seen," Leo whispered to himself in awe. He slowly started walking further in, craning his neck to stare at every little detail.

So entranced was he, that he didn't see the bony figure approaching until he nearly face-planted into their suit.

"Where are your parents, little pepino?"

Leo froze and looked up at the sound of the voice. Towering over him, arms crossed, was a frowning... skeleton?!

Instantly forgetting to feel guilty at being caught, Leo blurted out, "are you dead?!" His eyes were wider than they'd been all evening, he was sure. Because, come on, that was a walking, talking, skeleton man!!!

The aforementioned skeleton man, somehow, raised an eyebrow. "No, I am not dead. Have you never seen a skeleton yokai before?"

"No," Leo responded, eyes still wide. "What's a yokai?"

"Que pasa con este niño," the yokai muttered under his breath, then continued in a normal tone, "Yokai is what we are. You, me, and everyone in this restaurant is a yokai."

"Oh. Hey, what was that language you were talking in?"

The yokai looked at him weirdly, but Leo really did want to know! He'd only said one sentence but it sounded so cool! Leo already knew he wanted to learn it.

"Spanish. Why are you here, niño?"

"Uhhhhhh... Dad... sent me?" Leo cringed a little at the blatant lie, and decided to distract him with another question. "Can you say something in Spanish?!"

The yokai sighed. "Tell me your name and I'll consider it."

He beamed. "I'm Leo! What's your name?"

"You can call me Señor Hueso."

"Whoa, is your name in Spanish?! Wait wait wait you gotta say something in Spanish now! I told you my name!"

"Deberías estar en le cama, tortuguita."

"Coooool! What does that mean?"

"It means 'you should be in bed, little turtle'. Let's go, out, time for you to go home." Hueso began pushing at Leo's shoulders, nudging him towards the door.

"Whaaaat? Come on, you can't kick me out! I just got here!" Leo dug his heels in, refusing to be pushed.

"This is a restaurant, not a daycare. I do not have time to be babysitting lost children. Out!" With one final shove, Señor Hueso let go of Leo and prepared to shut the portal.

The turtle mutant stumbled and whirled around as soon he was free. "Wait! You're just gonna let a child wander around New York alone? At night? Isn't that illegal?"

"Well, since you won't tell me where your parents are..." Hueso trailed off with a raise of his eyebrow, waiting to see if Leo would offer any more information.

Leo huffed in defeat. He didn't want to admit it, but he was getting tired, as it was already far past his usual bedtime. "Fine, fine, I'm going! But I'll be back tomorrow!"

----------------

Leo did in fact come back the next day. Hueso wasn't there when Leo scampered in behind a weird frog yokai, so the slider was quick to scurry off into the restaurant, hoping he could hang out for a little while before Hueso found him and kicked him out again.

To be continued...?

[lilacmoon83]

A Rat in Storybrooke

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 4: Stakeout

Snow sipped at her cocoa, as she sat in the truck beside her husband and smiled over at him.

"This is the best," she said with a smile.

"What? Sitting in a truck for hours?" he teased and she cocked her head to the side.

"No silly…sitting in a truck with you for hours," she replied. He grinned.

"Yeah…it's fun when I'm with you," he said.

"And as Mayor of this town, I feel that being involved in the case to takedown someone that is using mind control drugs on unsuspecting citizens is essential," she replied.

"Ratigan is a dirtbag for sure…" David said, as he used his binoculars to look at Medusa's eyesore of an establishment.

"What could he be waiting for?" Snow asked.

"I don't know…do we know anything about him?" he asked.

"All I got from the town census was that he was a blacksmith back in the Enchanted Forest, near Longbourne. Somehow, that doesn't really match up with his skills in chemistry," she replied.

"Yeah…definitely seems off. We could assume that the curse gave him his knowledge, but if that were true, there's no way he'd be able to create something like this drug," David said.

"Definitely not. The teaching knowledge the curse gave me was the bare basics. Everything else, I learned by reading it for myself," Snow replied.

"It's funny…the curse is definitely not what we imagined when we feared it back in our land. I mean, being separated was the worst thing we could experience, but there were certainly a lot of creature comforts involved. More than I imagined," he said. She smiled gently.

"People tend to become complacent when they're comfortable. There's no reason to fight and risk losing something when you have all your basic needs met," Snow surmised. He smirked.

"Yeah…I guess when we were living in the woods, we were eager to fight for a better life and our love," David said. She smiled.

"Sometimes it was rough, but never those nights under the stars," she remembered fondly. He smiled at those memories too.

"Do you think he's going to come out anytime soon?" Snow asked.

"I'm not sure…but even if he does, he'll be using the people he's controlling as human shields. We have to figure out a way to free them first, before we can take Ratigan down," David said, as his phone rang.

"Hey Paul…" he answered.

"Frollo is much more coherent now and he knows exactly what's in the drug. He is in no condition to be in the lab, but he gave me the ingredients and instructions on how to create an antidote to the mind drug," Paul replied.

"That's great…we're on our way," David said, as he hung up his flip phone.

"Paul says Frollo's lucid enough to tell him about this drug and Paul thinks he can make an antidote with this information," he said.

"Let's go," Snow replied, as he put the truck in gear and they returned to the hospital.

~*~

Leo's tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth, as they played Mario Kart and once he flew over the finish line in first place, he threw up his arms in victory.

"You win again…you're just too good for me, Mister," Regina said, as Eva huffed.

"I swear if I didn't know better that you're cheating somehow," she complained.

"Nah…I'm just that good," Leo bragged.

"Really? Care to race me?" Emma asked, as she came downstairs.

"I thought you had homework?" Leo asked.

"All done…with time to spare to kick your butt," Emma replied, as she grabbed a controller.

"We'll see," Leo replied, as Regina put her controller down.

"You can take my place for now," she said, as she went and sat on the couch with Robin. When Snow was called away, she had called her husband and Rolland to come spend the evening with her and the kids.

"You're pretty good at Mario Kart," he teased. She smiled.

"What can I say? I have a knack for video games," she replied, as the house phone rang.

"Nolan residence," she answered, as she got up.

"Oh, hi Snow…" she said, as she listened.

"Sure…I'll be right there," she replied, as she hung up the phone.

"They need my help with something. Are you okay here with the kids for a bit?" she asked. He smiled.

"Of course…go. You're part of the heroes now," Robin replied. She smiled shyly.

"I don't know about that," she said, as he kissed her tenderly and she hurried out to meet Snow and David at the hospital.

~*~

Ratigan peered out the blind of Medusa's tacky place and saw that Charming's truck was gone. That puzzled him. They had been staking the place out, but he knew the Sheriff hadn't given up, which meant that something else was at play.

"How long are you going to use my establishment for your little zombie fest?" Medusa questioned.

"A while…the conquest of a town takes time, even with willing soldiers," he said.

"You know, I've been around a long time and as much as I wish you'd win so we really could have some fun in this town, you won't," she warned.

"You just lack imagination, my dear," he said, as the scout he had sent out returned.

"Report," he said to the brainwashed hospital orderly.

"It appears that the Sheriff and the Mayor have returned to the hospital to consult with Dr. Sakura," he reported.

"Blast it…it's Frollo. He's awake and talking. He could ruin everything!" Ratigan said.

"Let me guess…he can provide an antidote to your little drug?" Medusa asked.

"Unfortunately yes…I may hate the man, but he knows what he's doing in the chemistry lab," Ratigan replied.

"Well…it'll be over soon then. Why don't you shove off. I'd rather not be arrested for aiding and abetting. Sheriff Charming would only love any legal reason to shut me down. His precious, pretty little Snow just hates that my place exists in her perfect little town," Medusa said, but Ratigan pulled a gun and pointed it at her.

"No worries there…because I'm not done with this being my base of operations. Now you're off the hook," he said. She glared at him and then put her hands up.

"Whatever you say, Dr. Wacktigan," she retorted, as he moved to look out the window again.

"I need more leverage than just some hospital orderlies and staff," he said and then a devious smirk spread across his face.

"Attention minions…it's time to make our move and I know exactly how to make Snow and Charming bend to our will and forget using any antidote they create," he said, as he marched out of the tavern with his small, but surely to grow army of brainwashed citizens.

~*~

"I came as soon as I could." Regina said, as she arrived.

"Good…to bring you up to speed, Ratigan has drugged about a dozen or so of the hospital staff with his mind control drug and currently, they're using Medusa's as their base of operation," David said.

"He's using them as human shields to keep you from doing a full scale takedown," Regina replied. He nodded.

"Frollo has given me the ingredients to make an antidote, but Ratigan was really thinking. He had his minions trash Frollo's lab and his own, plus mine before they stormed out of here. I need some decent chemistry equipment," Paul explained.

"I have a small set in my vault that you're welcome to, but I think we need a bigger one for this," Regina said.

"Any ideas?" Snow asked.

"None of us like it, but we should go to Gold. He'll have better equipment and getting the brainwashed people to either drink the antidote or drink it won't be easy," Regina replied.

"What do you suggest?" David asked.

"We ask Gold to use his. With Ratigan loose brainwashing people, he likely won't ask for any favors in return since he's a danger to Belle. Paul can use his equipment to create an aerosol based antidote," Regina replied.

"So we just have to spray them with it," Snow said. She nodded.

"That'll be much easier…let's go," David said. Paul nodded.

"Whale should be able to handle things here if he manages to stay sober," the doctor said, as they headed out to their cars when David's phone rang.

"Sheriff," he answered.

"Hello Sheriff…" Ratigan drawled.

"What do you want, scumbag," David said tersely.

"Tsk, tsk on how you speak to me, especially when I'm having a nice, lovely chat with your children and the Queen's husband," he replied, as David frowned.

"You touch any of them and I'll break you in half," the Prince growled.

"Oh I don't think so…I have a wide assortment of human shields and I have armed them all with knives. One slip of a blade and one of your precious babies could get hurt," he warned.

"What. Do. You. Want?" David growled.

"You and your lovely wife are going to come here and surrender to me. Once you're in my custody, you'll announce to all that you've abdicated your power and I will take over as the new Mayor of Storybrooke. Then one of my willing subjects will dump my drug into the water supply, while you and your children are free to go, as long as it's over the town line, never to return," he said.

"Fine…Snow and I are on our way," David replied.

"No tricks or funny stuff or I'll start slitting throats, starting with little Eva," he warned, as David hung up his phone.

"He has Robin and the kids," he said.

"He's a dead man," Regina growled.

"He wants Snow and I to abdicate our power to him and then he's going to force us over the town line with the kids. Meanwhile, he has one of his zombies on the way to the water plant to dump the drug into it," David said, as he dialed a number.

"Thomas…it's David. I need you to head to the water plant. Ratigan sent someone to dump his drug into the water supply. Try to stop them without harming them, but we can't let that happen, no matter what. Try to stop them without harm, but if it comes down to it and you have to use force, then don't hesitate," David said, as he hung up his phone. He hated making a call like that, but it was one of those situations where he had to choose to save the many over the few.

"We'll get to Gold's and get an antidote made," Regina said, as she and Paul hurried to her car.

"David…" Snow said, as she touched his arm.

"We'll stop him, Snow…we just have to stall long enough until they get that antidote," David replied. She nodded, as they headed to the truck.

~*~

Ratigan chuckled, as he hung up the phone.

"Mommy and Daddy are on the way, kids…and this town will soon be mine," he said.

"Yeah right…you're a big stupid head and my Dad is going to pulverize you!" Leo shouted, as he glared up at him.

"Listen here, you little welp," Ratigan growled, as he grabbed him by the shirt, but Leo kicked him in the shin and he let go. Emma pulled him back and shushed him.

"Another stunt like that and you'll be in a world of hurt, brat," he warned.

"Leo…easy does it," Emma whispered.

"Yeah…Mommy and Daddy will save us," Eva said.

"She's right," Emma said.

"I know…but I can't wait until I'm big enough to save us," Leo replied. Robin smiled, as he held Roland.

"You will be soon enough, young one, but we have to make sure we stay safe until they get here," he said, as he glared at the literal mad scientist. He had debated on whether he should attempt to overpower him, but with all the innocent lives in the balance, he chose not to risk it. He knew his wife and he knew Snow and David…they were likely developing a plan right at that moment.

"Hi Paul," Belle greeted, as they rushed into the shop.

"Hey Belle…sorry to be abrupt, but is your husband here?" he asked, as Gold entered from the backroom.

"Let me guess…our fair town has encountered yet another calamity," he said.

"Yes…and we need a good chemistry set. Ratigan has used a mind control drug on some of the hospital staff and is currently holding my husband and the kids hostage. He wants control of the town and has a minion on the way to dose the entire water supply system," Regina explained quickly.

"I was wondering when that rat would try something," Gold said, unsurprised.

"Frollo gave us the information we needed for the antidote, but Ratigan smashed all the decent labs we have. Can we use yours?" Paul asked.

"This way…and yes, this one is on the house. I'd rather not become a puppet for anyone, least of all that crackpot," Rumple replied, as they followed him into the backroom and got to work.

~*~

Snow and David parked the truck at their house and joined hands, as they stormed onto their property, both furious that this man had gone into their home and was holding their children and a good friend hostage.

"That's far enough," he warned, as he came out onto the porch with Eva in his grasp.

"Are you prepared to give me what I ask for?" he asked.

"We are…but it's going to take time. If you want an announcement to the whole town, then we need a camera crew," Snow replied.

"We called the television station and they're on their way," David added.

"Excellent…but I warn you. If you've set up any trick with them, it won't end well for the little ones," he warned.

"Daddy!" Eva whimpered.

"Easy Ratigan…all we told them is that we need to make an emergency announcement to the town," David said.

"And their anchor hates me for some unknown reason, so you don't have to worry about Goldilocks doing me any favors," Snow added. He chuckled.

"Yes…I've noticed her animosity. Seems personal for her. For me, it's not really. I just want whatever great mind wants…power and the respect I deserve," he boasted.

"I have many great plans for this town, while you two will go back to being your feckless cursed selves once I push you over the town line. But don't worry, you'll have each other and your kids. It's a happy ending for everyone, really," he said.

"Yeah…your definition of a happy ending is not the same as ours," Snow retorted, as the television studio van pulled up. Goldie got out and checked herself in her compact, making Snow roll her eyes. She had no idea why the blonde hated her, but the feeling was definitely becoming mutual given all the lies and crap she regularly spewed on her gossipy morning show. Unfortunately, Storybrooke didn't have any other real reporters.

Her co-host, LeFou, stumbled out of the driver's side and the side door slid open, as a cameraman and a crew member started unloading their equipment. Storybrooke 1980's technology was outdated, to say the least, but that would work in their favor, for it would take a bit to set up all the bulky, slow equipment.

"Hurry up!" Ratigan snapped. Goldie smirked.

"Relax, Professor Ratigan. Perfection takes time," she said.

"And pancake makeup," Snow commented, as the blonde glared daggers at her.

"Well…we can't all be the fairest of them all," she snapped back.

"You really need to work on your insults if that was supposed to be one," David said, looking at his wife fondly. She huffed.

"I for one am really looking forward to a change in leadership and as soon as my crew is set up, I'm prepared to give you a glowing interview," she said. He smirked.

"Finally…someone who knows how to worship greatness," he said.

"Barf…" Emma said, as she and the others were led out of the house by the unfortunate pawns under Ratigan's control.

"Mind your tongue, young one," he warned.

"We're almost ready," LeFou said. Ratigan smirked.

"Your time in power is coming to an end and mine is just beginning," he said. They exchanged a slight weary look. They had every confidence that Paul and Regina would come through, but it was cutting it close.

~*~

The beakers boiled and the liquid traveled through the tubes and the three of them wore masks, as they used Gold's equipment to convert the liquid into an aerosol form. Paul turned the lever at the opening of the tube and filled the aerosol cans they were using.

"There…that should do it and the four of us have one," he said.

"Let's go…Snow and David will stall, but we're running out of time," Regina said, as they quickly left the shop. There was no time to lose…