#great job honey!! you broke the 2 chapter curse

[honeyedlashton]

Chapter 3 is up, finally!!

I know it’s been like a million years but I finally posted chapter 3 of A Dangerous Game. It took me a long time to get happy with the chapter, but the next time won’t take me so long. I promise. Anyways. I hope you all enjoy it!! As always it’s hyperlinked above 💛

[janeyseymour]

Jane's Journey- Chapter 3

prelude.   1. 2.

Jane’s sudden disappearance left Katherine sitting alone in the kitchen. Sipping on her tea at this moment seemed wrong. It wasn’t right of her to be drinking out of the blonde’s mug without her presence to grace the pink haired queen. She chose to down it instead before slowly going about cleaning the kettle and the mugs before placing them back in their respective homes.

The third queen couldn't stop the tears that flowed freely down her face as she slid down the wall closest to her door that night. The glass box that she held around Henry- all of the things she held near and dear to her heart about him, the only one she truly loved- was shattered in the instant that she realized what a terrible thing he had done to Katherine. Poor, sweet Katherine who she had left alone in the kitchen. How had she been foolish enough to not see it before? And how could she be so irresponsible and rude to leave Katherine to deal with the aftermath of making tea that she had offered to make in the first place?

Knowing she wasn’t going to get much more sleep that night, she shuffled her way down to the kitchen, being ever so careful as to watch where she was stepping. Only then was she met with the cleanliness of the kitchen and Katherine, who was now back in her seat and looking as if she hadn’t moved since the silver queen’s outburst. The only thing that gave away that she had moved at all was the appliance and cups were placed back where they were supposed to be.

“I’m sorry I fled like that,” the blonde had the decency to look abashed. “You didn’t have to clean up my mess. I was coming back down to right it.”

“It’s not a big deal. I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”

“You didn’t make me feel any sort of way Katherine. It was him, not you, and I’m so sorry I didn’t see that until now.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“But it-”

“You didn’t tell him to do all of the terrible things he did. You didn’t have any sort of hand in not being able to hold your son. You couldn’t help any of that, and you can’t help the way that history has lied to us and about us for centuries now. Nothing that happened then is your fault.”

“Fine. Well, then I’m sorry for the way I’ve acted since we’ve come back.”

“Like I said, you’re just dealing with reincarnation differently than the rest of us. But when you’re ready, we’ll always be here.”

“I-” Jane fought the urge to run at this moment of kindness Katherine was showing her. “Thank you.”

“Yeah no problem.”

“Shouldn’t you be heading to bed?”

“I probably won’t be able to get back to sleep for tonight, but you should probably get some shut eye.”

The blonde silently cursed herself- Katherine had to be awake for something troubling her, not just worrying about her, and she hadn’t even had the decency to ask if she’d like to speak about it.

“I probably won’t be getting much sleep either tonight,” the third queen stifled a yawn. “In my fit, I completely forgot to ask if you were okay.”

The fifth queen looked at her oddly. Jane had never asked if anyone was okay before. And if she was being honest with herself, she’d rather not speak of what was troublesome to her, but she figured this might be an inch closer to getting Jane to open up to her- to get closer to the woman who had closed herself off.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m okay, but I’m better than I could be. Your tea really helped- thank you for that by the way. I mean it when I say it was really good. You’ll have to let me know how you do it.”

Jane blushed. “It’s made with extra l-” love , she thought. “-Loads of honey!” If Katherine could tell she was going to say the other L word that she hardly spoke, she wouldn’t say anything.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Katherine tapped her head.

“Do you, uh...” Jane scratched her head. She wasn’t good at this whole, listening to others talk about their feelings. “Listen, I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to say here. So forgive me if this is overbearing, but I’m trying. I think I’m ready to make an active effort in becoming part of whatever strange family the rest of you queens have developed. So, would you like to talk about it?”

A smile spread across the pink haired queen’s face. “I think I would, actually.”

“Well, it seems like we’re going to be down here for a while. Would you fancy another cup of tea?” Katherine nodded at that. Jane flitted around the kitchen again. Katherine would notice that Jane had taken extra care in fixing their tea again- a care that she wouldn’t normally take if she was just making it for herself. A few minutes later, the two mugs the fifth queen had just finished putting away were set back on the table, and Jane sat back in her spot awkwardly.

“Well, go on,” she said curtly before sipping her tea.

“I suppose that, uhm, this life is quite strange,” Katherine began, and Jane nodded her head to indicate she was listening. “We’ve sort of forged this family... which is quite weird. Who would have thought that his six wives would come back without him, only to create this sort of found family where we all have each others’ backs.”

Jane couldn’t help but interject, “Well, five out of six.”

“You have my back right now, sitting here and listening in the dead of night. The six of us Jane.”

“Okay, okay. Continue.”

“We’ve created this family, and I guess I never really had a sense of what family was, or should be like. I know you know all about the men who ultimately are the reason who got me... but back then, my home life was certainly not anything to boast about. Mother had died when I was five, and father had sent me off to live with my step-grandmother- a nasty and bitter woman. I was overlooked by my brother and cousins quite often. I’m not sure how your home-life was, but I’m sure you can relate to that. I’ve read up on your past, and-”

“No one gave you the right to do that,” Jane snapped, the warmth that was beginning to creep into her eyes quickly replaced with a dullness.

“I’m so-”

“Yeah, you’re so sorry,” Jane retorted, a bitterness lacing her voice. “You just had to be nosey and read up on me. You said it yourself, history lies. I was right here, and you didn’t have the respect to ask me yourself.”

“Well, Jane, with all due respect,” Katherine treaded lightly. “I was afraid this was how you would react if I tried to speak with you before you were ready. I didn’t want to intrude on your healing.” The fifth queen made herself appear smaller.

“I just fucked up, didn’t I?”

“Well, maybe a little,” the pink queen giggled slightly. “But, you can always fix it. I’m pretty forgiving.”

“I’m sorry. I just- this is all so new. I don’t really quite know how to handle myself very well yet I suppose.”

“It’s alright. We’re all adjusting. Some of us just need a bit more time than the others, like I was saying. It’s all really new to me too. Only recently have I let the others take me under their wing. But now that that’s happening and all...” Katherine looked away briefly, the only light in the room making her look younger than ever. “I guess I’m just nervous it’s not going to be any different than it was back then. You know, get close to them, let them use me for whatever they need, and then they drop me. Or, well, I don’t really know. It’s silly now that I’m voicing these things.”

“I- I don’t think it’s silly. It’s a fear, and a rational one at that. You’ve been hurt before, so you’re trying to protect yourself. I, uh, me too. Every time I see a small child with their mother, I can’t help but feel angry because... I want- or at least I wanted- that. I wasn’t getting close to you guys because... I feared that if I did, fate would have it that I would just have to leave again. It’s not... It’s not silly. I understand the feeling,” Jane reassured the younger woman. “And for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a much better job than I am at readjusting to this strange world. And for someone so young too, you really have your head on straight. You should be proud of that.” In those last few sentences, Jane resisted the urge to place a reassuring hand on the other’s shoulder. She had already crossed enough lines tonight: joining Katherine, listening to Katherine, exposing her vulnerability to Katherine. It would all be too much, and she wasn’t quite ready to cross the line that might make the younger woman uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry you understand the feeling.”

Jane shrugged. “It is what is it, right?”

“Yeah,” Katherine agreed. “You know... Back then, I was a big fan of yours. Everyone said you were so warm and kind. I dreamed of meeting you, and maybe even being a lady in waiting. There were people who said you were the kindest woman they had met, and we were lucky to have you as queen. People who said you were going to be a great mother when news broke out that you were with child. I imagined myself there with you often. It would’ve been a much better life than the one I had lived.”

The blonde smiled sadly, remembering all of the same thoughts she had since meeting the sweet woman. “Yeah, well... fate didn’t seem to work out for either of us, now did it?”

“No, it might not have. But we’re here now, right? We can right what was wrong? Make the best out of what we’ve got right?” The fifth queen prayed Jane wouldn’t shut her out now. They were seemingly making progress.

“You’re right. I think I’ll do my best to be a bit warmer around you all from now on. I do hope you know I really am sorry for the way I’ve treated you all, especially you.”

“C-can I ask why me specifically?” the younger woman asked meekly.

“I- I’m not quite sure I’m ready to reveal that yet. Maybe another day.” The third queen wasn’t ready to reveal that something about Katherine drew her in. She wasn’t ready to admit that if she had won her fight for her life all those years ago, she most certainly would’ve taken a sweet young Katherine in and treated her as her own- as a big sister to her sweet Edward.

“That’s just fine.” The two sat in silence for a few seconds before Jane broke it.

“Thank you for showing me how to get through the house quietly,” the blonde muttered.

“Yeah, no problem,” the pink haired woman replied.

“How did you learn how to do that?”

“Well, uh...”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me,” Jane assured her.

“No it’s fine. I learned because well, back in our old lives, when I was living with my step-grandma, she had really strict rules. We were given our meals, and that’s what we dealt with. Once we were sent to our rooms for the night, we weren’t allowed to get back out of bed. Of course though, there was never enough food that she made for us, and I always got the short end of the stick. So, at night when I knew that evil woman was asleep, I would make my way through the house quietly and find little morsels of food to eat. I learned how to make it through the house silently here too. I just didn’t want to be a burden to any of you if you were sleeping.”

“Oh Kat.” The nickname slipped out with ease. “Oh shit, can I call you Kat?” The silver queen suddenly felt extremely self-conscious of herself. The fifth queen just nodded. “You would never be a burden to any of us. We all buy this food for all of us to eat. Please tell me you know that.”

“I mean, yeah I know that. I just- I don’t know. Whatever I eat I usually replenish as soon as I can anyway. Catherine will normally go with me to the store saying she ‘needs a break from hurricane Anne’, so we go.”

“Is that why there is a seemingly never-ending supply of granola bars?” Jane’s eyes were soft again, and Katherine would be lying to herself if she said she liked this side of the woman next to her much more than the distant woman she thought she knew. It was warm, almost maternal. Almost. She nodded once more.

“Maybe next time, I could accompany you?”

“I-I think I’d really like that,” the younger woman blushed.

“Well, I think we’ve passed a good amount of time down here, yeah?”

“Yeah. We should probably be getting back to bed.” Katherine stood and held out her hand expectantly.

“I can clean it up.” Jane held onto her mug firmly.

“Well, you made the drinks. I figured I could be some help and-”

“Let someone take care of you for once Kat,” the older woman chided her gently before whisking the cup away from her and heading to the sink to clean them.

“Thank you for letting me use your mug.”

“Of course Kat.” She finished washing them and placed them on the drying mat, only for Katherine to pick them back up and dry them before carefully putting them back where they were meant to be in the morning.

When the two made their back upstairs, the pair stood outside Jane’s room in a comfortable silence.

“Well, goodnight I guess. I hope you get some good sleep.” The fifth queen began to shuffle awkwardly down the hall to her room before Jane called out.

“Kat!” she whisper-yelled, although it sounded more like a hiss. Why was she angry? Hadn’t the two just had a good night together? Jane made her way down to the pink haired queen, although much slower, trying to replicate the movements the younger woman had just made. “C-Can I hug you?”

“I- uh-” The fifth queen stumbled out, shocked that of all the people in the house, it was her that Jane wanted to hug first.

“No, no, you’re right. That was foolish of me. I’m sorry for crossing that boundary. I’ll just be going back to-” her words were paused when a certain someone’s pink ponytail ended up in her mouth, slim arms wrapping around her waist.

Jane was stiff. Yes, she had initially asked to give the teen in front of her a hug, but then it dawned on her: she hadn’t hugged anyone since being brought back to life. This body was new to her, and she didn’t quite have a handle on it yet. The fifth queen didn’t quite let go yet though, hoping and praying that the third queen would reciprocate. Slowly, the blonde undid herself from the younger woman, only to reach up and pull her into her arms. It was a funny sight to see really; Katherine bending down to allow the older woman to wrap her arms around her.

“Thank you,” Jane muttered into her hair. “For letting me be when I needed it. I’ll make this right, I promise you.”

“I’m sure you will Jane,” the pink queen whispered back.

“I’m sure there will be bumps in the road, but I promise you: I’m going to do my best.”

“I believe you,” Kat affirmed- the first time she would utter these words in this new life and truly mean them.

When the two separated, Jane looked up at the younger woman with a look that could only be described as a maternal love. “Get some sleep now Kat. I’ll see you in the morning.” She made her way back to her room silently, leaving Katherine in her spot.

“Goodnight Jane,” she whispered back before turning in for the night.

As Jane tucked herself back into her bed for the night, she looked up at the ceiling and sighed, “Oh Eddie. How lucky you would’ve been to have Kat as a sister.”

Both women dreamed of family that night. Katherine dreamt of her new found family, a certain blonde woman now included. Jane dreamt of Edward and Katherine- sans Henry.

[liamscxtt]

a day in the life ; self para

when: thursday, august 28th

where: literally everywhere

nb: just a brief (long) narrative of what the typical day looks like for liam.

trigger warnings: homelessness, death and drug mentions, drug abuse

5:00am

there’s a moment when you first wake up when everything is just a haze. a moment when you forget who you are, what day it is -- all of your problems just don’t exist, for that moment. the moment only lasted a few seconds before the blaring sound of the alarms coming from the phone bring you back to the brutal aspects of reality. and yet, those were the best five seconds for liam.

groaning, he turned over and tapped on his screen, desperately trying to shut the alarm off; the bright screen burning his already sleep deprived eyes. he probably only got about three hours of sleep, if that. he was used to it at this point, and then there were days like today. days where he wanted to wither into the depths of his own self-loathing. 

he looked out the window to see the sun beginning to rise. a sky painted with shades of blues, purples, and oranges, almost like a messy yet somewhat neatly put together painting made by a middle schooler. there was something beautiful about waking up with the sun, parts of it that brought him peace. his sister loved watching the sunrise - she always went on and on about how sunrises were the true underdog; how mother nature picked it’s most beautiful mixture of colors for the sunrises, all because it took a special person to appreciate the beauty that came from it. he never really understood what she meant, until he was forced to watch the sun rise every single morning. and as always, she was right. sunsets had nothing against sunrises. 

these quiet mornings were the best part of liam’s day. the hours where he felt most connected to his sister and to himself. the hours he felt truly at peace. it was crazy to think that liam’s favorite time of the day was between 5:00am and 6:30am. 

he turned on his car to play youtube on his aux before climbing out of his vehicle. the sweet melody’s of the soft pitched tunes filled his car and the immediate area surrounding it, and a smile creeped on his face as one of her favorite songs began playing in the background. he wasn’t religious, but there was a part of him that truly found strength in knowing that his sister wasn’t far away. 

he rolled up the worn down mattress topper, collected his pillow and blanket in one hand. he broke down his bed as he pushed the backseat of his 2006 ford escape upright and neatly tucked his belongings into his trunk. 

5:30am

he pulled into the vacant parking lot of the soulstice gym. the gym was set to open in a half hour; luckily for him, there weren’t many college students that would dare to wake up at the crack of dawn just to work out. he stuffed everything he needed to get ready for the day into a duffle bag; shower supplies, and a clean outfit. he desperately needed to do laundry, and he needed to get food...but pay day wasn’t until next week. he was gonna have to find cash, and find it quick - maybe he’ll just pick up another shift at the bar. he practically lived at that place now.

his footsteps echoed through as he walked through the empty fitness center; not even the cleaners had arrived for their early morning shift. he quickly hopped into the showers and get ready for the day. lord knows he needed to wash the dirt and sins that painted his skin from the previous nights festivities. he couldn’t even recall what exactly happened, and that was both a blessing and a curse. it was shortly after he turned on all the lights and greeted the early morning cleaners, jimmy and george. 

“good morning, son!” greeted george. 

“mornin’, will.” jimmy greeted shortly after. 

jimmy and george worked closely together, and were usually gone for the day 2pm; and yet, liam knew the guys quite well. 

jimmy is in his early-forties, married with two children. he worked two full time jobs to get his children through school. his son played division II baseball at a school somewhere in the midwest, and is majoring in sports education. he wants to be a gym teacher. his daughter is studying to be a nurse at monarch. she aspires to work in women’s health. jimmy always spoke so highly of them two. 

george is in his mid-sixties, but is still kicking it like he’s twenty. he’s also married with children and even grandchildren, but his story is more tragic. he’s a retired firefighter, who is still working a full time job because his pension wasn’t enough to make ends meet. can’t make ends meet. his only daughter passed away at a young age - drug overdose, he says. his only son is constantly in and out of jail for drug charges - leaving george and his wife to take care and raise their two grandchildren, layla and michael. layla is 14 and is getting ready to start high school. she loves to play volleyball, and apparently is a natural. michael is 9 and is getting ready to start fourth grade. he love cars, spider man, legos, sonic, and baseball cards. he wants to be a youtube gamer when he grows up. liam didn’t know the kid, but he thought he was fucking awesome. 

two completely different stories, and yet liam believed that those two men deserved the world and then some.

“what’s up, guys?” liam greeted with a smile as he filled up his metal water bottle at the nearest filling station. “when are the kids set to go back, george?”

“this coming monday. mikey’s already complaining how he doesn’t need school to be a youtuber. apparently he’s ‘done his research’.” the comment makes both liam and jimmy laugh. 

“tell the little man to put that energy into a sport, or a trade. i need a new mechanic.” jim jested, once again causing the other two to laugh. “what about you, will? getting ready to start the semester back up? gabby is already stressing because some of her professors already posted the syllabus.” 

“shit, i haven’t even gotten my textbooks yet. i might have to join mikey with this whole youtuber plan and hope for the best.” liam said with a nervous chuckle. he almost had completely forgotten about the upcoming semester approaching. 

to quickly divert the question away from him, he spoke once more. “say, george. i found a few baseball cards at the bar the other night. remind me to bring them in for you.” 

“you’ll make that boys entire week. maybe i’ll use that to bribe him to go to school.” 

jimmy just smiled. “you’re a good kid, scotty boy. never change.” 

2:30pm

it had only been a half hour since liam clocked out from his morning job, and he quickly made his way over to the library. the mention of school that morning brought liam into a panic. he grabbed a spot at one of desks in the computer station, powering on the device and pulling out his notebook. luckily enough, most of the textbooks he needed the library had available. leaving his stuff behind, he went to go fetched them. 

he already had mastered the technique of not having his own textbooks. every week, he would go and scan all of the chapters he needed for each and every class. luckily, monarch offered free scanning and printing. he made small talk with the librarian that sat at the desk nearby as he printed out at least three weeks worth of chapters for each of his classes. 

he sat down once more, and took the time to put the pile of papers neatly into his binder. it was time to start planning. 

6:30pm

now it was time to work his night time job, mars bar. he was working with adrian tonight, so he knew it wouldn’t be that bad.

his stomach had been grumbling half way through his shift. he hadn’t eaten anything all day. but he continued to push through. he had to, at least until pay day. he continued to chug water; if his stomach was full of water, his body didn’t have time to remind him that it needed some sort of nutrients. he was a master manipulator when it came to his own body now. 

1:00am

the rounded out the tips that he received from his customers. it was a good night, and luckily enough he would be able to do laundry the next day. his body was tired, though; aching from the lack of sleep and abuse his body endured from the festivities. he felt like he could sleep for an entire month, and then some. 

he drove around for a bit after his shift, a thing he did as he needed to both unwind and find a somewhat safe space to park his car. university police were patrolling the parking lots that night, which immediately told him not to park there. he couldn’t park in greek row - too many people he knew by this point. he was left to park in a nearby park, in a nearby neighborhood. he found himself saying a small prayer that nobody would mess with him that night. 

he lit up a joint once he found his place, feeling the smoke fill his lungs as he listened to the calming music that played on the radio. ed sheeran was playing, a song from his multiply album. it was one of his and his sister’s favorite albums. that’s the one thing they shared in common, their taste in music. but she was more pop in a sense, and he was more edgy. but still, the music brought him comfort.

he got his bed ready; a mattress topper, paired with a pillow and a blanket. he made himself comfortable and looked at his phone, just to see he missed a text from his mother at 10:45pm.

hi honey! spoke with your aunt today, and we’re making plans for christmas. did your father reach out to you? let me know what plans he has set. i’ll arrange my trip around your plans. 

i hope you had a great day! i love you! ❤️

her message was followed by a bitmoji image of her holding a huge heart. and he smiled. 

i haven’t spoken to him all week, but i’ll reach out tomorrow and let you know. i’ll call you tomorrow. love you ❤️

there was a huge part of him that wanted to call her now, that wanted to tell her he had been struggling both physically and mentally...but then he remembered the damage and the financial burden his injury left. it ruined his family. he ruined his family. and just as he was about to press call, he let out a frustrated sigh before locking his phone and tossing it not too far away from him, rolling over to attempt to get some sort of rest.

just to do the same thing. all. over. again.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Home- Chapter 3 (Kylo Ren/Ben Solo x F!Oc)

Words: 2,169

Warning: Curses= Cool stuff

Chapter 2 / Chapter 4

“Wow, stop there. Are we going to help them? ” Han growled, nodding. I put my hand on his shoulder and force him away from the boys. “Han, this may come at the hands of the First Order, He could see me! We are risking a lot ”

“Quiet, Kid. That will not happen. We will deliver the droid to Leia and then we will leave”

"Is that your plan?" I ask incredulously.

"Basically."

“Your plans never work, Solo. I have a bad feeling"

"Hey, we won't let him hurt you again, everything will be fine" I raise my eyebrows.

"He could hurt you too, Han"

“I don't believe it, but we will not reach those situations. Come on, Breathe”

_________________________________

“Chewie, I already told you that I will not. No matter how much you beg,” the Wookie continues to complain, among his growls I can understand that he already wants the bandage removed, even if he still bleeds a little. "I already told you no," I say and then leave the ship.

I walk ignoring Chewbacca and find the pretty planet that already knew, I know that the friend Han was referring to was Maz, I can't wait to see her again. I walk around the falcon to check if it has any other breakdown and when I don't find it I decide to go to the front, where Han and Rey are chatting while they see the lake.

"I was thinking of having more crew, Rey," I stop at Han's words. I frown uncertainly, he had never mentioned that before. “A second officer. Somebody help me. Someone to keep up with Chewie and me and appreciate the falcon”

Wait, what?

"But, I thought Kiara was your second officer," she replies. I am his second officer! "Wait, are you offering me a job?" Her tone changes, she seems excited.

I do not understand what is happening, Han is going to fire me? After so many years? How dare he? And without telling me before.

I feel a terrible pain in my chest and I move back so that I no longer listen to them. Did I do something wrong? I thought that-

In that Chewie and Finn walk out of the ship.

“Chewie," says Han turning "Check the ship," I already did it and he didn't even notice it, of course how was he going to do it? If you are preparing my replacement. I bite my bottom lip, he doesn't trust me anymore?

Ok, I can accept someone else in the crew, it would be great to have another girl on board, especially her, but Han said he needed a second officer. What about me? I’m not good enough, right? I tense my body when I look at Rey. A couple of sounds distract me, BB-8 approaches and tells me that the little stones around me shook for a moment, as if it were a tremor. Oh no.

"It's nothing" I sigh relaxing. "Sometimes it happens" without saying anything else, we all walk towards a construction at the end of the lake.

"Solo, why are we here?" Finn asks.

“To take your droid on a clean ship. The first order must have already detected us, we must change it to protect ourselves. Maz Katana is our best option to bring BB-8 to the resistance.” We arrive at the huge entrance of the building, high decorated with flags, symbols and statues.

"Can we trust her?" Finn asks.

“Relax, kid. She drove this trough for a thousand years.” We climbed the entrance stairs. "Maz is an acquired taste, so let me talk to me"

"Sure, as if that had worked for us before," I say sarcastically.

"Whatever you do, don't stare at it," he adds ignoring me.

“Stare at what?" Rey and Finn ask at the same time making me laugh.

“Nowhere”

The music plays and we find different types of creatures and races, Han and I get ahead, while the other two are admiring the place.

Suddenly we hear a shout "Han Solo!" causing all the attention to be focused on us. Great.

"Hi, Maz," Han says awkwardly. Maz approaches and everyone turns to their own business.

"Where is my boyfriend?" She questions.

“Chewie is working on the Falcon”

"I like that Wookie," She says making me laugh. She notices my presence. "Oh and my dear girl, Kiara," She adds taking my hands.

"It's nice to see you again, Maz," I said, leaning a little toward her small height.

"My pleasure, honey," She says adjusting her huge glasses and returns to Han. "But I assume they aren't here just to say hello." You need something, desperately. Let's get to the point,” She says, gesturing with her hand and walking to a table, we all follow her.

When we sit down, BB-8 tells her why we are here.

"A map? To Skywalker himself?” She laughs, looking at Han and me. "You got into trouble again," she teases.

"Maz, I need you to take this droid to Leia," She thinks.

“No," we all look surprised. "You two have long been escaping this fight. Go home,” I move in my uncomfortable chair.

"Leia doesn't want to see me," Han adds, denying.

"She would kill me if she sees me again," I feel the confused looks of Finn and Rey, but I ignore them.

"What battle?" Rey asks.

"The only battle, against the dark side" oh, here comes "Through time, I saw evil take many forms. The Sith, the Empire. Today the First Order. Its shadow spreads throughout the galaxy. We have to face them”

After that Finn goes defensive saying that no one can against the First Order. Maz analyzes it and notices that this guy just wants to run away. Rey tries to convince him, but he gets up and goes to other creatures that can help him. Rey follows.

"That went well," I say. I look up at the man, "I guess your crew broke again, Solo," I say smiling.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, just that you'll still be stuck with me and Chewie"

"What?" He frowns, but then changes to realize, "You heard me talk to Rey,” I clench my teeth.

“When were you going to tell me? Leaving me on some uninhabited planet? ”

"Kid, it's not what you think, I-"

"I know what happens, Han. I'm not 18 anymore." I get up from my chair and walk to the exit.

"Where are you going?"

"You should worry about my replacement," I say and finally leave.

I walk towards the forest, my anger clouds my senses and all I can do is move on without knowing exactly where I'm going.

Among the trees, with my eyes fixated on my feet, my only company is the animals that live there, but the sound of nature is replaced by the same voice that has been chasing me, this time it is not a whisper.

I stop and look up looking around. Then you are a threat, it’s heard as an echo between the trees, followed by the sound of a lightsaber being activated. My head goes in all directions trying to find the origin of the voice, but there is no one else.

The pain in my head interrupts the sounds and every time it is more stabbing, I close my eyes. Now what I can hear is the agitated beat of my heart. My legs fail and I fall to my knees, screaming in pain until a memory comes to my mind.

Smoke enters the cabin causing Kiara to wake up confused. With difficulty, she sits on her bed and begins to cough. She doesn’t understand what is happening, with her sleepy eyes she can see that a powerful light enters the small wooden openings of her cabin. She gets out of bed and without thinking takes her lightsaber and leaves.

Bewilderment and fear govern her surroundings: everything is engulfed in flames, cries of help from their companions are heard in the distance. She looks to her right towards the path of the other cabins, she prepares to go, but a whisper interrupts her, at first she fails to understand and that is when she notices.

"Ben" whispers and looks straight ahead, she must go help others, but he is first. She returns and goes to the road to his friend's bedroom, but finds the cabin completely destroyed, his heart falls to think the worst. She shakes her head and closes her eyes for a moment concentrating on feeling the bond they both share.

"Ben" says in her mind, nothing, "Ben!"

"Kiara, you must come with me,” he replies causing relief in the girl.

"Where are you? You're good? We must help others, someone is destroying everything,” She says and opens her eyes.

"Come with me.”

"Ben, listen to me. Do you know where Luke is?" She returns to the other cabins.

"Stop!" She obeys, scared by the shout, "you must come with me, forget them, everyone is already dead,” She frowns. She can feel the danger everywhere, "Luke is the cause of all this.”

"No, that's not true,” tears fall down her cheeks, "they are screaming, we can still do something"

“Everything is lost, Kiara. Go to the temple entrance. We're both in danger, I won't let Luke hurt you. ”

"No! Enough!" I scream towards the forest and I sit on the ground. My cheeks are wet and my chest rises and falls quickly, "No more tricks!"

Suddenly I hear the sound of engines, I look up and a group of ships cross the sky, they are ships of the First Order.

“BB-8," I clean my face and get up quickly, returning to Maz's building. When I have vision of the entrance, the blaster shots start by making me stop. The ships shoot at the buildings, they all shout and run when they see the stormtroopers.

"We won't get to that," I repeat Han's words. “Sure"

I take out my blaster while I run and shoot the soldiers that I find on my way. In a moment I must hide among a pile of rubble to avoid the shots, only when I think it is convenient, I look out and continue with the fight.

"Where the hell is she?" I hear Han's scream among all the noise.

I look carefully, but I can't see where they are, so I hide and return to the forest, behind a leafy tree. In the distance I see Chewie and Han running in the opposite direction to mine. My next move is to change places, for a shot against my tree stops me and by reflection I bend down, with difficulty I go towards some rocks. Through the small spaces between rocks, I can see four stormtroopers raising their weapons towards my direction. "Shit."

"Will she be the girl they are looking for?" says one of them.

"I don't know, but we must take her"

The girl they are looking for? Rey.

The shots stop and I hear his steps approaching me. I smile at the thought of an idea and keep my blaster behind my pants.

"Please stop," I say, raising my arms out slowly. "Don't hurt me, I'll go with you" Such a good actress.

"Wait for her and warn Kylo Ren,” two of them approach, while another pulls out a small device, and I take advantage of the distraction.

"We have the girl-" I take out my gun and shoot at four. Everyone falls easily.

"No, you don’t.”

Suddenly I hear screams, but this time they sound excited, they are screams of victory in the distance, different ships fly and attack those of the First Order. The resistance.

"Back off!" the soldiers stop attacking and run to their ships.

I run back to the fortress. Several huge pieces of concrete obstruct my path, so I climb one of them to have a better vision and to continue.

Everything changes when my sight falls on a specific enemy ship. The entrance ramp is down and a black figure with a girl in her arms walks towards her.

"Holy Shit,” My feet fail and I fall to the ground covered with debris and glass. I complain when I feel something bury in my back.

"Kid!" Han comes to my side, "Are you alright?"

"My ego hurts right now," I say getting up with his help. When I'm already stable, I don't hesitate to hit his shoulder hard.

"Why was that?" He says complaining. “You should respect your elders, girl”

"Will we just hand them the droid and leave?" I yell at him and he makes a face.

"Did he see you?" He questions worriedly. I shake my head.

"I don’t think so"

"Rey!" We both turn to the other voice. Finn screams at the ship where Kylo Ren entered a few moments ago. Wait, he has Rey and she...

"Oh no…”

"What?" Han asks. My hands shake as I realize.

"I won’t be able to hide anymore"

[fanfictionaries]

Where the Green Grass Grows - Part 2. All My Exes Live in Texas

Summary: After leaving town in 2001, Marianne Grace Barnes swore she’d never step foot in Texas again. She was happy with her life in San Francisco. She had great friends, a great job, and a loving boyfriend. But when her mother insists she come home after six long years away, Marianne comes face to face with someone she vowed to never lay eyes on again. Now the questions arise: Is he so different from the man who broke her heart? Is she so different from the girl she used to be?

And most importantly, is she as happy as she really thinks she is?

A story of love, heartache, and that special feeling of being home.

MASTERLIST

Prompt: Sweet Home Alabama (2002) 

Pairing: AU Cowboy!Steve Rogers x OFC

Warnings: NA this chapter I think? ANGST! 

Author’s note: It’s easier if you imagine everyone with a southern accent except for Marianne (Pronounced Mary Anne) who has a slight southern accent but’s lost it’s strength over the years. Also, how sexy is it to imagine Sam, Bucky, and Steve with southern accents?!?!?

My goal is to upload two parts a week for this series! Please bear with me, schools starts back up next week! xoxo

***

“Married?!”

“Mama—”

“You’re getting married?! And I had to find out through the paper like some stranger?”

“Mama, please. I said I was sorry—” Marianne tried to apologize once again but was drowned out by the hysterical cries of her mother through the phone.

“Marianne Grace Barnes, I don’t know who you think you’re talking to, but you will wait till I am good and finished talking before you interrupt me,” scolded Winifred Barnes.

“Yes ma’am,” grumbled Marianne, cursing every member of the staff at the San Francisco Chronicle.

***

It seems as though San Francisco’s most eligible bachelor, Tony Stark (32) is officially off the market amidst the announcement of his engagement to a Marianne Barnes (24). Mr. Stark, heir to the Stark fortune and founder of Stark industry met Ms. Barnes, middle school art teacher, a short ten months ago at an art show for the now celebrated artist Aldrich Killian. Sources say the pair hit it off almost immediately, and this can be confirmed by the fact that Barnes was rumored to be living with Stark in his sprawling San Francisco townhouse a mere two months after meeting. Since then, the two have been inseparable. Barnes and Stark have been spotted together at multiple Stark Industry events and frequenting many of San Francisco’s hottest spots. No matter the location, however, it is clear that the pair are deeply enamored with each other.

No details have been released on the exact date and location of the wedding, but our sources say they plan to marry soon in anticipation of the expected merger between Stark Industries and Pym Technology. Needless to say, we at the San Francisco Chronicle expect the event to be as lavish and opulent as the man, Tony Stark, himself.

***

Truthfully, she had no idea that they would do a piece on her and Tony’s engagement, although in hindsight it didn’t really surprise her. He was one of the most wealthy and successful men in California, why wouldn’t they? However, what really surprised her was that her parents were subscribed to the newspaper. Why they felt the need to keep up with the going-ons of San Francisco life from all the way in Texas, she had no clue.

“You know there’s this nifty little invention called a telephone missy and I know you have one of those fancy cellular phones with you all the time. And don’t for a second say that you called but we didn’t answer, because we even have an answering machine now. James went and got us one for Christmas so that we could stop ‘accidentally’ missing all those ‘calls’ you’ve been making—” Her mother’s tone was accusing and rightfully so. It was true. Marianne had a nasty habit of not calling home and lying about it later, but she had found over the years that things were easier when she spent less time thinking about home. Unfortunately, she did not know about the answering machine and now she had nothing to say for herself. “And to think we spent 18 years feeding you and raising you and giving you everything we could just for you to go and get engaged to a man we’ve never even heard of, let alone met!”

“Tony and I were talking about flying you, daddy, and Bucky down a week or so before the wedding, so you could spend some time with me and Tony. You know, get to know him and all,” said Marianne sheepishly, suddenly feeling so dumb she could throw herself on the ground and miss.

“A week?! Honey, I know you don’t think we’re gonna’ wait a week before the wedding to meet this man. You realize he never even asked your daddy for his blessing? He’s none too pleased about it neither. The man’s got a bur in his saddle so large you could see it from Houston.

“Mama, I’m not property. Tony doesn’t need daddy’s—”

“Nuh uh, you zip it right now missy. At the end of the day, it’s the principle Marianne Grace. Now, we wanna’ meet this man. Soon,” said Winifred so sternly Marianne could just envision her pacing the kitchen in a rage.

“Okay, I’m sure we would be more than happy to fly you all over whenever you like,” stated Marianne, standing and looking over to where Tony was fully engrossed in his work at his expansive glass dining room table. She tried to catch his eye, but he had yet to unglue his eyes from the screen of his laptop and the stacks of paper around him. Marianne was halfway to him when her mother’s words stopped her in her tracks.

“Your daddy can’t get a day off from the ranch any time soon since Sam Wilson fell off the barn roof and broke his arm; and Bucky’s busy with his practice and helping to fill in for Sam.”

Marianne swallowed thickly, “So what do you want to do?”

“You two will come here,” her mother stated flatly.

“Mama, I don’t think that’s a good—”

“No arguing with me Marianne,” interrupted Winifred before continuing in a softer tone. “You haven’t been back home in almost six years. It’ll do you some good to come home and spend some quality time with your family. We miss you honey.”

“I miss you too mama, but there’s absolutely no way Tony and I can make it down to Texas before the wedding.”

***

The air was hot and muggy in the small plane as they sat docked on the tarmac at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. They’d been sitting there waiting for an open terminal for nearly an hour, but it felt like four. Marianne was ready to open the emergency exit herself and face homeland security if it meant getting a breath of air that wasn’t shared with a hundred other people. Therefore, she was in no way ready to hear the news that Natasha had for her when she turned her cellphone back on.

“What do you mean Montecito fell through?!” exclaimed, smiling sheepishly to be the people around her in apology before turning towards the window and lowering her voice. “Please telling me you’re joking Nat. I really can’t handle any bad news right now.”

“I wish I were Mari, but unfortunately it wouldn’t matter if Tony had more money than God. There’s no way you two are finding a decent venue in California until at least next summer,” said Nat, only adding to Marianne’s stress level. She ran a hand through her brown curls, already feeling them begin to grow and frizz in the dry Texas climate. Yet, another reason to hate it there.

“Are you sure? Did you try Fairmont?” Marianne asked in desperation.

“Sweetie, I’ve tried Fairmont, The Langham Huntington, Montecito, Sherwood, Oak Mountain…you name it; I’ve called and been told no. Are you sure you guys can’t put off the wedding till next year?”

“No, Tony is dead set on having the wedding in June and seeing as it’s April, well…” Marianne trailed off, unsure of how even to end that sentence. Two months. Tony had given her two months to plan this wedding and she was scrambling. She felt the plane lurch forward as it began a slow crawl across the asphalt. The overhead intercom crackled before announcing they would be departing the plane in ten minutes. The plane erupted into a smattering of applause that seemed to rouse a sleeping child as a high-pitched cry sounded soon after.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were knocked up,” laughed Natasha, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

“At this point, a pregnancy would be the least of my worries,” sighed Marianne, leaning back in her seat and plugging her free ear with her finger. As the plane continued to move towards its gate, the space filled with the sound of passengers gathering their things and chatting excited.

“Where are you? It sounds like a carnival on your end.”

Marianne laughed bitterly, “A carnival would be more fun. Unfortunately, I’m currently stuck on the world’s most uncomfortable airplane.”

“An airplane? Where could you possibly be going right now?! We have a wedding to plan in less than two months!” exclaimed Natasha in exasperation.

“It’s less where I’m going and more where I am, actually.”

“Okay, well then please, enlighten me. Where are you?”

“I’m in Texas,” confessed Marianne, unbuckling her seatbelt and standing as the plane door finally opened and the deboarding process began.

“Oh no…”

“Oh yes.”

Two hours later and Marianne was convinced that her luck couldn’t get any worse. As if Texas itself was punishing her for six long years away, the airline lost her luggage indefinitely and her taxi driver got lost, twice, before they finally pulled up to her parents’ home in Georgetown, Texas. The farmhouse was small; built in the 1800s as a place of residence for the ranch foreman, it still held its original purpose. White with baby blue shutters and a large wrap around porch, Marianne had many memories of sitting on the porch swing and watching the time inch by. Stepping out of the air-conditioned sanctuary of the cab, the full force of southern heat hit her square in the face. Before she could even turn to close the car door behind her, her mother’s excited cries floated through the air. The screen door squeaked and groaned as the greying woman heaved it open and ran towards her daughter with open arms.

“My baby is finally home! Hallelujah!” cried Winifred, engulfing her daughter in a tight hug. Winifred Barnes, standing a few good inches shorter than her daughter, hugged her with surprising force. Years of helping out on the farm left her figure lean and muscular, while years of good ol’ southern cooking left her with a pair of hips that still made most of the men in town turn their head when she passed by. Of course, none of that was new to Winifred. In her day, the woman had been the bell of the ball in Texas society. A former debutant and pageant queen, she had the pick of any wealthy Texan she came across, but when it all came down to it, she had chosen George Barnes – a lowly ranch hand with no prospects outside of roping, riding, and herding cattle.

“Hi mama, it’s good to see you,” said Marianne, feeling her heart clench slightly as she hugged her mother tightly. She was surprised to see some grey in the blonde, pin straight hair Marianne had always envied growing up. The lines at the corner of her mother’s eyes and mouth made her wonder for a moment if she truly had been gone for too long.

“Do you need help with your things?” Winifred asked, looking between Marianne and the taxi driver who was currently making no move to get out and help her daughter with her luggage.

“Oh! Hold on—” Marianne leaned back into the taxi and dug into her purse before pulling out cash for the driver “—Sorry. Thank you so much.”

With that she exited the cab, purse, and small carry-on in hand, slamming the car door behind her. The cab took off with a cloud of dust that sent Marianne and her mother into a small fit of coughs.

“They lost my luggage. I’m supposed to be hearing from them some time in the next few days, but they told me not to get my hopes up. Apparently, my bags never even made it on the plane,” Marianne told her mother.

“Oh dear. I hope they find them; it’d be a shame for you to lose all those fancy clothes—" her mother took a moment to take in Marianne’s outfit, an outfit Tony had bought her for her birthday actually. She thought the black pencil skirt, white Calvin Klein button up and thick chunky belt cinched at her waist was a cute ensemble, but judging from the way her mother appraised her, perhaps she was wrong “—we’ve still got all of your old clothes. I’m sure they’ll fit you. If anything, they’ll be too big! You are so skinny; do they not eat in California?”

“Yes, they eat plenty mama. Don’t worry. Now, where’s daddy?”

“Well he should be coming in soon. He found a section of fence down up past the crick, so he took the boys up with him to fix it,” said Winifred, looking out into the distant pasture.

“I thought Sam broke his arm.”

“He did, but the damn fool still insists on helping where he can. Couldn’t get him off that horse if I tried and the good Lord knows I have. Still, your daddy won’t let him do much. Till then Steven and your brother are putting in extra work to fill in the gaps.”

Just the utterance of his name was enough to throw Marianne for a loop, “I didn’t know Steve worked here now.”

“Oh, he doesn’t dear. He’s just helping out. He’s still over at—oh there they are!” exclaimed Winifred, pointing out in the far distance where the silhouette of four men on horse back could be seen against the setting sun.

They should have been indiscriminate from each other from that far of a distance, but Marianne knew without a doubt which one of the men was Steven Rogers. Larger and thicker than the rest of the men, he held a certain grace in the saddle that most professional riders lacked, but Marianne would know anywhere. As they got closer, approaching at a well-paced canter, she couldn’t help but keep her gaze trained on the man in question. The one person she was least excited to see upon coming home. It was no secret how she felt about him. Everyone knew her disdain for the man ran deep, however he was unavoidable given he was her brother’s best friend. Spitefully, she imagined that after all this time he would have gotten fat or perhaps lost all his hair – anything to cut back the enormous ego he possessed. Yet, as they approached it was to her dismay that the exact opposite was true. Not only was he not fat and bald, but he was probably more muscular than he’d been the last time she saw him and his thick, dirty blonde hair was thicker and longer than ever, hanging down to the nape of his neck under the brim of his tan Stetson. To top it all off, the bastard had a beard so thick and rugged, it put Kenny Rogers to shame…bastard.

She had no time to focus on the way the sweat glistened off the exposed skin of Steve’s neck or the way his thick thighs gripped the leather below him, because the moment they were close enough her older brother of two years was launching himself out of the saddle and onto her. His large, strong arms wrapped around her middle and hoisted her into the air, spinning her in the air and nearly causing her ankle boots to fly clear off her feet. When he finally placed her back on the ground, his grin was as wide as the Mississippi and as bright as the blinding Texan sun.

“There she is!” he beamed before looking all around her. “Where’s that fancy fiancé of yours?”

“He’s not coming till Wednesday, remember?” called their mother over her shoulder as she made her way back to the porch steps.

“He had some business to take care of before he could come down. Figured I’d come down ahead and let you get all of your crazy out before you meet him. That way you don’t scare him off,” teased Marianne, punching her brother’s arm in good spirits. “You look good. How’s the practice?”

James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes was the most accomplished of the Barnes’ children. After undergrad at the University of Houston, he went on to become a veterinarian and take over the old clinic right in town. Of course, that couldn’t be enough for the young Barnes man. No, he had to be annoyingly handsome as well; possessing the same brown curls as her, his boyish smile, tall height, and muscular stature always seemed to work in his favor. “Oh, it’s great. Busy as all get up,” he answered, tucking his hands into the pockets of his dirty wranglers.

“What? Your old man doesn’t get a hug as well?” asked George Barnes, handing his and Bucky’s reigns over to Steve before walking over to her and engulfing her in another hug. A feeling of safety and serenity washed over her as she hugged her father tightly. In truth, she’d always been a daddy’s girl. Never did she miss a moment growing up to help her father on the farm right alongside her brother. George Barnes, while coming across as stern and taciturn at times, was nothing more than a soft, kind-hearted man.

“Hi daddy. I missed you.”

“I missed you too pumpkin. My successful, big city daughter has been away for too long,” her father teased, an edge of sincerity to his tone. She gave him one last tight squeeze before releasing herself and turning her attention away from her father’s comment and instead to Sam Wilson. Sure enough, there he was, cast and all, sitting high and good-naturedly on the back of his Appaloosa. He was everything her mother described, kind brown eyes, a sweet gapped smile, cropped black hair, and deep tawny skin that glistened in the warm setting sun.

“You must be Sam!” Marianne said enthusiastically, crossing the distance and holding her hand out to him. Sam came to work on the ranch a few years after she left and while she’d never met him, she had heard quite a bit about him. Originally from Alabama, Sam Wilson moved out to Texas chasing a girl and fell in love with the open range and rolling river of Georgetown instead.

“And you must be Marianne. Pleasure to finally meet you,” Sam greeted her, taking her hand in his good one and giving it a gentle shake.

“Please, call me Mari. How’s your ar—”

“I’m gonna’ go put the horses up, George,” the gruff timbre of Steve’s voice interrupted her, the sound both grating to her ears and causing her heart to leap in her chest.

“Oh, alright. Do you want any help?” asked George, turning away from his daughter as Steve began to ride away, leading the other two mares along with him.

“Nah, you stay and catch up. I’ll only be a minute.”

“I should probably go and help him,” said Sam, grinning pleasantly at them before righting himself in the saddle and turning his horse back towards the barn.

“Why don’t you get settled in your room, while your brother and I get cleaned up for supper?” her father suggested, breaking Marianne out of her stupor. She only realized then that she’d been watching Sam and Steve intently as they rode away and disappeared into the large, red barn.

Marianne’s room hadn’t changed a bit. Apparently, her mother had never even given a thought to redecorating or repurposing the room and for that, she didn’t know whether to be grateful or concerned. The same baby pink covered the walls and stuffed animals adorned the surface of her flowery bedspread. Posters littered the walls showcasing the stars of her youth including The Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, and, embarrassingly, Randy Travis on the ceiling above her bed. Trinkets of her childhood remained on shelves and her desktop. 4-H ribbons and trophies sat in all their glory, reflecting the days in which she put more stock in goat wrangling and horseback riding than watercolor technique and Renoir’s crippling arthritis. It was like walking into a living memorial of the late 90s in the loudest and most obnoxious way possible. She placed her purse and carryon on the bed when a thought popped into her head. Rushing to her closet, she pushed through the clothing, shoes, and a few boxes till she found the special hiding place she created all those years ago.

“Aha!” Marianne exclaimed when her fingers wrapped around the binding of her old diary. Suppressing a childlike giggle, she sat down on the thick carpet of her bedroom floor and opened the dusty journal to a random page.

Dear Diary,

Last week Mrs. Darlene said she was bringing in an older student to fill in for her and teach some of the class and you wouldn’t believe who it ended up being. That’s right. Steve. I mean, I shouldn’t have been surprised. He’s like the most talented artist in the school. Clint reckons he’s going to Julliard or Paris or something when he graduates. Too bad I still have to deal with his annoying face till then. It’s bad enough that I have to see him all the time at home with Buck. Now I have to see him in my classes too? Of course, he just had to get on my nerves too. He couldn’t just leave me well enough alone. He kept leaning over my shoulder and telling me my shading needed work. Sorry we can’t all be artistic geniuses. Some of us are just okay.

After class Clint kept saying how he thinks Steve has a crush on me. I said if that were true then he wouldn’t spend every waking moment with his tongue shoved down Sharon Carter’s throat. Of course, Clint had to go and rile my feathers by saying I was jealous. AS IF! I wouldn’t want Steven Rogers’ tongue within spitting distance of me, let alone in my mouth.

I mean, sure. He does have nice eyes and I can see how some people might think he’s handsome, but he’s no Tom Selleck. I wouldn’t kiss him if someone paid me $1000. Anyways, that’s all for today Diary.

Till next time,

Mari Grace xoxo

“Marianne! Supper’s on!” called Winifred from down the stairs, sending Marianne into a spiral of déjà vu. She shut the journal tightly, throwing it back into her closet before standing and heading downstairs. The expansive kitchen was everything she remembered from the olive-green cupboards to the faded pine table sat on a threadbare rug. She was the last to arrive, finding the table full and the setting across from Steve the only available spot. Begrudgingly she sat, purposefully avoiding any and all eye contact with the man sat in front of her. Instead, she opted to turn her attention to the delicious food in front of her.

Her mother had gone all out cooking her favorite foods: fried chicken, new peas and potatoes in cream sauce, corn on the cob, ham steak, green bean casserole, salad, fresh rolls, corn bread, and if her intuition was correct there was sure to be a peach cobbler sitting  in the oven at that very moment.

“Wow mama, I hope you didn’t cook all of this on my account,” said Marianne, grabbing a chicken leg from the platter in front of her.

“Well it’s not every day my only daughter decides to grace us with her presence. I didn’t know if you still liked the same things, so I made a bit of everything,” said Winifred, helping herself to a bit of salad.

“Yea, we didn’t know if you’d become one of those vegetarians like all those hippies in California,” laughed Bucky, cutting a large piece of ham steak, and shoving it in his mouth.

“They’re not all vegetarians and they’re not all hippies. But even if they were, there’s nothing wrong with being morally and environmentally conscious of what you consume,” remarked Marianne putting a bit of potatoes on her plate and picking up her fork.

“Yea, a consciousness that could put all of us out of work,” said Steve bitterly.

Surprised at his comment, Marianne glared at Steve in annoyance. His face was tilted down towards his plate, but she didn’t need to see his eyes to know that he thought she was all hat and no kettle. She felt a heat begin to bubble just below the surface but bit her tongue. Turning to her father, she asked him how things were going around the ranch.

“They’re as good as any. Flannigan is thinkin’ of sellin’ again, but he’s promised if he does, he’d put it in writin’ that they have to keep me on as foreman. Looks like this ol’ place isn’t rid of me yet,” laughed George.

“Have you thought about buying the ranch yourself daddy?” asked Marianne, who’d never understood why her father never took the next step.

“Oh, I don’t know about that…”

“Sure, you can daddy. You definitely have the know how and I bet you and mama could qualify for some kind of loa—”

“There’s a lot more that goes into buying a ranch than you know, Marianne. It’s not as easy as snapping your fingers and having your rich fiancé get it for you with daddy’s money,” interrupted Steve, now looking up from his plate at her with a superior expression.

“Yes, I’m sure you know all about success what with going to college and—oh wait. You didn’t. You’re just still working at the Double R for old man Jackson like you were almost ten years ago. My mistake. And it’s Mari to you,” bit back Marianne, angrily stabbing into the food on her plate.

“Marianne you don’t—” began Winifred, stopping when Steve held up a hand.

“That’s alright Wini. She said what she said. I’m sure it’s easy to look down on all of us from such a high and mighty position as a middle school art teacher. Isn’t that right, Marianne,” said Steve smugly.

Marianne’s blood boiled, a red-hot rage heating her face, “At least I actually did something with my talent, Stevie.”

“That’s enough you two. If ya’ll can’t act civil at the table, you can just leave. Steven, you’re just as much a part of this family as anyone else, but you’re also a guest and you know better. Marianne, your mother worked very hard on this meal and we’re all excited to finally have you home. Don’t make us change our minds,” George scolded them, the kitchen going quiet as Steve and Marianne hung their heads in shame. It was silent for a while, the sounds of forks and knifes scraping their plates filling the air before someone finally spoke up.

“I was vegetarian for a while,” remarked Sam, putting his corn cob down and wiping his hands on his napkin.

“What?!” asked Bucky in surprise, “When?”

“I think I was…twenty? There was this new girl that started working down at the local diner in Mobile that was vegetarian. Rumor had it she only dated other vegetarians, so I came every day and ordered a veggie burger for lunch hoping she’d notice and we’d strike up a conversation,” Sam told them, reaching forward and grabbing a roll. “Turns out, she wasn’t a vegetarian. She was an Episcopalian.”

The table erupted into a fit of laughter, Marianne herself giggling so hard tears were brought to her eyes. “How long did you go in before you found out?” asked Marianne, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her napkin.

“About a month.”

The group laughed even harder.

“See, that’s the difference between you and me Sammy. I’ve done a lot of stupid things for girls, but I’ve never let them change me,” said Bucky resolutely.

“Nah man, it’s not changin’ yourself. It’s takin’ a chance on love! You’ll never settle down if you aren’t willing to risk it all for the woman you love,” Sam put wisely, earning him a fond pat on the cheek from her mother.

Marianne smiled happily, missing the gentle banter that a meal at home could bring. She felt the prickle of gooseflesh rise on her neck and the looming sense that someone was staring a hole in the side of her head. On instinct she turned to find Steve’s stormy blue eyes trained on her in solemn concentration. Their gazes locked for a moment, a strange mix of emotions flooding from Steve that made her heart clench in her chest. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone. Steve was the first to break their connection, turning to George and beginning a quiet side conversation about the new cow horse he’d just bought.

“Don’t listen to this liar Sam. Buck has definitely changed himself for a girl,” said Marianne, shaking off the strange encounter and turning back to the rest of the table.

“What are you talking about girl?” asked Bucky in exaggerated confusion.

“Oh, you don’t remember Suzie Quentin?” Marianne questioned, knowing Bucky remembered exactly who Suzie Quentin was.

“Now wait—” began Bucky, shortly being cut off by Marianne as she turned to Sam to regale the tale.

“In the eighth grade Suzie Quentin said she thought Louis in Interview with a Vampire was hot and so Bucky spent a whole year growing out his hair so he could look like Brad Pitt!” said Marianne with a loud guffaw, moving away as Bucky tried to cover her mouth to keep her from talking. “Except, he didn’t know how to take care of long hair so—”

Bucky was successful the second go around, managing to clamp a hand over Marianne’s mouth so that the only sounds heard from her were a jumble of muffled words.

“Don’t listen to her, Sammy. She’s got a head full of stump water.”

When Marianne had finally managed to wrangle herself out of Bucky’s hold, she couldn’t find it in herself to be mad at her older brother. Quite the opposite really. A sense of sadness filled her at the realization that for six long years she’d missed out on this. The lightness. The familiarity. The happiness that only her family could provide. And for what? Taking another glance towards the large, sun kissed man across from her she felt a renewed sense of bitterness towards the man.

Once dinner finished and everyone was full on peach cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream, Marianne excused herself from the table, standing and making her way to the porch. The sun had set. The brightness of the moon, hung fat and heavy and almost full in the sky, lit up the night. More stars than she could ever remember shone brightly from above creating a familiar wonder she often felt growing up. She never felt that in San Francisco, where the stars were constantly shrouded by heavy clouds and the lights of the city.

Reaching into her skirt pocket, she pulled out her cell phone and was surprised to find only a single text from Natasha informing her that their caterer had backed out. Nothing from her fiancé who promised to check in on her the moment he could. Of course, he probably was too busy with work. Sighing, she tried not to think about the wedding for at least one night and instead dialed Tony. The phone rang for a few moments before he picked up. From the other end she could hear the raucous sounds of people, music, and laughter blaring through.

“You’ve reached Tony: multimillionaire, genius, extraordinaire,” answered Tony, his voice vibrant and jovial.

“Tony, hey,” said Marianne feeling slightly confused. She thought he had a late-night conference call with Tokyo that night.

“Mari! Hold on one second—” the boisterous noise began to fade and then a door clicked shut before Tony spoke again “—sorry about that. How was your flight? Did you make it to Texas alright?”

“Yea, I did. Unfortunately, they lost all of my luggage, but it could be worse. My mom still has pretty much all my stuff here from high school still,” Marianne laughed lightly, leaning against the railing of the porch, and gripping it tightly. Her palms were slick with sweat despite the temperature cooling exponentially with the setting sun. Why on earth was she so nervous?

“Do you want me to have some of your things express shipped over to you?” asked Tony kindly.

“No, no need. I can get by. I suppose if I really need something that badly, you can pack it when you come down later this week.”

“Well, don’t go without it you don’t need to. You have the card I gave you. Don’t be afraid to buy whatever you need,” remarked Tony in the offhanded way in which he solved almost all of his problems. Normally this kind of answer wouldn’t make her think twice, but that night something about it irked her.

“Right. Hey, I thought you had nonstop meetings all this week. It sounds like you’re at a party.”

“Oh right, well, you know. Sometimes a meeting is a room full of boring people in suits and sometimes a meeting is cocktails and firebreathers on a rooftop,” joked Tony. Marianne could just envision the charming, devilish smile on his face. It usually did a fine job of getting him out of most trouble, but Marianne found that her inability to see it in person left her feeling put off. Before she could open her mouth to say as much, Marianne heard the sound of a door opening and then muffled voices. “That would be a business associate wanting to talk to me about reactor batteries. So…” Tony dragged out the word, waiting for her to make the decision on whether their phone call was about to end. Marianne paused. In this moment she could get mad, or she could let her fiancé continue to ride the high of a successful business for a while longer.

“Go. Have fun changing the world over flaming tequila shots,” sighed Marianne in good humor. Who was she to rain on his parade?

“God, I love you. Wednesday can’t come soon enough.”

Before Marianne could even get the words ‘I love you too’ out, the line went dead, and she was left standing alone on her parents’ porch in the deathly silence of the country. Or so she thought.

“Big city boyfriend too busy to talk?” asked Steve, sidling up beside her and leaning against the porch. He placed all his weight upon a single veiny forearm laid upon the chipping paint, crossing his long, lean legs, and cocking his hip to the side. It was the familiar ease in which he held himself that while normally made her skin itch, instead filled her with a weighty exhaustion she hadn’t felt in years. It had been a lot for a first day back.

“Fiancé and it’s none of your business,” spat Marianne, her tone barely holding half of the harshness it held earlier when they argued. She folded her arms around her like a protective blanket and looked out on the darkening fields ahead of her.

“Oh, come on Marianne—”

She sent a bone chilling glare in his direction that stopped Steve in his tracks. He let out a long breath.

“You’re right, it’s none of my business. Look, I just came out here to apologize. I didn’t mean to start a fight in there. God knows Wini and George wanted things to go well tonight and I’m sure us bickerin’ didn’t help any. They’d be devastated if you decided to wait another six years to come and see ‘em.”

“Don’t for a second think you have any right to talk to me about my family. Or to try and make me feel guilty for being gone. Not when you’re the reason I stayed away so long,” scoffed Marianne, taking one last glaring look at the man above her and storming back into the house, making Steve the one alone in the deathly silence of the country.

Taglist:

@hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall​

@caffiend-queen​

@grincheveryday

[lilacmoon83]

Dreaming Out Loud

This is based on Snow's comment in season 5 when she asked Emma if it would have made a difference had Emma been able to hear their voices. So what if she had been able to in her dreams? What if she had been able to see them in her dreams every night and they told her everything. What if when Henry came to find her, she already knew everything? How different would things be? This is that story.

I am also going to be weaving in a subplot involving characters from Greek Mythology with what I think is an exciting twist on the past. These flashbacks will also eventually reveal just exactly how and why the dreamscape is possible.

Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming Brotp. :)

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 2: Believer

"Here's your key. Enjoy your stay, Miss Swan," Granny said, as she handed the blonde a room key.

"Thanks...and it's just Emma," she replied.

"Emma...what a lovely name," she heard an accented male voice say behind her. Emma turned and kept her expression even, betraying no emotion. Her parents had told her about the Dark One, though she almost wasn't sure this was him. This guy didn't have any scales like her father described and walked with the assistance of a cane.

"The rent isn't due until next week," Granny protested. Though he had been making his weekly rounds to pressure his tenants for their rent payments, everything was suddenly different in an instant. The feared Mr. Gold that owned most of the town now had a new awareness.

"I'm not here for payment. I just wanted to welcome our visitor to town. We don't get many in Storybrooke," he mentioned.

"Yeah...I keep getting that from people. Emma Swan and you are?" she asked. He smirked.

"Mr. Gold. I own the pawnshop," he replied. She could tell he was analyzing her. This was definitely him. Rumplestiltskin.

"I'm sure I'll be seeing you around town. Good evening, Miss Swan," he said, as he hobbled out.

Awake...he was awake at last. His routine visit to the inn to collect rent from Widow Lucas had yielded much more than expected. A stranger was in town by the name of Emma Swan. Emma...she was here and it was finally time to begin. He sensed more with her though. He had fully expected to meet the eyes of a skeptic woman, but there was something behind those familiar green eyes. If Emma Swan was a believer already, it might change everything. He had no idea how she could know...unless the Gods themselves had some sort of interference. Normally, he wouldn't give such a thing a second thought, but considering a certain princess' secret unknown(except to him) lineage, he suspected a certain goddess may have had a hand in all of this. And for all his foresight, he had no idea how that would play out with his plans. He smirked. At last, this town wouldn't be bore any longer.

Dreamscape

"Mmm...you know for a dream, that was pretty amazing," Snow purred, as she lay entangled beneath the bedclothes with her husband. He chuckled.

'Well, I hope I can do as well when we're finally together again...you know awake," he replied, as he dropped a kiss to her forehead. She smiled coyly.

"Oh I have no doubts in your prowess in bed, Prince Charming," she praised, as she kissed him passionately.

"It won't be long, my darling. Emma's twenty-eight. She's going to find us and then we'll have more than our dreams to live on," he promised with that unwavering faith he always seemed to have a plethora of. They gazed at each other with passion shining in their eyes, as their lips crashed together again.

"Mom? Dad?" they heard a voice call.

~*~

Emma was finally asleep after hours of tossing and turning. It was to be expected though. Her mind was running a mile a minute. She had finally found the place the curse had brought everyone to. And after meeting Regina, she knew breaking the curse would not be easy.

"Mom? Dad?" she called.

"Uh...just a second honey!" she heard her mother call and the bedsheets rustling. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Honestly, she loved that her parents were so in love. It was one thing that had given her comfort throughout the years, even in her angry teen years where all she did was scream at them. But knowing that they loved her and each other more than anything made all the difference. Hearing their voices and seeing them in her dreams was everything. But she could do without the PDA. If they were like this asleep, she was sure they would be worse awake.

"Emma...happy birthday sweetheart," Snow said, as she hugged her tightly. Emma smiled and hugged her back.

"Thanks Mom," she whispered.

"Happy birthday Princess," David said, as he opened his arms. Emma grinned and dove in with a big hug for him and felt her anxiousness ebb away, as he cradled her head.

"Mom, Dad, I found it...the place that the curse took everyone!" Emma revealed. Snow and David looked at her with hope in their eyes.

"You found us?" Snow asked.

"I haven't seen you yet...but I know you're there. It's a town and Regina's running the whole place," Emma replied.

"Then you saw Regina?" David asked. Emma nodded.

"We knew you'd find us...how did you do it?" Snow asked. Emma smiled.

"Well...I didn't do it alone," Emma said, knowing she had to tell them. She turned and sat down.

"Honey...what is it?" Snow asked.

"You remember when I...had to give up my son?" she asked.

"Yes...if only we had been there. You wouldn't had to do that," David said sadly.

"Daddy..." she started to say.

"And don't get me started on that little worm that betrayed you and broke your heart," David continued.

"Charming..." Snow tried to sooth him by brushing her hand on the back of his neck.

"My son...he found me," she blurted out, silencing them.

"His name is Henry...and he knows about the curse. He's a really great kid," she said.

"Henry?" Snow asked curiously.

"We have a grandson?" David asked. She nodded.

"Wait...how does he know about the curse?" Snow asked.

"That's the thing...he lives in Storybrooke. That's what the town is called. He was adopted after I gave him up...by Regina," she revealed, causing her parents to go rigid.

"Regina...is raising your son?" Snow squeaked.

"Our grandson?" David added. Emma nodded with a wince.

"Does...does she know?" Snow asked wearily.

"No...she had no idea who I really am," Emma replied.

"Wait...how does Henry know then?" David asked.

"Well...there's a book with everyone's stories in it. He figured it out after his teacher gave him this book that she just found. He knew something was off, because he's the only one that ages. He's really smart...but has trouble making friends. I mean, by the time he has a friend, he moves on in school, while all the other kids in his class stay behind. He's the only one changing," Emma explained. She didn't tell him that the teacher that gave him the book was Miss Blanchard, her mother's meek counterpart...not yet.

"Have you seen us?" Snow asked.

"Not yet, but it was pretty late when we got to town. I'm staying at the inn. Granny runs it, apparently," she mentioned. Her parents softened at the mention of the elder woman.

"You'll be in good hands, then," he said.

"We love you so much, baby," Snow said, as she hugged her and Charming joined them, cradling her head.

"I love you guys too. We're close...we're finally going to be a real family," Emma said. They nodded.

"So...tell us all about our grandbaby," Snow gushed, making Emma laugh.

~*~

The next morning, Emma awoke to the chirping of bluebirds on her windowsill. She had never quite had the affection for birds that her mother did, but all her life they had certainly had affection for her. It was like they knew somehow exactly who she was.

After a shower and getting dressed, she headed over to the diner for breakfast, after grabbing a paper. If she was going to stick around town, she needed to find a job.

As she walked into the diner, she was surprised to be walking into a scene. Regina was yelling and the victim of her tirade made her heart skip a beat. It was her mother...though this woman could barely look at the Mayor and seemed meek. And her blood boiled, seeing Regina mistreat anyone, let alone her mother.

"Mom...please! Miss Blanchard didn't know! I stole her credit card!" Henry pleaded. Emma glanced around and was infuriated that no one except her kid had the spine to jump to her mother's defense. She knew it wasn't really their fault, but it still made her angry.

"You be quiet, Henry," Regina snapped.

"Madam Mayor...I had no idea giving Henry a book would cause so much trouble. I'm sorry," Mary Margaret pleaded.

"Save it, Miss Blanchard," Regina snapped, as she tossed onto the table.

"One more incident and I'll be having a visit with the principal to make sure your job is terminated!" Regina threatened.

"Hey!" Emma called, as all eyes went to her.

"Want to take it down a notch, Mayorzilla?" Emma growled.

"Excuse me? This is none of your business, Miss Swan. Henry, let's go," she snapped. Henry gave her a sad look and reluctantly followed.

"Hey...are you okay?" Emma asked. Mary looked up and then around.

"Me?" she asked. Emma smiled.

"Of course you. I don't care who she thinks she is. She has no right to treat anyone like that," Emma said. Mary laughed bitterly.

"You must be new around here," she replied.

"Emma Swan," she introduced herself. Mary's eyes widened.

"You're..." she stammered.

"Henry's birth mother. Can I buy you a hot cocoa?" Emma asked.

"Um...sure," Mary said, a little confused. Emma smiled and went to the counter and soon returned.

"Oh...I forgot to ask you to...¦" she trailed off, noticing there was already cinnamon on it.

"Sorry...I should have asked. I always drink mine with cinnamon," Emma mentioned.

"Oh...so do I. What a coincidence," Mary mentioned and Emma smiled knowingly.

"Must be," she pretended to agree.

"So...you're Henry's birth mom?" she asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, it was a surprise when he showed up, but he's a great kid," Emma replied.

"He is...he's so special. But I think I made a mistake giving him that book. I just wanted to give him hope...you know?" she asked.

"I do...hope is important. I think it was the best thing you could have done," Emma replied.

"Regina doesn't think so," Mary murmured.

"Screw Regina," Emma retorted and they laughed, as they drank their hot cocoa.

"Well...I better get to the hospital for my shift," Mary said.

"You work two jobs?" Emma asked.

"Oh no, I just volunteer a few days during the week after school and on Saturdays," Mary explained.

"I really feel like I might at least make some difference in the patients lives or so I like to tell myself," she said shyly.

"The hospital...of course," Emma muttered. Her father had been mortally wounded the night of the curse. What if that was where he had been all these years?

"Do you mind if I tag along?" Emma asked.

"Sure!" Mary exclaimed, a little eagerly.

"Great. Since I'm going to be hanging around, I need to start looking for a job," Emma mentioned.

"You're staying around?" Mary asked hopefully.

"For Henry," Emma said. And you and Dad, she added silently. Mary smiled.

"Henry will love that. You know, he has a big imagination. I think that's why Regina is so mad. Henry thinks the stories in his book are real," Mary mentioned.

"Imagination is good. You know, people never listen to kids and sometimes, they turn out to be right about everything," Emma said, hoping to plant a spark of something in her. Regina had pushed Snow down deep inside Mary Margaret for so long and it was Emma's job to bring her out.

"Wouldn't that be something?" Mary joked. Emma smiled.

"Wouldn't it?" Emma agreed, as she grabbed the book.

~*~

Sidney Glass waltzed into the Mayor's office with a creepy grin that he often wore.

"You rang, Madam Mayor?" he asked.

"You're late," she snapped, as she closed the office door.

"Forgive me, I was actually working," he said, with a chuckle.

"There's never anything to write about in this piss ant town...until now, what with a certain blonde visitor and all," he mentioned.

"Visitor is the operative word, Sidney," Regina replied.

"That's not what I hear. Word has it that Miss Swan is looking for a job," he revealed. Regina frowned.

"What?" she questioned. He nodded.

"What did you find on her?" she asked.

"Not much. Orphan...seems to be a loner. Never stays in one place too long. But everything before the age of eighteen is sealed," he reported.

"Why?" Regina asked. He shrugged.

"Juvenile record...it's sealed," he answered.

"Then unseal it!" Regina snapped. He rolled his eyes.

"You know I don't have that kind of power," Sidney protested.

"Then find someone who does and make it happen!" Regina shouted.

"Yes...Madam Mayor," he said, as he left. Regina sat in thought for a moment.

Outsiders in town were too risky and she had to get rid of this woman. She smirked and left to pay Widow Lucas a visit. Emma Swan would have no choice but to leave if she had no place to stay. Regina grinned evilly and stalked out to her car.

~*~

Emma's breath caught in her throat, as she gazed through the glass in the ICU wing. She had followed Mary around, doing her rounds, for the last two hours and really enjoyed her company. She could tell Mary did too. Her mother was very lonely, thanks to a certain Queen.

But now, there he was...her father. Comatose.

"Who is he?" Emma asked, as they put fresh flowers on his bedside table.

"No one knows. He's a John Doe," Mary replied. She noticed her mother's longing look and smiled quietly. Even without her memories, she was drawn to him. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"You know, Miss Blanchard, I would be better company than a comatose man," Dr. Whale joked.

"That's debatable," Emma heard her mother mutter.

"Come on...what do you say to dinner tonight? Then maybe drinks at my place?" Whale leered and Emma's hackles went up. She could tell her mother was torn, only because the thought of being alone was almost as unappealing as the sleazy doctor. But Emma knew men like this. He wanted one thing and that was to get into her mother's pants.

"She can't...we have plans," Emma answered for her. Mary looked at her in surprise and then smiled gratefully.

"Yes...we're having...a girl's night!" she said excitedly.

"And you are?" Whale leered, looking Emma up and down.

"Not even if you were the last man on Earth," she shot back. Thankfully, Whale took the hint and walked out.

"Thanks...he can be so creepy. I might have actually given in if you hadn't been here," Mary said.

"Do me a favor and never date that guy," Emma requested.

"Deal," Mary replied, as she gazed longingly again at John Doe.

"You know, I read somewhere that reading to coma patients increases cognitive function," Emma mused and Mary snorted, but then looked at her new friend.

"You're serious?" Mary asked. Emma shrugged.

"Why not? Here...read Snow White. Who knows, he might like it," Emma suggested. Mary cocked her head to the side and then sat down besides his bed.

"Okay...here goes," she said, feeling a little silly. But Emma only smiled.

~*~

Jefferson watched Grace play at the park from afar. He was careful not to be seen or get too close, for he didn't want people to get the wrong idea. He watched her cursed parents dote on her and he was glad she was being well cared for. But part of him couldn't help but burn with envy. He supposed that was the point of his curse. To remember and not be able to do anything about it.

But the Savior was in town and had already made waves. Jefferson was impatient though. Twenty-eight years of awareness would do that. He wanted Regina to pay. He wanted to see her face as she watched her curse slowly crumble before her. He smirked, as an idea struck him. Perhaps there was something he could do, after all. He chuckled.

"Oh...revenge will be sweet," he mused, as he set off back home. He had a note to write to a certain pawnbroker.

~*~

"Psst...Emma..." Henry whispered, as he peaked into the room.

"Kid..." Emma hissed, as she got up, leaving Mary Margaret to keep reading.

"How are you here? Doesn't the Mayor have you under lock and key?" she asked. He shrugged.

"She's at her office so I snuck out," he replied nonchalantly. Emma tried to hide her smirk. This was definitely her kid.

"You found him," Henry said in awe, as he spotted his teacher reading to the man in the bed.

"Yep...looks like he's been in a coma all these years," Emma replied.

"Do you think Miss Blanchard can wake him?" Henry asked.

"If anyone can, it's her," Emma replied.

"EMMA!" Mary Margaret called, as they rush into the room.

~*~

"And it was there in the shadow of the Troll Bridge that their love was born," Mary recited and then gasped, as the comatose man put his hand atop hers.

"Emma!" she called, as they rushed into the room.

"He's waking up!" Henry exclaimed.

"Dr. Whale!" Mary Margaret called, as the doctor rushed into the room.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I was reading to him and he grabbed my hand!" Mary explained.

"Everyone out," Whale ordered, as the three of them waited outside impatiently, until Whale finally emerged about five minutes later.

"Is he awake?" Emma asked.

"I'm sorry, but there's no change," Whale informed.

"No...he grabbed my hand," Mary insisted.

"Maybe you imagined it," Whale suggested.

"I did not imagine it!" Mary retorted.

"It could have been reflexes then. I'm going to have to ask you to leave now. Visiting hours are over," Whale stated.

"I didn't imagine it," Mary hissed to Emma.

"I know...let's go grab some coffee and then we'll sneak back up here," Emma suggested.

As they retreated, Whale took out his phone and dialed a number.

"It's Whale. You told me to call if there was a change in the John Doe," he stated.

~*~

Regina slammed the phone down. Charming was waking up...this wasn't good. Her wretched stepdaughter was getting too close to him. One look at her and the confused coma patient would be swooned back under the little wretch's spell. She had to stop to make before going to the hospital. She had to make sure Snow and Charming were kept apart and she knew just how to do it.

~*~

When he awoke, it was to a world of confusion. As he looked around the white room, he found nothing familiar. He was in a bed and there were strange tubes attached to him. It was alarming and he quickly ripped them out. He didn't know what kind of place this was, but it had to be some sort of madhouse. Tubes inserted into his body and he was barely clothed in this strange gown. He opened the wardrobe beside the bed, finding stranger clothes inside. But at least there was pants and he quickly put them on, followed by what seemed like an overcoat. He was glad to see the boots and put those on as well. He looked at the wardrobe once he was finished dressing and it reminded him of another wardrobe. Emma...he had to find Emma and Snow. Then it dawned on him. This place...it was the curse. He rushed out of the room and down the hallway, elated to see a familiar face. Grumpy was at the end of the stark white hall with a broom.

"Grumpy!" he called, but the dwarf didn't answer him.

"Grumpy...I need you to gather the other dwarves. We need to find Snow…" he said.

"Who the hell are you calling Grumpy? And dwarf? You making fun of my height too, pretty boy?" he growled, balling his fist. Charming looked taken aback, as the other man seemed to have no idea who he was. Backing away, he saw a door and went through it. He felt cold air and followed the staircase down a few flights until there was another door. He could smell the woods from behind the door and hurried out into the cold air. The woods...maybe Snow was hiding in the woods. He would find her.

"I will always find you, Snow," he said, as he took off running into the thicket of trees.

~*~

Emma, Henry, and Mary Margaret returned to the ICU unit with their drinks in hand and noticed a commotion.

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

"John Doe...he's gone," she said. Mary's heart dropped.

"What do you mean gone?" Mary squeaked, but the nurse had no answer, as she rushed off.

"Whale...what's going on?" Emma asked, noticing Graham was there.

"We're about to find out," Graham said, gesturing to the television screen.

"There he is!" Mary Margaret cried, as they watched the patient stumble toward the exit.

"Where does that door lead to?" Emma asked.

"The woods," Graham said worriedly.

"We have to find him!" Mary Margaret cried, as she took off with Emma hot on her heels.

"Stay here kid!" she called, as Graham followed.

~*~

Mr. Gold stared at the card with scrutiny. It had arrived via bird, which was intriguing in of itself. In Storybrooke, that meant only a couple people could have sent it.

Fortunately, the message contents quickly ruled out Regina. Plus the Queen didn't really use birds for communication, rather she just barged in with demands.

"Regina lied to you about her." J. That was all it said, but it was clear enough to him. He crumpled the piece of parchment in his fist and his mind raged. If it was true...if she was still alive...then Regina had to pay. If she was alive, it meant the Queen had her locked up somewhere...locked up for the last twenty-eight years. Oh yes, Regina had to pay if it were true and Jefferson had no reason to lie. He had always been a good employee and had his own reasons for wanting Regina to pay. He suspected the Hatter was as tired of waiting for the curse to break as he was.

Without magic though, punishing Regina would prove to be more difficult to accomplish. Then he heard the latest gossip, as he made his rounds around town that evening. The John Doe patient at the hospital was awake and had wandered off. The Sheriff's department was currently scouring the town for him.

He allowed himself a small smirk. He knew what Regina's ploy would be if Prince Charming was really awake. That's why he was here on Kathryn Nolan's doorstep, holding this ridiculous windmill.

"Mr. Gold…" the simpering Kathryn Nolan said wearily, as she answered the door.

"Mrs. Nolan...I was hoping to have a word with you," Gold said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't have much time. I have to get to the hospital. David is awake! Regina just called me! Isn't it a miracle?" she gushed.

"Yes quite...that is actually what I came here to discuss. Do you remember this?" he asked, as she looked at it and seemed to go into some sort of brief trance.

"Yes...I gave this to David in the divorce," she recalled.

"Really? Hmm...before his accident, he said he'd like for you to have it. You made it, after all," he guided and handed it to her.

"Yes…" she answered.

"Well...good evening, Mrs. Nolan," he said.

"Oh...it's Richards again. Kathryn Richards...I went back to my maiden name after the divorce," she relied.

"Of course," Gold stated, pleased, as he turned to leave.

"Mr. Gold...if you see David, give him my well wishes," she called.

"I'll certainly do that," Gold replied.

"It was a messy divorce, but I truly hope he finds someone," she mentioned. Gold looked coy.

"You know...I have a feeling he will," Gold said, as limped back to his car.

But the night wasn't over. Regina's bold move in making him think Belle was dead all these years changed everything. Without magic, he needed allies. Jefferson was a clear choice. He wanted Regina to go down for keeping him from his daughter. And then there was Charming. The Prince usually wasn't one for vengeance, but if he had his memories as Gold suspected he might, then he would want Regina to pay for ripping his family apart. Yes...things in Storybrooke had reached a whole new level of interesting...