#in a town called storybrooke (ouat)

[greyfongschemmenti]

This Is How It Feels | Part 1

Pairing: Regina Mills x Reader

Warnings: none?

Word Count: 1k

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Summary:

In a mystical town where dark magic intertwines with everyday life, the formidable and wicked Mayor holds sway over all. One rainy night, a mysterious stranger appears, a curious mind who slowly will uncover secrets and allure. As the Mayor and the stranger's paths cross, a forbidden attraction blooms, leading to a spark that both don’t understand. Can love and happiness be brought with danger, betrayal, and a battle between light and darkness.

Notes:

As I’m rewatching OUAT I have gotten the feeling to write this fanfic. Hopefully you all will like it. I will try to keep the gender of the reader neutral.

The rain poured relentlessly as you arrived in the quaint town of Storybrooke, your car broke down at the town’s entrance and you’ve been walking into town seeking a dry place to wait out the storm. You find the only place that’s open tonight, a diner by the name of Granny’s. Shrugging your backpack on you push the door to head inside the establishment. There’s some people in the establishment, a couple of young adults chatting and laughing over milkshakes and fries. You wipe the raindrops off your sleeves then find an empty booth in the corner.. You place the backpack in first then take a seat looking at the door, a little quirk you always do for safety. You hate having your back towards a door. Reaching down your pocket you pull out your phone to realize it has no power “crap, I forgot to charge it”. You mutter under your breath as a menu slide towards you “Welcome to Granny’s! Oh my, you're soaked!” a red haired young waitress greets you warmly. 

You look up and give her a small smile then take the menu to give it a glance “thanks, um yeah my car broke down just at the entrance of town. Had to walk in the wait to find help”

“I'm so sorry to hear that! Let me get you a towel and a hot cup of coffee to warm you up.” She pours you a cup of coffee and look at you more intently as you look at the menu “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before”

“Uhh, yeah I’m not…from here. I was—��� you begin to explain but notice eyes looking your way. Ruby looks over her shoulders then turns back to you “don’t worry this town isn’t used to new people.” She kindly explains as she gives you a warm smile. 

You sit up straight and tug on your sleeves as a defense mechanism “I see that. Um thanks for the coffee. I think I’ll just have this for right now” you give her a soft smile. Ruby returns the smile and turns to leave when you almost forgot “oh! I’m sorry. Do you have a phone I could use to call a mechanic?” 

Ruby gives you a nod “yeah sure, but Billy's shop is closed for the day. We have lodging. You’re more than welcome to stay here until he opens. His shop isn’t that far from here” she gives you a sympathetic smile 

You look at her and give a short nod “That sounds perfect. I'm grateful for your help.” Giving her a small smile as she turns back to head to the counter. You prepare your coffee then take a sip. The door opens and a dark haired woman steps inside heading toward the counter “Ms. Lucas can I get a coffee to go?” Her voice is short and direct as she pulls her dark gloves off her hands. 

“Sure thing Madam Mayor” 

She turns around to face the crowd as she leans against the counter to wait for her order.You glance around the diner when your eyes rest on the mayor. you gaze at her profile and feel a pull. You shake your head in disbelief as you take another sip of coffee. Sliding out of the booth to grab your backpack. You reach down into your pocket to pull out your wallet and take out a couple of dollars for the coffee and tip. You turn around when with a second to react you grab the person you almost collide with by the arms to prevent them from falling. 

Time seemed to stand still as your gaze met the Mayor’s. In that instant, a torrent of emotions surged through your body. Your heart quickened its pace, aflutter with a mix of excitement and nervousness. A tingling sensation crept up your spine, sending shivers down your arms as if touched by an unseen force. Not understanding why you’re feeling like this.

“Watch where you’re going” the dark haired woman raised her voice. A flush of embarrassment tinged your cheeks, but you quickly regained your composure as you released her arms. "I'm sorry," you murmured softly, straightening up.

The Mayor looks you up and down in a quick glance. She quickly composed herself, her lips curved into a small smile as she spoke, "Well, you saved me a day at the cleaners, so no harm done." She raised her coffee cup in cheers, the warmth in her eyes matching the gesture.

Your smile mirrored hers, a chuckle escaping your lips. Her gaze lingered on you, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "You know, as Mayor, it's my job to know everyone in this town."

You shrugged, a small smile playing on your lips. "I'm just a passerby. My car broke down just outside town. Granny's has been most hospitable." you reach your hand out toward her “I’m y/n.”

"Regina," she offered you a warm smile though her smile falters a bit "Welcome to Storybrooke. I should get going." With that, she made her way towards the door.

"Goodnight, Madam Mayor," you called after her, watching as she opened the door and stepped out into the night.

You stood there for a moment, the memory of her lingering presence still fresh in your mind, before finally making your way to the diner counter to inquire about a room for the night. The thought of seeing Regina again brought a flutter of anticipation to your heart, wondering what new encounters and connections awaited you in the charming town of Storybrooke.

The warmth of the diner and the kindness of the people in Storybrooke start to melt away the coldness you felt from the rain. You find yourself wondering about this mysterious town and the people in it. As you settle in for the night, the sound of the rain outside lulls you to sleep, your dreams starting with the images of the mayor, a soft smile appearing on your lips.

[his-lost-one]

my favourite hypothetical ouat au will always be one where pan/neverland also got cursed in season one bc the potential is just so juicy tbh, especially if the focus is on the cursed versions a lot

like first of all the lost boys as just some teenagers who cause trouble in storybrooke? that sounds so fun. i need to see the shenanigans pan would make felix cause !!! the pranks devin would play on their teachers !!! just in general all the bullshit they’d do xD

because i feel like most of that would just be harmless pranks, but sometimes the facade of what they were like on neverland would shine through when they’d take some pranks too far and there wouldn’t be any remorse - i mean, it’s pan, so duh - but you know?? that could be turned into something edgy so easily !!!

and maybe wendy would be in the same class as them and she’d like try to stay out of the guys’ way maybe out of self preservation or fear or just instinct from memories she doesn’t remember.

and maybe at the end of it all, they’d just be classmates during the curse. or maybe they would sense that something’s off, there’s more to all of this - just like when graham started remembering bits and pieces before he died. maybe pan would’ve expected all this and somehow implemented a way to get his memories back like rumple.

i mean imagine that- some random high school delinquent suddenly remembers that he’s a magical supervillain infamous across realms. the CHAOS potential. (and henry would be in so much danger lmao)

or maybe pan didn’t anticipate anything and so rumple has to live at least a few weeks or months just knowing that this random trouble making high school student is… well. you know. his dad lmao.

like that would throw off the whole dynamic in s1 so much. especially because i can imagine rumple almost assuming that pan knows (regardless if he actually does).

and then there’s tinkerbell. who would she be in storybrooke? what would her name be? maybe she’d be a former nun (*cough cough*) who then got a job at the school? or maybe she’d have a house somewhere in the woods, a bit away from the main part of town. maybe a bit like zelena’s farm house. i could imagine tink being an author and a loner. who would try to stay away from most people in town, but especially the nuns and mother superior.

maybe someone would ask her at some point why she’s not a nun anymore and like with others when asked about their curse past, she’d be surprised that she’s struggling to remember- it’s all fuzzy. she’s not sure. all she knows is… there was something with the mayor and then she was thrown out of the covenant. she barely even questions why she doesn’t remember.

and actually i want to get back to the lost boys + wendy. bc like to have them be students at storybrooke’s local high school as their cursed selves is one thing, but that’s not enough. where would they actually live? i was thinking, maybe in this au the nuns run a local orphanage and they all live there. obviously pan wouldn’t be happy there, so he’d cause even more trouble i think, but i think wendy would be even more miserable there. she probably doesn’t know why, but for some reason, she’s just always on edge and somewhat scared around pan and his “friends” (are they even friends??? who’s to say?). ofc it’d be because of their past on neverland but none of them would know that and idk. i just think it’d be a fun dynamic.

anyway- i feel like felix, devin and wendy would keep their own names in storybrooke, but idk what tink and pan would be called.

well. hm. maybe tink would get something something like Kelly Bell? kelly because green (which is what the blue fairy called her) and bell bc. yk. tinkerBELL. not exactly the most creative name, but it’s a start ig. idk- shdjjdkdjf

pan might get his name malcolm back and maybe he’d just be malcolm pan- even if that’s kinda a weird last name. or maybe pan and rumple’s cursed selves would be related just like their original selves, just in a different way ofc- so maybe he’d be malcolm gold? but then what would the relation actually be?

i think it’d be funny if it was just the other way around - like malcolm is mr gold’s “son” lmfao. rumple would be SO upset about that when he gets his memories back and it would honestly make the family tree even messier. or maybe it’d be left vague like malcolm is just some distant relative but beyond the name they have nothing in common? that would have potential too but it feels like a more distant idea so idk shdkbskfhf

and one more thing. rufio and hook would ofc not be there in storybrooke, since we all know that hook was with cora and rufio is presumed dead, but maybe they would be present in some cursed memories? like the lost boys have memories of a guy who used to be a classmate of theirs or even a friend called rufio who eventually died because of a one handed drunk driver lol. obviously when they’d get asked about the details no one would quite know, just like always with the curse. but snippets like that could be there. maybe pan would remember some sailor he talked to vaguely and maybe he’d even recognise hook, but he also couldn’t recall any details. also the sailor part would fit bc storybrooke does actually have docks and the like. idk i think the curse giving them such funky and fuzzy memories has potential too. especially if the timeline got changed even more so that maybe hook and cora end up in storybrooke before the curse is even broken. wouldn’t that be fun?

[stayevildarling]

Wilhemina Venable x Regina Mills x Reader- Burying our memories Part 2

A/N: This is the second and last part to this. I had originally planned to write this ending but the first one was so long and considering everyone asked ❣️ Also wanna say again this is quite different to the plot and storyline in ouat, so more of an AU.

tw: mention of sickness, cursing, heartache, angst, happy ending

word count: 12k

taglist: (added some people who commented on part one so you could find this again- dw I won't add you to the permanent taglist, just for this)

@lunaticwhittaker, @billiebeanhoward, @lanawinters-ily, @kenzbro, @minaslittleone, @httpfiftyshadesofgay , @whitelotus00 , @ninaahs , @vintagepaulson , @isle-of-earle , @paulsonsratched , @stepintomyworld , @grilledcheeseandguavajelly , @lucyintheskywithxanax , @fanfics4world , @mymiraclewitch , @hazard-to-myself , @awritersometime , @ohrwurm26 , @wastdstime , @gayestswiftie , @marvelwoman-sugarbaby , @blu3dimples , @thesamesweetie , @fanfiction-24824

The morning sun casts a warm glow over Storybrooke as you step out into the garden, a sense of tranquility and normality washing over you. Her garden is your sanctuary and had always been for as long as you can remember, a place where you can escape the worries of the world and lose yourself in the beauty of nature. As you begin laying out your tools and getting started for the day, the large white mansion behind you, the sun shies on the several hedges and bushes as well as the vegetable garden and fruit trees.

As you begin tending to the flowers and lush greenery, you hear the sound of footsteps approaching, her heels echoing through the air. Turning around, you see Regina stepping out onto the patio, her expression neutral. ,,Good morning Madam Mayor'' you greet her as she inspects your work carefully, unable to ignore the way your tank top exposed your muscles. She can't help but smirk, having told you several times in the past that you could call her Regina, considering you had worked for her for several years at this point. ,,How are you today?'' you ask almost absentmindedly as you tend to your work.

The brunette returns your smile, her eyes lighting up as she takes in the beauty of her garden, despite you not being able to see her expression. ,,Good morning dear'' she replies ,,Quite well, how about you?'' she speaks, which wasn't really like her. You knew she was respected in the town, especially given she was the mayor and took that role seriously but you could tell she was considerably softer with you, unsure why. She had offered you multiple times that she would be happy to offer you other housing other than her pool house but you had refused every single time, content with your living situation and being so close to your work.

,,How's the garden coming along?'' she asks and you gesture proudly to the array of flowers and plants around you. ,,It's coming along beautifully'' you say, excitement evident in your voice. ,,The roses are in full bloom and the lilies are starting to open up. Oh and your apples should be ready for picking'' you explain proudly. You notice then how her eyes sparkle with genuine interest as she listens to you talk about the garden, her admiration for your work evident. ,,It's truly remarkable what you have done here'' she remarks, her voice filled with admiration.

As the brunette continues to watch over your work, occasionally glancing at her phone to check for any new emails regarding work, your gaze drifts over to the neighbouring house, where Wilhemina lives. You catch a glimpse of her exiting her house and walking towards her car, assuming she was heading of to work. Her demeanour was much lighter, despite you not remembering an ounce of the woman you had met in a different version of reality before. She was different now, much lighter than she used to be, the dark purple replaced by a soft lilac. You can't help but smile at the sight of her, feeling an odd sense of warmth and affection wash over you, despite not understanding remotely why but you accepted it as it had been that way for as long as you can remember.

Regina follows your gaze and notices Wilhemina as well, rolling her eyes a little, tugging at her lips, seeing her ex-wife. And then with a swift motion, she leaves you be, getting ready for her day ahead. You watch as Wilhemina enters her car, catching a glimpse of her eyes finding you, her demeanour the usual one before driving off, leaving you to finish your workday. And then you spent your day the way you usually would, working til around lunchtime before taking a quick lunch break. In the afternoon, heading to some shops for some more supplies and materials, before finishing for the day. Your days were monotone really, always the same and sometimes you felt a little trapped with how the days always looked similar. But nevertheless you enjoyed it, not really having the option to do much about it and knowing you should be grateful working for Regina, considering the kindness and generosity she has been showing you since you can remember.

When Regina returns in the evening, she finds a basket with picked beautiful red ripe apples and she can't help but smile, even a little smirk tugged at her lips as she carries it inside, for a second feeling the strange urge of finding you and thanking you. In the end she decides against it, considering how late it was but you had pleased her today and she already knew just how she was going to thank you for it. And so as the next morning approaches, the sun illuminating the town of Storybrooke and her beautiful rich garden, Regina is up early, looking forward to the weekend. Today, you decided to sleep in a little, as you usually would on the weekend. By the time you make it outside, watering some plants, you already find your boss on the same patio. And you can't help but think about how beautiful she looked, in a blue silk blouse, some long black pants, exposing her heels.

,,Miss Y/L/N'' her voice rings through the garden, her heels echoing as she makes her way over to you. As you look up you take in her features, sensing that she was in a good mood today, wondering whether her work week had been good or whether it was due to some other factor. ,,Good morning'' you greet her before she begins speaking again ,,Are you free tonight?''. Her words take you by surprise before you open your mouth but the words get caught in your throat, your brain feeling a little empty. And so all you can do is nod, hoping that response would be sufficient. ,,How would you feel about joining me for dinner tonight?'' she asks, a small smirk tugged in the corner of her lips. Your mouth is slightly agape, having expected a few things but definitely not this and so again you simply nod, before she walks away, swaying her hips a little more than necessary as she walks back into the house.

And through your daze you had failed to notice, a certain redhead watching the scene unfold, not necessarily understanding every single word but the woman smart enough to connect the pieces. Furiously she balances on her cane, walking from her balcony back into her house, that unfortunately overlooks her ex wife's gardens, meaning she would often be able to see you working or Regina very obviously flirting with you. Her features are over washed with anger as the glass door bangs shut, startling you a little in the process as your eyebrows furrow, not understanding the extent of your situation yet.

As the day progresses, you find yourself lost in a whirlwind of emotions and tasks, your thoughts consumed by Regina's unexpected invitation to dinner. You go about your tasks in a daze, unable to shake off the feeling of anticipation that courses through you. And eventually evening falls and the sun dips below the horizon as you make your way towards Regina's mansion, opting for the front door as entering through the patio seemed a little off to you. You knock on the door, your palms sweating as you wait for her to answer.

Regina opens the door, her smile radiant as she welcomes you inside, she is dressed elegantly, wearing a beige dress, exposing her beautiful curves and legs, her hair styled perfectly and a hint of expensive perfume lingering in the air. ,,I'm so glad you could make it'' she says, her voice smooth and inviting.

As you step into the mansion, taking in the expensive surroundings you try hard to hide your wide eyes. Regina leads you to the dining room, where a table is set with candles, soft music playing in the background, almost making the atmosphere romantic but you quickly brush the thought of considering she was your boss, mayor to Storybrooke and definitely not interested in her gardener.

,,How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you have ever tasted?'' she asks suggestively and you simply nod, watching her leave for a moment before returning moments later. As you sit down, Regina begins pouring you both a glass, her eyes never leaving yours. ,,To us'' she says, raising her glass in a toast. You clink your glass against hers, feeling a rush of warmth at the gesture, unable to hide the trembling of your hands and how loud your heart was beating against your chest, sure that she could hear it too at this point.

Throughout the meal, Regina engages you in conversation, her wit and charm captivating you. You find yourself laughing and smiling, enjoying her company more than you ever thought possible. You aren't oblivious and you had heard the town gossip of course, often spending your free time in town, strolling through some shops or the occasional meal at granny's. You had heard about the awful gossip, that she only had her own intentions at heart, not the towns, how she was cruel. However you never saw her like that and especially tonight you don't see an inch of it in her features or her behaviour but the thought keeps crossing your mind why she was so interested in you and why she had been from the beginning, you often tried thinking back to the earlier days in Storybrooke but whenever you tried that, your brain blanked, not remembering as everything had always been the way it had been.

,,Do you have any room for some delicious apple turnovers?'' she asks and you nod, feeling full from the meal but not wanting to be rude. As she gets up to leave, you quickly reach for her own and your plate, wanting to at least make yourself useful, feeling bad for her having done all the preparations and cooking. ,,Let me'' you offer and she simply nods as the two of you carry the dishes and remaining dinner into the kitchen. You are captivated by the beauty of her house, the interior both luxurious and fancy, matching the woman currently standing by the oven. You watch as she reaches for some oven mitts, the smell instantly filling the air.

,,Smells delicious'' you praise, watching as she smiles at you before putting some on both yours and her own plate. ,,Certainly, they are after all from our garden'' she chuckles, leading you back into the dining room. And you picked it up, of course you do ,,our garden?'' you think to yourself, a little unsure if you maybe misunderstood the brunette.

The evening eventually draws to a close, the two of you in light conversation throughout several hours, more apple cider consumed, laughing with each other and smiling. And as Regina walks you to the door, a smile playing on her lips ,,Thank you for tonight'' she says, her voice soft ,,I had a wonderful time''. You can't help but return the smile, feeling a flutter of excitement in your chest. ,,Me too, thank you'' you reply, your voice barely above a whisper as you meet her eyes.

As you step outside into the cool night air, you can't help but feel a sense of longing. Regina watches you go, her heart heavy with a mix of emotions. She knows she is playing with fire, but she can't resist the pull you have on her. Meanwhile, Wilhemina watches from her window, her heart breaking as she sees you leaving Regina's mansion and the smile playing on both of your faces. She knows she should let go, having fought for several years but the sight of you with someone else fills her with a fierce jealousy she can't ignore, especially it coming from the woman who had caused her to lose you in the first place. With a heavy sigh, she turns away, her eyes filled with tears as she retreats into the darkness of her own thoughts. Missing how Regina caught a glimpse of her at the window, almost a cruel smirk playing on her lips, her head tilted upwards a little, almost smug and proud of her actions.

A few day had passed since your dinner with Regina and you had noticed how she had been even more talkative than usually, even a little touchy and you couldn't deny how beautiful she was and how kind she was treating you and had been for as long as you can remember. You had also noticed barely seeing Wilhemina since the weekend and it had worried you, wondering whether she may be sick as you hadn't seen her leave or arrive from work at her usual time and you had thought about checking in on her but you felt like you couldn't as you really didn't know the woman all that well, despite feeling like you had known her for a lifetime, unaware that you had even loved her in a different one.

Fate decides to play into your hands though as Regina finds you in the garden, working hard as usually before smiling warmly at you. As your eyes meet hers, you are taken back a little bit, looking beautiful today, wearing a silk blouse, long skirt and you couldn't help yourself and stare. ,,Would you mind doing me a favour Y/N?'' she asks and you set down your tools in order to give her your full attention ,,Of course'' you reply with a warm smile before she hands you a letter. ,,I found this in my letterbox this morning, would you mind taking it over?'' she asks, gesturing towards her ex wife's house and you take the letter despite your eyebrows furrowing a little. ,,Of course'' you announce and the brunette, ever perceptive, notices the question marks very visible on your features. But before she begins to speak you gesture her that you didn't need to know further and she appreciates it nevertheless before she heads to work, wishing you a good day in the process.

And so after finishing most of your work, your break approaching, you decide to quickly change, considering the sun had caused you to sweat a lot and change your clothes. With a slightly increased heart rate due to feeling strangely nervous, you make your way over to her house, stopping in front of her door before ringing the doorbell. And it doesn't take long before you can hear the sound of her cane tapping against the floor, approaching you, a sound that seems so familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. As she opens the door, you take a moment to take in her features, dressed in a lilac long skirt, similar to Regina's, the same shade for her heels and matching her suit jacket. Even the collar of her shirt matches the outfit and you can't help but wonder where the purple fetish came from. You quickly brush the thought away as her brown eyes pierce straight through you, one eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

,,Yes?'' her voice rings through the air, pulling you out of your thoughts as you can clearly sense the annoyance in her tone. ,,Um-'' you blank a moment, completely mesmerised by the redhead and forgetting your initial task. ,,Letter'' you mutter out, holding out the letter to the woman in front of you ,,Sorry- Ms Venable, I have a letter for you'' you quickly compose yourself, clearing your throat. ,,It was delivered to Regina's house'' and you can't help but notice how her eyebrows knit before she takes the letter from your shaking hands. ,,And how come you are the one delivering it?'' she questions, her voice almost laced with a hint of curiosity. ,,Um-'' you pause again, unsure what to reply before she carries on talking ,,I thought you are her gardener not her slave'' she remarks, her voice now laced with some sarcasm and you couldn't quite tell whether she was being serious or not, never really having talked to her before in this version of reality.

,,I don't mind helping out'' you announce and if Wilhemina wasn't so good at composing herself, she would have faltered at your statement, again your true kindness showing and her heart turning angry thinking about how Regina was using you, possibly even manipulating you. ,,Do you now?'' she questions with a suggestive smirk before you nod. ,,How would you feel about joining me for some errands?'' she questions suddenly, taking you by surprise as your mouth is slightly agape, your eyebrows raised in confusion. ,,Sure Ms Venable'' you announce, before she tuts ,,Call me Wilhemina'' she offers and you smile at her, before you watch her leave for a moment. Catching a glimpse of her hallway, you notice almost the same luxury, similar to Regina's home, despite it looking more homey and comfortable. She abandons the letter before grabbing her purse and balancing on her cane as she makes her way over.

As the two of you make it to her car, you are relieved that you in fact changed as otherwise this would be slightly uncomfortable. And so she begins driving towards town, some music playing in the background as you take in the scenery, always having loved this town. She parks closely to some shops and you kind of follow her pathetically like a lost puppy as she wanders through a grocery store with you, picking up some things you assume she needed for dinner, before she makes a brief stop at the pharmacy. This time you could tell she wanted you to wait outside and you simply do just that, offering to hold her bags in the meantime. You aren't quite sure about her condition, as you try to think back whether Regina had mentioned it to you before, having noticed it must be her back due to her posture and the obvious signs of pain lingering behind her brown eyes. ,,All done?'' you ask as you warmly smile at her and she nods before taking you back to her car where you help her put the bags into her trunk. ,,How would you feel about some lunch?'' she asks, again taking you by surprise, before you nod as she gestures towards granny's and you accept, loving that place and especially the grilled cheese sandwiches with all of your heart.

It doesn't take long before the two of you are seated and having food in front of you, Wilhemina going for a healthy salad and you could see the little smirk on her face when you had ordered your usual and you could tell she was judging you for the choice. ,,So tell me do you enjoy this little life of yours?'' and as you swallow your food, you can't help but wonder why she chose her words around you in such a specific way. ,,I do'' you announce happily before continuing to munch your food. ,,May I ask what you do for work?'' you ask cautiously before she fills you in for the company she works for out of town. And then you think to yourself how you never really have been out of this place, despite enjoying it. And for the remainder of lunch, you get to know the woman a little more, making her feel like much less of a stranger than she had before. You fill her in on your days and how the gardening was going and she listens intently, hiding the way every single word and being in your presence hurt in her heart as she remembered you so vividly before the curse.

,,Can I get you two anything else?'' Ruby asks before you both shake your head and you get ready to pay. ,,I've got it'' she announces as she retracts her purple wallet. As the two of you walk back towards her car you stop in your tracks as you suddenly see Regina walk over, her face unreadable, however the pace of her walk announcing she wasn't too pleased about this. ,,Well well Ms Venable'' she addresses the redhead ,,And Miss Y/L/N what a surprise'' she announces, her eyebrow raised. Wilhemina sighs and you watch as she rolls her eyes, clearly not in the mood for the brunettes antics today. You can't help but notice how the two of you were on a first name basis until now and you could tell she was annoyed. ,,I was just helping Wilhemina with some errands'' you quickly explain yourself, feeling bad as technically it was still your workday and you for sure didn't want to get in their business. ,,My my helping Wilhemina with errands'' she remarks and you quickly shut your mouth, realising no matter what you would say, you are only making this worse. ,,Save it Regina'' the redhead quickly remarks before she walks back over to her car and gestures you to follow.

,,I'll be back at work at once Regina'' you reassure before nodding politely and following Wilhemina. The mayor watches as the two of you drive off, her features angry, nostrils flaring as her plan had failed. She wanted you to go over to Wilhemina yes, hoping that maybe seeing and talking to you would send further heartache to the redhead but she for sure didn't expect the two of you actually spending time together. And so furiously, she makes her way back to work. The remainder of the drive is mostly silent and you could tell that the redhead was annoyed and you can't help but feeling bad, feeling like you are responsible for this. ,,Let me help you with these'' you offer as you reach for the shopping bags. ,,I can manage'' she announces but you are already by her door, placing them neatly on the wooden bench near her front door so she wouldn't need to bend down in order to reach them. ,,Thank you for lunch and today, I really enjoyed myself'' you thank her before overlooking the gardens and knowing you needed to head back to work. ,,Likewise'' she smirks before watching you leave.

It had been a few days since your awkward encounter with Regina and you could tell she had been avoiding you. However as you kneel in front of your work today, you hear the urgent clicking of heels approach. ,,What the hell are you doing?'' she questions, overlooking a little patch of lavender that you had been planting in the last few days. As you look up at her you can tell that she didn't approve. But she could tell by your genuine confused and shocked reaction that you had no intention of upsetting her. ,,I'm sorry Ms Mills, I thought adding some lavender might be a nice addition, I can get rid of it at once if you don't like it'' you apologise but she softens then, realising that you had no idea about the connection to her ex wife. ,,No- I'm sorry'' she apologises as you watch her internally scold herself for the unnecessary outburst. ,,I'm sorry about the other day too'' she apologises, taking you by surprise as you really didn't take her for being the one to apologise. ,,It's okay Ms-'' you begin but she cuts you off ,,None of that'' she ushers and you nod then, smiling warmly at her before she overlooks her garden, pleased with the result before catching a glimpse of Wilhemina's house. ,,How would you feel about dinner tonight?'' she offers and you find yourself smiling again, your cheeks coated in a slight red shade.

As you approach her house a few hours later, you are surprised when she opens the door and you find her fully dressed, including a jacket and handbag and you wonder whether something may have come up or whether she had forgotten. ,,Regina I-'' you begin but she can tell by your reaction that insecurity washes over you. ,,I booked us a table somewhere nice dear'' she announces and you simply smile, glad that you dressed appropriately before following her towards her car. And again Wilhemina watches, lingering by the window watching you two walk towards Regina's car before driving towards the darkness of the night, leaving her feeling empty and lonely. The brunette and you end up spending the evening over dinner, chatting, laughing and talking some more and you are so mesmerised by her presence that you fail to notice the knowing glances from some of the people in town, equally as the two of you make it back to her car as Regina takes you by surprise and wraps an arm around you. It was all playing right into the older woman's cards but yet you remained so taken back by her beauty and affection towards you that you missed it all.

,,I really enjoyed this Regina'' you smile at her as you walk her back to her house a little while later. ,,Me too dear'' she smiles and before you know it, time seems to stop for a moment as you look into her brown eyes and hers lock with yours. You lose yourself in the depths of her eyes, a beautiful tone of brown reminding you of autumn, warmth and strangely home. She startles you a little when she moves towards you, your faces now inches apart as your eyes flicker from her eyes to her lips and then she closes the gap as she takes your lips into her own. The kiss causes you to almost melt into her, your heart aching for her, glad you didn't read this wrong, wanting this moment to never stop as your life suddenly felt like it got meaning. The two of you pull away in search for oxygen and you can't help but smile as you lose yourself in her eyes again. ,,Good night dear'' she whispers before winking and leaving you outside her door, your thoughts racing as she smirks and closes her front door. Like a drunk teenager, you make your way home, again oblivious that Wilhemina had watched the scene unfold, her heart breaking at the sight despite her inner rage.

The next day, you begin work early, the sun barely having risen, the birds already singing their tunes. But you hadn't been able to sleep much since the night prior, the kiss replaying over and over again in your mind and you needed to make sure to be outside early enough to catch a glimpse of Regina. However as you watch her rush out of her front door, you can tell that something was bothering her, the phone clutched to her ears and you assume it meant some kind of town emergency as those kinda things happened regularly and something needed the mayors attention. Hours pass and you lose yourself again in your work, putting your attention on her fruit trees and the vegetable field, some of them finally ready for harvesting which you had been excited for. Meanwhile it was Wilhemina's day off and it looked like any other day off for her as she strolls through town, picking up her medication and purchasing some groceries. ,,Did you hear the mayor and gardener went on a date last night'' she overhears one of the towns gossips and she can't help but sigh heavily, hastily paying for her things before leaving, her cane echoing loudly.

And then as she begins driving home, a wave of rage and anger washes over her as she abruptly stops her car, just passing city hall and ultimately Regina's office. With angry and heavy steps she approaches her office, not caring about knocking as she enters holding onto her cane hard. Meanwhile the mayor is sitting at her desk, reading over some documents before she finds a very visible shaken Wilhemina in front of her and she can't help but smirk. ,,Well to what do I owe this pleasure?'' she begins, only infuriating the redhead further with her antics. ,,Save it Regina'' she snaps, her cane banging on the floor once. ,,What are you playing at?'' her voice rings through the office, before Regina composes herself, tilting her head a little and blinking innocently at the redhead. ,,I have no idea what you are referring to dear'' she huffs, averting her gaze but Wilhemina was far from done.

,,Why the sudden interest? why take her on a date, in town of all places?'' the redhead snaps, her anger bubbling out of her. ,,Jealous are we?'' Regina remarks with a raised eyebrows before Wilhemina fights back the lump in her throat. She couldn't believe the brunette at times, after everything that happened, after all the pain that she had caused the redhead. Regina's curse broke the redhead, despite the former evil queen predicting every piece of her curse, making every single person forget despite her and Wilhemina, even blessing them with a beautiful house, even making them share a life together, marriage. But Regina had taken everything from the redhead as she was utterly in love with you and that eventually broke them both including their marriage, despite the breaking of that coming slowly and over several years, before you eventually joined the picture and Regina decided to move you into their lives, making you her gardener of all things despite the irony of it.

,,You know I could break this pathetic curse of yours in an instant?'' Wilhemina remarks, now feeling like she has the upper hand all things considered. Regina pauses, reading the redheads features carefully, scoffing, acting as if she had no idea what her ex wife was talking about, despite knowing ever so well. ,,If I kiss her, true love's kiss will break it and she will remember'' the redhead remarks, causing Regina's eyes to widen, not remotely understanding how she could possibly know this. ,,It would never work my dear'' Regina scoffs, pretending to carry on with her work. ,,And why is that?'' Wilhemina scoffs, before the brunette fills her in. ,,She doesn't love you, she doesn't remember you'' the mayor hisses, enjoying the little power play, her eyes burning with desire. ,,Well she doesn't love you either because nothing happened last night when you kissed'' the redhead remarks in annoyance, each statement of them, causing the other one feeling more powerful.

They are both unaware that you just walked into the hallway, planning to bring Regina some lunch, figuring that she probably wouldn't get the time today, considering her busy schedule and wanting to be nice after not seeing her this morning and at the same time longing to see her again. You halt as you see the opened door and hearing raised voices, carrying a bottle and the lunch in your now shaking hands. ,,Wrong dear, I kissed her yes but I don't love her, I don't care for her'' Regina proudly smirks before Wilhemina turns on her heels, not being able to stand being in her presence for a second longer. And as the redhead leaves her office she halts in her steps as she sees your presence, visibly shaken and she worries which parts of the conversation you had heard. ,,Y/N'' she remarks, seeing your heart breaking in front of her. But she quickly understands that you must have only overheard the last one as you seem more hurt than confused.

Regina reaches the door, seeing the tears swell in your eyes before you glance at them both and leave, dropping the lunchbox and bottle in the process. ,,Shit'' she mutters under her breath and Wilhemina's eyes land on the evidence of your true kindness and heart as she figures you must have wanted to bring her ex wife some lunch and it kills her, seeing how Regina was using you like a pawn in some kind of game. ,,If you hurt her again, you will face consequences you can't even begin to imagine'' she warns, glancing at Regina, and if looks could kill, the former evil queen would be on the floor right now. Regina watches as the redhead leaves, her steps rushed as her cane bangs loudly against the marble flooring.

Despite the redheads best efforts of finding you she couldn't, knowing this must have broken you and despite feeling so angry and overtaken with jealousy, she can't even blame you as you had no fault in how Regina was playing and using you. Meanwhile you had returned home, a sobbing mess, the brunettes words repeating in your head again and again ,,I don't love her, I don't care for her''. As you sob into your pillow you couldn't believe how foolish you had been, thinking you are just a piece in their game of jealousy and knowing you should have never gotten between them considering they had been married before, not understanding the full extend of the situation yet. As Wilhemina returned home, she had attempted of finding you but it was hopeless as you didn't open the door, assuming it was Regina, who only tried hours later, feeling remorse for you overhearing what happened as her words weren't exactly true, simply wanting to annoy her ex lover in the process and confused herself as why the kiss never broke the curse.

And so as a result, you spend the next few days inside, working on the garden in the night, not wanting all your hard work go to waste as you hadn't been able to sleep either way, but not in the mood to see anyone, especially not Regina given her words and equally Wilhemina, feeling embarrassed and pathetic for her witnessing your heart breaking in front of her. Somehow it seems as the days continue passing, that your emotions are connected to the weather as the temperature had dropped significantly, causing you to be left shivering and shaking at night, unable to sleep and the heating in Regina's guest/pool house certainly wasn't sufficient to keep you warm. On the third day since the incident, Regina grows increasingly worried, not having seen you but noticing the garden in perfect shape and finding fruit and vegetables still harvested and neatly packed in baskets on her patio every night. And as the next morning approaches, she really begins feeling remorse, feeling terrible for having hurt you with her sharp words.

Pathetically she tries knocking on the door, even calling you a few times but it was pointless and as she makes her way back to her patio she sighs heavily before catching a glimpse of Wilhemina in her garden, the redhead watching the scene unfold and deciding to investigate for herself as she had been worried about you, not having seen you for a few days and any attempt of finding you unsuccessful so far. ,,Is everything okay?'' the redhead voices startles the mayor as she hastily glances from her phone to her ex wife. The brunette huffs then, stressed and not necessarily in the mood to fill her in but the concern for you causing her to give in. ,,I haven't seen Y/N in days and I'm worried'' she begins before glancing at her phone again ,,But I need to get to the office urgently'' she speaks, another incoming call ringing through the air. ,,Let me take care of it'' Wilhemina offers, her features matching the brunettes concern before the brunette for the first time in a long time, genuinely smiles warmly at her and muttering a quick ,,Thank you''. She turns on her heels, reaching for her handbag that she abandoned on her patio ,,You know where the spare keys are'' she ushers before leaving.

And so Wilhemina retreats the spare keys, walking over to the guest house before overlooking the gardens and finding a lavender patch, the sight warming her heart. She knocks a few times, her knocks eventually growing more impatient, the concern lingering on her features ,,Y/N it's me open the door'' she instructs but it's hopeless and so she unlocks the door, stepping inside carefully. She almost didn't remember what the place looked like but she couldn't deny that it was nice, small but you kept it tidy, neat and comfortable. As she glances around the corner, she catches a glimpse of you on the sofa and she can feel the cold prick on her skin and run a shiver down her spine. As she takes another step, abandoning the spare keys on the small kitchen counter, she finds you on the sofa, bundled in several blankets as you shiver uncontrollably. The sight almost kills her and she is quick to rush over, before calling out your name again.

Struggling, you manage to open your eyes and see a glimpse of the redhead, brushing it off as another fever dream as you expected anyone but her. The back of her hand softly comes into contact with your forehead and she gasps then, feeling the temperature and by your pale expression being able to tell that you had fallen ill. ,,Y/N can you hear me?'' she tries softly, the worry gnawing at her insides at the lack of your response before. And then your eyes snap open, realising this wasn't another fever dream and that the redhead was standing there ,,Wilhemina'' you whisper, your voice sounding broken, tired and small. ,,I think I'm a bit sick'' you struggle to mutter out and the redhead can't help but chuckle at your statement, finding you so adorable despite your vulnerability. ,,A bit little one?'' she repeats your statement, her eyes showing genuine concern. ,,Let me get some things I'll be right back''.

And so Wilhemina is quick to go back to her house, returning moments later with a thermometer and some cold medicine. She ushers you to sit and take the medication, checking your temperature and seeing how high it is. In the meantime she had messaged Regina, letting her know that you are sick, somehow feeling the urge to let her know all things considered. It doesn't take long before the effects of the medicine mixed with your symptoms cause you to fall asleep again but the redhead remains by your side for a while, deciding to check on you a little while later again. Meanwhile Regina had finished work a little early, making her way over to you immediately, Wilhemina having left the door unlocked as you didn't really seem in the right state to open it yourself. As Regina enters, she can feel the cold and she finds you sitting on the sofa, having woken up a little while ago. Her features are tense as this was the first time since seeing you at her office the other day. ,,Y/N are you okay?'' she asks, almost a little nervously, trying her best to cover up her own anxiety.

,,I'm fine'' you mutter, despite the pounding headache making it a little hard to concentrate, her words still linger on your mind and you are confused as to what she was doing there considering she made it so clearly that she didn't care for you. ,,Y/N it's freezing in here'' she remarks, shivering a little herself but you ignore her statement, feeling both nauseous and heartbroken. ,,Please let me put you in one of my guest rooms, it will be much warmer than in here'' she tries but you simply look at her before muttering ,,I said I'm fine'' and she leaves you be then, glancing at you one more time before leaving, feeling awful. The door opens again five minutes later and you can't help but sigh ,,Regina- I said I'm fine'' you huff but you quickly stop yourself when seeing Wilhemina walk inside, carrying a container of soup and a spoon in her hands. Your features soften, feeling bad about your statement and bad that she was going through such lengths for you as of right now you didn't feel like you deserved it.

,,Here'' she offers warmly, before taking a seat beside you and you hesitate, not remotely feeling hungry but you didn't want the gesture to go to waste so you carefully begin eating some spoons and instantly feeling relief as the warm liquid begins warming you a little. ,,How are you feeling?'' she smiles warmly at you as her concerned eyes meet yours. ,,Better, thank you'' you return the smile before the room fills with silence. And you can't help but notice her shivering a little as well ,,Typical of Regina to let you stay in here without central heating'' she remarks and you don't say anything, not wanting any part in their play anymore. ,,Why don't you come stay with me til it gets warmer?'' she offers and your eyes meet hers, appreciating the gesture. ,,Thank you but I'm okay'' you reassure, leading the spoon with warm soup to your mouth again. ,,Y/N you are sick and it's freezing in here'' she remarks sternly. ,,The least I can do is offer you a warm room'' she adds before you stop her ,,Wilhemina I appreciate it but Regina has already offered the same'' you explain before her eyebrow shoots up in surprise.

,,Then why on earth would you want to stay in this cold place?'' she questions and you gulp then ,,I don't want to stay with Regina'' you explain, before the events from a few days ago linger on her mind, the concern over you from today almost causing her to forget but she nods understandingly before her eyebrows furrow. ,,Why won't you stay with me?'' she asks before you avert your gaze. ,,I don't want to intrude'' you explain before she scoffs. ,,Y/N you couldn't ever intrude, now come on, get some things'' she ushers and this time you can't even fight her, feeling both sick, exhausted and terribly cold. And so on shaky legs, you put some things in a bag before following her to her house, the moon illuminating the now quiet town of Storybrooke. Almost in a daze you follow her, feeling the pounding headache return, your body shaking uncontrollably as she leads you upstairs, towards a room and you are quick to sit on the bed, feeling like your legs would give in any moment.

Wilhemina is quick to turn the heating on in the room, walking downstairs to fetch some water and more medication for you and as she returns she finds you on the bed, already asleep still shivering and shaking. She can't help but frown at the sight, quickly tugging you in and making you comfortable before opting for an armchair by the window, her back feeling a little sore after all the moving and bending. And as her eyes land upon you, she can't help but feel her heart aching, having her little one so close but you had no idea who she was truly, how she loved you, how she was an enemy to you at first but you captivated her heart and the memories of holding you close linger on her mind just before the curse, when she whispered her love confessions, begging you to remember no matter what happens but you didn't remember and it broke her, causing some tears to stream down her tired features as she continues looking over your shaking sleeping form. As the night wears on, Wilhemina doesn't move an inch, sincerly hoping that you wouldn't wake and find her staring at you but she couldn't help herself, having missed you so much that it nearly killed her and she didn't mind the pain in her back as long as she could spend one more night with you, despite you being so incredibly far away.

And as the next morning arrives, you wake up, your eyes slowly opening at the bright sensation from the sunrise, beautiful shades of yellow and orange coating the room. At first your eyebrows furrow a little, unfamiliar with the surroundings until your eyes land upon the redhead woman sitting asleep in an armchair at the other corner of the room and you then remember the events from the night prior. ,,Wilhemina?'' you ask a little confused before she instantly wakes, her breath hitching before she composes herself. ,,Y/N, are you okay?'' she almost mumbles, before balancing on her cane and walks over to you. ,,Yes but what are you doing here?'' you whisper as you look into her brown eyes as she hovers nearby the bed. ,,Well this is my house you know'' she remarks, causing you to raise an eyebrow. ,,I know but-'' you pause then looking at the armchair where she was sleeping but choosing to remain quiet. ,,How are you feeling?'' she asks, her hand travelling to your forehead and noticing how you still feel a little warm but a lot better, as well as the colour now back on your beautiful face.

,,Much better thank you'' you remark before quickly standing up, again feeling like an intruder in her home. ,,What are you doing?'' she asks a little confused before you whisper ,,I'm just leaving, I'm sorry for intruding'' but she is having none of that. ,,Nonsense Y/N, you are staying with me until that heating situation gets fixed'' and before you can open your mouth to protest she gives you a look, almost a scolding one and you knew no matter what you would say she wouldn't allow it so you simply smile thankfully at her. The following week you spend with the redhead woman, at first having a hard time to adjust and not feel like an intruder in her home but you couldn't shake the feeling that she enjoyed your company and so you allowed it, you working in Regina's garden throughout the day as soon as you feel better, Wilhemina working and returning to you in the evening, you often providing her with a meal either from granny's or asking if you could use her kitchen. And she got so lost in it all that sometimes when she returned in the evening, it almost seemed normal, having you by her side, smiling warmly at her as you asked about her day.

As the weekend approaches, any remainder of the sickness now gone and Wilhemina successfully getting Regina to install some heating and that being done, you know you needed to move back, still feeling a little strange with the whole thing considering she was Regina's ex wife and you still feeling like a lost piece in their game and only adding to their very obvious issues. And so by Saturday, you stand downstairs with the remainder of your belongings in your bag, seeing as Wilhemina walks from the kitchen towards the hallway, her features neutral despite her heart breaking, wanting nothing more than to have you close, than to have you stay with her. ,,Thank you so much for letting me stay here again'' you remark, meeting her eyes from across the hallway. She moves closer then before speaking ,,You are welcome li- Y/N''. You hesitate, not wanting to just leave like that and feeling the strange urge to say something else, despite unsure what. ,,I hope you won't be a stranger'' she announces and her features almost seem bitter then and you still couldn't tell her true intentions, despite the kindness she had been showing you this week.

,,Definitely not'' you chuckle before thinking about it for a moment ,,Maybe I could cook for you again soon?'' you offer and she nods then, having loved your cooking this past week. ,,I would love that'' she remarks and with those words she watches you leave, her heart breaking as she feels like losing you all over again. And she considered the entire week, of filling you in, of taking you across the border of town, of kissing you, anything to have you back in her life but she couldn't, not wanting to rip you out of your life and making your whole reality fall apart, knowing there was a risk that you wouldn't remember, Regina's words still lingering on her mind how you don't love her, how you could never love her. And so she retreats back into the darkness of her loneliness, you retreating back to your home, only in the afternoon making it outside again and beginning on some work that you had missed this week due to being ill before.

And the remainder of your weekend and the week following is almost as monotone as it had been before, working in the garden, avoiding Regina, not seeing Wilhemina a lot as she had been working but whenever you did you couldn't help but smile, feeling much closer to her than before. Towards the middle of the week, you decide to make a brief stop at the shops, feeling the odd sense to thank the woman for letting her stay with you. You had texted her whether you could maybe cook for her on the weekend and she agreed gladly. And as you browse through town in your lunchbreak, the sound of a cane startles you, thinking it was Wilhemina at first but quickly finding Mr. Gold standing in front of you with a slight smirk, not really knowing him all that much, knowing about his store and really only seeing him from time to time and greeting him but nothing more than that. ,,Good day Miss Y/L/N'' he greets you and it takes you by surprise, greeting him in return. ,,I have heard you have grown closer to mayor mills and her ex-wife lately'' he remarks, causing you to raise an eyebrow, not expecting the man to be involved in town gossip of all things.

You don't say anything, simply staring at him before he speaks again ,,I find it fascinating, how true love can break any curse, don't you?'' he remarks before leaving you standing a little dumbfounded, trying to figure out what his statement meant, wondering if he possibly meant their marriage by the curse? You brush the thought off quickly, making your way back home and continue your working. And by the time the weekend finally approaches, you are beyond excited, even buzzing as you had missed Wilhemina terribly. And you knew you shouldn't as you could feel your heart rate increasing whenever you thought about her and it reminds you of the feeling you had towards Regina, barely two weeks ago and you knew you shouldn't play with fire but you couldn't help it, considering how they equally had you captivated. As soon as the evening arrives, you find yourself in front of her front door, a basket with dinner you had already prepared.

As she opens the door, her features are soft and welcoming as she leads you into the kitchen, her house now familiar as you had stayed with her for a week. In a swift motion, you serve dinner for her, opening the bottle of wine you had equally brought over, before the two of you make it into her dining room and ease into conversation, filling each other in about your weeks. ,,This was delicious thank you Y/N'' she praises after dessert and you cleaning all the dishes. ,,I have one more thing for you'' you remark, before walking back into the kitchen ,,Now if it's any more food I think I'm gonna explode'' she chuckles and you quickly shake your head before handing her an item, wrapped in some paper. Her eyes meet yours, questioning the gesture before you encourage her to open it up and reluctantly she does, the paper exposing some lavender soap, the smell instantly hitting both of your senses. ,,I made this'' you exclaim excitedly and her shocked eyes meet yours, taken back and deeply touched by your gesture.

,,You made this?'' she repeats your words before you nod excitedly and her heart melts at the gesture, watching as your eyes sparkle almost the way they had before. She wasn't one to recieve gifts often and she for sure didn't know how to handle it and so she simply smiles gratefully at you before the two of you make it to her living room, easing into some conversation, sitting on her sofa by the fireplace, each with a glass of wine in your hands. ,,I enjoy having you around'' she admits, taking you by surprise a little, almost feeling a strange sense of a deja vu that you really only could brush off for now. As time flees by, the two of you move in evidently closer, and before you know it your faces are inches apart, the redhead woman definitely the one taking the initiative as she longed for you, longed to feel your lips on hers, longed to have her little one close. And you hesitated, Regina's words and actions still lingering on your mind, wanting to kiss the redhead with all your being but unable to think about anything else but the consequences.

The butterflies return in your stomach as her eyes travel from yours to your lips and so you close your eyes, ignoring your thoughts before moving closer but now Wilhemina is the reluctant one, Regina's words suddenly lingering on her mind ,,She doesn't love you, she could never love you''. Her own insecurities get a hold of her as she pulls away, leaving you there in front of her, eyes closed and expecting her to kiss you any moment and it breaks her as you open your eyes and she sees your heart breaking again ,,Y/N I'm sorry'' she whispers, fighting back her own tears. ,,I don't think we should'' she admits, her features filled with guilt as you fight back your tears and the lump in your throat, the pain of rejection hitting you like a slap in the face by reality. ,,It's okay Wilhemina, I understand'' you muster up your best smile, trying to compose yourself before setting down the glass of wine and reaching for your coat. ,,Y/N- wait'' she tries, as she catches up with you in her hallway. ,,It's okay really, thank you for tonight'' you mutter and with those words you leave, tears streaming down your cheeks as you make it back home, now definitely understanding you should have never became a part in their twisted game of jealousy and their once perfect marriage.

As the night wears on, you find yourself unable to sleep, your thoughts circling around both women, your eyes traveling around your home, trying to think of anything that could rid the heartache. And then your eyes fall upon a crate of apple cider, that you assume Regina had left for you and you can't help it, shrugging before retreating the bottle and walking outside, sitting down in the garden before drowning your sorrows while staring at the bright moon. Ironically the sense of lavender hangs in the air and it almost makes you sick, seeing the redhead woman in your memory, the almost kiss and her rejection. Equally, Regina had been unable to sleep, eventually also abandoning the thought of getting any sleep as she retreats to the kitchen for some water before seeing your shadow in the garden and as she steps onto her patio, she feels the strange longing to see you, talk to you as you had been avoiding her for weeks now.

,,Y/N?'' she whispers softly, before kneeling down, finding you sitting in between the lavender patches, bottle of apple cider in your hands. You don't say anything, the effects from the several glasses of wine, the apple cider and your loneliness all mixing into one, slightly unaware of your surroundings and not caring about her presence. ,,Are you okay?'' she asks as she decides to sit beside you, hating the thought of her favourite satin pyjamas possibly staining with grass and mud but brushing it off for now. ,,Not really Gina'' you sigh heavily, definitely unaware of anything as you had never called her that before and wouldn't in any clear state of mind. ,,What's wrong darling?'' she asks, the genuine concern lingering on her beautiful features. ,,I thought she liked me'' you huff before her eyebrows furrow, placing a comforting hand on your tired shoulders. ,,Who?'' she asks a little confused, her ego causing her to believe you had been talking about her before. ,,Wilhemina'' you mutter out, a stray tear streaming down your cheek. ,,We almost kissed tonight'' you admit which causes her eyes to widen ,,You what?!'' she questions, her heart beating fast thinking about the possibly consequences of that.

,,But she doesn't like me and neither do you'' you sigh in defeat, your shoulders slumping as you down the rest of the bottle. Despite feeling relief at your statement and the two of you not kissing, she can't help but frown, feeling bad seeing you like this and despite it all not wanting to cause you any pain because unlike her behaviour lately and her actions, Regina did have feelings for you. ,,I do like you Y/N'' she tries, hooking her finger under your chin to make you look at her. And as you look at her, you meet her brown eyes, the way they ached for your pain and how she wanted to make it all go away. ,,You do?'' you ask almost hopelessly and confused. ,,Yes honey and I think-'' she hesitates then, assuming you wouldn't remember any of this in the morning anyway ,,And I'm sure Wilhemina does too, in fact I know she does'' she smiles warmly at you, causing you to smile and close your eyes as sleepiness and a sense of fatigue washes over you. ,,Come on, let's get you inside'' she offers and with an arm wrapped around her, she leads you back inside, getting you comfortable in your bed, before tugging you in, leaving some painkillers and water with you, knowing there was a hangover coming for sure.

And the hangover definitely greeted you in the morning, a pounding headache and instantly closing your eyes again as soon as you opened them, swallowing the painkillers beside you before sleep washes over you again. And when you wake again, the memories from last night slowly creep back into your mind, remembering the evening with Wilhemina, almost kissing her, and a brief encounter with Regina despite not remembering anything from the conversation with her. And so as the days continue in its monotone way, you decide to focus more on yourself, your work, polite with each of them whenever you saw them but wanting to focus more on yourself. But despite your best efforts, the only thing lingering on your mind was them, their marriage and how you had become between that lately. And for some reason the words from Mr. Gold had replayed on your mind a lot ,,True love can break any curse'' still thinking he was talking about their marriage. And so within the last few days as another weekend approached, you had decided to take matters into your own hands, to fix this, fix the damage you had caused.

It was cheeky really, texting both Wilhemina and Regina to meet you at your place tonight, both of them surprised and hopeful for your forgiveness and wanting to see you. But you couldn't shake the feeling that they needed to talk this out and so after Wilhemina walked into your home, finding it empty, only the dining table set with some fresh dinner, the smell making her mouth water, you were quick to sneak around the back, watching as Regina walked in before locking the door, hoping to give them a few hours this way to talk things through, to bring them closer again, Mr. Gold words still on your mind. ,,What is this?'' Regina hisses as she sees the redhead sitting by the dining table, the same confused expression on her face. ,,Y/N asked me to meet her here'' Wilhemina remarks before Regina's eyebrow raises. ,,Me too'' she announces, holding up her phone exposing the text message. ,,Screw this'' Regina hisses, quickly abandoning the redhead and walking towards the door only to find it locked.

,,What game is she playing at?'' Regina remarks annoyed, not wanting to spend her evening with her ex wife under any circumstances. Wilhemina can't help but smirk, her features much softer than usual before she remarks ,,You do have to admit, it's funny of her to parent trap us like this'' she chuckles lowly before the brunette simply rolls her eyes, trying to find another exit, even considering of breaking out through a window but Wilhemina stopping her. ,,Come on, you really can't spend two hours with me?'' the redhead asks, some seriousness in her question after all. And so the two of them eat, feeling both hungry as they both enjoyed your cooking, despite the death glances they exchanged, Wilhemina finding the whole thing rather amusing and so much like you. ,,Tell me, why didn't you kiss her?'' Regina asks after a long silence, causing the redhead to meet her eyes, not expecting her to know about it. ,,I-'' Wilhemina begins speaking but the words get caught in her throat. ,,You could have broken the curse you know? she loves you'' Regina remarks, causing some tears to swell in the redheads eyes. ,,I can see it in her features, just like before'' the mayor recalls and this causes Wilhemina to falter, sighing heavy as her heart aches with regret and longing.

,,And what would you have done if that happened? killed us both?'' Wilhemina questions, causing the brunette to scoff. ,,Of course not'' she huffs, the comment hurting her as since and even before the curse she had tried her hardest to redeem herself with the people she had hurt in the past. The room fills with silence, you meanwhile sitting on Regina's patio, hoping sincerly your plan would work and that they wouldn't murder you afterwards. ,,For what it's worth I'm sorry'' the mayor sighs, knowing at this point the curse was mere days away from breaking by the feelings you and the redhead had developed. ,,You are?'' Wilhemina questions, almost sarcastically with a raised eyebrow and Regina nods then. ,,All I ever wanted was for you to be happy'' the former evil queen admits, causing the redhead to lock eyes as they now sit beside each other on the sofa. ,,If that's true then why all this? why this curse?'' she questions, unsure whether she could believe her ex wife. ,,It was too late by the time we developed feelings for her, the curse was done'' she admits before pausing ,,I wanted us to be happy here together but I thought I was losing you because I know you love her'' Regina admits, for the first time in years truly laying out her true feelings.

And Wilhemina could tell how much time had passed and how much Regina had changed, considering she once believed that love was nothing more than weakness. ,,But she loves you too and she did back then'' Wilhemina remarks, causing a stray tear to run down the brunettes features. ,,Do you really think that would have worked, with us three?'' Regina questions before Wilhemina's features soften again, wiping the brunettes tears before nodding. And yet their eyes lock again, time seeming to stop as after all had been said and done, they suddenly feel drawn to each other, Wilhemina for the first time since it all, really seeing Regina again and not the things she had done and the pain she had caused her and in return the brunette truly feels remorse, knowing now the three of you could have led a life together if she only allowed it to happen. And as it had been several hours, you walk back towards the door, beginning to feel incredibly sorry and wanting to unlock the door. However as you approach, you watch as they are inches apart, smiling at yourself for having achieved what you wanted as their lips slowly meet and despite it hurting a little, you knew you could probably move on, happy to at least have fixed their relationship or at least given it a start.

However, as their lips meet, a bright yellow sensation washes over you, over all of town as you blink for a few times, suddenly a wave of memories crashing through your body, causing you to almost lose your balance. Equally their eyes widen, never expecting them to be true love after all but their admissions tonight, enough proof of just that and that their love for each other and you was stronger than Regina's curse. Wilhemina's eyes widen as she watches the brunettes fear, knowing that despite her best efforts pre curse and in Storybrooke, a lot of people would be after her and despite the redhead efforts to calm her, the only thing she wants to do is find you. And so with a swift motion she balances on her cane, finding you in the darkness of the night, standing in the garden, the door long unlocked as she finds you ,,Y/N'' she calls out, hoping with her whole being that you would remember. And of course you do, seeing her so vividly before the curse broke and her words as she hold you close ,,Mina'' you almost whimper, tears streaming down your cheeks as you almost run into her arms, wrapping around her and she doesn't let go, having waited for this moment for a lifetime. ,,Oh little one'' she breathes out, quick to catch your lips in a kiss before wrapping her arms around you again.

The two of you lose each other in the moment, holding onto each other as if making up for all the years that you had missed each other. Your hearts beat loudly against your chests as she holds her darling girl close, before she senses you tensing in her arms, letting go of you to see your scared expression as your eyes land upon Regina, who stands by your house, her face filled with guilt and remorse. Reluctantly, Wilhemina shields you a little, unsure what Regina's response would be like to the curse breaking, worried that this meant the return of the evil queen but to her surprise it doesn't, the brunette taking some steps closer before meeting your eyes. ,,I am so sorry'' she whispers, tears streaming down her features before brushing past you, almost defeatedly walking towards her house to brace for the impact of her actions. ,,Regina wait'' you call out, leaving Wilhemina's grasp for a moment as she turns to face you. ,,Where are you going?'' you ask almost confused before she chuckles lowly through tears ,,Await my fate, I assume a lot of people will want me dead'' she remarks, not in fear more in acceptance of her own actions.

,,I truly hope you two get the happy ending you deserve'' she smiles painfully but her words and eyes filled with honesty. You glance at Wilhemina behind you, who listens to her words in pain and despite it all, despite the pain she had caused and despite a part of you scared of her dark side, over the last years you had gotten to know her, even lover her and see her true colours. ,,There is no happy ending without you Regina'' you remark, causing for her to meet your eyes with a shocked expression, her mouth open as if she was going to speak before she glances at Wilhemina. The redhead simply stands behind you with the proudest expression, so utterly in love with your kindness and the events from tonight reminding her of the love she once had and still has for Regina. But the brunette couldn't trust your words, knowing you may be forgiving but worried Wilhemina could never trust her again despite their kiss breaking the curse. ,,I agree little one'' she remarks, catching Regina by surprise. ,,Let's get inside and figure this out'' the redhead instructs.

And so at last, the three of you get a chance to reveal your true feelings, Regina talking about what led her to cast the curse, the genuine remorse she was feeling for you both and the town and how she wanted to make amends. And as the three of you lay in each other's arms, holding each other close and drying each other's tears, you knew that this would be a long road ahead. Knowing that in fact the town was going to want to find Regina and hold her responsible but you and Wilhemina already had a plan for dealing with that. And you knew tonight wasn't merely enough to heal, to forgive and forget but all you had wanted all along was to be in their arms and so for now all you can do is enjoy just that, burying the painful memories in the back of your mind and letting go to replace them with new ones, happy ones with the love's of your life.

[shipposttt]

The Ship of the Day: Swan Queen

Name: Emma x Regina

Ship name: Swan Queen

Original content: Once Upon a Time (OUAT)

Ship info: Once Upon a Time is a TV show where all of the fairy-tale characters that we know and have been told about all our lives have been cursed by the Evil Queen into our land – the land without magic – and have been frozen in time for 28 years in a small town called Storybrooke. The legend goes that the daughter on Snow White and Prince Charming (the saviour) will come to town and wake everyone up from the curse. Thus, the show starts with Henry, the adopted son of Regina (the evil queen) going to find his birth mother Emma (the saviour/Snow White and Charming’s daughter) and bringing her back to Storybrooke.

Henry (their son) who has found out about the curse through a gifted storybook, spends a long time trying to convince Emma that the curse is real not just a story and that she’s the one that needs to break it. However, Emma has a hard time believing that everyone living in town is a cursed storybook character and only participates in these discussions with Henry to keep him happy.

Emma and Regina’s relationship gets off to a rocky start as Regina immediately begins to feel threatened by Emma, her sons birth mother, and due to the fact that her relationship with Henry is a little fractured during that point in time. It looks like she has nothing to worry about however as Emma vows to leave town that night although on her way out of town she gets run off the road by a wolf ultimately leading to a chain of events that have Emma staying in town. 

During her stay in town Emma spends a lot of time at odds with Regina, they are constantly arguing over Henry (at first), and there is a lot of tension between them when they are making threats to each other and arguing. This arguing however comes to a stop after the fight they have over their son eating a poisoned apple turnover that Regina made for Emma. Emma wakes Henry up with true loves kiss and both mothers are happy their son is not dead. This is arguably the point where their relationship is worst, after this their relationship only gets better. 

After Emma breaks the curse by waking Henry up and true loves kiss magic comes back to Storybrooke. This leads to a lot of instances in which Emma and Regina have to fight together to save the town and their son a lot and even in some instances save each other. There are also many points in the show where people don’t believe that Regina is redeemed and still see her as a villain however Emma has always believed in Regina’s redemption, even going as far as protecting and defending her when Regina is accused of murder. We see moments later on in this show of Emma bringing Regina lunch and the both of them teasing each other which shows how much their relationship has evolved from what it used to be.

There is a lot of tension that can be felt in this teasing and in their ever-present need to save each other and even in simple moment such as Emma declaring that she always knows when Regina is lying and that she wants to help Regina find her happy ending. The move of their relationship from enemies to people who trust one another with their lives – as they have on many occasions – is very important in understanding why these characters are so beloved together. This is because they are both passionate fighters about/for the things that they love and once they get over their differences and realise who similar they actually are, they spend a lot of time fighting to save each other. Even going as far as Emma absorbing the darkness/curse of the dark one in order to save Regina and her goodness.

Additionally, there are also multiple parallels throughout the show both visually and audibly wherein Swan Queen are compared to Snowing (Snow White and Prince Charming) who are a canon heterosexual couple who share two children. Why are moments between Emma and Regina being parallel to a couple in a canon romantic relationship, a couple who are professed to be (canon) romantic True Loves in this show, if Emma and Regina themselves aren’t meant to be in a romantic relationship and/or true loves.

Type of Ship: Queer Bait

Putting aside all of the fairy tale elements and all of the magic in this show, seeing the trope of two people sharing a child implies that by the end of the series these two people will be in a romantic relationship. Instances in which this trope occurs, and the parents have been a man and woman result in a romantic relationship, some examples include: About a Boy (2002), The Switch (2010), Life as We Know It (2010), Love Comes Softly (2003).

In all of these examples the male and female characters who are seen parenting a child together end up in romantic relationships. Why then did the creators of OUAT choose to apply this trope to their show only to have these two parental characters not end up together just because they are both women. They have spent the majority of the show making parenting decisions for their son together, fighting together to save their son and even becoming something resembling a family only for them to not end up together even though if they were a man and a woman instead of both women, they would have ended in a romantic relationship together.

Additionally, there are also instances in the show of prolonged eye contact and wide screen shots of these characters looking at each other. In this same show there are heterosexual characters with examples of the same moment happening that are in or do end up in a romantic relationship. If this is so then why isn’t it the same for Swan Queen, the only difference being that they are both women. The shots of these two characters together are conscious choices made by writers, producers and directors and have been put into the show making people think that what is going to happen is that these characters are going to end up in a romantic relationship, yet they never do! There is no need for creators to tease something that is not going to happen, the only thing that this does is creates outrage from audiences who were invested in this relationship and led to believe that it was a possibility. There have also been instances in which creators have spoken on social media about this ship speculation and actively participating in keeping this audience tuned into the show. They have reeled this audience in only for them to be disappointed by the results. 

Thank you for coming to my ted talk!

Admin 🦈

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 1B! MATCH 4 OUT OF 8

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Ruby Lucas:

she's cool, and a werewolf!

She's a red/big bad wolf combo, she's bi, she gets tragically underused like so many OUaT characters

She’s a werewolf :)

We first see her as Ruby in Storybrooke where she's initially depicted as a fun-loving flirt who spends her nights most likely in a bar while wearing revealing clothes that her grandma disapproves of (and is all in red. Absolutely everything). She lives with her grandma who runs a diner and that's where Ruby works. When Emma wakes up the sleeping town, she tries to leave Granny's and ends up helping in a case that Emma's working on by following her nose. That episode also has her backstory, but when we first see her as Red in the Enchanted Forest, she's confident and helpful and not afraid to use her lycanthropy. But the start of her story has her being an innocent young woman with a love for discovering the world and her boyfriend Peter (of Peter and the Wolf, I guess). She meets Snow while still living with her Granny in her cabin in the woods and takes her in. She's so hopeful - and then she turns into a werewolf and kills Peter (after they all thought he was the werewolf and had chained him to a tree). She is obviously quite traumatized by this and takes off with Snow. But that and her subsequent adventures gives her the growth she needs to be comfortable in her own skin, whether human or wolf. And, when the curse breaks completely, you can see the change in her - she would absolutely walk through fire to help Snow and the other good guys.

Another version where Red Riding Hood also ends up being the Big Bad Wolf. She eats her boyfriend which is sad but she falls in love with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz in like Season 5. Her red cloak is what keeps her in human form which I think is neat. When all the storybook characters are transported to the modern world, she runs a diner with Granny.

She's one of my favorite characters from Once Upon a Time. She's a cool Red Riding hood wolf girl who is bi and has seen like 3 of her love interests and her mother die. She slays very hard so I nominate her. (Also I used to have a crush on her as a kid)

VOTE RUBY LUCAS FROM ONCE UPON A TIME. SHE WAS IGNORED BY THE WRITERS SO MUCH SHE DESERVES THIS SO MUCH. QUEER ICON!!!

Ruby Rose:

She has a scythe that is also a high-impact sniper rifle.

She is literally just based on Red Riding Hood and she's such an amazing character holy heck

Red Riding Hood but with a gun. (Specifically a combination scythe/high-impact sniper rifle called Crescent Rose). Also she's gone through so much she deserves it. She's trying to save the world and keep going despite all the people she's lost. Grew up dreaming of being a hero who fights monsters. She knows life isn't a fairy tale and wants to make it better. Just went through a mental health arc where she had depression from trying to live up to her (presumed dead) mom and from her friend dying for the second time. Killed the Big Bad Wolf with her magic eye powers. Her sister is Goldilocks and her friends are Beauty and Snow White. also I love her <3

She’s the little red riding hood but also a powerful fighter with a massive fucking scythe that is also a sniper rifle and she’s so skrunkly and so gender. Also RWBY’s whole thing (well one of them) is that their characters are all inspired by pre-existing ones from older stories and Ruby’s the main character so like, poster child of ‘character based off [insert relevant fairytale here]’ so I think she deserves to at least get pretty far

Aesthetics, themes, meta, personality and raw coolness.

She is the main character of her show. The most common monster they fight is a type of wolf (its been a while since ive seen it). Her job is to hunt them down before they can eat her. this story is very much about failed fairy tales, many of the side character's inspired arcs end in failure, but (having not seen the most recent bits) Ruby is still going strong, and i really like her cape, rose petals, and use of a scythe.

She is THE RRH character of all time. She has a scythe that's also a gun and she has to be the hero because she's got super rare main character powers. She is my happy girl. Also her mom was Sleeping Beauty and her sister is Goldilocks, and she fights to stop Rapunzel from destroying everything on the world, the gods, and then herself.

Ruby as a character is literally based on little red riding hood! She has a red cape with a hood

the Red trailer is better propaganda than I could ever write

She is a badass with a scythe, inspired by her uncle and fueled by her mother's death and her sense of righteousness

She has a giant scythe

[kazoosandfannypacks]

kazzy's 50th ouat moodboard celebration: a set of moodboards based on my own season 7 rewrite

henry mills + red and gray after spending a decade travelling the realms and recording people's stories, henry returned to storybrooke, where he published the tales of his adventures. he remained in storybrooke a few years longer, spending his time working on his next novel and DM'ing a D&D campaign for a new generation of heroes

Age: 33 years old | Faceclaim: Andrew J. West | Dungeon Master | wants to help people find their place in their story

neal "cj" nolan + blue after graduating as captain of the football team, "charming junior" began work full-time on the farm with his dad. he enjoys his small town life, but secretly longs for an adventure beyond the town lines of storybrooke.

Age: 20 years old | Faceclaim: Sam McCarthy | D&D Class: Paladin | wants to live up to his father's legacy

robin "hood" mills + green robin began an internship at the mayor's office with her aunt shortly after graduation. although she did well with her year in bureaucracy, she's still unsure about her future, and has always felt a call toward the forest.

Age: 19 years old | Faceclaim: Tiera Skovbye | D&D Class: Rogue | wants to find out more about her father

gideon gold + gold at seven years old, gideon spent a year travelling the realms with his parents. this held him back a year in school, though he spent much time learning outside the classroom. when he's not studying books with his mom and potions with his dad, he spends a lot of time tinkering.

Age: 19 years old | Faceclaim: Anton Starkman | D&D Class: Sorceror | wants to find a way to free his father from the dark one dagger

charlotte nolan + lavender always the social butterfly, charlotte enjoys spending time with her friends and family and organizing events and celebrations. although she may not look it, she's very protective of the people she cares about, and hopes to inspire people like her mother always did.

Age: 18 years old | Faceclaim: Bailee Madison | D&D Class: Ranger | wants to make a difference like her mother did

hope swan-jones + pink hope is only a month younger than her aunt charlotte, and they've been best friends all their life. she spends her free time sailing and practicing magic. when her half-brother, henry, returns to storybrooke, they spend a lot of time swapping stories and making new memories together.

Age: 18 years old | Faceclaim: Sabrina Carpenter | D&D Class: Fighter | wants to find out who she truly is

When Hope, Charlotte, and Gideon graduate, Henry takes the gang on an adventure through the Enchanted Forest, where they discover their own place in the stories they grew up hearing so much about.

[ollieollieoxenfree-483-gallery]

Some things I've been working on for my Muppets Twisted Wonderland AU, idk if I want them to be humanoid or Funky Creatures so I was working on both

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Twisted Wonderland: The Muppets AU*

(**idk if I want the puppets to be “twisted”/humanoid or kept in their Muppet-y fashion)

*AU name ideas: Rainbow Connection, Light the Lights, Role Call, The Show Must Go On, etc.

(The backstory is essentially the same as the first Muppets movie with a little bit of changes for plot and its Yuu instead of Walter, I'll write it out more later.)

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(If Muppets are a separate creature in Twisted Wonderland:)

   These creatures look vastly different as the magic they’ve been exposed to leading to their appearances being changed in drastic ways. They live in a little town called ‘Storybrooke’ (<- reference to OUAT lol) where the magic is in abundance, altering not only their appearances, but how they live their lives in general. From the smallest mouse to the biggest bird, the creatures are not only very magically inclined but also some of the friendliest and nicest creatures. But not every tree is without at least one bad apple, which is why the Muppets tend to stay in their little community and keep to themselves.

   The smallest of these creatures are the Fraggles and are closer related to fae than people or beastman or merfolk, having been around for centuries, and tend to stay underground in their colonies rather than reside aboveground. The colonies the Fraggles inhabit are known for producing Mage Stones, oftentimes harvesters will scavenge what’s salvageable after the colonies have been abandoned for disrupting the Fraggles can lead to natural magic depletion aboveground.

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Twisted version names:

Kermit “Kermie” Paddington (Kermit the Frog) (UM Encore: Music of a style him chooses fills the air around him, the music spreads around corners and can be heard all around. The music moves with him, centered on him for the duration of the song, and anyone in the vicinity gets a buff on their own unique magic.)

Frankie “Fozzie” Bearly (Fozzie Bear) (UM Punchline: He unleashes a string of jokes laced with subtle enchantments at a person/creature you can see within range. If the target can hear you (though it need not understand you), it can reduce them to uncontrollable laughter and block their/its magic.)

Peter Hoover (Miss Piggy) (UM Spotlight: Everyone in a certain radius is forced to gaze upon him (almost hypnotically) until focus/gaze is broken.)

Gonzales “Gonzo” Davidson (Gonzo the Great) (UM Curtain Call: Able to “perform mass feats” (i.e. jumping from a high window, falling down a flight of stairs, etc) and do so and return unscathed.)

Andy Mal Erics (Animal) (UM Keep the Beat: Once cast, those a part of the “band”/those the spell is cast upon must remain in sync to build the buff. The longer they remain so, the stronger and more powerful the buff gets and the “band’s” own unique magic in turn.) 

(Some of the names are either inspired by their animal/things relating to their animal (Paddington -> Lily pad) or by the puppeteers (Gonzo and Animal))

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That's all I have this far, let me know if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! :)

[spartanguard]

sons of love and death, 10/13 {CSSNS 23}

Summary: After the Final Battle, Killian Jones had finally settled into his happily ever after with his wife and family. Until a new foe arrived in Storybrooke: the infamous Dorian Gray, who looks rather familiar—one might say identical—to the pirate, and he’s on a mission: to claim the powers of the Dark One for himself. There’s only one problem: the Dark One no longer exists. What follows is a journey of vengeance, revelations, magic, and finally facing down the darkness within himself that Killian thought he’d finally put to rest. [roughly canon divergent from 5B, though set post-canon] A/N: I know this off my normal posting schedule for @cssns, but this chapter is a little different as it wholly focuses on Dorian's backstory. It's an important part of the story, although none of our Storybrooke faves appear. They'll be back on Wednesday, though! Hope you like this chapter; it's what I consider to be an OUAT-esque take on the original novel. (As always, thanks to the best beta, @optomisticgirl !) rated M | 4.3k words | AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Late 1880s

The realization that Dorian was aging—and would continue to do so until he finally claimed the Darkness for himself—plagued him the next few days after he noticed that first wrinkle. He found himself wandering about town, trying to find a way out of this predicament; alas, the only way he knew to become immortal was to gain the powers he sought. But what if he ran out of time? 

Perhaps Basil knew something? Or maybe the answer lay in another realm? He had lingered in this one for quite some time; the bean in his coat pocket was still waiting to be used. (It was also worth noting that he’d transformed his jacket into one far more casual, under Basil’s advice.)

But considering he had no clue where to go next, this was as good as any place for now. 

He sighed. He needed a distraction. (Not like this entire realm wasn’t already one.) At some point, he’d wandered into the working class part of town—a stark difference from Basil’s world, in a way he found refreshing. The upper crust was his brand of indulgent, but stiff when it came to social mores in a way that occasionally got stifling. That was when he sought out the brothels, the opium dens, or just the pubs by the docks or wandering the streets lined with rowhouses. 

A battered marquee caught his attention up ahead, advertising what was likely a similarly worn theater playing a tired version of an ancient play. It sounded perfect. 

The playbill listed a show called Othello; he’d never heard of it. Perfect. 

Just as he’d thought, the seats were threadbare, the backdrops were faded and flaking, and the costumes barely fit the overzealous actors. He had to bite his tongue from laughing at how terrible it was at times. 

Except for one, though—the actress playing the female lead, Desdemona. She captivated him immediately, and not just because she was better than the rest of her costars (though she was by far). She embodied the character fully, holding the audience in the palm of her hand whenever she was on stage. 

Not to mention she was rather comely, with her hair in dark curls and bright eyes that seemed lit from within. 

Dorian had seen many a pretty face and known countless women. None had ever truly caught his attention like she had. 

He sat, entranced, for the rest of the performance, then rushed out of the auditorium after the curtain fell. Outside the theater, he again read the playbill: her name was Sybil Vane. 

Using all his charms, he managed to get backstage. He was nervous as a schoolboy outside her dressing room; gods above, he’d never felt so anxious to meet someone. 

His breath caught in his throat when the door swung open, and there she was: even more beautiful up close, with a sweet smile that reached her sparkling eyes. 

He eventually stammered out a compliment on her performance, which she accepted demurely, her cheeks blushing bright pink. 

And then she invited him in for a cup of tea, and he knew then his life was about to change, as melodramatic as that sounded. 

She was indeed as sweet as she seemed—as well as good-humored and intelligent, despite having seen little of the world outside her corner of London. It wasn’t a surprise that she seemed charmed by him as well—most were—but for the first time, he was glad of it. 

Conversation flowed faster between them than the tea, and all too soon, the theater manager was ushering her out so he could lock up. But she told Dorian when her next performance was and he promised he’d be there. 

He kept it, too; for a brief while, he wondered if this was just a momentary infatuation, but the more he watched her and the more time he spent with her, the deeper in he fell. And if he wasn’t mistaken, she reciprocated; he didn’t pretend to hide his vices, but if he ever made mention of them, she simply looked past it. 

Simple. That’s what this was—no angles, no scheming, no revenge; just living life day by day and finding happiness where it could be found. He’d never known a life like that—and it had him wondering if maybe simplicity was all he needed, too. 

When they eventually started to see each other outside the theater, it was much like when Basil first showed him around his part of the world—but this had a sense of innocence and optimism that belied even reality. Sybil just had a beautiful way of looking at the world; he began to hope it would rub off on him. 

At one point, she introduced him to her mother and younger brother; they seemed like generally pleasant folk, but somewhat distrustful of him. He supposed he didn’t blame them for that, even if his reputation had yet to precede him here. 

But it did make him wonder what it was like to have a family—a real one. Zoso had cared for him, as much as the Darkness would allow. But he’d long resented his birth parents; what kind of people were so desperate that they’d trade their child to a demon?

He had to assume they were nothing like Sybil’s mother, whose wariness clearly came from a place of love. And watching the playout of her relationship with her brother made him wonder how different his life might have been with a sibling (any peer, really).

Was that what he wanted? Would that make him happiest? He’d never considered an alternative to becoming the Dark One, but it seemed as though a viable option was being presented.

Even his friends noticed the change in him. Basil at first commented on his frequent absences from their gatherings, but Oscar picked up on the reason why immediately. 

“He’s in love.”

Love? Love. Yes, that’s what this was. It had to be; he’d never felt anything like it. He just knew that thoughts of Sybil invaded his mind constantly—even more than the dream of finally murdering Rumpelstiltskin.

Like gossipy ladies, his mates demanded to know all the details. And while he normally kept such personal things close to his chest—he’d not once uttered anything about the Dark One since coming to this realm, leaving even those closest to him unaware of why he’d truly traveled here—he found himself telling them everything.

“Sounds like you’re halfway down the aisle,” Basil joked.

“Aisle?” He wasn’t yet familiar with that reference.

“He means you mean to marry her,” Oscar explained. “I’m inclined to agree.”

Marriage. That wasn’t something he’d ever considered for himself. But that was what someone did when they loved someone, right?

He asked her about it that night, after her performance in Romeo & Juliet. She accepted without hesitation, and her joy spilled over to him.

His friends congratulated him on the event, though he honestly wasn’t sure what followed. He barely knew wedding customs in his home realm, let alone this one. He just knew that whatever he did next, he wanted it to be with Sybil.

The next night, she was performing as Desdemona again (he was becoming intimately acquainted with a number of that Shakespeare fellow’s works). Basil and Oscar insisted on accompanying him, eager to meet the young woman who’d so taken in their friend.

He’d seen her in this role several times since the first viewing, each time more impressive than the last. She always shined and he felt a sense of pride of being able to show off something so seemingly humble to two men from far more privileged, richer lives.

She looked just as perfect as ever when she first took the stage; both men smiled at him and nodded their approval. 

And it was a typically wonderful performance—at least, he thought so. Perhaps not as exciting as the first time he saw her, and there were a few mistakes, but none that truly tarnished the show. 

After the curtain fell, he turned to his friends to see what they thought. But, to his surprise, they exchanged an awkward look. 

“She is indeed beautiful,” Basil started. “But…”

“But she can’t act,” Oscar finished. “We must take you to see a real show if this is all you’ve seen.”

“I beg your pardon?” he snapped at both of them. “She’s brilliant.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s as sweet as you say,” Basil placated. “But I dare say she’ll make a better wife than she does an actress.”

“When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance,” Oscar added.

He told them off and left them behind to make their own way home. How could they not see how incredible Sybil was?

Or were they right, and he had been duped? No, it wasn’t that—Sybil had never pretended to be anything else other than when she was playing a character on stage. Perhaps it was his own judgment, then, that was flawed?

It was wholly possible. He was still ignorant about many things in this realm. All of a sudden, he felt horribly off-kilter, questioning every decision he’d made since he arrived in this godforsaken place. 

Sybil; he needed to talk to Sybil. She’d make him feel grounded again. Right?

Like after every show, he slipped back to her dressing room. She was quick to embrace him and he leaned into it. “Is everything alright, my Prince Charming?” she asked, sensing his discomfort. 

“I…I’m not sure,” he replied. 

“How can I help, then?”

There was such earnestness in her bright eyes, such tenderness and care even below the stage makeup, that there was only one thing he could tell her. 

“You can’t.”

He regrettably stepped out of her space, but he had to. He couldn’t let this wonderful woman throw away her life with him when he was so unsure of himself.

To his shock, she just laughed—that light thing he loved so much. “What, cold feet, my darling?”

“No, my dear,” he said, taking her hand in his. “You deserve so much better than me.”

“I’m fairly certain it’s the opposite,” she countered. “A man of your standing shouldn’t even want to be seen with the likes of me.”

“My…standing? Sybil, there’s so much you don’t know about me.”

“Then tell me,” she encouraged, reaching for his other hand. “There’s nothing you could say that would change my feelings.”

He barked out his own laugh at that, but there was no humor behind it. “Oh, darling; you’ve no clue.”

He let go of her and stepped back, then summoned balls of flames to his open palms. (Not as quickly as he would have liked, either; his magic was slow from disuse.)

Her eyes grew wide; he thought he saw fear in them, but it didn’t last. “Dorian, that’s incredible,” she breathed. “I knew there was something extraordinary about you.”

“And that’s exactly why this can’t be,” he lamented, extinguishing the fire in his hands. “I don’t—I don’t belong here,” he admitted, both to her and to himself.

“You belong wherever you want to be,” she told him sagely; there was certainly some truth in her words, but if he didn’t know where that was, how could he ask her to follow him?

“Perhaps I’ll let you know when I figure that out,” he told her. “But until then—take care of yourself, love.”

He couldn’t look at her as he turned and left. Her cries of his name followed him out the door of the room, but he transported away before she could attempt to change his mind.

He reappeared in Basil’s studio. The rest of the house was silent, so he was still alone for the time being. It’d been a few weeks since he’d been in here and, oddly, felt like something of a homecoming. Not merely because it was where he’d been settled for the past few months, but being surrounded by the potion ingredients—it took him back to learning how to brew in Zoso’s castle.

Back in his home realm, he’d been drifting ever since Rumpelstiltskin took over the mantle of Dark One, having been unceremoniously and unexpectedly evicted from his quarters in the castle. He maybe rented a room for a month or so at a time, but was ultimately transient.

This space had been the closest thing he’d known to home in close to a decade, but as he studied all the magical elements across the room, as well as their products in the paintings along the walls, he realized—he wouldn’t truly be happy and settled until he fulfilled his birthright once and for all.

As much as he loved Sybil, he couldn't fully give himself to her until that was settled—however long that took. In his perusal of the room, he’d stopped in front of his own still-unfinished portrait, perched on an easel. There had to be a way—

His thought was interrupted by the sound of the key in the front door, indicating Basil’s return. But before he could address his friend, a frantic knock sounded at the studio door. 

He lifted the enchanted window covering to glance through it; Basil’s footsteps sounded behind him but stopped short. Outside, he could see Sybil, not even changed out of her costume, panting and banging her fist on the door. “Dorian? Are you there? Please, talk to me!” she was shouting.

Almost too quickly, he unlocked and pulled the door open, and Sybil stumbled inside; he just barely caught her. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I’m here for you, obviously!” she answered, once she’d righted herself. “Dorian, please—I don’t care who or what you are; I just want to be with you.”

Couldn’t she take a hint? She was making this harder on both of them than it had to be. “It can’t be, Sybil.”

“Yes, it can,” she said, reaching for his hand. “I’ll follow you anywhere.”

“To a whole other realm?” he threw back. “Because that’s where I’m headed.” The bean still weighed heavy in his pocket.

Sybil swallowed nervously, but then her resolve hardened. “Wherever, Dorian, and I’ll do whatever you want—as long as I can be with you.”

“You’ve no clue what that means,” he snarled, now annoyed. He was trying to make a clean break from her, but she was making it difficult. “Just go back to your life and to your family, darling; you’ll be much happier that way.”

“That’s not for you to decide!” she yelled at him. He wasn’t used to being scolded, and it rankled something within.

“Maybe not, but I’m perfectly capable of making decisions for myself. And for now, I need to be alone,” he insisted, then stepped back from her.

“Dorian!” she cried—in both senses of the word; tears were brimming at her eyes. “Please, my love; my heart is yours.”

“Is it?” Something snapped in him; his temper finally broke loose in a way it hadn’t in months. In two strides, he was back in front of Sybil, and without thinking, his right hand dove into her chest, and came back out with her still-beating heart.

“Bloody hell,” Basil gasped; Dorian had forgotten his so-called friend was still there. Sybil, for her part, was merely staring in shock, though her hand slowly drifted to the now-empty place on her chest.

She could drag this out all she wanted; but now, he could end it whenever he felt.

The room was quiet but for the somewhat amplified beating of the heart in Dorian’s hand. No one moved; no one knew what to say.

Dorian began to pace with the bright red organ in his hold. It was no surprise that it was such a pure color; gods only knew what kind of discoloration his own bore. Then his eyes fell back on his portrait, and he remembered his previously interrupted train of thought.

“Say, Basil,” he said slowly, turning to the painter. “Are there any spells you know of that work in reverse? Perhaps one that might keep the subject of one of your pictures looking the same as when you painted it, but let the painting grow old and decrepit?”

Basil sputtered. “Only dark magic can do that.”

“Oh.” Dorian looked over at Sybil, still stunned, then reached for Basil’s hand.

Into the open palm, he began to crush the heart. He made himself watch as the light—that had once been so brilliant and pure—left Sybil’s eyes, and her body collapsed as the crumbled bits of her organ fell, too.

He swallowed whatever bit of feeling he still had for Sybil (which was quite a lot) and turned back to Basil. “Is that sufficiently dark enough for you to use?”

Basil was staring agape. “I…I…I won’t do it,” he finally said.

Dorian quirked an eyebrow. “But that means it’ll work?”

Basil blinked. “Uh, yes, it should,” he confessed. “But I won’t—I refuse to do it.” 

The remnants of Sybil’s heart were beginning to drift to the floor, and some remained on Dorian’s hand. So he grabbed the mortar bowl that Basil used when mixing ingredients for pigments and brushed the dust from both his hand and Basil’s into it, then bent and gathered what remained. “Well, you have everything you need here,” he began. “And if you insist on not doing it, well…” Then he grabbed Basil’s own heart. He didn’t do this often, but if he was burning his London bridges, he may as well do it in spectacular fashion. “You will,” he said into the organ, and he watched as Basil moved not entirely of his own volition. “And you’ll finish it by morning.”

Basil glared at him, but set to work right away (not like he had a choice).

Dorian held tight to the heart, but not so much as to cause damage (though maybe some pain) and went up to his room. He dreamed that night of murdering Rumpelstiltskin, which he took as a sign that he’d made the correct decision. 

(He was ignoring the fact that the Dark One’s dying screams came out in Sybil’s voice.)

The following morning, he went down to the studio. Basil was asleep in his work chair, but, as commanded, the painting was done. The background had been filled in with a gritty black color, and the eyes seemed impossibly brighter. It was perfect—and it’d be even better if it did what he hoped it would. 

He then spared a glance over to the door; it was shut, and there were odd trails in the dust on the wood floor. It looked as though Sybil’s body had been dragged out at some point in the night. Good; he didn’t want to look at it again.

He turned back to Basil and shoved his heart back into his chest unceremoniously; he subsequently woke with a start, falling from his seat. “Shite,” he cursed. “Have you always been such a bloody demon?” he asked. 

“Not yet, but that’s the hope,” he answered, feeling more and more like his old self. “Excellent job, by the way.”

“As if I’d do anything else,” Basil sneered. 

“It’s done, then?”

“Almost,” Basil replied, then stood and walked across to the counter, where he picked up a small bowl with uncolored powdered pigment. “It has yet to be signed, but there’s one thing I still need to activate the spell.”

“Which is?”

As he moved past Dorian again, Basil seemed to pull a blade from thin air—and promptly used it to slice into Dorian’s left cheek. 

“What the hell?” he hissed, his hand rushing to his face as blood spilled over his fingers. 

“It’s the final part of any of my spells,” Basil explained coolly, holding the bowl under Dorian’s chin and catching drops of blood in it. He was avoiding eye contact, but seemed to take some amount of pleasure from Dorian’s discomfort. He couldn’t blame him, honestly. 

Basil set the bowl down on his chair and, with the pocketknife, performed a similar ritual on his own hand (which curiously had no scar, despite the number of times he’d likely done this). 

Once both bloods were in the bowl, he found a small spoon to mix up the paint. When it had reached a satisfactory consistency, he picked up a fine-tipped brush and painted his name on the corner. 

He dotted the “i” on his first name, and the whole canvas briefly glowed red, then returned to normal. “Is that it, then?”

“Yea; it’s done,” Basil confirmed, still refusing to meet Dorian’s gaze. “And then some. You have a wicked soul, sir, and that leaves its mark on a person; the portrait will carry all of that.”

“Oh?” Well, that was a nice touch. Gods above only knew what kind of sins he could get away with, then. “Well, let’s test that out.”

With a flick of his wrist, Basil’s knife appeared in his hand—and then disappeared into Basil’s chest, right above his heart.

Basil gasped and finally looked up at him. There was a tear on the cusp of falling and a look of hurt and betrayal that he wasn’t able to put to words—probably because of the blade in his lungs.

Blood slowly seeped out onto Dorian’s hand—not for the first time, and likely (hopefully) not for the last. But to hasten the whole process, he yanked the knife out and watched as Basil collapsed and quickly expired, the red pool on his white shirt hardly having a chance to grow.

“What the devil…?” Dorian turned at the voice; he hadn’t heard the door open, but Oscar was standing in it, a look of shock on his face. “I saw her outside, and then I…you?”

“Aye, me,” Dorian answered. He tossed Basil’s knife aside, grabbed a paint-covered rag from the easel to wipe the blood off his hand and face, and gave Oscar a vague rundown of what had gone down here in the last several hours.

“You’re a monster,” Oscar finally stammered.

Dorian picked up the painting from the easel and tucked it under his arm, then fished the magic bean from his pocket. “That’s kind of the point,” he said. “Wish me luck.”

He thought of home, then tossed the bean towards the vacant end of the studio. The portal appeared almost immediately. “Farewell,” he shouted over his shoulder, then jumped through, finding himself back in the Enchanted Forest. 

The magic in the very soil of the place sang to him immediately; he took in a deep breath and let it tingle through his veins. Yes, he was home—at least, until he was finally able to reclaim the one of his youth (the one he was entitled to). 

That entire adventure in London certainly wasn’t what he thought it would be, nor had he done what he had hoped to accomplish there. But if this portrait truly did what Basil said it would, it was the extended lease on life he needed.

He grabbed the canvas out from under his arm to take another look at it. Indeed, the wry smirk that Basil had first painted had fallen a bit; the Dorian in the image was scowling a bit—a touch of cruelty in the mouth—with frown lines at his eyes and mouth and a jagged scar across his cheek. 

Just to check, he summoned a looking glass to his hand; there was no change in his reflection whatsoever, aside from the cut. Excellent. What did it matter what happened to the coloured image on the canvas, then? He would be safe. That was everything.

He would need to find someplace to keep this safe—it wasn’t practical to tote around a mid-sized painting everywhere—but surely there was a gallery or a museum in some town he could stick it in and not have to worry about its safety.

And so he set off on foot for the next closest city (he did prefer to walk sometimes), painting in tow and a spring in his step.

At least—until he heard it. He thought it was imagined at first, but no; it was quiet—almost an echo—but he was hearing the definitive sound of a heart beating that wasn’t his own.

He spun around, looking through the trees to see if someone was following him, but it was closer than that. He paused to listen closer, and then he realized: it was coming from the painting.

It beat at the same tempo as his, but just a hair behind. He placed his palm on the back of the canvas, and he could almost feel the steady thump-thump coming off of it; it felt like something from deep within, rather than the relatively thin fabric of the painting.

He sighed and closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Sybil,” he whispered; now that the adrenaline had run off, he could let the regret and heartbreak wash over him. 

But it also solidified his resolve: he had to see this through now. He’d given up the only other thing that had ever meant anything to him.

(All too quickly, though, the guilt wrought by that quietly beating heart forced him to find a place to hide the portrait, sooner and much less ostentatiously than he’d wanted. He’d found his way to an ageless realm—one supposedly of “untold stories”—and made the acquaintance of a moderately wealthy woman with an art collection. She promised to take care of it; he warned that he’d know if she didn’t.

The years continued on, and nothing changed in his reflection, regardless of how many realms he crossed and sins he committed.

However, he did find himself avoiding dark-haired women at the brothels he began to frequent again. Anytime his efforts took him to the Land without Magic, he made sure to never go near London. And he stayed the hell away from actresses.)

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

thanks for reading! tagging some peeps (let me know if you do/don’t want a tag!) @kat2609 @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @shireness-says @ohmightydevviepuu @wistfulcynic @pirateherokillian @colinoeyebrows​ @wingedlioness​ @word-bug @thisonesatellite @killianmesmalls @thejollyroger-writer @ineffablecolors @ive-always-been-a-pirate @nfbagelperson @stubblesandwich @phiralovesloki @athenascarlet @kmomof4 @ilovemesomekillianjones @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells @idristardis @scientificapricot @searchingwardrobes​ @donteattheappleshook @jrob64 @the-darkdragonfly @stahlop @klynn-stormz​ @resident-of-storybrooke @bluewildcatfanatic

[anmylica]

Writing Patterns

Tagged by @iamstartraveller776 (by way of the addition that requested anyone do it that wanted to, and I was curious.)

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there is a pattern!

(I didn’t have 10 posted fics yet so I did the ones I have plus 2 that are coming pretty soon. I also chose to do the most recent chapters on fics that aren’t completed yet.)

1. Delayed for a While- OUAT CS

Emma and Killian walked out of the Storybrooke Town Hall, both calling out their goodbyes to their friends and waving as they walked away from the crowd that had gathered to help awaken Snow White and Prince Charming from the Evil Queen’s latest sleeping curse.

2. Something About December (Throw a Wrench In Your Plans)- OUAT CS

David tried really, really hard not to disturb his sister before 9:30 in the morning on her days off (and let’s be honest, he tried not to disturb her before he had to on days she wasn’t off anyway), as Emma “Swan” Nolan wasn’t a morning person in any interpretation of the word.

3. The City of Lights- OUAT CS

Killian Jones opened the door of his apartment to the sound of his girlfriend, Emma “Swan” Nolan, quoting Steel Magnolias verbatim as the television blared in the background.

4. The Fields of Asphodel- OUAT CS CH. 9

Here’s the thing:  Neal knew not to trust his grandfather.

5. Like Slow Spinning Redemption- OUAT CS

Liam Jones’ day consisted of restocking the bar and wiping down surfaces, the same old monotonous routine that he had followed since he had been sentenced upon his death and subsequent arrival in the Underworld.

6. Take Me Out (After the Ball Game)- OUAT CS

Emma rolled her eyes as she tried to hide that she was checking a text from her brother during the meeting with the mayor of Boston bugging her about going to a Red Sox game with him and Mary Margaret, his wife.

7. Season II- OUAT CS CH 6

Sorry?!  She was sorry?!  She didn’t know the meaning of the word, but Hook decided that he would delight in showing her how sorry she could be once he was through with her. 

(The first line was just one word so I gave more to go with it!)

8. Fly With The Black Swan- OUAT CS CH

Their arrival in the tiny port town came late at night.

9. A Little Glimpse of Heaven- OUAT CS CH 4 (not published yet, but coming soon once I finish edits!)

Neal sat motionless as the screen in front of him went black.

10. Romancing Mister Jones- OUAT CS (not published yet but hopefully soon!)

Dearest Gentle Reader,

It is rather remarkable the kind of popularity Miss Milah Smith has managed to cumulate during her brief time in London’s social season this year.

No, I definitely don’t have a pattern.😆

[c0dmic]

REGINA MILLS ANALYSIS

I may get things wrong, so I'm putting information I know of or believe in the most. I still may get it wrong, so correct me. I'm going to talk about Regina's problematic actions, relationships she was in, and a bit of widely talked about topics. Also, most of the posts about her are outdated and later proven to be wrong. So I had to put points that are now and have been canon since the show ended.

CONTAINS: Opinions

-

Regina Mill's personality goes easier throughout the show. From being manipulative to caring but still having that s1 spark. She expresses her caring to her old enemies, aka, The Charmings.

From the flashbacks, we see Regina adopt a child named Henry. She went from having almost full vengeance and revenge still pent up in her heart to having a mix of both love and darkness due to Henry.

-

Yes, Regina was rude to her citizens of Storybrooke. But most of what she did (in later seasons) was use sarcasm. Let's jump into her actions.

Problematic Actions:

- R4pe (Graham Specifically) for 28 years

- Manipulate Henry for years ( calling his 'theory' of fairytales fake)

- Violence (to Villages and People)

---

Let get into the r4pe part first. Of course, even as someone like a Regina stan should not excuse this behavior. Me, aka a person who likes her but doesn't excuse and will NEVER excuse her problematic actions, especially this one in particular.

Regina had raped Graham for around 28 years. 

One sentence that implies it, even for a little bit, is in the episode where Graham (huntsman at the time) meets Regina for the first time. She says

"Take him to my bedchamber,"

I know it's short. But why else would someone say that. Just think about that.

And also the fact that Regina most definitely (for the curse) made Graham engage with her romantically and sexually. Even though it was obvious that he didn't like her that way in the Enchanted forest or most likely ever. Not to mention she had his heart, and in ouat logic hearts are used to control people, so when doing stuff with Regina both romantically and sexually, he was forced to because Regina gave him orders.

- 

Now we go to Manipulating Henry.

For ten whole years, Henry has lived and grew up with Regina. He loved his mother (even though she's not his bio mom). Until Henry got the book, and Emma had revealed that Henry had a book and kept on saying everyone in town are fairytale characters that are cursed (which ofc is true). Regina, unknowing of her sons correct theory /speculation/ belief, was visibly shocked. And when she found out that Snow (Mary) had given the book to him, she didn't want that at all. And even set up Emma into saying that Henry was 

'crazy' when Henry was nearby. So that she can attempt to stop him from thinking of his speculation and them bonding.

All of this was to make sure Henry couldn't connect and hate his birth mother so that she could have him as his own. And also because Henry was right, and she didn't want her son of ten years to hate her for her sins.

--

Explaining the cause of her actions. NOT JUSTIFING HER PROBLEMATIC ACTIONS, IM JUST EXPLAINING WHY SHE DID THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Justify means to show or prove to be right or reasonable.

While to explain means to be the cause of or motivating factor for an action.

I know explain has many definitions or ways to explain what it means and one means to justify. While mine means to simply explain the cause or motivation towards the action.

-

There's no doubt Cora was abusive to Regina. And before you start, there's different types of abuse. The abuse Cora does to Regina is Mental and Emotional. Maybe physical but still very debatable and unclear.

For emotional, Cora visibly and directly shows that Cora wants to control Regina. She wanted Regina to do something Regina didn't want just so Cora could have what SHE wanted. And Emotional abuse means to, "target a person's feelings, it uses emotions to manipulate, punish, and achieve control." That heavily reminds me of Cora killing Daniel to gain more control of Regina. And if you didn't already know.

And there's scenes where Cora would grab Regina forcefully with vines to STOP Regina from moving or walking away from her. Cora said in one of the scenes, "Don't you dare walk away from me!" Then proceed to grab Regina using vines from her Magic. Also, her father, Henry, said to Regina that Cora wanted control over her and if Regina continues with her evil actions, her mother had achieved to controlled her. Because, everything Cora did to Regina was calculated. Daniel's Death, The marriage, the abuse, and it was all to get Reina to become evil. In s2 i think, (the Angstiest Regina Season), Regina goes to Archie upset and with TEARS in her eyes because, she used magic, because she used magic. And she Didn't want to use magic against Henry like her mother. After she did so, she was upset because she broke her own promise to not use magic against Henry. Also because it reminded her of what her mother did to her, and she did want to pass it down for Henry.

Also Cora in s2, came Storybrooke (her daughters town) not only to reunite with Regina but to BREAK HER... like wtf. And Regina is Already upset because Henry is growing distant to her. But Cora, literally

frames her own daughter for murder. While the whole fucking town is already against her.

For Mental, theres an episode where Cora forms Regina's thoughts by saying, "Sometimes I wonder if the people actually like you". And Cora seems to have an influence in Regina's world view, of Wolf and Sheep. Regina States in the episode where she meets the huntsman (Graham). 

(Got the episode part from a Tumblr poster from ouatanalysis) aka:

-

Now back to what I was saying about Cora. Cora had forced Regina into marriage. BUT as you could tell as time went on Regina had decided to use her relationship with Leopold to gain control, because that's what her mother said, about something along the lines of, "power is useful" before she sent her mother through the mirror.

And her mother sent her to a marriage with a broken old ass man who was still grieving his wife. Which lead to the neglect from Leopold to Regina. It was stated by Regina herself that Leopold would often leave Regina by herself at the castle that at points she felt like the 'Queen of Nothing'.

And for me i feel like Regina (forgive me for wording this part wrong) was considered her as a mourning tool. Like, "Oh my wife died 8 years ago, lets get another one to help with and to deal with me". Yes he may have also gotten Regina because she seemed like a good mother figure fit for Snow, but still, most likely half the woman population of Leopolds age from Leopolds kingdom would save Snow from the horse in a heartbeat if they were there and they would show genuine feelings for Leopold. However, he chooses, a woman who's 18 and lives away.

--

Not only Cora and Leopold influenced Regina's bad perspective and actions, Rumple also did too.

Rumple saw Regina as a person wanting power and wanting to stand out and not seem as weak and took the opportunity as the dark one to turn Regina evil.

Regina at first was hesitant to say that she liked using magic due to her not wanting to be like her mother and also due to her mother's actions with her, with magic.

But time happens and Regina uses more and more of magic for evil and frightens villages and kills Villagers who helped Snow in the slightest bit.

I still stan her because she changed, she's reformed and she would never do that stuff again (r4pe, use magic against Henry or manipulate him, or m4ss murd3r).

ANYWAYS, this was heavily controversial. But if your going to criticize/correct parts, be respectful and mature about it instead of wanting to start a riot. Saying "Fuck you", "Go die in a hole", "Kys", "I hope your house burns down". And be respectful, if you want to critigue/correct me at certain parts, by all means, go ahead, but tell me what parts I went wrong instead of telling me to kms.

NOTE: This is from May 2023, but I just remembered this now. And parts didn't make sense so I changed it up to make it better.

[lunapriestess]

The Moonlight || Killian Jones x fem!reader

Chapter One: “That’s The Jolly Roger”

Also on Wattpad

After finding yourself in Storybrooke seeking a new adventure, your life gets flipped upside down after you find out that your new-found visions are more powerful than you could imagine. All you know is that an adventure in the moonlight is coming and for whatever reason, Killian Jones was at the heart of it.

A/N: Hi friends. I haven’t written fanfiction in about 10 years but here I am, obsessed with OUAT and Killian Jones. Please let me know if you like it. Trying to get myself back into writing

The cold sea air hit my face as I walked along the beach, watching the sunset over the gentle waves. God, it always looked so beautiful out there. My only complaint, the street light pollution kept the stars from shining their brightest. I’d only been in Storybrooke a few months, and the quaint little town still held so many surprises for me- things here weren’t like your average town in Maine. In the distance, I spotted my favourite seating place, a wooden mossy log worn down by the high tide. Sometimes, the high tide made sitting out here impossible, and I would have to take my walk up to the forest and skip the sand altogether, but not tonight; tonight, I managed to get my log, the moon above my head, and the sand beneath my feet. 

As I approached the log, I brushed off a few stray insects and crabs that had made the log their temporary home while waiting for the water to return to wash them away. Not tonight. Tonight it is just me, my log, and my notepad. I placed my backpack on the ground with a thud and retrieved the worn leather that was binding together the pages of my sketchbook. With nimble fingers, I flicked to a blank page that was just calling to be filled with another ocean sketch. There's something about blank pages that fill me with hope, the possibility of writing any story, creating any image, or bringing to life any possibility you desire. However, just for tonight, the object of my desire was the ocean. The waves lapping against the shore is the soundtrack to the pencil now sketching out outlines on the blank page of hope and tranquillity. I let myself get carried away in the sounds, the smells, and the sight of the ocean. I can feel it coming on, a vision. I found myself lost in my movements for what felt like seconds, but the dim moonlight, instead of peaceful dusk, told a different story. I return to my senses and look down at the art I have created.

Odd? A ship? I look back up at the water in front of me, but there is no ship to be seen. There's been no ship in this port since I arrived here. Strange. This ship looked breathtaking under the pencilled moonlight, almost like she commanded the wind beneath her sails. I know that my art sometimes tells stories; it’s always been a gift of mine, a future in graphite and pen ink that's due to be reality. Maybe a ship is due into port? I’ll be sure to ask Emma when I see her in the morning. 

Storm clouds crash above my head as a drop of water hits my page, almost bringing the shaded water into reality on the drawing. I knew it was my sign to get moving; as much as I hated to leave such a beautiful sight, not only did I have a job to get to in the morning, but I also had to finish up getting things ready for the fundraiser we have going on at Grannies next week. The sea is beautiful, but my commitment to fixing the school roof is more pressing. Placing everything neatly back into my backpack, I got to my feet and thanked the little insects for letting me borrow their log before turning on my heels and heading back home.

Walking home takes no more than five minutes on a clear night, but on a night like tonight, it would easily take another ten on top of that. The rain slows this little town down to a halt quite quickly. Taking myself past the port, I walk up the main high street. My path would take me past all of the main tourist spots if we were ever to get tourists in Storybrooke. Granny's Diner sat in darkness; I turned to look up at the clock tower. At this time of night, I’m not shocked. I should ask Emma if she wants to get breakfast tomorrow before work. I take a right at Mr Gold’s Pawn Shop, his light is still on in the window, and I’m not shocked. I don’t think Rumple sleeps, ever. At this point, I’m happy for the streetlights that grace our roads; between the rain and the wind, I wouldn’t be able to see anything without them. A few more moments pass, and I’m finally approaching Emma’s house. She doesn’t have Henry this weekend, so I’m not surprised to see the living room light still on as I put my key into the lock and let myself in.

“Jeez, (y/n). You’re soaked!” Emma looks at me with concern, and I let out a little laugh. 

“Trust me for forgetting my umbrella again”, I laughed as I took off my raincoat and placed it on the hook next to me.

“Were you out by the water again?” She asked, a smile on her face as she poured me a whisky, handing it to me. “This should warm you up a little”. I thanked her as I took a sip, the warm liquid encasing my throat and heating me from the inside out. 

“Yeah, I was out sketching again”, I answered her after savouring the sweet warmth for a moment. “I wanted to ask you about something,” I say as I reach into my backpack to retrieve the picture I drew earlier that evening.

“Another one of your strange drawing vision thingies?” Emma questioned as she made her way over to look at the artwork I captured at the harbour's edge. I flicked to the slightly damp page and entered the kitchen to place it on the countertop. Emma studied it for a second while I explained.

“One minute I was drawing the sunset, and then the next thing I know, it’s dark, and this image is on my page” Truth be told, I’m used to losing time to these ‘strange vision thingies’ so drawing a sunset and ending up with a full moon is not as scary as it sounds. 

The visions started when I first arrived in Storybrooke a few months ago. I’d been travelling the world, capturing beautiful images on paper from London to Tokyo, but I was searching for a new adventure and a new town to explore. Word gets around my small community of thrill seekers, and a friend of a friend had told me all about this cute little town in Maine that harbours the best stories and adventures. It’s like it was all one giant storybook; the name was just ironic. I was warned, though, not everyone that seeks Storybrooke can find it. If Storybrooke needs you, it will find you. So I took off, and I never looked back. When my visions started, I felt crazy, but I quickly discovered that I was one of the more normal people in town. My housemate was a saviour, the mayor was an ‘evil’ queen, and the shrink was a cricket. My visions had nothing on that.

Emma’s silence confused me; she knew more about this town than most, so seeing her study this paper was concerning. “Any ideas?” I asked with a hushed tone. She greeted my question with a nod before explaining.

“That’s the Jolly Roger,” She said, her voice flat. “Which means Killian Jones is coming into town.” Her hand reached into her pocket to pull out her phone, and she looked at the time. “Snow and David are going to kill me if I wake up Neal”, she growled before hitting the dial button. I stood there in shock. The ship looked so kind and warm under the moon. What was with the hostile reception?

“I’m assuming that’s not a good thing?” I mumble as I turn to watch Emma pace the living room back and forth on the phone to both of the Charmings; I can hear the faint cry of Neal in the background. Snow will not be happy, but forgiving is in her nature. I hear the affirmative ‘mhm’ and ‘yup’s’ leaving Emma’s mouth before she hung up. 

“Snow is letting Regina know, and I’ve got the night shift Deputy on patrol near the docs in case it happens in the night.” Emma jumped straight into saviour mode before stopping to look at me. “Do you have any idea when your visions happen? Like a time frame? Anything?” I shrugged. I’d never thought about it or even tried to develop my visions; all I knew was that they always came true. 

“No, sorry, they never come with a time or a date.” I apologise, looking at her with my half-dry hair still dripping onto the floor. “I better go dry off. Are we good for the night?” I ask as I pick up my sketch pad and walk towards the stairs. 

“Yeah, we’re good. Let me know if you get more of that vision or if anything happens overnight” Emma smiled as she took her seat on the sofa again. We said our goodnights and I walked myself up to my room, shutting the door quietly behind me.

[eddys-plot-shop]

Clenence posey + ouat + August booth

Name: Skye Poole aka Silvermist

Myers Briggs Type: INFP

Occupation: Lifeguard

Powers/Abilities: Hydrokinesis

Quote: "They do call them babbling brooks for a reason. Just because you can’t understand their words doesn’t mean they don’t have something to say."

Fic Title: Wish Upon A Well

Plot Summary: After wandering off and saving a boy from drowning, Silvermist must flit back off into the forest before she can get his name. Even long after, she thinks of him often. Then a curse befalls the land, and her memory of him is wiped. She now lives in Storybrooke as Skye Poole, the town's local lifeguard. Just as she begins to search for what she feels is missing in her life, she meets August Booth at the town's mysterious forest well. With a joint wish made and a coin dropped into the well, they begin to recover memories of another life, and something connecting them.

If you are interested in writing Skye's story, please comment, message or inbox me.

[wyntereyez]

The Mermaid and the Codfish

Some time ago, I was asked how I’d tackle a soulmates AU.  I thought about it, and decided it would be an animal shapeshifter thing; soulmates can change into the same animal, but until they meet their soulmate, they’re stuck in a half animal form.  This proves to be very awkward, and I kinda love it.  This is going to skip around a bit as I cover various bits of OUAT canon.

***

The bird woman takes Emma’s order, and Emma spares her a smile.  The waitress returns it as best she can with a mouth that was half beak; her animal half was a near perfect division, her right side human and her left covered in brilliant blue Macaw feathers.  Her massive left wing sags with only a right arm to act as counterweight. When she leaves, her feathers brush against Emma’s hair, and her dining companion frowns.

“They really shouldn’t let someone like her work here,” he says disdainfully.

Emma struggles to keep her smile plastered to her face.  Her date is completely human; he’d found his soulmate years ago.  And yet here he is, on a date.  Having a soulmate didn’t guarantee loyalty.  She absently rubs at her legs through the elegant slacks; her scales have begun to itch. 

She listens to him prattle on about his favorite subject - himself - for a little while longer, before springing her trap.  And when her skip inevitably runs, Emma is in hot pursuit.  Her legs may have been ungainly, more suited to water than land, but she is accustomed to them.  It was only a matter of time before she’d caught her skip.

Her peers may call her ‘fish legs’ behind her back, but Emma Swan always got her man.

***

There are no soulmates in Storybrooke.

When she’d arrived with Henry, she’d assumed at first she was only meeting mated citizens.  But after a few days, she’d noticed no one had animal traits.  Either everyone in Storybrooke had met their soulmate, or she’d found a town full of the rare few people who didn’t have one.

Like Neal.

Perhaps the town had been founded as a refuge for those without soulmates?  It could explain Storybrooke’s oddness.  She tried asking Henry about it, only to be met with a blank stare.  Henry was too young to develop soulmate traits, so he’d been blissfully unaware of how impossible the town was.  But how had he never heard of soulmates?  Emma showed him her calves, how they were covered in fine scales that had to be moistened twice a day, showed him the delicate fins that were her feet, and freaked him out when she demonstrated how her legs had more joints than a human leg.

He’s horrified, then fascinated.  “It’s part of the curse!” he exclaims excitedly.  “Don’t you see? If everyone could find their soulmates, they could break the curse on their own!”

Emma smiles indulgently.  If only there was a way to magically suppress soulmate traits.  She’d give up hers in a heartbeat.

***

The curse breaks.  

Emma suddenly has parents, a fairytale couple her own age who turn into a magnificent stag and doe.  Mary Margaret - Snow White - studies her, searching for the soulmate traits she hides so carefully.  

“I’m sorry, Emma,” she says, her voice full of sympathy.

Emma stares at her blankly.  Now what was she sorry for?  She’d already apologized for abandoning Emma, not that that meant anything.  Emma understood, but it didn’t fix anything.

“You must have lost him so young,” Mary Margaret continues.  “Henry’s father, I mean.”

Oh.  She thinks Neal was her soulmate.

Emma doesn’t have the heart to tell her she’d fallen for someone who was destined to be no one’s mate.

***

The blacksmith has the head and torso of a fish.

Emma almost laughs hysterically.  How does that even work?  Wouldn’t the flames dry him out? How can he wield a hammer with a fin?  This doesn’t make sense.  Nothing makes sense.

Especially not how a cowardly blacksmith (with a voice and accent that sends a little thrill through her) could have scales that match hers.

Emma’s not the only fish woman.  There’s someone else out there for the blacksmith.

***

He’s Captain Hook.

At her threats, the cowardly blacksmith becomes a cocky pirate, and somehow, his voice becomes even more seductive despite coming from a fish’s gaping maw.

And suddenly Emma gets it and doubles over laughing.

“Codfish!” she gasps out.

His eyebrows - because, somehow, the fish head has eyebrows, though not a waxed mustache - raise up, before furrowing into a scowl.  “I have been called that, yes,” he growls.

They negotiate, if threatening with dismemberment by ogre can be considered negotiation, and Hook agrees to take them to the beanstalk.  Emma volunteers to climb with him.

The more he speaks, the more Emma can’t decide if she wants to kill him, or if she’s starting to like him.

Answer: she likes him.  A lot.  But he’s a villain and can’t be trusted, even though her instincts say otherwise, so she leaves him to Anton’s care while she and the others escape. 

She hopes the giant is a man of his word.

***

He follows them.  First to Storybrooke, then to New York.  And Neal.

Emma sees Neal glance between the unconscious Hook’s fish head, then down at Emma’s concealed legs, and he scowls.

Emma suddenly has the horrible thought that maybe Neal had taken up with her because he’d suspected she was Hook’s soulmate.  She doesn’t think Neal was that cruel, but it seems she doesn’t know Neal as well as she’d thought.

***

Hook discovers her secret in Neverland.  She was in desperate need of water, and Hook had taken her to a pool he’d assured her was safe.  He’d left, and she quickly strips off her pants and dove into the water from a rock that conveniently hangs over the pool, sighing as it takes effect on her dry legs.

She loses track of time as she swims laps, as adept in the water as a fish, and is surprised by Hook sitting on the diving rock.

“So you’re a little mermaid, are you?” Hook smirks.  

“So what if I am?” she demands defiantly.

He shrugs.  “Do you mind if I join you?  You’re not the only one who dries out.”

Emma’s not naked, and she understands his pain better than anybody.  “Go for it.”  She turns her back on him and languidly swims another lap.

Hook isn’t so graceful.

He can swim, yes, but his head and torso are awkward, and his legs seem tiny in comparison.  So instead sits in the shallowest part of the pond, occasionally ducking his head under.  Tired from her exertion, Emma sits beside him.

He turns, great unblinking fish eyes meeting hers.

“Do you even remember what you looked like?” she blurts out.  He’s looked like this for hundreds of years, and Emma can’t contain her curiosity.  What must it be like to be trapped like this for so long?  She wouldn’t have been able to bear it.

“I seem to remember being devilishly handsome,” Hook says, voice a low purr.

“You were a teenager.  You were probably pimply and awkward,” Emma teases.

Watching a fish pout is wild.  

***

It happens outside Granny’s Diner.  While everyone is still inside celebrating, Emma is sitting in the dark with Killian.  He’d traded his ship for her, his home, and no one has ever cared so much for her before.  And…she cares for him, too.  She leans forward, her lips brushing that rubbery fish flesh, when she feels a tingling in her legs.  Suddenly, the persistent itching vanishes, and her legs feel more solid than they had in years.  And, beneath her lips, she feels the scrape of a beard.  She draws back, opens her eyes, and gasps.

Oh.

Oh.

The face that looked down at her was roguishly handsome, with piercing blue eyes lined in kohl, a short, dark beard sprinkled with ginger, and dark, messy hair.

Killian Jones flashed a devilish grin that only made his face more handsome.  “Like what you see, Love?” He was cocky, but there was an uncertainty behind it.  Hundreds of years since he’d seen his face, he’d said.

”Yes,” she breathes, then moves in to kiss those very human lips.

~fin~

[poptart-cat-78]

Tell me more about The Grimm Named Swan, please!

I’ve always wanted to do a Grimm x Ouat fan fic ESPECIALLY as a huge fan of both. In the world of Grimm, Grimms are supernatural hunters who can see creatures called Wesen, I had the fun idea of having the main characters of Ouat going into the world of Grimm and Emma learning that she, herself, is one of these supernatural hunters, thus the title: “The Grimm Named Swan”

Here’s a snippet!:

“The Black Magic was heading straight toward them, they clutched onto each other and began to brace whatever the Black Fairy had in store for them. As it engulfed them, in transported them to somewhere unexpected. They were in the middle of another town, but this wasn't Storybrooke anymore. "Bloody Hell, where did that insipid fairy send us to?" The black haired pirate named Killian asked. "I know this place, one of the orphan kids I knew was from here... why would the Black Fairy want us in Portland, Oregon of all places?" inquired the blonde woman Emma. The other group members looked around. All of a sudden Emma saw a strange man with a staff walking towards them, in an instant his face chanced from a normal humans to a creature who looked like the devil. Emma was confused, no terrified, but then she looked over at her son Henry and saw that same look on his face. What WAS that thing? Wherever it was going, it was in no hurry. The creature stoped to look at the group, it snarled like a wild animal and continued on it’s way. Seems like Storybrooke wasn't the only town with it's fair share of big bads.”

[ashandkatiewrite]

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Summary: Odette Lake had led a normal life up until her twenty fifth birthday-the day she learned that she had been sold to the New York mafia king, Von Rothbart who has been obsessed with her since she was a teenager. To settle his debts and to provide his daughter with what he thought would be a life of luxury, Odette's father had agreed to a marriage proposal - only for it to turn into a nightmare. Ridden with guilt, Billy Lake helped his daughter escape the city before her wedding day. Now, as Delilah Mason, she finds herself in a small town off the coast of Maine. Storybrooke seemed like the ideal place to disappear to: small and quaint, practically unheard of. Little did she know, this small town was just as tied to the mob scene as New York.

WRITTEN BY: @if-you-onlyknew & @katiekinswrites 

Fandom: OUAT, OUAT in Wonderland

Pairing: Jefferson/OFC

Rating: M (Mature) & E (Explicit)

READ FROM THE BEGINNING

chapter preview:

Learning that her father was in Wonderland had been a surprise for both Jefferson and Odette.

When news had finally traveled to Wonderland it didn’t take long for the celebrations to start. Billy Lake had been hesitant to celebrate or even call his daughter to find out if what they were saying was true. The news of Rothbart’s death felt like some kind of trick to Billy; so, he went to the Caterpillar himself and asked if it was true. Call your daughter yourself, Foster offered Billy a way to connect to his daughter. 

“Yes, it’s true,” Odette told her father. 

“His daughter really killed him?”

“No,” Odette sighed, “that was a lie. Olivia told Jefferson she had, but they came to Storybrooke together.” 

“What?!”

Odette glanced back at Grace in the backseat. “All that matters is that he is gone,” she told her father. “For good this time.” 

Jefferson nodded his head. Truer words had never before been spoken. The nightmare of Rothbart’s reign was finally over — along with Jefferson’s own reign. 

He reached across the center console and set his hand to rest on Odette’s thigh as she drove.

“Jefferson killed him?”

“No…he wasn’t the one who did it.” 

TAGLIST: @ocappreciationtag • @sendmylcve • @arrthurpendragon • @darkwolf76 • @cas-verse • @victoriapedrcttis • @roosterbradshaws • @seb-soph • @eddysocs • @learisa  • @darylandbethfanforever9 

[naivesilver]

Since it persists on being too hot to focus on my more useful OUAT fics, have a disgustingly self-indulgent Pinocchio Swap AU turned "Please Let Piccolino Have A Loving Family" AU moment 🙃🥰

"Grandfather," Pinocchio asks, standing on his tiptoes to peer over the worktable, "why are there so many clocks here?"

He half expects Mr. Marco to scold him for asking such a silly question, but instead the man just chuckles fondly and pats Pinocchio over the head, earning himself a giddy grin. "Ah, that's just because I like fixing them, lad. They need a more delicate touch than doors and plumbing, you see."

"But only one of them is working. Why's that?"

"That is because I don't have the time to spare for them all." Mr. Marco gestures vaguely towards the single working clock, hanging from the wall on the back of the workshop. "That one, though- August helped me sort it out, when he'd just arrived here. Do you want to see it?"

"Yes!" Pinocchio immediately interrupts his curious poking around the table, all but bouncing with enthusiasm. He likes learning about things August is involved with. August's always doing some really cool stuff, it seems.

As such, he lets the old man pick him up and lift him high enough that Pinocchio can see the clock from up close, and doesn't protest when the boy leans even closer, marvelling at the nice carvings in the wood - Pinocchio doesn't wiggle out so much to risk falling, which would for sure earn him a scolding, but still, it's the principle of the thing. He wouldn't feel so certain that he's safe being held like this, with some other people.

He thinks he knows a little of how things work in Storybrooke, now. Not everything, of course, but at least what he needs to get by on a normal day - he knows he can close the window blinds at night if he's worried someone will enter as he sleeps, and that he doesn't need anyone's permission to do so; he knows he can go crawl on August's lap if he's lonely and the man is writing or talking to someone, so long as he doesn't get too much in the way; he knows that if he wants to go pet Dr. Hopper's dog there are multiple adults who'll hold onto Gina for him, because dogs are so much bigger than her and she gets frightened easily around them.

He still doesn't know whether Mr. Marco is okay with Pinocchio calling him Grandfather or not, but that kind of thing is so confusing here, he's not sure he's ever going to puzzle it out. Back home he was supposed to address all older people like that, but Storybrooke? Beats him. Maybe it's too formal for them, who knows.

The clock ticks by another minute. Pinocchio squints at it, following the moving hands with his finger for a moment - the numbers are written a little different from what he remembers, but it's not too long before he can safely declare: "It says it's six minutes past two. That's it, right?"

"Very good," Mr. Marco praises him, and it doesn't feel like a mockery, even if he does sound genuinely surprised. "You know how to tell the time already, then? What a clever boy."

"Yeah." Pinocchio's chest swells with pride, and he points eagerly at one of the other clocks, the still broken ones. "That one's saying it's half past six, but that's because it's stuck. And that one thinks it's midday. Or midnight, I don't know."

"Yes, that's right. Good job. Say, who taught you so well?"

"An old man in a town. He said that because I had a nice watch, I should know how to read the time."

He doesn't like thinking about that too much, honestly. The old man, yes - he'd met a lot of nice elderly people in his travels, more than he did nice younger ones, at least - but the memory of the watch itself makes his chest clench painfully, like the time he was underwater without air before the dogfish happened.

He wonders what they did with it, after he lost it when he turned into a donkey. He's not even sure it still worked at that point, because it fell pretty hard, and the Coachman didn't give him time to check on it before leading him away with his rope - Pinocchio hopes it didn't break too badly, even if he can't have it anymore. It was a good pocket watch, nice to look at. He'd never owned anything so nice before that, and even though he's received lots of gifts since he came to Storybrooke, it's not the same thing. People are richer there than they were in his old land. They always seem to have something to spare for him, especially August and Mr. Marco and the gruff lady at the diner.

He must have gone quiet for too long, however, because the man gives him a little shake, if not a very rough one. "You alright, lad?"

Pinocchio nods, even though the picture of the golden watch is still flashing in front of him, as if it were the sun and he'd stared at it for too long. "Grandfather?"

"Yes, Pinocchio?"

"Can I see how to fix them, too, when you have time? Like you and August did?"

He's not really thinking he could manage it, honestly. He's not good enough for that. But anything's better than being stuck remembering the same thing over and over again, with no way to stop it. Physically doing something usually works as a distraction, like when he couldn't solve his math problems and he'd just up and start running.

For a couple seconds he worries he won't be able to explain himself if Mr. Marco asks him about it, but the old man doesn't, and instead simply nods, his mouth curling in a warm smile.

"Of course," he says, sounding a little choked up. "You're a smart boy. I'm sure you'll learn very fast."

"Really?"

"Well, yes. Why don't you go look for August and ask him, too? I bet he'll say the same thing."

Pinocchio nods again, allowing Mr. Marco to carefully put him down and darting away towards August's room as soon as his feet have touched the floor. He's not completely certain he didn't say something wrong yet, especially when he was distracted, but it's fine. He's fine. He would have been told, if someone was mad at him. That's how it works in Storybrooke.

And even if he did make someone mad, he can learn how to fix that. Just like the clocks. Just like the golden watch, stuck in another world that it might be.