A Christmasbrooke Tale

One Hour Until Christmas

Her muscles tremble violently as she watches her son vanquish from this very existence, mirroring her life of what's to come if she doesn't fix her poor behavior. Her palm presses flat against the cool glass, a nice contrast compared to her sweaty hands. She vows silently to change her life, so she never disappoints her son again, because everything she does is always for him. Tomorrow she will be better.

Her body has reached its fullest potential of exhaustion and she wants nothing more than to crawl into her bed and sleep until that sun rises. Her extremities feel as though they are made up of concrete when she slips between the sheets. She tugs the duvet over her shoulders and takes a deep breath.

A distributive clatter bounces off the walls in her room, forcing her body to bolt upright in bed, which seems like a habit this evening. Through the window, she spots a branch swinging in the wind, banging against the glass. She flicks her wrist, eliminating that branch altogether then sinks back down into the comfort of her bed.

Her heavy eyes are just fluttering closed when a sharp gust of wind rustles her hair against the pillow and creates a deep shudder below her flesh. Anger from being disturbed yet again, prompts her aching body to climb out of bed once more.

Her window is suddenly wide open, the bitter Christmas air filling her room and demanding her full attention. She scurries across her room and slams the window shut with the very last bit of energy she possess. When she turns back around, excited to crawl back into bed, she discovers another figure that provokes her body to jump back, slamming into the wall behind her.

Her hand flies over her chest to keep her erratic heart beat in the confines of her chest. She sucks in two deep breaths as she tries to make out the figure hidden in a shadow, avoiding the moonlight that's washing through her bedroom.

"May I presume, Ghost of Christmas Future?" She sarcastically quips the moment her heart stops pounding and breathing has returned to normal. The shadow doesn't say a word though, he just stares at her expectedly. "Alright, well whatever you think you need to show me, is no longer necessary. I've learned my lesson, I vow to always make sure my son is my top priority. Now, if you'd be so kind and vacate my premises, that would be the greatest gift thus far," she snarks, strolling casually back to her bed because she's certain her body is about to give out from this type of exhaustion.

The figure clears his throat and the small gesture sends prickly chills to run up her spine. For some strange reason, she swears she knows that sound, but before she can even shuffle through her mind for an answer, the man taps a cane against the floor, wiping away her bedroom from existence.

"No, no, no!" She shouts frantically at absolutely no one. "I'm done playing this game. There's nothing more I need to see, I already swore I would do right by my son. Take. Me. Home!"

The sound of a cane tapping against cold hard pavement echoes all around her, painting a scene before her, but her eyes fall upon the old imp standing beside her and finally she can see his true identity.

"Rumple," she growls under her breath and forces her hands to remain at her sides, so she doesn't strangle this asshole and disappointment her son even more.

"Hello, dearie."

"Now, I know I'm dreaming, you were banished from Storybrooke," she states out loud as her brain tries to sort out all the details from this dramatic evening.

"I was indeed, but I always had a knack for seeing the future, didn't I?" He conceitedly sneers as though he's God's gift to this planet and taps his cane once more, forcing her attention on the scenery surrounding them.

"Trust me, I don't want to see a damn thing your futures sees. It screwed me over once and I won't be making that mistake again."

"Well, then you better pay close attention and fix whatever needs to be done, otherwise this is your future," he claims in an eerie tone that makes her skin feel like a thousand slimy snakes slithering all across her body.