The dark Lilith [OUAT Peter Pan X oc]

Chapter three

Hunter frowned when he saw Jacinda with a signing petition. He walked up to her with a questioning look on his face. ''what's this about?'' When he took the paper from her, he chuckled as he wrote down both his and Sophie's names. He smiled at her as he passed them back to Jacinda, going to find Lucy. 

''It's just like when you led Archie into the Storybrooke mines, remember? And the Evil Queen had to stop you before you discovered Snow White's coffin was hidden down there?'' Lucy, Henry and Hunter were walking into the gardens where all kinds of constructions were being made. Hunter looked around himself, he never saw the mines of Storybrooke and to be honest, he was very curious to it. 

''You mean in the book I made up.'' Lucy sighed at him as she looked around the future condos. 

''Whatever. The point is, I bet there's something magical under the garden... Something my grandmother wants to get her hands on before we do.''

''Honestly? One storyteller to another, it just seems a little, uh...'' Before Henry could finish, a loud clack came from their side, Hunter turned his head for a moment, frowning at the construction workers.

''Told ya.'' Lucy remarked sassy before she started to run towards the place where the clack had come from.

''Hey! Hey, this doesn't prove anything.''

''I know. But if I get my hands on whatever's down there, it will.'' She jumped down with a second, Henry and Hunter both calling after her before Henry jumped in after her. ''Hey, Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!''

Hunter sighed as he looked down, ''She's too much like her father ... '' He looked around himself before pursing his lips together. ''And I'm too much like my mom.'' He than jumped in as well, thinking of Lillian. 

''Hey! What the hell are you thinking? This tunnel could collapse.'' Henry pulled Lucy around, the flashlight on his phone searching through the tunnels. Hunter had too grabbed his phone to bring some light inside. 

''Nah. It seems to have held up this long. Now, come on and help. Grandma's definitely got something hidden down here somewhere.'' Lucy had started walking again as Henry took a small sprint, taking her arm in a protective matter.

''Lucy, I know this all seems a little... magical, but it's not. They just built part of the new city over the old city.''

''Yeah, I know about the Seattle Underground, but that doesn't mean something magical can't be buried down here.'' She looked around again, her eyes falling on Hunter for a moment before she turned to Henry again. ''You know what? I don't get it. Why is it so hard for you to believe the truth? That me and my mom are your real family?''

''Because it's crazy.''

''Is it? Then tell me what happened when you went to the cemetery where you said your wife and daughter were buried ... The cemetery you said you never went to. Well, I bet you did after we met. So, what did you find?''

''They weren't there. Neither was the cemetery. -- It was like...''

''Like it never existed? Yeah. Because it didn't. All the memories of your family are fake. It's just the curse. They didn't really die.'' Hunter looked down onto the ground, uncomfortable with -what he knew- the father, daughter duo. he could only wish Lillian and Peter were there with him. 

''Maybe they moved the cemetery. Or I could've had the wrong address all along. There is definitely a rational explanation, and I am gonna find them.''

''No, you won't, because you're fooling yourself. Your family isn't buried anywhere because they're not dead. That's the curse. We're right here. You just have to be willing to believe.'' Lucy started walking away again, Hunter and Henry glancing at each other before walking after her again. 

When they had finally hit the end of the tunnel, Hunter shone his light onto the wall, Henry smirking slightly as he spoke up. ''Sorry, but it looks like this is it, kid.''

''No. There's no way she's digging up that garden just to put in condos. There has be something here!''

''Oh, come on, Lucy. It's getting late, okay? And if she finds you down here with me, you're going to boarding school and we're,'' motioning between himself and Hunter. ''going somewhere a whole lot worse. -- Come on.''

''I don't care. We have to keep looking!''

''Lucy, please. Can we just... '' Hunter searched for the right words to get through to her, maybe it was just a simple garden after all, not everything had to be like Storybrooke. ''this is dangerous down here.'' Lucy sighed at him, looking at him with a look of betrayal. 

''We're just not seeing it. Maybe we have to look closer.''

''Look closer at what?'' Hunter questioned her, motioning around the end of the tunnel. ''There's nothing here.''

''Yes! There is! I knew it! Look!'' 

''What... '' Henry scoffed softly at the young girl, looking at the glass. ''It's a piece of glass.''

''Not just any piece of glass. It's from my mom's slipper, when she was Cinderella. It must have come through during the curse.'' Henry looked at Hunter, hoping that he had an answer for the girl. When Hunter didn't speak up, Henry took it upon himself, 

''Even if I believed that... which I don't... Why would Belfrey go through all this just to find a broken piece of shoe?''

''Don't you see? This proves everything... Who my mother really is, the curse, all of it.''

''Lucy, listen to me.'' Henry crouched down to her level, taking her shoulders. ''I literally wrote the book on fairy tales. And I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, but this is not...''

''If you don't believe me, maybe my mom will. I have to show this to her. Then maybe she'll finally remember who she is... Cinderella.'' Henry and Hunter shared a look, Hunter raising his shoulders as he followed Lucy out of the tunnels again, hoping to never repeat having to go underground. 

Hunter frowned as he saw Jacinda burn the petition he had signed only hours before. ''Mom?'' Lucy stood next to him as both Jacinda and Victoria turned around to face the two. 

''Lucy, what are you doing here?'' Jacinda asked, her eyes going to Hunter who just glared at her in return. The garden's were nothing of importance, but after all the work she had put in, she just gave it all up by burning all of the hard work. 

''Mom, why would you do this?''

''Lucy, I know this is hard for you to understand, but I did it for us.''

''No.'' Lucy her voice broke as she took a deep breath, Hunter holding a hand on her shoulder. ''No, a hero does the right thing.''

''I'm not a hero. I am just your mother. And this is the right thing for us, Lucy. We need to be together, and I don't care how.''

''I do. If this is what it takes ... I don't want to be together.'' Lucy ran back the way she came from, Hunter quickly following her. 

After Lucy had told him she wanted to be alone, he found his way back to home, frowning when he saw Sophie standing near the bakery. She stood in front of a boy around their age, he gave a slight smile as he recognized the boy, giving her a small wink as he passed them, earning a bright blush on her cheeks. 

''Thank you all for coming.'' Hunter, Sophie and the boy she had been talking too looked at Jacinda, walking over to her as Roni whistled for the attention. ''I know some of you have already signed this once today and are probably wondering what this is all about. Well, I need you to sign it again.'' As people started to complain about it, she held up her hands. ''I'm sorry. I let you all down. I let myself down. And I put this defenseless little garden at risk, when I should have protected it. You see, this garden isn't what it was supposed to be. I couldn't see that. But my Lucy did. She never stopped believing in it for a second. We're gonna show Victoria Belfrey that when you truly believe in something... you can change things. So, if you're willing to fight with me, sign this. And when you're done, start planting. We're gonna show Victoria Belfrey that we're not just gonna stop her from destroying this garden. We're gonna make some something wonderful here... Together.''