Kingdom of Corona. Present-day.
SLEEPING WITH SOMEONE was weird, and it had been a shock to Erica to get used to sleeping next to Jaclyn. However, she had managed to learn a few things about Jaclyn that she would not have even guessed at had they not been sharing a bed. For one she learned that Jaclyn liked to cuddle and be close to those she has in her bed at night
Although she was too tired most nights to even cuddle
Erica spent most of her days at Rapunzel's castle after the incident with the flour, learning how to fight. Training with Jaclyn and the other pirates twice a day (and even Rapunzel when she can coax her into it) and learning and catching up with all that she needed to know about magic, which mostly she caught up from Calypso's spellbooks and diary entries and the more she read about the Sea Goddess and the world she surrounds herself in and sometimes Jaclyn has to pry the book out of her hands and force her to venture outside of their room at the castle
And sometimes she felt like she was privy to things she shouldn't know and guilt twisted up her insides as she read a particular insert from the diary. She could feel the anger and hurt as it leaked through the pages
Poseidon called me today through seashells (they are handy when I don't have access to my crabs and asked me to come when I had finished my duties and I did so immediately knowing something was wrong. I instantly went to find out what it was and apparently Ursula, Poisedon's young Mermaid daughter grew tentacles and fled from the safe haven of Atlantis and went to the Enchanted Forest
Atlantis was real? It had Erica's head spinning for a moment until she chided herself for being so stupid because of course it was real. If everything from Greek Gods to the fairytales she grew up reading were real then of course Atlantis was real too.
I don't usually go to the Enchanted Forest or the other realms that aren't the normal world or as Poseidon likes to say 'The Land Without Magic' which I've personally hated that term because he knows just as well as I do that magic can be found even in the most unusual places but people generally don't look and they expect a miracle to happen
A miracle would be nice for me too...
That reminds me I have to go check on William Turner, the one responsible for ferrying souls over to the other side. A fate that was thrust upon him, a fate that he may not have deserved but one that did save his life all the time. The last time I saw him I began to feel an emotion I've not felt in a long time -- guilt.
I feel guilty for putting him in this position, I'm sure Witty Jack could have found another way but there was no time for her to think of anything else but the longer he's in the curse, the guilt rises in my chest making me feel sick
It was my fault in the first place...
And I sup--
"Hey! What the hell are you doin--" Erica cried out as the book was ripped away from her and she looked up at the offender, only to see it was Jaclyn and her expression softened slightly and Jaclyn crouched down next to her taking Erica's hand in hers.
She was sitting in their room still, her legs crossed over themselves and she was still reading sitting on the floor of the spacious room, her back supported by their bed until Jaclyn came and took the book out of her hands and gave her a pointed look
"No more reading, or training you'll work yourself into an early grave"
"You'd follow me though?" Her voice was quiet and a little childlike but all Jaclyn did was sit down next to her and fold into her and rested her head on Erica's shoulder. This was a quiet moment between them and they intended to soak up every moment of it
"I'd follow you anywhere and at any time, you don't have to go through life feeling alone anymore," Jaclyn told her, sincerity lacing her words as she smiled at Erica "You are my beautiful girl and you are my everything"
"You Miss Teague are going to drive me mad one day"
"Oh, would that be a bad thing?"
"Definitely not"
"You really are something Erica Swan," Jaclyn says softly as she tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear and just like that the air around them changed. Frissons of electricity crackled around them as Jaclyn's hand moved from her hair down to the small of her back and with little prompting Erica leaned forward, her lips ghosting over Jaclyn's
"Kiss me," Her voice was nothing but a breathless whisper
A short laugh escaped Jaclyn's mouth before she encased Erica's lips with her own, and Erica tried to twist so she could get a better angle to kiss Jaclyn and give her all to Jaclyn. Eventually, she decided to move and quickly moved onto Jaclyn's lap and gripped the back of her collar, fusing their lips together
Moaning escaped Erica's mouth as Jaclyn bit her lip and slipped her tongue inside her mouth and Erica desperately grasped at any piece of clothing she could pulling Jaclyn closer even though it was near impossible since Jaclyn was already straddling the blonde woman's lap
"Tell me again why we didn't do this ages ago like when we first met, I mean the way you kiss--" Jaclyn gasps as she pulls away for breath, her cheeks flushed only slightly and lips were swollen but it didn't seem to bother her as she wrapped her arms around Erica's neck pulling her closer so that their foreheads rested together
"The way you kiss me, it's like you never want me to forget how much you mean to me. Honestly, I could get drunk on your kisses, they're like fire the more of you I have the more I wan--" Jaclyn rambled and
She was cut off when Erica pulled her in for another kiss, this time a deep moan came from Jaclyn and she smirked against the brunette's lips before kissing her collarbone and after every kiss, she would chuckle and say "You talk too much. Relax darling"
"How can I relax when you kiss me like that?"
"Is that a good thing?" Erica asked with a raised eyebrow, looking back at Jaclyn with an almost shy look in her eyes. Her relationship with the pirate was still new and while she was trying to do everything right by Jaclyn, her attention was also taken over by a lot of other things and she wanted to make sure that she was giving Jaclyn the attention she deserved
"It's a very good thing baby girl"
"I was not very good at kissing or any type of relationship. My first girlfriend was Georgina and I started dating her when I had just turned nineteen and well, she was twenty-one turning twenty-two but we had gone on a few dates before we officially started going out. She was a few ranks ahead of me in the police station where we worked. She was the one that encouraged me to go to the academy and get my badge but we had to break up because just shy of a year and she had got a promotion and not wanting anything to fall back on her -- we decided to split it was my decision and since then I hadn't dated anyone until Storybrooke and I dated Rapunzel obviously but that kind of fizzled out when the curse broke 'cause of the curse and Eugene and then I found you and well the rest is history"
"What did you think of me when you first met me?"
"Well I thought you were an idiot and kind of an ass," She said and started laughing when Jaclyn gave her a flat look "But then the more I got to know you the more intrigued I was and eventually the more I realised I don't know what I do without you. You were constantly by my side even when I pushed you away, making me laugh and making me angry. You could do everything ... and I guess I was scared"
Jaclyn kissed her hair "You have nothing to be scared of"
It was a little later, they had just been sitting there cuddling when Erica noticed Jaclyn clench her jaw in pain and hands drift down to her stomach and her eyes scower her face "What's wrong gorgeous?"
"Nothing. Just cramps"
Things clicked in Erica's brain "Okay. Period"
"Yeah"
"Come on. Let's lie in bed and cuddle"
Then they tumbled into bed after helping each other into the bed and Jaclyn settled into the bed with Erica wrapping her arm around her encasing her in a warm hug and nuzzling her nose into her back affectionally causing Jaclyn to almost purr into contentment
"That nice baby?"
"Yeah. So good. Do it again"
And so she did, using her other hand to rub small circles into her back while continuing to nuzzle her nose into her back and smile into her skin and after a while, Jaclyn seemed to be better and turned over to face her
"You still get your periods after all this time?"
"Yeah well apparently being cursed a few times has done stuff to my body...Stuff that I don't quite understand but if I was to guess it's because while biologically I may be older, mentally and physically I am in my early thirties and usually a woman in their early thirties still has periods"
"I'm sorry, that must be hard"
"Yeah but it's okay I guess...I mean I'm used to it by now" Jaclyn said, after a moment winced when another bout of pain hit her and Erica instinctively tightened her grip on the pirate holding her as close as she could as she hugged her into her chest
"What can I do to make it better?"
"Talk"
Erica tried to think of something to say, but she was drawing a blank on what was an appropriate topic of conversation, she could not think of one thing to say which was strange because she always had something to say especially to Jaclyn -- whether it was something with a teasing smile and a smart comment or simple words of affection that seem to put a smile on Jaclyn's face, where her face lights up after and it seems like a million stars are reflected within her dark irises
That was one of Erica's favourite things to see
She liked the fact that Jaclyn could be happy around her, after all, she had been through so much and Erica wanted to make sure Jaclyn knew she deserved all the happiness that Erica could give her and more
"I don't know what to say, how about you tell me another story. I bet you have loads of adventures just rattling around in that head of yours" Erica smiled, nuzzling her nose into Jaclyn's neck
"I have a few I believe"
"Pick one then"
"I don't know what one to pick," Jaclyn said, turning onto her back and looking up at the blonde through dark eyelashes as her equally as dark hair remained splayed out on the plush goose feather pillows like a halo, angelic and otherworldly. Decidedly everything that Jaclyn was not for she had been nothing but a pirate her entire life. Blood lined her hands and ghosts haunted her at night and yet the universe saw it fit to give her a place besides Erica Swan
Ever since Jaclyn had met her, there had been something pulling her towards Erica, not in the way that she often read about in books but she knew that there was something more to Erica and Jaclyn being a curious creature she wanted to find out what it was
And she was so glad she did
Erica Swan was a storm, someone that was unrestrained and couldn't be controlled, someone who could be as sweet as sugar and then turn around and be as bitter as a lemon but really Jaclyn loved that. Jaclyn loved the woman who was a storm and everything in between.
She was a powerhouse, a queen without a kingdom to run, maddening and a source of comfort all in one as darkness whispered in her ear, gently caressing her with promises as it wrapped her in death but even though all of this Erica refused to give in
She would fight until she couldn't anymore
For Erica Swan was strong
"Then we don't have to pick. We can do something else instead" Erica whispered, her voice soft as she leaned over and spoke into her ear. It was something that made Jaclyn shiver, Erica had the power to do that for she had everything Jaclyn was including her heart
The kiss starts slow and then gets more heated as they both get lost in the throes of passion. Erica parted her lips over Jaclyn's, slanting her lips in order to deepen the kiss and Jaclyn takes advantage of the kiss. She loved kissing Erica, she believed she could get drunk on that alone
Every kiss seemed to excite Jaclyn in some way whether it was a feather-light kiss or one when Erica nearly devoured her with everything in her. She couldn't believe she could ever be this lucky because well after nearly hundreds of years, she had never known anyone like Erica Swan
Someone that loved her unconditionally
This was everything
Erica was everything
The door opened and in walked Will before Erica could pull away and Will made a face as Erica kissed Jaclyn one final time before moving away and lying back down next to Jaclyn, wrapping an arm around her torso "You know there are some things I just don't want to see"
"You've seen worse" Jaclyn comments dryly
"With you yes I have"
"Okay, what do you want Will?"
"Me nothing! I just wanted to get to know you a bit more about the girl who hasn't been scared off by everything yet" Will says as he climbs onto the bed uninvited but all Erica and Jaclyn did was move in order to make room for the man, still tangled in each other's embrace
"So now you've interrupted us what did you want?"
"How did you meet?"
Erica snorted as she covered her face with her hands, and Jaclyn playfully cuffed her wherever she could reach as they were still tangled together and they could hardly tell where one ended and the other one began "Seriously? You've had all this time to ask...and you ask now?"
"I'm curious," Will said with a half-smile and an indescribable look in his eyes as he holds his hands up in surrender and looked from Jaclyn to Erica "And judging by her reaction it's a good story"
"Okay but to preface this story I didn't hurt her or at least I don't think I did, I was trying to get back to Storybrooke to help Killian -- my friend in the Enchanted Forest take revenge on Rumplestiltskin, the man who took the woman he loved from him by crushing her heart as well as taking his hand. I know it wasn't the right to do that but I couldn't help myself -- any way you probably know all this from the letters"
"It's nice to hear it coming from you"
"You're just saying that to be nice, pretty boy"
"No Jack I mean it because when you were gone for twenty-eight years or so all we had were the letters and the stories of your old adventures to read about from the letters...For thirty years you were just gone...No sign of where you were and then you turn up with this one. So yes it is nice to hear about what you think for once"
And so Jaclyn began regaling the story of how the two of them met and how despite her better judgment of the witch and getting involved with her in the first place, Jaclyn was extremely grateful for Cora for allowing them to come together and meet and fall in love. It wasn't the most romantic start to a story of love and hardly anything about the way they came together was working for them in fact everything seemed to be working against them but they still managed to come together
"How are you still sane?"
"Hasn't been easy"
"And we're not the only one that's had a hard time in life, Ruler of the Seas," Jaclyn says, half sarcastic and half genuine as she slaps Will's back and Erica feels like she's missing something but she doesn't ask because she doesn't want to interrupt the conversation
"I know but I'm getting better one day at a time"
"I kinda know what you're going through so if you need me, you have an ear"
"I know. Thank you, you know as many hardships I faced in the last two hundred years or so. I'm grateful that Calypso helped us to break the curse" Will smiled gently and Jaclyn brought him into a hug and Erica smiled at the sight
"How did that happen? You never actually told me"
"I guess we can tell you now, sorry lass but we weren't sure we could trust you, but you've become our friend now and we used the trident" Will explained and while Erica was a little bit disappointed, but she understood why he did it
"Poseidon's trident," Erica said, knowing what they were half talking about now. She had read about it in Calypso's diaries and journals. It was supposed to be one of the most powerful weapons in the world forged by Poseidon and Calypso and said to break any curse upon the Seven Seas
Will was cursed, how?
That reminds me I have to go check on William Turner, the one responsible for ferrying souls over to the other side. A fate that was thrust upon him, a fate that he may not have deserved but one that did save his life all the time. The last time I saw him I began to feel an emotion I've not felt in a long time -- guilt.
"How did you know about that?" Will asks as he leaned over Erica
"Calypso's diaries"
"You seem to take a liking to them"
"I need to know everything I can about magic. I need to be prepared"
"We have all the time in the world to do that, I promise I'll help you if you promise me that if you feel like you are being dragged into the darkness. You tell me and we'll fix it together, nothing is worth you losing your battle to stay light if that's what you want"
Erica gripped onto Jaclyn as she pulled her into her for a hug and the two of them just held onto each other for a while unspoken words passing between them and they were using each other's strength in order to keep themselves sane
The door opened again and this time the smiling face of Rapunzel was seen and she popped her head in "Sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if you wanted some princess lessons, Rickie? I have time now"
"Yes" Erica nodded, smiling "I would love some"
* * * * *
Kingdom of Corona. Present-day.
She didn't know how it happened, it shouldn't have happened and yet somehow Rapunzel teaching her about the kingdom and the other kingdoms in the Enchanted Forest became a conversation about their old dates and that one time they decided to have a movie night
It started with a simple comment, something along the lines of "I know you think that enforcing all the rules you're kingdom has on people is draining and you don't some aspects of ruling the kingdom but honestly, this ruling thing suits you, I've never seen you look more confident except when we watched High School Musical and you just let go and sang every song in the movie"
"That's because most of their songs were bops"
"I know although it is a kid's movie and so I probably wouldn't be able to watch it with anyone but you"
"Oh that was such a fun evening, can we do it again sometime?"
"One day my darling" Erica promised with a grin. She wouldn't trade what she has now for anything but she sometimes misses when life was quiet when she was able to have a movie night with her girlfriend without having to worry about magic or the next villain that she would have to face
"Okay let's get back to work," Rapunzel said, after a moment "I want you to tell me most of the bigger Kingdom's names and rulers, okay?"
"You have the Evil Queen's kingdom (previously ruled by King Leopold and Eva, my mother's parents), King George's kingdom (after inherited by Snow White and Prince Charming, as their kingdom), King Midas' kingdom, (my father was supposed to marry his daughter but backed out at the last moment). King Xavier's kingdom Cinderella and Prince Thomas's kingdom Princess Aurora and Prince Philip's kingdom Prince Eric's kingdom and your kingdom and then you have Andalasia ruled by Gemma or Giselle and your kingdom (ruled by your parents, until you have a coronation in a few years and become the Queen and Eugene the King)
"There we are, you're getting better. Soon you'll be able to go to court and understand everything that people are saying and doing in there and set your own laws and look after your kingdom and advocate for your people"
"Whoa slow down. I barely know the laws of my parent's kingdom and besides, it's not like I'm an actual princess. I grew up in the Land Without Magic and as much fun as it was to play princess. It's time we realise that just because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and you put me in the dress doesn't make me a princess"
"I know what you're going through"
"How?"
"Because I went through the same thing. I was trapped in a tour for the first twenty-one years of my life never leaving a tower and then I came back to civilisation and it was all overwhelming, I didn't even know anyone bar Eugene and our relationship was still new at the time and I was trying to build a relationship with my parents-- who would love to meet you by the way. I felt like I was drowning and I couldn't come up for air until Eugene reminded me of one thing and that was to take it one day and a time and that's what you should do. In everything from magic to learning how to be a princess just take everything one day at a time"
"One day at a time, I like that"
And so, one day at a time it became.