The celebration at Granny's stretched on and on, and during it Odette found herself constantly moving between tables as she struck up conversations with a multitude of people. But in that particular moment, she found herself sitting with Porthos and Aramis in one of the booths, tucked under Killian's arm as they laughed at Porthos' disappointment that he couldn't have joined them on their adventure to the past.
"So, you got to see your past selves? Did they, you... see you?" Porthos continued berating them with questions full of curiosity, trying to understand how it all worked.
"Killian did punch himself." Odette laughed in amusement as she noticed Killian's hand reach for the cheek where the impact struck subconsciously as if just mentioning it brought the memory back so that he could feel it all over again. "And I did get to see myself for a short second too."
"Aye, that we did." Aramis muttered out, hand reaching to the handle of his cups as he spun it around in a thoughtful manner. The tone of his voice had their eyes turning to him curiously as they noticed it drop. "I just... Keep thinking about it-"
"There's no reason to." Odette was quick to interrupt him once she realized where he was going with it. "As we've well established by now," she said with a small laugh, reaching across the table to give his hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's the past. There's nothing you could have done back then."
And watching as he smiled back at her after a few moments, it was clear Aramis was ready to return to discussing lighter topics once again. Only, before they could, a voice calling out forced their attention to shift and gave Odette just enough time to open her arms for the little boy to jump into them happily.
"Regina and papa took me to ice-cream. I managed to convince them." Roland happily announced to the group sitting around the table while his father pushed in to squeeze along with the two musketeers as he laughed at his son's happiness.
"As I knew you could, my sweet." Odette chuckled, appreciating the fact that she'd taught him well as she let her hand rustle through his hair while simultaneously adjusting the way he was sitting in her lap to avoid the risk of him falling. "And which flavour did you manage to squeeze out of them?"
"I got two scoops. One chocolate and the other strawberry." And there went her thoughts that she'd taught him well. Shaking her head in disappointment, Odette was about to remind him that it should all be chocolate as it was the best. However, she never got a chance to.
"Marian?" Robin's voice, full of disbelief, had everyone at the table turning to him in a confused manner as they watched him rise to his feet, eyes entirely focused on something behind Odette. "Marian?"
Perplexed by what was going on, Odette shifted in her seat to see what he was looking at, her eyes widening as the woman they'd brought back with them from the past gleefully looked at Robin. "Oh no." She muttered to herself in shock, only now realizing what they'd done.
"What is it?" Killian asked as the only one sitting at the table who was still left in the dark as to why the woman's name meant something.
"Marian used to be Robin's wife." Aramis began to explain knowingly, by now the Musketeers familiar with the story as well. "Before she..."
"Before she died." Odette finished for him. "We brought back Robin's dead wife."
"Mama?" Roland's little voice sounding from her lap had Odette giving out a small sigh as she helped the boy jump back down to the floor, after which he instantly ran into his mother's arms as the woman crutched down to scoop him up in a happy embrace.
"Roland. Oh, my baby. Roland." She fawned over him as she held him in her arms, Robin Hood moving to wrap his own around the both of them both of them.
"You? You did this?" Regina's emotional voice had Odette letting out a heavy sigh as she spared a glance to the woman. Even though her back was turned to their table, the blonde could only imagine what the expression on her face may look like as she watched the scene before her transpire.
"I just wanted to save her life." Emma tried to explain humbly, clearly uncertain on what to do in the situation.
And whether it was everything that was happening or the answer itself, the shift in Regina's shoulder which followed it was hard to miss. "You're just like your mother. Never thinking of consequences." Regina bit back, her voice full of hurt no matter how hard she was trying to mask it. "Well, you'd just better hope to hell, you didn't bring anything else back." She announced before turning on her heel, sparing no one a single glance as she passed them on her way back out of the diner, leaving Emma to rush out after her.
"This. This is what I meant by it possibly not being a good thing." Odette gave out a small sigh as she shared a look with Aramis, both remembering their short debate of how bringing someone's lost loved one could be a bad thing to do back in the past when Emma had first suggested it. Starting to rise from her seat, Odette decided it was best not to leave Emma and Regina alone in the moment considering their similar explosive personalities. "I'll go check on them."
Pulling on her jacket as she walked to the door, Odette spared one last glance at Robin and his family, not separated from their hug as Marian sputtered out the thousands of questions going through her mind. But instead of offering help there, she opened the door of the diner and made her way out into the night, catching the last ends of Regina and Emma's conversation before her arrival.
"And whatever she did, she didn't deserve to die."
"Well, maybe she did."
"Well, you would know. I saved her from you." Emma's sharp retort had Odette speeding through the last few steps separating her from the duo as she spoke up.
"Alright there, let's ease back down." She put a hand on Emma's shoulder, sending her goddaughter a somewhat scolding look which served as a silent message not to use Regina's past as an argument for current emotions.
"The woman who did that, that was the person I was, not the person I am." Regina reminded Emma as she tried to keep in the initial angry reaction she was about to show at the words. "I worked very hard to build a future, a future that's now gone."
"You don't know that." Odette turned to her friend with an optimistic look on her face. Yes, things were more complicated, but there was still a chance of Regina having what she wanted.
"Well, I know it's complicated enough that his dead wife is back!"
"Regina, for that, I'm sorry. If there is anything I can do to help-" Emma tried to offer, but never got her chance before Regina interrupted her again.
"Ms. Swan, the more you try to help, the worse my life becomes." Regina pointed out in a defeated tone. A sentiment that Emma was visibly ready to argue against, but before she could, the door of the diner opened up again and more people followed after them.
"Marian, please, meet her. She's not at all what you think." Robin tried to convince his wife as he led her towards them, coming to stand in front of Regina, a pleading look on his face as he reached out to her. "Regina, I want you to meet Marian. I want us to talk about this."
From the way he stood and reached, from the way he spoke, even a blind man could have seen it. And Marian most certainly wasn't blind. "Wait, were you two... Are you two together?" The woman questioned in disbelief.
"Marian, please."
"You and the Evil Queen?" Marian, however, seemed entirely unwilling to listen to him as her mind continued to run a mile a minute, imagining all kinds of things and wondering about so many others. "Did you let her near my son? Do you know what she's done? The terror that she's inflicted?"
"We shouldn't be doing this now." Odette tried to speak up, eyes glancing down to Roland who continued to hold his mother's hand, and listening to every word they said. "Or someone should at least take Roland back inside. Get him a cup of cocoa, huh? How does that sound?" She tried to suggest, her voice taking on a gentle tone as she smiled down at him.
"You're not taking my son anywhere." Marian spat at her quickly, pulling Roland further behind her even though the boy's hand had already been reaching out to Odette, clearly happy to accept her offer.
Her tone made Robin quick to jump in again. "Marian, neither Regina nor Odette would ever hurt Roland." He tried to convince her, but it was easier said than done.
"Right, the one who wanted to leave me for dead and the other who intended to kill me?" Marian questioned in anger, clearly trying to shame the two women who she'd deemed had wronged her. Although Odette didn't let it get to her. It wasn't as if she had much choice in the matter unless she wanted to disastrously change things in the past.
"Is everyone okay?" Snow's voice joined the fray as she and David exited the diner now too. It was turning into a whole new kind of party just outside the diner where the main event was being held. Odette wasn't sure all this audience was contributing much to the conversation, though.
"Well, no one's been incinerated yet, so that's a good sign." And David worked quick on proving her right.
"Seriously?" She frowned at him.
"Regina, you all right?" Ignoring her husband's quips, Snow focused on Regina instead, sending the woman a questioning look as she stood at the front of the group, all eyes on her.
Although, if she intended to answer, she never got her chance to as Marian prattled on once again. "What is wrong with you people? Why are you talking to her? Don't you know who she is?" She questioned, her tone rather loud and hysterical, making more people make their way out to check on the scene.
This time it was Henry and Killian who came outside, the pirate having done the best he could to keep the boy inside and waiting before ultimately following him outside. "Mom, what's going on?" He questioned worriedly while Killian came to stand at Odette's side.
"She's a monster!" Marian exclaimed in bewildered anger. And this time, Odette had had enough.
"She's family!" The blonde matched her volume, eyes now glaring and much of the sympathy she'd had for Marian's situation slipping away. "And this is not the time nor the place to have this conversation, so that's enough!"
"Odette..." Robin pleaded quietly, wanting to diffuse the situation before it escalated any further. And knowing how protective she could get over the people she cared for, Robin realized it wasn't going in that direction when she began to react and lose her temper.
"Regina-" Emma's voice calling out had everyone now noticing as the dark-haired woman walked off the first chance she got, rushing away into the streets. And at first, Emma moved to follow, only stopping as she felt Odette's hand grab hold of her arm.
"No good has ever come of pushing her. Give her space." The blonde instructed, knowing it was best to just give Regina some time. They'd check in on her tomorrow morning when things settled a little.
"Yeah, but what she does in in that space I'm worried about." David muttered out in a worried tone.
And his words were quick to make Henry panic too, his mind jumping to the worst places. "You don't think she'll become evil again? She can't. She's come too far."
"I hope you're right, kid." Emma said with a small sigh as she wrapped her arm around her son's shoulder.
All their comments made Odette throw her hands into the air in an incredulous manner. "Of course, he's right!" She exclaimed. "Heaven's sake will you people have some faith?!" She questioned, soon after noticing the gawking expression sent her way by Marian, which only managed to infuriate the blonde even further. "Not a word from you." She instructed sharply.
"Alright, love, I think it's time to go home." Killian's hand settled on her shoulder in an attempt to get her to settle and calm down as she looked ready to attack Marian any moment now. "Something tells me the party's over for the night." And he couldn't have been more right on the matter.