"NO, LEAVE HIM ALONE! HENRY!" He couldn't die! She wouldn't let him! Even if he hated her. Even if their friendship and maybe more could never be, It wouldn't end like this. A familiar rush of warmth runs though Nora as her eyes glow that pastel yellow color and the ropes around her disintegrate to glittering stardust.
"I SAID, LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Zelena looks up at her but it's too late, with a pulse of her yellow magic It's Nora who sends her flying backwards. At the same time, everyone else pours into the clearing, wide eyed and yelling. Zelena yells something dramatic yet and disappears. Nora who had healed herself, in her flurry of power runs to Henry. Henry gets up from the ground just in time to catch a sprinting Nora in his arms.
Nora laughs as she folds herself into to him, tears streaking down her face and she smiles like an idiot. Henry smiles and shakes his head as she wraps his arms around her waist as she laughs and cries at the same time. His warmth bleeding into her cold body, as she hides her head in the crook of his neck.
"I thought you hated me now, I thought- thought you didn't want to be friends anymore-" She pauses as she chokes down another laugh of relief. "I thought you thought I was a monster." He pulls away from her reluctantly to look into her glittering Hazel eyes that were a little more green than brown and amber right now.
"I would never hate you, ever. You will always be Nora, and the Nora I know could never be a monster or a freak." He pushes a strand of hair out of her face. Even though she healed herself, she was still covered in blood but neither of them cared.
"You mean that?" She asks, her doe eyes wide and her heart even wider.
"Always." Nora cries as she clings onto him. She had never had anyone like this. No one had ever cared about her this much and it filled her up and over whelmed her to the point she was crying, and laughing, and blushing all at the same time. If she could choose one moment to live in forever it would be this one. At this exact moment in time she felt needed and loved and that's all she had ever wanted. Henry looked up from her to his family who all looked somewhere between shocked and heart warmed. He let her cry and hold him for a few moments before saying anything.
"You know you're covered in blood right?" She laughs and nods her head.
"Yeah, sorry about that." She says stepping back, and wiping her eyes.
"Oh no don't even think about apologizing, I meant don't you want to shower?" She nods her head, giggling as she cocks her head to the side.
"Why do I smell like Hobo?"
"Only a little, Mrs. Spellibody." She gasps.
"You know!" Nora says eye's wide.
"Why yes, Youngin, I do. My mom told me." Nora laughs and covers her face for a moment.
"I was pretty darn convincing though." This time Henry laughs as the rest walk over to him. Emma places a hand on Nora's shoulder and she smiles up at her.
"How you doin?" Nora laughs at Emma's words.
"Great now, but I could use a shower-" She bats her eyelashes. "And a burger from Granny's?" Emma laughs and shakes her head.
"She's fine." Killian clears his throat and nods towards her.
"Sorry, for shooting you, Lass." Nora laughs and shakes her head.
"No need! How were you supposed to know which flying monkeys are good and which are evil?" She giggles. "And apparently I've healed myself anyway." This time Regina speaks up.
"Yea how'd you do that anyway, monkey-girl." Nora shrugs, biting her lip.
"It wasn't anything special until Zelena told me she was going to kill Henry and it kinda flipped a switch. That's what happened a few seconds ago as well." A woman that Nora doesn't recognize goes to ask a question but Emma cuts her off.
"There will be plenty of time for more questions later, but I think that Nora would really like that shower right about now." Emma smiles down at Nora and she smiles back. All this smiling was really a new thing for Nora but she was sure she could get used to it.
♥♥♥
The drive back to the loft with Emma and Henry was relatively quiet, Nora bussied herself looking out of the window, and tracing the shapes of the passing buildings with her finger. Henry watched her with a small smile as the sun brought out coppery strands in her hair and amber flecks in her eyes. Emma would glance back at the pair occasionally, a smile on her face. When they all got back to the loft, Nora hurried off to the shower, and Henry went to change.
After turning on the water just hot enough to be uncomfortable she stepped in. As the water ran down her body, she tilted her head back. She wanted all of the memories Zelena brought gone, and that includes all of the blood covering her body. She rinsed out her hair and shampooed it, massaging her scalp gently. With a sigh she lets all the bad things go and focuses on the way she felt when she was Henry on the other side of the clearing, how she felt getting Ice Cream with Emma, and when she bothered David. And with this she vowed two things. The first, she should make this place her home, and second she was going to get her memories back. For both of those vows she wasn't sure how she would uphold them but she knew with Henry's help she could.
As the group in the living room hear the water turn on they started to talk about the predicament they had currently found themselves in. Regina rolls her eyes and rubs her forehead.
"Are we not going to talk about how monkey-girl has her claws so deep in my son she could brainwash him to do anything?" Emma rolls her own eyes at her comment.
"Oh come on, Nora is not some criminal master mind."
"That we know of." David adds in as Snow gives him a pointed look.
"Why would Zelena torture her own lackey?" Asks Emma, not buying Regina's story at all.
"And you don't think it was awfully convenient that she was all healed up and ready to go when we showed up?" Regina presses on.
"Exactly." David agrees.
"I knew from the start that we shouldn't have trusted her. She is going to get my son killed and we are just welcoming her into our home like she's the special guest." Regina says angrily.
"Our son." Emma says stepping in. "She is not going kill our son, and I'm sure you and I will make sure of that. And anyway-"
Henry walks into the kitchen, having changed as a loud clang if heard from the bathroom.
"I'M OKAY!" Nora says loudly from the bathroom and Henry laughs.
"The shampoo bottle." He says pulling a glass from the cupboard and filling it with milk. Regina raises an eyebrow.
"What?" Henry looks up drinking his milk, mildly confused at her confusion.
"She usually drops it in the shower...." He says not putting two and two together. Regina's eyes widen and she stalks towards him, Emma blinking in confusion.
"And how would you know this?" This is the exact moment when Henry knew he fucked up.
"Uhhh she told me." He says drinking his milk and looking around the room.
"Liar! He's lying." Emma says shocked. Regina's takes away his milk as Henry chokes on the mouthful he currently has. Henry is coughing as Regina presses on.
"When were you in the shower with it?" Henry, if possible, chokes more on the milk and goes into a whole new coughing fit.
"WHAT!?" He says in between coughs.
"Well how else would you know?!" Henry rolls his eyes.
"By being in her apartment? I was watching the spaghetti noodles, not watching what you think I was."
"Henry Daniel Mills!" Regina gasps.
"You were in the hood?!" Emma says, rubbing her forehead.
"What is this 'hood'" Regina asks turning to Emma.
"It's where a lot of people get shot." Emma says still trying to grasps the situation.
"HENRY!" Regina yells, as Henry's eyes widen.
"WHAT!? It's where she lives!" Regina rubs her forehead again, turning to Emma.
"And you allowed this?" She asks, her hands on her hips.
"Well you see- I sorta didn't know until now." Emma says, bracing herself for Regina's response.
"You didn't know where our son was located?! Where did you think he was?!" Regina asks, her eyes widening.
"She thought I was over Avery's house." Henry says, butting in.
"And who is she? Another monkey-girl?" Regina asks.
"Avery is a dude." Henry says, awkwardly.
"Oh. Well that's besides the point." Regina says continuing before Emma steps in.
"The point is that you lied to me." Emma says, scolding Henry.
"Where was your super power then, Savior?" Regina adds, but Emma ignores her remark.
"Well if I hadn't you wouldn't have let me go! You were the one who wanted me to talk to her about her family." Henry replies.
"I didn't mean for you to do that. I meant just talk to her at school! Or something." Emma says shaking her head.
"She slept on a park bench, mom. I'm pretty sure that's not information that she would openly tell me at school." Henry says. Emma sighs, giving up on the argument.
"That was really nice. Now I could really use that hamburger from Granny's please." Nora says, her arms stretching up to the sky as she walks back into the room, nows dressed in one of Henry's bigger shirt and a pair of shorts that... well they have no clue where they came from but they fit her. Everyone turns to look back as if she made a ridiculous request.
"Okay then. I guess not." She says, walking towards Henry.
"Oh great! Now that she's out of the shower," Regina starts before proofing up next to Nora, grabbing her, and shoving her up against the fridge. "We want answers now, monkey-girl."
"Ahh!" Nora says scrambling trying to get out of her grasp but Regina holds her grip.
"MOM!" Henry says running towards them but David goes after him and hold him back.
"Grandpa, let go of me." Henry grunts.
"Not until we know that she isn't dangerous." David replies.
"Dad, don't be ridiculous." Emma says.
"No, Emma. David's right. But we don't have to pin her against a fridge. Be civilized." Mary Margret says walking towards Regina.
"Last time I checked, she's an animal. She is not used to civilized behavior." Regina says, pressing her tighter against the wall. Pain shoots through Nora, but nothing she couldn't handle. She continues to struggle, trying to think up a strategy to get away. Her hands and legs were pretty much of no use so she uses the next best thing, her teeth. She bites down hard on Regina's arm and Regina recoils back.
"Ow! She bit me! I'm going to get rabies!" Regina says showing off the bite.
"Well I am an animal aren't I." Nora says, a witty smirk playing across her face. She looks over at Henry. "David, let him go. I'm not going to hurt him, that's for sure. I'm not dangerous, and I'm sure as hell not on the green toad, Zelena's side." She says, but David doesn't budge.
"Let him go, she's not lying." Emma says, using her super power. David looks between the two before releasing him.
"Okay. Now that that's settled. Let's all sit and ask the questions properly." Mary Margret says, trying to keep order. Most of them take a seat.
"Who are you?" Regina asks first.
"Um, Nora Wilson." Nora replies.
"No, who are you story wise?" Regina clarifies.
"Oh. Well you see, about that. I'm not exactly sure? I don't remember the first 10 years of my life." She answers.
"What do you mean you don't remember the majority of your life?" Emma asks.
"I just don't, okay. The farthest back that I remember is when Zelena kidnapped me. I've lived life as her prisoner ever since." Nora explains.
"Great. Well we know you are some magical being. How did you heal yourself?" Emma asks.
"I'm not sure. I know I have some type of powers but I can barely use them. They usually just happen when I'm really passionate about doing something." Nora shrugs.
"So you were passionate about saving Henry?" David asks.
"Yep." She replies awkwardly. "But I'm also passionate about turning on radios and getting bags of chips without getting up apparently." Nora says trying to break the ice.
"Thats how you got my chips!" Nora smiles at Emma.
"Like I said, I was bored." She says with a chuckle.
"So you don't know who your parents are here? Or who raised you?" Mary Margaret, the heavily pregnant woman, asks her gently as she turns to her. Nora shakes her head hesitantly.
"No idea, honestly. If I knew I would be there." She replies as she clasps her hands together underneath the table. Everyone looks at each other, assessing the situation. "Any more questions? I may not remember a lot but I'll tell you anything you want to know." Nora says looking at the table. Henry, who was seated across from her, clears his throat.
"How did you get kidnapped- the first time..." Henry pipes up and they all turn to look at him. Nora guesses they assumed he already knew all this.
"I vaguely remember, and it's scattered, but I was in a clearing, late at night. I had run there but I don't remember feeling afraid. I remember Zelena calling me over, which means I had to know her before hand or else I wouldn't have approached her. I remember some one yelling my name, my real one, which I conveniently don't remember. But that's about it." Nora says with a shrug.
"Know Zelena or not, I still wouldn't have approached her." Hook says shaking his head.
"Oh and I'm kind of sorry for hitting you with a wooden plank." Nora apologizes to Hook awkwardly as he chuckles.
"It was just self defense, no worries." He replies. Nora walks over to the kitchen and pours herself a glass of water, parched from all the explaining. Clutching the glass in her hand she sits back down, tipping the glass up to her lips.
"Soooo, how did you and Henry. Umm. Meet and-" Emma starts awkwardly when Regina interrupts her.
"Emma stop being so indirect. Nora, what's your deal with my son? Are you two dating or not?" Nora spits out some of her water before choking on the rest. Her face, neck, and ears turn red enough they surpass the copper tones in her hair. Tears from coughing gather at the corner of her eyes as she set her glass down shakily.
"P-pardon?" She says not believing her ears, and how could she. This was not happening right now.
♥♥♥
Soooooo Fluffy in the beginning and awkward in the end XD Anyway keep on reading and stuff... I'd make the author note longer except I don't need to... :) All I have to say Is thanks for commenting, voting/staring, and sharing our story! And you know click onto the next chapter, Flying Fans! XD
-Xox
Claire and Alona