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INDIANA JONES
ix. JOHN DOE
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1800s
THE ENCHANTED FOREST
THREE DAYS.
IT ONLY took three days for everyone in the kingdom to know and recognize Indiana Jones' face. It was plastered all over the place—in the forest on trees, on walls, in the villages being handed out by concerned citizens... Indiana even spotted a child with the Wanted poster stuck onto his back. She wasn't sure who this Killian Jones was, but she definitely knew that he was really screwing up her life.
Everywhere Indiana went someone miraculously recognized her. It was as if she couldn't go anywhere without being accused of things that she didn't do, not to mention being accused of being related to a pirate Indiana had never seen before in her entire life.
Unfortunately for the 12-year-old, the same thing that happened to her was occurring in this moment. She was being chased out of yet another village after trying to buy food, considering she was starving. Indiana caught her breath as she hid behind a tree, hoping that no one would turn the corner and spot her.
She glanced upward slightly at the tree across from her, instantly frowning. There was yet another Wanted poster hung up on the tree. There was an impressively drawn image of her face.
"That's not even what my nose looks like," Indiana grumbled, walking forward and pulling it off the tree. She stared down at it, reading the few notes under it. "5'1", 12-years-old, light brown hair, blue-green eyes... That sounds right..."
Before Indiana could continue reading out loud, a voice spoke out. "Wanted for murder, banditry, and having relations with a pirate," a female's voice recited. Indiana looked over and spotted a teenaged girl. She had curly brown hair and eyes filled with mystery, not to mention she was awfully dirty. It made Indiana immediately assume she was poor.
"How—How do you know that? Are you with the Royal Guard?" Indiana nervously asked, taking a step back. The girl shook her head and smiled.
"Your Wanted poster is plastered all over the place. How could I not know who you are?" the girl asked with a friendly smile. "And no, I'm not with the Royal Guard. I'm just a Miller's daughter. My name is Cora. You're Indiana Jones."
Indiana nodded. "You're not... You're not gonna turn me in, are you? I mean... that's a really good reward..." Indiana trailed off, thinking about how much money one would receive if they turned her in. Cora merely shook her head.
"No. I believe that you're a good person," the young girl told the child.
Indiana snorted. "Yeah, that's not what everyone else believes," she grumbled in annoyance. "Why did this have to happen to me of all people? I don't even know any pirates... I never killed anyone! But no one will believe me... except you, I guess."
"Fate has a funny way of showing itself," Cora told her. "I'm not much older than you, but I can tell you're quite mature."
Indiana shrugged. "I guess. I mean... it's only been three days and I feel like I've grown 300 years older," Indiana admitted. "Hey... why are you being so nice to me, Cora?"
Cora shrugged. "It's not often you see a kid on the run outside your home," she answered, pointing at her home in the distance. Indiana nodded. "Look, Indiana, I don't know you... but I think you should stop being so scared and anxious of getting caught. You'll never get your way without showing who's boss. Use that... whip of yours to shed some justice on your story! Fight back!"
Thinking, Indiana looked down at the poster in her hands before crumbling it up and shoving it into her pocket. "I guess you're right..." she trailed off. "If they want a criminal, then a criminal is what they'll get."
➖➖➖
PRESENT DAY
STORYBROOKE
It seemed as though quite the amount of events have occurred within the past few days. In summary, Emma Swan managed to be framed by Regina and arrested, along with moving in as Mary Margaret's new roommate. It seemed as though ever since Emma made her appearance in Storybrooke, things have become nothing but hectic. It was like Anna James' world was being flipped upside down, especially now that she was getting strange dreams about living in "fairytale land."
As of now, Anna James and Henry Mills were meeting up with Emma Swan and Mary Margaret Blanchard at Granny's Diner. Henry had a theory that if Mary Margaret read the story of Snow White and Prince Charming to the long-term coma patient, John Doe, then he would wake up. They were merely doing this to help Henry see the reality of it all.
Together, the three sat in a booth while waiting for Mary Margaret to show up. She suddenly burst in through the doors and slid in a seat beside Henry and across from Anna and Emma.
"He woke up."
Henry cheered excitedly at Mary Margaret's sudden news. "He's remembering!" Henry exclaimed. Anna nearly forgot about Henry's little operation. It was called Operation Cobra: restore Storybrooke's citizens' memories. "Did the doctors say anything?"
"That I imagined it," Mary Margaret bitterly answered. "But I'm not crazy! I know what I saw!"
Henry decided that they needed to go back to the hospital to read to John Doe again. Mary Margaret and Henry both exchanged glances before the woman nodded. The child got up, along with the teacher.
"Wait. Wait," Emma called out.
She and Anna seemed to be having trouble processing this information. The two stood up and turned around, stopping the teacher. "Say what now?" Anna asked.
"If I got through to him... if we made a connection—" Mary Margaret started.
"You don't believe...?" Emma began to wonder worriedly.
"That's he's Prince Charming? Of course not," Mary Margaret responded, reassuring Emma Swan and Anna James. See, Henry believed that his teacher was Snow White while Emma was the love child of Snow and Prince Charming. He wasn't too sure who Anna was, yet, though. "Somehow, someway... I touched him. If this works, I could be the reason why that man woke up."
Before Emma or Anna could respond, Mary Margaret turned on her heel and walked out of the diner in the direction of the hospital. The sound of the bells attached to the door was the only thing Emma heard until she sighed and scurried off after them.
When they arrived at the hospital, Henry continued to claim that Mary Margaret was right and that John Doe was waking up.
"Henry, you should stay back," Sheriff Graham cautiously suggested once he walked over to Henry and Ms. Blanchard. There were several nurses in the small room where the coma patient was supposed to be being treated and watched over.
"What's going on? Is it John Doe? Is he okay?" Mary Margaret demanded to know. She fired questions one after another like a bullet in a rifle, rather than calmly greeting Graham. She had a problem with forgetting to formally greet the Sheriff and jumping to the point of things.
"Don't get so excited, Mary Margaret," Anna told her as she caught up to Mary Margaret. "We all know what happened last time you didn't think before acting.
"He's missing," Graham revealed solemnly. He stepped off to the side, turning to see Mayor Mills was also in the hospital. She appeared to be speaking with the nurses.
Emma Swan, Anna James, Mary Margaret, and Henry Mills were shocked as they noticed that John Doe was no longer in the hospital. He was missing. He was no longer lying in the uncomfortable hospital bed like he was supposed to. It was as if they had merely walked away from existence.
Regina Mills suddenly walked over to her son who was joined by the Nanny, Emma, and Ms. Blanchard. "What the hell are you doing here?" she angrily demanded, staring at Emma. "And you." She grabbed Henry, pulling him away from the three. "I thought you and Anna were at the arcade? Now you're lying to me?"
"What happened to John Doe? Did someone take him?" Mary Margaret urgently questioned.
"We don't know that, yet," Graham began to answer. "Their I.V.'s were ripped out, but there's no sign for sure there was a struggle. It's very likely that they're together now."
"What did you do?" Henry asked in disgust, looking up at his adoptive mother who he knew was also the Evil Queen.
"You think I had something to do with this?" Regina wondered in response, shocked that her son could think such a thing.
"It is curious that the Mayor is here," Emma suspiciously stated, indirectly agreeing with her son. Regina stared at the blonde woman in annoyance.
"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact," Regina snapped in explanation. Mary Margaret asked if she knew John Doe. "I found him on the side of the road years ago with no I.D. I brought him here."
Doctor Whale strolled over to the group that seemed to keep growing. "Mayor Mills saved John Doe's life," the doctor added.
"Will he be okay?" Anna asked.
"Okay?" Doctor Whale repeated. "He's been on feeding tubes for years, under constant supervision. He needs to get back here right away or quite honestly, okay might be a pipe dream."
Anna stared at him with slightly wide eyes. "R-Right. Dumb question."
"Well, then, let's quit yapping and start looking," Emma decided. She turned around to leave the hospital to search for them.
"That's what we're doing. Just stay out of this, dear. And since I clearly can't keep you away from my son... I guess I'm just gonna have to keep my son away from you," Regina snarled. She walked forward. "Enjoy my shirt... because that's all you're getting." Emma glanced down at the shirt Henry had stolen from his adoptive mother for his biological mother. "Sheriff, find John Doe. Time is precious."