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INDIANA JONES
xv. A VERY UN-MERRY BIRTHDAY
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PAST
THE ENCHANTED FOREST
"HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, INDIANA."
The brunette gazed up at the sailor who wore more leather than any other man she'd ever seen or met in her entire life. She couldn't help but smile at him, feeling truly and genuinely happy upon being in his presence.
"I didn't know you had such a soft side, Cap," the newly turned 16-year-old mused as she glanced down at the cupcake in his large hands, making it seem much smaller than it really was. Simply observing the dessert made Indiana's mouth water. "Or that you remembered today was my birthday."
For the past year, Indiana Jones and the sailor would run into each other at the most random of times. This was one of those times. They had become rather close, despite the 12-year age gap. Though Indiana didn't know too much about Captain Hook, he seemed to know everything about her. She told him about Aunt Lucy and how she wanted to discover the truth about her family. He knew everything, whereas Indiana only knew that he had an older brother named Liam, who was now among the deceased.
Nonetheless, Captain Hook could easily read Indiana Jones like a map.
Captain Hook smiled down at her, rather than smirking like he normally did. "How could I forget? Your very merry birthday is celebrated in most Kingdoms," he mused.
Letting out a snort, Indiana shook her head. Every single year on her birthday, all Kingdoms that she'd visited in the past were on high alert. This was because every year on November 4th, Indiana Jones usually pulled off some kind of great heist. When she turned 14, she beheaded a whole team of Royal Guards just because they wouldn't let her steal some bread. When she turned 15, Indiana snuck into a castle and stole Princess Eva's tiara. She ended up returning it when she realized that it just took up space in her bag, though. This year, Indiana didn't have any plans.
"Well?" he asked once Indiana took the cupcake, holding it in her hands with a look of awe in her eyes. Indiana looked up at him with her infamous look of confusion. "You're not going to make a wish?"
The girl chuckled quietly. "I'm a little old to be making birthday wishes on sweets," Indiana retorted. "Geez, how old do you think I am?"
"16."
"Point taken."
Indiana looked down at the cupcake, staring at the tiny flame that danced on top of the candle that was stuck in it. She didn't bother wondering where the sailor stole the treat. Instead, she sucked in a breath of air and shut her eyes. Thinking of a wish, Indiana gently blew out the flame.
Once the deed was done, Indiana pulled out the candle. "What'd you wish for?" the captain wondered nosily.
"What's the fun in it if it's not kept a secret?" Indiana fired back. Hook rolled his eyes at the girl.
"Like you'd keep a secret from me."
"Point taken... again," Indiana responded in amusement. She dipped her finger into the frosting, licking it off of her finger before answering his question and relieving him of his curiosity. "I wished for a big adventure."
Hook arched an eyebrow. "That's a new one," he commented. "Why an adventure? You're the one who said your whole life was one big adventure."
"Hook, I'm an adventurer, just like in the books Aunt Lucy used to read to me," Indiana said matter-of-factly. "Adventure is practically my middle name."
"Except it's not."
Indiana hit his arm playfully. "Yeah, yeah. Point taken, whatever," Indiana waved off for the third time that day. "It's not like that wish will come true anyway. They just put that garbage in kids heads because it's better than hearing the ugly truth."
"And what would that truth be?" Hook wondered.
"That wishes don't come true," Indiana answered with a shrug. She continued speaking with a bittersweet smile on her face. "I might never learn the truth about my family or get my big adventure, but at least I have you and this cupcake, right?"
Oh, if only she knew how incredibly wrong she was.
➖➖➖
PRESENT
STORYBROOKE
"I'm not an idiot for running against Regina, right?"
Anna James observed as Emma Swan threw darts from within the Sheriff's station. Ever since Sheriff Graham mysteriously passed away, the town of Storybrooke had been looking to appoint a new Sheriff. Regina was originally going to make that person Sidney Glass, but Emma stepped in and nominated herself as a candidate to become the next sheriff.
As of now, Emma was beginning to second-guess herself.
"You're an idiot because you're you," Anna sassed before her eyes suddenly widened.
'Where did that come from?'
"I'm so sorry," she immediately apologized.
Emma gave her a look, consistently wondering if this girl truly was Indiana Jones. The blonde then told her not to worry about it. Anna nodded. "Anyways, how bad could it be? Sidney isn't exactly Sheriff material. At least you have experience as a Deputy," Anna assured her as she threw another dart, missing horrible. "You're really bad at this, you know."
"Yeah, like you're any better," Emma grumbled before sighing. "I don't know, kid..."
"What's the worst that could happen? It's not like they're asking you to save someone from a burning building," Anna pointed out. "Just believe in yourself."
Emma snorted. "Have you met me? Emma Swan and belief do not mix well at all," the woman responded.
Anna hummed. "Fine." She stood up and took a dart from the desk behind Emma. "If I hit that bullseye, you're going to run for sheriff without second-guessing yourself."
"Hmph. Knock yourself out, but there's no way you'll--" Emma stopped when Anna cranked her hand back and threw the dart. It landed right in the center. "--hit the bullseye... Since when are you good at darts?"
Shrugging, the brunette replied with, "I'm not." She turned back to Emma. "Looks like it's time to believe in yourself for once."
Just like that, Emma was beginning to believe that this girl really was Indiana Jones.
➖➖➖
PAST
THE ENCHANTED FOREST
After saying farewell to the sailor that she looked up to as a brother, Indiana decided to make her way back to the little camp she had set up not too far in the forest. As she walked, she couldn't help but notice how the area around her was suddenly becoming filled with smoke. The gas continued to flow all around her until Indiana was suddenly teleported out of the forest.
Glancing around frantically, Indiana tensed when she heard the familiar and rather irritating voice of Rumplestiltskin. Her eyes adjusted to the light that came from his home and soon enough, she could see him clearly standing in front of her. "Hello, dearie!"
The girl let out a groan of displeasure. "You again?" Indiana greeted. "I swear, it's like I can't get rid of you, lizard skin."
Rumplestiltskin's jaw dropped slightly at the name. "Lizard?" he repeated defensively. "Quite frankly, I think crocodile is much more suiting for my good looks."
"Get on with it, Rumple," Indiana demanded impatiently while folding her arms over her chest. "What can I do for you?"
"On the contrary, it's more like what can I do for you?" he retorted, causing her to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Kinky, but you're a little old for me if you haven't noticed," Indiana responded with a blank look on her face.
The man with scaly skin couldn't help but slap his palm on his face in frustration. "No, not that, you idiot!" Rumplestiltskin hissed. "I heard that today is your 16th birthday. In return, I decided that my gift to you is some information... about your family."
Indiana's ears perked up. "Wait a second... you know about my family? My real family?" the brunette asked excitedly. "I'm so stupid, of course you do! You're the flipping Dark One!"
"If you're done rambling, I'd like to continue," Rumplestiltskin snapped. The girl shut her mouth rather than giving him a snarky remark. She was too excited to hear what he had to say. "Anyways, as I was saying, I'll tell you everything you want to know about your family."
"Then get on with it, Alligator Man!" Indiana roared.
"Under one condition."
Upon hearing this, Indiana let out another grunt. She stomped her foot on the ground, whining like a small child. "Oh, come on! Seriously? What is it with you and making deals and conditions?" Indiana complained bitterly. "You couldn't just be a nice person for once?"
"Well, they don't call me the Dark One because I'm dark and mysterious, dearie," Rumplestiltskin stated, clearly entertained. "As I was saying, I know how desperate you are for this information, so I'm sure you'll be willing to do whatever it takes, am I right?" When Indiana remained quiet, he continued to speak. "All you have to do is steal something for me."
The girl tilted her head to the side. "Steal something? That's it?" Indiana repeated in surprise. "Why don't you just do it? You can't just... I don't know... magic it over here?"
He shook his head. "It's a bit more complicated than that," Rumplestiltskin mentioned. "Especially when it's in a different realm."
"You want me to go to a whole other realm just to get you something? How do I know this isn't like the whole Sivalinga situation?" Indiana wondered suspiciously.
"Because this item is something that I need for... something in the future," Rumplestiltskin told her. "It's called Pandora's Box. It was stolen from me by a... an old friend a long time ago, and I need it back."
"An old friend? Why don't you just ask? I'm not following," Indiana said while rubbing her temple.
"He's more like an enemy, to be more specific," Rumplestiltskin elaborated. "This is a magical item that is much too complex for your little brain. It's—"
"Did you just call me stupid? On my birthday?" the 16-year-old interrupted defensively.
"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not," Rumplestiltskin fired back. "As I was saying, all you have to do is figure out where it is in the realm and bring it back to me. If you succeed, then I'll tell you everything you need to know."
"Wait, do you not know where this box is? How do you think thieves work, Rumple? We're not stupid. We need to know where something is before we steal it," she matter-of-factly said.
Rumplestiltskin gave her a sinister-like grin. "Well, that's why it's an adventure."
Indiana paused, thinking about it. She knew that this could be dangerous, but this was the first person Indiana had met that knew something about her family. She felt stupid for not realizing that the Dark One most likely knew something about her family, but nonetheless was glad that she was getting this kind of opportunity.
The girl looked up at him. "Okay. Say you send me to this realm. How do I get back?" Indiana wondered. He held up a small item that Indiana immediately recognized. "A magic bean? I thought those existed only in books?"
He shook her head. "It's not a normal magic bean, dearie. If it was, I would have used it to find my son a long time ago. This one will send you through a portal that only goes to a particular realm. Once you're there, you will find and retrieve Pandora's box for me. Then, you'll return with the same magic bean. It only opens portals in the Enchanted Forest and there," Rumplestiltskin explained. "Are you in?"
She merely nodded. "Sounds easy enough. When do I go?"
"Tonight," Rumplestiltskin answered. Indiana raised an eyebrow at this. "Well, you already have your weapons. Surely you know how to survive."
She shrugged. "I guess... Then... send me off, pops," she declared with a little smile. He threw the bean at her, which she caught easily. Indiana shoved it into her pocket.
"There's something you should know before I send you off," Rumplestiltskin started. He looked at her with fear in his eye. "Beware Peter Pan."
Indiana raised both of her eyebrows. "Huh? Why? Who's—?"
"Alright, have fun!" Rumplestiltskin exclaimed.
He created a portal with his hands that appeared below her. Letting out a squeal, Indiana flew through the portal.
'Most kids have a party for their birthday. What do I do? I do dirty work for the flipping Dark One,' Indiana bitterly thought to herself as she landed on her bottom with a grunt. 'This is one very un-merry birthday indeed.'