Jemma got hit by a sleeping curse. No, not hit. Zelena put her under becuase she thought Jemma couldn't survive the fight. But while she was too busy protecting the most badass, half-superhero that I have ever met, the dragon killed my mother with one swipe of her wing, possibly. No one really saw what happened because again, everyone was too bothered with Jemma. Of course, where would I be if something happened to her, too? I would have no one left. My dad hated me because I was the reason he couldn't be with my mom. Peter hated me because I stole his girlfriend. But Jemma was basically gone, and I was alone. I needed her. I needed her help to get through this.
After the fight, Zelena brought everyone back to Storybrooke. Natasha stayed back with Sara. I needed to be around people after what happened. Who knows what I would've done if they left me alone.
As David walked down the stairs of his apartment with a sanguine look on his face, I attempted to ensconce the feeling of my soul leaving my body. He won. I couldn't be with Jemma because that was Henry's place. But as I stood helpless and watched Henry bolt away from the bedroom, my stomach dropped into my toes, and my heart was beating faster than The Flight of the Bumblebee. David's plan flopped... But that also meant Jemma wasn't safe. My eyes raced around as I searched for Peter. He was in a back corner on his laptop, presumably editing photos for his blog. I sheepishly crept over to when he was sitting, tarrying in my stride. When he noticed me and put his laptop away, he offered for me to sit next to him.
"I don't know why this is bothering me so much," I sighed. "I barely know Jemma. I mean, she's your ex. Why should I even care? I-"
"Stop," Peter interrupted before grabbing my hand. Not in the cute interlocking fingers way a boyfriend would, but in the I'm your older brother so you better shut up and listen kind of way. "I see the way you two look at each other. I know you love her, and don't tell me you don't because you used to look at me with those same eyes."
"Peter, what are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely. Did I love her? "How could I fall for a girl that was dating not only my ex, but my best friend? I mean, we've only known each other a few months. Love at first sight only happens in the movies."
"You are the demigod child of Thor and Jane that gave birth to Spiderman's daughter who was adopted by Captain America and Black Widow. She is the daughter of Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter that was adopted by the Blue Fairy and was parented by Snow White and Prince Charming. There is nothing more magical and movie-like than the two of you. Now please, don't let my giving up the girl I love be in vain. I couldn't live with myself if I let her go for nothing," Peter pep talked. It crushed me to see him so upset.
I smiled in thanks before pacing around the kitchen. I grabbed a can of cherry coke then timorously walked up the stairs. When I entered the room, Mary Margaret waited by her bed. Her eyes were puffy and swollen, but dry. A few moments passed before she noticed that I'd walked in.
"Peter was looking for you. He wanted you to give consent for a few pictures of Neal for his blog," I lied. "And don't worry. I can stay with her."
Mary Margaret burst out of the room on the verge of tears. I could barely imagine being in her shoes. If anything like this happened to Sara, I... I couldn't fathom the grief.
There was a little stool by her bed. Jemma's stomach raised in little puffs as she breathed. I reached out to hold her hand and it was as if I held a block of ice, which only made me take her one hand in both of mine to try and warm it. As I kept in mind what I was about to do, I replayed a very important memory in my mind. We sat at the stools in the diner because Peter attempted to force us into a friendship. Jemma's blonde hair was messy and wind blown as she smiled at me. I couldn't help but admire her beauty.
Her hair was in schoolgirl pigtails; the only hair in her face were her bangs. My final act of stalling: brushing her bangs off her forehead to reveal her gorgeous sleeping face. Everything about her was flawless. "If you don't do it now, you never will," I muttered to myself as I crashed my lips against hers. I pulled away quicker than I would have wished; however, my eagerness tempted me more than my lust. Before I even had time to question if everything went okay, Jemma sat up, inhaling a huge gasp of air.
"Beatrix," she chuckled. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before sitting up and pulling me next to her. Somebody must have changed her clothes because she wasn't wearing her dress. Mary Margaret must have. I saw her carry out a bloody, ripped something or other when I came in. Now she was wearing something more Jemma: overall shorts with lace along the bottom over a white tee and mixed matched socks. Only the overalls weren't buttoned, so she struggled to put them on in her current half-asleep state. "Help," she whined.
I did as told. Jemma made a little humming noise and snuggled into my chest in thanks. "I love you, Bea. Like more than a friend."
"I love you like more than a friend, too, Jemma," I chuckled. "Here." I handed her the can of soda that I didn't remember setting on the ground. As the caffeine woke her up, Jemma began playing with my fingers. She was always fidgeting, but it's my personal belief that that was due to her insane caffeine consumption.
Just as we thought everything was perfect, a loud thump came from outside the door.
"I'm gonna go check on that," Jemma said, a tad bit confused.
We walked. I stopped in the door way, but Jemma walked over to the messy haired boy moping on the stairs. She kissed him on the cheek and told him she loved him. Then he kissed her, but she shoved him away.
"What just happened?" she gasped.
"What do you mean?" he responded.
"Why did you kiss me?" she scoffed.
"Because I woke you up, didn't I? With true love's kiss?" he added.
"Ew! You're my brother! Beatrix woke me up," Jemma explained.
The light drained from his eyes as realization hit him. The girl he loved didn't love him back. And he had to cover his mistake.
"Just kidding. Peter thought it would be funny if I tried to kiss you. Just as a joke. Ha," he forced.
"Sure. Well, I'm gonna pack my bag. We're leaving soon." She didn't buy it.
Jemma gave Henry a final hug which hurt to watch. What if that was Peter and me in their place? Leaving my best friend to be with my father and girlfriend. After they broke apart, Jemma darted into the living room where she was ambushed by a group hug. She giggled and fought against the mob to get to me. She grabbed my hand and lead me to Steve.
"Just ask," she urged.
"Oh. Now that, um, my mom is, um, well, dead, I kinda need somewhere to live because I'm still underage, and I can't really live by myself," I rambled.
"Say no more. Yes, Jemma, Beatrix can stay with us until she turns eighteen," Steve promised.
Jemma smiled. Then she bent over for a quick kiss.
"It's weird kissing someone shorter than me," she said.
"When did this happen? And can I change my answer now that you two are a couple?" Steve chuckled.
"A while ago, and no because I love her. I'm not gonna tell you that you can't live with Natasha," Jemma chuckled.
"That's different. We're married with two kids," Steve laughed.
I debated making a joke about them only having one and a half kids because Natasha is technically Jemma's step- mom, but Henry pulled my away. That's odd...
"Promise me you'll take care of her," Henry said, without an ounce of his usual joking self. "If you hurt her, I will kill you. And don't think I won't know." He pulled his magic mirror out from his pocket.
"I still find it amusing that you are willing to carry around a Lilo and Stitch compact, just to talk to Jemma," I chuckled.
"I would do anything for her. Just promise me that you'll take care of her," he repeated.
"I promise as long as you make sure that Mary Margaret is okay when we leave. I know how much she loves Jemma," I smiled.
"Deal. See you around, Bea."
"See you around, Henry."
After Henry dissolved into the crowd, I searched for Jemma. A bouncing blonde bobbed around the kitchen, so I decided to squeeze my way over there. She stood facing the coffee pot as she made herself a cup. I walked behind her and stood on my toes so I could wrap my arms around her shoulders.
"Awe! Thanks, love," she smiled as she filled the mug to the brim with cream.
"Is there even any coffee in that? The only thing I've ever seen as white as that is your foundation," I teased.
"Love you, too," Jemma rolled her eyes.
She turned around so I could feel her ice cold hands wrapped around the scalding cup of coffee against my stomach. Her neck lowered a little until our foreheads were touching. I lowered my hands so they were resting on her hips. Looking up, I noticed the faint trace of green in Jemma's eyes.
"You have your dad's eyes," I whispered.
"Like Sara," she smiled. "You know what's weird? She's my sister, but I'm dating her mother. And her father is my ex."
"At least you're not Henry. His mom is his great-grandma. His step-dad's ex is his grandma. His step-sister is also his cousin," I laughed.
"True."
"Are you gonna drink that coffee or just look at it?"
"The latter. Its so pretty and swirly," she fantasized.
"That's because you didn't stir it, babe."
"I didn't stir it because its so pretty and swirly," she repeated.
I rolled my eyes and gave her a little peck on the cheek.
"You missed," Jemma scoffed before she set her pretty coffee down. She cupped my face in her hands and pulled me in for a passionate kiss. It was better than nice until an obnoxious cough came from behind us. Steve.
"Hey. We're gonna head over to Zelena's and go home. Do you wanna grab your jackets?" he said.
"Yeah," Jemma said. "We'll meet you over there in a little bit."
He nodded and we followed to the coat rack.
"Hey, I'm gonna go say goodbye to Henry," Jemma explained before leaving for the living room.
I felt bad interrupting their never ending conversation, but Steve had texted me roughly 583478865446896829 times. Not only had they alredy walked to the middle of the forest, but Zelena had already served them a few cups of coffee.
"Jemma, sweetheart, we've gotta go, or they're gonna leave without us," I sighed. "I hate to make you leave, but..."
Jemma looked at me with misty eyes. "Okay."
Henry gave her one last hug, almost refusing to not let go.
"I love you, jerk," Jemma sniffled.
"I love you too, Jemma," Henry sighed.
As we walked outside, a few tears dropped from Jemma's chin. She turned and nestled her head into my neck. The first flurry of the season snowed down and sparkled in Jemma's blonde curls. I rested my head on hers before kissing the top of her head.
"Hey. You're gonna be okay. I mean, its gonna hurt, but after a while, you're gonna realize that you have an amazing dad and step- mom who love you more than anything, the cutest little sister ever, the most amazing girlfriend. And its not like you'll never see Henry again. Regina made the mirrors so you can still talk and even visit each other. But if you sit here and cry, we can't go to this wonderful home that we have," I encouraged.
"I know. Its just hard to say goodbye to everything I've known for the past thirteen years. I'm excited to have a new life with you, and Steve, and Sara, and Tasha, but I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to leave Storybrooke behind," she sighed.
"If we go now, I'll buy you coffee at that place you love across the street from the apartment," I bribed, completely joking.
"Deal," Jemma chuckled.
I grabbed her hand, lacing our fingers together as we walked. The trek to Zelena's was pretty quiet. Jemma just wasn't in the mood to talk, which was okay, I guess. When we finally approached the cottage, she stopped dead in her tracks. The witch had already opened the portal. Officially no turning back.
"I can't do it," she whined.
"Coffee," I coaxed.
Jemma violently shook her head. "What about Mary Margaret, Zelena, and Henry?" she protested.
"Mary Margaret has David. Zelena has Baby Robin and Regina. Henry has his moms and grandparents and everyone else. And you have me. We can do this," I promised. Goodness. I loved the girl, but she seriously had some doubts about coming with me.
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Then she ran into the portal so she wouldn't have another chance to second guess herself.
~.~.~
Jemma
Steve's apartment seemed a lot smaller now that all three bedrooms were occupied, and Sara's play pen rested in the living room. The fact that Sara had a play pen in the living room confused me, especially because she had a nursery, but what did I know?
Beatrix was moving into my room. Steve insisted that I sit in the apartment and watch Sara while I was recovering, even though it was just a sleeping curse, and that was like a week ago.
"If anyone should be resting, it should be Beatrix. I mean, she just had a baby," I argued, wanting to help.
"That was almost a month ago. I'll be fine. Just sit with your little sister, okay?" Beatrix smiled.
She wrapped her hands around my waist and waited for a reply. I rolled my eyes in defeat; she kissed me in thanks.
Ah well. I held the sleepy three-month old in my arms while I sat on the couch. Her hair, at the moment, was a soft orange color, like a sunset. We noticed that her hair changed colors, which lead us to believe she maybe a shape shifter. Peter was helping Natasha, Steve, and Beatrix move boxes and crap, which honestly didn't take long because most of her possessions were musical instruments or sheet music.
After carrying Belinda the Bass up the five flights of stairs to get into the apartment, Peter sat next to me. Even though it had been about four months since the break up, we still hadn't had a civilized conversation. I knew it was bound to happen. I mean, he worked with my dad, was Sara's father, and my girlfriend's best friend. He was going to be around; there was no denying it. We even ended on good terms. I just wasn't sure if I was ready for him to be back in my life.
He was all sweaty from carrying boxes and heavy instruments up five flights of stairs in August.
"Man, who thought an elevator was against the law when they designed the building?" he chuckled, taking a drink from his water bottle.
"The building is old and has character," I assumed.
"Well, if Steve is a hundred years old and can pass for thirty, then this old apartment complex can have an elevator," Peter complained.
At the sound of his voice, Sara cried. She cried whenever Peter was around and not holding her. Sighing, he took her from me, and she smiled.
"Hi, Sara," he cooed. "Hi, baby."
I rolled my eyes, grabbed my book, and zoned out the baby talk. Steve, Tasha, and Beatrix brought up the last couple boxes. Beatrix sat in my lap and threw my book across the room.
"Why would you do that?" I screamed. "Not only did you loose my place, but you threw my baby across the room! I'm not gonna throw Sara across the room, so why are you gonna throw Harry Potter?"
"Geez. Calm down. I'll buy you a new one if it makes you feel better," she promised.
"I don't want a new one. I've had that one for longer than I can remember. Do you want me to buy you a new kid?"
"Jemma, breathe," Natasha warned (Also known as if I didn't calm down, she would kick me in the face. Or judo flip me. Or knock me upside the head in a various number of ways, most definately with a variety of weapons) before handing me my book.
I sighed, once again burying myself into a scene where the abused kid did amazing things. Maybe that's why I connected with those books so much. I always hoped that because we came from similar stories that we would have similar endings. As I grew, I learned that my story was nothing like Harry's. Maybe we were meant to have different endings. I liked where mine was going.
"Sorry, Bea. I still love you."
"I love you, too."
I grabbed Bea's hand and pulled her into my room.
"Okay. We need to talk about something," I began. "Um, I'm polyamorous. I don't know how you feel about it. Peter didn't want it, so we stayed monogamous, I'll do that for you, too, if that's what you want."
"Jemma, thanks for telling me. I've never been polyamorous before, and I feel like monogamy works for me. But everything about us is so new to me. What if we do that whole 'guilt free three' thing? Three people we could see without it being cheating," Beatrix smiled.
"Barry Allen, Jennifer Lawrence, and Teddy Lupin," I said, without a second thought, but it took Beatrix a moment to come up with her list.
"Sara Lance, Dodie Clark, and Dick Grayson," she laughed.
"Isn't dear old Robin your quote/unquote older brother?"
"I ran out of people."
"Well, you have me," I chuckled, giving her a gently kiss.
"That I do, my love," Beatrix smiled, kissing me back.