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INDIANA JONES
xlii. TINY GIANT
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PRESENT
STORYBROOKE
"DO YOU THINK WE'LL be cold where we're going, or warm?" Henry Mills curiously asked his Nanny as she folded the boy's coat for him.
"Hm, well, layers aren't a bad idea," Indiana Jones opinionated with a small shrug while handing off the coat to the boy.
It was time for Henry Mills to join his biological mother and Rumplestiltskin to search for Baelfire. Indiana was worriedly putting things together for the boy, stressing over the fact that this would be his first time leaving Storybrooke since he sought out his real mother.
"I thought the terms of our agreement were quite clear," Mr. Gold admitted with furrowed eyebrows. He looked over at Emma. "You owe me a favor—you alone."
"I'm not leaving Henry here with Cora and Anna's big brother lurking about, so either we both go or we both stay," Emma declared stubbornly.
Rumplestiltskin stared at her for a moment, pondering to himself before saying, "Then, we'll have to purchase another plane ticket, won't we?"
"Wait, you're flying?" Indiana demanded, her eyes widening.
"Don't worry. I'm covering expenses, even the new ones," Rumplestiltskin told the teenager.
"You're a real gentleman, aren't you?" Charming sarcastically asked, making his way down the stairs within his shared apartment. He handed Emma another bag she had packed. He proceeded to talk to Mr. Gold while Indiana crouched in front of Henry.
"Okay, um, don't talk to strangers, listen to your mother, and call me every single day, got it?" Indiana listed sternly.
Henry saluted to her like a boy scout would to his troop leader. "Don't worry, Anna," he told her, rather excited to be flying. "I'll be fine!"
"I know, but I won't be able to protect you while you're out there," Indiana pointed out. "Let's see... what else? Oh! Don't trust those flight attendants."
Raising his eyebrows, Henry stated, "Maybe I shouldn't have shown you all those conspiracy theory videos."
"Look, all I'm saying is that Amelia Earhart didn't die that day," Indiana innocently opinionated, holding her hands up. "Oh, and don't get me started on those positions they make you do during an emergency landing."
"You don't really believe those, do you?" Henry wondered in amusement, more entertained than afraid of those theories being true.
"You're asking a fairytale character if I believe in conspiracy theories?" Indiana deadpanned.
"Right," Henry brushed off. "It's not like those will happen anyway. If they did, we'd be screwed."
Emma's eyes widened. "Henry!" she scolded while Indiana snorted and gave the kid a high-five.
➖➖➖
While the entirety of Storybrooke had set their hearts on discovering where the malicious witch, Cora had run off to, Indiana Jones would be found in the forest. She had chosen to brush up on her dagger-throwing ability, considering she felt as though she had lost her touch. This was ironic because even after not using a whip or knife for 30 years, Indiana Jones could still easily take out a group of soldiers.
The brunette's wrist cranked backward as she gripped onto the hilt of the sharp-ended weapon. She narrowed her eyes at her target, which was a shiny, red apple. Flashbacks of her training in Neverland played in the back of her mind, but it wasn't enough for her to break down crying because she felt so bittersweet about the island.
Sharply, Indiana Jones flicked her wrist and allowed the dagger to slice through the air until it landed in the center of the apple. The force that was used was so strong that it slice straight through the core before getting stuck up against a lone log.
Indiana was having a hard time trying to realize what she missed more: the Enchanted Forest, Storybrooke during the curse, Neverland, or simply life before Aunt Lucy passed away. She had come to many conclusions since the curse had been broken, but the one that had been bothering her the most was the idea of Anna James – her Storybrooke counterpart.
See, back in the Enchanted Forest before she met Peter Pan, Indiana Jones was a child. She never cursed, always sticking to her comical and sassy roots. She was always very obsessive. Then, when Indiana left Neverland, she became the exact opposite. Indiana swore all the time, using a lot of dry humor with the exception of her outspokenness and sarcasm. She became ruthless and vengeful, not to mention cold-blooded. But she blamed that personality change on the forgetting potion and learning the truth about what she'd been looking for all her life.
Then the Evil Queen cast a curse that ripped the majority of the civilians living in the Enchanted Forest and dropped them into Storybrooke, giving them brand new counterparts. Each person's counterpart had something to do with their identity in their original realm. For example, Granny owned her own Diner because she had a knack for cooking.
However, everyone had a similar counterpart to their real personality, except Indiana Jones. Anna James was very quirky and awkward. She was kind and polite, but still naïve. She apologized over anything that could have even been interpreted as rude.
This was how Indiana came to the conclusion that Anna James was the version of Indiana that should have been born. "Anna" was who Indiana was supposed to be the version of Indiana that would have been created if she had never been abandoned as a child. Think about it, Indiana had heard plenty of stories of Killian's life as a child. He was an angel. But then his father abandoned him, and his life turned upside down.
The whole idea of it was bothersome to Indiana. It made her think about what life would have been like if she never lived with Aunt Lucy, if she had always stuck with her big brothers and father.
It made her think about what life would be like if she were good, rather than bad.
This was how Indiana found herself daydreaming about what would have been for the next few hours.
Until her phone suddenly began to blare in her ears.
It was a message from Snow White that was a bit discrete. All it said was: GIANT ON THE LOOSE. That was enough to make the brunette go running into the town.
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When she arrived, she noticed that there were people shouting indistinctly and screaming loudly. This caught Indiana's attention, but she was unable to peel her eyes off of the Giant.
"Head to the Town Hall!" David's voice shouted. She turned around, stepping to the side as the people of Storybrooke pushed past one another whilst running away from the Giant's wrath. "Bring anyone you find on the way! Somebody get Leroy! And where the hell is Indiana?"
"I'm here, I'm here!" Indiana called out, rushing over to the married couple. "I found your Giant."
"Yep," Snow breathlessly declared, somewhat out of shape. "I just didn't think he would be so..."
"Giant?" David filled in.
Indiana raised an eyebrow. "He's a Giant. What do you mean you didn't expect him to be—Never mind," Indiana muttered. "You two ever stop a Giant before?"
"Can't say I have!" Snow exclaimed.
"Well... here's to new firsts," David declared.
Indiana gave him a look. "Is that fancy talk for "losing our Giant virginity"?" Indiana queried. Her question never got answered because David suddenly ran toward the Giant. "Oh, yes, let's run towards the crazy Giant! Like that'll help anything."
"Wait! You don't have to do this!" David shouted, gaining the Giant's attention.
"Yeah, I do," the Giant replied. "You destroyed everything in my life. Now you're gonna know what that feels like."
"The man who hurt you—that wasn't me," David exclaimed. "That was my twin brother, James. We were separated at birth. He was raised by a... a ruthless King."
"You're not James?" the Giant wondered. "Then where is he?"
"He paid the ultimate price for his arrogance. He's dead!" David continued. "There is nothing more you can do to him."
Then, Snow burst forward yelling, "We're on your side, Anton!"
"Didn't that stupid girl just hear me...?" Indiana mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose. She walked over to their side, Grumpy joining them.
"We're good! We're here because of you! You know our daughter, Emma! You gave her the Magic Compass," Snow continued.
"Emma?" he repeated. "Let me talk to her. She says you're okay, then I'll stop."
Snow and Indiana exchanged glances as the teacher stammered, "She's... She's kind of out of town!"
Anton gave them a look. "Really?"
"But when she gets back, I know she'll really wanna talk to you," Snow urged.
"How convenient," Anton sarcastically declared. "Everyone I'm looking for isn't around! All you humans do is lie and cheat and kill, and I'm sick of it!"
Then, Anton stomped his feet and ran at them again. "Oh, my—Shit!" Indiana shouted as they all turned to run away from the Giant.
"So let me get this straight. You got a twin brother?" Grumpy questioned as they ran.
"Yeah!"
"His name is James," Grumpy continued.
"Right."
"Well, your name is James," Grumpy pointed out.
"No, actually, it's not," David revealed as Anton got caught on the power lines.
"It's Charming, then?" Grumpy continued to question.
"No, that's the nickname I gave him!" Snow pitched in.
"Then it's Prince Jackass?" Grumpy wondered.
"No, you idiot! That's the nickname I gave him!" Indiana denied. "I only called him that once—well, maybe twice. Actually, now that I think about it..."
"Wait, hold on. What the hell is your name?" Grumpy demanded.
"David," Charming told him.
"Your curse name?" Grumpy queried.
"My real name!" David corrected.
"What—you're David, James, Jackass, and Charming?" Grumpy asked while they turned the corner. "Is David like a middle name?"
"No! It's my name name!" David denied.
"You know what? I'm gonna call you whatever I damn well please!" Grumpy shouted in annoyance. "Is that okay!?"
"Sure, Leroy," Indiana replied, not really caring. "So what exactly is the plan?"
"Lead the Giant away from here so he can't hurt anyone," David decided.
"But if we keep heading in this direction, we're gonna hit the town line!" Snow pointed out.
"Okay, new plan," David said, stopping as they ended up at the docks. He turned around to face the Giant, who was still bolting after them.
"What are you doing?" Snow anxiously demanded.
"Giving him what he wants," David answered, walking forward. "Anton! How about we make a deal?"
Anton stopped just a few feet away from them. "I don't make deals with humans," Anton informatively said.
"Just hear me out," David pleaded. "I'll surrender myself to you if you spare the lives of everyone in Storybrooke."
"David, you can't do this," Snow told him while running to his side.
"If I don't, the whole town will suffer. I can't allow that," David mentioned to his wife. He turned back to Anton. "Well, what do you say?"
"All this heroic-talk is seriously getting annoying," Indiana mumbled. "Honestly, I'll thank the Giant if he steps on me."
Anton paused before yelling, "Deal." The sound of his footsteps thudding against the ground was heard as he rushed toward them. Her eyes widened as he went to jump on them.
"Never mind! I take it back!" Indiana shouted as they all leaped out of the way.
Anton grunted as he squirmed around the hole he created when he jumped into the ground. He appeared to be stuck. Matters didn't seem to get any better when a blue smoke emerged from all around him, causing him to disappear.
Propping herself up with her hands, Snow White wondered, "Where did he go?"
"I'm not sure," David admitted, helping his wife up.
Together, the four stood up and cautiously made their way in the direction of the Giant-created hole. They peered down. Indiana raised her eyebrows at what she saw. The blue smoke didn't cause Anton to disappear. It caused him to shrink in size until he was the same height as a regular human being.
Anton grunted as he struggled to hold onto a piece of wood. If he let go, he would go plummeting into a dark abyss. Not too much longer later, David gathered as many people as he could along with his truck.
"That better hold," David told Grumpy, who held an extremely long piece of rope.
"It'll hold," Grumpy assured the man.
While Granny fastened the rope onto the bed of the Prince's truck, everyone got together and threw it down to where Anton was hanging. Each person prepared himself or herself to pull the rope. Snow walked forward and kissed David passionately. "Most people would let that Giant die after what he's done," Snow said.
"You wouldn't," David replied. He grabbed the rope tightly in his fists before yelling, "Alright, Anton! I'm coming down!" He lowered himself down. "Grab my hand!"
Anton was silent for a moment while grunting as he began to struggle to keep his grip. "No!" he finally declared.
"No?" David repeated.
"I don't wanna go back up there!" Anton exclaimed. "I should just let go!"
"You'll die!" David told him.
"Maybe death hurts less than life," Anton continued.
"Preach it, sister," Indiana muttered through gritted teeth as she held onto the rope.
"If you really wanted to die, you would have let go already," David mentioned sternly. "Now, take my hand."
Soon enough Anton was pulled out of the crater along with David. Anton laid on the ground breathlessly. "You saved my life," he breathed.
"That's kinda what we do," Indiana told him. "We're not all the same, Anton."
"I agree with the bandit," David said, earning a cheeky grin from Indiana as she wiggled her eyebrows at him. He shot her a look before continuing. "I don't know what my brother did to you, but... that's not us."
Anton sharply exhaled. "You have no idea."
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Later that evening after getting Anton settled in and beginning the works of growing Magic Beans (courtesy of Anton, who had the stem of a Beanstalk left over), David Nolan walked out of Granny's with two cups of coffee in his hands, Indiana waiting beside them with a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon. She was missing Henry particularly on that cool night.
"Here's to not getting squashed by a Giant," David toasted as he handed his wife the second cup.
"I'll drink to that," Snow declared with a small smile on her face. She looped her arm through David's.
"You know, sometimes I wonder how things would've turned out if I had been the one raised by King George, instead of my brother," David randomly told them. "You know... would I have been... corrupt like him?"
Indiana snorted while Snow shook her head and said, "Never."
"Same blood ran through our veins," David pointed out.
"Sure, but your hearts are different," Indiana wisely told them, walking backwards as she faced the couple. "You might not believe it, but trust me, I know you're Charming."
Snow White smiled at her words, seeing as she had really matured throughout her years in Storybrooke and in the Enchanted Forest. "I had a lot of fun today," Snow told them after a short moment of silence.
"Fun?" David repeated in disbelief. "Almost getting killed is fun? I think you've been talking to Indiana too much."
She raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her warm beverage. "You know I don't just sit in my room plotting how to murder random people, right?" Indiana asked the man, who laughed at her question.
"Yeah," Snow told them. "I missed our adventures!"
David chuckled. "Me, too," he said. "It was kinda fun. You know, we could do this all the time. When the beans grow, we could go back. Everyone could go home."
"I don't know," Snow admitted, her smile fading.
"What don't you know?" David wondered in confusion.
"Home is where our family is," Snow declared, making Indiana press her lips together. "And that's here. I don't know if Emma would come with us and I am not going to be separated from her again."
"You're worried about her," Indiana realized.
"Wouldn't you be, too?" Snow asked.
"Of course, but..." David sighed. "Emma—Emma can take care of herself, and I'm sure wherever she and Henry are, they're safe."
As they continued to walk back to the apartments in silence, Indiana Jones continued to look back at her phone as she awaited a text from Henry. Snow's words continued to echo in her head.
Home is where our family is.
But who was Indiana's family? Snow and Charming? Baelfire? Cora? Killian? God forbid—Rumplestiltskin? Peter Pan and the Lost Boys?
Once again, Indiana was torn apart.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
sorry for the excruciatingly boring chapter -- i've never really liked this episode all that much, so watching it for hours while writing this was literal hell.
this chapter was to give you a little insight on what's been going through indiana's head nowadays. she's starting to realize who she is and wants to be. she knows she can be evil, but she's never had a taste being the good guy for once. she wants to know what it would be like to be "anna james" and do something right for not just herself, but the people around her.
things will get more exciting, though, I promise! :)