"Mom I really think this is a bad idea," Emma says. She and Killian stand with her parents as Snow prepares to take on CJ in an apparent duel.
"Emma, she needs to learn to respect people, especially adults."
"Well, technically since she is our daughter, shouldn't we be dealing with this?" the blonde asks.
"I'm just making it a little easier for you to handle her," Snow says. She's changed into more comfortable clothing for the battle. She also had Regina poof up her bow and arrow too, even though they would be mostly fighting with swords. David had bequeathed his own sword to his wife to use, while everyone else watched the arrogant teenager sharpen her cutlass while being cheered on by the rest of Uma's crew, all except Harry, he keeps his distance from all of this commotion.
"Besides, aren't you better with a bow? Isn't that your weapon of choice?" Belle asks as she burps Gideon against her shoulder.
"You don't think that during all that time I spent as a bandit that I didn't learn to use multiple weapons? It wasn't until David and I married that he showed me the best way around a sword."
"Not that you ever needed help," he says. "You knew your way around more than one sword."
The couple grin at the lewd innuendo, David wraps his arm tightly around his wife's waist, trying not to laugh and Emma bites her lip before groaning loudly, completely and utterly mortified. Apparently, she was never too old to be embarrassed by her own parents. Guess they were not above making a dirty joke, especially when their son wasn't around.
"I can get Calista to shape up no problem," she says
"Aye, I don't doubt that you can put up a fight dear Snow, but she has likely grown up on a pirate ship, sword fighting is second-nature to anyone who's been born close to the water. And if she truly is my daughter... let's just say she's been fighting since before she could walk."
"e's not wrong," Harry says, coming up to the group with a burger in his hands. Despite CJ's fight for food, all the other kids are being fed. Mostly to shut Chad Charming up so he wouldn't continue to complain. Only a little bit of Granny's food has been saved for the victor of this competition. "Me mum always said she was fightin' the moment she came out of the womb."
"Mrs. Snow," Dizzy says, swallowing very hard. "Are you sure you'll be okay? I mean, I don't mean to doubt you, but I know the Isle pirates and their fighting is pretty brutal. And what about your son, he won't want you to get hurt, will he?"
Snow smiles and leans down to Dizzy's level. "I appreciate the concern Dizzy, but I'll be perfectly fine. Don't you worry about me, remember, I may be a princess, but I'm far from helpless"
"We always worry about you," Regina mutters. She knew that Snow would be victorious, in fact, everyone in Storybrooke did. Snow had many more years of experience than CJ, plus she didn't have the teenager's arrogance or over-confidence. However, the VKs and the AK were all extremely skeptical about it, especially Simon and Whitney. When they learned that this woman was their alternate mother, they became worried. The mother they knew back in Auradon was a very elegant woman, a real queenly monarch of style, grace, purity, and sweetness; they had never seen their mother ever get angry or even hold a weapon. She preferred diplomatic solutions even when the twins were little and would fight over their toys. The fact that this Snow White is more than willing to challenge an Isle child, is completely foreign to them.
Of course, on the other side of the battle, the War Frats were extremely happy that they're finally going to see some violence. While it may not be them fighting, at least one of their own is standing up to royalty and are giving them "what for." Who would ever think that dainty Snow White, a princess who talks to animals, could ever beat a pirate in a sword fight, let alone even hold a sword? The idea is laughable to all of them, and CJ felt like she had this victory in the bag. Once she won, she and the Frats could do whatever they wanted, including blowing this popsicle stand.
"You ready for this Duchess?" CJ calls out, shaking some of her blonde hair from her face. "Let's see if you can fight."
David reaches over, holds both of Snow's shoulders tightly and kisses her deeply. She tries not to smile as she savours the taste of his lips.
"Enough with the PDA!" Gil calls out. "Let's see a fight!"
CJ and Snow take their positions. Killian, unfortunately, must be the referee for this duel, considering his long career of them. Both women cross their swords, and Killian holds both tips of the weapons with his hook. He stares at his mother-in-law and then at his alternate daughter with some worry
"You sure I can't talk you out of it?" he asks Snow.
"Let's see who's the real Duchess around here," the teacher says, with a large smile on her face.
"All right, The rules: no blood."
The War Frats boo at this rule, but Captain Hook ignores them and continues. CJ groans in slight disappointment.
"Way to wussify the fight," she says snarkily.
"As I said, keep it clean, first one to disarm the other is the victor. Any further attacks on the unarmed will garner immediate magical intervention by the Saviour, the Evil Queen, or the Dark One's daughter." He stares heavily at CJ, who rolls her eyes and tries to remain focused. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Come on old man, you're boring us here!" Jonas shouts.
Killian gives a death stare at the unruly teenagers before turning back to the duelling parties.
"On my mark... Begin!" he releases his hook and immediately steps back.
CJ impulsively takes the first swing, trying to take out the princess as quickly as possible, however, Snow easily blocks her. The teacher waits patiently as the blonde pirate steps back after their swords scraped against one another and she takes a lower swing. Once again, the women with raven-hair blocks, fending off the attack with little to no effort.
The crowd has become silent, with the exception of the Isle pirates who are shouting and sounds of metal on metal. Snow and CJ continue to circle one another in perfect formation, neither afraid as their weapons continue to clash against each other.
Regina bites her lip in great annoyance of hearing the shouting; she should have the right to take away their voices just to shut them up. They all needed a great deal of discipline, but she was unsure if she wanted to even try with these kids. Evie stands next to her mother, Doug having wrapped his arm around his girlfriend tightly. The daughter of the Evil Queen saw this fight as completely pointless and also wished that the pirates would shut up.
Mal and her friends stand next to a nearby picnic table, thoroughly impressed by Snow White's fighting stance. At one point, Ben leans over and whispers to her.
"She'd make an awesome coach for our Swords and Shields team,"
All the daughter of Maleficent can do is nod.
Meanwhile, Lily is praying that Snow White is disarmed, serves her right for being overconfident. That woman always got exactly what she wanted, and it was time she was taken down a few pegs. Next, to her, Maleficent is hardly paying attention to the fight but continues to stare at her new daughter, wondering how in the world was she going to bond with her. Was she even allowed to bond with her? What were the children from Auradon's current situation? Would they be leaving extremely soon? The thought of having another daughter greatly excited the former Mistress of all Evil. Her bonding with Lily had been a very slow process, mostly due to her daughter already being grown up, having her own opinions and ideas, but Mal was different, while she was a teenager, she was still growing and perhaps some good motherly advice would suit the purple-haired child.
Many of the AKs have finished their lunches and are also very impressed by how the Queen Snow White of this realm can hold her own in a fight.
Emma and Killian just hold each other, Killian's hook placed gently near his wife's growing baby bump and Emma leans into her husband's chest, seriously questioning all this. She's become worried that both of them are going to be pretty crummy parents if her mother has to step in to discipline the selfish little girl who thought she was amazing. While Killian had easily handled Harry to subdue his attitude, and she had raised Henry with Regina through the rebellious teenage years, she still worries about the little life growing inside of her. Could she be a good parent to the little boy or girl in her womb? None of them had ever done the diapers or the late-night feedings and it scared her; if they couldn't handle two disobedient children, then how could they raise a new baby? Killian kisses her neck gently to relax her, feeling the tension in her stance. He too had his worries about their future little ula, which is their little "sea jewel", but he had no doubt that Swan would be a wonderful mother to him or her. These "alternate" children were obviously raised very poorly by their real Captain Hook father and Killian vowed he would never raise his and Swan's child to be like Harry or Calista Jane. He'd had enough poor parenting from his own father.
Crystal and Harry end up sitting next to each other on one of the picnic tables, watching, while the girl of the group holds and plays with her baby brother. The young woman can feel her cheeks flushing slightly and her heart racing in her chest because she is sitting next to him. The heat seemed to radiate off this guy as he watches his sister battle a very fearsome opponent. For some reason, she becomes tempted to speak to him, just to make conversation and apparently ignore the fact that he's been actively stalking her.
"Snow's going to win you know," the daughter of Rumpelstiltskin says to him.
"I don't doubt it," the son of Captain Hook says.
Crystal looks at him shocked. "Really?"
"Aye, she knows her way around a blade much better than CJ."
"I'm surprised that you're not cheering with The Goonies knock-offs over there."
While he didn't understand the film reference, Harry continues, "Believe it or not, but ah think Calista Jane needs te hae her ego deflated a wee bit."
"Really?"
"Aye, she's always been s bin daddy's wee favourite, if that is possible. Thinkin' she's the th' best thing since th' invention o' th' anchor."
"That must suck," she says sympathetically. Having grown up with solely her mother's attention, Crystal didn't know what it was like to have another sibling, that is until she came to town and now had to sometimes share her father's and step-mother's attention with Gideon. Of course, she was much too mature to truly be jealous and she loved her little brother with all her heart. She could, however, understand why people would become jealous and if the Isle Captain Hook was anything like the movie version, he would most likely play favourites, if at all. The baby of the family would like to be coddled the most, and Harry probably felt neglected in some ways, even though he was the only boy, someone who could bond more easily with his father-figure.
The big sister turns back to her brother as he gurgles happily from her arms. He reaches out and grabs a bit of her hair, but Crystal doesn't mind. The sweet display of affection between siblings seems to soften Harry Hook's face and he can't help but wish that he could be close to his sisters like that. Harriet hardly ever acknowledged that he existed when they were young, even though he followed her around constantly. But the way she ignored him or told him to get lost, he'd felt hurt and thought this is how all siblings were supposed to treat one another, so he did the same thing to CJ. Now, he sees something quite different, love between brother and sister, something he'd never seen before.
"Why is that?" she asks.
"Dad says that she reminds him most of our mother."
Crystal can actually see some sadness in the pirate's eyes and a little bit of envy. This is the first time she's seen some form of human emotion besides arrogance and outright cruelty from him. However, before she can ask another question, the battle takes a strange turn.
CJ grabs a low hanging branch from a nearby tree and uses it to propel herself up higher, thinking it will give her a better vantage point. Snow continues to fight, despite the girl having the higher ground. Eventually, the teenager climbs up onto the tree branch. She tries to appear to be tough and strategizing, but in reality, she is becoming tired and she needs a moment to rest. She's put 110% into this fight, just like her father always told her to do, but with all the energy she's invested into swinging her sword, she's begun to become worn out. She and Snow keep their eyes locked and the blonde girl smirks.
"Want to see who's the real bandit?" she taunts. She decides to continue climbing the tree, much like she would climb a mast. She wanted to make this battle a little more exciting and give her time to rest. There's no way that this "old woman" would climb the tree, it would damage her nails.
She turns away, the War Frats still cheering her on as she climbs higher and higher into the tree. Despite the height and her sore body, she feels like she can still win this duel no problem. All the bystanders crane their necks to see as she becomes smaller in the distance. Once she's up high enough that she's sure Snow White will not follow her, she perches herself on some shaky branches and turns to taunt her opponent.
However, when she looks down, there's no sign of the princess, merely spectators looking up at her. Had she given up, was she calling foul like Harriet often did when they used to sword fight? The height made her slightly dizzy, but she grasps her sword tightly, trying to gather her thoughts and rest.
"I usually think the forest is more my advantage," a voice behind the teenager which scares the living daylights out of CJ. The branches beneath her crocodile skin boots wobble dangerously.
The blonde pirate is horrified and shocked to see that Snow White is next to her in the tree, smiling mischievously and without a hint of fear.
"How... how..." she can barely get the words out she's in so much shock.
Snow doesn't say anything further, she uses her husband's sword to hook the handle of the girl's cutlass and send it falling to the ground.
Now disarmed, CJ lets out a slight squeak of fear, expecting the princess to draw blood or attack again, but Snow merely looks at the girl and says calmly.
"I win, great duel," she then offers her hand out to the girl for a fair shake.
However, at that moment, the branches that CJ had been standing on snap under her weight and she only manages to scream as she falls towards the ground. Snow has absolutely no time to try and grab her. All the teacher can do is shout:
"EMMA!"
The Saviour immediately rushes over and uses her magic to slow the girl's fall. Harry is panicking, and Killian is equally shocked and afraid, but once Calista Jane is caught in the wave of Emma's magic, they all appear slightly relieved. Emma slowly brings her down to the ground and places her on her feet. CJ is still panting in fear, the fact that she almost died, and her cheeks become red from embarrassment of losing the fight. Her heart is in her throat as she grabs the tree to steady herself. She's suddenly attacked with a hug by Harry. He holds his baby sister tightly, thanking the Lord that she was all right. While she's not used to the loving contact, the daughter of Captain Hook excepts it, happy to be alive.
Snow climbs down from the tree and goes to ensure that her former opponent is okay.
"Are you all right Calista Jane?"
The girl's brown eyes begin to produce tears from her brother's arms and she realizes that she's shaking out of fear. Emma and Killian both approach the siblings and Snow gently puts her hand on CJ's shoulder. The girl looks at Snow White and then at her "alternate" parents. She couldn't believe what this strange town had done already, turned her brother affectionate and had parents who were concerned for her well-being.
All she can do is nod at the princess and wait for her body to stop shaking. Most of the time, her father would yell and scream at her for being so afraid; in the pirate's business, she would face death on a daily basis and she had never been allowed to cry or show any type of fear before, but here no one was chastising her for being afraid that she had almost died.
The park area has become rather quiet, even the War Frats are a little stunned by everything; no one is cheering or booing over the fact that Snow White won, everyone is concerned for the young girl's safety, something none of the Isle kids had felt before.
Snow goes over and picks up CJ's cutlass. She goes over to the girl and in good spirit, offers it to her.
However, to everyone's surprised, Calista Jane refuses. Anyone who knew her would expect her to eagerly take the weapon back and demand a rematch, but this time, she just holds onto her brother tightly and just shakes her head.
"You won fair and square..." is all she can say, the statement slightly muffled by the fact that she's practically being smothered in Harry's arms.
Eventually, she becomes numb.
"Okay, okay that's enough," she says sassily, pushing out of the hug.
"Are you okay CJ?" Harry asks sternly.
She swallows and just nods.
"Good, I'm so glad you're okay." He says with relief, trying to show love towards his sister the way Crystal showed love to her little sibling.
"Now would you like a hamburger?" Snow White asked. "You most certainly have earned it."
A/N: Here's a nice long chapter for everyone. Hope you enjoy it.