''So, now that we know who we're dealing with, how do we find this wicked witch?'' David looked at the six people surrounding him. Snow was on his left, her pregnant belly in her arms. Peter was on his opposite, Lillian next to him and Killian next to her. Emma and Regina were at the head of the counter and listened to Hook speaking.
'' Might I suggest we start by asking if anyone has seen a woman with green skin?''
''We're cursed in Storybrooke. She'll look like any of us.'' Regina argued with him, turning to Lillian who had been awfully quiet.
''Then we start somewhere we know she's been -- Regina's office.''
''I already tried that, there is no trace of anyone ever being in there.'' Peter held up his hand, his magic shimmering a silver under his hands. Looking back at Lillian, who was now staring at her feet, he frowned at her, moving his arm around her waist as he whispered in her ear.
''Maybe there is physical evidence you missed? Lily?''
''Huh? Sorry, uhm. I can go ahead and check it out?''
''Please, but we can't let Henry walking out here alone. Not with that witch and those flying monkeys.''
''Well, especially since one of those flying monkeys could turn out to be his father.'' As soon as he turned back to his cousin, he realized his mistake. ''Oh, lass, I didn't mean to --'' She shook her head at him. Raising her hand to stop him from talking.
''Point being, someone needs to protect Henry.'' Regina drew back everyone's attention and Lillian rolled her eyes, sarcastically waving with her right hand.
"Hello, I was his babysitter for eleven years." She shot at the adults in the room, sending Regina a dirty look when she shot the young girl an irritated glare. "He doesn't know what the hell's going on and I can hide it from him, so can Peter." Emma looked between the three and she sighed.
"I'm assuming all three of you are volunteering?" She asked and, to everyone's surprise, Peter shook his head once.
"No, I find I still have unresolved feelings of guilt for what I did to Henry." He pressed a kiss against Lillian's forehead before going to David's side. "I'll help them search for the Witch, you and Regina can spend time with Henry."
Lillian smiled softly at him and nodded, looking up at Regina who, despite not looking too pleased about having to share Henry, nodded in agreement to my tagging along.
--------Once upon a time--------
"You're pregnant?" Lilith asked in stunned shock as Snow nodded, gripping her hands tightly and the young girl suddenly squealed, causing Peter to cover his ears.
"If it bothers you, you can go, Peter." Lily shot at him, a playful smile on her lips. He smirked in response but didn't move from his spot on the balcony. The young girl turned back to Snow again, hugging her tightly. It was nice to see Snow and Charming set up their lives again. Her eyes widened as she smiled. ''Can I be the babysitter!?''
''Of course! That's why I came for you.''
--------Once upon a time--------
"The ice cream good?" Regina asked Henry as the trio walked around the lake, causing him to smile brightly at the mayor before he licked the cone again.
"Delicious." He smiled brighter. "My mom used to take me for gelato in Little Italy." He blinked, looking sheepish and Lillian smiled at the familiar expression on his slightly older features. "But," he raised the cone slightly. "This is just as good."
"Well, Storybrooke has it's own, little charms." Lily glanced at him, smiling and he returned it.
"Though I know it must seem quant compared to the big city." Regina added, looking around at the woods and the sorceress could hear the sadness in her voice that Henry would prefer New York to the place he'd actually grown up in.
"It's nice, actually." Henry piped up and Lillian glanced at him again frowning a little bit as Regina turned to her adoptive son with a small smile. "New York's great but there's so many people it can make you feel...
"Alone." Regina finished and Henry looked at her in surprise.
"Yeah." He agreed readily as we veered into the grass towards the water.
"Yeah, that's the best part of a small town." Regina began, moving her arm around. "Everybody, knows everybody. It's like..." she stopped before a smile slide onto her face and she looked towards Henry. "It's like a big family."
"A very big family." Lillian added, earning an annoyed glare from Regina at the reminder of the odd family tree they all had going. Technically, Lillian was now Henry's step-great-grandmother, as creepy as that sounded and his aunt by adoption as Gold was her Guardian in Storybrooke.
Henry didn't see the look she sent Lily and he nodded at her, smiling faintly at her words before he stopped at the edge of the bank, turning towards the two woman. "Can I tell you something?" He asked softly and Lillian could feel Regina's excitement.
"Sure." Regina encouraged with a smile.
"I don't think it was just the case that brought my mom to Storybrooke." Henry admitted quietly, like he was sharing a deep secret and a memory of their 'secret meetings' when he was a little boy hit the girl briefly before Regina's voice tugged her back to reality.
"Uh... What do you mean?"
"I think she wanted to get out of New York for a while."
"W-why do you think that?" Regina managed out, looking nervous, though he didn't seem to notice.
"My mom's boyfriend-his name is Walsh." Ah, so that was the name of the flying monkey masquerading as a human. That still made Lillian feel sick and disturbed on so many levels. "He proposed to her."
"Oh." Was all Lily could muster, as this clearly was not the direction she expected.
"And two days later, she's taking me out of school for some job in Maine." His expression turned slightly puzzled, yet still serious. "She wouldn't take a job in Queens if it meant I'd miss school."
"What do you think happened?" Regina said, attempted to join the conversation.
"I don't know." He shrugged, looking slightly upset and puzzled now. "But I doubt we'd be here if she said yes."
"And how do you feel about it?" Regina asked after looking at him for several moments, her expression unreadable but her emotions basically screaming at me. "Did you like him, this...Walsh?"
"I like how happy he made her." Henry smiled warmly, softly. "Plus, it might be nice to have more than two place settings during the holidays." He joked lightly and Lillian smiled softly, remembering the few holidays she'd spent with him and Regina, though she'd enjoyed celebrating them with Rumple and Belle.
"I think one day, you'll have more family than you'll know what to do with."
"You think so?" Henry asked, a small, hopeful smile spreading across his face and Regina nodded, smiling in return.
"I really do."
"David!" Lillian rushed out of Emma's care, sprinting towards the currently kneeling man and she reached down, pulling him to his feet as Emma reached us. "David, are you okay?"
"Yeah." David panted out breathlessly and Lillian let him lean on herself.
"Well, where is she?" Regina demanded.
"It wasn't her." David admitted, looking down at the ground as Lily quickly scanned him, grateful to find no injuries but puzzled at the state he was in.
"Then who was it?" Hook demanded, looking fairly concerned for the other man. "You look whiter than fresh sail."
"Myself."
"Come again?" Hook asked dryly, raising his eyebrow while he looked at David like the man had gone mad.
"It has to be the Witch." Lily muttered from David's side and all eyes turned to her, though Regina was nodding with the words. "She's toying with us." Lillian hissed out, incensed that anyone, no matter that it was her, thought they could toy with the young girl herself.
"Did you guys find where she might be hiding?"
"The farmhouse." Hook said. "We think it's her's." Lily blinked, suddenly realizing that Peter wasn't with them and he hadn't been with David.
"Where's Peter?" Lillian looked around eyes worriedly scanning the area, fixing Hook with a flat stare and he held his good hand up.
"Your boyfriend is at the farmhouse as well, he's guarding it for us."
"Then let's end this." David said, his tone final and low, earning nods of approval from Regina and Lily when he looked straight at Regina. "Send that witch back to Oz."
The group started towards the car and Hook spoke up, clearly bursting with questions for David. "Any particular reason she would send a demon that looks just like you?"
"No idea." David shot back, looking deeply troubled. "It was just there, wearing my face," he gestured to said face. "Harping on my deepest fears-"
That stopped Lillian and Regina.
"Wait." Lillian held out her arm and looked up at David. "It knew your deepest fears?"
"Yeah, things I never told anyone. Even Mary Margaret. It wasn't until I admitted them that I was able to defeat it by stabbing it with the hilt of my sword." Horror filled Lillian and she looked up at Regina, who looked as distressed as the teenager felt.
"W-where is it, your sword?" She demanded.
"Well, that's the strange part." He gestured back to where we found him. "After I filled it, the hilt it, it disappeared." Hook caught sight of the expressions on his cousin's face and spoke up.
"Well, what's that mean?"
"When we face our deepest fears," Regain began, explaining to everyone else. "Our true courage comes out." She looked at David, who nodded. "When you sued the hilt of your sword to vanquish your fears, your courage transferred into it."
"Then why'd it disappear?"
"It didn't disappear. She took it." Lillian hissed out though her teeth, looking at them darkly as her eyes bled red.
"Hang on." Emma looked at me, her eyes wide. "The Witch stole his courage?"
"Well, a symbol of it, at least." Emma looked down in shock. "And symbols can be powerful totems."
"Peter!" Lillian rushed forward when they rounded the house as she caught sight of him laying on the ground next to a storm shelter. Emma at her heels, she made it to Peter's side and fell to her knees, rolling him over and letting out a gasp at the blood on his temple. "You're okay."
He tried to sit up, his eyes wild and shocked, causing Lillian to push him back down until he calmed, his breathing still harsh and she and David slowly pulled him up.
"That lock." She pointed at said thing and it looked almost, burned. "It wasn't busted before."
"Pan, what happened?" Regina snapped and he blinked at her.
"I-I don't know...I was looking at the farmhouse and... I heard a noise and I turned but...something hit me." He touched his temple where the cut had been and he looked around, his expression deeply troubled. "I don't know who or what it was."
Walking inside the farmhouse, Lillian scanned the ground, eyes landing on a shimmering gold. "It feels like..." her eyes widening.
"What would the Witch keep in a cage, monkeys?" Emma whispered to David when they as well caught sight of the broken cage door.
"No, not monkeys." David whispered.
"Oh my god." Lily breathed out and fell to her knees in front of the spinning wheel, catching sight of the spools of gold.
"Now, how many people do we know, that can spin straw into gold?" David questioned, Emma answering him as tears of joy and agony filled Lilith's eyes.
"Rumple."
So sorry I'm late once more, I'm going to update my uploading again because it's just not working out for me. I'll let you know when I know when I'll upload. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you did, leave a vote, comment, follow and maybe even a theory/suggestion for my story. See you soon!
-X Violets-library