"Well, well, well, the whole cavalry has arrived," Ursula smirks, her tentacles skimming across the water, propelling her towards land. "And they didn't bring pitchforks or torches this time."
"Snarky sarcasm must run in the family," Jay whispers to Mal.
"Most likely genetic," the daughter of Maleficent agrees.
In a brief flash of light, Ursula becomes bi-pedal again and pulls her wet hair up into a messy ponytail. She faces the group, unsure of what their intentions were. The same applied to the heroes from Storybrooke; those who'd met the sea witch previously knew that she was unpredictable and still had a lot of hatred and animosity toward everyone despite having her happy ending. Killian subtly takes a step back, making it appear that he's being polite, but in reality, he is masking his lingering fear and guilt of betraying Ursula all those years ago. Even though both dwellers of the sea had changed for the better, the captain could sense that the cephalopod still had animosity towards him. He hooks his arm around Emma's waist and appears to be trying to protect her and the baby when he just needed someone to hold him up. The Saviour could sense the tension in her husband's grasp and she squeezes his shielding arm comfortingly. They should not be afraid of her anymore, after all, there was no reason for the sea witch to attack unless of course Gold provoked her.
The VKs, including Harry, also step back. While this version of Ursula appeared to be even slightly nicer and tamer than the one on the Isle, they knew appearances could be extremely deceiving.
Uma remains in the water, with her turquoise tentacles allowing her to hover comfortably on the surface, watching the scene. She could tell that the group feared them. She chuckles to herself, relishing opportunities to make people squirm, it made her feel superior. Only weaklings were afraid of anything.
The former queen of darkness stares at the group, wondering what they were going to do next. The scene was so tense it could be pierced with a knife.
Rumple clears his throat, deciding to shatter the aforementioned tension. "Lady Ursula," he says. "Glad to see that you are enjoying the wonderful Maine weather."
"Water's a little too cold for my tastes, any place down in the Caribbean is ten times better."
"I would hope so," he nods, swallowing. For the first time in a long time, the Dark One was at a loss for what to say; small talk was never his strong suit.
"So what do I owe the pleasure of the Charmings, the Dark One, the one-handed wonder, and the New Kids on the Block?" she smirks.
"Nice 90s' reference," Crystal nods, always the one to support pop culture.
"I was around for them, after all, we arrived here before the curse came thanks to two certain people." She gives a sharp glance at Snow White and David.
Snow swallows heavily and leans into her true love. The two would always carry the guilt of what they did to Maleficent's daughter Lily, and unfortunately, Ursula and the deceased Cruella were more than willing to hold the act over their heads. The witches' return to Storybrooke had forced the Charming couple to confront their darknesses; first by trying to cover it up and then coming clean to everyone. While one could argue that it wasn't fully their fault, Isaac the Author had a hand in their decisions, they had still acted on their fears and a mother and daughter suffered for it. The two's years of separation that were longer than their own with Emma, it still pained the fairest one of all's heart the most. A burden to bear forever.
"Mortal music is rather boring though, has become rather repetitive in recent years, it's why I'm glad that sound travels slowly underwater."
"But songs about Poor Unfortunate Souls are okay?" Crystal retorts, even though it was done in a playful manner.
Everyone from Storybrooke worries that this remark will set the witch off. If it wasn't the Dark One who would make her mad, it could be his daughter. But instead, Ursula just smirks and turns back to Rumple.
"So to what do I owe the honour of all you 'heroes' gracing me with your presence?"
"We have come to ask your offspring a question," Rumple explains.
"Really? Haven't you done enough to her already? After all, she was attacked by the Dark One and thrown in jail."
"For shoplifting," Emma cuts in sternly. "Just because our town has magic, doesn't make anyone above the law."
Ursula glares at the Saviour, but the blonde stands her ground. She bears the sheriff's badge for a reason and it's her job to honour it.
"And it was only going to be temporary," the pregnant woman explains. "It also gave her place to sleep instead of having her wander the streets all night."
"While surrounded by cold steel bars," the sea witch continues.
"Uma is not innocent in this," Mal says, deciding it was finally time to speak up. "She doesn't care about other people's feelings and usually they are just a means to an end until she gets what she wants."
The woman turns to the daughter of Maleficent, surprised that she had spoken up. While Uma had mentioned this purple-haired nuisance a few times, it was clear that the two did not get along at all. Both girls were hot-headed and too proud to admit their mistakes.
"Did she also mention that she's the reason we're in this mess in the first place?" Evie adds, standing by her best friend.
"Or that she abducted my boyfriend and threatened to strangle him if I didn't do what she asked?" Mal continues.
Ursula does her best to hide some of the surprises in her face, but deep down, she feels some pride that her daughter from Auradon had such a strong streak of evil and wickedness within her. A real chip off the old block and then some. Her mind races to form the appropriate response.
"N-No, she had not."
"Uma was the one who created the portal that brought us all here, against our will," Jay chimed in.
"And her first-mate can prove it," Evie says.
All eyes fall on the son of Captain Hook. His blue eyes go wide in fear of being put on the spot. He swallows heavily and he unconsciously begins to fiddle with the fake hook hanging from his belt. He begins sweating as his eyes dart to the faces staring at him. At one point, he can see Uma slowly moving towards the crowd, the anger apparent on her face.
"Isn't that right Harry?" Mal barks sharply.
Again, the pirate hesitates and feels that the level of fear growing inside of him. His eyes go to anyone who might help him out and they land on Crystal.
Her expression is unreadable to the point where Harry wonders if she even cares about what is going on. She seems disinterested, angry, curious, and yet sympathetic. Her own blue eyes are softer than any of the others. His heart pounds against his chest and he remains locked in a gaze with her until Evie clears her throat to bring him back to reality.
"Well..."
The poor teen opens his mouth. "A-Aye,"
"A coward just like his father, never thought you had it in you to have children Killian, let alone for the Saviour to allow you to knock her up."
The snarky remark makes both Killian and Emma begin to get angry, especially the pirate. Gone was that lingering fear, replaced by a newfound rage. Insulting him was one thing, but his son and his and Swan's unborn child is unacceptable. His hook twitches, almost ready to let it loose on the unsavoury sea creature.
However, Crystal beats him to it.
"Watch it Tentacruel!" she says angrily. "The only reason we're not sending you back into the sea for that is that we need your daughter's help and evidently, the two of you have formed a bond. You're probably one of the few people she's willing to trust right now. Whether that bond will require therapy remains to be seen, but let's face the facts, Killian is and will be a far better parent than you can even imagine. While you've been living your happy life coping with your Daddy issues, Killian's made strides to better himself in every way. He sacrificed his life to save this town god damn it! Which I doubt you would ever be willing to consider. Now would you be so kind as to step aside so we can talk to Uma?"
Everyone, including the sea witch, is taken aback. While those from Storybrooke knew Crystal as an outgoing, bright, sarcastic, but very caring person, they knew that the minute someone threatens those she loves, that personality disappears and opens the gates to the darkness. Like father, like daughter, the young woman was fiercely protective and would do anything for anyone if it meant that they were safe. While Ursula had not made an outright threat to Killian, the insulting way she'd acted brought out the girl's claws. Even the kids from the Isle had seen Rumple's daughter become angry, but never like this.
Snow, David, Emma, and Killian all take a quick step back as Crystal's hands begin to glow a very dark purple and the ground beneath her rumbling slightly, knowing what this could possibly lead to. Mr. Gold stands by, appearing stern but internally feeling proud of his own daughter. Her display of power and darkness was something only he could ever rival, even if she ended up being stronger than him.
Mal, Evie, Jay, and Harry see the others react and decide to follow suit. This was proof that magic could be dangerous, and Evie now understood what both Emma and Crystal had said about magic having a very strong connection to emotions. The anger and power radiated off her in waves and while it was frightening, it was also kind of cool. Harry was particularly impressed. While he had been on the receiving end of some of her magic before, he found this attractive; a girl with a dark side, something that could not be tamed... much like him.
Ursula glares at the girl, wanting to break out her own form of attack, but Uma comes out of the water and brings the cephalopod back to her senses. The Dark One's daughter had spoken the truth about her new bond with Uma, and that she would be a terrible parent, especially considering her problems with her own father, but something about this girl caused her to rethink everything. As if wanting to set an example for the girl, or to become someone that Uma could be proud of, the sea witch backed off, taking her own step back and gathering her bearings.
"Why are you bothering me?" the daughter of Ursula asks, not sensing the danger of being so close to the Dark One's offspring who is probably seconds from exploding.
"We need to know the ingredients you used for that portal potion," Evie manages to say.
"Why should I tell you anything?" she says smarmily. Truly like mother like daughter.
"Because if you want to get home lass," Killian says. "We're going to need that intel."
"Who says I want to go home?" she snaps back.
The pirate grinds his teeth and inhales sharply. He had to remain calm and rational, it's what parents needed to do when dealing with rebellious teenagers. For some reason, imagining his and Emma's unborn son or daughter in their teens scared him more than midnight feedings and diaper disasters.
"Whether... you want to or not, your information is vital..."
...
Meanwhile, in the library, a hesitant teen manages to distract everyone long enough for him to grab the book containing the recipe for the portal potion and disappear again to see his mother.
A/N: Sorry to everyone that it's been so long. I had a huge test that I had to study for and I was so busy with other things that I didn't have a lot of energy to write. Fortunately, now the test is over and the stress will hopefully level out again. Never threaten anyone Crystal loves, or you will be on the wrong end of some dark magic. The same can be said for everyone in Storybrooke, willing to do whatever it takes to protect each other. A testament to the connections people have to one another.