Season 2 Rewatch Drabbles--2x09 The Queen of Hearts
Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 2 of Once Upon a Time as an attempt to finally jump start the muse again. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on the very beginnings of Captain Swan’s epic love story, as soon as a certain dashing pirate makes his appearance.
Note: I know, I know. This installment is more than twice the word count I limited myself to in these drabbles (making this clearly not a drabble), but I couldn’t end it with that first scene. I just couldn’t! We needed a little hope and inspiration after all!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dried up. Dead. Useless. Much like you.
Emma slumped down the rocky wall of Rumplestiltskin’s cell and settled on the ground, dropping her head as the utter futility of their situation washed over her.
For several minutes after Cora and Hook had left the cave, her anger had fueled her, giving her the strength to use her sword to bang away at the bars of their prison, to use brute force to try to get them the hell out of here.
If nothing else, it had been a good outlet for her aggression.
The absolute son of a bitch!
He’d betrayed her, betrayed them all, stolen the heart out of a princess’s chest for the sole purpose of manipulating them. Who did that?
You betrayed him first, a small voice in the back of her mind whispered.
It was that voice that made the fight go out of her entirely. Maybe if she hadn’t betrayed him, he would have continued to help them. Maybe it would be Cora in this cell instead of them. He’d already shown himself to be endlessly resourceful. Who’s to say she hadn’t picked the wrong side?
Not that she had any illusions that he was anything more than an absolute blood-thirsty mercenary, who would stoop to absolutely anything to get what he wanted. No, she was right to not trust him.
Where she messed up was in trusting herself.
Dried up. Dead. Useless. Much like you.
He was right; she was useless. What good had she ever been? Yeah, she was the “savior”, but this cell, the scroll Rumple had written, proved it wasn’t anything special about her. She was the savior because Rumple had made her the savior. Now that she’d broken the curse she was indeed useless.
And even a man she’d just met could see it. The two of them understood each other, after all.
Dried up. Dead. Useless. Much like you.
The thing is…he hadn’t meant it; not really. Her superpower had not only flipped on at that phrase but sounded as loud as a five-alarm fire warning. He’d been lashing out, trying to hurt her.
Because of how badly you hurt him.
The guilt bumped the hopelessness out of the way to take center stage.
He may have been lying his (smoking hot) ass off when he compared her to the bean, but his insistence that he wouldn’t have left her at the top of the beanstalk? Yeah, that had been entirely sincere. He’d trusted her, believed in her, put his life on the line for her, and she’d betrayed him.
Because I knew he’d screw me over the first chance he got!
Her superpower flared to life again. That was a load of crap and she knew it. She’d betrayed him, because she sensed she could trust him. She sensed he could become something to her, something big and important and all encompassing, and she couldn’t go there again.
And because of her fear, they were in the mess they were in now.
Mary Margaret continued talking about hope and optimism, insisting they would find a way out and get home, but truth be told, Emma was beginning to wonder if they’d all be better off if they just left her here.
She was, after all, dried up, dead and useless.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Hey!”
Killian’s heart leapt at the sound of her voice, the relief overwhelming.
He was under no illusions that he was anything more than a villain. He’d done what he had to do to preserve his chance at revenge, aye, but he’d done so at a price that turned his stomach.
He’d never forget the squelching sound that accompanied his removal of Aurora’s heart. He’d killed before, of course. Killed, injured, maimed, manipulated, all of it.
But he’d never ripped out a heart.
The bile rose in his throat just thinking of it, visions of Milah swimming before his eyes. What had he become in his quest to avenge her?
Still, as uncomfortable as ripping out Aurora’s heart had been, it had been nothing to the look in Swan’s eyes when he’d compared her to the dried-out bean. It was such a stupid and preposterous lie that he was surprised he’d been able to deliver it with a straight face.
She was anything but useless. She was extraordinary. He could see that even through the pain of her betrayal.
How could he truly blame her for her actions? Was she not protecting herself just as he was? She was desperate to get back to her son after all.
The guilt deepened at that. Killian had already separated one boy from his mother, and the guilt of that had eaten away at both Milah and him every day of their lives together. What manner of man was he to break up another family?
It had been enough that he had almost almost changed his mind, almost defied Cora.
But that would have been suicide. And a suicide from which nothing useful could have come.
Given that, he’d tamped down his guilt and left with Cora, hoping beyond hope that Swan would find some way home, that her resourcefulness would get her out of that blasted cave.
And so, when the princess brigade had shown up on the scene, shooting the compass from Cora’s hand and rushing them like a troop of avenging angels, his most predominant emotion was relief.
Cora ordered him to get the compass, and he’d turned to comply, coming face to face with Emma Swan bearing down on him with her sword outstretched.
A blind man could have seen her lack of skill with the weapon. He could have ended their “duel” before it even began, but he had no desire to defeat her, even less to do her bodily harm. His mind went to the bean he possessed. Perhaps there was a way for the both of them to achieve their objectives. Perhaps he could let her obtain her prize—could prove to her that he was wrong, so very bloody wrong, in the way he compared her to the bean.
Perhaps he could remind her just how special she was while at the same time retaining his ability to exact his revenge on his sworn enemy.
So, he’d toyed with her, remaining on the defensive (although he couldn’t resist a bit of blatant innuendo once he’d flipped her to her back. The opportunity to see the surprise—and maybe even a bit of desire—in her eyes, too delicious to pass up).
In the end, back in possession of the compass, she’d dealt him a blow that knocked all sense from him. He’d come to minutes later—just in time to watch in horror as Cora’s hand shot forward, plunging into Swan’s chest. He’d been frozen in place, the shock and revulsion so pervasive he couldn’t move; couldn’t speak, couldn’t even cry out.
But then it had happened. A burst of magic shot forth from Swan, blasting Cora back with such force that she was rendered unconscious.
He was right; she truly was remarkable. Just like this bean that would soon be restored to its former glory, Emma Swan was back.
Far from dried up, dead and useless, Emma Swan was the best of them all.
Clarke haunted him every night when he fell asleep. He'd dream of oceans just as blue as her eyes that would drown him. He would fall into an endless sea of blue that he never wanted to come out of. Those dreams however had not been the hardest ones.
Some nights he dreamed of how he couldve had a normal life with Clarke. One dream that played on repeat had been of them raising a family at Arcadia. He even dreamed up the children right down to every detail. A girl that favored him and boy that favored her. These were dreams that took over him. Because Clarke would never have a life with him she'd never have a life at all. He had left her to die and this was his bourdon to bare.
Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 2 of Once Upon a Time as an attempt to finally jump start the muse again. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on the very beginnings of Captain Swan’s epic love story, as soon as a certain dashing pirate makes his appearance.
"Ten hours are up," the giant said, stooping down to unshackle Hook. "You're free to go."
Hook jumped to his feet and then he reached for the sword.
The giant took a quick step back, eyeing the weapon with caution. "Woah!" He said, "I let you live."
Hook nodded. "At her bequest, aye?"
"Yeah," the giant said slowly, still eyeing the sword cautiously.
“Fear not,” Hook said, “as you’ve kept your word, this is not meant for you. Others may not be as fortunate.”
The anger he’d been stoking for the better part of the day flared to a white hot heat. Anger was a damn sight easier to deal with than the emotion that lay just beneath the surface.
Betrayal.
He’d trusted her, believed her, thought they were united in a common purpose. Truth be told, there had been a connection with Swan, one that went beyond the fact their interests aligned. He’d felt a spark of something undefined and as yet undefinable, but it was as real and as significant as this godforsaken beanstalk she’d chained him to.
They’d spent hours together searching for the compass, and with each moment his hope had grown, hope that maybe there could be another path out there beyond what he’d always imagined awaited him.
To be sure, nothing had changed with regard to his quest. He would kill the Crocodile, avenge his Milah. Nothing could dissuade him from what had been his purpose, his reason for living for the better part of two centuries, but for the first time on this beanstalk working beside Swan he’d begun to think about what came after.
After…perhaps there was a life for him, perhaps even happiness.
That hope had crumbled the moment she snapped the shackle to his wrist.
It was a stark reminder yet again that no one could be trusted, that the only one he could truly swear allegiance to was himself, no matter how much he might wish the opposite to be true.
And so, he’d spent the next ten hours meticulously rebuilding the fortress around his heart, fortifying it brick by brick until it was well nigh impenetrable.
Look out for yourself and you’ll never get hurt.
Stepping around the giant, Hook scaled the ledge and began the painstaking process of climbing down the beanstalk. The rain pelted him as he climbed, making the trek infinitely slower and more dangerous than the ascent.
Finally, finally he reached the bottom, jumping the last ten feet and preparing to set out after Swan and take back what was his.
“My dear captain,” he heard from behind him, “it seems you’ve been on quite an adventure. The compass please.”
He closed his eyes, his stomach dropping. Cora.
It looked like his terrible day was about to get even worse.
Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 2 of Once Upon a Time as an attempt to finally jump start the muse again. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on the very beginnings of Captain Swan’s epic love story, as soon as a certain dashing pirate makes his appearance.
Note: This particular selection is a bit different from my previous drabbles. @kmomof4 demanded--not asked, demanded, lol--I write this drabble as a “fix-it” fic, as Belle’s reaction to Hook’s revelations about Rumple was...shall we say...less than satisfying.
“Died?” Hook spat, getting in Belle’s face “Like it was some kind of accident. Is that what he told you?”
Dread coiled in her stomach.
“He…he didn’t say.”
“Of course not. Of course he’d leave out the most important detail of her passing,” he said bitterly.
“And what would that be?” Belle asked in a small voice, his tone of voice telling her she really didn’t want to know.
“He killed her,” he said. His voice was little more than a whisper, but he might as well have shouted for the impact his words had. “He ripped out her heart, and he crushed it right in front of me.”
“No,” she moaned. It couldn’t be! He’d told her Hook killed Milah, hadn’t he?
No, she realized. He refused to answer, cleverly sidestepping. Why wouldn’t he answer her questions? Was it possible Hook was telling the truth?
“Oh yes, yes. He would do anything, anything to hold onto his power,” Hook said, raising the gun lazily once again. “Why do you think anyone who’s ever gotten close to him has either run away or been killed? Now what makes you think you’ll be any different?”
She wanted to protest his words, wanted to insisted Rumple’s heart was true and Hook’s was rotten, but that little scene from earlier today kept running through her mind.
“Well, I’m not just gonna sit here and do nothing!” Belle insisted.
Rumple rushed toward her, white hot anger on his face. “No, you’re going to go back to the library, lock the door and wait for me to dispense with this problem.”
“And if I don’t?” she asked defiantly, refusing to be cowed by him. “You’ll, you’ll cast some spell that gives me no choice?”
He’d insisted he had no intention of doing such a thing, but Belle could see it in his eyes, the desire to bend her to his will with whatever means necessary. She’d convinced herself it was simply a matter of him wanting to protect her, but now she wasn’t so sure. Now she wondered if there might be more to it, something decidedly sinister.
“I…” she said, hating the waver in her voice, “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
Hook lowered his hand, going so far as to place the gun on the counter between them, his face showing a hint of something that might be sympathy. “I’d advise you not to find out. The woman I loved found out just what kind of man Rumplestiltskin was far too late, and I’ve had to bear the price of it ever since.”
Her heart plummeted even farther. She knew there was still good in Rumple, she knew it, but it wouldn’t do him any good if he refused to choose that good over his own power, and as much as she hated to admit it, Belle couldn’t be sure he’d ever choose her over power.
“I’ll consider your words,” Belle said, edging past him toward the door. Likely she’d think of little else for a good long time. In one conversation, everything had changed. Suddenly she began to wonder if the relationship she’d thought was so strong and enduring was actually built on sand.
Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 2 of Once Upon a Time as an attempt to finally jump start the muse again. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on the very beginnings of Captain Swan’s epic love story, as soon as a certain dashing pirate makes his appearance.
Note: I never expected to write a fic from Pongo’s POV, but here we are!
He could tell from the moment she walked into his human’s office that something was off.
This woman who confidently walked into Archie’s office looked like the mayor, but Pongo knew differently. He knew the mayor’s scent. This one was similar—but it wasn’t the same. It was foreign. Something he’d never smelled before.
Life in Storybrooke had always been predictable, routine, and Pongo loved routine. Every morning just as the sun peaked through the curtains, he woke and then fulfilled his first task—waking the human. Archie liked to grumble about Pongo waking him up with a lick to the face, but then Archie would do that thing that humans did with their faces where their lips go up. Pongo thought it was called a smile. All he knew is that humans did it when they were pleased with him and he was being a very good boy.
Later, Archie would feed him, and then they’d take their morning walk, greeting all their neighbors. Then it was off to work. While his master talked to other people and helped them to feel better, Pongo sat by in his bed, ready at a moment’s notice to provide assistance if he was needed.
Every day was the same. Every scent was the same—at least until that woman, Emma, arrived. She had a different scent, but Pongo liked her. She gave him pets and sometimes even treats.
And Henry loved her. If ever Pongo was to adopt a little boy, it would be Henry. Pongo knew he’d been lonely, and he’d hoped he would someday find someone to love. This Emma was good for his favorite little boy, and that made Emma good in Pongo’s book.
But this new woman who’d just walked in—the one who wore the mayor’s face—she wasn’t a good new scent like Emma. She was a very, very bad scent.
Pongo felt his hackles rise and he sat tall, growling menacingly as she walked in the door. Archie chided him for his reaction, but Archie didn’t know, couldn’t smell who this was. Humans had the worst noses!
It didn’t take long for Pongo’s instincts to be proven right. No sooner had the imposter walked in the door than she raised her hand, putting Archie in a choke hold. Pongo sprang to his feet, barking for all he was worth, but it was all over too soon for him to save his person. One moment the woman wearing the mayor’s face was holding him, and then they both disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the lifeless body of a man behind.
This man looked like Archie, but it wasn’t him. Pongo knew it wasn’t him.
Something was very, very wrong here, and Pongo knew he needed help. Emma would help him! Emma and Henry, but how would he tell them what had happened?
Then it clicked. Ruby. She was different. She understood him. He had to find her; there was no time to lose!
Season 2 Rewatch Drabbles--2x12 In the Name of the Brother
Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 2 of Once Upon a Time as an attempt to finally jump start the muse again. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on the very beginnings of Captain Swan’s epic love story, as soon as a certain dashing pirate makes his appearance.
Emma took a deep breath and then sat on Hook's hospital bed. It was the first moment she'd had to just sit and take in what had happened since…well, she didn't honestly know when the last time was. This past week had been insane.
Just look at tonight. She'd taken a call about a disturbance at the town line, only to find Rumplestiltskin hovering over a confused Belle who'd been shot in the shoulder by a revenge-minded Captain Hook, such that she'd lost her memories.
Oh, and If Captain Hook was here, so was the Queen of Hearts, who also happened to be the Evil Queen's mom.
If she didn't know any better, she'd swear she'd accidentally ingested something that was giving her a really bad trip.
But she did know better, and this was her life now, and she needed answers from Captain Hook before something else hit the fan.
Emma tried to convince herself that that was it; that was the only reason she was here. She needed answers. It was why she'd been so damn relieved when she got the report from Whale that Hook had only sustained minor contusions and a few cracked ribs. It was why she'd insisted the nurse hide him as soon as they'd reached the hospital. It was why she was sitting on his bed and watching the even rise and fall of his chest as he slept.
But deep down, she knew better.
She knew how she'd felt, seeing him lying awkwardly in the street after being struck by a car; the way her heart stuttered and then raced at the sight of him, when she'd believed she'd left him behind for good. The way she'd felt such intense concern for him until she'd assessed his condition and been on the receiving end of a few more of his flirtatious lines.
There was a connection between them that she couldn't explain and didn't want to acknowledge. Part of her wondered if she'd get him out of her system if they just had one good hook up (no pun intended), but the rest of her knew better.
Sex wouldn't fix it; he'd be addicting, and it wouldn't just be the physical and carnal pull. It would be feelings, hopes and dreams, wanting everything.
And, of course, ultimately heartbreak.
That did it; the surety of heartbreak. It made her straighten her spine and fortify her walls. He was just beginning to stir. She'd get her answers from him, and then she'd get the hell out of here, away from him, and away from what she just knew would be the worst mistake of her life.
Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 2 of Once Upon a Time as an attempt to finally jump start the muse again. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on the very beginnings of Captain Swan’s epic love story, as soon as a certain dashing pirate makes his appearance.
Anton looked around at the happy, smiling faces all around him in the strange tavern they brought him to in this strange new world. Everyone from the proprietor, who everyone called Granny, to the dwarves to the pretty woman who claimed to be Emma Swan’s mother and her husband who wore James’s face, they all looked at him with bright eyes and expectation as they waited to hear what he had to say.
It was almost like….almost like they really wanted him around.
No one had ever wanted him around, not really. He’d never fit in anywhere. Not with his brothers, not with the humans who had lied to and betrayed him. Not with the witch who’d made him small and put him in a cage before bringing him here. He was nothing but a freak who had nowhere to belong.
But these people…they seemed different. He’d swear they truly wanted to help him.
But James and Jack had said the same. They’d lured him in, made him think they were his friends, made him think they truly liked him.
And then they betrayed him in the worst way, not only stealing from him but killing his entire family. What if these people from Storybrooke were the same?
They’re not, the optimistic, trusting little voice in the back of his mind that all the heartbreak in the world couldn’t quite stamp out insisted. You went on a rampage through their town, threatening them, destroying their property, threatening to kill them until you became small again. Even so, they all came together to save you when your life was in danger.
They’d offered him food, a place to stay. He’d tried to object, telling them he didn’t fit in anywhere, but the smaller man, Leroy, wouldn't hear of it.
“You’re in the right place,” he’d said cheerfully, “Storybrooke’s got all kinds, dwarves, fairies, werewolves, you name it.”
Maybe….maybe he could fit in with these people. Maybe they truly were what they said they were.
When they began talking about how they wished to return to their land but were content to make the best of their circumstances, he knew what he could do to repay their kindness. If only he could trust them. If only he could believe that they wouldn’t prove to be like James and Jack.
He hesitated for a moment but then made up his mind, choosing to take a leap of faith. He reached into his tunic and pulled out the vial Arlo entrusted to him.
“This stem’s from a beanstalk. If I plant it, I should be able to grow some magic beans, and then you just might have a way to go home..”
Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 2 of Once Upon a Time as an attempt to finally jump start the muse again. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on the very beginnings of Captain Swan’s epic love story, as soon as a certain dashing pirate makes his appearance.
Ruby sprinted from the library before she could lose her nerve. She had to do this. She had to. The nausea swelled as she thought about what the wolf had done, what she had done the night before.
Billie.
He didn’t deserve what she’d done to him. No one did. She deserved whatever it was Spencer and the mob chose to do to her.
She was a monster.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she felt the wolf asserting herself, trying to take over. She fought her, tried her best to stuff her back in the crevices of her being where she belonged, but it was no use. The wolf was stronger. The wolf had won.
Everything faded around her, leaving only the blackness.
~*~*~*~*~
The wolf smelled them, all the towns people. She smelled their fear, their hatred, their aggression. They’d cornered her in an alley and there was nowhere to run.
She snarled, her hackles rising and the hair along her back standing at attention. She planted her paws, growling and preparing to pounce. She saw the older man raise the gun, and then…he was gone.
Suddenly it was a different man in front of her—this one she sensed was different.
“Ruby, I know you’re in there, so listen to me. It was Spencer, not you. Don’t let him trick you into thinking you’re a monster!”
She knew that voice—somehow—she wanted to trust him, but she couldn’t take that chance. She snarled again, hunching further, instinct still firmly in control.
“Alright, alright, poor choice of words. Please, Ruby. I know you. I know the real you, and I know you can control the wolf, Ruby. Ruby, it’s me, David.”
The words resonated. She felt them to her very core. This man accepted her, trusted her, all of her. Taking a deep breath, she let go of the fear, the shame. She was not merely wolf or woman. Both were a part of her, and both were good. She was not the monster here; not unless she chose to be.
She didn’t.
Ruby sat back on her haunches, bowing her head before David just before he threw the cloak over her. Instantly her very being was rearranged, the wolf deferring to the woman.
“You saved me,” she said in awe.
“No,” he replied offering her a smile and a hand up. “You saved yourself. I just reminded you of what you already knew.”
