#timh rp

[charmingsswan]

Truth and Lies | Starter

Emma sat in her office at the sheriff station staring blankly at the sheriff badge she held. The last few weeks had been exhausting as only time in Storybrooke could be. She knew her exhaustion was in part due to the lack of restful sleep she was getting, the constant soreness of a still not fully healed body, and the millions of insecurities and mental debates she constantly had with herself during the day and sleepless nights. She was worried--Cora hadn't made an attempt to recapture her, or hurt anyone else for that matter, that she knew of; but that didn't mean she had stopped scheming.

Shaking her head she focused on the badge again. It felt strange to be going on with life as usual here when every day could bring the end of their little world. She had to protect Henry. That was her first thought, and right on its heels was the mocking question, and how exactly do you plan to do that against Cora? You couldn't even defend yourself. "Useless." She mumbled under breath slamming the badge down on the desk and running a hand through her blonde curls.

Maybe she should send Henry to live with Regina and Evelyn, at least there he would have some protection form Cora, but the thought of not having him with her terrified her almost as much as the worry of Cora hurting him. He would never agree, she knew, well maybe he would agree to split the time at least now that he and Regina had begun to mend things; but could she trust Regina not to lose control of her magic? Could she trust her gut--trust that the Mayor had actually left her dark ways behind her?

Her dream from the night before, was similar to every other one she had had since being rescued. Nightmares of being locked in that dark room again forced to hear Henry's screams while she could do nothing to help.  In this one she hadn't been chained as she was so often, but she had been just as useless as she pounded on the walls where his voice seemed to be coming from. Emma had woken in a cold sweat, and unable to sleep more, had spent the rest of the night awake, tormented by her thoughts, her only solace the ability to watch Henry sleep peacefully. 

Closing her her burning eyes, both from exhaustion and un-shed tears, she rubbed them hard. Emma had yet to tell anyone about what she had experienced, except Rachel, and even her junior deputy didn't know how little sleep she was getting thanks to the nightmares. Maybe I should make an appointment with Archie, she thought with a mirthless chuckle as she heard the door to the station open. Rising she stepped to her office door to see who it was.

[clare-bell]

reconciling-rachel:

A long, troubled sign escapes from Rachel’s lips as she finally took in the air that her lungs had been craving. Just the assurance, albeit snarky, from Clare was enough to send pulsating waves through Rachel’s body. That paired with the short moment where her sister retreated to the kitchen, out of sight, for another drink, allowed the younger girl the break she needed. The break to get her head on right and finally start answering some of Clare’s many questions. She couldn’t really blame the older girl for being so shocked… it was a lot to take in when factoring in Helena, her girlfriend in the Enchanted Forest.

“I know we talked about knights and shit,” Rachel flinched, not used to the ease at which the curse came out, “but I didn’t know what else to do Clare. That was normal.” And she can still recall how uncomfortable she felt commenting on a male’s body, or how hard it was for her to choose the most attractive, or how she struggled to avoid looking at the visiting princesses in the stands. “What was I supposed to do? Not join in? It was easier to pretend and at that point, I was still trying to convince myself that what I was saying was true.” Rachel doesn’t know where all this is coming from. It felt as if her conflicting emotions of growing up were suddenly right back on her chest and not buried in the past where she wanted them. “And you didn’t know about it because I didn’t want anyone to know about it. Only one person did. You do realize I would’ve been killed if…” and she pauses, because she was almost killed for the exact same thing she worked so hard to hide in Fairytale Land.

“Well… I was almost killed…” Rachel whispered aloud, still having trouble coming to terms with the idea. “Anyway… the girl I was with… we were kind of together… not in love or anything, just…” the younger girl closes her eyes for a moment, trying to settle her thoughts long enough to make sense. Rachel pulls her hands out her pockets for the first time since arriving, not even perceiving that she’s exposing the brutal looking bandages. “She was an actress with me at the playhouse that I used to sneak off to. Dad gave me a guard to escort me back and forth from the theatre, that’s why no one knew. He always made up excuses to mom about where I was going.”

The offered drink seems like a bad idea and it isn’t really Rachel’s thing, but at the moment, she can’t find any reason to reject it. “Sure and whatever is fine.” She silently hoped it was something strong enough to take the edge off the conversation.

Dad... Of course he would help Rachel, she had always been his little princess... Clare grabbed two shot glasses, the bottle of tequila, and a beer for Rachel figuring the younger girl wouldn't have a taste for whiskey just yet. Balancing them all like an expert, one benefit of working in a bar, she walked back into the living room and sat them down. "We're out of limes, so just use the beer to chase the burn." Gods was she giving her little sister advice on how to do shots.

Clare glanced at Rachel thinking over what she had said, killed? "Do you really think she would..." The older girl trailed off as she looked Rachel over registering all the injuries that were visible. Her eyes traveled to the bandages that covered her little sisters wrists, and without finishing her thought she grabbed the shot throwing it back.

Grabbing her glass she took a sip of the whiskey to clear her throat and sat back on the couch. "Gods we're going to need that whole fucking bottle, and years of therapy with Dr. Hopper before this family can figure their shit out." She looked at Rachel, and then gestured for her to take the shot if she wanted it.

With a sigh Clare sat forward again and grabbed the bottle of tequila. One sister hated her guts, and was not even technically her sister. The other one was sitting with her getting drunk while looking like she had gone 10 rounds with a prized boxer all because she didn't fit their mother's ideal. This was one fucked situation. "Well, what do we do now?" She asked pouring another shot for herself and holding the bottle up to see if Rachel wanted more.

[clare-bell]

Still Sisters | Evelyn and Clare

Clare stared at her phone for what seemed like hours. "Shit." She cursed as she grabbed her coat and headed for the door. She was done with getting information like this days or weeks later.

Cora had gone after Evee, her baby sister, not just once, but twice. And, Clare had been so wrapped up in her own issues and stupid battle of wills with their mother that she hadn't even known Evelyn was missing. Their mother had gone after Rachel, the crazy bitch had nearly killed her! Hell, she hadn't even known her sister was hurt until days later.

As she neared the Mayors mansion she took a deep breath cursing again under her breath. She should have been there to stop the insanity. To shield Rachel from their mother's wrath, and to keep Evelyn from getting mixed up in all this magic shit.

There was a time she would have done anything for her sisters; sure she picked at them and got irritated when they messed with her stuff or whatever, but gods help anyone who tried to touch them! Every since the curse broke, though, since she'd run away from the house and their mother... Well, she had left them all behind--too self absorbed to bother worrying about the mess her choices would leave behind.

Clare had never been one for deep self-reflection, it hit to close to home with the future she was destined for: a crown and a kingdom, a chain and a cage. The eldest Bell shoved those thoughts aside practically running up to the front door and knocking on it loudly. She didn't care how late it was, or if Regina was home, fuck her! Right now all she knew was that she had to see her baby sister, in person, to know that she was alright. To tell her that it would be alright.