If She Doesn’t Scare You, No Evil Thing Will
“Tell me the story again.”
Zelena sighed, “You’ve heard it before, too many times.”
Martha gestured to the sea that was all around them. “What else are we going to do?”
Zelena sighed, “Okay, Okay. I was trying to save my sister, I was trying to get her home with me to Oz. But, my aim was a little off, instead of putting myself near the farm where Regina and her parents lived, I was deep in a forest next to that farm.”
oOOOOo
Zelena concentrated, trying to transport herself again, closer, but nothing happened. “Damn shoes.”
She slowly stood and took in her surroundings. Trees, trees, and more trees. “Yay. Trees.” She reached down and picked up a large branch that was mostly straight and leaned on it. She wasn’t just spent of magic, but she was worn out physically too. But, her sister needed her. Regina needed to be saved from their mother, and not tiredness, or having no magic would stop her from doing that.
Zelena walked for what seemed like a day, though by the pace of the sun it was more likely only six or so hours. It was just past dusk when she sat to take a rest.
She didn’t know it at the time, but it was the best rest that she’d ever take. She heard the barest of yells for help and was up and moving as fast as she could towards the noise. She didn’t pause when she got to the clearing. Three men were attacking a pregnant woman. She took her stick and broke it over the first one’s head, kicked the second one in the groin, and then advanced on the third. He knocked her to the side and continued going after the pregnant woman.
Zelena closed her eyes for a moment, then from her place on the ground expended the last of her magic, throwing him from the clearing with a blast of energy. She knelt down next to the woman. “Are you okay?”
“Thank you.”
Zelena stood. “Of course.” She helped the woman stand. “I’m Zelena.”
“Maleficent.”
“That’s a beautiful name. What are you doing out here in the woods?”
Maleficent looked away, “Running from the hunters who want my baby.”
Zelena was silent for a moment, “Picked the wrong father?”
Maleficent sighed, “Something like that. Thank you for saving me. I can…”
“Nope. You’re coming with me.”
“Excuse me?” Maleficent tilted her head to one side.
Zelena nodded, “I have to go save my sister from losing her true love, then we’ll figure out how to solve your problem.”
“Just like that?”
Zelena took one of Maleficent’s hands in her own, “We women have to stick together. So?”
Maleficent looked over her shoulder, “They’ll try again before we’re out of the forest.”
Zelena flexed her hand. “I’ll get us out.”
oOOOOo
“I thought there was more.”
Maleficent spoke, “Oh, there is.”
oOOOOo
“I’m sorry, I need to rest. You— you go on, I’ll catch up. Save your sister.”
Zelena shook her head, “No. No, you’re pregnant and I’m probably too late anyhow.”
Maleficent pushed herself up, “No. You’re not. And I’m ready to go.”
“Thank you.” Zelena put an arm around Maleficent’s waist. “Are you running from the father?”
“I am the father.”
Zelena frowned, “I don’t understand.”
A small smile came to Maleficent’s face, “It’s complicated. I’m not entirely human. I can…” Maleficent trailed off, “Do you smell that?”
Zelena sniffed the air and the color went from her face, “Fire.”
They both looked up and around. Judging from the smoke in the air it looked like the fire was coming from all sides. They were surrounded. “Stand back. We have to go up.”
Maleficent pushed Zelena backward, “What?” Zelena stood, stunned as Maleficent turned from a human woman into a humongous dragon. Zelena had seen a lot, but Maleficent’s transformation was a first. Dragon Maleficent roared and Zelena snapped out of her stupor. She clambered onto Maleficent’s back and with a heave they were airborne and soon above the fire and forest.
oOOOOo
Martha smiled, “So, Mama rescued you, then you rescued her back.”
Zelena shook her head, “You’re a grown woman Martha, why is that the story that you always want to hear?”
Martha shrugged, “One day I want to find my own true love. Or even a little regular love.”
Maleficent put an arm over Zelena’s shoulders, “There is no love that is more than any other love.”
Martha smirked, “All love is true? You’re going with that mushy tired old cliche?”
Maleficent whacked her daughter on the shoulder, “Go lose the rest of your supper, we’re going to bed.”
Martha kissed both her mothers, “Thank you for bringing me on this adventure.”
Maleficent ruffled Martha’s hair, “It would have been boring without you Marty.”
oOOOOo
A groan came from Archie as he came to. He thrashed around and was unceremoniously dumped onto a hardwood floor that seemed to be moving slightly. “Wha— where— why?” Archie opened his eyes, then closed them again as a thought hit him, “Pongo.”
“Dead. Like you’ll be soon.” With that the man left Archie alone. He slowly opened his eyes again. He seemed to be in the bowels of a ship. He looked up as the door opened again, “Marco?”
Marco stumbled down the ladder as though he had been pushed. Archie caught him and helped him sit against a bag of grain. “Uhh— Archie?”
“Yes. Are you okay?”
Marco nodded slowly, “Why… why did that woman hit me?” Marco looked around, “And where are we?”
“A ship.” Archie glanced around, “But it’s an old ship and all the harbor has is fishing and lobster boats.”
“Very astute Mr. Hopper.”
The man with the hook and another very large man who had the name Smee stitched onto his shirt slid down after the woman. Both stayed silent.
“I have one very simple question for you Marco. How do I gain access to the Mills’ Vault at the cemetery?”
Marco sat up straighter, “You ask Regina if she’ll escort you in.”
The woman sighed, “I had hoped that this would be easy, Smee, restrain Mark. Captain, if you would.”
Captain Hook approached Archie slowly and then with blistering speed punched him in the gut. Archie bent over, a sound halfway between a cough and yell of pain erupted from him.
The woman glanced at Marco, “My Captain will continue.”
Marco shook his head, “It is her private space. Her place to mourn those she’s lost. I don’t know why you would want to be let in. Or what you would do while in there, what you would take.”
The woman inclined her head and Hook again punched Archie. This time so hard that he flew backward a bit.
“Marco?” Marco shook his head, “Captain, one more time if you will.”
Hook lifted Archie’s chin. “Stand Cricket.”
Despite everything Archie frowned at the name. He’d just stood and gotten a shaky, ‘what?’ out when Hook cold cocked him. His nose squished and blood went everywhere.
The woman looked back to Marco, “It will not get easier for your… friend…”
Marco looked between Archie and the woman. “Okay, okay— stop hurting him. Please. I’ll tell you how to get in.”
oOOOOo
Emma walked down the deserted streets of Storybrooke. She’d never lived in a place that actually rolled up at eight pm.
It was nowhere near eight o’clock anymore though. She couldn’t sleep and that disturbed her very much. She could always sleep. Even when she’d been in the worst of the foster homes she could fall asleep and get away from it all for six or eight hours.
The last few days though she’d suffered through some horrendous insomnia. Since she’d gotten to Storybrooke her body had basically given in for a couple of hours here and there, but other than that she’d been awake. And even when she passed out from sheer exhaustion she’d had nightmares about green women, suffocating faceless men that made her itch, and the one that she’d had on and off for most of her life. Where she had a feeling her mother was around the corner, but when she turned that corner there was no one there.
Emma stumbled to a stop, there was something in the middle of the sidewalk, but it was so dim that she couldn’t see what it was. She took out her keys and found the flashlight. All her breath came out in a whoosh and she knelt down, “Damn. Pongo.”
Emma took out her phone and dialed. Then waited, and waited, and waited. After ten rings she shook her head, “What phone doesn’t have voicemail?” She hung up for a moment, then tried again with the same number and got the same result.
She dialed a different number and it was picked up after two rings, although the voice on the other end sounded a little tired. “Hello?”
Emma winced, “Oh, right. It’s the middle of the night. I apologize, but I need your help.”
“Of course. With what?” Emma was silent for a moment, “Emma-- are you still there?”
Emma cleared her throat, “Ah, yes. Sorry. Not used to someone saying yes without knowing what they’re saying yes to.”
“You wouldn’t be calling at 2:34am with something trivial.”
Emma sighed, “I’d like nothing more than to tell you that I called so that I could drunk flirt. Unfortunately I’m entirely sober and staring down at a gruesome scene.”
“Gruesome?”
“Pongo. But I don’t know… you know the town resources. We need to get him off the street, and you know where the animal control van is… or, or whatever.”
“I do. I have keys to all the buildings and vehicles. I’ll be right down with the truck.”
Emma was brought from her stupor by Regina’s statement, “Wait, keys to everything? That is a… do I want to know how? No, I don’t think I want to know how or why you have all those keys.”
Regina was silent for a beat, “I copied them from the set that Mary Margaret has. Fifteen minutes.”
“Okay. I’m on Main Street, I’ll be the one that’s, you know, awake and standing on the sidewalk. Probably can’t miss me.”