Welcome to a Nightmare

Chapter 57: Stranger Than Normal

Crystal moans as her back creaks and groans from sleeping on the floor. Whoever said sleeping on the floor was better for the spine was a liar. Her neck was also stiff and sore, and the sleeping bag she'd been offered had done nothing to provide any additional comfort. It made the Daughter of the Dark One long for her bed at Granny's. But the thought quickly leaves her mind when she remembers that both she and Henry have found Mary Margaret. It was a very dramatic find, but at least one member of their family was with them... even if she had no idea who they were or what was happening.

It was a small victory, but it brought them no closer to saving everyone and breaking the curse.

Crystal rolls onto her side, preparing to get up, but then remembers the photo that she'd found under the bed. The one labelled Neal. She examines it in the gloom of the room, the curtains barely letting any daylight in. She gets up and quietly walks to the bedroom door. She turns to check on Henry, who is still fast asleep. Her money is on him sleeping another few hours, the teenager that he was.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Mary Margaret asks as she fumbles around her tiny and cluttered kitchen.

"No, I was awake anyway," she admits.

"Well, I hope you kids like eggs," she says, digging through her drawer looking for her whisk.

"Love them," Crystal says encouragingly. She goes to the refrigerator and pulls out the juice. She then tries to set the table, struggling to get all the things and still stay out of Mary Margaret's way due to the kitchen being so small.

"Sorry," the young woman winces, after accidentally stepping on the woman's foot.

"It's all right. Unfortunately, that will happen with so many people in one space..." She then checks the frying pan to see if it is hot enough yet. She then begins cracking the eggs into the pan. "How do you like them?"

"Scrambled, please," Crystal answers. "And Henry usually likes sunny side up."

"All right," she says, smiling.

There was something about this that felt normal and nice, like it was just another day in Storybrooke and Snow was cooking breakfast for her family before getting ready to go to work as a teacher at the elementary school. It reminded Crystal of Saturdays with her mother, which was the only day she had off from work. She would usually be up first, grabbing a glass of juice before sitting down to watch cartoons for a few hours. Once Lillian woke up, she'd make breakfast for the two of them, and then the two would talk about what they'd want to do that day. Take a bus ride down to a museum, go for a walk in the park, and the possibilities at the time seemed endless. It was one of the many memories that Crystal treasured with her beloved mother. The guilt of what she'd done to her would always be there, but those memories were the love she needed and kept her balanced with her light and dark magic. While Mary Margaret/Snow White could never replace Lillian Miller, Crystal saw her as a surrogate mother figure, someone who gave her maternal care and love when she needed it most. One of the people whom she loved and helped protect her from full darkness.

Mary Margaret begins to hum quietly while she cooks the eggs, mirroring what her mother used to do as well. Crystal just hopes that once the curse is broken, all the memories that she and Henry have with Snow White will come back, and it will be normal again. The daughter of the Dark One then retrieves the newspaper just outside the apartment door.

Immediately, she had mixed feelings about the headline. Belle was still "at large," and while she hated the fact that Belle was gone in the first place, it was reassuring that she had enough instinct to stay out of sight and not get caught.

She sits down at the table to read the information that the police are releasing.

It didn't seem like much, only her age, appearance and that she was considered dangerous due to her killing an orderly. Of course, Crystal and Henry knew the truth. The "orderly" was a demon-like like from the Dark Realm who served Fiona, and Belle had killed him in self-defence because he attacked her. But if the Black Fairy is desperate to find her, it means she's scared and worried that he plan will fall apart.