Baker's Apprentice Who Lives In A Shoe

Meeting Granny

A/N: If you have not watched past episode 7 of season 2 be warned. There are things in this chapter that I would consider spoilers. If you read this and have not watched that far please don't be mad at me. That is why it has taken so long. I am trying to get the next chapter done so you can just skip this chapter. Again. This is fair warning that there may be spoilers in this chapter.

Finally I am free from the cage on that wretched ship. I still don't understand how to control this magic, but I need to get as far away from the port as possible. I have been flying for about a day. I get tired, so I rest on a high branch in the canopy of the forest. As I settle in I hear teeth clicking. I look around and I see a squirrel start coming towards me. I decide it isn't the right branch to rest on so I fly a little farther into the forest. I land on another tree limb and rest for a little bit. I sit there for about an hour before I hear another noise, but it sounds far off so I don't move. Seconds later something hits me in the back. I am caught off guard, so I don't even register that I am falling out of the tree until one of my wings hits a branch. I try to fly, but my wing is now broken. This is it. I am going to die as a bird that fell out of a tree. I braced for impact and my death, but it never came.

I felt the soft warmth of whatever hat caught me. I open my eyes to see an older man. He is probably around the age that Rumplestiltskin was before he became the Dark One. I try to stand on his hands, but he stops me.

"Calm down little one." He smiles at me. "You are in good hands." He starts to walk through the forest. "I am going to bring you back to my home, and my wife and I will fix you right up." I relaxed after he says that. I am glad that I am in the hands of a seemingly nice man. I sense something different about him, though. We finally make it to this man's home, and a woman comes out. She is beautiful. "Dear, I found an injured bird that needs our help." The man says as the woman starts to carefully lift me from the man's grasp.

"You poor thing." She said to me as she cradles me in her arms. She walks towards the cabin as she continues to talk to me. Does she know that I am not really a bird? "My name is Crystal. The man who brought you to me is my husband. His name is Gerard." We finally cross the threshold of the cabin and she sets me down on the bed in the corner of the room. I look around to see a partially built rocking baby crib. I looked towards the woman, Crystal, again. I see a very small baby bump. She is pregnant, but she is just starting to show it. I would congratulate them if I could talk. Wait, maybe I can. Parrots can talk. I try to say something, but it comes out as a squawking sound. "Don't you worry, this is going to help you." Crystal said as she starts to do something with my wing. When she finishes, I look at what she has done.

She has splinted my wing. Hopefully it heals well. I watch the two interact across the room. The way Gerard looks at Crystal with such love and affection is beautiful. I want someone to look at me like that. Mika had promised me that I would find my true love. I just have to be patient. I have all the time in the world now that I have Mika's pocket watch. She said it would keep me young for as long as I wear it. The next thing that I have to figure out is how to get back to my human form. Even before that I need my wing to heal.

It took a while for my wing to finally heal enough for me to start trying to fly again. It was a joyous occasion. The brought me outside and I flapped my wings. I lifted myself into the air and flew around in the open air above the trees. But, there is something that pulls me back to the couple. I fly down to them and land on Gerard's shoulder. They look at me with curious expressions. They are probably wondering why I am back. It makes sense. They think I am a wild bird, but I enjoy their company. I stay with them, and I feel content and safe with them. I have decided that I will stay with them until I can figure out how to get back to my human self. It was a very long time until that happened. It was after Gerard and Crystal were already dead and gone. I have mourned the loss of their lives many times over, but their children had children, and I have been with them the whole time. I saw many of them grow up, and I also saw many of them die.