Dark Hearts | Once Upon A Time

XXXi. Friendly Chats Over Injuries

Storybrooke. Present-day 

ERICA SWAN SOMETIMES catches herself wishing that Stroybrooke was a real town without fairytale characters and where her parents weren't the epic love story that was often read to her as a bedtime story, but then she thinks about it and realises how dreadfully boring that would be and she knows that she wouldn't change the town for the world because this town finally gave her the one thing that she had been after her whole life -- her parents and a home -- but still as she rushes to the scene of an accident, that there could be a break now and then before they were thrown into the next thing. after all, Belle had just found out that not only was Archibald Hopper was indeed alive but Keira Paige was as well and stowed away on a pirate ship that nobody knew was there

She quickly got out of the car, her sister following not soon after and she takes in the scene in front of her. It was absolute chaos. One of the pirates had a gunshot wound in their lung and the other was rolling around at the side of the road blood streaked down his face and Mr Gold was hunched over Belle and was crying as Belle seemed to be confused about what was taking place 

Her parents pulled up in their truck not long afterwards, immediately assessing the situation and making their way over to the Dark One and the twin sister exchanged a glance each deciding  which pirate they wanted to deal with and Emma made her way over to Killian, leaving Erica with Jaclyn 

"I cross realms to come back home for five minutes and you literally arrive here unannounced and cause trouble and then get shot," Erica exclaimed to the long, dark-haired pirate which caused Jaclyn to chuckle but it quickly turned into a coughing fit when she realised that she couldn't breathe properly 

"Shush. Don't talk now, you'll only make it worse"

"Oh? So you do care"

"God, are you always this annoying?"

"You know you missed me darling" Jaclyn smirked, her eyes shining with untold mischief and for a moment Erica baulked how was it possible that this woman was still joking around after risking her life and becoming this close to death

(Perhaps there was more to Jaclyn than she knew, would ever know)

"You wish" 

Despite her worry, Erica rolled her eyes and decided to joke back with her. It was surprisingly easy to flirt and talk to Jaclyn. There was just something about her that intrigued Erica and made her want to know more about the woman, who seemed to be an enigma that Erica was just itching to crack 

Suddenly she turned her head when she hears shouting and witnessed her father and sister trying to hold back Rumplestilkskin from strangling Killian, she quickly turns back to Jaclyn a pleading look in her eyes 

"Just stay here and don't do anything that could cause you to get shot again"

Witnessing the pirate roll her eyes but oblige Erica assumed it would be safe enough to leave Jaclyn there while she went to calm down the Dark One before she had to arrest him for murder "She doesn't know who I am! I'm a stranger to her!" He shouted angrily 

"Well murder isn't a good first impression," Erica told him calmly

"What would Belle want you to do?" David asks him and it loosens his grip enough that the former Prince was able to pull Rumplestilkskin off of the bleeding and already wounded Killian Jones

Sirens wale in the distance causing the blonde to look up for a moment as her mind attempts to focus on one thing at once, it was hard with all the chaos around her but she forces her mind to focus as the ambulance crew get out of their van and started to make their way over to the two injured pirates but Erica stops them