AUTHOR'S NOTE/TRIGGER WARNING: Option #2 was the most popular vote (some people commented while others sent me direct messages through my inbox), but don't worry, the flashbacks from Option #1 will be written in either this book or in the future. This chapter will involve episode thirteen, but it doesn't involve many present-day scenes. Now, the flashbacks are very dark and very sad, so, prepare you heart, because I'm putting Sage through a lot of fucking pain. Some of these flashbacks involve references to child abuse. It's nothing to explicit, but I'm just being cautious.This chapter was not edited.

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CHAPTER TWENTY TWO; STRANGER DANGER

     "This isn't going to work."

     Captain Hugo Chamberlain of the Kiss of Death, the apparently fastest ship in all of Wonderland, was slumped back in the leather couch in his living room, the stress and tension circling in the room finally dawning on him. The man who had been currently ranting for the past hour was Hugo's first mate Barnabas Mathews, who stood broadly in front of him. Pausing, Barnabas took a long sip of the golden colored bourbon in his glass, before placing it back on a nearby table, a little too aggressively. For a brief moment, the only sound came from the rapid flickering of the vermilion fire that swayed in the fireplace behind Barnabas.

     Barnabas began to pace, dragging his slender hands down his face while groaning, "None of this is ever going to work if we can't sneak into Black Port unless the guards aren't on patrol!"

     "Why don't we just sneak up and take them from behind." Hugo calmly suggested, yet the irritation was clear on his face. This conversation was going on longer than he had expected, or wanted it too. "Tie em' up and throw them in the brig of the ship, it's nothing we haven't done before."

     "Because, Hugo, the entrance to the port is in front of His Majesty's castle, simply a few yards away. If we attack the port guards, then watchmen in the lookout towers will surely spot us and we won't have enough time to escape."

     "Always worrying." laughed the Captain, who was now pouring himself a cup of bourbon since his friend was drinking.

     The other man sighed heavily, looking at his captain in bewilderment. "I don't understand how you can be so relaxed."

     "All we have to do is send Ratty and Newt ―" Two deckhands from the ship who had more muscle than brains." ― up the south-side of the lookout towers. They'll knock out the watchmen and give us the signal that everything is running smoothly. Then, after they do, we take out the port guards and make our way into the Royal Dungeon. Easy as pie."

     Barnabas flopped down onto a nearby chair, considering the idea while tapping his foot against the floor. "It's a risk ―"

     Hugo sat up and curved his lips into an amused grin, bellowing, "What's life without a little risk? Come on, mate, show me some of that classy piracy of yours!"

     "By 'classy', I assume you mean mischievous and illegal." He chuckled, before hesitatingly nodding his head in agreement. "Alright, I'll tell the men tomorrow morning that we are to arrive at Black Port."

     Hugo leaned over and clasped the man by his shoulder, "That's my man!"

     "Are you staying here, tonight?"

     His joyful and playful attitude flattened into an obvious troubled state, "No, I, um, am going back to Claudia. I haven't seen her in a few weeks."

     "Well, wives are quite demanding." Barnabas awkwardly smiled, trying and failing to lighten' the unwanted dimness of their conversation. "Mate, don't ―"

     "Daddy?"

    Both of their heads turned to see a small child peeking her head from around the slightly opened door; her hair was brown, her big eyes dark, and her thin lips carved into a coy frown. A white nightdress clung to her little body, while a raggedy-looking stuffed wolf was held in one of her hands. Hugo furrowed his brows, "Sage, sweetheart, what are you doing out of bed? I tucked you in an hour ago."

     "The nightmares came back." Sage then pulled the stuffed toy to her chest and hugged it. "Mr. Wolf was afraid."

     In translation, it meant Sage was afraid, but Hugo knew his daughter and knew that she didn't want to admit to him that she was fearful of these dreadful nightmares that had been plaguing her mind. He smiled softly at her, "Don't you worry, little sailor." He got up and picked the eight year old up, her legs circling around his chest and her arms clutching around his neck. "I'll tuck you in again, alright?

     Sage silently nodded, leaning her head against her father's shoulder, before looking over at the other man in the room, "Hello Uncle Barn."

     The man, in return to the child's soft and innocent voice, smiled sympathetically and gave a small wave. "Hello there, Sage. I hope you sleep well tonight."

     "I'll be right back, Barnabas." Hugo said, before carrying his daughter down the narrow corridor and towards her room. The cottage, which lied on the outskirts of the village, was isolated from the rest of the world, which gladly meant no neighbors. It was a run-down old fashioned little house with white clapboard walls, dark green shutters, and a wraparound porch. There was nothing special on the inside either.

     Sage's bedroom was originally the attic, but once her mother, Evelyn, learnt that she was pregnant, she turned the little room into somewhere a child could sleep. Sage never complained about, well, anything really. She always made the best out of everything. In her nook of a bedroom, the windows were shut, blocking out the night's moonlight, and there was only a single candle lit, creating shadows and silhouettes that were dancing across the walls. Colored pastels were scattered across the floor, which made sense since dozens of various and different drawings were hanging up on the walls; of schools of colorful fish swimming in the ocean, beautiful mermaids lying on rocks, and of course, the detailed design of his ship, the Kiss of Death. Despite being eight years old, the girl had talent, event though the drawings were slightly sloppy and child-like.

     Hugo gently dropped his daughter onto her narrow, twin-sized bed; she immediately snuggled into her pillow, her skinny legs tangling with the woven blanket as her father wrapped it around her small frame.

     "What kind of bad dreams were you having?" He asked, concerned.
 
     At first, she didn't answer, only tightened her grip on her stuffed wolf. "It was about the snack. You know, the one the kids in the village talk about."

     Hugo chuckled, softly, "Don't listen to those rumors. I honestly doubt that there's a hundred-foot reptilian living in the woods nearby. You're safe." She didn't look convinced. He continued: "And if you ever catch yourself in a dream you don't like, simply do this."

     He gently pinched the side of her arm, causing a fit of giggles to erupt from Sage's mouth, "Ow! Father!"

     "Sorry, little sailor." 

     Sage bit her lip in concentration, twiddling with her fingers, "These dreams, papa...have I gone mad?"

     Hugo went silent for a moment, his palm reaching up to tenderly rest on his daughter's forehead, acting as if he was a doctor and checking her temperature. He let out a dramatic huff of air with a hint of mockery gleaming into his eyes, "I'm afraid so, my dear. You're mad, bonkers, off your head, but I'll tell you a secret ―" He leaned closer, his voice a mere whisper, but he spoke with a smirk toying on his lips. "All the best people are."

     The girl let out a girly, quiet titter of laughter, before licking her lips and behaving serious,"Papa, are you going home to your wife? Will you be spending Christmas Day with her?

     A sharp inhale of breath cut through the captain's mouth, a wave of regret and guilt now washing over him. "Yes, I am going home to Claudia. But, I'll be back tomorrow. I'm spending Christmas Eve with you and your mother, but Christmas Day with Claudia. I promise and you know what I always say, a man who never keeps his word ―"

     "― is a man unworthy of your trust." Sage smiled softly. "I remember. Papa, can I be like you when I grow up?"

     "Be like me?"

     "A pirate!" exclaimed Sage, who was now shining with enthusiasm and high spirits. "I want to be a captain one day!"

     "Of course, little sailor, you can be whatever you want to be. And remember, tomorrow's a very special day. It's your eighth birthday and Christmas Eve. We'll celebrate!" Hugo leaned down and pressed his warm lips to the side of her forehead. "Good night, Captain Chamberlain."

     "Goodnight, Papa."

     The door from behind suddenly creaked open and a low, feminine voice spoke, "Hugo?" His head peered over his shoulder to see his mistress ― also known as Sage's mother ― Evelyn standing in the doorway, holding a long candle. Dark bags of exhaustion lied under her sunken' eyes, the ends of pale lips dripping into a displeased frown. Her eyes harden' once they landed on the pirate and his daughter, "Hugo, it's getting late. Let Sage sleep."

     Hugo let out a long sigh, forcing a smile on his face as he glanced back at Sage, "Night, sailor."

     With that, both of her parents departed the tiny bedroom and closed the door behind them, allowing Sage to flutter her eyes shut and imagine an alternative world where her dad loved her mom and not another woman. 

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     "Have you ever made a deal with Gold before?" Emma reluctantly asked, raising her eyebrows as she zipped up her ebony colored suitcase. There was a splash of nervousness painted onto her facial expressions. The stories of Rumpelstiltskin and his deals were true; he kept up his end up the bargain as long as you did and if you didn't keep up with your bargain then, well, you were in for a whirlwind of hellish trouble. 

     Sage let out a huff of air, nodding. "Yes, I have. Many times, but I was usually smart about it, you know? Only making deals about small things or situations that I knew I would be okay in the end. There was a substantial amount of time where I did work for the man."

    "You worked for him?" questioned the blonde, incredulously. "As what? His personal dry cleaner?"  

     The brunette let out a short chuckle, "Well, most high-end villains do have their minions do their dry-cleaning for them, but no, I was his personal thief and employee. All I did was do all the dirty work that he didn't want to do. I mostly threatened all the people who wasn't paying up their part of their deal, or, well, I did a little bit more than threaten'."

     "You're a fighter." Emma cocked her head to the side, pausing for a moment. "Why the hell would you work for a guy like that?"

     Sage let out a long sigh, avoiding the Savior's eyes. "It was after Thomas died and ―"

     "Thomas? Who's Thomas?"

     The reformed thief went rigid, not realizing that she was now opening up a very deep wound. She hadn't realized that maybe Emma had never read her story in the Once Upon A Time storybook. Their conversation halted once a loud knock came from the other side of the door. When Emma gripped the knob and wretched it open, a blank-looking Mr. Gold was on the other side. "Ready to go?"

     "Almost." Emma answered in a monotone. Just as Gold was walking into the apartment, his dark wooden cane clicking with every step, Henry walked into the living room with a suitcase in one hand and his jacket folded over his other. Both Emma and Sage agreed that with Cora waltzing around Storybrooke planning God know's what, the safest option was that he tag along on the trip to find Gold's son. 

     "Do you think we'll be cold where we're going, or hot?"

     Sage shrugged, "Better hot than cold. I hate cold weather, but layers are always a good idea."

     "I thought the terms of our agreement were quite clear. You two owe me a favor – you two alone." Gold commented, transfixing an irritated look on his face. 

     His previous employee gave him a hard, intimidating look. "We're not leaving Henry here with Cora lurking about, so either all three of us go, or we all stay. Don't argue with me on this 'cause it will be a fight you'll lose."

     Gold stared at her for a moment, his cold eyes burning into her stubborn ones, before responding. "Then, we'll have to purchase another plane ticket, won't we?"

     "Wait, we're flying?" 

     Mary Margaret strolled into the room, helping her grandson put on his jacket while actively listening to the conversation. Gold rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, I'm covering expenses. Even the new ones."

     "You're a real gentleman, aren't you?" David sauntered down the stairs, immediately heading towards the Dark One and having a private conversation. Sage payed no mind, instead walking over to Mary Margaret and speaking kindly, smiling. "Watch yourself, okay. Cora's a piece of work, I know first-hand, so keep your sight sharp and don't second-guess your gut, and ―"

     Mary Margaret placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I know, Sage, I know. I can handle Cora. You stay safe, okay? Don't go looking for too much trouble."

     "Trouble usually finds me." Sage muttered into her friend's shoulder as they embraced one another.

     When their hug ended, Sage stepped over to David and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm putting you in charge of the station. Hopefully, you'll be a good sheriff for the time being." They both chuckled, before Sage set her lips into a thin line, shifting on her feet. "When it comes to Cora's whereabouts, Hook doesn't know anything, but you can still interrogate him. Just discard him from the hospital and make him led you to the Jolly Roger. David, just...stay safe, please ―"

     "Sage, I will." He stated firmly, before cracking a smirk. "And it actually sounds like you're worried about me. I'm shocked! Sage Chamberlain, showing some emotion!"

     "I hate you sometimes." giggled Sage, who was trying, and failing, to keep a straight face.

     "I know."

     After five minutes of hurried and heart-felt goodbyes, the three Charming family members and the Dark One hustled into Gold's car and began to drive off. Emma and Henry were settled in the backseat while Sage was in the passenger's and Gold was silently steering. An uncomfortable silence was hovering over them and everyone was feeling it besides Henry, but he was ten-years-old and didn't quite understand the seriousness in this situation. 

     When they began driving down the long, narrow road that would eventually led to the town line, Sage quietly began to panic. She had never left Storybrooke before, had never seen the rest of the world. "So, where we going?" Henry asked, an innocent smile beaming on his face.

     "Logan International Airport." 

     Emma rolled her eyes, "I think he meant after that."

     Gold heavily sighed, obviously not liking the company he had chosen' to take with him on his trip. "Let's just take things one step at a time, shall we?" Still keeping his eyes dead-straight on the road ahead of him, Gold reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a piece of jewelry. "Sage, put this on. I enchanted it for you to pass the town line without losing any of your memories."

     Sage hesitantly reached out and grasped the item in her hand, before clicking it on her wrist. It was a dark brown, leather bracelet that was a bit large for her small wrist. Emma glanced between the two fairytale characters, seemingly weary. "You really think that shawl and bracelet's going to work?"

     "Well, if it doesn't, and we both revert to my cursed selves, we're all going to have some problems." The eerie silence returned, along with a circle of nervousness passing onto each car member. Gold confidently gripped tighter on the steering wheel, "It'll work."

     The bright red town line and the large, green "Leaving Storybrooke" came into clear view as they continued to drive. Sage subconsciously tightened her hold on the seat's armrest, stew bubbling inside of her. Transforming back into the cursed Sage McCartney was not something Sage planned on doing or ever wanted to do. She liked being the real her, not playing some facade.

     When the car gracefully rode over the town line, a blue shimmer of magic crashed into both Gold and Sage. For a moment, Sage felt as if an icy tremor had ran down her entire body, sparking her nerves and pricking at her pale skin. Until finally, reality came back and Sage could focus. "So?" Emma questioned, looking at both Sage and Gold, though most of her concern seemed to be directed more towards the brunette.

     "My name is Rumpelstiltskin." The man declared, his enchantments on the shawl working swimmingly. "And we're gonna find my son."

     Henry peered over at his surrogate sister. "What about you, Sage?"

     She sighed, pursing her lips nonchalantly as if she was panicking a few moments ago. "My name is Sage Chamberlain." For a moment, everyone didn't speak, until Sage coughed awkwardly and said: "Okay, who's up for some karaoke?" 

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     12:05 A.M.

     Five minutes ago, she was seven, but now, five minutes later, she was officially eight. Eight years old, nearly a grown up in her mind. Sage, who was lying in her bed with the blanket pulled all the way up to her chin, was staring at the small, round clock that was hanging on one of the walls. A twinkle of joy spread across her face, followed by the most innocent of smiles curling on her lips. There was some cons of having both her birthday and a holiday, Christmas Eve, on the exact same day; one of them was less presents.

     Then again, her family didn't exactly have enough money to buy her anything, not that Sage complained. She understood that some families financially suffered more than others and it's not like she was a greedy child. Her father, on the other hand, would not buy her anything, but bring back little tokens from his trip; a pirate always keeps a souvenir from his conquests and journeys. Last year, for her seventh, he brought her back a sea-shell from Snark Island, which hundreds of yards away from Wonderland North-West coast.

     All of Sage's bubbly excitement and anticipation about what her father's next keepsake withered away once her bedroom door abruptly swung open. Sage jumped from under the covers and backed up against her headboard, extremely startled, like an elephant near a swarm of mice. Her mother stood in the doorway with her black cloak on and a lit candle in one of her hands. Her eyes, like most days, were emotionless and cold. 

     "Get out of bed." Her mother, named Evelyn, quietly commanded. Sage silently did as her mother said, climbing out of bed. She slipped on her thin, ratty old robe that reached her knees and covered her nightdress. 

     When she walked towards the door, her mother grabbed on her wrist and forcefully dragged her out of the room and down the stairs. At the end of the stairs was her father, who was pacing back-and-forth and anxiously running his hands through his hair. He didn't look like himself; his eyes were bloodshot, his face was puffy, and his clothes were disheveled. 

     "Papa?" whispered Sage as her mother hauled her towards the girl. Hugo didn't say anything, but a look of pure guilt crossed his face as he stared at his daughter.

     Evelyn didn't even wait for Hugo as she tightened her grip on Sage and yanked her towards the front door. When that door opened, a gust of powerful wind clashed into them. It was the coldest and worst winter Wonderland had ever experienced, so harsh and so deadly most people didn't dare go outsider their houses. Obviously, that wasn't a concern for Evelyn since her, Sage, and Hugo were all hurrying down the porch steps and making their way into the forest.

     Gale swooped down upon them, trying to knock and push them down. A snowstorm was pouring down on them, adding on to the multiple layers of whiteness that was already covering the ground. Evelyn was leading the way, with Hugo following behind and Sage struggling to keep up, her mother's rough grip still on her arm. 

     "Mama, my feet hurt." Sage confessed, her gentle voice laced with pain. It wasn't a lie by any means. Unlike her two parents, the eight year old wasn't wearing any shoes, causing the icy snow below her burning her skin and the rocks under the snow sharply stabbing her.

     But her mother didn't slow down, instead she a aggressively grabbed Sage and picked her up, her long nails digging into her waist. Sage felt her growing slightly fearful of the highly inauspicious situation that she was in right now. Her hand clenched tighter onto Mr. Wolf ― the only thing she grabbed when her mother was tugging her out of her own bedroom ― and buried her face into her mother's shoulder. Usually, Sage did not seek comfort from her mother, only her father, but Hugo was feet behind her and Sage just needed someone to hold her. 

     Through-out their worrisome walk that went deeper and deeper into the forest, Sage started to become colder. Her parents were dressed properly for the winter, with scarves, cloaks, and snow boots, while Sage only had a robe (which was tattered and very thin) and a nightgown on. "Mother, I'm cold." whispered Sage, whose nose was tinting pink and breath was coming out shallow. 

     Her mother continued to stare blankly in front of her, not bothering to even glance at her shivering daughter. "We'll be there soon."

     There? Where was 'there'? Sage wanted so badly to ask, but the the tone of Evelyn's voice spoke hidden words; don't ask cause I'm not gonna say. Unlike her father, her mother was very short-tempered. The eight year old looked behind her and watched her father trudge through the snow, his shoulders slumped and a grave look painted onto his face. He looked as if every step he took was another step towards his demise. 

     After another twenty minutes of seemingly endless walking, they came across an abandoned cabin, which looked like it had been empty for years. The windows were busted up, the roof looked like it could come down at the slightest touch, and walls made of wood logs didn't look steady. Once they got closer, Evelyn walked up the three-steps that led to the porch and yanked Sage off of her, placing her daughter on the first step. 

     Sage pulled her knees to her chest and pulled the ends of her dress down, trying to cover most of her body. Mr. Wolf was heaved closer to her. "Mother, what is happening?" The brunette asked, looking up at her mother. 

     Evelyn adjusted the cloak around her and backed up from the steps, finally looking at her daughter in the eyes. As per usual, her eyes lacked the warmth and compassion that most mother's possessed. "You're gonna stay here for an hour or so. Your father and I will be right back."

     "But ―"

     "We'll be right back!" Her mother snapped, her jaw clenched and her eyes hardening. "Stay here, Sage. We'll be right back."

     Without another single word being spoke, her mother turned on her heels and walked away. Hugo, for a moment, stood still, before hurrying over to his daughter, crouching down to meet her eye-level. His eyes, shockingly, were brimmed with tears. Never once in her entire life has Sage seen her father so emotional. "Papa, where are you going?" Sage questioned, a pleading tone in her voice.

     Hugo gulped, trying to compose himself. Finally, after a rigid moment, he hesitantly reached over and placed a trembling kiss on her forehead. He then spoke, low, quiet, and so that Evelyn couldn't here. "You're on your own, little sailor." 

     Sage watched as her parents turned their backs and walked off in the direction they had originally come from. After only a few moments, their dark figures blended into the white wisps of howling wind. Sage so badly wanted to run over to them, to cling onto her father's body and never let go. Instead, she did as she was told and sat on that first step, clutching onto Mr. Wolf and speaking lowly. "Don't worry, Mr. Wolf, they'll come back. They'll always come back."

     The small child nearly jumped once a scream pieced the snowy air. The scream was short and she couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or a woman. Instantly, a shot of panic ran through her. Sage stood up and hurried down the last three steps, imprinting her footsteps into the snow. "Mother!" She shouted as loud as she could, but even then, her voice still sounded soft compared to the lapping wind. She looked around, taking a few more steps. "Mother, where are you? Father! Mother! Mother..." 

     Flakes of snow stuck in her hair, only increasing the iciness that was freezing her body. Eventually, Sage, scared and alone, turned back and sat back on the first step of the cabin's porch. It was there that she clung onto her stuffed wolf and let her tears silently drip down her pale cheeks. 

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     Logan International Airport was bustling with people of all different shapes and sizes. It seemed, from Sage's personal observation, like everyone was in a major and unnecessary rush to get to their desired destination. Sage, on the other hand, was in no hurry at all to move. It was her first time being about of Storybrooke and the new, unfamiliar surroundings fascinated her. For the past twenty-eight years, she had seen the exact same people in her quaint little town. Now, the whole world was before her.

     Sage, Emma, and Henry all sat besides one another in blue armchairs in one of the many airport waiting rooms. Their flight, which they discovered was heading to New York, was leaving in another ten or twenty minutes. New York, for Sage, had only been seen in films. It sounded excited, like discovering a new land filled with treasures. 

     Gold was the opposite of Sage; he didn't give a damn that he was out of Storybrooke, he was just in a panicked rush to get to the new state. He was currently pacing back-and-forth in front of the long line of chairs, his cane annoyingly clicking and clacking with every damn step. The stress and apprehension of finally seeing his son after centuries of being apart was finally beginning to weigh down on him. 

     Through her proportional amount of time of working for Rumpelstiltskin back in the Enchanted Forest, Sage heard a lot of things about his estranged son. Sage, and maybe Belle, were probably the only people that Gold trusted to tell his life stories to. Sage was well aware of how his wife left him, and how he abandoned his son in fear that he would lose his powers forever, that he would be nothing without them. 

     While Sage was delighted that after all these years, Gold was finally meeting his son, there also was a small part of her that said this whole thing could go horribly bad. Maybe Baelfire didn't won't to meet his father, maybe those centuries of being alone caused him to hold an eternal grudge of that man. Abandonment and betrayal were horrible by themselves, but if it's caused by your parents, it's about ten times freaking worse. 

     "Do you want something to eat?" Emma asked Gold after minutes of endless pacing and uncomfortable silence.

     He shook his head, "No."

     "Is something wrong?"

     "Stop asking me that!" Gold finally snapped, his voice rising in an angry manner. All eyes from the three were on him, wide and slightly taken' back from his abrupt attitude. He paused for a moment, before turning around. "I'll be right back."

     With that, he limped across the room to go to the men's bathroom. Sage shifted in her chair, sighing as she looked over at the blonde next to her, "Hey, Em, don't take it personally. He's just really scared about meeting his son after all these years."

     Emma scoffed in disbelief, "The Dark One? Gold? Scared? Doubtful."

     "Looks can be deceiving." Sage twiddled with the brown shoelaces that were tied around her wrist. It was a nervous habit that she had picked up months ago, right after Graham passed away. "Do you think we'll find him? Gold's son, Baelfire."

     She shrugged, seemingly not as worried or as concerned as Sage was right now. "Hopefully. I can't imagine riding a plane back to Maine if Gold doesn't get what he wants. It would be hell! If we're lucky, we'll find this Baelfire guy, him and Gold will talk, things will be settled, and we all get to go home. Our favor to him will be done."

     "If only it was that easy and simple." muttered Sage. 

     Henry suddenly stood up, "I'm gonna go see if Mr. Gold is alright."

     "Okay, kid." Sage watched as the little brown haired ten-year-old boy skipped off in a swimmingly cheerful manner. If only he could be that innocent age forever.

     Her phone began to buzz, lighting up the screen with the word "David" blaring on it. Worried that something had happened that involved Cora, Sage quickly pressed 'answer' and held the phone up to her ear, "Hello? Everything alright, Dave?"

     "Sage! Thank God you answered! Listen, I don't have much time to talk, but did you ever meet by brother James, perhaps? I doubt it, but ―"

     "Yeah, I knew James." Sage answered, confused. "Why?"

     "Wait, you actually knew him? You know what, never mind, anyway, do you know if he had any problems with giants?"

     Sage bit her lip, thinking. "Not that I remember, no. Is everything going okay?"

     "Yes, well, no, but something's happening here and I think it has to do with my brother."

     A bittersweet smile twisted onto the brunette's lips. "Well, James always did have a knack for trouble. Doesn't surprise me."

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     Two or three days had passed since her parents left her on the porch of the abandoned cabin. Maybe it was more than that ― Sage was having a difficult time telling time without a clock. Since it was winter, the sky was always a dark blue and a harsh snowstorm was always raging on. The layers of snow on the ground was only pilling on top of one another, along with the gale thrashing harsher and the air growing thinner and much more icy. The eight year old had moved from the first step onto the actual porch, her body turned vertical and one of her sides pressed onto the wooden front door.

     She had tried to open the door, hoping that being inside would provide some warmth, but it wouldn't budge. Over the course of the past few days, Sage had gone from bad to worse. The ferocious winter was taking its toll on her; her skin was a pearlescent white, her lips were purple and bruised, her entire body was violently trembling, and she was beginning to not be able to feel her feet. Mr. Wolf was still clutched to her chest like a life vest.  

     Still, despite the deadly winter and her weakening body, Sage didn't dare leave her spot ― she didn't dare think about it. Soon enough, her parents would come back, take her home, and all three of them would celebrate Christmas together. Maybe, her father would reconsider going home to Claudia and stay with them longer than he usually does. Maybe, if she just stayed here like a good girl, they would return with hugs, kisses, and a warm cloak.  

     "Who are you?"

     Sage looked up, clearly startled, and saw a woman in a navy blue cloak with a hood. She was a beautiful woman with caramel-covered skin, brown eyes, and dark straight hair. The stranger tilted her head and looked at Sage with pure curiosity, "What are you doing up there?"

     "W-W-W-Waiting f-for my p-parents." Sage stuttered, her entire body trembling and screwing up her speech. "W-Who are you?"

     The woman smiled, "My name's Mazikeen." She paused for a moment, a smirk now toying on her lips. "Why don't you come back with me to my home."

     Sage vehemently shook her head, "M-M-M-My parents told me to s-stay h-here and w-wait."

     "Well, how about you come with me and eventually, they'll come and find you. I promise." The woman said, patiently standing there. "I've got food, clothes, and warmth. Come on, sweetie, it's not safe out here in the cold."

     Sage, not even thinking twice, nodded her head, "O-Okay."

     The woman, Mazikeen, walked up to the porch and scooped up the quivering child in her long arms. Mr. Wolf was still being clutched in Sage's small hands, offering her only comfort. The dark colored woman silently carried Sage out of the woods, not at all struggling to carry the eight year old girl. Sage didn't know if this was a good idea or not, but honestly, she didn't care. She had been stuck in the cold for days and all she wanted was some tea and a lit fireplace. 

     When they finally reached the edge of the woods, the snow stopped falling from the pale sky. "Here's my home, your new home." Mazikeen announced, proudly looking at the building a couple of feet away from her. Sage turned her head, staring at the unfamiliar building. It was a farmhouse that was larger than a normal house, but smaller than a mansion. It was two stories high with a high chimney, stone brick walls, and a wraparound porch. The ugly green shutters blocked the windows. The house itself looked ancient and eerie. 

     Sage noticed that there were no neighbors or any other residents nearby. There were, however, an old barn and shed on the plot of land, probably filled with animals or horses. A long dirt road, that went from the house to the north field stretched out for a mile or two, seemingly leading to a village of sorts. 

     Mazikeen carried Sage even when they had entered the house. Unfortunately, the eight year old couldn't get a look around the house since the woman was already hurrying her up the second floor and into an empty bedroom. Gently, Mazikeen sat Sage down on the edge of the bed. Quickly, the woman grabbed a thick blanket that was on the bed and wrapped it around Sage's shoulders. Sage let an involuntary gasp of relief at the sudden warmth that covered her body. 

     There was a sink in the corner of the room, one that was spraying out water as Mazikeen turned the knob and held a large bowl under it. The bowl, now filled with water, was placed underneath Sage's bruised and cold feet. Hot steam rose from the bowl, sending fervent tremors of fieriness through her body. Just when Sage was about to dip her feet into the water, Mazikeen hastily stopped her, "Don't put your feet in! The hot water could send you into shock." She continued to speak as she wrapped a scarf around the child's neck. "I believe it's called Hypothermia, which leads to freezing to death. You're lucky I found you when I did."

     Lucky. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Sage repeated that word around and around in her head. Mazikeen  grabbed Sage's tiny hands and rubbed them together, the friction causing heat. "My husband and I run this place, it's an orphanage for children like you, children who were abandoned. There's twenty-seven children here, you make twenty-eight. We'll go over the ground rules tomorrow, but you need to understand something." She grabbed Sage by the shoulders and looked at her firmly in the eyes, "Your parents left you, because they didn't love you."

     Sage's eyes widened in shock, "What ―"

     "Which is a good thing since love is a woman's greatest weakness. Love is weakness." Mazikeen took one of Sage's strands of brown hair and put it behind her ear. "You'll learn that eventually. All the girls here do. Oh, I didn't get your name."

     She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to close her eyes and fall into a never ending sleep. She did not want to be here right now. But Sage didn't do any of those things. Instead, she breathed in deeply and answered the woman, "Sage, Sage Chamberlain. Ms, I want to go home!"

"Aw, poor thing, you don't have a home."

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     Being an in actual airplane, unsurprisingly, was a lot more exciting than sitting in an airport or being out of Storybrooke. The flight from Maine to New York City would take approximately forty-two minutes, if there were no other additional problems. Sage sat in the middle of Henry, who was intensely staring out of the circular window while eating frosted cinnamon buns, and Gold, who was uncomfortably silent. Emma was on the outside seat in the row in front of them, seemingly relaxed as she leaned into her chair.

     Sage glanced over at Henry and watched as he devoured another cinnamon bun, extremely amused by his greedy eating. "You good, kid, or do you plan on stuffing yourself until you explode?"

     "You kidding?" Henry rose his brows up to his hairline, smiling brightly. "A trip with you, my mom, first plane ride, and we're going on a quest like in the book. The only thing that could make this day better is more frosting." He gestured to his brown box of sticky buns. 

     Sage laughed and used her index finger to scoop up a droplet of white, vanilla frosting that was on one of the buns. She sucked it off of her finger, before looking over at Gold, concern finding its way into her heart. He was blankly staring at the back of the seat in front of him, trying to look at peace with himself, but Sage knew him and Sage knew that he was probably internally worrying about finding his son. The brunette looked down and noticed how a paper-towel bandage was wrapped around his hand, tainted with dried blood. Hesitantly, Sage leaned over and spoke lowly, "It's going to be alright, Rumple. We're going to find your son."

     "I know." 

    They were two words who expressed such simplicity, but covered up so much inter emotion that Gold wasn't quite ready to reveal just yet. Before Sage could say anything else, Emma stood up from her seat and looked over at the stony-faced man. "Hey, Gold, do you mind if we switch seats?"

     "Not at all." muttered Gold, who got up and took a few steps over to Emma's seat, before flopping down, probably relieved that he would have some time to gather his thoughts alone. Emma took up Gold's seat, next to Sage, and sat quietly for a moment, before looking over at her brown-haired friend. From Sage's perceptive eyes, she could tell the blonde was hesitant about something. Finally, after a moment or two, Emma spoke, "I read your section of the storybook." 

     The blunt yet meaningful statement caused Sage to close her eyes and inaudibly groan. Emma noticed her displeased reaction and quickly became defensive. "I know I should have asked you about your story instead of reading about it behind your back, but ―"

     "You were curious. I get it." Sage responded softly, his smile weak and barely visible. 

     Emma opened and closed her mouth a few times, before finally spitting out the words. "I know who Thomas was." Sage flinched at his name, but the blonde continued anyway despite that. "And I know what Cora did to you. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

     "Now you know why I hate the damn woman so much." mumbled Sage. "What else did you read about me or did your curiosity stop there."

     "That you were abandoned by your parents and you stayed at an orphanage called Sweet Home." Emma's voice was gentle and not at all rough. Sage appreciated the fact that Emma was trying to approach the topic tenderly, but it didn't stop the rush of unpleasant memories to come back. "The book didn't give me much detail on it though."

     "I don't want to talk about it." Sage stated sternly, "But, if you must know, I stayed at that orphanage until I was seventeen. It wasn't ―" She paused, trying to find one word that could describe her hellish experience at Sweet Home. "― pleasant, to say the least."

     "What happened when you were seventeen?"

     Sage shrugged, "I ran away. I couldn't take it anymore."

     The blonde Savior opened her mouth to ask even more questions, but the flight attendant's voice stopped her, "Welcome, folks, to Ajira Airlines regional flight fifty-three, with non-stop service to New York City. Our flight time tonight is forty-two minutes. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride."

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     There was, indeed, twenty-seven girls ranging from ages five-to-eighteen in what Mazikeen called the "Orphan's Bedroom", where apparently all the children in the house sleep. The walls were painted a dark, elegant blue with black swirl designs carved in. There were no windows except one large on at the far end of the room, which was narrow and long seat built in below it. There were two rows on either sides of the room of metal bedsteads, with only one thin mattress on top of each one. Of course, there were flimsy blankets and stiff-looking pillows as well.

     At the end of the room, near the window, were a couple of cotton bassinets that were placed next to each other. Even from this side of the room, Sage could hear the peaceful and content coos of the newborn babies. The twenty-something girls in the room (minus the babies) all slid out of the covers of their beds once Mazikeen walked into the room with Sage. Sage, who had spent a good hour or two wrapped in blankets and near steaming water, was able to walk again. She was a bit wobbly, but she could manage that. 

     The girls in the room came in all different shapes, sizes, and races, but all of them had a similar gleam in their eyes. But despite this, they all stared blankly at Sage and Mazikeen, not happy or jubilant like how most children are. Mazikeen turned on some of the gas lanterns, lighting up the dark and cold room. 

     Mazikeen clasped her hands together, looking rather satisfied with herself. "Girls, this is our new resident, Sage Chamberlain. I found her in the woods, all alone. She'll be staying with us from now on. I want you all to give her a warm welcome." No one clapped, or cheered, or even cracked a smile. All of them remained emotionless."Tomorrow, you all were introduce yourselves to her. I expected one of the older girls to give her the run-down on how I run things here. Get to bed, Sage. Sweet dreams, everyone."

     With that, Mazikeen blew out the lanterns, left the room and shut the door behind her. A loud click proceeded afterwards; she had locked it. None of the girls even approached Sage, they just scampered back into bed and huddled up underneath the covers, like mice running back to their holes. Sage took a deep breath, before walking over to the only empty bed in the entire room. Like all the other ones, her bed was twin-sized and only had one mattress, a thin blanket, and one stiff pillow. When Sage lied down, she immediately felt extreme discomfort from the bumpy mattress and the uncomfortable pillow, but she was most definitely not going to complain. She had just spent days out in the harshest wind in all the realm; as long as she was inside and warm, she would be fine. 

     It just so happened that her bed was closest to the row of bassinets by the window. The babies' snores filled the room although they weren't annoying; they were gentle, soft, and uncorrupted. Just when Sage was about ready to close her eyes and try to go into a somewhat blissful sleep, a tender voice called out, "Hey. You!"

     Sage rolled over onto her other side and saw that on the next bed, a girl was looking at her. She was an older girl that was extremely skinny. Her hair was a dirty blonde and her eyes gleamed a jolly green. She was facing Sage and wore a kind smile. "I'm Helena. I'm sorry that you were abandoned."

     "My parents will come back." Sage insisted, speaking in a mere whisper. 

     Helena looked at Sage as if she was pitiful. "I'm sure they will, kid."

     Sage opened her mouth to say more, but stilled the instant moment she took a good look at Helena's body. Despite the dark atmosphere, Sage could clearly see red and purple welts forming up-and-down the girl's arms. They looked fresh and raw. Sage furrowed her brows, "What happened to your body?"

     The older dirty-blonde frowned, rubbing her arms as if to comfort herself. "Master Malcolm did it, because I talked back to him. He said I was rude and disrespectful. That's what happens here; you break the rules, you get punished."

     "Who's Master Malcolm?" Sage questioned, ignoring the chilly shiver that ran down her back.

     "Mazikeen's husband."

     With that, the conversation was over and each girl rolled back around, their backs facing one another. But right before Sage closed her eyes, she could have sworn Helena had said under her breath, "You should have stayed in the woods."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: ...do you guys now know at least one of the fairy tales Sage is based on? I'm so sorry, this chapter was extremely heartbreaking. I feel terribly sorry for Sage and all the girls at the orphanage. Mazikeen will play a very brutal role in Sage's life, but it's mostly her husband, Master Malcolm, who will cause the most physical damage to Sage. Mazikeen's job in the orphanage is just basically brainwashing the girls into believing her beliefs. Eventually, you guys will learn a lot more about what life was like in the Sweet Home Orphanage and what exact moment made Sage want to run away. Isn't the actress who plays child-Sage (same actress who plays child-Nadia in TVD) just beyond adorable! And who do you think screamed when Sage was in the forest? Did something happen to her parents or was it someone else? Comment down below to tell me your opinions! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!

Lesley-Ann Brandt as Mazikeen 

Saoirse Ronan as Helena

Annie Wersching as Evelyn

Chris Pine as Captain Hugo Chamberlain

Elijah Woods as Barnabas Mathews