Once We are Descendants

Chapter 62: Home Away From Home

"Has anyone seen Carlos?" Jay asks as the people of Storybrooke begin to disperse to get on with their lives in the tiny town. The new parents of the group are lingering much longer than everyone else, most likely still processing the fact that they are now unofficial guardians of "alternate" children from another realm. While it is a rather big favour to ask of people to open their homes to complete strangers, most are willing to give these kids a safe place to sleep until they could return to their own realm, plus they believed the claim that it was only going to be temporary.

Everyone shakes their heads and they begin scanning the group of kids from Auradon, and sure enough, the son of Cruella is not among them.

"That's really weird," Evie says. "He was here a few minutes ago.

"Where could he have gone?" Jane asks, wondering where her boyfriend could possibly go. After all, he'd said that there was nothing interesting to do in this town, so why would he just leave without telling anyone?

"I'll find him," Dude says, putting his nose to the ground and going to sniff out his master.

"Doggy!" Alexandra exclaims in excitement, although the rest of the people from Storybrooke who had not already met Auradon's talking mascot were rather surprised and even shocked that this dog was speaking and forming cohesive sentences.

"Yes Honey, a doggy," Ella says, while still trying to process this surprising twist on a person's loyal companion.

"His name is Dude," Jay explains to everyone else. "He ate a magic gummy that allows him to talk just so everyone is caught up with everything."

"Pretty fascinating," Archie says, nodding in approval.

"It won't be hard to find him, all I need to do is to find the smell for his unwashed underwear and socks," the dog continues as he sniffs around in random directions trying to pick up the scent.

Mal winces as the spell she'd put on that gummy still came back to bite everyone in the butt. "He also has no filter and will speak the truth no matter what."

"So be careful around him Regina," Killian teases. "Wouldn't want any of your precious secrets to getting out." The former Evil Queen kicks the pirate in the shin as a sign of her annoyance before walking over to the group she was taking home to the mayor's mansion.

"I'd love to put him in a dog house in the backyard, but I assume Carlos will want him to sleep in the bedroom?" She looks over at Evie for confirmation that her statement is correct. The blue-haired teenager nods. "As long as he stays off the furniture and is house-trained, he can stay."

"I've got it!" the mutt shouts in excitement. Thinking quickly, Regina approaches the dog.

"When you do find him, give him this," she conjures up a piece of paper with her address on it. "Then he'll know where to find us." She then tucks the paper in the dog's collar.

"Will do," Dude says, before putting his nose to the pavement and beginning his search.

"Just don't go into the woods," the mayor warns as the dog as he begins vanishing into the streets. "And watch out for cars!"

By then, the dog is far away, and Regina feels her eyes cross as she's just had a conversation with a talking dog, it's messing with her head a little bit.

"Shall we be off?" Killian asks, glaring intensely at the group of War Frats who were going to be staying on his ship. He wraps his arm around Emma's waist and the group, including Harry and CJ head towards the harbour.

"Just a sec," Harry says.

He veers back around goes right up to Crystal and pecks her on the cheek. "Till we meet again love," he says with a wink.