Once We are Descendants

Chapter 72: The Storm Within

Carlos leans back against the display case in Rumpelstiltskin's shop. He's unsure what he's feeling inside. It feels like a tornado of emotions and his brain is being tossed around in a whirlwind. He hates what he's been doing the past couple of days; lying to his best friends and sneaking around, all to see his mother, who is dead and living in the Underworld... because of Emma. He doesn't know if he should believe what the woman was telling him; after all, his own mother on the Isle was an expert at lying and manipulating people to get what she wanted, and she practiced on him a lot. She'd ruined his childhood and it was a relief to go to Auradon to escape her, but what if this version of his mother was worse...?

She did not like being called a mother and she seemed only concerned in escaping from her current situation... but wouldn't you if you were trapped in the Underworld?

The son of Cruella De Vil then thinks about Jay and the rest of his friends. Would they agree that he deserved to have a parent, or at least know her... Jay didn't seem bothered by the fact that he didn't have his father around here but... the two friends were different from one another... more different than he cared to admit. While Jay usually took everything in stride and tried to hide his emotions, Carlos was more open and wore his heart on his sleeve. Jafar treated his son better than Cruella treated hers and it made him sad, but also angry.

What about Mal and Evie? Would they hate him too when they found out? The two girls were like his sisters and he can't lose them. They protected one another and everything that he's done since coming to Storybrooke ruined all that.

Then there was Jane, the girl he'd crushed on for so long and then finally asked out. He had deep feelings for her and thinks about how she might react to all this deceit and lying. While not out of character for a VK, Carlos had changed, and he wanted to keep making Jane happy, her smile was worth everything to him. He's afraid of what might happen if everything was revealed. If he lost Jane, he's not sure what he'd do... if he lost everyone, all to see a mother that wasn't technically his.

"What should I do?" he mutters to himself. He kind of wishes for Dude to be here, to tell him the truth, even if it hurt.

The teenager stares forward at the mirror, thinking about his choices.

Does he risk everything for a parent's approval and ruin everything with his friends or does he just sit and do nothing, waiting to go home?

...

"What's going on out here?" Belle asks, returning with a stack of books in her arms.

"Discussing some recent developments," Regina answers.

"About the portal potion?" the bookworm inquires.

"No, about these kids' potential for magic." Rumpel grins.

"Well, we all know that Mal has it, and Uma too," the beauty says. "We've all seen it."

"And we can now add Evie to that list," Crystal explains. She shifts Gideon to her shoulder and the baby's eyes wander to the strangely dressed pirate behind his big sister. His brown eyes look on curiously before smiling at the stranger.

Harry is taken aback by this, usually, babies just cry when they're near him, but this little guy seems almost happy to see him. Apparently, he wasn't afraid of pirates, but if his father is the dark wizard that the others from Storybrooke fear so much, it's clear that nothing can scare him. He's unsure of how to react and just waves at the baby. This amuses the wee lad as he smiles even wider and even gurgles.

Crystal notices her brother's sudden mood swing and she turns to see where he's looking.

"Looks like he likes you," she says.