《Artemis || OUAT》52. Family Business
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Astrid was sitting on top of the desk indian-style with her lower arms propped on her thighs as David, Snow, Elsa, and Regina stepped over to the girl near the television screen.
They was waiting on Gold and Belle, so that Emma could play the tape that she found.
David placed a hand over his teenager's left arm as she glanced up at him to see a slight concerned look on his face; Astrid rolled her eyes and sarcastically mumbled, "I'm fine. Now go away."
David chuckled sadly and kissed the top of her head as he slightly stepped away.
They watched a young Emma try to reach for her video camera from the boy who took it from her just as the Snow Queen came on the screen and told the boy, "Give it back, Kevin. The camera is not yours. It's Emma's."
Emma paused the video as Snow pointed out, "Emma, that's you-"
"Way to state the obvious, Captain Obvious," Astrid sarcastically cut her off as Snow glanced over at the girl but decided to let it go, knowing that the teenager was being extra sarcastic because she's hurting.
"You must be-" Snow began as Emma nodded and answered her, "13, maybe 14."
"Are you missing the part where's she's with the Snow Queen?" Regina pointed out, "Emma, you knew her before you came to Storybrooke?"
"Apparently, my run-in with her in town wasn't the only memory she erased," Emma sighed.
Astrid looked over at Hook, her eyes narrowed as the pirate had moved over to stand beside the girl while glancing down at her, offering a small smile to her.
"All this time in this foster home, or whatever that place was-- it's gone," Emma finished.
"Look, I- I just don't understand how she even ended up in this world," Belle spoke up.
"We were hoping Gold could tell us," Astrid also spoke back up as her family looked over at the said man, "You spent more time trying to get here than anyone. How the bloody hell did she do it?"
"Considering the time I spent on the same task, I'd love to know," Gold answered.
"Does it really matter how she got to Emma?" David questioned, "I mean, shouldn't we be more concerned about why?"
"Obviously, she needed her for something. But what?" Regina also inquired and scoffed, "Well, that's our next problem."
"Well, we know she's hiding somewhere in the north woods," Astrid commented, "We combed every inch of her shop. We tore apart her house. She must have cleared everything out days before, which means-"
"She must be hiding something," Hook finished for his adopted daughter.
"But where?" Emma asked.
"What about her ice cream truck?" Henry spoke up.
"Whoa, Snow Queen has an ice cream truck?" Emma started in slight surprise.
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"I'm a kid. I notice these kind of things," Henry shrugged.
"Then we split up into groups. We search the town, the woods," Astrid began, forming a plan already as she stood up and laid her hands on the hilts of her swords at her hips. "Hook, Regina, and Emma, you take the West. Gold, you're with my father and me in the East."
"I think we all know I work best alone," Gold started to argue.
Astrid lifted an eyebrow and faced the Dark One, saying, "We don't care-"
David grabbed his teenager's arms to hold her back from doing something violent towards the man as he cut her off, "Well, no time to argue that. Belle, how are you at tracking?"
"Uh, actually, I-I think I'll be more helpful at the library," Belle answered, "Maybe I can dig something up on the Snow Queen."
Astrid rolled her eyes in slight annoyance as David wrapped a fatherly arm around her shoulders as he said with a light smile, "Well, looks like it'll be you and me, Kiddo."
"Great," Astrid mumbled.
"I'd like to come with you, Belle, if that's okay." Elsa started, "Maybe something about my sister will be there, too. Unless you'd rather not have the company?"
"No, n-not at all. I would love some," Belle replied with a light smile.
Astrid began to walk towards the door where Hook waited and quietly asked her, "What, you didn't want to track the truck with me and your sister?"
Astrid shrugged, saying, "You get more time with Emma without me being around. You're welcome. Don't let anything or anyone hurt her."
Hook chuckled and kissed the top of her head as Astrid lightly shoved him away, remarking with a smirk growing on her face, "No touchy-feely moment, Captain Dork."
Hook laughed some and moved his arm around her neck, holding the girl in a playful headlock, saying in amusement, "Who you calling 'Captain Dork', Captain Dork?"
Astrid swiftly moved out of his grasp and punched his arm hard, letting out sarcastically, "Yup, still such a dork, Dad."
Hook grinned just as Emma and David moved over to where they stood in the hallway as the pirate commented, "You ready?"
"Let's go," Emma nodded.
"And, Em, Robin and his Merry Men will also help in aiding us with this search of the Snow Queen," Astrid pointed out.
"Thanks, Astro," Emma smiled at her sister who glared at her in annoyance before the girl added to Hook, Regina, and her twin, "Be safe."
Hook, Emma, and Regina nodded while Hook replied, "You too, AJ."
The five parted directions and began their search.
***
Astrid and David trekked through the east part of the woods for nearly an hour now, both walking side by side.
"You know... It's okay to not be okay," David began reluctantly, "You don't have to keep pretending like you're fine, A, and not grieve over anyone. You did just lose your true love-"
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"Don't." Astrid cut him off, "I'm okay. I swear, the next bloody time someone asks me if I'm bloody okay, I'm gonna start swinging punches."
"Astrid-" David tried again, stopping her from continuing further into the woods, "You're my daughter, and I will always be there for you. I seen how heartbroken you were when it happened and I also seen you break and cry in Hook's arms-"
"Shut up-" Astrid cut him off.
"No. I'm one of your parents, too. You're not okay. It doesn't make you weak. It is alright to cry." David cut her off and finished what he was saying.
Astrid glared up at her father, saying, "No, it isn't. I'm fine. Just leave it be, alright? Let's find this bloody Snow Queen and end this already."
She stormed ahead of him, taking out one of her swords and sliced away some branches in front of her while David sighed and quickly caught up to her.
After a few minutes, Emma spoke up on David's radio, "David, Astrid, call off the search party. We found the truck near the Merry Men's camp."
David and Astrid shared a look and headed towards the way they came while also calling off the search party like Emma had said.
***
Astrid stood in the center of her bedroom as she looked around the room, clenching her fists tightly now, as she remembered all of the memories of her and Peter.
She rushed towards the dresser and slammed her hands into the stuff, making them crash on the floor; Astrid threw her bookshelf down and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the full-length mirror and quickly punched it, shattering the glass.
The teenager tore off her jeans and plaid button-up shirt and changed into her Enchanted Forest attire but a tad different.
Astrid was now wearing a red sleeveless shirt with a dark spiked skirt that matches her boots with dark leggings and brown leather kneepads; She also had on a fur hoodie, cloaked over her back and shoulders along with metal shoulder pads and a matching silver belt decorated with small skulls.
Her usual arm-wrappings are, however, now replaced with large, thick bracers covered in fur.
She quickly did her blonde hair in a neatly-styled, lengthy side braid with a smaller braid on the side of her head behind her ear, her bangs side-swept; Astrid then picked up her kransen and placed it over her head as it was around her forehead now.
Astrid glanced at her reflection in the shattered mirror and looked down at the betrothal ring dangling from the black cord around her neck and remembered Peter giving it to her.
She sighed and also looked at the orange gem ring that Hook had gave her a lifetime ago as it remained on her index finger.
Astrid looked at the red ruby necklace that she was also wearing and then remembered of Cora.
Astrid grabbed her bow and moved it around her shoulders with her quiver of arrows while also strapping her battle axe on her back.
She glanced down at her left palm and could still see a light scar of a battle axe carved into her skin and inhaled deeply.
Astrid grabbed a pen and paper and left her parents a note while withdrawing one of her thirteen daggers; She took the paper and hung it on the wall by sticking the dagger through both.
The girl grabbed her backpack of a few belongings and vanished in a cloud of green smoke, appearing in the part of the woods that she had made her home when she left during the time Snow was grieving over killing Cora.
Astrid climbed up a tree and entered her large treehouse she had made and sat down on the edge of the bed after placing her bag down.
***
Snow and David moved up the stairs and walked down the hall towards their teenage daughter's bedroom, having heard the loud crashing noises.
Snow knocked on the door, lightly starting while opening the door, "Astrid, you alright?"
Not hearing anything from the usual sarcastic teenager, the concerned parents stepped further into the bedroom to find it completely destroyed and no sign of Astrid.
David noticed a note stuck to the wall by one of Astrid's daggers as he withdrew the knife from the wall and now held the note in his other hand.
He began to read it aloud, "I'm sorry for snapping at you, Dad, and I'm sorry for leaving. I need to be alone for awhile, at least until I find whatever I'm looking for. You're right. I'm not okay..." David closed his eyes and bowed his head somewhat.
Snow also finished reading the letter and continued for her husband while taking his hand in hers as a means of reassurance, "Losing Peter-- This is the worst pain I've ever experienced... more than leaving him on Neverland, more than being tortured and killed and everything else in between. Don't worry, this isn't goodbye. I just need time. I love all of you, but I need to find myself. Without him, I don't know who I am anymore..."
"Love always, Astrid," David finished with a sigh, "I think I pushed her to leaving."
"David, this isn't your fault. She's just hurting, grieving over someone whom she loved deeply," Snow sadly reassured him, placing a hand on his arm.
"Yeah, well, I'm gonna go and find her and bring her home. She's not going through this alone, especially when she doesn't have to anymore," David commented and left out of the room after kissing his wife on the forehead.
"Astrid, be safe," Snow murmured and knelt beside a broken framed picture of Astrid, Peter, herself, David, Henry, and Emma as Snow smiled sadly. "And come home."
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