Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Oh— Be careful dear!”

Red groaned. This process was taking entirely too long. She could feel ache in her legs from her and Chloe’s previous adventure and would really like to finally have some down time. Saving the world wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, not that their mothers would know.

Ella let out a slight chuckle from behind her, toting her daughter's bags with ease, “Give Red some space, Brig.” She turned back toward Chloe, beckoning her into the room with her. 

The room was decently sized for the two teens. It wasn’t anything extraordinary like they would have at home— but it felt comfortable. The windows were just large enough to let in a stream of sunlight; Which lit the room up in a way that wasn’t too overwhelming, right in the middle of the wall between the two twin sized beds.

Bridget waved her off, carrying the bags to the left side of the room that Red claimed as her own almost immediately after entering. The bed on that side faced the doorway, and she was taught to always be aware of her surroundings. “They’re just growing up so fast Ella! It’s a huge moment.” She set the bags down on the left side of her daughter's bed, “Our babies are no longer babies anymore!” 

Red rolled her eyes as she walked past her mom to set her writing box on her desk. It sat against the wall about three steps away from her bed. She watched in amazement as her mom practically sprinted back to the hallway to grab the last of her belongings. Somehow, she was a lot more excited about this than Red was.

And wasn’t that strange? This was what she had dreamed of, to finally have the opportunity to escape Wonderland. To be free of her mothers tyranny and abuse. To have the freedom to be who she wanted to be, without being molded into her moms mini-me.

She didn’t feel as accomplished as she should’ve been.

Her mom mumbled under her breath as she made her way back into the dorm, “There isn’t nearly enough space in this room.” Red heard the bags hit the ground behind her, discreetly moving herself next to the bathroom door. “I have no idea how I lived in such a little space for so long.” Her mom stated before turning back towards her, a clap echoing through the room. “I think that’s all of them!” Bridget said, smiling from ear to ear.

“Thanks, mom,” Red muttered.

“Oh Red, you are going to be so wonderful. You have to write to me!” The woman lessened the distance between them, taking a few steps toward Red and throwing her hands up in the air. Bridget appeared to be thinking for a moment, tilting her head to the side before adding, “At least once a week.”

Red felt like she could pass out at any given moment. From mental or physical exhaustion she wasn’t sure, but her point still stands. Chloe’s gaze burned into the side of her head. She glanced over at her, where she was hanging her curtains and could read her look clear as day. 

‘Play nice.’ 

Red looked up at her mom with a half smile, “Of course mom, I will write to you as much as I can.”

Now, that would be a reassuring thought if it weren’t for the fact that Red had absolutely zero intentions on writing to her mother anytime soon. What was she gonna say? “Hey mom! So school is going pretty well. I’m so glad you didn’t stage a coup and kill your best friend!” 

Yeah, that wasn’t likely to go too well. This version of her mother would probably go into cardiac arrest.

The anxiety was practically radiating off of her mother as she glanced around the room, fidgeting nervously. She swiftly turned to Red. “Are you sure you’ll be alright dear? What if—“

Ella appeared beside Bridget and placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. “Bridget, our girls will be just fine.” 

Red caught a blur of movement from beside her and looked over. “She’s right! Me and Red have each other,” Chloe piped up from behind her mother. She leaned on Red before seemingly remembering something, pulling away and shooting Red an apologetic look.

“Yeah, we have each other,” Red nodded to Chloe. “You guys don’t have to worry.” 

Her mother released a sigh, her eyes were practically burning into Red’s own,“I know, I know. Something has just been nagging at me.” Bridget ran a hand through Red’s hair, causing her to cringe slightly. “Call it mother instincts.”

If only she knew.

“You’ve seemed troubled ever since the ceremony,” she added, concern clear in her voice.

Chloe looked at Red nervously, “I’m sure it’s just nerves!” She earned an odd look from her mother and added, “New school, new experiences, you know..”

Red chose that moment to let out a— admittedly forced— yawn.

Ella chuckled, “Maybe we should let our girls get settled for the night.”

Both of the girls in question nodded at that.

“Oh, you’re right!” Bridget walked up to Red and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m very sorry. We will leave you two to rest now, but promise to write missy!” 

Red remained still for a moment, before letting out a sigh. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around her mother, “It’s.. Okay mom, I’ll write to you.” She pulled away to see Chloe sending her a soft smile.

“We promise we will,” Chloe told them.

Bridget leaned forward to give her one last peck on the cheek, and it was oddly reminiscent of the previous time she did so. 

“Look at her, she’s enjoying this!”

“Like mother, like daughter.” 

That had been the only time she had ever received any affections from her mother. The latter preferred harsh words and as much distance as she could get.

Red steadied her stuttering breaths, she reminded herself that this was Bridget. Bridget, who routinely baked treats in her free time to share with those around her, despite none of them being her friends. Bridget, who was filled with utmost compassion for everyone no matter how they treated her. The Bridget that hadn’t had her life ruined by a stupid prank.

“We’ll check in with you girls soon, rest well alright?” Ella called out to them.

Both of the girls nod and their parents shut the door behind them.

Red flopped on her bed as Chloe began to speak again.

“I hope they let us decorate our rooms.”

God, Red hoped not. That was the only sense of familiarity she had in this place— She’d never been allowed to decorate her room at home. 

Her mother always told her that decorating her room was ‘useless’ and ‘unnecessary’. That she would be queen one day and shouldn’t be focused on such things. 

“I can’t believe we really did it,” Chloe breathed, sitting up, “We— we saved our moms, Red!”

‘Your mom.’ Red thought with a grimace. Because it was true, wasn’t it? Her mom was never the one who needed saving, it was Chloe’s mom, and all of Auradon. 

“..It doesn’t feel real.” She chose to voice instead. “Did you see my mom? She has never, in all of the 16 years of me being her daughter.. she has never, ever, cared how I felt.”

Chloe faced her with an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. “Well she cares now!” She told her, spinning around in her chair. “And even better, our parents are still best friends! Isn’t that amazing?” 

Despite everything Chloe had been saying, Red couldn’t find it in herself to feel any ounce of pride, let alone the excitement her friend was clearly showing. Everything inside of her felt out of place. “Well.. yeah I guess that is really cool but, what now? Everything is just normal and alright again?” She tried not to let the dissatisfaction she felt be heard in her voice, but she clearly didn’t hide it well enough.

Chloe furrowed her brows, “Well, yeah! We saved Auradon!” She turned her gaze back towards Red. “What else would we do? Everything is back to normal now, we can live without worries again.”

“Yeah, that’s what you think,” Red mumbled to herself. 

“Come on Red! You should be happy about this. I mean, isn’t this what you wanted?” Chloe stood from her seat, approaching Red while gesturing around them in mild frustration, “You can be whatever you want to be now, you’re free.”

“That is what I wanted!” Red scoffed. She couldn’t be serious? How doesn’t she understand? “I thought this was what I wanted, okay? Look around you Chloe! I know you may be happy to have your perfect little life back, but mine never was.” Her voice began to break a little at the end. Red shook her head and pushed herself up off of the bed to stand face to face with Chloe, pointing a finger at her, “You think because you have your mom back everything is just fine? Well news flash, princess, that isn’t all of my problems. Now I also have to fix myself.” She harshly inhaled after she spoke. She fell back onto her bed and turned away from the girl.

“So don’t tell me how I should feel, because not everyone can live in a bubble of perfection like you.”

There was a stunned silence.

“That’s not fair.”

“Life isn’t fair. Didn’t your mom just teach you that?”

Red stared stubbornly at the ceiling while Chloe stood beside her bed.

“I’m gonna go change,” she mumbled. Red heard the shuffling of clothes and a door slam shut.

Well. That went well.

A knock boomed throughout the room.

Red let out a loud groan and looked to the door, then at the empty space next to her. Who could possibly be knocking at their door? Wasn’t everyone supposed to be settling in?

She nudged the door open slightly to see the Principal.. for some reason.

“Hello Red,” Uma said, voice indiscernible. “Can I come in?” 

Red raised a brow. It didn’t exactly feel normal for your principal to be unexpectedly visiting your dorm late at night. But what did she know, Red had only been homeschooled before this.

Noticing the look on Red’s face, Uma added on to her previous statement, “I just want to talk to you two, no one’s in trouble.”

Chloe decided to exit the bathroom right at that moment, hurriedly making her way over to the door with a smile on her face. “You can come in, Ms Uma,” she said, pushing past Red to open the door wider. Red rolled her eyes, turning around to walk back to her bed.

“Psh, there’s no need for formalities.” Red heard from behind her. She sat down on her bed, leaning against the frame. “Uma works fine.”

“Yes yes, of course. You can sit anywhere!” Chloe exclaimed. She shut the door behind the woman, making her way back to her bed.

“Thank you Chloe,” Uma responded. She walked  to the desk in front of their window and sat down. “How are you guys settling in?” She asked, her eyes on Red who had been silent since Chloe came out.

“We’re—“

“We’ve been settling in just fine,” Red dismissed quickly. This wasn’t the time for beating around the bush. “What did you need to talk to us about?” Chloe looked taken aback. 

“Red!” She hissed.

Uma’s gaze lingered on Red for a moment. She looked a lot different than Red was used to seeing her, rather than the stern and commanding look she typically held, all that could be seen in her gaze was a deep understanding. 

The woman leaned back in the desk chair and chuckled slightly, “No, I get it.” A tiny smirk formed on her face, “Us VK’s aren’t ones for small talk, huh?”

Wait. Pause. Us who? 

If Red was correct, which she was certain she was, she was not considered a VK in this timeline.

Chloe tilted her to the side in confusion, “Is that why you responded that way when we first met?” She questioned out loud.

Ever the oblivious one, just as clueless as ever.

“Um,” Red laughed nervously, giving Chloe a look, “I’m not sure what you mean? I’m not…”

“Not what? A VK?” Red nodded. “Well.. I don’t think they’d let the daughter of a tyrant be anything other than a VK.”

Red’s eyes widened and she nearly shot up in alarm, no longer being able to keep her calm appearance. She bit her lip nervously, was her mom still a villain here? Did her and Chloe not fix everything? She snuck a look over towards Chloe’s side of the room and could see her fidgeting, eyebrows furrowed. 

Chloe spoke softly, “I thought we…” her voice trailed off.

Surely not. After everything the two had been through, it couldn’t have been for nothing. 

Before the two of them could spiral further, they heard Uma speak up.

“You did,” she said simply.

Red’s head snapped to the side, she looked at Uma with narrowed eyes. Every other sentence that came out of her mouth was leaving Red more confused than the last, and she needed answers. 

“Could you stop being so cryptic and explain what’s going on?” Red huffed in frustration. 

Chloe nodded along to what she asked, “Please,” she added.

“I know what happened,” Uma started, crossing her legs. “Well, not exactly. I remember the.. other timeline?” She trailed off with her hand resting on her chin, uncertain.

What? How was that possible?

“How is that possible?” Chloe voiced from her side of the room, disbelief clear in her voice. She scooted closer to the end of her bed giving her full attention to the woman across from them.

“When you and Red were fighting, with the..” 

“The pocket watch.”

“The pocket watch, my shell began to light up.” She held the shell out. “If there’s one thing I've learned, it’s to always trust my shell.”

Chloe snapped her fingers, “Your magic shell! The one you used to save Auradon.”

“Yeah, that one.” Uma said, sounding equal bits amused and impressed.

“I allowed my shell to boost the magic. Everyone froze immediately after, except me. After a while, the entire world flashed white and I was back to the beginning of the ceremony.” She finished. “So I just want to know, what happened?”

“It’s a long story, honestly.” Chloe said.

Uma chuckled, leaning back in her chair. “Girl, I've got nothing but time.”

The two teens shared a nervous glance, seemingly debating silently. Red turned away as Chloe began to speak. 

“Well.. we ended up decades in the past.”

Uma looked up in disbelief, “Really?”

“Yeah trust me, I was surprised too.” Red responded. That earned a meaningful look from Chloe. “What? You thought I was lying when I told you before?” 

Chloe winced, “To be fair, I thought you would know how your own magical item worked!”

Red’s face scrunched up, “It wasn’t originally mine, I stole it.” 

“Typical,” Chloe scoffed with an eye roll.

“Don’t forget you also—“

“Girls,” Both of them turned toward the voice. “I’m sure we’re all exhausted and it’s making us irritable, let’s just focus on what happened.”

Chloe nodded, a guilty look on her face, “Well, you know your aunt Uliana?” Uma gave a slow nod. “She.. played a really mean prank on Bridget, essentially turning her into the tyrant she was.”

“It had been her first dance, she was meant to go with her best friend,” Red added, making a sour face. “In the end, when Uliana turned her into a monster.. Ella hadn’t been there for it. I guess that rubbed salt into the wound.”

“So she wasn’t always like that, huh?” Uma mused with her hand resting on her chin. “They do say villains aren’t born, just created.”

Chloe brightened from her spot, “She made such good cupcakes!” She rested her face in her palms. “God, they were to die for.”

“How did you two stop it? I’m impressed.”

“Me and little goody over here stole an enchanted cookbook from the principal's office,” Red replied, gesturing to Chloe with her thumb.

“It was for the greater good,” Chloe weakly defended.

“And that it was. I have to thank you two, God knows Mal would have more than a few words for me,” Uma chuckled nervously. “Though, you two need to be careful. Messing with the fabric of time can be dangerous.” She said seriously before softening again, “Are you guys okay? That couldn’t have been easy.”

It wasn’t easy in the slightest, which was why Red was desperately hoping to get some shuteye within the next 5 minutes.

“I’m just glad everything is okay now.” Chloe said softly before glancing over at Red who had her arms crossed. “I’m not too sure about Red, though.”

Red remained silent, pointedly ignoring their gaze. 

“Red?” Uma called to her.

The girl in question let out an annoyed breath, “We gave you your answers, you can leave now.” 

The room sat in a contemplative silence for a few seconds, anxious energy practically radiating off of Chloe.

“..What are you so afraid of Red?” Uma asked, voice softer than Red had ever heard it before.

Red scoffed. She didn’t need any pity. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

Uma hummed, “You are.” 

“I—“

“No, let me speak.” The woman cut her off. “It’s alright to be scared, Red. I can only imagine the internal conflict you must be battling after everything you’ve been through today. Basically your entire life as you knew it to be has been erased. That’s a scary feeling, and that,” she looked Red in her eyes, “Is okay.”

Red looked into the woman’s eyes, ignoring her own stinging ones. “I’m not afraid,” she muttered as she looked away.

“Ever the stubborn one,” Uma mused.

Chloe sighed, gently pushing herself off the bed and walking over to Red’s. She sat on the bed carefully, locking eyes with her roommate. “Red,” she started softly. “I.. We care about you. I know we fight— and we argue more often than not— but I want to be there for you.”

“But we can’t do that if you won’t let us,” she ended.

Red bit her lip in thought. She had never been taught to be vulnerable, it was seen as weak. That wasn’t fit for the future queen of Wonderland— it would never be acceptable in the eyes of her mother. 

But Bridget, she never saw being vulnerable as weakness. She encouraged it, even. Maybe… she would want this for her daughter. Her mom wasn’t the Queen of hearts after all, she was Bridget.

Maybe, she could allow herself to accept help. It’s what her mother would want.

“Maybe.. maybe I am a little afraid,” she admitted quietly.

Chloe gave her a soft smile, grabbing Red’s hand in her own. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” 

“I’ll let you in on a little secret kid,” Uma leaned in, staging a whisper, “Even I was a little afraid today.”

“We all were. But now, we all have each other!” Chloe chirped, sending Red a hopeful look.

Red smiled and squeezed her friend's hand, “We do.”

“We should start with getting some decorations in here, it looks like you have no personality,” Chloe teased her friend. The woman behind them let out a startled laugh at that.

Red let out a teary chuckle, “Maybe we should.” 

It was time to let herself heal.