Chapter Text
Tuesday afternoons often had Red questioning why she ever wanted to come to Auradon in the first place.
She had always hated history, and the lessons here were just so boring that she often found herself doodling in her copybook.
That was exactly what she was doing now, drawing small cats along the margin of her page.
And next to her was Chloe, sitting up straight, taking notes as though there was nowhere else in the world she'd rather be than stuck in a classroom like this.
"Hey," She eventually whispered, nudging Red, "Are you even listening?"
Red flinched and dropped her pen, looking up at Chloe. "Uh...yeah. Of course."
Chloe laughed and gave her a look of disbelief. "What did he just say, then?"
Red paused, drumming her fingers on the table. "Something historical."
Chloe waited a minute before bursting into giggles, shaking her head and picking her fountain pen back up to continue neatly writing down the notes. "You're impossible."
"And yet you're still sitting next to me." Red shot back instantly, a cheshire smirk plastered onto her face.
"Sometimes I wonder how and why..." Chloe answered teasingly, and Red gave her a good-natured shove.
"Miss Charming and Miss Hearts, eyes on the chalkboard, please."
Chloe practically leapt out of her skin at the teacher's voice, squeaking out a tiny 'sorry' and hurriedly writing in her copybook.
So, this was exactly why Red hated Tuesday afternoons.
But deep down, she knew that all of this was better than her old life. Before the Pocketwatch.
It had a been two whole months since Red and Chloe had come back from their time-travelling adventure and hidden the Pocketwatch away in the Royal Wonderland Vault, and honestly, Red was still adjusting to the huge changes in her life.
Her mother was...nice now. Quite literally a polar opposite of the mother Red had known for sixteen years. She was sweet, forgiving, kind, loving, everything Red had always wanted. Everything Red had dreamed of, but had grown to believe it was a foolish fantasy she would never have. And now that it was here, it was everything.
So she wondered why she couldn't Quite be truly happy about it.
She wondered why she'd still flinch when her Mom raised her arm. It was always just to hug Red, but it hadn't always been that way, it had typically been for punishments, and Red wished she could move past that. She had erased the abusive version of her Mom. Why couldn't she erase the memories, too? Why couldn't she move on? Why couldn't she love her Mom?
Well...no, that was the thing. A part of her had always loved her Mom. And that was what she never understood. She was the worst person in Red's life, she destroyed her, she abused her, she broke her, and while most of Red resented her and hated her for it, there was still love there, too. That was what she hated far more than she had ever truly hated her mother, and she didn't understand it.
It should have been complete and utter hatred for what Bridget did to her. Most of it was, but there were some moments where it wasn't all bad. Where Bridget would let her harsh persona drop for just a heartbeat. And Red would start to believe there was a chance, a fleeting chance where she could have a life with a loving mom.
She had that life now, and still didn't know how she felt about it. She had learned to push away love for her whole life, it had been the mantra that was beaten into her, love ain't it, love ain't it, love ain't it, and now she was trying to let herself understand that it wasn't true. All her life, she had tried to push away any ounce of love she felt for her mom, and now she had to teach herself to open up.
And that was far from the only internal conflict she was facing at the minute, because now she had a sister. A bubbly, vibrant, overly enthusiastic, annoying sister who couldn't possibly be more different from her, and kept following Red around everywhere she went like an awestruck golden retriever. And Red couldn't do anything about it, because if she was too different from the version of her that Pink had grown up with, the secret about the watch would come to light.
Red had grown up in what was practically solitary confinement for her entire life. She wasn't used to dealing with other people, let alone a new sister who constantly insisted on acting like personified cotton candy.
Hearts, Red was trying to be patient with the girl, she really was, but it was hard. She just...didn't know how to act around her. She was afraid she'd slip up, or do something stupid, so she mostly ended up avoiding Pink as often as she could.
And Pink wasn't the only person Red felt that way about. She had almost the exact same concerns about the annoyingly adorable blue-haired Princess that was sitting next to her right now, enthralled in the history lesson at hand.
How in the name of Auradon were the two of them friends? They couldn't be more different from each other, could they?
Chloe was the type of person Red had grown up believing she would hate, and now...well, now what she felt for Chloe was far from hatred.
She cared about Chloe more than she had ever cared about anyone. Right now, Chloe was about the only person in her life who she could really let her guard down with, and while it was an exhilarating and comforting feeling, it also terrified Red. Because she had never been good at being vulnerable, she had always been told that being vulnerable made you weak, and weakness would lead to betrayal, and it was better to shut people out than let them in, because you couldn't lose what you didn't have.
Red was trying to fight back against those beliefs, but it felt near impossible. Because the thought of losing Chloe felt like a stab to the chest. She loved this girl, cared about her more than she had ever thought would be possible for her, and that terrified her.
Red had always been told how hard she was to love. How much of a disappointment she was. How nobody would ever care about her. How she was a failure.
Chloe had seen her with her guard down. She knew about the nightmares Red had, about the flashbacks, but she didn't know all of Red. She hadn't seen how broken she truly was, how clingy and touch-starved she was, how impossible it was to love her once someone saw the real, raw version of her. Chloe would leave her, and Red couldn't afford to lose her.
And Red didn't what to do about that.
The bell rang, snapping her out of her thoughts, and she scrambled to put them away, standing up and leaving the room, Chloe at her side.
The thought put a smile on her face, and she couldn't push it down no matter how hard she tried.
The two of them headed down the hall together, making their away in the direction of where their lockers were.
"I can't believe you got in trouble for talking in class, that's never happened to you before." Red laughed, "I'm a bad influence. Guess I really have corrupted you, huh?"
Chloe rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah, well, don't get too used to it. Just because I know now that it's okay to get my hands dirty and be less of a perfect princess all the time, it doesn't mean I'm suddenly paying no attention to my grades or anyth—"
Chloe was cut off when she crashed into someone, getting knocked right to the floor.
Red looked up and saw that it was Max Hatter and Hazel Hook, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the sight of them. She didn't know them too well, but they had quickly become two of her least favourite people attending Auradon Prep, always pickpocketing people or antagonising the other students.
Red huffed, reaching out her hand for Chloe to take, and pulled her up.
"You okay?" She asked gently, aware how uncharacteristically soft her tone was. She should hate that, shouldn't she?
Realising her hand was still twined with Chloe's, she quickly let it drop back to her side, turning to address Max and Hazel.
"Watch where you're going next time." Max muttered, eyeing the two of them.
Red scowled, shaking her head, and was about to respond when she heard a different voice approaching from behind them. "I think an apology would have been a better response for bumping into her, Max. But I probably shouldn't expect anything like that from you."
Red recognised the voice and turned around to see Luis Madrigal and his best friend, Robbie Hood. She had a couple classes with the two of them and had gotten to know them— they were fine, she supposed, easy to talk to, and she imagined she'd find herself getting closer to them and liking them more and more as the year went on. Just...probably not as much as she liked Chloe, though.
She didn't know if it was possible for her to like anyone as much as she liked Chloe.
"You alright?" He looked from Chloe to Red, and they both nodded wordlessly.
Max rolled her his eyes, stepping forward, closer to Luis. "There you go again, Madrigal, looking to swoop in and play the hero like the little attention seeker you are."
Hazel nodded, moving closer to him too. "At least we're more than good hair and a nice smile."
"Oh please," Luis scoffed, "At least I'm more than a pirate who can do nothing but boss around her cronies and get then to do my dirty work. And as for you..." His gaze lingered on the boy in front of him, "You can cut it out with your act, Max. Everyone knows who you really are."
Max narrowed his eyes, stepping even closer to Luis. "And everyone knows who you are, too. So desperate for attention and glory, and for what? Are you not as strong as your family needs you to be? Is your little gift of super speed not impressive enough for them? Even though my father's not present in my life, I still don't go around sucking up to people and seeking attention because of it."
Something flickered in the depths of Luis' eyes at that, and Red watched the two boys before she shook her head, grabbing Chloe's wrist. "Come on, let's go. We're just wasting our time here."
She pushed past the group of students, pulling Chloe along with her, and let the princess's hand go once they were past everyone else.
"I don't get it," Red murmured, shaking her head.
"Don't get what?" Chloe asked nervously.
"How that's Max Hatter, the son of Maddox. He's nothing like he was back when I knew him. I mean, he—"
"Wore button-downs and bow-ties?" Chloe prompted, "I know, you keep saying that."
Red paused, letting out a deflated sigh and leaning against her locker. "Sorry. I don't want to keep bothering you by bringing it up, but...it just worries me. If that's what Max is like in this timeline, then I don't even want to know how different Maddox is."
Even saying the name of her old tutor and friend was enough to make dread claw at Red's stomach. Growing up alone in Wonderland, Maddox had been her only friend, always there for her. It was him who had given her the Pocketwatch in the first place, granting her the life she had now.
But in that life, he was completely different. She hadn't seen him yet, but she had been shocked to get to school and learn the truth: That Maddox was a villain in this timeline, completely deranged due to the effects of one of his inventions, called the Oraculum. Allegedly, he had seen something in it that had driven him to madness, and he had gone almost completely insane trying to find it, threatening the Queen Of Hearts to the point where she had him banished to the Isle Of The Lost.
But according to the rumours, the Queen Of Hearts had decided to let him out, and apparently he had changed. Red had decided that when it was time for the half-term break, the first thing she would do was go to find him and see for herself whether or not he really was evil.
She hoped that he wasn't. Even though she had new friends now, Maddox still meant a lot to her. He was the first person who had ever truly cared about her, he was the first person who had taught her what it was like to feel safe and cared about.
She didn't want to lose that. Didn't want to lose him.
Did that make her selfish? She already had almost everything she could possibly ask for: A loving family, great friends, the freedom she had always wanted...
But she just wanted Maddox back. Back in Wonderland, he had been one of the only things she had to live for.
Well, him and a mischievous cat named Chessy, who was the daughter of the Chesire Cat. Red had snuck out to play with her as a kid all the time, and she hoped that when she got a chance to go back to Wonderland during the school break, she'd be able to see both of them again.
"Come on," Chloe broke into her thoughts, "Let's go eat lunch in the courtyard. And Red, no matter what changes we've made to the timeline..." She looked up, giving Red an affectionate smile that had no right to make her heart do backflips in her chest the way it did, "We'll figure it out together."
Red smiled softly, shutting the door of her locker. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."
❀❀❀
Bridget hummed to herself, mixing the batter for the cupcakes she was making. It had been quite a while since she had baked anything, and she had decided that she'd do it today, which was why she was standing in the kitchen, ingredients strewn all over the counter.
It was strange baking alone; she usually had her two amazing daughters to do it with her, Pink and Red. She loved them to pieces, cared for them so much, and it hurt for them to be so far away from her now, at Auradon Prep. But she called them every single day and chatted to them as often as she could, to try to make up for the distance between them.
But the truth was, she had been a little worried about Red lately. The girl had been acting strange for the past few weeks, far different from the bubbly, excitable girl Bridget knew. Perhaps she was just stressed out about attending a different school?
Bridget supposed she'd know more in a few weeks when the girls got their school break. But until then, she was alone I the castle, with the exception of the butlers and security guards.
At least, that was what she thought until she heard a voice behind her.
"Well hello, old friend."
Bridget let out a gasp, feeling as though her heart had turned to stone.
Maddox...?
Weakly, she turned around, clutching her deck of cards—because she always kept then with her—close to her chest.
"Maddox!" She smiled nervously. "What...what brings you here?"
It was then that she noticed the cat draped across his shoulders, and her heart sank further. Chessy, the mischievous furball who was always causing trouble.
"You can cut out the pleasantries," Maddox snarled, "I know you have the watch, here in Wonderland."
Chessy flexed her claws, bearing her fangs, and Bridget took a step away from them, her back hitting the refrigerator.
"Oh, Maddox, don't tell me the two of you are at that again, trying to find this...mythical watch your Oraculum supposedly showed you. I've told you before, I'm not interested in playing this silly little game. I have no idea where this watch you speak of even is." She took a breath, trying to keep calm.
Maddox gave her a cold look, then nodded at the cat on his shoulders. "Tell her, Chessy."
Chessy leapt down from him and landed on the kitchen counter, weaving in and out of the ingredients. "Oh, but don't you see, Your Highness?" She sneered, "You may not know where it is, but your daughter does. And that's exactly why we're keeping you here as bait. A little letter to your darling daughters from 'their mother' about how you need their help, and they'll come running right to your rescue. Right into our trap, and Red will have no choice but to tell us exactly where the watch is. It's foolproof."
Bridget felt as though she had lost the ability to breathe. What were they talking about? Was the watch actually real? Or was this all another layer to Maddox and his insanity? What were they going to do to her? To her daughters?
Maddox held out his palm, and in it sat a tiny, mechanical bug. Before she could even realise it, a gas rose up from it, and the ground rushed up to meet Bridget.
❀❀❀
There was one specific area of the courtyard that Chloe and Red liked going to, bedside more often than not, it was empty, giving them the whole area to themselves. That was the case today, and they were both sitting together when something came rushing through the air, heading straight for Red.
With a wide-eyed glance at Chloe, she leapt up to grab it, her heart pounding. It was one of her mother's playing cards, and tied to it was a letter. She scrambled to unfold it, her eyes raking over it.
Red,
Maddox has kidnapped me! I don't know what's going on, but he's bewitched the castle and I can't get out, I need you and your friends to come to Wonderland and help me! I don't have time to write much in case he sees me doing this, but please come quickly, and be careful,
Mum
Red couldn't tell whether her heart was hammering in her chest or if it had stopped beating entirely.
"No..." She heard herself croaking out through tears, and her voice didn't even sound like it was her own, "Please, no..."
"What is it?" Chloe asked, alarmed, jumping to her feet and putting a hand on Red's arm.
Red weakly gave the letter to Chloe, unable to speak.
Maddox had done this? How...why? She had just been hoping he was reformed, no longer a villain, that she could have her friend back, and now, not only was it clear that was far from true, he had...
"He kidnapped your mom?" Chloe asked, horrified.
And then Red was crying. Tears spilled from her eyes and Chloe enveloped her in a hug. "Hey...hey, it's okay, everything's gonna be fine." Chloe told her in a reassuring tone.
How was Red meant to believe that?
Pulling back, she shook her head. "No, I...Chloe, I finally have a mom who truly loves me, a mom I truly love, the mom I've wanted all my life, and now she's in danger! Now I might never see her again— and it's all because of someone who was my friend once! I can't believe Maddox would do this...I finally got the mom I've always wanted and now I've lost her already..."
"Hey," Chloe started, gripping Red's arm, "Don't think like that. Look, we're gonna get back to Wonderland and rescue her, okay? Just breathe, it's gonna be fine. We'll figure this out together, right?"
"Red! Red!"
Red bit back a groan, turning to see her sister rushing towards her, something in her hand, with Luis and Robbie right behind her. As she got closer, arriving at Red's side totally out of breath, Red noticed that Pink had the same letter in her hand.
"You got it too?" Red asked, grateful that her voice came out even.
Pink nodded worriedly. "Oh my hearts, I can't believe this! Mom's been captured! What are we supposed to do?"
"Red and I are going back to Wonderland right now to save her." Chloe explained quickly, trying to give Pink a reassuring look, but Pink was still reasonably panicking.
"Okay, but— well, I have to come too!" Pink told them, eyes-wide.
Red squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm herself. That was exactly what she had been afraid of; Pink coming with them. Of course her sister would be worried and want to help, but Red was still adjusting to actually having Pink in her life at all, and a mission to save her mother didn't seem like the best time to be doing that.
"Are you sure?" Red asked, taking both of her hands, "This isn't going to be easy, Pink."
Pink nodded vigorously. "Of course I'm coming!"
Red exhaled and finally gave her a nod. "Fine. But no getting sidetracked, and you have to keep up with me and Chloe."
"And us!" Robbie put in from behind Pink.
Red looked up at him, her heart stopping. Please, no...
"What do you— you want to come too?" Red asked in disbelief.
Luis nodded firmly. "You'll need all the help you can get. You said it yourself, Red, this won't be an easy task. So let us come and help you, okay?"
This was the last thing Red needed. Her overly energetic little sister tagging along was bad enough, but two guys she didn't even know that well coming too?
"Well..." Chloe hesitated, "We could be gone for a while, maybe it'd be better if you two stayed here to cover for us." She suggested helpfully.
Red threw her a grateful glance. Surely that would be enough for the two boys to give in?
"But think about it, guys!" Pink interjected, "What harm would it be to have extra help? They're already our friends, we know we can trust them— Robbie's smart and calculated, and hearts, Luis is a Madrigal who has the gift of super speed! Have you any idea how helpful that would be to have with us? Everything would be easier if they come!"
Red chewed on her bottom lip. Reluctantly, she had to agree that Pink did have a point.
"...Fine." She relented with a sigh, "Come on, we don't have much time. We're going to the Rabbit Hole."
She took a few steps forward, and Chloe quickened her pace to catch up with her. "It's gonna be okay, Red." She reached out and laced Red's hand with her own and gave it a small squeeze.
Red tried to ignore the way her face heated up at the gesture, and gave Chloe a soft smile before looking up at the Rabbit Hole ahead.
"I'm coming, mom." She whispered aloud.
She had finally gotten the life she had always wanted, the mom she had dreamed of having for longer than she could remember, and there was no way in all of Auradon that she was losing that chance now.