Chapter 1: Big Girls Don't Cry

"Crystal, I know it's hard, but you can't run away from this…"

The young woman wipes her eyes as she sits on the edge of her apartment building, letting her legs dangle over. She can see the illuminated halos of streetlights and car headlamps just beyond her sneakers, casting an almost heavenly glow in the dark and usually gritty roads of New York City. If she tilted her head the right way, it was as if she were standing on bright, radiant stars. Every so often, the lights would be disoriented by her tears, that were slowly leaving her saddened blue eyes and falling down her face.

While one might assume that due to her fragile emotional state that she was thinking of ending it all; she wasn't, she just needed a quiet place to sit and rest, contemplating what she's going to do now. The roof was often the best spot because it provided her with cool air, that was now blowing through her hair, it gave her the marvellous sights of lights reflecting off every shiny surface, making the city seem almost like a painting. The brightness contrasting the dark, and finally, the roof gave her a view, which gave her a better perspective of how small and insignificant her problems truly were compared to the vast world she lived in.

However, this problem, while common and will happen to every person eventually, could not be fixed with a beautiful midnight view of the city. Her problem didn't seem small or insignificant, not when it created this gigantic pain in her chest, a pain that hurt every time she took a breath in. Her head has not stopped spinning, nor had the tears stopped falling as the reality of her problem worked its way through her body. Even though it had been a little while since this event happened, the pain was no less agonizing than when she'd first heard the news.

The voice talking to her through the phone is that of Emma Swan, her surrogate sister, who is trying to give her some form of comfort, which is hard when they are hundreds of miles apart from each other, one party in downtown New York City and the other in Storybrooke, Maine.

"You have to know that running from your problems never solves anything."

"Are you seriously the one giving me this lecture?" Crystal says in a voice full of anger and grief.

Emma Swan sighs heavily, she knew this was going to come back and bite her in the ass. The choices she made when she was younger; how she attempted to hide from her problems and claiming that she didn't need anyone. While this was due to life-long issues, most that were out of her control; such as being born during a dark curse, being sent through a magical wardrobe, being put in the foster system for most of her youth, being abandoned and betrayed by someone she loved while pregnant and in jail, being thrust into a role and world she wasn't prepared for, and overall, being separated from her loved ones for most of her life. While that had been her story, this was not Crystal Miller's; in fact, Emma wished that she'd have had at least one loving parent while growing up as her surrogate sister did. If Emma had learned anything from Crystal, it was to hold on and treasure those you love, no matter what they've done and anyways, the Saviour had long learned that she needed people to help her through the ups and downs of life.

It was clear that Crystal was going through the desire to be alone and cutting herself off from those who cared about her, but everyone knew that this was not healthy and would likely lead to very bad results.

"Don't give me that," the blonde warns in frustration, feeling as though she was talking to stubborn teenager instead of an adult. She paces around the living room of her home in Storybrooke while surrounded by most of her family, who are waiting and listening for news of the missing member of their group. Her husband, Killian Jones cradles their daughter, Hope, giving her a bottle and trying to get her to settle down for the night. Snow White and Prince Charming attempt to keep their young son Neal engaged by teaching him how to read his favourite fairy tale book and listening in on the phone call. Henry and his wife Jacinda/Ella sit on a nearby couch, holding hands and sitting next to Regina, who cuddles with her granddaughter, Lucy. A Killian Jones from an alternate universe is also present, known as Rogers to everyone, along with his daughter Alice; both of whom were there to support despite not knowing Crystal particularly well. Zelena hovers near the doorway, getting sick of listening to the girl's stubbornness. If she wants to run away, let her, it wasn't the witch's problem. And it's not like Crystal ever liked her very much anyways. The only reason that she was there was that she was waiting for her daughter Robin to request a ride home, as the young woman was supporting her significant other, Alice, during this time. "You know that I've long since learned from those mistakes."

"I honestly don't think that any of you are in a position to lecture me," Crystal says. "And it's not the end of the world if I want to stay in New York."

"Emma put it on speaker," Regina requests, figuring some more input could help them in their dilemma.

The blonde Saviour does so and everyone in the house can hear the background noise of traffic in the phone call and the occasional sniffle from Crystal.

"Crystal," Regina says. "We know you're hurting; You're not the only one who's lost someone close to you. We all understand that it's painful and it feels like the world should just end, but it helps to have people who love and care about you to go through this hard time."

The young woman on the rooftop swallows a heavy lump in her throat. She wants to point out the fact that when Regina lost someone she loved, she vowed revenge and ended up casting the curse that was the catalyst for Emma's own psychological problems, but she decides to hold her tongue.

"It's not just that he's gone Regina, it's that he didn't even try to say goodbye. I didn't even get to go to my own stepmother's funeral!"

"You know that they were worlds away at the time," Snow says sternly. "We didn't even know Belle was gone until after the curse was broken."

"And besides, the Dark One never was one for sentimentality," Killian adds, putting Hope on his shoulder to burp her.

"And yet he separated himself from one of his only living children prevented me from watching my brother grow up, and focused on trying to rid himself of his immortality than being a real father."

"Don't give us that," David says. "You're a fully-grown adult Crystal, you were able to make your own decisions about where you wanted to live, and you didn't really need his guidance or attention anyways."

"Says the man who regretted not being able to watch his daughter grow up," she snaps, regretting that she's bringing up the sore spots of her family's pasts, but she needs to get her point across to them. "Emma's a full-grown adult, but she still needs you."

That causes her surrogate parents to go quiet as the girl has made a valid point.

Snow sighs, feeling as though she's dealing with a stubborn student all over again. She decides to try a different approach after gazing down at her own son. "Look, Crystal, we know it's hard to work through this, but hiding from your sadness will not make it go away. It's been over four months, and it's time you came home…" She pauses. "Besides, Lucy, Hope, and Neal miss having you around."

As if on cue, Neal looks up from his book and speaks up. "Please come home Aunt Crisi," he begs in a sweet voice. He truly did miss his aunt, the two had had a special bond ever since he was a baby and it hurt not having her around all the time.

Everyone knew this plea would hit the daughter of the Dark One in her soft spot. She loved young children; her career revolved around working with them. She couldn't bear to stay away and miss watching the little ones grow and explore the world.

"Yes, please come back home," Lucy chimes in. While their bond wasn't as strong, Lucy always loved the jokes that Crystal came up with and enjoyed her aunt's endless patience as she asked millions of questions all the time.

Crystal bites her lip extremely hard, trying not to start sobbing on the phone, revealing to everyone how lonely she truly was.

"The realms aren't the same without you Lass," Killian adds.

"You should be where you truly belong," Regina says. "With your family."

There is nothing by silence on the other end of the line. The entire living room seems to hold their breath, waiting for some sort of answer.

In the distance, the sounds of sirens begin to wail, which hardly phases Crystal as it was a common sound in the big city. While she had started to slowly adjust back to life in New York, she did miss the peace and tranquillity of Storybrooke Maine, where the only sounds were waves lapping on the shore and the wind rustling through the trees in the deep woods. This likely had changed since the tiny town of Storybrooke had now become the centre of what is known as the United Realms, where every individual world and kingdom from fairy tales were brought together through a good curse. This curse was cast by Regina, who was now known as the Good Queen instead of the Evil Queen. And while the realms were protected by magic, people were still free to come and go as they pleased, provided they consult with Regina first.

This is exactly what Crystal had done after Regina's coronation as the new queen of the lands. The young girl was living peacefully in the town with her surrogate family when David and Snow jumped realms to help Henry and Regina as they faced off against another version of her father. This version had never found love and was more sadistic and manic than the Rumpelstiltskin she knew as her dear, sweet old Dad. She had stayed and cared for Neal in the royals' absence and did so until the curse was cast, bringing all the worlds together.

It wasn't until after the coronation that Crystal learned the devastating news that her father and stepmother were dead. She'd lost touch with her father after he took his family to another realm to discover a way for him to be mortal again and live a happy life with Belle. She didn't realize that time passed much faster in this place and not only did the daughter of the Dark One miss watching her half-brother Gideon grow up but also that she never got to say goodbye to her stepmother. She learned that Belle French had died of old age, peacefully in her sleep and her father spent a long time trying to stop being the Dark One and die with his wife. She learned from Rogers that her father had sacrificed his own heart to allow the pirate to see his daughter Alice again and to shed the poisoned heart that he'd been cursed with. While he died a hero's death, it didn't leave Crystal feeling much better about it. She never got to say goodbye and tell him that she loved him one last time.

This news shattered her happy world and left her devastated. In her own mind, she was now officially an orphan. Both her parents by blood were gone, she felt as though no one would understand her pain and that she needed to be alone for some time. She didn't want to put a damper on the Realm's happy time of celebration. So, she had requested to Regina leave Storybrooke, which she had granted, but now it was clear that the Good Queen regretted this action. Crystal had basically cut her still living half-brother and surrogate family out of her life, barely talking to them, and ignoring their calls.

She'd been living in a tiny apartment in the middle of Manhattan, trying to adapt a normal life again, and wallowing in grief and depression. She'd shut out the rest of the world and attempted to suppress her magic, which never worked out in the past. While she knew that this was not healthy, she couldn't help but feel the deep sadness inside that seemed to convince her that there was no reason to go back to where she truly belonged.

Even tonight, after finally accepting a call from Emma, she just wanted to stay away and work through this on her own.

She sighs heavily into her phone, knowing that everyone is waiting for an answer. The pleas from her surrogate family are convincing and reasonable, but she's still hesitant to return. She's not sure why and she didn't really want to return to them in this sad state. Yet, she can sense that they miss her and want her back.

"Okay…" she finally manages to say. "I'll come home. Just give me a few weeks to quit my job and settle my lease with my landlord. He won't be happy that I'm leaving so suddenly."

The atmosphere in the living room brightens and it feels as though the occupants are going to start cheering. Smiles spread across everyone's faces and collective sighs of relief are exchanged.

"We love you, Crystal," Regina says, smiling from ear to ear. "We all eagerly await your return."

"I… love you guys too. I'll talk to you soon," she says, managing a tiny smile.

"Goodnight Lass," both Killian and Rogers say together.

"Bye Crisi!" Neal calls out.

"We'll see you soon," Ella adds.

Her smile becomes wider when she hears everyone saying goodbye to her.

"Bye guys…" she says before hanging up.

She then leans back and exhales in exhaustion. Grief can take an emotional toll on anyone. She attempts to clear her mind by looking up at the sky, trying to make a mental list of what she'll need to do in order to move back to Maine. She wishes that she could see the stars in the city and that it was dead quiet, giving her a sense of peace… and that she could pick out two of those stars and imagine that they were Rumpelstiltskin and Belle's souls, together in bliss and happiness.

Instead, she sees the dark void of the city sky and the sounds of sirens, closer than before. There was probably fire or some other kind of crime that required the loud vehicles, but it was none of anyone's concern except for those at the scene. However, one of those individuals had now left the scene and is now swinging across the rooftops on their way home.

It isn't until Crystal stands up and walks towards the door to the roof where the two people were about to meet.

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! WATCH OUT!" a voice calls out.

Crystal's heart skips a few beats as she looks all around, trying to find where the voice is coming from. She can hear someone approaching with a swooshing sound but from the air. She can't see who and where the voice is coming from.

"MAYDAY! MAYDAY!" the voice shouts. "Prepare for crashing landing!"

*CLANG*

Crystal holds the door as there's a heavy impact from the opposite end and the crunching of gravel as the now visible figure falls to the ground.

Crystal looks around the door to the roof and sees a figure sprawled out flat on his back.

"Oh my god!" she says, rushing over to help. "Are you okay?!"

She kneels down to help the person and becomes extremely shocked by what she sees. This person is dressed in a red suit accented with blue along the sides and legs and finished with thick black lines meant to resemble a web surrounding the centre of the chest where a big black is positioned. She cannot see the person's face because they wear a red mask with white visors or something, visors that seemed to move and shift like real eyes. While this is a strange thing for a person to be wearing, it's not the weirdest thing she's ever seen. Not by a long shot.

She slowly helps the person sit up.

"Oh man, that's going to leave a mark," the guy says, holding his head in his hand. Based on his voice, Crystal can tell that it's definitely a guy in the suit and he sounds pretty young.

"I'm… sorry?' Crystal offers, not sure how to respond. "I didn't see you."

"No, no, it's my own fault. Karen was supposed to talk to me about the trajectory of that swing."

"Karen?"

"My A.I. who…" the guy stops short, realizing that he's revealing technology secrets to a total stranger.

"Well whoever Karen is, I hope she can tell you where the nearest hospital is."

"No really, I'm okay," the guy says, trying to stand up, but wobbles a little bit until Crystal steadies him.

"Your actions speak louder than your words," she says.

"I'll be okay."

"What's with the red underwear?" she asks. "It's a little early for Halloween."

"Red underwear?!" the guy says, his voice slightly muffled by the mask. He sounds very offended by the sarcasm. "This is a highly advanced technical marvel that was built by a genius man who…"

Again, the guy realizes that he's telling secrets to a total stranger.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, all I take from that buddy is that you clearly care about this getup more than I do and you're describing something that I don't really care about."

"It's not like I asked you to open the door into my face," the guy says, taking a step away from the girl to face her. "You know, I don't often find myself sharing rooftops in the middle of the night."

"And what's your excuse?" Crystal asks, looking at the visitor

"I'm a superhero, and it's my job to protect the city."