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ONE DAY KAELYN WOULD look back on her days with the two boys and the spinsters as the happiest she'd ever been. It was a fleeting moment in her life, retrospectively, but a moment she would always fondly remember above anything else. In all her hundreds of years of existence, nothing had quite felt the same.

It did not matter what became of it, she had learnt to separate the good from what it inevitably led to. Somewhat. But not really. Not at all. They were the better days of her life, but so tainted and bittersweet. Sometimes she wished she didn't have the memories, the lingering feelings of a life she'd never be able to get back.

But as she sprinted through the streets, laughing the whole way in the face of danger, fifteen-year-old Kaelyn had no clue she was living out the kinds of memories that would make her so sad in the future.

Rumpelstiltskin had been a part of their little family for two years now, and Kaelyn herself had been with the spinsters and Malcolm for three. They had become the local town terrors, still thieving regularly to keep themselves afloat. The Spinsters' kindness only got them so far in life, especially as three consistent growing teens.

It had become customary that as the three finished their daily work at different times, they were now independent enough to meet up separately in town. Rumple still finished first any day they were assigned spinning. Kaelyn swore the boy was capable of spinning gold.

As the sun set above her, Kaelyn moved into town, the last to finish that day. Her face lit up as she saw Rumple on the path ahead, looking listlessly into the distance. The brunette girl smirked as he clearly hadn't noticed her approaching yet, and in a second she'd leapt onto his back.

The boy let out a yelp, but still moved to catch her, as she felt him jump from fright beneath her. Kaelyn laughed at the sky as she clambered off his frame, ignoring the livid look Rumple sent her. Her jumpscare was only possible as the two boys had finally outgrown her, both working through significant growth spurts and standing much taller than the 5'3 brunette.

"You're so easy, it's adorable," Kaelyn teased when her feet were back on the ground.

"Shut up," Rumple grumbled. "You got out last today."

"And you waited all this time for me?" she asked in a mock tone.

"No," he said, indignantly. "I only just came back to wait. It's almost sundown, wanted to make sure you hadn't fallen asleep at the wheel," Rumple added, a teasing edge to his voice.

Kaelyn scoffed. "Whatever."

"Where's Malcolm?" Rumple asked.

"He said he was gonna meet up with you when he left before me," Kaelyn said with a shrug.

Rumple rolled his eyes at their missing companion. "Probably off on his own like usual."

"Better get going then," Kaelyn said as she darted around Rumple, turning to him playfully as he stumbled. She jogged backwards a few steps towards town, grinning at her friend, oblivious to the blush on his cheeks in the pink glow of the sunset. "Come on!" she called.

The pair ran into the sunset together, breaking into town jeering and laughing. Over the years, Rumple had learnt the place the same way as Malcolm and Kaelyn had, but ultimately the former was the most familiar with it. He moved with the most ease amongst the roofs and streets, he had the best eye for an opportunity, and to a point he directed the other two.

Kaelyn had used her magic since. Multiple times, on occasions when necessary. It helped them greatly and acted as a secret advantage when they got stuck. Her power had increased as well, she felt it under her skin. It felt like every year it grew in strength, binding itself more and more to her soul.

The lightest part about it was using it in everyday life. Helping lift Rumple up when he stumbled while climbing, throwing snowballs at the boys, being too lazy to get up and calling something to her instead, adopting it into her life as a casual part of her and not just a weapon to be used. It was no longer an advantage or a secret, it was a part of her everyday life and existence.

For the first time in her life, Kaelyn's smile reached her eyes, and she felt like herself. As she danced around town square with Rumple to the fading music of a nearby player begging for tips, she felt at peace.

Kaelyn dragged Rumple away by his hand once the music stopped, running towards the small garden in town that would start emptying by now as it got darker. That was one of Kaelyn's biggest magic advantages; she never truly felt unsafe in situations she probably should've.

The pair had agreed that Malcolm would simply find them when he wanted to, as he so often did his own thing, so they relented to sitting in the grass. Kaelyn was peacefully watching the sun stain the small pond as it set, before Rumple moved in unusually close. Kaelyn looked at him out of the corner of her eye, as he licked his lips anxiously.

"Kaelyn, do you...do you remember your parents?" he finally asked.

Kaelyn's eyes widened at the unexpected question, as she turned her full attention to her friend. She looked at him, taking note of the weary expression he wore.

"No," she replied. "I was found as a baby and taken in. Been hopping from makeshift families ever since."

"Do you ever wonder why they left you?" Rumple asked, voice small.

Kaelyn remembered the boy's cries the day his father had dumped him at the Spinsters' doorstep and she and Malcolm had watched through the window. He had sobbed until his voice was cracked, and he continued to wait outside for weeks after, hoping his father would come back. He, of course, never did, and Rumple had stayed with them, stuck with the knowledge he had been left by a familiar face.

On the other hand, Kaelyn had never met her parents. She had never had a face or memories to connect to the abandonment she felt. Finding new people to call her family had become customary to her. She tried not to think too much about why she had been left behind. She often thought something was wrong with her, that her power had made her unloveable and unwanted even as a baby.

But as she had grown older, she had disregarded her parents more and more. At one point she'd been angry, spitting at them for leaving her to a life so twisted. But she had slowly become indifferent, bitter to a point of acceptance. Someone like her was not fated to live a normal, safe life– something would've gone wrong at some point anyway. No matter who she was raised by, her power inevitably would have attracted the same violence and scorn it already did.

You're just a little girl whose own parents didn't even want her. Twice.

Kaelyn clenched her jaw. She so rarely thought about her time on the farm, and her adoptive sister who pushed her to snap. Those words, so cruel, had been her final straw before she'd hurt someone with her magic for the first time. They had cut deep at the time, when she was young and naive and let herself be forced into a corner.

The Carroways had made her fear something that was meant to be a part of herself. They had never wanted her, not beyond what they wanted. In the end, she didn't care that they didn't want her. She had been shown that good people existed, and she did not have to diminish herself to find a family.

But Kaelyn would never forget the way Cielle had looked at her. Fear. Like she was a monster, who for a split second had taken power in a dynamic that had always crushed her.

Besides Kaelyn, Rumple was still awaiting a response, as he watched the brunette think, her eyes drifting, empty in a way they shouldn't have been for her age. She rarely talked about her background with either boys, only discussing it in pieces. Some things she was prepared to take to the grave, some she would share with them eventually.

"I used to," Kaelyn finally said. Rumple watched her intently, but she didn't meet his eyes. "But what difference would it have made?"

"What?" Rumple asked, bluntly. He looked disappointed by the answer.

"I'm not like you, or even Malcolm," Kaelyn elaborated. "I never knew the people who were supposed to protect me. I never had memories with them to think about over and over, or a relationship to feel betrayed over. I had a lot of 'what if's, and they haunted me for a while. But I guess at some point I realised someone like me would've had a twisted life anyway."

Rumple frowned. "Someone like you?"

"Yes. Magic always has a price," she said. Rumple blinked at the phrase. "I always wondered what mine was. I never had any limits or sacrifices that needed to be made. Nothing like what I've heard. But I think I realised not being able to choose was the price."

"You mean you didn't choose power?" Rumple asked.

"It chose me," Kaelyn agreed. "I didn't elect to learn magic, I was simply born. That's my price. I'm on this path I can't control or stop simply because of the way I am." The sun was almost gone now, and the moon was blinking over the horizon, highlighting the angles of her face as she spoke. "And because of that, I don't really think about why I was left behind, because it wouldn't have changed anything."

"It... probably doesn't help, but I think your magic's pretty wicked," Rumple said after a few moments.

"Wicked?" Kaelyn asked at the awkward phrase.

"Figure of speech," Rumple said, quickly.

Kaelyn looked at her friend with a small smile. "I hope you know where I am right now is the happiest I've ever been," she said, softly, heart warm at the thought of running under the sun through town with two people she loved more than anyone.

Rumple gazed at her, eyes gleaming. Kaelyn barely had time to react before he had leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, and even less time before he'd pulled away. Kaelyn instinctively leaned back, caught off guard and at a loss of words, staring at her friend who was sporting a raging blush.

"I'm sorry," he said at the look on her face. "I'm sorry," he repeated, as it was obvious she didn't reciprocate the advance at all.

"It's okay, it's okay," she said, quickly, clearing her throat and looking down at her lap.

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have done that," Rumple murmured, running a hand through his hair as he shuffled in the grass and put space between the pair.

"Maybe not but it's okay," Kaelyn admitted, sending her friend a weak smile.

Rumple frowned. "Are you sure? I'm sorry, I don't- I don't want to make things weird."

"They won't be weird," Kaelyn said, shaking her head, assuring herself as much as her friend.

"Hey, lovebirds!" came a voice.

Rumple practically jumped away from Kaelyn, as Malcolm almost materialised from a nearby tree. He was wearing a mischievous look as he glanced between his two friends. Kaelyn tried to communicate with her face that it wasn't mutual, but failed as Malcolm landed in the grass and strolled over.

He wedged himself in between the pair, Kaelyn looked at the pouch in his hand curiously. "While you two were off snogging I picked up some surprises," Malcolm told them. Rumple's cheeks shone pink again, and Kaelyn pressed her lips together.

Malcolm reached into the pouch, his fingers coming out laced around her silver chain, a simple rectangular pendent hanging from it. "This chain, for me," he said. He reached in again, bringing out an obscure straw doll. "For Rumple." The boy mumbled something as he was handed the gift and accepted it.

A different look came over Malcolm's face as he looked at Kaelyn. "And... this precious stone for Kaelyn." The boy unfurled his fingers to reveal a grey stone with dazzling, dark purple crystals carved into the centre of it. Kaelyn's eyes widened as he gazed at it, overwhelmed by the beauty of it.

She reached for it, fingers grazing Malcolm's as she accepted it. She stared at it, eyes gleaming the same shade of indigo as the crystals within. Kaelyn glanced up and met Malcolm's eager eyes.

"Thank you," she breathed. He gave her a smile, looking pleased with himself, before turning back to Rumple.

"You gonna name it?" he asked.

"Shut up," Rumple grumbled, holding the doll closer to his body. Kaelyn was surprised; the doll wasn't expected, but apparently it fitted Rumple as a gift. Malcolm knew them well. "Peter Pan," Rumple then spoke up. Malcolm looked fond of the name.

"Sounds like a children's storybook character," Kaelyn piped up. Rumple looked at her, biting the inside of his cheek as being acknowledged by her. Malcolm's eyes flicked between them, unsurely.

Rumple cleared his throat and got to his feet. "Uh, I'm just going to head back early," he announced, abruptly.

"No way!" Malcolm protested. "Things haven't even gotten fun yet."

"I'm not feeling well," Rumple said, weakly. "Gonna try and sleep it off."

Malcolm frowned at the realisation that his complaints wouldn't achieve anything, as their friend walked off. Kaelyn sighed, watching after Rumple, unable to stop the feeling of guilt in her stomach.

"Kiss that bad?" Malcolm finally asked.

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NO MATTER, the pair continued into the night as they used to, feeling almost like a callback to when it was just them. Rumple had become so much of their routine, it was often easy to forget how much Kaelyn adored her one-on-one time with Malcolm.

He was up ahead, as usual, clambering upwards to one of their favourite rooves. Kaelyn heaved in a breath, hating the silence between them.

"Malcolm!" she called.

"Hm?" The boy looked back at her, leaning back from a pipe so he could hear her, his new chain dangling in front of her face. Kaelyn looked up at him, and couldn't help but admire the way his lush, green eyes took her in, and his blonde hair framed his face.

He, too, had grown into his features. He wasn't as tall as Rumple, but still made her seem small, and had slightly more muscle and leanness to him than their friend. But he had become pretty, in her eyes. He had soft sort of features that made his chaos and mischief look out of place on his face, but when he smiled and his eyes lit up like pale emeralds, Kaelyn swore she felt her heart grow wings.

"Just so you know I... I don't like Rumple like that," Kaelyn told him, blinking to try and avert her eyes from his lips. "I didn't kiss him back," she said, directly, at Malcolm's confused look.

"Oh." He blinked at her, and for a second time felt still, as if both were waiting for something to happen. Kaelyn felt disappointed when nothing did, as Malcolm slowly leant back. "Well... as long as things don't get weird it's fine," he finally said.

"No, things won't be weird," Kaelyn insisted, as Malcolm began to move upwards again and she followed.

"Good," Malcolm said as he heaved himself to the top. He reached a hand back to help Kaelyn, but she had already cleared the top and secured a spot next to her friend. "I care about you both too much for that to happen," Malcolm admitted, the moonlight catching his features. "Look, these three gifts, as random as they are... they all remind me of us. And I hope when you look down at them you think the same."

Kaelyn smiled at him. "I'm just grateful everyday we tried to steal from each other."

"Me, too," Malcolm chuckled. "You're never getting rid of me, you know that?"

"I hope not."

The pair lapsed into silence, Kaelyn leaning back to lie face-up to the stars that were appearing in the sky. A moment later, she felt Malcolm settle beside her, their sides pressed against each other.

"Can I ask you something?" Malcolm asked, quietly.

"Hm?"

"Why don't you use your power as much as you could?"

Kaelyn frowned. "What do you mean?"

Malcolm sighed. "I mean... you could do so much. I've seen it. It could be so much more than small stealing and making noise distractions. It could be a real force. Something people would listen to."

"I don't care about power," Kaelyn snapped, hating the way her friend was going.

"I'm sorry," Malcolm said quickly, realising he'd overstepped a boundary. He turned his head to look at her, but she was still looking at the stars.

"I used to make myself sick holding my magic in because I was told it was disgusting and needed to be hidden. And I couldn't control it and it hurt someone," Kaelyn said, bitterly.

"They probably deserved it," Malcolm said, as if it were a way to make her feel better.

"It doesn't matter," Kaelyn replied, firmly, remembering the fear she had created. "Then I was found by Ajax and..." Malcolm's face softened at the mention of the man he had torn Kaelyn from. "I wasn't a person when I was with him. I was simply my magic. All I was good for was using a power that wasn't anyone's else's but my own. I have been forced into two extremes. I have been diminished to nothing but my power, and I have been stripped of it. People never seemed to be able to accept me as both until you and Rumple."

Kaelyn finally looked at Malcolm, meeting his eyes. "You asked why I don't use it more often. It's because I don't just want to be known for power. I want to live properly and the way I want. So, yeah, I only use it when necessary. I never think about the things I could truly do with it because I simply don't care enough. I want to be the sort of person that would've inspired me as a kid, when I would sit alone thinking something was wrong with me or that I couldn't be loved."

Malcolm acknowledged her for a moment. "I guess we're very different people, then," he said, softly.

"It's why I've always liked you," Kaelyn replied, lightly. "It doesn't get boring."

"Sure." The boy sat back up, and Kaelyn followed.

"But Malcolm," she said, tone different.

The boy turned back to her. "Hm?"

"If you or Rumple ever take advantage of my magic or try to control me the way others have before, you'll never see me again."

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hello i have risen from the dead, and happy 2022! as always, a present day chapter will be released soon after this one. this one was a bit shorter than usual, but i felt it was really important to show the healthy bond between the trio before it all goes wrong, and adding anything else felt excessive.

some very key conversations and character moments in this one. i know a lot of readers skip these flashback chapters (i can literally see the number of reads) but i promise they are so important and add up. plus they make the end hurt 10x worse and who doesn't like angst.

also not a love triangle. i just think it's funny for future reference that rumple kissed kaelyn as a teen.

please interact if you enjoyed this chapter! i've missed writing and seeing people's reactions to kaelyn's story. next chapter will be soon, i promise!