( continues...) interest of not being thrown around like dice in a cup." Regina paused. "It's not like there'll be much else to do on board ship."

"Great." Emma sighed as she sheathed the sword again. "Speaking of which, let's see if-" She broke off. "Hey, do you hear-?"

"Yes." Another flicker of dark magic, and Regina looked composed and clean again. Emma cocked her head, trying to pinpoint the noise. Sounds like one guy, walking cautiously , she thought. The footsteps came closer and closer, until a man rounded a thicket and came to a stop at the sight of them.

Emma eyed him carefully. He was somewhere in late middle-age, wearing a rough tunic and trousers she thought were peasant-wear. He had a badge of some kind on one shoulder, and carried a staff, and his body-language somehow made her think of a small-town cop caught off guard.

Look who's talking, Sheriff. Emma snorted slightly as Regina stepped forward and gave him a wintery smile.

"Hello, Serjant. Isn't it a lovely day?" The man blinked at her, starting to say something that got lost as she rolled on. "My friend and I are looking to hire passage over the sea, do you know someplace nearby we should visit?"

The man stared a moment, glancing back and forth between them. He started to speak again, then paused and visibly decided it wasn't worth the trouble questioning them. "The Mended Anchor, back in town." He pointed behind him. "Lots of sailors get a drink or a room. If there's anyone who's going where you want to go, you can find'em or word of them there. Just follow the smell of the wharves, you can't miss it."

"Thank you so much." And Regina strode past him like she was marching into a conquered castle. He eyed her as she passed, then glanced at Emma, who gave him a cheery smile and a "Thanks!" as she strolled after Regina.

They walked in silence for a minute, Regina striding with her chin lifted, Emma walking easily behind her, listening to see if the...Serjant?...was following them, and determinedly not looking back. She glanced at Regina and murmured, "So it just occurs to me, you didn't mention anything before we left about getting clothes that are more, ah, Enchanted-Forest-y?"

"Blending in isn't going to be a priority." She looked thoughtful. "In fact, it may be easier to gain access to the Queen if we seem somewhat exotic."

"Huh." Emma glanced down at her jeans and jacket, then behind them briefly. "Well, that guy's face sure said we look exotic. He was...?"

"Village militia. Probably sent to investigate the noise, and hoping it wasn't trolls or worse."

"And finding us, instead. Poor guy."

A few minutes walk took them out of the forest and within sight of the sea. The town sat on its edge, a scattering of ramshackle buildings, with the masts of a few ships visible over the rooftops. The central road went from bare dirt to cobbles as it passed a guard's hut, and the militiaman sitting outside it peered at the two of them as they passed. Emma gave him a smile too, and strolled after Regina.

"So what are the chances we find a ride straight off?"

"Hard to say." Regina pursed her lips as the road began sloping down towards the docks. "Arendelle was never a major trading partner for the Forest, and without royal authority and money to push for new routes...."

"It's a crapshoot." Emma sighed. Regina paused and peered upwards.

"Does that look like an anchor to you?" Emma followed her gaze and squinted.

"Uh...maybe?" It was hard to tell what the sign was supposed to show, between the artist's dubious skill and the cheap paint that was already peeling. "With...bandages around it, I guess? Anyway," She took a deep sniff. "Smells like sailor's rum, and lots of it."

"Good enough." Regina pushed through the swinging door beside them, with Emma close behind. It was definitely a tavern, with a few men scattered drinking at tables. Regina ignored them, and swept over to the bar. The man behind it was eyeing them cautiously. He was broad-shouldered, but with a noticeable (continued...)

( continues...) gut and a gone-to-seed air. Regina gave him another brilliant smile.

"We're looking to buy passage over the sea, and hoping you know someone who can help us find the ship we need, Mister...?"

The barkeep gave her a sidelong look, then abruptly started wiping down the counter between them. "Two-Thumbs," he said briefly. "I might know somethin'."

Emma heard a clink as Regina dropped something on the bar, and caught a flash of silver before Two-Thumbs wiped it off and tucked it, rag and all, into his apron. "Where you heading?"

"Arendelle. As quickly as possible."

The man scowled. "Mmm. Not many ships go that far..." He squinted past them for a moment then barked, "Trawl!"

"Uh?" A bleary-looking fellow across the room looked up from his cup, startled. "Wat'ye want, Two?"

"Who's in town that knows the north seas?"

" North seas? ....uh." Trawl scratched his head and stared suspiciously at the ceiling. "Cooper's off in the Southern Isles again....Curry just left a few days ago..." The scowl got deeper, like he suspeected the ceiling of plotting something. "Applecraft....no he's dead, isn't he?" Emma glanced dubiously at Regina, who was watching this performance with a condescending smile. "Oh, yeah!" Trawl sat up and almost smiled. "When I passed the docks, the Summer Wind was just tying up."

"Cap'n Klaus, eh? He'll do." Two-Thumbs nodded at the door. "Go tell him someone's lookin' for passage north."

Trawl turned his scowl on the barkeep. "What's in it for me?"

"Next drink's on the house."

"Four drinks."

"Two."

"Three."

"Two."

"Three."

Two-Thumbs shrugged and looked at one of the other drinkers. "Hey, Haddock!"

Trawl bolted to his feet and almost ran towards the door. "Fine! Two it is!" He paused and jabbed a finger at the barkeep, "And no half-cups!" and off he dashed.

Emma eyed Two-Thumbs dubiously. "So how reliable is this Captain Klaus?"

He shrugged again. "He keeps his tab paid and his crew have something like discipline. It's good enough for me."

Emma sighed and leaned against the bar, as Two-Thumbs went back to cleaning cups. Regina had sat on one of the less-filthy chairs and was sitting watching the door patiently. After a few minutes, Emma decided it was actually kind of creepy and leaned over.

"So what's with the statue act?"

Regina gave her a brief, cool glance. "Letting them see you worry is showing a weakness. We don't have a lot of options, even if we have time to spare."

Emma blinked and eyed her carefully. "Is that why I'm hearing your mother come out of your mouth?"

Regina stiffened and gave her a sharp glare. She spat, "I-" and then just as suddenly cut herself off. She settled back into her seat, staring at the door again, and said carefully, "It's been very easy to call up the mannerisms of the Evil Queen."

Emma sighed again and sank into another chair. "It's not like I don't have habits I fall into when I'm off balance," she offered. "Ones I wouldn't like Henry to see, even."

There was a pause. "Are you trying to have a moment, Miss Swan?" Regina gave her a cool look.

"Uh-"

"Because it looks like the chance has passed." Emma looked up as the tavern door opened again. Trawl scrambled through and headed straight for the bar; he was followed by an older, bearded man.

"See! There he is, yeah?" Trawl grabbed the drink Two-Thumbs had poured in advance and headed back to his bench triumphantly. Regina ignored him, and gave the new arrival another cool smile.

"Captain Klaus, I presume?" He nodded. "We're looking to buy passage to Arendelle, and we'd like to get there as soon as possible."

Emma put in, "We've got people back home depending on us making good time." Regina gave her a quelling glance.

"Hmm." He gave them both a considering look. Emma studied him in return. His beard and hair were neatly trimmed, and his clothes looked well-tailored. Not a captain who's struggling for money, I think.

After a moment, he went on, "We're (continued...)

( continues...) taking on cargo tonight, and no reason we can't sell it in Arendelle. We may need a day or so to get it stowed...unless I have cash on hand to pay the longshoremen for extra hours..." He trailed off with a slight smile.

Regina returned the smile. "If it means we can leave with the morning tide....?" He nodded. "And a cabin, for the two of us?"

The captain chuckled. "You're lucky you ask that now. We're down a mate, so I'll only have to kick one fellow out of his room and into the hold." He gestured at the door. "If you'd like to see the ship, and we can talk details in my cabin...?"

"Of course." Regina stood, and made an after-you motion. "Lead the way." He smiled easily, and the three of them headed out and down towards the docks.

"Arendelle's not a major trade center," he went on. "Can I ask what you're looking to find there?"

"We need to talk to the Queen." This time Regina gave her a full-on glare. Captain Klaus slowed and glanced back at them with a frown.

"That might actually be a problem."

"Oh?" Regina asked coolly.

"There is no Queen in Arendelle these days."

TBC

I'm enjoying this. I think you have a good grasp of Regina's voice.

Signs I'm rusty at this whole fan fic thing ... I've been posting in the wrong thread. So, I'll be reposting the first few sections of the new thing here:

Heaven's in Here

Prologue

My name is Ted Kord. I was shot by Maxwell Lord in in 2005, and I woke up as a policeman in London in 1990. Am I crazy, in a coma, or have I traveled back in time? Whatever's happened, it's like I've landed on a different planet. Now, maybe if I can work out the reason, I can get home before Lord destroys The Justice League ...

Heaven's in Here

One: If I Could Turn Back Time

I knew immediately it wasn't going to be enough. Knew even before he fired the gun. He had stolen something from Batman, some sort of spy satellite or something. He knew everything about all of us. Even Superman. Maxwell Lord – my friend Maxwell Lord, the man who once connived a new Justice League into being – was now in charge of Checkmate. He'd be coming for the rest of the League soon.

But I was first. Even if I could escape Checkmate's Zurich headquarters, I couldn't resist Max's mind-control. What happens if he uses it on Superman? Or Diana? We never worried about that because we thought we could trust him.

All I want is to put Earth's destiny in the hands of humans, he said, pointing the gun at me while I knelt wounded and bound on the floor. In the hands of people like me ...and people like you.

I asked if he was asking me to join or die. Then I told him to rot in Hell. In retrospect, maybe I should have stalled for time. Nah. Max would never have bought it. He fired, and I blacked out. For a moment, it was as though explosions rippled through my head. Then the pain changed, and it was as if I was being pummeled by fists.

Because I was. Instead of Max pontificating about his evil scheme, I suddenly had four skinheads laying into me, punching and kicking me as I lay on the ground. And I was on a city street, outdoors. I heard someone shout for the police, heard running. I almost forgot about the punching and kicking, because I realized that there wasn't a gaping hole in my head.

OK. First problems first. I grabbed one skinhead's arm and tossed him into his buddies, then flipped and kicked another one in the chin. He was out cold. One kick! I thought to myself, but these were hardly the Legion of Doom. I spun and took out another. The other two ran.

Stop, police! Shouted a woman's voice. A young, blonde woman in a police uniform – British? Definitely not American, despite her accent – took a baton to one of the skinheads as he tried to push past her. The last bruiser made a break for it, but I wasn't having it: I leaped, bounced off the wall and came down with my foot on his back.

I turned again to face the policewoman.

“The elderly couple they mugged said you jumped in to save them,” she said. Now that the adrenaline was subsiding, I felt a little wobbly on my knees. “Are you all right?”

“I don't think so,” I said. “I think I need to lie down for a …”

Aaaand, I was out. Just like that. It's kind of embarrassing, actually, because the cop was kind of cute. If you're into women in uniforms. Which, hey! I am! Thankfully, she was there in the hospital when I woke up.

“Hey,” she said, smiling down at me. “I was getting worried about you, DI Kord.”

“DI?” I said, clearly at the top of my wit.

“Sorry,” she said, folding up a copy of the London Herald and laying it on the table. “We had to go through your wallet when we brought you in. CDI was expecting you later today. Hell of a first day on the job!”

“Job?” I asked, confused.

“DCI Hunt was beside himself,” she continued. You should have heard the shouting. Well, I guess you'll hear it enough soon. The doctors say you can go home as soon as you feel ready.”

This was getting confusing. The cop seemed to think I was someone else. I had ID … people expecting me …

“Where am I?” I asked.

“Royal London,” said the cop, still smiling.

“London?” I said. “But I was in Zurich. Last thing I remember ...”

The last thing I remember is Max Lord putting a bullet though my brain.

“Are you going to be OK?” said the cop. “I think the pounding might have rattled you more than we thought.”

“No, no,” I said. “I'm OK getting pounded.” The cop snickered a bit and I added, “I can take a few hits! I mean …”

… I'm in London with no costume and no communication device, and the JLA doesn't have an embassy here anymore ...

“This is going to sound crazy,” I said, taking a deep breath to (continued...)

( continues...) steady my nerves, “but I need to get in contact with the Justice League.”

“Who are they? Some sort of social advocacy group?”

“No! The Justice League! Everybody's heard of them! Superman and Wonder Woman and ...”

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” said the young woman, smiling the sort of smile you wear when you're just about to have someone medicated for their own health and safety.” Should I call the Sister?”

She was about to make that decision for me, but I wanted to smooth things over before they escalated. I couldn't get bogged down here. I had things to do.

“No, no,” I said. “I'm OK. Just a little fuzzy, still. Hey, I never actually caught your name.”

“PC Bishop,” she said, her smile relaxing. PC Henrietta Bishop. But everybody just calls me Etta.”

“Nice to meet you, Etta,” I said, smiling lightly. I then looked around the hospital, to see if anything else was odd or out of place. Maybe hanging out with Bruce did have some effect on me. That's when I saw the newspaper's headline:

Nelson Mandela Freed

And suddenly, I knew that whatever was happening was far stranger than I had realized, and it began to sink in that I was very, very far from home.

Heaven's in Here

Part Two: Where is My Mind?

When you're part of a team, you have a role. I was never the detective. That would be Bruce. Or Ralph and Sue. Or even J'onn. Me? I was the guy who could fix the machine, or fly the plane, or crack a joke when it was desperately needed. Which was more often than you would think. Grim and gritty was so late '80s.

But evidently, so was London in 1990. Assuming this is really happening and I'm not hallucinating or something, I'm in my mid-teens on the other side of the Atlantic, tinkering with machines and listening to Rush right now. Don't judge. “Tom Sawyer” was instrumental in my super-development. I've never spent much time in London, but I remember it being more frenetic than this. It's still busy, but it's a more reasonable sort of busy.

Like I said, I'm not a detective. But I do notice things. And as I ride along in the police car beside Etta, I'm noticing details: Ant-Thatcherite graffiti, punks with massive mohawks, bad dance music blaring from every car, homeless teenagers everywhere. There's a sort of grimness here, a sort of hopelessness. You can see it on people's faces. I don't remember much history, but I know Thatcher will be gone by the end of the year.

Etta's been rambling off about cases – kidnappings, disappearances, a few murders. They sound interesting … I can help. I love to help people. Especially cute policewomen. But really, most anyone who needs it. That's why playing Blue Beetle was always so addictive, even if Bruce and the rest eventually started looking down on me, thinking I was too goofy to be a superhero. Maybe they were right. Unbidden, the image of myself lying dead on the floor with Max Lord standing above me comes forward. I shake it off before I scream.

It's the little things that are different. I haven't seen a cell phone the entire time I've been here, but there are some old-school computers at a few desks. Not even all the desks. And they're, like, cave-puters. No Internet, yet. Not in any big, substantive way, anyways.

That's bad. If I'm going to get home, I need research. I need to figure out how it happened, who's responsible. This doesn't feel like Max. The Lord of Time, maybe? That Legion bad guy, The Time Trapper? I've never really dealt with either, so I don't know why they'd bother. A magic baddie? Maybe, but usually the Phantom Stranger shows up and says something cryptic by now.

Maybe I'm going crazy. Maybe all of this is in my head. That's really not a comforting thought.

We walk through the halls of the police station, and the desk sergeant glares at me as Etta and I walk up. Another blonde woman, older than Etta. Pretty, but there's an odd sternness in her demeanor that I can't … and then I notice she's gesticulating at me.

“Srgt. Jenkins,” says Etta, “This is DI Kord, he's ...”

“I know who he is, PC Bishop,” replies the sergeant, and I realize she's American, too, which is odd. “We were expecting him this morning, and then he was in the hospital. Honestly, can't you schedule your injuries until after you've punched in? The paperwork alone …”

“Thanks, Skip!” says Etta, grabbing my arm and pulling me past the desk. “Don't mind her,” she says, conspiratorially. “She's … kind of a stickler for rules. And has no sense of humor. Or empathy … or tact …”

“Good thing she's in public service,” I joke, and Etta smiles. “But hey, are there many Americans at Scotland Yard? You, me and her make three ...”

“A few. I hadn't really thought about it. And I think Srgt. Jenkins was actually born in Norway or someplace. Anyway, here we are.”

We enter a large, open office where a hectic mob of people – some in uniform, some not – stop everything they're doing to gape at me.

“Is there something on my face?” I whisper to Etta, who just giggles. “Everyone, this is Detective Inspector Kord.”

The reception's not-exactly cordial. A woman in her late 50s with a warm face and sharp eyes strides forward, (continued...)

( continues...) extending her hand. It's more formal than friendly, though.

“Welcome to CID,” says the woman. “I'm DS Smith. I guess we'll be working together.”

I shake her hand and smile. There's something in her look – does she not trust me? Did I take her promotion? I can't read her. This one's actually English, though, so that's reassuring. I was beginning to get suspicious.

“Looking forward,” I say, deciding to stick with the game. “Sorry I'm late. Got into a scuffle on the way here.”

“He stopped a mugging,” adds Etta, brightly. DS Smith's smile becomes slightly more genuine. She's still suspicious of me, but it's subsiding.

“What,” says another voice, from a desk in the corner. A large, dark-haired man with a London accent – much rougher than DS Smith's – “is he expecting a medal?”

Most of the room laughs, but the man just glares at me, a sort of brooding anger just underneath his skin. DS Smith sort of roles her eyes and speaks up, bringing the room back to attention.

“Don't mind DC Black,” she says. “He's just winding you up.”

'Right,” says a bellowing English voice on the other side of the office. “If anyone's going to do any winding up around here, it's gonna be me!”

All eyes turn towards the large man who has just entered from an office across the room.

“So you're the Yank they sent me,” he says, looking me up and down. “What? They didn't have any Frenchmen this time?”

There are a few nervous laughs. I step forward and start to introduce myself, when I realize that Etta – who is suddenly standing stiffly at attention – has actually stepped back away from me. That cant be good.

“DI Kord,” she says, barely concealing a sudden nervousness, “This is DCI Hunt.”

The large man looks me up and down.

“Show the Yank his desk and get him outfitted,” he says, dismissively. “We don't have time for tea and crumpets with the queen.”

A seriousness falls across his face as he addresses the room.

“There's been another kidnapping.”

Heaven's in Here

Part Three: Dead Man's Party

I think I may have a screamed the entire drive from the station to Braddock Academy, a “posh” boarding school in Westminster. I should have been thinking about the case or how to get home, but it was everything I could do to hang on for dear life as DCI Hunt propelled his “Starsky & Hutch”-colored 1985 BMW M5 through the streets of London, going far, far out of his way so he could find roads to “open 'er up on.”

My face was greener than the Martian Manhunter with too many Oreos in him.

“Ah, c'mon, Nancy,” shouted Hunt. “I thought you Yanks loved your fast cars and your big guns. Show me a little Clint Eastwood, why don't ya? GO AHEAD PUNK, MAKE MY DAY!”

And that's when it occurred to me that “The Dead Pool” had only been out for a couple years, and he was still re-enacting the movie as he swerved in and out of traffic and flew around blind corners. On the other hand, we beat everyone from the station there.

“The boy's name is Brian Braddock III,” said a uniformed officer, handing Hunt a photograph of the handsome blonde teenager.

“I'm guessing it's not just a coincidence the place is named after him, then,” said Hunt, snarling.

“No, guv,” said the officer. “His family founded the place, and his father's on the Board of Trustees.”

“Of course he is,” said Hunt. “All right, Nancy, let's go talk to the headmaster.

“You really need to stop calling me Nancy, DCI Hunt,” I said, trying to sound somewhat professional. “My name is Kord. Ted Kord.”

“Right,” said Hunt, not even looking at him. “All right, DI Yankee Doodle Dandy, this is the second kidnapping at this school, following one suspicious death.”

He handed me a small stack of folders he had stuffed in his trenchcoat.

“The boy who died was named Aiden Walker. Found a few blocks away. It looks like he was running, fell and hit his head. Then, when the girl Nara McKenzie went missing, we began to see a pattern, and figured the first death was a kidnapping attempt gone wrong.”

“And now another kid,” I said, thinking out loud. “Ransom demands?”

“None yet,” said Hunt, as we came to the Headmaster's office. “But the day is young.”

We took statements from the headmaster and other staff members, and then fanned out to search the campus. I took the main building, alongside some uniformed officers whose names I never caught. We'd been given a list of young Brian's friends, but it was pretty much every kid on campus. The list of his enemies was virtually identical.

The uniforms had begun searching dorms. I was amazed that parents hadn't called their kids home after the first kidnapping. Must be a stiff upper lip thing. The police went through the rooms with clockwork efficiency, while I tried to look for something out of place. I feel a few rooms behind them, looking around one that had just been searched. A radio had been left on, playing Michael Jackson's “Bad.” I sighed, and extended my hand to turn it off, when there was a squelch of static, and suddenly, a familiar voice was talking.

“Blue Beetle's dead,” said a voice that was unmistakably Bruce's. No one sounded like Bruce when he was in Batman mode. And trust me, I've tried to imitate him a few times.

Then it hit me: “Wait, did he say I was dead?”

'Gaea's mercy,” said a voice that I recognized as Diana's.

“No ...” gasped Booster. I knew all of these voices. I wanted to scream at them, tell them I wasn't dead, but instead I just listened, in shock.

“I believe Ted discovered who stole Brother I,” said Bruce. See, that's what a detective sounds like! “and I believe that's why he was murdered.”

“It was Max,” I said to the radio. “Max killed me. Max ...”

I wanted to throw up.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH,” shouted Booster. “Ted went to you at the start! He went to you and you knew what he was getting into and you refused to tell him!”

Angry Booster had a very good point.

“Booster,” says Diana. Trying to be the voice of reason.

“I didn't ...” starts (continued...)