I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.

A/N: This is a side story that's set during Right Here. It's basically what Marian and Mulan are up to during the story. And, as always, for updates on this story or just come say hi to me on Facebook; there's a link on my profile.

Public Service Announcement: There is some SwanQueen, but it's in the background in future chapters.

Here and There

1: By Any Other Name

Mulan sat under a chair, reading in the morning light and not bothered by the chill. She heard the murmurs throughout the camp among the Merry Men the moment Emma and Regina set foot in the camp. Mulan tried not to get mixed up in the gossip that circulated among men. In fact, she found herself getting less and less mixed up with the Men as time went on. She always felt like a misshaped puzzle piece with them, but it came out more as in this world than in the old one. Maybe it was because she spent time with Emma, who always made her feel included, especially when they faced down some dastardly villain.

Oddly enough, hanging around with Emma seemed to alienate her even more from the Merry Men. Robin had a peculiar dislike for Emma. Mulan was not sure why it was, but whenever she saw Emma with Regina, she thought she knew why. There was something there between Emma and Regina. Robin had to sense it and it had to leave a bad taste in his mouth, even though he had his wife back with him. When they had spare time on their hands, the Merry Men liked to speculate on why Robin was with Regina, why he left her for Marian, and why he might still pine for her. And they seemed to have a lot of spare time.

She was not surprised to find out the Merry Men talked as much as they did. She had been in the army, after all. Men gossiped as much as women. Maybe worse. They had been all about whispering about Robin and Regina since back in the Enchanted Forest when Regina barely wanted to share space with Robin. It was a bit tragic to see twenty grown men snickering and muttering like a gaggle of teenagers. It did not help they were loud enough for her to hear them, even though she was not next to them.

"Why do you think Emma and the Evil Queen are here?" David Doncaster inquired, standing with the Men by their tents. For a big guy and rather masculine, he was always one of the first men to start the gossip going. It might have had something to do with him being one of the youngsters in the group, a teenager among men.

"Maybe Robin's decided to go back to the freak in the sheets," Arthur a Bland commented. He was one of Mulan's least favorite among the Men. He was boorish and rude, very different from his cousin, Little John. He never failed to have a comment that was inappropriate, especially when Regina was involved. "Oh, maybe he managed to talk Regina and the Sheriff into a little threesome. More is always better." He wiggled his eyebrows and then winked directly at Mulan. She had punched him in the past for things like that and she had no doubt she would do it again in the future.

Little John frowned, a vein popping up from his thick neck, and shook his head. "I'm sure his wife is enough for him." His voice was clipped, impatient, a warning that was always ignored when it came to their current subject.

"I dunno. I think I'd be able to write a lot more ballads about the Queen in the bed than Marian," Alan-a-Dale commented. It amazed her that he would say such a thing without cringing and no one in the crowd said anything, but this had become the norm. They spoke of Marian, one of their own, as if she were an object when she was away and would then smile in her face when she appeared. It was disgusting.

"Considering the fact that I've seen Marian punch Robin in the face, I don't think she's all timid and soft in bed," Will Scarlet said with a shrug to his shoulders.

"Hey, girl, what do you think?" Arthur called to Mulan. She was quite a few feet from them. They were closer to the "mess area," which was between the camp and Robin's cabin.

Mulan scowled and stayed by her tent. "My name is not girl. My name is Mulan." She felt like she said this phrase way too much to people who had known her for more than a year, people who were supposed to be her new family. Funny enough, three people who would undoubtedly be the talk of the camp for days to come got her name right the first time, Emma, Marian, and even Regina, despite the fact they did not interact much in the Enchanted Forest. Hell, she had only just met Marian a few weeks ago.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which one would you nail, the Queen or Marian?" Will Stutely had the nerve to ask. Sometimes, he was referred to as the "second Will" or "other Will," which he loathed. Mulan could not bring herself to care.

"I do not think this is any of our business and we shouldn't be discussing it," Mulan said. It baffled her they could speak so flippantly over women their leader loved… if he actually loved either. She tried not to judge, but from what she observed, she was not sure what Robin felt for either women.

"You always gotta be the sad sack of the group, don't you?" Will Scarlet replied. He threw a wink her way, not in the same way Arthur did, but letting her know no hard feelings. It had not taken her long to learn the differences in many of their gestures.

"She's actually right. We shouldn't worry about what's going on between Robin and the Queen and Marian. It's their business," Friar Tuck said, waving them away. No one moved, including the clergyman.

Little John nodded. "Right." Still, no one moved.

Cook, who was the cook, scoffed. "Oh, please, like you two won't be right with us when we're talking about this later on." He wiped his hands on his apron, which he wore all day. He sort of reminded her of Granny, in the sense they seemed to think everything could be solved with food or a crossbow. Granny was definitely the friendlier of the two, to her anyway.

Mulan shook her head and decided she had enough. She retreated into her tent and could still hear the Men talking. She tried to shut them out, but there was not much to occupy her time. She did not have many belongings. She had read all her books and was not in the mood to reread anything now. She grabbed her sword, sharpening the blade. It was best to be prepared in case some evil made its way into Storybrooke, which happened every few days from what she could tell. Emma always welcomed her help, even though the Merry Men did not seem inclined to go along with her.

Mulan did not understand why none of the Merry Men joined in when things happened in their new home. Robin was not much of a help either and did not seem pleased whenever she went out. It was odd and it played on her mind each time it happened. Robin gave her dirty looks over it sometime, as well.

"You think he's gonna ask Emma if she's sure that's Marian?" Will Stutely asked.

"Stop saying that. Robin's with her now. Show Marian some respect," Friar Tuck replied.

"Right. I've seen Marian take on some of the meanest blokes. She deserves respect," Little John said. Mulan was glad he did, but then he followed it up with something terrible. "If that is Marian anyway."

Mulan frowned. As far as she knew, they kept those comments to themselves, but they did not seem to consider Marian might overhear. They did not treat her that way to her face, but that only made it worse to Mulan. They were cowards and that was not what she signed up for.

"Seriously, though, I'd take a dip with the Queen if I could, but I wouldn't try to have a relationship with her," Arthur said.

"Look, I'd think we'd all freak the Queen, but none of us want to deal with her beyond that," Cook replied.

"That is a whole different brand of crazy," David said.

"That doesn't even begin to cover it. She probably had Robin under a spell when he was thirsting for her in the Enchanted Forest," Alan-a-Dale replied.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Second Will said and there were agreeing mumbles.

Mulan scowled at that. They spent a year with Regina, watched her take on the Wicked Witch, witnessed her put her life on the line, and fought with her to save lives. How could they speak about her like this? But, then again, they spoke about Marian, someone they loved and respected, like she was some terrible thing more often anyone should.

"I don't know if it'd want to sleep with the Queen. Imagine all the commands she'd give you," David said.

"I dunno. Taking orders might be fun," Will Scarlet replied with a laugh.

They stood out there and talked about things until Emma and Regina left. The only reason she knew about it was because they commented on the Queen's ass and Emma's jeans on the way out. Mulan had to believe Regina and Emma could not hear or there would have been a full fledge battle in camp. Mulan shook her head and put it out of her mind. Yes, she was curious why Emma and Regina were out their way, but it was not her business.

A few minutes after that, there was shouting from the house. Roaring, really, full of fury and hurt. Mulan tried to ignore, but poked her head out to see what the ruckus was about. The Men were still out, trying to find out what was going on. She stayed in her tent.

"Hey, girl, you're not going to come check this out?" Arthur called to her.

Mulan scowled. Why the hell does this man insist on not using my name? His excuse was that it was "too funny to remember." She used to hear that more often than she liked. What the hell did that even mean? He never explained. She did not argue with him over it anymore, not really wanting anything to do with him.

"Can you stop being a dick for one moment and just call her Mulan, you ass?" Will Scarlet said and she heard some scuffling. Will probably pushed Arthur. Will could be immature, but he seemed to have a good heart. She had not seen him do much robbing the rich and giving to the poor, though. Of course, she had not done much robbing and giving either, but she could not bring herself to steal from anyone. Will had no problem with stealing.

"Can you both shut up?" Cook huffed, obviously wanting to hear the argument.

Mulan had no doubt they could hear the argument loud and clear if they were close enough to the small house Robin and Marian occupied. She could make out some words, but not enough to follow what was going on. Marian would probably be by her tent later, though. Whenever there were waves with Robin or the other Men, Marian made her way to Mulan. Mulan did not mind. It was good to have companionship.

The Merry Men had their opinions on her friendship with Marian, as well. She ignored it for the most part. They did not say anything when Marian was around, though. I know they aren't silent out of respect for her, so why not say anything to Marian? Mulan doubted she would ever know. She did not worry about it, thinking about how Marian had to feel, arguing with Robin after having to face Robin's ex.

So, Mulan decided to do something special for Marian when she arrived. She would probably need something to pick her up from the argument with Robin. Mulan would not ask about if Marian did not want to speak on it, but she would offer her a kind ear if necessary.

-8-8-8-8-

Marian could not stay in the same house with Robin anymore, not for the moment anyway. She could hardly stand to look at him. It took all of her willpower not to throw a lamp at his head, especially as he had the nerve to stare at her as if she had done something wrong.

She could not believe the Evil Queen was about to have his baby. She understood she had been dead when he was with the Queen, but the fact that he could be with the woman who executed her would always leave a bad taste in her mouth. Now, she had to deal with the idea of the woman responsible for her death and missing out on her own child's life having a child with her True Love. It left an awful taste in her mouth that he started the argument with her after Emma and the Queen left. It was like she did not know who he was anymore.

Her True Love never would have touched the Queen, unless he planned to rid the world of her. The man she knew would not have told her to stop asking questions once the Queen left either. And, she had tons of questions, but he refused to answer any of them, acting as if she was supposed to accept everything that just happened. The Queen was pregnant with his child and they were under contract not to say anything, like he was the one to be ashamed of.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Robin asked from across the small living room. His face twisted, maybe he was confused or maybe he was furious. She did not see how he had the right to be either of those, though.

"How am I supposed to look at you?" Marian countered, folding her arms across her chest. She could not be more disgusted with this man if she tried. The only reason she had not punched him in the face was because their son was in the next room.

"Marian, I chose you," he said, like she was supposed to be grateful for that and maybe once upon a time she would have been. That time had passed.

"You chose me? Is that how it's meant to look after the Queen comes in here to make us sign contracts to avoid talking about her carrying your child?" Marian demanded. She could not believe she was even saying that phrase. "You slept with that woman!" She motioned to the door, flinging her hand out.

"You were dead," he replied, eyes trying to pin her.

"She executed me!" Her face was hot and she stomped her foot, wanting to kick him in the face.

"I didn't know that at the time!"

"How could you not know that? She took me in front of dozens of witnesses. You mean to tell me you never even inquired about my disappearance and eventual death?" The very idea hurt her head. How could he care so little for her?

"Of course I did! But, I had a baby to care of. Roland was a newborn and I knew you'd want me to focus on him, so I did."

"And had him around the woman who murdered me, but I supposed it's fine since you never went to find out and I'm sure she never mentioned she killed me." The sad thing was the Queen had probably ended so many lives, she more than likely did not recall executing Marian, just another body among hundreds.

"You are not dead." He managed to keep a straight face while saying this. Like, somehow, Emma's act of kindness did away with everything the Queen had done. Her coming back to life cleaned the Queen's slate.

Marian doubted she could frown any deeper. She narrowed her gaze on him. What sort of thing was that to say? She had come back from the past several weeks ago. While she was not sure how far along the Queen was, she was not showing, so her child could not be very big. A light went off in her head and her body shook as she balled her hands into tight fists.

"Did you sleep with her while I was here?" she asked through gritted teeth. She could hardly open her mouth. And yet he claims to have chose me? She was not sure which situation would be worse: Robin sleeping with the Queen after she executed Marian or Robin sleeping with the Queen while Marian was alive, well, and still his wife as far as everyone was concerned.

"Marian! I love you," he said with his hands open wide and his face pleading with her to… do something. She was not sure. He stepped over to her and she moved back. She barely wanted to breathe the same air as him, so she definitely did not want him to touch her.

She scowled. "That isn't an answer. And, do you really love me? You couldn't be bothered to break my ice curse, after all." Everyone knew True Love's Kiss could break any curse and she believed the Robin she had married would have been able to break her curse. Not this man, though.

"You know I do."

That was just it, she did not know. Her stomach dropped and it was like her ribs crushed her lungs. "I need some air." She fled the house.

"You can't just leave, Marian!" He reached for her, grabbed her bicep, and tried to stop her. He must have forgotten she was not some delicate flower. It was easy to break away from him and continue her escape. He was lucky to not have a black eye for such behavior. "We have to talk about this!" he called to her.

Outside, cold air hit her, but she did not dare turn around for a coat or her cloak. She watched the Merry Men scramble, trying to pretend they had not been eavesdropping. She hoped they did not hear what the Queen wanted from her and Robin. They already gossiped about her, but she did not want to hear them talking about Robin impregnating a woman, especially the Queen. How could he do this to her? Tears stung her eyes while anger ripped at her belly.

None of the Merry Men came to check on her, which tore at Marian even more. They were supposed to be her family, her brothers, and they could not be bothered to see if she was all right. It was hard not to feel bitter, betrayed even. Did none of them care that she had been murdered? They had just accepted it and moved on?

She hurried to Mulan's tent. She had become acquainted with Mulan quite quickly when she came into camp, mostly because Mulan was the only one who did not look at her like a ghost. Of course, it helped that Mulan had never met her. Mulan also was not a gossip.

"Good morning, Marian," Mulan said as soon as Marian slipped into her tent.

"Hey. Did you hear all that?" Marian asked in a quick breath. She needed to know, bouncing on her heels like an anxious child.

Mulan sighed, but nodded. "I do not know what was being said. I am not sure if the others could tell, but we all heard sounds."

Marian's shoulders dropped, feeling heavy. It was like having stones on her chest. Just more things for the Men to gossip over and blame on her. She never thought she would have to wonder what her reaction would be to someone coming back from the dead, but she often hoped it was better than how the Merry Men received her. These Men were her friends, her family, and she felt like an outsider among them now.

"You're welcome here, as always. I made some dumplings." Mulan presented her with wooden containers housing several steaming dumplings. "Oh, and you have no coat. It's too cold."

Before Marian could object, Mulan wrapped her cloak around Marian's shoulders. It smelled like Mulan, earthy, like ginger and metal. A small inhale and Marian could breathe again.

Mulan moved around her. She handed Marian a pair of what she called chopsticks. Mulan ate with them whenever Marian sat with her in her tent, but often Cook made things where the chopsticks proved useless. Sometimes, Marian felt like he did it on purpose, wanting to watch and tease Mulan as she struggled to use them with a meal, if only to be around the Merry Men for a moment. Marian knew sometimes the Men pranked each other and played practical jokes, but she did not think what Cook did was funny for some reason. It seemed to go beyond a lark. It seemed to single out Mulan for what made her different than the rest of them. I feel so ashamed of them sometimes now. It was a new feeling, among many new, troublesome feelings.

"Do you remember how to use them?" Mulan held up her own chopsticks and moved them to remind Marian how they worked.

Marian nodded. Mulan had been kind enough to teach her to use them a couple of weeks ago when she came into the tent to find Mulan enjoying a meal by herself. Marian was the only one willing to eat things Mulan made at this point. From Marian's understanding, the Men had tried it when Mulan first showed up over a year ago, but they disliked it for whatever reason and did not try more.

"Are you comfortable?" Mulan asked. She did not have much in the tent, but she would try to get whatever Marian might need to help her feel better.

"Very. Thank you," Marian replied.

She went to try one of the dumplings, but had trouble lifting it. Mulan laughed and demonstrated how to use the chopsticks again, plucking up a dumpling with no problem. Marian went to grab one again and had it halfway before she dropped it. She laughed.

"I'll eat that one," Marian promised as she tried to pick the dumpling up off of the blankets Mulan had down in her tent. She dropped it again and chuckled more. "I'll get this, damn it."

"You will starve first." Mulan smiled as she picked it up with her own chopsticks and put it to Marian's mouth.

"I'm not some baby for you to feed." Despite that, she opened her mouth and ate the dumpling presented to her.

Mulan snickered and Marian moaned as the flavor hit her tongue. It was not something she was used to, light and somewhat doughy. She could understand why the Merry Men might shy away from Mulan's cooking, but it was a good different and she wanted to become familiar with it. So, she went in for another dumpling. She dropped that one, as well, but was able to catch it with her free hand. Mulan laughed again and Marian joined in.

"What are you girls giggling about in here?" Will Scarlet poked his head in the tent. He loudly sniffed. "Oh, Mulan, you cooking more of your stuff? Cook's gonna be pissed. He just finished some kidney pies."

Marian frowned. Will Scarlet had the manners of a goat, but luckily had a heart of gold, so she was not too upset with him. She did take exception to him just sticking his head in Mulan's tent. Mulan did not seem bothered by it, so Marian did not say anything. She hated to think how often Will had to do something like that, though, for Mulan to not even think anything of it.

"They are called dumplings. You may have one if you like," Mulan offered.

Will turned his nose up. "Nah, I'm fine. Gonna have some of this pie. You two coming along?"

Marian sighed. She was really not in the mood to see them, or deal with them. Mulan glanced at her and seemed to read her mind.

"We're all right with the dumplings here," Mulan said.

"Right." With that, Will was gone and Marian sighed in relief.

"If you'd like to go get you something from Cook, I will do that," Mulan said.

Marian smiled. Mulan was a sweetie and also pretty amazing, knowing Marian was not ready to face the masses. She also did not want to be without Mulan right now, so she shook her head. "No, the dumplings are fine."

"I have tea as well. Or if you'd like something stronger." Mulan moved to the corner of the tent and produced a water skin. "Wine."

"Yes, please." Wine was very much the answer to finding out her husband had impregnated the Evil Queen. It did not help matters that she was certain he was with the Queen after she arrived. She would talk to him about it later, but right now, she had no desire to see him.

Like many things about Mulan, the wine was not what Marian expected, but it was enough. It was potent, as well. Before Marian knew it, she was full of dumplings and drunk on wine. Mulan smiled at her while she struggled to remain sitting upright.

"Can you believe of all the women off Earth the man who claims to love me decides to be with the person who killed me?" Marian slurred. She wanted to say Robin put a baby in Regina, but she would keep her word. Not because of the contract, but because she had no desire for anyone to know her husband lowered himself to be with the Queen while Marian was around. She would keep that a secret until she died, even if she died drowning in this delightful wine Mulan had. "This is so good." She took another swig, noting the water skin was much lighter than when Mulan first passed it to her.

"You handle your drink as well as the men I knew in the army," Mulan commented.

"You ride with a band of men, you learn you have to out-man the men for them to respect you," Marian replied.

"And even then, after the slightest mishap, it can all come undone," Mulan said.

Marian sighed, nodding, her buzz fading briefly. Mulan probably knew from experience, but Marian saw all of her hard work slip away recently. "Yeah. Although, dying and coming back might be more than a mishap. I am thankful to Emma for bringing me back, but it has been hard."

Mulan nodded. "I can only imagine. Emma is… She's a good one."

"She is. So, why has she been hanging around the Queen?" Marian doubted Emma could do anything to make her think less of her, but she could not figure out why someone as good, decent, and heroic like Emma would be so close to the Queen. How did a pure monster the Queen entrap good people like Emma and Robin?

"They share a son and seem to be friends."

Marian garbled something, but she was not sure what she wanted to say. It was odd to her that Emma and the Queen shared a son. Were they some kind of couple? How could they be when the Queen had been in a relationship with Robin? She did not know the story and Mulan did not have any answers. Before she knew it, she was asleep. Or maybe it counted as passed out.

-8-8-8-8-

Mulan smiled to herself as she covered Marian with several blankets to make sure she was protected from the night chill. Sometimes, wine was the answer. Marian was able to forget her woes and then would at least have a chance to regroup.

Mulan wished she could do more. Marian deserved better, at least that was the impression the Merry Men had given her. For the year she was with them and Marian was dead, they spun tales of Marian and her amazing archery skills, which rivaled Robin's, even with his enchanted bow. They said she fought like a demon and never ran from a battle. But, they also spoke of her kindness and gentle smile that could ease any discomfort.

Maybe the Merry Men stayed away because they thought Marian was strong enough to handle things on her own. They believed Marian would work through everything and then they could accept her back into their fold. Mulan had no doubt Marian could do that, but it was not fair to her to have to do that. Marian was trying to find her place again. Mulan knew what that was like.

"I will be there for you, even when these men get their heads' out of their asses and finally remember what you mean to them," Mulan said as she began her evening routine. She ended up sleeping far away from Marian, wanting to make sure she gave her space.

In the morning, Mulan woke up before most of the camp, as always. She liked to get her morning practice in, including meditation. She was not surprised when both Wills, Arthur, David, and Alan-a-Dale made their way to her as she went through her motions with her sword.

"You mean, Marian didn't drain you of all your energy last night?" Second Will smirked at her and wiggled her eyebrows.

Mulan curled her lip, but decided against saying anything. How could he talk about Marian like that? Was she not his comrade-in-arms? Was she not someone who bled with him, fought with him, and helped give his group purpose? Now, he would imply she would lie with Mulan with her husband a stone's throw away?

"Hey, come on, now!" Will Scarlet pushed Second Will.

Second Will laughed. "What? It's not like that is Marian, so I'm not being disrespectful."

Mulan frowned. "What do you mean that's not Marian?" None of them had ever come right out and said that straight like that. The gall!

"I told you about that," Will Scarlet said and he gave Second Will another shove.

"Look, we all know there's a good chance that 'Marian' is a demon or something. We know how the Enchanted Forest is and there's always people looking to get back at us or get back at Robin. Swan didn't know Marian, so it's not like we can trust her to know she saved the right person," Arthur replied.

"And Robin does seem weary of her," David said.

"Not to mention the little one." Alan-a-Dale meant Roland.

"How can you say that?" Mulan sheathed her sword. "How can you speculate on a woman who was so happy to be back with you only a few weeks ago? She has shared your ups and downs and so much history with you and you would doubt her behind her back. If anyone knows her, it should be you."

"You mean to tell us you wouldn't be suspicious of her if this was your friend back from the dead?" Will Scarlet asked.

"They probably don't do a lot of thinking where she's from," Second Will said.

"Considering some of the stuff they eat, I'm inclined to agree," David remarked.

"I also doubt she and Marian are doing a lot of thinking when they're together." Arthur nudged Second Will with his elbow, earning snickers from his fellow nitwits. Alan-a-Dale had the decency to frown and Will Scarlet looked away while he laughed.

Mulan scowled. She would not let them get her down with talk about her food or anything else from her culture. She definitely would not stand idly while they belittled Marian. But, she would not suffer their presence any longer.

"How about we let Mulan get back to her dancing," Will Scarlet suggested, slapping his buddies on their shoulders. Even though he was attempting to help, Will did not understand her any better than the other did. He was less of a jerk about it, though.

Second Will chuckled. "With that fancy ass toothpick, right?"

"Didn't she put you on her ass with her dancing and her toothpick a couple of times?" Alan-a-Dale reminded both of them.

Will Scarlet chuckled. "I'll give her that."

Second Will sucked his teeth. "She got lucky."

"You got lucky she didn't kill you," David replied, earning a heavy shove from Second Will. An argument began.

Mulan did not stick around for their squabbling. It was something she never learned to put up with. It seemed like these immature little things were all the Men were good for. A year of this and very little do-gooding was not the best journey she had been in her life. It was actually a blessing for her when the Curse brought them here and Emma welcomed her to fight the good fight. She would need to do more of it and maybe she did not need to do it from here.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Mulan tries to come into her own while she grows closer to Marian, who goes in for round two with Robin.