Once Upon A December

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Once Upon A December is the story of how the family of Rogue Tvarkov fell apart.

Once Upon A December
Dancing bears,

Painted wings,

Things I almost remember.

Rogue, although asleep, groaned softly and tossed in her sleep. She was dreaming, and she wasn't enjoying it.

'''Moscow, Russia. 21:37'''

And a song, someone sings.

Once upon a December...

Rogue at that time could stand, waddle around and talk in English. Her mother silently sings a song to her that bean humans seemed to enjoy. Then the carriage they were in stopped, and the door opened. It was a closed area in Moscow where Rogue's family members sometimes dance in with their relatives from the Northern Hemisphere. It was the annual Tvarkov Winter Dance.

"But mother why can't we just have it here? In Rusca?" Ezra moaned that day. Yet they insisted that she comes and she finally goes. Now they were before a beautiful and secret building. Rogue was in a pretty purple dress that blended with her red, short and curly hair.

"The Tvarkov serum hasn't took effect, thank goodness." Ivan thought to himself as they entered the building. Family members were dancing together.

"Ahh... the waltz." Irina said and allowed the two to explore the area. Rogue looks around and spots her older uncle, Vladimir Bregovsky. He also catches her gaze and smiles, he waddles to his younger cousin and lifts her up easily.

"Rogue darling! You like it here, no?" he said and hugs her tightly. She returned the hug and he placed her back down on the ground. He holds her flippers with his and they began to waltz.

Someone holds me safe and warm.

Horses prance through a silver storm.

The sounds of the prancing horses going through a snowstorm could be heard not far from the area Rogue was at. A mysterious penguin gets out of the carriage. He happened to be the kingpin of the TTNM. He slowly walks in by the name Viktor Trotsky. His mission, kill the girl who goes by the name Rogue Tvarkov.

By then, Vladimir knew about the attack for he was an NRR agent. He kept a close eye on Rogue then but was at least happy that he was the one she chose to dance with. It at least, made his job easier.

Figures dancing gracefully,

Across my memory...

Rogue thought she was dreaming. The music took her over as she waltzed, she didn't know what else to do but enjoy the night.

Vladimir noticed and continued to dance with his young cousin. She needed to keep calm, well at least she didn't know about the infiltration. By now, everyone was vocalizing to the song so it was identifiable to Vladimir who is enemy and who is not.

In real life, Ethan woke up to the moan of Rogue.

"Rogue?" he said and hopped to her room. He watched in horror as his master tossed and turned in her sleep. He took action and hopped up to her bed and began to shake her.

"Rogue? Rogue listen to me! Rogue you're only dreaming. Please, wake up!" he cried as he continued to shake her. She moaned again as a tear fell from her face.

Someone holds me safe and warm,

Horses prance through a silver storm.

Rogue continued to dance in the dream with Vladimir. By then, he was alert that a mysterious man came in by the name of Viktor Trotsky. He kept a close eye at all the men in the area. He spots a penguin in a black tuxedo. He knew instantly who it was.

"The kingpin of the TTNM!" Vladimir thought to himself then looked at his cousin. Her eyes were closed as she danced. He was grateful that she wouldn't see what would happened next. As the kingpin waltzed to them, Vladimir kept praying for Rogue to survive. Then the man took out a gun and shot Rogue... at least, that's who he thought he shot. In a split second, Vladimir turned both of them together and the bullet hits his side.

"ACK!" he yells and collapses in pain. Rogue looks at her cousin in surprise as guests began to flee. She holds him and squeezes his flipper. Part of her dress had blood in it and she didn't care. She screamed his nickname that she knew how to say.

"Vlad? Vlad!" she cried. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at her unconscious uncle. His white tuxedo was white no more and was blood red.

Figures dancing gracefully,

Across my memory...

No one was dancing anymore but fleeing for their lives. Rogue looks up to see the man who nearly killed her uncle. He grins and aims his gun at her.

"Who are you?" was all she could say before dashing to her father, who has been calling for her for a while.

"Rogue come here!" he screamed as she dashed to him. 3 shots rang in her ears as one of her sleeves were torn by a bullet. She clings to her father and cries.

"Papa what happened to Vladimir?" she cried to his sleeve. He just pats her in the back and says.

"He'll be alright. Your uncle always lives." he assures.

Rogue's tear were wetting the pillow as Ethan continued to shake her.

"Rogue it's a dream! Come in!" he yells.

Her whimper of agony makes him get his spy phone.

Far away, long ago

Glowing dim as an ember,

Things my heart,

Used to know,

Things it yearns to remember...

A fire broke out in their house that night.

"Ezra! Protect your sister!" Ivan cries as he throws snowballs at their burning house.

"Papa! What about you?" Ezra cries. She wore a green beret and a black coat. Rogue wore her black ushanka and her brown coat.

"Just get your sister out of here! Me and mom will come soon!" he says and the two disappears towards the forest.

"Where are we going?" Rogue yells to her sister.

"Away!" Ezra replies and continues to run.

By then, Gary was in Rogue's igloo, helping Ethan wake her up.

"Rogue! It's a bad dream! Get out of it ASAP!" he yelled.

"Where are we going?" she mutters softly and the two stops.

"What?" Ethan said. Gary then shook her again.

"She talking in her sleep!" Gary cries.

Rogue and Ezra begins to prepare for sleeping. Rogue looked at her sister with teary eyes.

"Rogue, what's wrong?" Ezra said as she confronted her sister.

"It's that... the penguin and that polar bear was there!" she said and broke down.

"Who? Who penguin and polar bear?" Ezra asks her sister. Rogue explains that she saw a penguin and polar bear behind a tree and watched the fire burn down the igloo. She said that they also saw her and that she knows them. She tells Ezra that she saw the penguin during the dance and that he was the one who shot Vladimir. She also told her about the time when she was recently born, she remembered a polar bear attempting to kill her with a knife. She even shows the knife to her sister to prove it. A fading stain of blood was on it and Ezra gasped at the end of Rogue's story. That night, she sang her sister to sleep.

And a song,

Someone sings...

Once upon a december...

Rogue woke up with a start and realized who were in her room.

"Gary? Ethan? What are you doing here?" she said as the last of her tears streamed down her face. They explained that she had a bad dream and everything that happened. In return, she explains the dream to Gary, who looks at her strangely.

"Rogue, that wasn't a dream." he said, she looked at him.

"Then what was it?" she asked.

"It was a memory."

The End!!!