Disclaimer: Once upon a time I pressed rewind and stole this idea from Adam and Eddy. JK!
A/N:So I had tried a new style of writing with my first OUAT fic, He Likes Snow,and I liked it. It's very much a departure from my normal style of writing, which is centered around dialogue advancing plot. I know the name isn't very original, so sorry, but this will basically be a series of short stories told from a character's Enchanted Forest persona and their Storybrooke one with a common thread. And while I do like writing for Charming/David Nolan (slight amnesia is like a writer's playground), I will try to branch out and write from other perspectives. That's the plan at least.
I'm also going to keep track of when I write these, as I expect things will change as the plot unfolds some more and provides more context. This fic was written after 1.08- "Desperate Souls"
Charming
Ever since the Blue Fairy had found the enchanted tree, Snow was sleeping normally. He however, was not. He would lie on his back, staring into the night, spinning his wedding band on his left finger endlessly until his skin would chafe. He would listen to his lovely wife's steady breathing lead to steady snores. Loud snores.
Bet you wouldn't have kissed her if you knew how bad her snoring was, Grumpy had snorted when he had asked the dwarfs for advice. Her huffing and puffing damn near blew our whole place down.
We learned quickly to fall asleep before her, Doc added unhelpfully.
He couldn't fall asleep easily anymore though, not when his heart was heavy with the thought that Evil Queen was coming for his wife and their child. He grew up in simpler times, it seemed. They hadn't been the richest, but he had been happy. Now, surrounded by wealth and married to a woman he loved with a child on the way, having it all meant nothing if he couldn't protect his family. The anxiety and uncertainly was overwhelming.
One day though, Snow was fidgeting in her sleep and rolled on top of his arm. In an attempt to escape from the snores right next to his ear, he found himself face-to-face with his wife's round belly. Though he knew it was helpful to talk to the baby, it still felt a bit odd. He started by talking about the weather in a hushed voice, and when Snow stayed steadfastly asleep, he started to talk more. Emma, let me tell you the story of how I met your mother…
It quickly became a nighttime ritual, and he found that it was easier to fall asleep after talking to the baby. That even though they might be separated in some way, he still once had this connection with her. Baby girl, he would say as he softly caressed the bump, I just want you to know how much your mom and I love you. How much I wish I could say with certainty that we will teach you how to swim, to ride horses, to wield a sword, or to use a bow and arrow…all with the hope that you'll never have to resort to fighting and killing people like we have, of course.
He told her his hopes and dreams for her future, that she would grow up loved but not spoiled, that she would have the freedom that her parents never had. He told her of his childhood, the twin he never knew, how difficult the price could be to protect someone you love, and how he wished that she would never have to know that feeling.
I just want you to know, he said, finally running out of things to say, that I love you so much. I don't know if I'll ever know you, or how much time we'll have together, but I will always protect you. I'll always want you to be happy. I know you'll be your mother's daughter and be strong and tough and hardheaded. Just remember that it's okay to be vulnerable sometimes. The people that love you will support you no matter what.
He let out a huge sigh of relief. After many nights of talking to his daughter, he finally felt at peace with the inevitable curse. He had told Emma everything that needed to be said.
Well, he said as an afterthought, maybe you should stay away from apples. Your mother has had terrible experiences with them.
/
David Nolan
He's meticulous in how he staples the flyers advertising Sidney for Sheriff. He enjoys the job, mostly because he's discovered he's a bit of a neat freak and nothing looks better than a neatly posted poster with clean lines. Frankly, he could care less about the sheriff's position. He's sad that Graham is gone, but he also doesn't understand why there needs to be an election in the first place. Sidney runs a newspaper, Emma is the deputy. He knows that he lost his memory about some things, but had Storybrooke always been this…dumb?
He knows, though, that he'll be voting for Sidney. It's not worth getting into an argument with Kathryn about, not when their relationship as a whole has been on constant thin ice. Besides, crime in Storybrooke has been, Kathryn assured him, practically non-existent for as long as anyone could remember. Throwing an editor into the sheriff's office without any training in this situation was fine.
Fine was not the same as reassuring, but he didn't bother questioning the logic. Sidney seemed nice enough, and certainly capable enough to balance two jobs. Sidney was also the one who helped find him the job at the animal shelter, so he felt the need to repay a favor. One vote wouldn't change things much.
David, hi.
Mary Margaret. He watches her staple one poster haphazardly, which sorts of bothers him. It's brief, but he's still surprised. He shouldn't be, but he hadn't realized how much he had put her on a pedestal. And yet, even though her crooked and not-quite-stapled poster irked him, it also amused him. It was…cute, in a way. As was her hat. And her smile.
He brings up Kathryn, because he needs to think of his wife before he thinks of Mary Margaret any more.
She rushes off with the excuse of finding more posters, leaving part of her second poster unstapled and flapping in the slight breeze. He looks around cautiously before reaching over and stapling it firmly against the board, his neatly horizontal staples lining up as best as he could next to her crooked ones.
And the worst part of this is…the worst part of this is, I let you all think that this is real. I can't win that way. Sorry.
There were murmurs after Emma left the stage, but the town quickly quieted down as the mayor stood up and took the stage.
Well, there's no use in any more formalities, she remarked. Let's just get this vote over with, and may I remind you that the candidate left is one who knows the town, and isn't an outsider. His roots, like yours, are in Storybrooke. Sidney would make an excellent sheriff.
The subtext was clear. Next to him, Kathryn scribbled down Sidney's name before rising quickly, telling him that when he was done, she would be with Regina. He had merely blinked and nodded, not understanding why he couldn't make up his mind. Sidney was…sort of a friend. He had already decided to vote for Sidney, even if he wasn't very qualified.
He barely knew anything about Emma, only that she lived with Mary Margaret. She seemed nice, even if she had horrible taste in leather jackets. But more importantly, tonight she had proven to be trustworthy. It was brave to tell the truth, especially if it meant calling out a powerful man like Mr. Gold.
It also made her vulnerable, stepping out of the comfort zone that Mr. Gold's connections and influence could afford her. He could sympathize with feeling uncertain.
Sidney was a straight staple. Enthusiastic yet predictable, always staying on the same path. Emma was a crooked staple, a wildcard. Sometimes though, the road less traveled was the most rewarding one.
He tentatively picked up his pen. Taking a deep breath, he wrote down his choice before he could change his mind. Besides, his was only one vote.
Sidney smiled warmly at him as he dropped his vote into the box in front, he smiled weakly back before quickly turning away. He caught a glimpse of Mary Margaret talking with Archie in a corner and his heart fluttered a bit.
He probably shouldn't have voted for Emma, but it seemed that he had a soft spot for crooked staples.
A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope I didn't beat the crooked staple metaphor to death. And yes, I did needto put in a HIMYM reference because of Jennifer Morrison. I noticed I did had serious formatting issues, and it seems like this site and I are not really getting along at the moment. I apologize if the fic appears in all italics, it's not supposed to be like that.
(I do love reviews)