Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or the 2006 movie "The Island."
AN: This story came to me obviously while I stayed up too late watching the movie "The Island" on cable. This is not an actual crossover. Basically, it's the movie with Once characters and Once twists. No knowledge of the Island is needed to read. This is Snowing with appearances by most Once characters, including Rumple, Regina, Robin, Hook, Lancelot, Leroy, King George, Granny, Red, baby Emma, and more! Obviously this is AU. No magic in the traditional sense that we have come to know with Once. So enjoy and please consider leaving a review!
The Enchanted Island
Chapter 1: Snow Struck
She was sneaking around the compound again, for her curious nature could never be contained. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Thinking it to be a Black Knight, she grabbed the nearest blunt object, which happened to be a rock from the bed of the garden, and hit the man in the face with it. He went down, holding his chin and she quickly saw that he wasn't a Black Knight. Judging by his attire, he was another survivor and his cerulean eyes met her emerald ones. She gasped, fearing she would be a lot of trouble for attacking another resident. But he grabbed her hand.
"It's okay...I shouldn't have sneaked up on you," he said and she relaxed a little.
"I haven't seen you before…" she said, though he seemed so familiar for some reason. A smirk played on his lips.
"David...but most people tend to call me Charming. They tell me I've been in a coma until recently," he said.
"Charming…" she uttered. Yes, Charming was definitely more suited to him. He seemed just as captivated by her.
"Do you have a name?" he asked.
"Snow White," she answered.
"Snow White," he repeated, like it was best thing he'd ever heard.
"You should go to the infirmary and get that cut looked at," she suggested.
"Nah...I hate that place. I'll just clean it myself in my room," he replied. She took his hand.
"Mmm...I caused it so I should at least treat it for you," she said, as she started leading him away.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"My friend Granny has a first aid kit in the back of her diner. I know where she keeps it," she replied.
"I was told we weren't allowed in that part of the compound. It's Black Knights territory," he warned. She smirked.
"That's why it will be fun...like an adventure. Granny says sometimes rules are meant to be broken," she offered. He smirked in return. He himself hated rules and broke as many as he could. He thought he was the only one, as all the others always seemed to do as they were told without question.
"An adventure...sounds fun," he agreed. And it would be. Like a Prince and a Princess on an adventure, just like in the fairy tales they were told…
Stunning blue eyes opened, as he was roused from sleep for another day. Once again, it was time for his day to day mundane existence in the small community of Misthaven. It had been several years now since a great apocalypse had devastated the earth and all that remained of humans lived here in the vast underground refuge known as Misthaven.
Many did not talk about what exactly had happened, but everyone was adamant about one thing. You could not go outside or leave the confines of the compound.
He didn't remember any of it. He had been told he was in a coma for many years until just recently when he finally awoke.
Upon waking, he had no memories of the disastrous event that had ended life as everyone knew it on Earth. He had brief flashes of his childhood, but nothing more and they told him that was normal. Apparently, many comatose trauma patients never regained their memories. He had been told his name was David, but that everyone called him Charming.
He had integrated into this new society well enough, even though he was full of questions. The Black Knights, who policed their society and kept everyone safe, didn't like questions and their stony expressions were met by him with a charming grin.
His friends weren't much help either. None of them seemed to remember specifics about how they ended up in this place. But one thing the guards and their King warned; going outside meant certain death. But it didn't make Charming any less curious.
As he had every day since he had been give his small quarters, he performed the same routine. A shower, followed by dressing, which consisted of the same outfit as all the males wore. A black formfitting bodysuit that was made of light, resilient, and comfortable material. The females wore a very similar outfit, only in white.
Once he was dressed, he exited his room and followed the long blank hallways to the mess hall with all the others. Meal time was among his favorite time, as it allowed him to interact with all his friends.
"Morning mate," his friend drawled, as he came out of his quarters.
"Morning Hook," he greeted pleasantly. Hook was his best friend and like Charming was his nickname, Hook was a nickname and no one had any idea what his real name was and Hook hadn't offered one. The nickname was coined for him after he lost his hand in the great disaster. Hook didn't remember much about it, except he woke up with no hand and someone had joked he could replace the hand with a hook, like Captain Hook did, whoever that was.
Of course, that idea was quickly squashed by the black Knights. A hook for an appendage would be far too dangerous and he had been fitted with a prosthetic hand. But the nickname, like his, had stuck.
"Mates...mates!" Robin called, as he caught up to them.
"Where's the fire, mate?" Hook asked. Robin looked confused and Charming smirked.
"Fire?" he asked.
"It's an expression, mate. I heard it from one of the black Knights the other day when I was in a hurry and decided to run down the hall," he explained.
"Oh...where's the fire. I like it, but you'll never believe what I found this morning," he said in excitement, as he looked around to make sure none of the Black Knights were paying any attention to him. He slid the matchbox open and showed them the contents. Neither Hook or Charming had any idea what it was, but it was alive.
"What is it?" Charming asked, as he examined the tiny creature.
"I have no idea, but I found it in the vent. It came from outside," he whispered. Now that intrigued Charming greatly.
"But how is it alive if it came from outside? The King always tells us that nothing left out there can live," Charming said.
"Maybe it got caught in the vent before it all happened," Hook suggested. Robin nodded and seemed to find that to be an acceptable answer. But Charming wasn't convinced. His curious nature just wouldn't allow him to accept such a convoluted answer. But for now, he let it go, for drawing the attention of the Black Knights was never good. Though Robin became disinterested with the creature and allowed Charming to have it. As he tucked it away for later, for the moment, all thoughts left his mind, but they usually did when he saw her. Her emerald eyes flicked to his briefly, as she stood in line for her morning meal. She was so beautiful and he had been drawn to her since the first time he saw her. Snow White.
He somehow found himself in line behind her and she smirked.
"Good morning Charming," she greeted.
"Morning Snow," he responded, as they were served their meal. He grimaced a bit. It was the same thing every morning. Oatmeal, dried fruit, and a healthy green smoothie which he thought tasted like chalk.
"Maybe I'll see you later?" she said. He nodded.
"I hope so," he replied, as he watched her go. He didn't like that the Black Knights made the men eat separately from the women. He didn't understand why, but as usual, no one offered him any answers.
After breakfast, they all went to work, which consisted of the mundane tasks of working the assembly lines and filling small vials with what the King called potions. From what they had been told, the potions contained nutrients that were vital to their survival. The nutrients were used in the plants they grew for food. He had heard about the gardens. Snow worked in the gardens, but he wasn't permitted to go there. None of the men were. Everyone else accepted it easily enough, but not Charming. He didn't like being told he couldn't do something for no reason.
After work came his favorite part of the day. Recreation time, where they were actually allowed to interact with everyone, exercise, and enjoy fruit drinks that were healthy, but actually tasted good. They weren't allowed anything unhealthy, but the Black Knights were allowed to have whatever they wanted.
It was no secret that they enjoyed strong drinks at the diner. Only Black Knights were allowed in Granny's diner. The smells that came from it were heavenly though. So heavenly that he had snuck in there one night and tasted the most wonderful confection. Granny had caught him, but actually had not told on him and instead indulged his curiosity and rewarded him with a hot cup of what she called hot chocolate with cinnamon. It was wonderful and ever since that night, which he had told no one about, he had longed to return there. But not alone. He imagined of sharing a cup with Snow, but then he imagined sharing many things with Snow. He wondered if she thought about him as much as he thought about her.
"Here," her brunette friend said, as she sat down at the bar next to her with their smoothies.
"Thanks Red," Snow said, as she took a sip and then winced.
"Ugh...apple," she complained.
"Oh sorry, that one's mine. I forgot that you hate apple," Red remarked, switching their drinks. Snow was much happier with the pineapple flavor. She took a drink and noticed that Charming was almost up to duel and she put her drink down.
"I'll be right back," she said. Red snorted in amusement and shook her head at her friend.
Snow cut in line and the dark haired woman behind her scoffed.
"Dammit Snow…" she hissed.
"Please Regina...you know how much I love sparring Charming," Snow pleaded. Regina, also known to most as The Queen, rolled her eyes. The Queen title came from Regina's air of superiority and the way she waltzed around like everyone there were her subjects.
"Why should I care what you want? You're such a spoiled brat," the Queen complained.
"Oh Regina, relax. Let Snow spar Charming, she's the only one that can actually beat him in a duel anyway," Belle admonished. Regina snorted.
"Fine, I hope he beats you," she huffed.
Looks like you'll be sparring Snow again," Hook mentioned. Charming looked over to the line and noticed her there and he licked his lips.
"You sure do stare at her a lot," Robin mentioned innocently.
"She's beautiful...what's not to stare at?" Charming replied.
"You're playing with fire. The Black Knights already think you're troublesome," a new voice said. Charming turned to see Rumplestiltskin looking at him with an air of amusement.
"Playing with fire? Where's the fire? What is this obsession with fire?" Robin wondered, but he was ignored. While Rumplestiltskin was one of them, it was well known that he knew things...things he wasn't supposed to know. Charming had long suspected that he knew how they came to be here and what exactly had devastated their planet. But he never shared much detail, just tidbits in exchange for favors.
"I don't understand. Why is it dangerous for Snow and me to be friends?" he asked. Rumple smirked like he knew something the rest of them didn't. He always smiled like that though.
"Oh I think you and I both know you'd like to be more than friends," Rumple surmised.
"How do you be more than friends with someone?" Robin asked. Hook shrugged.
"No idea mate," Hook replied.
"Dimwits," Rumple hissed under his breath, though he knew it wasn't really their fault. They weren't meant to have much development beyond the age of preteen. Since none of them, including him, would live more than a few years. Sometimes he hated knowing the truth.
But something was definitely different about Charming and Snow.
"What do you mean by more than friends?" Charming asked curiously. Rumple smirked. He didn't like very many people, but he liked Charming and Snow. Probably because they were brave enough to question the world around them. Maybe...just maybe it would be the thing that would save them all, but only if he helped it along by planting the right seeds.
"Why...true love of course," he said.
"True love?" Charming asked.
"True love...the most powerful magic in the world," Rumple replied.
"How do you know if it's true love?" Charming asked.
"Oh...you know, because you feel it," Rumple replied. Hook and Robin scoffed.
"You're a crackpot, Rumple," Hook commented.
"Yeah...true love," Robin scoffed. But Charming looked even more intrigued than ever and that was enough for Rumple.
Above the compound, in his tower, George surveyed his creations.
"This is quite the operation you have here," a voice said from behind him. His latest and newest investor into the project, Xavier Ramirez, observed as his honored guest.
"And they have no idea?" Xavier asked. George chuckled.
"Oh no...none whatsoever. They actually look forward to the lottery," George replied.
"I'm definitely interested, but what you do here is highly illegal," Xavier mentioned.
"Of course it is. When I started this company, we did everything by the book and it takes a lifetime to get a mature clone when you do it within the law. My wife died of cancer waiting for her clone to be ready for harvest. From that day forward, I decided that no one else would lose a loved one because of time," George stated.
"So you sped up the process," Xavier inquired.
"Yes...now we have a mature clone in a matter of year or two. But the vegetative state we kept the early ones in didn't produce results. The organs were harvested and failed. Consciousness seems vital to the success," George explained.
"So you came up with the post apocalypse story and keep them vastly uninformed," Xavier said. George nodded.
"We monitor them constantly and do not allow them too much interaction with the opposite sex. They are fed vague stories about their lives before the disaster and it is made explicitly clear that venturing outside the compound means certain death," George continued.
"Quite intriguing. I am very interested, but what is the purpose of the fairy tale names?" he inquired. George chuckled.
"A bit of whimsy. My wife loved fairy tales," he said, gesturing to a book in his office beneath a glass case.
"She loved this book and all its tales. They are quite different than the versions many know," George explained.
"So it is only right in her honor that your creations have these names," Xavier responded.
"Who is the next lottery winner?" Xavier inquired. George pressed a key and a tall, handsome African American male came up on the screen.
"Last night, NBA star Billy Gilroy was in a horrific car crash. He needs several organs to survive so that is where Gus comes in," George said, as the doppelganger appeared on screen.
"Gus? I don't recall that being a fairytale name," Xavier mentioned.
"Well, when you start running out of main characters, you have to resort to the lesser ones. I believe Gus was one of Cinderella's mice," George replied with a chuckle.
Charming was really good at dueling. He had beaten everyone he had ever dueled, except Snow. On the occasion where they found themselves paired up, he became captivated by her beauty and fluid grace with the blade. Their blades clashed furiously, as they circled each other and Snow admired the way his muscles flexed beneath the tight material of his uniform. She'd never felt like this about anyone before and it was very new to her.
They came to a deadlock and he gave her a smirk. It made her heart feel funny in her chest. The first time it had happened, she thought that maybe there was something wrong with it. She had mentioned it to Granny in passing as the woman served her evening meal. But the elderly woman just chuckled at her with a merry smile when she expressed her concern that her heart had skipped a beat.
"Oh girl...there's nothing wrong with it. Hearts are silly things and they can do that around a man, especially a handsome one like that Charming," she had told her. The Black Knights nearby had given Granny very stern looks and she had quieted then. The older woman was always telling them things the Black Knights felt they shouldn't know.
"Looks like this one might be a draw," he said, as their faces were inches apart. It was hard not to get lost in his blue eyes, but he too seemed captivated by her and she capitalized on it. She swept his feet out from under him and he landed on his back.
"Maybe next time, Charming," she replied, smirking down at him. He smiled back and she found that curious too. All the other men she bested usually got really angry when they lost to her. But not Charming. He just seemed oddly pleased by it and that's why she always extended her hand to help him up.
They exited the arena and headed to the bar for drinks.
"Those were some great moves," he complimented. She looked at him coyly.
"You're not so bad yourself," she replied, as they stared at each other, faces only inches apart again.
On the outskirts of the room, red sensors beeped on one of the Black Knight's scanners, alerting him to a proximity warning. He rolled his eyes. It was always these two with the proximity. They had noticed on more than one occasion that Snow White and Charming seemed to gravitate toward each other.
"Proximity warning," he said, stepping between them. David gave him a hard look, as he felt serious disdain at being told to step away from her. It felt wrong. Being near her was the only thing that felt right.
When the guard felt there was acceptable daylight between them, he stepped away and he sighed.
"So...I went somewhere the other night. Somewhere I wasn't supposed to," he whispered to her. She looked enthralled and looked around to make sure no one was listening.
"Really? Like on an adventure?" she asked. He grinned.
"Exactly like that. I can show you," he replied. She bit her bottom lip.
"We would be in so much trouble if we got caught," she lamented. He frowned.
"Yeah…" he said and she smiled.
"Let's do it," she replied. He grinned.
"Okay…follow me," he said, as he started walking toward the arena. With all the bodies gathered around there, it was the one place where the Black Knight's view was obstructed the most.
Charming waited for the current duel to intensify and Snow felt her heart leap, as he took her hand and sneaked her into the men's locker room. He quickly ducked them into a corner and they hid there, pressed together, for a few moments, until he was sure the coast was clear. She felt hot all over, as his body pressed against hers and seriously was wondering what was wrong with her, for she felt like she could barely breathe.
"Is...this what you wanted to show me?" she finally whispered. He swallowed thickly.
"Um...no, it's this way," he whispered back, as he led her through to the other exit. Thanks to the dueling contest, the hallways were mostly deserted and she started to smell something wonderful, as they went through two shiny metal doors.
"Boy...have you lost your damn mind?" Granny exclaimed, as she ushered the two into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry Granny...but the other night when you let me have hot chocolate, I just knew Snow would love it too," he said. His innocence broke Granny's heart. Their true purpose broke her heart even more and knew their lives were never going to be their own. It was the reason she had indulged this young man the other night.
As she saw their linked hands, her heart practically cracked in two. Relationships weren't allowed. Hell, most of them didn't even have any concept of attraction or sexual tension. But these two...it was so thick it was almost suffocating and damn it if she wasn't a romantic at heart.
"Fine...but if you two get caught, you better not rat me out," she warned. He grinned.
"Never," he promised. She sighed and pointed to a couple of chairs.
"I'll be right back," she promised.
"What is this place?" Snow asked.
"It's the back of Granny's diner," he replied. Her eyes widened.
"You mean the place where all the Black Knights eat?" she hissed. He nodded excitedly, as they peeked out into the front of the diner, seeing them eating, drinking, and conversing freely. There was even two of the guards in a booth and they had their mouths pressed together. She found that extremely curious and exciting. The two were touching each other too and she felt the desire to touch Charming like that. They seemed to be enjoying the touching and their lips together. Snow wondered what it would feel like to press hers against Charming's.
Before her thoughts could carry to action, Granny returned with two cups and set them down on the counter.
"There...two cups of hot chocolate, with whipped cream and cinnamon. My secret recipe," she said, as she left them.
"What is it?" Snow asked.
"It's a drink...it's amazing, but sip it slowly, because it's hot," Charming replied. She did as he instructed and took her first drink.
"Mmm...that's wonderful…" she said in amazement. He grinned and took a sip as well.
"I told you," he replied.
"Charming...why do you suppose we're not allowed to do the same things as the Black Knights?" she asked. He snorted.
"I was beginning to think I was the only one that wondered that," he replied. Before they could discuss it further, a compound-wide broadcast began to air on the many prominent viewing screens that existed throughout their home. It was an announcement from their King.
"Good evening, my loyal subjects," George greeted pleasantly.
"It's time again to choose our next lottery winner. The next person to be chosen to go to the Enchanted Island…" he announced, as the screen was assaulted with images of beaches with pearly white sands, lush forests, vast castles, and crystal blue oceans.
"And tonight's winner is...Gus!" he announced. The screen panned to Gus, who gasped and accepted congratulatory pats on the back from those around him, as he was excitedly escorted away by the black Knights.
"Lucky guy," she mentioned.
"Maybe," he replied.
"Oh come on, everyone wants to go to the Enchanted Island. It's everyone's dream," she said. He shrugged.
"I don't know, if I had to choose between going to the Enchanted Island alone and staying here with you, I'd choose here with you," he said. She felt her face go hot and before she could say anything, Granny came rushing back.
"The duels are ending for the night. You two better sneak back to your rooms of you'll be caught for sure," she warned.
"Thanks Granny," Charming said, as they hurried out. They managed to make it back to the arena without being noticed or seen.
"Thanks for sharing that with me. It was amazing," she said. He smiled shyly and going on pure instinct, Snow pressed her lips in a quick peck, before scurrying away. Charming stood stunned for several moments and touched his lips, before a goofy smile spread across his face and he returned to his quarters for the night. It had been a good day. The best day ever…
In the next chapter, Snow and Charming have more dreams and we get a glimpse of their real world counterparts. Charming begins to uncover the truth behind the Enchanted Island and Snow wins the lottery...