Snow White looked into the eyes of her newborn daughter. Emma was more precious than she had thought possible. This was it, her happy ending. She and Price Charming had their little family now. "Hello, Emma," Snow cooed.
But while his wife was absorbed in admiring the new baby, Charming paid more attention to what was going on around them. Namely, the approach of the Queen's soldiers. The curse they'd feared was now literally at their doorstep. "Snow, we can't keep her here any longer. Emma has to go into the wardrobe if we want to beat the curse."
When Snow looked up, there were fresh tears in her eyes. These were not joyful tears of new motherhood. "No, we can't. She's so fragile. How can we let her go now?"
Charming's heart broke at Snow's expression. "You heard what Rumpelstiltskin and the Blue Fairy said. Our daughter is our only hope. She's the one who can save us. But we have to get her out of here now."
Deep in her heart, Snow knew her husband was right. But this was all so unfair. This should've been the happiest time in her life, and now everything she and Charming had worked for was about to be stripped away. Snow had known for years now that Regina wanted her revenge. But, despite the countless threats on her life, and the years she'd spent as a bandit, Snow could not have imagined that her former stepmother would go this far to see to it that Snow was punished. Snow kissed Emma's soft forehead one more time. "Oh, sweetheart, your father and I love you so much. We wanted you to grow up here, as the princess of the Enchanted Forest. Just like I was. But that can't happen now. We are both so sorry, but we hope that one day, you'll find us and fulfill your destiny to be our Savior."
Charming watched as Snow said a tearful goodbye to Emma. When she began crying too hard to speak, the prince took advantage of her distraction in order to get Emma to safety. The idea of putting his little girl into this wardrobe and sending her off to God-knows-where was almost unthinkable. But he and Snow had faced their share of obstacles even before this. Through it all, he'd constantly promised Snow that he would always find her. The footsteps of the Queen's army were growing even louder now. Quickly, Charming shoved his daughter into the wardrobe, whispering a last "I love you" before closing the door.
Then he made his way back to his wife, who was now distraught. "Sh," Charming whispered. Part of him wanted to go to the soldiers, rather than remaining here to wait for whatever was in store. But he could not leave Snow's side when she was so heartbroken. "It's going to be all right," he reassured her. But even as he said it, he knew their time was almost up. "Our child is the Savior. We've done everything that Rumpelstiltskin and Blue told us to do. Now it's up to Emma to find us. She will find us, Snow. You have to believe that."
Snow listened to his words, but it was very difficult to feel any sort of hope. The baby she'd wanted so desperately was gone. Regina would have her revenge. Whatever this curse was, she knew it would not be pretty. Even if Charming did turn out to be right about Emma, twenty-eight years was a long time. A lot could happen in that time. But, she looked into her beloved husband's eyes as he held her close. Though he did not say anything, Snow couldn't help remembering how he'd rescued her once before when all hope seemed lost. His kiss had woken her from another of the Queen's curses. Yes, true love, she thought. This realm's most powerful magic. No sooner had she finished the thought than a purple mist came into the castle. That was the end of Snow White.
In Storybrooke, Maine, Mary Margaret Blanchard woke from a very powerful dream. She couldn't help wondering where her subconscious could have come up with all of that. Princes, princesses and fairytale castles? Weren't those things a little girl would think about, after watching a few too many Disney movies? But she knew she couldn't wonder about it any more. Looking at the clock beside her bed, she saw that it was almost time to get up. The children of Storybrooke needed a teacher, and she would not let them down. Some days, it wasn't easy trying to mold young minds. But she did her best not to allow herself to feel overwhelmed or hopeless. Somewhere, deep inside, she had a feeling that one day, things would be different.
The End