Pauley: Ummm... Sweet and Angsty and Fuzzy and have fun :-)... I'm so SORRY!
Red knew her way around the forest. She knew how to look after herself and how to look after those around her too. But she must have not been paying attention as before she knew anything was happening she was backed against a tree with a knife pointing dangerously at her throat.
"What's in the basket?" A rough looking man asked, flipping the knife over in his hand, keeping it pointed at her throat. Now, even with what she knew, she knew that there was no-way out of this one unless she gave him what was in her basket, and even then there was a chance that she wouldn't make it out unharmed.
"Food." Red stated, trying hard not to swallow, knowing that it could mean near death for her. The guy smiled, showing horrible deformed yellow teeth and exposing Red to his horrible bad breath.
"I like food." The guy stated, grabbing for the basket, causing Red to lean further back as the knife approached her throat rapidly. Ripping the top off the basket he raised it to his face to have a good look, his other hand moving to look into it, removing the knife from Red's throat. Noting the opportunity Red lashed out with her foot, her boot connecting with the space between the mans legs. He groaned and dropped her basket, which Red then bent to retrieve, not noticing the guys quick recovery. She heard a scream and looked up to find the guy with the knife plunged into Emma.
"Hey Red." Emma said with a smile, but Red could see the pain on her girlfriends face. Red swung her fist, connecting it with the guys nose, causing him to recoil. She then kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious. Kneeling down next to Emma Red examined the wound. The knife appeared to have missed her spine, but it was deep, into the hilt and Red could tell that Emma was in excruciating pain.
"Hey Princess." Red greeted as she wracked her brain on how to get help. Then it hit her. If she took off her cloak, it wasn't near the full moon, so she would be safe, hold it to the wound and walk Emma back to the castle. It wasn't that far.
"Right Ems, come on." Red looped Emma's arm around her shoulder and helped Emma to her feet, pressing her cloak into the wound, she began half dragging half helping Emma walk.
"Red..." Emma tried to speak, but her voice was hoarse and Red could tell the strain it was putting on her love to talk.
"Ems, just be quiet for once in your life, okay? Tell me when we get back to your castle." Red said, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.
Emma nodded, gritting her teeth and concentrated on making her feet move through the pain. When they got closer to the castle Red placed Emma face down by the wall, her weight nearly making both of them buckle.
"Okay Ems, you stay here and don't move, okay? I'll be back soon with Snow and Charming and healers." Emma nodded and Red bent to kiss her forehead.
"Love you Red." Emma said, panting in between words and her voice strained. Red smiled slightly, trying to hide the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
"Love you too Princess. Now you hold on, because I never wanna hear you stop saying that." And with that Red turned away. Tears streaming down her face Red raced into the castle, screaming to the high heavens for Snow and Charming. Snow found her quickly.
"Red, Red what's wrong?" Snow asked, catching the young woman by her shoulders, taking close note of the red eyes and the tear tracks.
"Emma! Out in the forest! Knife wound! In her back! HELP!" That last bit was a desperate cry, torn from Red's mouth almost without her permission.
"Quickly, find a healer and my husband!" Snow said to the nearest guard, who nodded, taking off down the hall.
"Take me to her." Snow demanded and Red nodded, taking off down the halls once more, running back to her love, Snow hot on her heels.
When they arrived back at Emma she was unconscious, but still breathing and the blood was pooling through Red's cloak. Returning to her side immediately, Red pressed down on the cloak, trying hard to stem the breathing, while Snow leant down to her daughters face and tried to rouse her.
"Red?" Emma asked groggily as her Mother gently woke her up from the blissful painless blackness.
"No, Ems. It's me." Snow said and she watched as Emma recognised the friendly voice. Snow smiled at her only child, fighting back tears and trying so hard not to look back to see Red pressing down on the heavily bleeding wound.
"Snow?" A voice shouted through the forest.
"Daddy?" Emma questioned in a childlike voice that broke Red's heart. Her girl shouldn't sound like that. Never.
"We're through here!" Snow shouted back, her hand now clasping her daughters clammy one.
"Mum... Will you tell me a story?" Emma asked, sounding scared and quiet. Snow nodded, wracking her brains for story's she could tell her scared child.
'Tell her how you and Charming met!' Red mouthed to Snow as she pressed down on the cloak and motioned the healer over as Charming knelt down next to Snow and took Emma's other hand. When the healer batted Red away and started pulling the knife out and started cleaning and healing the wound, partly with magic and partly with medicine, Red wasn't sure where to put herself. She wanted to be next to Emma, holding her hand and re-assuring her that everything would be alright, but Snow and Charming were there, telling her the story of how they met.
She turned away slightly, not wanting to interrupt the family scene, but Emma seemed to see her leaving.
"Red!" She croaked, releasing her hand from Snow's and reaching out to her, her eye's pleading with the brunette. Red went back and knelt next to Emma, clutching her hand and placing it on her cheek, leaning into it. Ignoring Snow and Charming, not really caring right now, because her Princess was in pain and needed her, so she would do everything in her power to make her feel better.
"Red... I love you." Emma said, her voice sounding slightly stronger now, but still sounding weaker than normal.
"Love you too Princess." Red replied, leaning in again and kissing Emma's forehead with a smile, still holding in her tears.
Eventually, the Healer said that she could be moved, and Charming picked up the blonde and carried her into the castle, lying her down on her bed.
"We'll be back to check on you two in half an hour." Snow said with a smile as they closed Emma's door. Red knelt next to Emma's bed, still holding her girlfriends hand, but now Emma was out of the woods, both literally and metaphorically, she let the tears fall freely. Emma broke her hand out of Red's grip and gently caressed her girlfriends face.
"You were so brave baby." Emma soothed, wiping away a tear with her thumb.
"C'mere." She said, patting the bed next to her. Red climbed up and snuggled in next to the blonde, crying softly into her shoulder, the sobs now wracking her body.
"So brave." Emma whispered against Red's hair, dropping soft kisses now and again until Red finally stopped shaking and her tears dried.
"I was so scared Ems... I thought I was gonna lose you. I can't lose you Princess. I would die if I lost you." Red babbled, but Emma placed a finger on her lips.
"But you didn't lose me baby." Emma soothed, running her fingers through Red's hair.
"Well... we finally came out to your parents." Red said after a while. Emma gave a soft chuckle, followed by a quiet 'ow'
"Yeah. I guess that's one more problem we don't have to worry about." Emma said with a smile.
"And they seemed okay with it too." Red added, gently pressing her lips to Emma's. Emma nodded, kissing Red's lips again and again and again.
"That we did." A voice interrupted.
"Snow!" Red cried out in alarm, jumping slightly, causing her to fall off the bed. She hit the floor with a thump, a soft yelp coming out of her lips. Emma giggled, again followed by an 'ow'
"You okay down there Red?" Emma called, unable to look over and check. Red's head popped up over the side of the bed as she sat up.
"I'm fine Princess." Red assured, climbing back up carefully and re-settling herself next to Emma, allowing the older woman to snuggle into her.
"Anyway you two." Snow cut in again, moving round to sit at the foot of the bed, her hand resting on Emma's foot.
"It's nice to know you found someone Emma, the only thing I would like to know is, how long has this been going on?" Emma and Red looked at each other guiltily.
"Since... uh... Since before the curse was broken..." Emma said, shrinking further into Red. Red closed her arms tighter around the blonde, wanting to protect her from everything in the world.
"I see." Snow said, not looking angry or sad, just mildly disappointed.
"And you didn't think to tell us?" She asked. This time it was Red that spoke.
"Before the curse broke, we were worried about how people in a small town would react. And when we got back... Emma's a princess and I'm... well, not only a village girl, but a Girl. We didn't think you'd be too pleased." She tightened her hold more, needing something to cling to, to anchor herself.
"See, now that's why we call you an idiot Red." Snow said with a swat at her friends foot.
"Surely you know me better than that. Why would you think that?" Red blushed, her skin colour living up to her name and Emma just burrowed in further, ignoring the twinges of pain in her back.
"We'll leave you two alone now. But behave. Emma is still sore." Snow said with an admonishing smile. Red smiled back, her cheeks still a flaming red colour and Emma just weakly raised an arm with a thumbs up.
"See, Ems. There was never anything for you to be scared of." Red said with a smile and a kiss to her girlfriends head.
"Nothing. Not even the big bad wolf." Emma said with a smile.
"No. Especially not that."
Pauley: I'm so sorry! I hope I didn't make anyone cry :-)