Hey y'all! I've never written for OUAT before but I am really into the show and I feel really good about this story. I hope y'all like it too! :)
Also, none of this belongs to me; all the characters, places, etc. belong to the amazing minds behind our beloved Once Upon a Time.
"Thank you for being open today," Emma said as she walked into the library. Henry really wanted some books to read during the storm."
"I know most businesses are closed, but I figured we'd stay open for anyone who wanted comfort or entertainment once the snow comes," Belle said.
"That was nice of you," Emma replied. "Will you be open late?"
"Yeah, I think probably until six or seven."
"The snow is supposed to be pretty bad by then," Emma pointed out. "Do you need a ride home? I have my car."
"No, it's okay, thank you," Belle said. "Rumple will be here soon to hang out for a bit then drive me home when we close."
"Oh, right," Emma replied. "When's the wedding, again?"
Belle grinned. "Next month, on the twelfth. You're coming, right?"
Emma looked surprised. "I don't know. I don't have anyone to cover for me at the station."
"You can keep your phone on you and leave whenever you may need to," Belle said.
Emma smiled a bit. "Okay."
Things had changed a lot in Storybrooke since the curse had been broken three years earlier. Belle's presence made Rumple nice to other people; he actually had friends. He had gotten along well with Charming, since he asked him for romance advice a lot. Charming was actually going to be Rumplestitlskin's best man at his wedding. Charming was elected mayor and Emma was still the sheriff. Snow is principal of the elementary school. Belle is the librarian and she chose Ruby to be her maid of honor. Ruby had been dating Archie for almost two years.
When Belle wasn't at the library or home, she was at Granny's diner. Since she was there pretty often, Belle met – and made friends with – practically everyone in town. Her engaging and kind personality allowed her to get along with everyone, so nearly the whole town was invited to the wedding.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the other side of the library.
"Henry!" Emma called out and rushed to where the sound came from.
"Are you alright?" Belle asked as she followed Emma.
"I'm good," Henry said from under a pile of books.
"What happened?" Emma asked as she pulled Henry up.
"I went to get a book off the top shelf and the whole thing fell over," he replied as he rubbed his apparently sore knee.
"Emma, there is a first aid kit under the front desk," Belle began. "It should have bandages and an ice pack."
"Thank you," Emma said.
"Sorry about the shelf," Henry said.
"Don't worry about it," Belle said, ruffling Henry's hair. "It happens. Go get an ice pack, I'll clean this up."
"Thank you," Henry said, then went to join Emma at the desk.
"Mom?" Henry asked when he reached the table. "Did you find the ice pack?"
"What?" Emma asked, quickly putting down a book she had in her hand.
"What book is that?"
"I don't know," Emma replied. "Belle must have been reading it, it was on the desk. Here, take the ice pack. Stay here, I'll go help Belle."
When Emma, with the book from the desk in hand, reached Belle, she had cleaned up all the books and was trying to stand the shelf upright.
"Let me help you with that," she said, stepping in and helping to lift it.
"Thanks," Belle replied.
"So, how do these go back on the shelves, alphabetically by title?" Emma asked, picking up a few books when she saw Belle do the same.
"By author," Belle replied, beginning to restock the shelves.. "And if an author has more than one book, then that goes alphabetically by title."
"There must be a hundred books the kid knocked over," Emma said. "I am so sorry we made such a mess."
"Don't worry about it," Belle replied. "It was a slow day anyway, it is nice to have something to do that doesn't require sitting behind the desk."
"Still, children can be pretty wild," Emma replied, gesturing at the mess of books still on the floor.
"Kids will be kids," Belle replied with a shrug and a smile.
"Do you think you and Mr. Gold will have any?" Emma asked.
Belle didn't say anything.
"Sorry, that might have been too personal," Emma asked. "It's just…I found this on your desk with a whole bunch of bookmarks inside." She held up a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting.
"Did you snoop through my desk?" Belle asked.
"No, not at all," Emma replied. "I just saw it when I was looking for the first aid kit. And I figured, since I'd gone through all this already, if there was anyone you…you know, wanted to talk to. I'm all ears."
"All ears?"
"I'm listening," Emma corrected.
"Thank you," Belle said.
"So you're reading it?" Emma asked.
"Yes," Belle said. She spoke quickly before Emma could say anything. "But not for me. For a friend. She's still kind of getting used to it, so I figured I'd get some information on it while she was still adjusting."
"Okay," Emma said. She carried on putting books away when suddenly a thought hit her. "Oh god, it isn't Mary Margaret, is it?" Emma never really got used to the fact that Mary Margaret was Snow White, so she always called her by her Storybrooke name. Emma also noticed that Mary Margaret, Ruby, and Belle had become close since Emma and Mary Margaret returned from the Enchanted Forest.
Belle chuckled. "No, I am not reading it for Snow."
Emma sighed, content. She figured at some point that Mary Margaret and David would want more kids, but she wasn't quite ready for sisterhood yet.
"Oh my god," Emma said when another thought hit her. "Ruby."
Ruby and Emma became particularly close after Emma returned. Back in Fairytale Land, before Emma was born, Snow decided that if anything happened to her and Charming, she wanted Red to raise Emma. Red was supposed to be like an aunt or a godmother to Emma, and they developed that kind of relationship after the curse was broken.
Belle didn't reply, which Emma understood to mean that she was right and Belle didn't want to say so and betray her trust to Ruby or deny it and lie to Emma.
"Don't worry, I won't tell her I know," Emma said. "Does Archie know?"
"I don't think so," Belle replied. "She only found out yesterday."
Emma looked back at the book, which had bookmarks in it at least halfway through the book.
"You read all that in a day?"
Belle smiled. "I'm a fast reader."
"Wow," Emma said. "Wow."
"I'm guessing you're not this shocked about the speed at which I read…"
"No," Emma said. "I've never stuck around in one place long enough to get close to anyone, let alone a whole town. And now I have a whole bunch of people I really care about and they are living their lives and big things are happening to them. My parents are together, Ruby's pregnant, you're getting married. It is all…a lot."
"I get it," Belle said, putting the books down and putting an arm around Emma's shoulder. "I know what it is like to come into this world and get close to people when all you had for a long time was no one. Trust me, I get it. So, if you ever want to talk, I'm all ears."
Emma smiled. "Thanks, Belle."
"I can finish this up," Belle said. "You two should go home, the storm is going to get bad soon. Don't worry about checking out Henry's books; I know he won't damage them or lose them."
"Okay," Emma said. "Thank you."
Belle nodded goodbye and went back to shelving the books.
At the loft, Snow still slept, though it was nearly noon. She woke, alarmed, to a loud sound from the kitchen.
"Charming?" she called out as she got out or bed and rushed to the kitchen.
"My bad, Snow," Charming replied, picking up pots and pans. "I was going to surprise you with breakfast," he looked at the clock on the wall, "well, lunch, but I should have known I can't surprise you or sneak up on you."
Snow smiled and wrapped her arms around Charming's waist. "True, you never were very subtle."
Charming laughed. "So what do you want to do today, Snow?"
Snow made a face. "Don't you have mayor things to do today?"
"Not too many," Charming replied. "I was thinking we could head down to the animal shelter and do some volunteer work."
Snow smiled. "That sounds great. And I was thinking, maybe we could get a cat. Or maybe a few birds. Some fish, even."
"Whoa, slow down, Snow," Charming said with a laugh. "Let's start with one."
Snow laughed. "Okay."
With that, they headed off to the animal shelter.
Emma and Henry walked up to Regina's front door. Henry rang the doorbell.
"You forgot your key again?" Emma asked.
Henry shrugged.
"Kid, you have to remember to bring it," Emma said.
"Hello," Regina said as she opened the door. "How was the library?"
"It was fine," Henry said, walking past Regina and heading up to his room. The relationship between them had improved, but Henry was a thirteen year old boy so he wasn't always in the mood to converse with his mother. Archie had helped Regina to give up magic and she gradually lost her reputation as an evildoer.
"He knocked over a shelf and it landed on him," Emma told Regina. "But he's okay."
"Good," Regina said. "I was just making some coffee, why don't you come in and have some?"
Emma agreed and stayed for coffee, which turned into dinner, which turned into staying the night because the storm was so bad it was dangerous to drive. Emma had never spent so much time at once at Regina's house, but felt weirdly comfortable. Years before, when she first arrived in town, she would have cringed at the thought of sleeping in the same house as Regina, but now it felt to her like a friendly gesture.
"How about this one?" Snow asked Charming, holding up a kitten.
"We can't," Charming said. "His chart says he's been adopted already; the owners are going to pick him up tomorrow."
"Darn it," Snow said.
"This one is cute," Charming replied, petting the orange tabby cat next to him.
"That's Shelby," Snow said. "She already has a home, she's just here for the vet."
"Are all the cats here already taken?" Charming said with a laugh.
"I don't – oh," Snow said, startled, as she felt something touch the back of her leg. She turned and looked down. "Hey cutie!" She picked up the kitten, who was black all over with white paws and face, and held him up to Charming. "Charming, can we keep him?"
Charming chuckled. "Yeah, let's take him."
They signed all the paperwork and that afternoon they took home their new cat.
"Let's call him Stealthy," Snow said. "Since he snuck up on me."
"Wasn't Stealthy one of the -," Charming was cut off.
"Let's just call him Stealthy," Snow said, not wanting to talk about the fallen dwarf who freed her all those years ago.
"Alright then," Charming said. "Stealthy it is."
Ruby walked into the house she shared with Archie, her heart pounding but her expression blank. She was terrified, but she couldn't let it show even a bit because Archie could read her like a book.
"Hey, Ruby," Archie called from the other room as he heard the door close.
"Hey, Archie," Ruby said. Archie walked up to her and helped her take off her coat. He hung it up in the closet. "Thanks."
"No problem," Archie said. "How was work?" He kissed her cheek and wrapped an arm around her and led her down the hallway.
"It was crazy, we were totally slammed today," Ruby replied. "I am exhausted."
"Well, good news for you, I made dinner tonight," Archie said proudly. "It is in the kitchen, hot and ready to be eaten."
Ruby smiled. "Thanks, baby. That was really sweet of you."
"It was my pleasure. Ruby-."
"Archie, we need to talk," Ruby said, cutting off her boyfriend. For a split second, she reached out to take his hand and lead him, but she pulled her hand back and walked towards the chairs at the counter in the kitchen.
The motion with her hand was slight, and the average person probably would not have noticed, but Archie did.
"Ruby, what's wrong?" Archie asked. He sat at the chair next to her, turned to face her, and took her hands in his. "Are you okay?"
Ruby began to cry and let out a sob.
"Ruby," Archie said softly, trying to make his beloved girlfriend feel better but not knowing exactly how.
She let out a loud breath and composed herself. "I'm pregnant."
"What?" Archie said. "Ruby, that's great!"
"No it isn't," Ruby said, pulling her hands from his. "It is not great. This is bad."
"Why is it bad?" Archie asked. "Ruby, this is amazing!"
"I'm a wolf, Archie!" Ruby exclaimed. "I've killed people. I'm a monster. And that is genetic. I can't give that to a kid, I can't give my child that curse."
"Ruby, you are not a monster," Archie said. "And our child will not be a monster. Yes, our child will get the wolf gene, but hopefully he or she will also get your selflessness, and your kindness, and your determination. You will give so many amazing parts of yourself to this child and you will be an excellent mother."
Ruby shook her head and stood up.
"Our child will be a monster," Ruby said. "And it will be my fault. I was lucky I had Granny and I had the red hood but what if this kid isn't so lucky? I can't measure up to Granny and I only know of one hood. What, are we supposed to share it?"
"It'll be okay," Archie said, desperately trying to console his girlfriend. "Ruby, please. Calm down. It can't be good for the baby to be this worked up."
"I am so sorry, Archie," Ruby said. "For getting you into this. You deserve better than a wolf for a girlfriend, and you definitely deserve better than this for a child."
"Marry me," Archie said. Ruby looked at him, shocked. "I did this, I made this dinner and tried to make your favorite desert and put rose petals all over our bed because I was going to ask you to marry me tonight."
"Rose petals?"
"Ruby, I want to marry you so badly," Archie said. "Please. I want you, I need you in my life. We should be together, and whatever happens…we'll get through it."
Ruby let out another soft cry. She was silent for a long while before she spoke. "I'm so sorry, Archie," she said. "You should have better. I can't do this to you." She turned and started walking out the door.
"Ruby, no," Archie said. "Please. Don't leave. We can talk about this."
Ruby kept walking.
"Please! Ruby, there's a storm outside, it isn't safe to travel!" Archie called, following her to the door. He stepped in front of her, putting himself between her and the door. "Ruby."
Ruby purposefully avoided his gaze.
"Archie, move," she said. "I need to leave."
"You don't," Archie said. "And you don't really want to, because if you did you wouldn't have let me stop you."
"How would I have stopped you?" Ruby asked halfheartedly. "You're standing between me and the door. I'm pregnant, I can't exactly tackle you to the ground to get you out of the way."
"You're pregnant," Archie said with a smile.
"And you want to marry me," Ruby said. She almost smiled, but stopped herself. "But the wolf thing."
"It is okay," Archie said. "I've known you're a wolf for a while, I'm fine with it. You have it under control."
"Our child will be a wolf," Ruby said, not looking Archie in the eye again. "I'm sorry, I just need some space."
"Then you stay here," Archie said. "Please. There is a storm outside and I'd rather I travel in it than you do. Especially now."
Ruby nodded. "Okay."
"I won't go to Granny's, because if I stay there she'll know something is going on," Archie said. "You should tell her about all this when you are ready to. I'll stay at my office, I have a couch."
Ruby took a step back so Archie could open the door.
"Please call me when you're ready," Archie said. "When you're ready to talk about this, we'll talk about this."
Ruby nodded, though inside she was reluctant to do so because she still wasn't sure if she wanted to put Archie through the ordeal of having a wolf wife and a wolf child.
"And, before I go, please take this," Archie said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. He opened it, revealing a diamond ring. He handed the box to her. "I want to marry you, Ruby. I want us to be a family, you me and the baby. Please." He leaned in and kissed her forehead. Then, he turned and left.
Ruby turned, so her back was to the door. She leaned against the door and slid to the ground, finally letting herself cry as hard as she wanted to since she found out she was pregnant the previous morning.
This is what I wanted, she thought to herself. This is what I deserve.
"Are you ready to leave, dearie?" Rumple asked.
"Yeah," Belle said, putting a few books in her bag. "Let's go."
She and Rumple left and walked to Rumple's car.
"My goodness, it is snowing hard out here," Belle said. The snow was falling in sheets, obscuring vision farther than a few inches in front of the eyes.
"It is," Rumple said as they got into the car. "Maybe you shouldn't go into work tomorrow. The snow is already up to a few inches, it'll get even deeper overnight. No one will be at the library."
"Rumple, I have to," Belle said with a light laugh. "The library can't close just because of bad weather."
"Bad weather?" Rumple said, carefully pulling out of the parking spot and driving away. "This is the worst blizzard I've ever seen."
"I'll be fine tomorrow at work," Belle said. "Unless, you have other plans for what we could do tomorrow, cooped up in the house together…"
Rumple laughed. "I'm sure I could think of something."
"Rumple, do you want children?" Belle asked. "I know you have Bae and that you're still trying to find him, but do you want more children? With me?"
Rumple gave her a sideways glance. "Where is this coming from?"
Belle shrugged. "It is just something someone said today got me wondering."
"Do you want children?" Rumple asked.
Belle sighed. "I think so," she said excitedly. "Not right now, of course, but sometime. Maybe soon. I just imagine a kid with eyes like yours, or with your sense of humor, running around our house and calling me 'mum'. I think I want that."
"Then that's what we'll do," Rumple said slowly. "I want what you want, Belle. And if this is what you want, this is what we'll do. After the wedding."
"Right, after the wedding," Belle said. "And we don't have to rush. I'm still young, we have time. We can still look for Bae."
"I'd like that," Rumple said.
"Good," Belle said.
Rumple turned to smile at her, but when he looked back at the road he saw someone standing in fron of the car.
"Rumple!" Belle yelled, seeing the boy in the line of the car. If Rumple didn't get out of the way quickly, he would hit the boy.
Rumple swiftly swerved the car to the right. He momentarily forgot about the slick, snow-covered roads and turned so hard that the ice carried him to the side of the road. The car crashed into a tree, with the passenger side – and Belle – essentially squished between the driver's side door and the tree.
"Belle," Rumple said weakly. He had hit his head in the crash and noticed he was bleeding from his forehead, but he was absolutely more concerned with his fiancé. "Belle," he repeated, weakly trying to reach for her.
She wasn't moving and her head was bleeding profusely.
"Oh my god!" came a voice from outside the car. It was the boy was standing in the road. "I didn't see you! It's so dark…there's so much snow…I thought I was walking on the sidewalk, not the road! Are you okay?"
Rumple climbed out of the car. "You!" he bellowed. "You were in the way! You hurt her!"
"Help!" the boy screamed desperately, hoping someone nearby would hear. "Help us! Please, somebody!"
Rumple scrambled to take his phone out of his pocket and dialed 911. He told them their location and demanded they hurry. Rumple had changed a lot in the past three years, but he could still revert to his old attitude when the things he loved most were threatened.
"Are they coming? Is help coming?" asked the boy, who Rumple could still not see because the snow was falling so thickly.
"They should be," Rumple said. "What the hell were you doing out here?!" Rumple stepped closer to the boy, grabbing him by the collar.
"I…"
Rumple saw the boy's face clearly for the first time. He let go of the boy immediately. "Bae," he said. "It's you."
So what'd y'all think? I hope you all liked it, I tried to bring up a lot of suspense and drama but still a lot of softer moments that we all love from the show. Please review and let me know what you think!
Also, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know! Especially if there is anything in particular you want for Snow/Charming, because I don't have too much planned for them and I am open to any and all suggestions of storylines for them. So, please review this and tell me what you think!