AN: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to marymargaret! I'm your Secret Santa for Once Upon a Festive Giving Thing on Tumblr. I hope you enjoy this story! Happy New Year! You expressed your love for AU's so I packed several little AU scenarios into this story!
It's been several years of peace in Storybrooke and the Charmings have their Happy Beginnings. But during the holidays, it's always easy to think about what ifs. Four New Year's Eve dreams reveal what could have been if some things had gone differently.
Midnight Musings
As the clock ticked closer to midnight, the streamers and use of noisemakers increased at Granny's New Year's Eve party. It had been three years since the final battle and Storybrooke was peaceful. It had been quite a ride to get where they were and though none of them would have changed a thing, they were always left wondering what if, especially around the holidays.
After Hook left when she discovered he killed Robert, her father's father, she had been heartbroken. But she soon realized that her broken heart was more at the realization that what they had wasn't true love than losing him. It was no secret that she wanted what her parents had, but once Hook left, she had finally taken her father's advice to properly grieve. And once she did that, she felt relief and realized that while Neal, her first true love was dead, she had her other true love all along in her son. And for the time being, that was enough for Emma. She took her parents advice and got counselling from Archie to work through all her issues when she realized how toxic her relationship with Hook had been. Her relationship with Regina, their son, her parents, and baby brother had never been better.
Still, despite all their happiness, they wondered how things might have turned out if Snow had made it through the wardrobe with her or better yet both of them had made it through with her. Snow and David wondered from time to time as well about those things and what could have been if they had gone through that door or they made it through together as originally planned.
As midnight struck, Emma hugged her son close and they rolled their eyes, as her parents shared a kiss under the falling confetti. Little did any of them know, a twilight wish on New Year's Eve would be interesting dreams that night…
Snow's dream…
They were here. It was finally time. Twenty-eight long years spent without her husband. She had come to this world with nothing, heart brokenly leaving Charming behind to face the curse. She had been livid to find out that Charming could have come with her when she found little Pinocchio waiting for her when she came through. She wasn't angry at the little boy, of course, but at the people that were supposed to be her friends.
She understood why Geppetto had done it, wanting to protect his child, but the years without Charming had been hard and lonely.
Upon coming to this land, they found a homeless shelter where Emma was born and she had spent a few years there, as she had no documentation. Once she got the required documents, she found a job as a waitress. It was hard and for a long time, they had almost nothing.
Eventually, she managed to get a very small apartment for her and her kids. She waitressed, often taking double shifts, while Emma and August, the name they had decided on as an identity for Pinocchio, went to school.
When he was a teenager, August left to explore the world on his own. He had gone from a sweet boy to a frustrated teen. It had been very difficult for Snow, who now went by Mary Swan. His father wasn't here to blame, so his anger was taken out on Mary.
Emma was her rock though. Emma was so much like Charming that it made her both elated and ache at the same time. Emma believed and though she tried to make sure her daughter didn't see her cry, Emma knew how hard it was for her mother. And though Snow had never wanted Emma to feel the burden of responsibility, her daughter was ready to fight the Queen for what she had done to them.
She and Emma had grown even closer when August left them and when Emma, who had developed quite the knack for finding people became a bail bonds person, Mary had gladly followed her baby to live in Boston. And when her daughter got swept off her feet and then dumped just as fast by one Neal Cassidy, who she had been hired to find, Mary was there to comfort her daughter.
Emma's son was born nine months later and they loved him more than anything. Emma insisted on naming him David, after the father she knew so much about, yet had never met. Snow was so touched that it made her cry.
The years touched Snow gently, much to her thankfulness and she decided to use the available advantages in this realm, keeping her hair dyed black to hide the gray.
So when they stepped into Storybrooke on their first day and found that no one had aged in twenty-eight years, Snow was glad that time had been kind to her, especially when they stepped into Granny's Diner that morning.
"Hi...can I help you?" her best friend, who hadn't changed at all, asked. Though the attire she was wearing was nothing that Red would have ever been caught dead in.
"Three hot chocolates with cinnamon to start us, please," Emma answered for her mother, who was too stunned, as she looked around the diner, finding people she loved. But these people whom had been her friends only gave her blank stares in return.
"Mom...are you going to be okay?" Emma whispered.
"Mmm...I'll be fine, honey," she answered automatically, as her grandson looked around curiously.
"Do you see him Grams?" he asked curiously.
"I…" she started to say, as the bell chimed behind them.
"David...the usual?" Ruby asked flirtatiously.
"Sure...thanks Ruby," he replied in a voice she hadn't heard in twenty-eight years. Her knees went weak and her mouth felt like a desert, as she turned around and let her eyes soak him up.
Gods...the man hadn't changed. This David seemed a little unsure and less confident that her Charming, but it was him. Emma didn't miss the captivation on his face when he looked at her mother and it made her excited. This was him...her father, the man her mother had pined for her entire life. She could see her features in him and her obvious coloring that came from him.
"Hi...I'm David!" her son spoke up. He smiled and Snow felt her breath catch. She had seen that smile in her daughter so many times, but seeing it on him once again made her want to cry in joy.
"How about that? My name is David too. I don't think I've seen you here before," he mentioned.
"We're new in town. He's my son and I'm Emma," she said, as they shook hands and he seemed struck by the name.
"Emma...that's a beautiful name," he mentioned, as his eyes kept wandering back to Mary.
"This is my Mom, Mary," Emma prodded, trying to snap her mother out of her daze.
"Mary…" he uttered.
"It's nice to meet you David," she finally managed, as they shook hands and they both felt the spark between them.
"Yeah…I'm sorry, but have we met before?" he asked.
"It certainly feels like it," she replied, as they remained captivated by each other. Of course, that's when their moment was shattered.
"What the hell is this?" Regina snapped, as she entered the diner.
"Regina…" Mary uttered. The Mayor's eyes widened slightly, as the woman she had hoped she was rid of forever was before her again...twenty-eight years older. A smirk marred her coldly beautiful features.
"Well, well, I wondered when you'd show up," Regina said coldly, as she looked at David.
"David, I think Kathryn is waiting for you," she urged. Snow watched her husband look away from the cold stare of the Mayor. Everyone cowered before her, just like she wanted. This was her happy ending, after all.
"Of course...it was nice to meet you," he said, giving her a longing look, as he left the diner. Regina laughed.
"This...this has made my day. Snow White has come to find her husband, only to find that he's twenty-eight years her junior now," Regina joked.
"Shut the hell up," Emma growled.
"Who the hell are you?" Regina snapped.
"Oh I think you know exactly who I am, Madam Mayor," Emma growled. The slight widening of Regina's irises were the only indication of her worry, as she put on a mask of indifference.
"If you think you stand a chance against me in my own town, you're delusional. As delusional as your over the hill mother is if she thinks she has a chance with David here. He's a married man," Regina goaded and Snow felt her heart break, as Regina's coffee was delivered to her promptly.
"Have a lovely day, dear," she goaded, as she left. Emma felt her own heart crack at the broken look on her mother's face.
"Hey kid, why don't you go sit at the bar and drink your hot chocolate and I'll be right back," Emma suggested. Her son nodded.
"Okay Mom...is Grams okay?" he asked with concern. She forced a smile.
"She's going to be fine," Emma said, as she led her mother outside the diner.
"Mom…" she said.
"He's married…" Mary cried.
"Yes he is, Mom. He's married to you," Emma insisted.
"Whatever farce of a marriage Regina has forced him into here means nothing compared to what he has with you," Emma implored.
"Honey…" Mary protested.
"No Mom...you've told me about him my whole life. He's not himself under the curse and I may be the Savior, but only you can get him back! Did you see the way he was looking at you? No happily married man looks at another woman like that," Emma insisted.
"It doesn't matter...he's still so young and I'm old," Mary said, as she broke down in tears. Emma pulled her into a hug.
"No...no, you listen to me, Mom. You are so beautiful...and you have been wronged in a way no one should ever be wronged. She's stole everything from you...from us. And now, we are here to take it back," Emma said passionately.
"You sound just like him," she choked back a sob.
"So you've told me and I'd really like to meet him...the real him. He's yours Mom...you need take him back," Emma insisted. Snow sniffed and wiped her tears away, drawing strength from her baby. That same strength she had once drawn from Charming.
"Dad won't care that you're older...hell, he doesn't even care as he is now. I could tell…" Emma insisted. Snow wiped her tears and Emma hugged her.
"You're right…" Snow said finally, as Emma saw the fire return to her mother's eyes.
"I'm going to get my husband back," Snow decided. Emma smiled.
"You are...he couldn't keep his eyes off you. You're still hot, Mom," Emma said, nudging her playfully. Snow smirked. And she knew all the moves that would work on her Charming, even as he was now.
"I'm going to seduce your father," Snow announced, as she hooked her arm on her daughter.
"Okaaay...not something I need hear," Emma complained.
"Regina is going down," Snow said. Emma smirked. She loved that her mother was also her best friend.
"Hell yeah she is. Oh, and I was looking in the paper. There's an empty loft for rent. Seems perfect for the three of us...eventually four," Emma said, as she handed the paper to her mother.
"Then I guess we have an apartment to rent," Snow said, as they went back inside and got their hot chocolates to go.
"Come on, kid," Emma called, as her son hopped down and took her hand.
"Mom...is Gramps gonna remember soon?" David asked.
"I hope so, kid," she replied. Snow twirled her ring on her finger.
"He will...we're going to get him back," Snow assured her grandson.
And she had done just that. As it turned out, David's "marriage" wasn't good and she had easily lured him back to her. Of course, it was seen as scandalous and they caused quite an uproar in town. She had been called every name in the book, but eventually Emma did it after Regina's plan to get her to eat a poisoned apple turnover backfired and little David ate it instead. True love from Emma broke the curse and everyone's memories were returned. But more than that, the magic of the curse returned her youth, de-aging Snow and giving her back those lost years to have with Charming.
David's Dream…
Snow held the poppy up, the one that had brought them back to each other much earlier than expected. Charming nodded, as they joined hands and the poppy glowed brightly. A door appeared before them and opened. Once the haze cleared, they saw a beautiful little blonde girl.
"Oh..." Charming uttered.
"She's beautiful," he said. But then her surroundings came into view and they were horrified by what they saw. Their baby, shivering and alone, trying to keep warm by a fire.
"Oh Gods..." Snow cried.
"We have to go...we have to go to her," Charming urged.
"Yes...but Charming, if we do, we might condemn our people to Regina's curse forever," Snow warned.
"But you have your memories of this world," he reminded.
"Don't you see, Snow...we can come back for them with Emma when it's time!" he exclaimed. Snow paused, thinking about what she knew about this world. It wouldn't be easy, but they could make their way in this world and then find Storybrooke again when it was time. She had Mary Margaret's possessions with her and she could clean out what meager savings she had managed to build. It wasn't much, but it would get them started.
"Okay..." Snow said, looking at her husband. He grinned.
"Okay..." he repeated, as she looked at the potion in her hand and then tossed it to the ground. Screw Rumpelstiltskin and screw Regina. They would get their baby back now and return to save their people. They joined hands and stepped through the doorway. The glow faded and they now stood under that bridge.
Emma and another youth stared at them in disbelief.
"Your Majesties...how?" the boy uttered and Charming looked at him with scrutiny.
"You know us?" he asked suspiciously.
"In...in this land, I'm known as August, but in ours, I was Pinocchio," he revealed. Emma looked at the three people like they were crazy.
"Emma...it's okay, we're your parents," Snow said.
"You're lying! My parents left me on the side of the road!" Emma cried.
"No Emma...that's just where you came through. Your parents sent you to this world to escape a terrible curse. I know, because my father sent me right before you," August pleaded with her.
"The Blue Fairy told us that wardrobe only took one," Charming said, his jaw clenching.
"She lied to you and so did my father. He was just trying to save me," August said.
"You're all crazy!" Emma cried.
"No Emma...please believe us. Giving you up was the last thing we ever wanted to do," Snow pleaded.
"She's right...your mother was supposed to come through with you, but things didn't go as planned," David continued.
"We've loved you since the moment we knew you existed," Snow cried, tearing up. Emma looked between them, trying hard not to see her features in them. She knew when people were lying and they weren't, or at least they believed what they were telling her was the truth. But there was something else in the way they looked at her. She had only seen people look at a child like this when she had seen other children get adopted from the group home. She was taken aback, for she never expected anyone to look at her like that.
"Mommy?" she asked uncertainly. Snow nodded eagerly, as the tears started to fall down her cheeks.
"Daddy?" she asked and he nodded, as the tears slipped down his cheeks too.
"Where were you?" she asked.
"Trapped..." Snow replied.
"Trapped where?" Emma asked.
"In a place with no happy endings by an Evil Queen. But she's not going to hurt us anymore. We escaped," David said. Snow squeezed his hand.
"Charming..." she chided.
"What? It's the truth," he insisted.
"I know, but you don't know what this world is like. This land...they think we're just stories here," Snow warned.
"She's right...pretty watered down versions of the stories too," August added. He looked at them.
"I don't know about any of that. But I know our lives have been pretty real," he said, as he spotted a flash of white by Emma's bag.
"That blanket...you still have it?" he asked. She picked up her blanket and looked back at him.
"Oh...you still have it. We had this made for you when we found out I was pregnant," Snow said, as she touched the blanket and then broke down in tears. Charming put his arms around her and kissed her hair. Emma watched the couple with scrutiny and slowly stepped closer to them, as they continued to stare at her with love and awe. She leaned in and they swept her into their arms in a relieved hug, both pressing kisses to her hair. Charming cradled her head and they held her tightly. August looked on with a happy, but wistful gaze, as he slowly turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Snow asked.
"I...I don't know, just moving on I guess," he replied uncertainly.
"No...you don't have to be alone anymore. We're all refugees from a lost land. I'd say that's a really good reason to stick together," Charming said.
"You want me to come with you?" he asked.
"You're Geppetto's son. It's only right that we care for you when he can't," Snow replied.
"She's right. Besides, we have a curse to break in eighteen years and now Emma doesn't have to go it alone," Charming added.
"You think we can find the town again?" August asked curiously.
"Well, we have eighteen years to figure it out. In the meantime, we'll need to find a way to live," Charming replied.
"When Regina finds out we're missing, she may give your photos out to the police outside Storybrooke," August warned.
"Then what do you suggest? You know this world better than us," Charming said.
"We should cross the border into Canada. There's lot of small, rural towns up there where they'll never find us, especially with a fake last name," August said.
"How do we get there?" Charming asked. August looked at Snow.
"He just woke up from a coma. He doesn't have any of the fake memories of this world that I do," Snow told him. August chuckled. Teaching the prince about this land would be interesting for sure.
"Bus tickets are fairly cheap, but we need a good last name for the three of you," he said.
"Swan," Emma chimed in and they looked at her. August grinned.
"Swan...like from the ugly duckling," he said.
"Swan it is then. Mary, David, and Emma Swan," Snow said. David smiled and picked their little girl up.
"You're never going to be alone again, princess," he promised, as he kissed her forehead. Tears filled her eyes and she wrapped her little arms around his neck. He joined hands with his wife and together, with August in tow, they started out to begin their new lives together.
Emma's Dream
The peaceful forests of Maine were suddenly interrupted by an explosion, in which a large tree trunk came apart, bark falling away. A man kicked away the tree and climbed out, revealing him to be tall, shockingly handsome, and dressed in garb that could only be described as something royalty in a time long passed might wear. He reached back into the tree and lifted a beautiful woman in a long white dress out, as he gently put her on her feet. The woman was heavily pregnant, with hair black as night, lips red as blood, and skin white as snow.
"Did we make it?" she asked, her breath visible in the cold night air.
"It would appear so," he responded, as he huddled her close, quickly shedding his red cloak to wrap around her.
"What do we do now?" Snow asked. Blue had warned them that this land would be strange, the people, the customs, the clothing, everything and they would be completely out of their element. They had not come empty handed, for they had brought quite a large sum of gold with them in Charming's satchel he had slung over his shoulder. But they had no idea if gold was even valued in this land like it was in theirs. He took her hand.
"We'll figure it out, my darling. As long as we're together," he assured, as they began walking through the woods.
They came upon what appeared to be a road, but neither of them had ever seen a road so smooth. Suddenly there was a pair of lights and Snow gasped as a very strange looking carriage without horses zoomed passed them at what they were certain was an unsafe speed. Charming held her tightly, as they watched it with awe.
"I...I thought this was the Land Without Magic," Snow said. Charming had no answers for her, but put on a brave front as he always did. He walked on the side closest to the road, keeping her tucked closely to his right side, as they continued on the shoulder of the road. It was only a few miles until they saw lights. They were suspended in the air by strange gray posts. Though it was like no village they had ever seen, it seemed like it was this realm's version of one.
Ahead of them, there was an establishment of sorts. There were people inside and he gripped her hand tightly. It was time to learn more about this strange world by interacting with the people that lived here. Snow was eternally grateful that she hadn't been forced to come through alone with Emma. She didn't know what she would do in a strange place without her beloved beside her.
Sure, she had survived many hardships on her own when she was on the run from Regina, but that had been when it was only her she had to worry about.
Now she had their child depending on her and there had been discussion that if Emma had come early, she would have had to leave Charming behind.
Thankfully, that had not been the case and now they would face whatever came their way like they did with everything...together.
Three years later…
"And she was beyond hope, her slumber eternal. Then, a wave of pure magic swept through the land, bringing light to the darkness. And she drew breath once again, looking up into the blue eyes of her true love. He had found her, as he promised, in her darkest hour and broke her curse. And he placed his mother's ring on her finger, stating he never wanted off her finger again and proposed to wed her," Snow read from the old, brown leather bound book.
Sometime around Emma's third birthday, she had found the old book in a pile of things in one of the back rooms in the diner. It was as if it had appeared out of nowhere. She showed her husband, stunning him as well and they presented the book to Emma for her birthday.
"Mommy...did Snow White and Prince Charming live happily ever after?" Emma asked. Mary smiled and stroked her daughter's blonde hair.
"They did. They got married and had a little baby girl, whom they cherished above all," Mary replied.
"They lived in their castle and the Queen didn't get them?" Emma asked.
."Actually no...the Queen did come for them. But they thwarted her again by escaping to a new world," Mary replied. Emma frowned.
"But I thought you said they lived happily ever after?" Emma asked in confusion.
"Oh, but they did sweetheart. You see Emma, sometimes happy endings aren't always what they think they will be. Snow White and Prince Charming escaped to save their baby from the Evil Queen, for their daughter would grow to be very powerful someday and vanquish the Queen," Mary explained.
"They came to a new place, where they were no longer a prince and princess. They owned very little, but they had their love and their baby and it was all they needed to be happy. Castles and riches meant very little to them next to each other and their little one," Mary explained, as she brushed her fingers through her baby's blonde hair. Emma looked at her curiously.
"Mommy...are you daddy the prince and princess?" she asked curiously. Mary smiled and kissed her hair, winking at her. It had been difficult to acclimate to this world and they worked hard for almost nothing. But their love and their daughter would get them through it all and someday, they would find their people again.
Henry's Dream…
Six-year-old Henry Swan knew his family was a bit different from other families. He knew he was different as well. That wasn't always easy, because other kids could be really mean. But Henry rather liked that his family was different. Mommy always said it was because they were special and he liked that.
They even played a special game. At home, he called his grandparents Grams and Gramps. But at school or in public, he called them Aunt Mary and Uncle David. It was a curious thing to Henry, but Mommy said it was because Grams and Gramps didn't look old enough to be grandparents. Henry didn't really know any different. To him, Grams and Gramps looking the same age as Mommy didn't seem all that strange. That's just the way it was.
So, he started paying attention to other kids' grandparents in public and at school functions. And Mommy was right. Grams and Gramps didn't look at all old like other grandparents. And it seemed most grandpa's didn't play with their grandsons as much. His Gramps played all kinds of games with him all the time.
Yep, his family was different and Henry thought he had figured out why. He loved reading his big book of stories his Mom had given him. Gramps liked to call the stories history, whatever that meant. He had strongly suspected before, but today had clinched it. He was almost certain that his Grams and Gramps were Snow White and Prince Charming from his book. And even at six, Henry knew it sounded crazy, but it would certainly explain everything.
Grams and Gramps were still young. Maybe that meant they were cursed like it said would happen in the book. Gramps even had a scar on his chin like Prince Charming in the book. Today, they were in the park near his favorite wishing fountain and though there was no music, Grams and Gramps were dancing together. Mommy looked embarrassed and people were kind of staring. Some were giving them smiles, others were poking fun at them, which he didn't think was nice. But Grams and Gramps didn't seem to notice, probably cause they couldn't stop looking at each other. He wished he knew for sure, but Mommy never gave him a very clear answer. Then Henry got an idea. He would make a wish.
"Mommy...can I make a wish?" Henry asked. Emma smiled and put a quarter in his small hand.
"Sure kid, why don't you wish your grandparents had a little shame," she joked. He had no idea what that meant, but he knew you weren't supposed to tell your wishes aloud.
"Mom...it won't come true if you tell people," he chided. Emma chuckled.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Emma replied. Henry closed his eyes and threw the coin into the fountain. He opened his eyes and glanced over to his grandparents. He gasped, as he saw them change. Grams was in a brilliant white gown and her hair was long and curly. Gramps was in princely red coat, black riding pants and boots, exactly like Prince Charming wore in the book. Henry grinned. That was the moment he knew the stories they told him, though fantastical, were true and Henry was glad they were special, even if no one could understand.
A few days later, Emma told her son everything about how Grandma and Grandpa came through a magical wardrobe. They still looked the same, because they took a youth potion given to them by a powerful wizard and that someday, they would find the place where all the people in his grandparent's Kingdom were cursed to and save them like heroes...
As the New Year began, the dreams weren't forgotten, but also not discussed, for they were immensely happy with their lives. Though the things in their dreams were wonderful notions, each of them found that they wouldn't change anything. Snow and David would always regret not being able to raise Emma, just as Emma would always wish she could have been raised by them. And Henry would always wonder what it would be like to grow up with his birth family.
But at the end of the day, while everything had gone right in those dreams, they knew a million more things could have gone wrong and a change could risk none of them being together at all. At the end of the day, they were happy, loved, and safe. And that was what truly mattered. They would always have those dreams, but the Charmings would live for what they had and never take it for granted...