Title: Asking on Faith
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Characters/Ship: Abigail & Charming friendship, with background Snow/Charming & Abigail/Frederick
Summary: While the magical wardrobe is being prepared, Prince Charming has an important question to ask Princess Abigail.
"Do you realize what you're asking me?"
James cringes at the horrified tone of her voice, but Abigail can't help it. After everything – their arranged almost-marriage, his escape, King George's vendetta – they've become friends, but she still can't believe what he's now asking her to do.
He sighs, but if he has any sense at all he should have expected her response. "No more than I'm asking of myself," he says. She notices again how wrecked he looks – so much older than the last time she saw him, though that had only been a few months ago. "Believe me, Abigail, I won't hold it against you if you say no. I've no more desire to send him than I do my own child. But if there's even the slightest chance that doing this means she won't be on her own… then yes. I will get on my knees and beg if that's what you need."
She believes him, but she won't let that persuade her. "If you can send another, why not go yourself? Surely you and Snow together would be better protectors?"
"Do you think I wouldn't if I could?" He snaps, then turns angrily way from her and begins pacing the room. After visibly calming himself, he says, "the Blue Fairy lied."
Abigail waits for him to finish, but when nothing further comes, she says, "I can't really say I'm surprised, but what does that have to do with-"
"About the wardrobe. It's not that it can only carry one. It's that it can only carry a child."
Abigail stares dumbly at him. That couldn't be possible. She knew, as all the war council did, of the plans to send Snow through the wardrobe. Even now, she knew the carpenter was hard at work on it. "But Snow…" she stops, seeing the truth written on his face. "You haven't told her. James-"
"What good would it do?" he asks, with some desperation. "You didn't see her after that… that imp told us what the curse entailed. She was so filled with hopelessness, it was like she a different person. If I told her our only plan really involved sending our baby to another world alone… it would break her."
"She's stronger than that and you know it," Abigail says quietly. She's never managed to really make friends with Snow, they're too different for that really, but she respects the other woman and what she's gone through. But the broken sound of his voice stops her from commenting further, assuming he would know how his wife would react better than she would. She focuses instead on whether she can really do what he asks. Whether helping save everyone is worth the sacrifice. The fact that she's even actually considering it...
After a few minutes, during which he is thankfully silent, she sighs. "I suppose I should be grateful you didn't use your rescuing my husband against me."
James smiles at that. It's small but also the first time he's done it since he'd entered the room. She wonders if it's been even longer than that. "If I thought it would work-"
"It wouldn't," she interrupts, but there's no heat in it. "Let me talk to Frederick." She can't help adding, "maybe you can go behind your spouse's back but I can't." He flinches, but says nothing to defend himself. It's true, after all. "But James... no matter what, your daughter will be all right. If Rumpelstiltskin says that she'll break the curse, then she will, whether I help or not. You know that, don't you?" She may not trust him any more than James does, but the creature has no reason to lie, not about this.
But she knows it's a lot to accept on faith, and his silence speaks volumes. Abigail shakes her head, then turns to go. When she reaches the door, though, she stops. "If I do this," she says, stressing the first word, "and the curse doesn't happen or we find a way to stop it…?" She can't bare to finish the sentence.
Thankfully he hears it anyway. "Then I will do everything in my power to bring your son back to you. Whatever the cost." She nods again, knowing he would never break that promise. A look crosses his face, and she knows before he even speaks what he's going to say. It's the one thing she's forced herself not to think of, because she knows it would be the only thing that could change her mind. "But if the curse does happen… then at least Emma and August will be free of it."
She could almost hate him for saying it, for giving her hope, but she finds she can't really blame him. He knows he's asking her far too much on faith alone, and she'd do just the same in his position. "You'll have our answer in the morning." He opens his mouth to speak, but she raises her hand. "Don't. Don't you dare thank me. Not for this."
He nods, understanding, then crosses the room and looks at her for a moment, before leaning down and kissing her cheek. It's more gentle than anything that passed between them in the brief time they were engaged or since, and she knows they both realize what her answer will be.
But she says nothing more. She only leaves the room, to find her husband. And to somehow convince him of what they need to do, to let their little boy help the savior of the world.
A/N – So if it wasn't obvious, my new theory for August's identity is that he's Abigail and Frederick's son, sent ahead of Emma to help her. This is based on no evidence whatsoever other than a strange idea I had, which then caused this fic to pretty much download itself into my head fully formed. Hopefully this won't immediately be Jossed on Sunday!