David tightened his grip on his wife's hand as she tensed against another wave of pain. The rough scream that tore from her throat echoed through every fiber of his being, sending shivers down his spine.
"It's going to be okay," he whispered in her ear. "I'm right here, Snow."
She didn't have the energy needed to turn her head, but he felt her answering squeeze of his fingers. She gasped sharply as another contraction hit her, harder and faster than any so far.
"It's almost here," she panted. "Almost…" Her words broke off abruptly as she screamed again.
David shifted the arm he had wrapped around her shoulders, giving her something to brace herself against. "Doc!"
The trusty dwarf looked up sharply from where he'd stationed himself at the foot of the bed. "She's right. It's time."
David leaned his forehead against Snow's sweat-soaked locks and willed his strength to flow into her. He ignored the unnatural howling of the wind outside.
The curse was coming. They'd known it was inevitable. But Regina and her madness could wait until after his baby was born. The outside world had ceased to exist. There was only David and Snow and the unborn baby.
Each breath Snow took was an audible moan as she tried to speak again. "The wardrobe..."
"Don't worry about that," David said fiercely. He couldn't afford to think about the wardrobe right now. He would break down and be no good to anyone if he allowed himself to think more than ten minutes into the future.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and planted a soft kiss on Snow's temple. "Just concentrate on the baby. Push!"
Regina peered through the window of her carriage as the forest flashed by on either side. Just ahead stood the Royal Castle, already cast in an unnatural twilight as the roiling storm clouds drew closer. She could sense her escort of Dark Knights straining to stay ahead of the clouds as they pushed their mounts and the carriage to a manic pace. After all, these weren't mere storm clouds.
A smile slowly crept over the Evil Queen's face. It was almost over. She had won.
"The wardrobe," Snow said in a hollow voice. "It only takes one." She clung to baby Emma with a desperation that David rarely saw in her.
The sound of running footsteps somewhere in the outer corridors drew both their attention to the door for a few seconds. David's heart pounded a frantic beat. He looked down at Snow, seeing his own despair mirrored in her eyes.
"Then our plan has failed." His voice shook and he mentally cursed himself. He bent over Snow's shoulder, admiring his daughter's perfect features. He cupped his hand over her head, marveling at the softness of her hair.
Emma. The name was magical.
"At least we're together," he said softly, resting his head against Snow's. For a few seconds he was able to block out the noises from the hall, the increasingly louder wind, and the thought of imminent doom. Again, the outside world ceased to exist. It was David and Snow and Emma and that was enough.
"No." Snow took a deep breath and David felt her steeling herself again, pulling the pieces back together. "You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe."
David drew back from his wife, mind reeling. "Are you out of your mind?"
"I"m not!" Snow looked up at him through watery eyes. "It's the only way. We have to send her through..."
"No!" David cut in before she could say more. Panic was rising up inside him, threatening to overtake him. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He couldn't just throw his daughter through a magic portal, savior or not. Surely, this wasn't what the Blue Fairy had in mind. "You don't know what you're saying!"
"No, I do!" Snow said, voice rough from screaming and eyes shining with unshed tears. "We have to believe that she'll come back for us."
David stared at his wife, trying to still the trembling in his jaw. This wasn't fair. Nothing was fair.
Clattering footsteps in the corridor interrupted the conversation and David immediately reached for his sword. Before he could unsheathe it, Geppetto's familiar voice rang out. "Your majesties!"
The elderly man came stumbling through the door, gaze darting from David to Snow and the bundle in her arms and then back to David. He took a deep, shuddering breath. "There is something I need to tell you... about the wardrobe.
David noted the bright eyes of Geppetto's son Pinocchio peeking around the door.
"The Blue Fairy approached me about building the wardrobe before she told the rest of the council about it." Geppetto paused to take another deep breath. "And I told her I would build the wardrobe on one condition. That my son be allowed to go through along with the savior and be saved from the curse."
David stood dumbly, letting the words trickle into his brain. "I don't understand…"
Geppetto wrung his hands in anguish. "Th-the wardrobe… it can hold two… But the Blue Fairy... I asked her to tell you it would only hold one so that… so that my son…"
"You lied to us," Snow said, the pain evident in her voice.
Geppetto dropped to his knees sobbing. "Forgive me. I wanted to save my son. My little boy…"
Pinocchio ran into the room and wrapped his thin arms around his father, snuggling his cheek into the crook of Geppetto's neck. "It's okay, Father," he said. "We must be selfless, brave, and true. Right?"
Geppetto croaked something inaudible in reply and wrapped his arms tightly around his son.
David let out a shaky breath and looked at Snow, whose eyes were wide as she absorbed the information.
"Two people," he said, hoping she didn't hear the catch in his voice.
"Two can go," she said faintly.
David gave her a firm smile and marched over to the bed. Carefully, he lifted her out of the blankets, cradling her like baby. He looked down at Emma, asleep in her mother's arms and then back into his wife's eyes.
"Let's get you to that wardrobe."
Snow closed her eyes and leaned her head against her husband's shoulder as he hustled out into the empty halls. The dark clouds of the curse had engulfed the surrounding countryside and were on the verge of snatching those left in the castle away as well. She wasn't naturally attuned to magic, so she couldn't feel the dark energy that was no doubt swirling through the air, but she knew it was there nonetheless. Regina was the one who had forged this curse, out of the deepest depths of her hatred. The dark magic would be very strong indeed.
Snow opened her eyes to watch as David rushed towards the nursery. A burning feeling clawed at her chest and her throat, making it hard to keep from crying. Was this the last time she would see her beloved castle; her home? Her gaze swept upward across the strong jaw and burning eyes of her Prince Charming. She was about to leave him behind too. The thought was too painful to bear.
Suddenly, David gave a shout and dropped into a crouch. The unexpected movement and angle of descent nearly made Snow lose her grip on Emma, but she didn't have time to ask questions when she saw the Dark Knight's sword swing through the space where David's head had been seconds before. Realizing that she was a handicap to her husband, she shoved herself forward, out of his arms, curling on her side as she fell to protect the baby.
Usually David would have protested her doing such a thing, but his sword was already out and swinging around in a clean arc to meet that of the enemy knight's. Snow looked away for a few seconds to scan the hall and felt a jolt of fear as she saw the second knight running towards her. He was going to kill her and her baby right now. The curse would never be broken because the savior would be dead…
David spun under his opponent's blade, nicking him in the side as he passed and drawing a curse from the man. The Prince's momentum brought him to a stance directly above his wife and daughter, just in time to block the sweeping blow from the second knight. He shifted his weight firmly onto his left foot and kicked out with his right, hitting the surprised knight in the stomach. The man stumbled backwards, gasping for breath as David wheeled on the other knight, switching from defensive to offensive with such ease that the man was dead before he even realized he was being attacked. Before the first knight hit the ground, David whirled. His sword sliced through the air before it bit deep into the neck of the second knight. The man dropped like a stone and David stood panting for a few precious seconds.
Snow slowly struggled to her feet, amazed at the calm radiating from her husband as he sheathed his sword and put his arms around her.
They didn't say anything about the battle. They didn't have to.
Snow leaned her head into David's chest and didn't move for a moment. Despite the howling of the wind and the dead bodies on the floor, the moment was more peaceful than any she'd had in the past few weeks.
David pulled back and cupped her face with his hand. "Time to go," he whispered.
Snow swallowed a cry of a despair that threatened to spill out and simply nodded. "I love you."
"I love you too" he said. She reached up with her free hand and brushed her thumb across his cheek before sliding her hand behind his head and pulling him down for a final kiss. She let that kiss last as long as possible, savoring it, tucking it away to never forget, no matter how long she lived. Her fingers curled in his hair, memorizing his smell, his feel… everything about him.
As if in slow motion, she felt him pull away and scoop her up again. She was aware distantly that she was crying. She needed to put on a brave face for him and show him that she wasn't scared to go through the wardrobe, that she was strong enough to take care of Emma no matter what dangers came their way; but she couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face.
One kick to the nursery door and it flew open. David hurried to the wardrobe, pulled the doors open, and slowly set Snow down inside. His arms tightened around her one last time and then he stepped back, smiling through his tears.
"Find us," he whispered.
"I will always find you," Snow choked out.
The light from the hall was suddenly blocked as the doorway filled with the outline of another Dark Knight.
"David!" Snow screamed.
David looked over his shoulder and then slammed the doors of the wardrobe shut. One small click signaled the key turning in the lock and then there was silence.
"No!" Snow cried. She reached forward and hit the doors hard with the palm of her hand, but the sturdy doors merely shuddered a little. Frantically, she scooted around so she could kick the doors. Suddenly the doors burst open with a sharp cracking sound, flying out and away from the wardrobe.
Snow blinked as daylight filtered into the opening. Through the open door she could see a forest of towering evergreens. A slight dusting of snow covered the ground.
"No, no, no, no!" She buried her face in her daughter's blanket and wailed.
He was gone.
David couldn't help but smile, even as he gasped for breath. The last knight's sword had hit something vital. He could feel the warm blood pooling around him as he twitched fitfully on the ground. His muscles seemed to think that the proper response to a fatal injury was to spasm relentlessly.
The physical pain was a small price to pay for the sight he'd seen when the knights had smashed through the doors of the wardrobe. He never thought he'd be so happy gazing at an empty closet.
"Well, well, well…"
The familiar voice sent chills down his spine. If he could move at all, he would wrench himself from the ground and use his last strength to make a final attempt to take down his approaching enemy. Instead he continued twitching, causing little ripples to spread through the blood.
Regina stalked around him in a circle. His eyes followed her boots as she walked.
"This is sad, isn't it?" Regina said, gleefully. "Dear Prince Charming, dying alone..."
David swallowed the thick feeling growing in his throat. "You… you've lost… Regina…" He paused and coughed painfully. "You lost."
Regina paused in front of his face. Blood speckled her shiny black boots.
"I lost?" She laughed contemptuously. "Look around you, you fool! I've won!"
David wasn't sure if it was his ears malfunctioning or the curse drawing closer that intensified the furious sounds of the wind.
"Where are Snow White and her child?" Regina demanded of the knights standing respectfully near by.
"Gone," one answered. "They were in the wardrobe and then... they were gone."
Regina hissed. She bent down to look David in the eye.
"Where are they?" she yelled.
"They got away." David said weakly, voice little more than a whisper. "You're going to lose. I... know that... now. Good... will always… win..."
"We'll see about that," Regina sneered. She stood slowly. "I have something extra special planned for you, Charming."
David tried to speak again, but all that came out was a gurgle and he realized that his throat was full of blood.
A deafening cracking sound echoed through the room and suddenly the air around them became a vortex. Regina began to laugh as the glass windows shattered and thunder rolled.
David struggled futilely against the empty blackness swallowing him, as he listened to Regina's crow of victory.
"This is my happy ending."
A/N: Just a taste of what I have planned for this fic and the set up for what's about to unfold. Hope you all enjoyed this throwback to the pilot. :) I'll try to update every other day, but until I get my work schedule for the summer, I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants, so just bear with me. Please review and let me know what you think!