Author's note: Trying something new here, so hope y'all like it! This starts immediately after the events in 2x18 and then goes AU.
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own anything. Never have, never will.
Chapter 1
A bright flash of lightning splits the sky, slicing through the otherwise dark night, momentarily lighting up the world.
David subconsciously reaches over for his wife with the intention of comforting her, knowing that lightning is among the few things the brave Snow White/Mary Margaret fears, but his hand merely touches empty air. Thinking nothing of it, he rolls over and drifts back to a deep sleep.
If he'd only opened his eyes, he would've realized that things were terribly wrong.
(Twelve hours earlier)
Henry opens his eyes. The first thing he sees is that picture, perfectly positioned above his bed so it'd be the first thing he saw every morning. Him, Emma, Mary Margaret, and David. His mother, grandmother, and grandfather. Otherwise known as his family. It had been taken last week at the park. They'd gone out on that unusually sunny day, and then gone home and watched Henry's collection of Disney DVD's, mocking the ridiculous falseness of all the stories. Henry had wanted Neal to come too, but his father had said something about showing Tamara around Storybrooke. Henry knew it had something to do with Emma, but he wasn't willing to push the issue. Although he was still a bit mad that he'd been lied to, he knew his mother well enough to know that whatever happened between the two had been truly terrible.
He reaches up and touches the picture. It had been the best day of his life. That day, it had finally hit him that he truly had a family at last. He'd developed this superstition, this belief that as long as the picture was up, things would forever and ever remain this amazing.
"Henry, breakfast!" Mary Margaret calls from downstairs. Henry could smell the delicious aroma of pancakes cooking. His favorite breakfast. He hurriedly leaps out of bed, throwing on a random shirt as he descends the stairs two at a time, nearly tripping over his sneakered feet.
"Whoa there, slow down." Mary Margaret laughs from the stove. "There's plenty for everyone."
Henry takes a seat at the table, already reaching for the syrup. David sits opposite him, head buried in the paper. As soon as his grandma sets the heaping plate in front of him, he dives for the nearest fork.
"Good morning!" Mary Margaret chirps as Emma shuffles into the kitchen, yawning hugely. She's the last one downstairs as usual.
"What's so good about it?" Emma grumbles as she sinks down into a chair. She was never much of a morning person.
"Well aren't you a ray of sunshine?" Her mother teases as she hands her grumpy daughter a steaming mug of coffee. Emma rolls her eyes but accepts the caffeine.
Mary Margaret takes a seat at the table, a plate of pancakes in front of her as well. David begins telling them about the dwarves and how the beans are nearly ready to be harvested. Henry can't help but notice how his grandfather's eyes light up as the prospect of going back, back to the Enchanted Forest, is becoming more and more real. He also notes that Emma says nothing, silently sipping her coffee and glaring at the sunlight filtering in from the open window. Mary Margaret stays mum as well, but Henry can tell that she seems conflicted.
He knows it's a subject they'll have to discuss soon, as the bean harvest grows closer and closer. Would they go back or would they stay? Part of him wants to go back, to see what it was like. To learn how to fight with a sword and ride a horse. To be a real prince. But there's this other part of him that can't just leave Storybrooke behind. After all, it's home. It's been home for 11 years and counting. And there's the small fact that Emma might not want to go back.
Luckily, the conversation is changed before any arguments break out. Crisis averted. Henry sits back and lets the voices of his family wash over him. He continues to shovel pancakes into his mouth as he just enjoys being there, being in the company of people who love him. The apartment seems to light up with the sound of their voices, light that has nothing to do with the bright, albeit harsh, sunlight. It feels warm and cozy. Something he'd never experienced in the crisp, clean lines of Regina's chosen décor. It feels like…home.
Henry is enjoying himself so much that he almost remembers he has school today. He looks at the clock and starts. Nearly 7; time to go. He grabs his backpack and stands up, taking his plate to the sink.
"Gotta go." He says, shouldering the green canvas bag. "Bye! See you at school grandma!"
A chorus of bye's follow him as he exits the apartment. Even Emma abandons her usual grouchy morning disposition as she hugs him goodbye.
"Bye, kid." She pauses uncertainly. "Love you." His mother says after a beat. After the whole Neal conflict, things have been tense between the two.
"Love you too Mom." Henry hugs her back tightly, noticing her barely contained relief as he does so. He goes off to school, already looking forward to going back. Back home to his family.
Rumplestilskin, or Mr. Gold, as he is known in Storybrooke, frowns at the array of bottles in front of him. Each bottle holds a brightly colored bubbling liquid. He picks up the bottle with the bright blue substance, pouring it into a large flask, feeling like a kid taking a chemistry class. He adds a black, bubbly, soda like liquid and gently stirs the liquid, praying that this time it would work.
He'd been trying for so long. Even his extensive knowledge of magic hadn't prepared him for this. But it had to work, for all the other options had been exhausted. And if this failed, well, he didn't want to think about the repercussions.
Gold's glad he kept the shop's sign flipped to Closed. Right now the last thing he needs is unnecessary intruders. He can hear the hustle and bustle of Storybrooke's residents as they prepare for another day. The mere sounds and cheerful chatters fill his heart with pain. For them, this is just another day. All of those happy, oblivious people make him want to scream. They don't know how bad he's hurting inside. But for him, if this works, this could change everything.
He looks out the open window as he waits for his concoction to brew. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a kid with a green canvas backpack walking towards the bus stop. Henry. Gold's jaw tightens at the sight of the boy. His grandson. His undoing. The one person that can ruin his entire life and everything he's worked so hard to build. But now is not the time. He has plans to deal with that later, so he forces his attention back to his creation.
Yes. He thinks as it begins to bubble over the flask. For the first time, something was happening. Maybe this would actually work. His heart begins to pound with excitement as the mixture spills over the edge of the flask.
He was finally going to get his life back.
"Here you go. One coffee." Ruby smiles as she slides the cardboard to go cup over the smooth marble counter.
"Thanks." Emma hands over a few crumpled dollars.. Normally she wouldn't need to stop by Granny's during the day, but the coffee machine at the station was broken. "Have a nice day." She says as she turns to go.
Just then, the door jingles, signaling the arrival of someone else. Emma looks up just in time to meet his eyes. The same eyes that have haunted her dreams for many years. The dreams that stopped after a while, but started again recently. The eyes that she looked into as she said I love you to someone for the first time in her life. The eyes that she can't help but go weak kneed around.
She notices that he's walking with her. Luckily, Emma has always had a great poker face. Unfortunately, he's one of the people who can read her like an open book. She wills herself to stay calm and wipes her face devoid of emotion as they approach. Though it can't be seen by the naked eye, Emma notes the slight hint of uncertainty behind the mask of calm.
She thinks about leaving, but decides against it, as it would seem rude. Not to mention weak. And she can't bear to appear weak in front of him. As they get closer, Emma finds herself reaching back to comb out her tangled blonde hair, but stops as she realizes what she's doing. She shouldn't care about what he thinks of her.
"Hey." Neal says as they reach the counter. Emma swallows back a wave of bitterness as she notices that Tamara's arm is linked through his. "What're you doing here?"
Emma holds up her coffee cup in response. "Coffee machine at the station broke."
"Ah." Neal nods. "Still can't live without coffee, I see." He smiles at her. The same smile that immediately transports her to that first day in Portland.
"Yep." Emma nods.
"Man, I still remember that one gas station in, where was it? Phoenix or something? You wouldn't leave until you got your caffeine fix." He blabs on, completely oblivious to her discomfort. Men. Emma notices that Tamara is glaring at her out of the corner of her eye. Emma doesn't blame her.
He continues reminiscing, and the whole time Emma is willing him to shut up. Just being near him...it was stirring feeling buried deep inside her, feelings that she hadn't felt in years. And that was scaring her senseless.
"I gotta go." She interrupts him in the middle of his tale about almost getting caught. "Nice seeing you."
"Oh. Ok." Neal says. For a second, Emma swears he doesn't want her to leave. But that is probably just her overactive imagination talking.
"Bye." Tamara nods politely, and Emma does the same.
"Bye Ruby." She calls over her shoulder. As she walks to her car, she takes deep breaths. The encounter with Neal left her more unsettled than she'd like to admit. She thought she was so good at hiding her feelings, at burying them deep inside, but she was wrong. Though she'd never voice it, she hadn't wanted to leave either.
(Present day)
David's body wakes him up before his alarm does. Behind his closed eyes, he notes that it's darker than usual. Mary Margaret insists on keeping the curtains over the bed open at all times, so every morning the sunlight filtering in nearly blinds him.
He reaches over to flick on the bedside lamp, but his hand hits empty air. Normally his hand crashes against the wooden end table. That's the first sign that something is wrong.
Thinking that his hand was just way off, he rolls over and tries to go back to sleep. Absently, he notes that he's freezing. He reaches down for the blanket but grips nothing. Maybe they kicked it onto the floor during the night. But then he notes that the bed feels much harder than normal. Almost as if he was sleeping on a…marble floor?
David immediately sits up, rubbing his eyes blearingly. He opens them to see the strangest sight of his life.
He is in some sort of large, ornately decorated room. Some sort of cathedral, perhaps? It looks vaguely familiar, but at the moment he can't place it. The room seems to have suffered some sort of disaster, as the roof is caved in, revealing parts of a cloudy sky. He stands up. And then gasps out loud as he takes in what's before him.
He is surrounded by bodies. Bodies of…Storybrooke residents? He spots Archie, Ruby, Leroy, Mother Superior, and more. David immediately scrambles backwards. What happened? Everyone lay motionless in various places on the marble floor. Was everyone…dead? A nauseating wave of fear and dread hits him so hard he nearly falls. Had Regina gotten to them? Hurt everyone? He looks around frantically for his family, hoping, praying that they were ok. His heart nearly breaks as he spots Mary Margaret lying on her side, Emma nearby. He falls to his knees. His daughter and wife. His precious family. He has failed to protect them. Almost immediately, it feels as is his entire life flashes before his eyes. He had so little time with them. And now they are gone.
Just then, he hears a loud snore, and Emma rolls over. David backs up uncertainly. For the first time, he noticed that everyone seemed to be merely sleeping.
There are no signs of blood. Everyone's bodies seems unharmed. He hears loud snores coming from Leroy's direction, and sees that everyone is dressed in pajamas.
Maybe this is a dream. He squeezes his eyes shut and pinches himself as hard as he can, but when he opens his eyes he's still there. In that unknown room. With the sleeping bodies of Storybrooke's residents lying all around him. He repeats, pinching himself again and again, but the result is the same. He, along with the rest of Storybrooke, is still there. What happened? The last thing he remembered was going to bed back in the apartment last night. Had they somehow all been transported to this mysterious place overnight?
With a jolt, he realizes that he knows exactly what that room is. Where he is. Where everyone is.
The Enchanted Forest.
Author's note: What do you think so far? As always, reviews are appreciated!