When Mary-Margaret woke up this morning all she wanted to do was clean out her closet. She didn't expect to find a beautiful book of fairy-tales at the bottom of it. Leather bound with the words Once Upon A Time carefully emblazoned across it. It appeared old but, as she carefully opened its pages they seemed to have this air of freshness that drew her in. Almost, as if it were magical.
"Well hello. What are you doing here?" she beamed absolutely certain she had never seen her new "friend" before.
Perching herself comfortably on the bed, she felt a bubble of girlish excitement but, then quickly pulled herself back. "You're a twenty eight year old woman. Mary-Margaret you can't still get this excited over fairy-tales?" she chuckled. But, she could because deep inside she was still a little girl who dreamed of her Prince Charming.
And the book knew it as the school-teacher had barely peeked inside before the pages were turning wildly before her.
"This isn't right." she gasped. "Books don't just turn their pages by themselves. You're dreaming." she giggled. Honestly, that was the last time she went for drinks with Ruby. She was dreaming. She had to be.
If she was, the book did not care turning and turning until her hands finally touched the face of the most beautiful man. Warm, cerulean eyes that would Mary-Margaret imagined staring into forever, long sandy hair that she could feel her lips teasing him about and the most gorgeous smile. "Ahh!" Mary-Margaret sighed. "If only you were real." And then she saw the words that were not there before.
"Okay. So, Charming has a story." Chewing her lip, Mary-Margaret conceded. Of course, he would have a story. She knew herself enough to know that her dreams were always detailed. There would always be something to make her want to come back and this dream man was exactly what the doctor ordered.
So, against all her better judgement, Mary-Margaret Blanchard the sweet, optimistic but, ridiculously practical school-teacher began to read.
"Once Upon a Time there lived a kind shepherd, who lived with his mother and dreamed of the day when he found his True Love."
"His match. His adventuress. The woman he would gladly lay down his life for. His Snow."
Mary-Margaret smiled radiantly at the thought but, then her smile faltered as she continued: "His name was David and hers…" she paused as the words formed slowly on the page.
"Mary-Margaret Blanchard."
"The woman from another world."
No! Now, this really was ridiculous. "Okay, Ruby… How much did you pay for this?" Mary-Margaret shouted expecting Ruby to have snuck it into her closet the last time she was over.
"What are you gonna do?" she laughed. "Take me to David? Take me to my True Love."
"Hmm. Nice try Rubes." Closing her eyes, her body eased back onto the pillows and into sleep still content that it was only just a dream. She didn't see the bright light, or feel how the ground shifted breaking her favourite mug. Or realise what happens when you accidentally ask a mysterious magical book anything.
It generally happens.
David laughed; that cheeky little lamb. "Penny. PENNY!" She was only a few days old and she was already leading him halfway through the field.
But, the lamb only ran further, the sound of her bleating easy enough for him to follow.
"There you are." David beamed. "Come on Sweetheart. Let's get you back to your mother."
That is when he saw her. The fairest, most beautiful woman he had ever seen lying completely still just a few steps away from him. He moved gently as Penny seemed intent on waking the sleeping beauty up.
"Shh. Shh. Pen." David soothed bending down to stroke the curly white cloud. "Don't wake her."
She was so peaceful in sleep. He just needed a few more moments. To look upon this woman with pretty but, oddly cut raven hair, soft skin and such tender looking lips. And clothes. Clothes that he had never seen on a woman. A bright pink shawl with buttons and a cream floral dress. She seemed like she was from another world entirely.
His focus, snapped back as he heard his side-kick bleat and bleat. "Pen. Shush."
"Pen. Shush." Mary-Margaret heard faintly as she opened her eyes to see the very man she had just been "dreaming" about staring right at her somewhat besotted.
"Hello." David smiled.
"Hmm. Hi."
He had never heard of this word before but, could only assume from her day-dreamy tone it was a friendly greeting.
"Are you alright?"
"Mmm. Yes. Wow! You are handsome Charming." Mary-Margaret chuckled, silently marvelling at the power of her own imagination. "And this pillow is very soft." "Charming? Have we- met somewhere before?" David asked bemused. How could anyone forget her?
"No. I just dreamt about you." Mary-Margaret sighed like a child.
"You dreamt about me?" David was hanging on her every word now. "Yeah, just like I'm dreaming now."
"Oh this is no dream." David assured, as he gently helped her up. "Yes it is!" Mary-Margaret wobbled slightly in the grass however Prince Charming was faster, catching her by the waist and almost shielding her in his chest.
"Thank you." she blushed "It's still a dream."
"No it is not." David laughed, he was beginning to irritate her now. "YES! It is!" The woman emphasised, hitting his chest playfully. "OW!"
"Oh that didn't hurt. You're not real."
"I think you'll find I am." David insisted now equally frustrated. He'd only come out here for Penny and now this infuriatingly beautiful woman was doubting his existence? Just his luck.
"You can't be. I had a dream I was cleaning out my closet and I found this book of fairytales. You were in it. But, it can't possibly be you." She decided to leave out the part about her being his True Love. It was ridiculous. This was ridiculous. Any moment now she would wake up, in her apartment and laugh at herself for having two of the most surreal adventures.
Any minute.
Mary-Margaret watched in disbelief as Prince Charming and the cute Penny found the first piece of evidence the man, dubbed as Charming smugly handing it to her.
"Is this what you are looking for?"
Lips parted in shock and for the first time since he had met her, David wondered what it would be like to kiss them. How they would feel against his own.
"Yes." Trying to quiet her racing heart was proving difficult. Their eyes were locked and when her hand brushed his for a moment as she took the book...
But, the feeling was broken as Penny nuzzled into her leg wanting to be fussed and petted, something she could not deny her.
"Oh hello Penny. I'm Mary-Margaret." Kneeling down on the apparently real grass after setting the book down and petting the very sweet Penny she almost missed the look of complete awe on his face. Almost. It was the first time he had ever wished he could swap places with a sheep.
"Mary-Margaret."
"Yes Charming?"
Oh not this again. "I have a name. It's David."
Again with that ridiculously charming smile that was melting her internally. Quirking her lips and dusting off the grass she grabbed the book and gradually got to her feet again. "It's nice to meet you David."
"Likewise, Beautiful dreamer." He called me beautiful she gasped inside. Don't blush! Don't blush!
Of course she did.
A beat passed and the gravity of the situation finally sunk in. Not only was she in a strange land, with a strange book and. no idea how she got there apart from the desire to Spring Clean, she had an increasingly more attractive by the second shepherd and his lamb for company.
"Oh. Oh. This is insane." "I don't even know where we are. How am I going to get home?"
Suddenly, his arms enveloped her and the three began to walk towards the cabin. "You're on my mother's farm, in a kingdom called Misthaven though, we call it The Enchanted Forest."
"The Enchanted Forest huh." Mary-Margaret chewed liking the nickname. "I like it. It's pretty."
"What realm are you from?" David asked, dying to know all he could about her. "Not a realm exactly. A small town called Storybrooke in Maine. Have you ever heard of the United States?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"It's alright. It was a long shot." he loved her laugh.
"Well, Mary-Margaret from Storybrooke Maine would you like to come inside for some stew and warm milk?"
"I'd like that." "I'd like that very much."
And somehow, she knew that with Charming's help, she would find a way to get home. After all he was her True something why not start as friends.
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