Once Upon a Time
Hey guys it's Erin! This is my first fanfiction ever (I couldn't help it, I just love OUAT) and I hope you like it! Right now I'm heading into ep. 1.06 - "The Shepherd". This first chapter doesn't stray from the show much, if at all but it's a nice introduction and reminder into the rest of my story.
Disclaimer: I obviously do not own ABC's Once Upon a Time or it's characters. I just enjoy writing about them. :) Enjoy!
Chapter 1 - Real Life?
Every day passed quickly for Mary Margaret. The only time she felt calm and relaxed during her day is when she went to go check on David. He was stuck at the hospital, only allowed to leave for his daily exercise; but even then he had to be accompanied. Mary Margaret would come almost immediately after her school day ended. Most of the time he was resting but as time passed he would be conscious around the time she dropped by. David would comment on how bored he was just sitting in the hospital doing nothing, so Mary Margaret would find ways to pass the time. They would read, discuss what he remembered (which at this point was absolutely nothing), play board games. One day they even played hangman.
Mary Margaret always felt carefree and completely calm when she was with him. It just all seemed so natural, as if they'd been talking their whole lives. Her only problem was that she couldn't help but swoon when he was in any proximity to her. She would find herself staring into his light blue eyes or unconsciously looking at his lips... Mary Margaret noticed he would do the same to her but it didn't help. Each day got more and more confusing when they were together. When Catherine would show up Mary Margaret would blush and awkwardly say goodbye to both of them.
On the day that the mine collapsed David had asked her to go on a walk. He talked of how Storybrooke felt completely foreign to him and how he had lied to Catherine about remembering their dog. "None of it makes sense. None of it feels real," he had said.
"That sounds lonely." Mary Margaret stated. She felt sorry for him and wished with all her heart that he would feel better. That life would start making sense to him.
As they walked David said something else, something more. "Actually, one thing does feel real:" Mary Margaret smiled at him waiting for him to tell her what he meant. Whatever it was, it must mean a lot to him. She could see in his eyes that it was important and that his words were genuine. But the word that came wasn't expected. "you."
Mary Margaret was taken aback. Her breath supply had just gone down by about half. She shifted her weight uncomfortably and shook her head. Maybe she didn't hear him correctly? "What?" she asked her eyes wide.
David looked deep into her eyes, as if pleading with her to understand. "I know it's crazy but I swear you're the only thing in this whole place that feels…right."
His words filled her with joy and, surprisingly, hope. He had just said the exact thing that she had been thinking for weeks. Her mind went off to a place that was uncouth: maybe they could be together. Mary Margaret couldn't help but smile as they moved closer to each other. His face was inching towards hers when all of a sudden:
"Catherine." He said breathlessly.
Mary Margaret's face fell. Maybe she had just imagined him saying those things. She wouldn't be surprised if she did. This was probably just a dream. She looked down, not bearing to look at him. "Right," she said in reply.
"No, Catherine." He said once more looking over her head. Mary Margaret turned and saw David's wife walking towards them, as if knowing what they were speaking of. Mary Margaret stood beside them awkwardly as Catherine handed her husband cranberry muffins, saying they were his favorite. Mary Margaret knew she was no longer needed, or wanted.
"Well, I should leave you two." Mary Margaret said with a fake smirk on her face as she bid them farewell.
"Wait!" David said as she walked away yet again. "Mary Margaret…" She turned to see what he had to say, putting a stern look her face, preparing for the worst. "See you tomorrow?" He stated with a smile. All she could do was simper back at his charming comment and his all-too-charming face but she knew that what he proposed was probably not the best idea. So she turned on her heels and walked back towards town, towards her real life, and built a wall as she went. She knew she couldn't see him again. It wasn't right and she knew she had to stop it before things got more complicated…
Mary Margaret sat at her normal table at the diner reading her newspaper. She was trying to read but her mind kept drifting away. Luckily she was able to retrieve it, at least most of the time. Dr. Whale had just left after being pompous and arrogant, trying to ask her out on another date. She wasn't in the mood for games, yet the world kept dealing them. As Dr. Whale walked out, the Mayor walked in.
Now Mary Margaret was intent on reading her paper, anything not to talk to Regina. But as luck would have it, the Mayor sat down at her table opposite her, clearly intent on cornering her. "Ms. Blanchard, may I have word?" She heard the woman say, words dripping with disdain.
"Of course." Mary Margaret replied nervously, folding her paper and placing it on the table.
"I wanted to talk to you about my friend." Pause. "Catherine." The name sent a shiver down Mary Margaret's spine, but she put a curious look on her face, as if saying What about her? so that the Mayor would continue. "More specifically I wanted to talk about her husband, David."
Mary Margaret took in a breath scared of what was coming next. Regina said the next words with great force. Every word was full of hatred and authority. "You don't belong together. He's not yours. He's taken. Find. Somebody. Else."
The words hit Mary Margaret like a hammer but she was quick to reply. "I haven't done anything." She said with confidence. And she hadn't. It was David who came by the other night and tried to charm her by putting up her birdhouse and saying that he wanted her. That he had chosen her. But Mary Margaret sent him away, even though it pained her to do it, it was the right thing to do.
"Really?" Regina asked cruelly. "So he just up and left his wife on a whim."
Mary Margaret couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement, a joke or the truth. Either way, she was shocked by it. Her mind went to places she promised herself she wouldn't go. Why? Is he okay? Should I go look for him? I can't believe he would do this. Is this for me? Does he love me? "He did what...?" Mary Margaret asked, unable to breathe. Her head was spinning. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
"You don't know." Regina said as if she was going to laugh afterwards. Mary Margaret took in a breath and felt like she was shrinking. She just looked at Regina as innocently as possible, trying not to let her suspicions show. The Mayor stated simply, "Well, I suspect you soon will." Mary Margaret glared at her incredulously. What does that mean? Mary Margaret could feel her eyes grow wider, her stomach tie into knots, and her legs begin to shake. The Mayor continued, "So listen carefully, dear, because it's only in your best interest." Mary Margaret couldn't breathe. "Stay away," the Mayor said as if she were talking to a disgusting creature. "He's in a fragile state, he doesn't know who he is or what he's doing and you're this close to wrecking multiple lives." Mary Margaret stopped breathing and immediately felt guilty. She was still holding her breath when the Mayor said, "So before you do something that can't be undone, let him remember who he was."
Is she serious? Mary Margaret couldn't help but question Regina. How could she accuse her of something so awful? Even though, she had fancied ideas of being together, she knew it wasn't possible. And somehow Regina's words sounded like a threat, but how? The Mayor stood up and left the popular diner in a hurry, leaving Mary Margaret in the dust. Shaking and alone. What was she going to do?
The envelope opened easily when Mary Margaret used the letter opener.
"Careful," she heard a husky voice say from the doorway. "That looks sharp."
She looked up and saw David across the room. He looked ruggedly handsome in his blue jeans and his plaid shirt over a grey tee. He held a jacket in his left hand and leaned on the door frame with his right hand above his head. The sight of his blue eyes, and blonde hair made her tremble but then she remembered what Regina had said. And she managed to get a hold of herself. "You can't be here," she said in annoyance.
David dropped his alluring pose and started to make his way across the room. "I needed to see you," he said smoothly.
Mary Margaret grabbed up the booklets she needed to pass out and tensed up when she turned around and saw him coming closer. "Tell me you didn't leave your wife for me," she started. He shook his head and still headed forward. She started putting the booklets on the desks. Right, then left. All of a sudden, he was right in front of her. She gasped but she kept on placing the booklets on the desks. Right, left. Maybe he would move. "I do not want to be responsible for breaking up your marriage."
"You're not," he said, trying to assure her. "It's me." She stared at him. Her body wasn't cooperating. All she wanted to do was attack him but she was forced to stay calm and alert. "I don't want to hurt her either. But the most hurtful thing to Catherine would be me pretending. She needs someone to feel about her…the way that I feel about you."
Mary Margaret gasped again and shook her head at him. Stop doing this to me! Her insides screamed. She let all her air out and closed her eyes. "I'm trying really hard to stay away from you." Right, left. "To do the right thing." Right, left. He backed up as she bolted forward. Right, left.
"Why is that the right thing?" he asked with a semi-chuckle, amazed at her persistence.
She stopped and looked into his striking eyes. Bad idea, she thought as her brain melted. But she managed to get out what she needed to say. "Because you already have a life!"
"With someone I didn't choose." He countered quickly as the bell rang. Her kids started pouring back into the classroom but he continued to plead with her, "The man who chose that life, whoever married Catherine, is gone." Mary Margaret couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was this really true? He was gazing at her with his piercing blue eyes and it was extremely hard for Mary Margaret to resist. "Man, you're really something else."
Mary Margaret took a deep breath. Then looked around at her kids, that were staring at her, wondering who this strange man was standing in the middle of the classroom. "You really have to leave me alone," she said pushing him out the door.
"Is that truly what you want?" he directed at her. The kids were taking their seats.
"Go!" she cried in desperation.
David turned once more at the threshold. He had an idea. "Meet me tonight!" Her eyes widened. Why are you doing this to me?, she thought. "At least think about it," he pleaded, trying to grab her arm. She pulled away, but she didn't leave so David kept talking. "I'll be at the bridge where you found me at eight o'clock." He spoke a little slower, forming his instructions. "Think about it until then and if you don't show, I'll know and I'll never bother you again." Mary Margaret was pondering it already. The thought of him not "bothering" her again made her sad. She couldn't look away from his pleasing face and was practically hyperventilating in front of him.
David looked directly into her green eyes and said, "But if you choose this, if you choose us..." The word made him smile. His eyes lit up even more and he flashed his boyish grin as if his happiness was the resolution to his sentence. Mary Margaret was sweating bullets and was trying to stay cool but she was flabbergasted. He paused and drank in the moment before saying, "You know where I'll be." She watched as he fled the scene he started.
Mary Margaret convulsed trying to catch her breath; she didn't realize she had stopped. One thing was for sure, he certainly knew how to charm her.
Mary Margaret had been fighting a civil war in her head all day. She immediately found Emma after school, who was at the station, eating… "Emma? Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"I'll just go sit in my office," Graham said coolly, leaving the room.
"Thanks," Mary Margaret as good as grunted at him. She was full of energy, having no clue on how to handle her predicament. Emma looked at Mary Margaret, eyebrows raised, inviting her to talk. "He left his wife…David!" she exclaimed. "He left her, he left Catherine!"
"Whoa!" Emma said with her eyes wide, sitting up straight, and her mouth full of doughnut. "Slow down."
"He did it for me. He wants me to be with him. And he wants me to meet him tonight." She was pacing around the desk as she clapped her hands together.
Emma turned around. "That's uh…"
"I mean, I'm trying so hard to be strong. But he just keeps coming… I mean, how do I stop it? You know? How do I let him down? What should I do?"
"I'd go," Emma said quickly and brightly.
"What?"
"Well, he left her." Emma said seriously. "It's one thing for him to say that he wants you, but it's another thing for him to make a choice. And now he has. That's all you can ask for."
Mary Margaret nearly jumped out of her skin. She could go? She could do this? She could be with him? But suddenly, she thought seriously. "Well, given her friendship with Catherine, I don't think Regina would be happy."
Emma looked at her doughnut, slumped back into her chair. "Ugh! All the more reason to do it." She said as she took a bite.
Mary Margaret couldn't help but smile and sway her head, "Good Lord, is this really happening…?"
Emma smiled, from the comfort of her chair. "You tell me."
Mary Margaret looked at her and grinned even wider.
.
Mary Margaret went home and put on a flowery dress, a less teachery-dress. She combed her hair once more and put on a brighter cardigan. She looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:50 already; she was going to be late. Her stomach was even worse than it was this afternoon but a permanent grin was on her face. She couldn't wait.
She practically ran to the toll bridge, with no jacket. It must not have been eight o'clock yet because she saw no sight of David anywhere. Mary Margaret waited at least ten minutes, twirling her ring to keep occupied and still. She looked to the sky and smiled at the stars knowing it was going to be a night to remember. Listening to the birds and crickets around her, settling in for the night, she heard someone running.
David stood across the way, out of breath. "You came," he panted.
Mary Margaret looked down at her outfit before looking back up, smiling from ear to ear towards him. "You sound surprised," she said sweetly before becoming worried. Her smile faded slightly. "In fact, you almost sound…a bit disappointed…"
Looking at her sad eyes, he simply said, "I remember."
Her smile didn't fade, as she tried to stay strong. "Catherine?" she asked, hoping the answer was no.
He nodded, moving toward her, "Everything."
Her smile disappeared completely. But she tried again when she thought it out, "And you love her."
David just shook his head, "I don't know." Mary Margaret felt as though she was disintegrating. How could I have been so stupid? So naïve? "But I know I did," he carried on. "I remember how I felt and…I think I have to honor that."
Mary Margaret's eyes were full of tears. Both out of anger and out of hurt. She tried to wrap her head around what he was saying. "And everything that you said to me…"
"Is true," he finished. She in took a sharp breath. "I do have feelings for you, intense…feelings. Feelings I don't quite understand."
Breathing heavier, she could feel her tears reaching the brim. She understood. "You're going back to her," she stated, knowing she was correct. Mary Margaret looked at his troubled face and saw her answer.
"It's the right thing to do."
Mary Margaret smiled as if she had figured out the joke. And the joke was on her. Tears were falling now but she held her ground. "The right thing to do was not to lead me on." She shook her head.
David nodded and looked at the ground, ashamed of himself. When he looked back up she was nodding her head, as if she knew this was going to happen. "I know," he said plainly, knowing it wasn't going to be enough.
"So you've made your choice."
He couldn't stand knowing that he hurt her. "I'm sorry," he said, full of remorse. David reached for her but she backed away as fast as she could and waved him off.
"That's okay," she managed to say. There was nothing more she could do, and she knew that full well. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be." She turned away and cantered off without another word.
David watched her go, kicking himself for not being more careful. Mary Margaret hated herself. She knew she should've seen this coming. Her body felt as though she had been beaten. She couldn't control the tears that fell from her eyes. It was like they came in waves, crashing into each other, never ceasing. And she felt as if they never would.
I know this chapter is still like chug-a-chug-a and we haven't gotten to the choo choo yet, because this is all stuff we know from the show but believe me, the choo choo, it's coming. I didn't know I was gonna put Regina in there yet but there she was. Obviously, I'm using the dialogue from the show right now. That'll change. But I'd like to give those writers and actors credit because they really do make the show. Anyway, hope you liked it. They're extremely fun for me to write. Even if I haven't dug into my extreme-creative juices yet. Don't worry, it's coming. ~Erin