This particular chapter was difficult to write, so I hope ya'll enjoy what I came up with.
The sound of a door slamming woke James up. He rolled over in an attempt to go back to sleep, just to find that Snow was gone. He saw a light coming from under the door, and he assumed that his wife was just in the kitchen. He got comfortable and began to drift off once more, when someone pounded on the bedroom door.
"Come in!" he said as he quickly sat up. The door opened to reveal Emma.
He could tell she had been crying, and she looked extremely worried. He started to ask her what was wrong when she cut him off.
"Mary Mar -Snow- is gone." James noticed that she stumbled over her words, and that she didn't seem keen on using her mother's real name.
"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.
"She ran out the door. I don't know why, but she was really mad about something when she left." By the way she looked at the ground when she spoke, James could tell that Emma knew what had angered Snow, but he decided not to dwell on that. He focused on the task at hand flipped the light on the nightstand on, showering the room with light.
"Did you see where she was headed?" he inquired. Inside he was worried out of his mind, but he need to stay calm or finding her was going to be all the more difficult.
He grabbed his white undershirt that was flung on the nightstand. He slipped it over his head and reached for the long-sleeved flannel shirt laying on the ground next to the bed. He fed his arms through the sleeves and buttoned up the shirt as quickly as he could.
"It looked like she was going to Granny's. But she could be headed anywhere."
James looked at the clock. It was just past three in the morning. He scanned the room for his jeans, only to find that they were a few feet from the bed. Not wanting his daughter to see him in his boxers, he sat in bed silently, hoping she would get the message. It didn't take her long to catch on, and she slid out of the room, closing the door behind her. James quickly hopped out of bed and slipped on his jeans. He found his socks wadded up on the floor and pulled them on. He grabbed his boots and headed to the kitchen.
Emma was leaning against the table, apparently waiting for him. He took a seat and slipped his boots on and began to lace them up.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to go find her," he stated as he finished his right boot and began to work on his left.
"I was going to go look for her. I just woke you to see if you would stay with Henry." James paused and looked at his daughter. No matter what their relationship was, right now they each were greatly concerned for someone they loved.
"Emma, you are not going out there."
"I sure am. Finding people is what I do and-"
"I. Said. No." His voice was filled with authority. He hadn't intended to treat her like a child and enforce rules, but he was concerned for her safety and didn't want her wandering the streets of Storybrooke when he had no idea where the Queen was.
"I'm sorry," he said, earning a nod from her. He could tell she was surprised at the tone he had used, but that she understood. "Stay here with Henry. I'll let you know when I find her." He rose, slipped his jacket on, and made sure his phone was in his pocket. He opened the front door and began to leave when he turned.
"What is she mad about?" he asked, only to see Emma shake her head in reply. He didn't want to press the matter any further. "Be safe," he said as he walked out the door.
James had been wandering the streets for a while. Since he had no idea why Snow had left, he had no idea where to start looking for her. It was already hard enough to maneuver around town. The destruction they had seen before they had left for the apartment paled in comparison to the damages of the town. James did not like being out in the open in a town that he was sure was not safe, making him all the more eager to find his wife.
He made his way back to Granny's diner. He had already visited it earlier, to see if Snow had sought comfort with Red, but the windows were dark and it had appeared that no one was even there. When he returned he could see a glow coming from the kitchen. He pushed the door open and crept towards it. He silently pushed the door open.
"Who is that?" he heard Red yell. She grabbed the door and flung it the rest of the way open. James was startled at her fierceness. Her face relaxed when she saw him, and with a wave of her hand she invited him in.
There were several people in the kitchen. He spotted all of the dwarves, plus Granny. They all seemed deep in conversation with one another.
"What are you doing here?" Red asked in hushed tones.
"Snow is gone. She ran out in the middle of the night," James whispered.
"Are you out looking for her?" Red questioned, earning a nod from James. She grappled her jacket off of the counter and shrugged it on. "I'm coming with you." She held up a hand as he started to protest. "Look, if anyone can help you find her it's me."
Red walked over to Granny, whispered in her ear for a few moments, earning a nod from the old woman. She headed out the kitchen door and made her way to the street, with James following close behind.
"Why did she leave?" Red asked as she stood in the middle of the street. James could see the concentration on her face as she tried to pick up Snow's trail. She inhaled deeply, and her eyes shot open. She started jogging down the street and continued sniffing to make sure she was on the right path.
"She was angry about something," he said as he caught up to her.
Red stopped in the middle of the road. She turned and headed to a building. James caught a glimpse of the door and noticed that they were at Jiminy's office. He followed Red down the hallway, stopping as she knocked on the door.
The door creaked open. The man stepped out of the shadows. When he saw James, fear flashed across his face.
"We are looking for Snow and her trail leads here," Red stated. Jiminy nodded.
"Yes," he said, his voice trembling, "she was here."
EARLIER THAT NIGHT
Snow ran down the street, her fury overtaking her. She was going to have a word with that pathetic old man. She rarely let her anger govern her actions, but she had completely lost control and stormed out of the apartment. She was looking for vengeance, and she was determined to get it.
As she made her way through town, she realized she had no idea where she was going. A door caught her eye on her left, causing her to turn. The words 'Dr. Archie Hopper' stood out, causing her fingers to curl back into fists.
Jiminy.
She could feel hate for him rise in her, as he was just as much to blame. She knew he feared her, his behavior on the street explained that much. She was glad. He had had a reason to be frightened.
She stormed into his office without another thought. She made her way down the hallway and flung open his door without even bothering to knock. Her eyes scanned the room, resting on the man sitting in his hair with his head in his hands. He looked up at her and his expression twisted into one of horror.
"S-Snow," he stammered as he rose. She marched towards him and slapped him across the face. His hand flew to his cheek, yet he made no move to defend himself.
"You," she whispered, "lied to me." Her voice was quiet, yet menacing.
"Snow you have to understand-"
"YOU LIED TO ME!" she bellowed, silencing him. "I trusted you! You were my friend! Yet that didn't stop you from deceiving me!"
Jiminy had tears running down his face. He could only imagine how hurt Snow was.
"Snow." His voice was barely audible.
"What!" she yelled.
"I'm sorry-"
"You should be!" she screamed.
"I'm not the one to blame!" the cricket said, his voice rising for the first time since Snow had entered his office, startling her. "I was not the one who made the decision to put him in there! I told him to let you go through with her, but he wouldn't listen to me! I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen to me!"
Jiminy collapsed onto the sofa and started to weep. Snow stared at him in silence. She could tell that he felt nothing but remorse. Her anger had not gone away, yet she felt terrible for taking her fury out on someone who truly was not to blame in the least. She wanted to apologize, but the words caught in her throat.
"Where is he?" she whispered.
Jiminy looked up at her. "Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything."
The words stung Snow. She knew he was right. Yet nothing would stop her from finding the old man and putting him in his place.
"He didn't just hurt me that day, Jiminy, he hurt her," she said looking into his eyes.
He could feel the pain that she was feeling, not for her, but for her daughter. He sighed. "He is at his home."
Snow turned on her heel and headed out the door, leaving the cricket to deal with his conscience.
"Why would she be looking for Gepetto?" James asked after Jiminy had told them where she was headed.
"I think she should be the one to give you that answer," he said. He silently closed the door, shutting them out.
"Well now at least we know where to find her." Red left the building and took off down the street. James ran to keep up, and eventually fell into step with her.
As they made their way down the road, James spotted a flash of pink. Upon closer inspection, he saw his wife, kicking down the door of Gepetto's home.
"Snow!" he yelled, but she couldn't hear him. He saw her break the door and slip inside the house. He sprinted towards the property, all the while wondering what had angered her so much that she would attack an old friend.
The door was laying on the ground, wood chips surrounding it. James stepped over it and entered into the house. He found himself in the kitchen, his wife nowhere to be seen. Red followed behind him, glancing around the room.
Suddenly he heard a crash that seemed like it was coming from behind a door to his right. He grasped the knob and flung it open. His eyes widened as he took in the scene in front of him.
They were in Gepetto's garage and workshop. There were tables stacked with wood, tools, and various projects all around. Gepetto himself was cowering in the corner, his eyes clouded with fear. He was surrounded by pieces of ceramic, based on the various shapes they appeared to be a smashed vase of some sort. James did not understand what was occurring until shrieks interrupted his thoughts.
"YOU SAID THAT THE WARDROBE ONLY TOOK ONE! YOU LIED TO US! YOU DIDN'T JUST BETRAY US, YOU BETRAYED HER! SHE WAS ALONE BECAUSE OF YOU!"
The screams were accompanied by the sound of pots being smashed. Gepetto was shaking with sobs as he backer further into the corner, and eventually falling to his knees and burying his face in his hands
James turned to see his wife hurling objects at the carpenter. He had no idea what had brought on her rage, but could tell that it was no little matter.
The woman in front of him did not seem like Snow. Snow never let her emotions influence the way she acted. She was a kind and loving person, who would never hurt anyone, let alone her friend. She had a temper, that much was true, but she never acted on it. He had only seen her like this once before, but then she had been under a spell causing her to forget all the love in her life. That was the only time he had ever seen hate in her eyes, and now, her eyes glowed with dark fury.
He rushed to her and grabbed her arms, steadying her. He could feel her tremble with rage. He looked into her eyes, and saw pain unlike any he had seen before.
"Snow," he said, attempting to shake her out of this trance. She seemed disconnected and refused to listen.
"SNOW!" he yelled, trying to calm his wife down, with no success. "Come back to me," he whispered.
Her head snapped up and she gazed into his eyes. He saw grief clouding her green irises. She bust into tears and he pulled her to him. He held her in a close embrace as she wept, soaking his neck with her tears. He ran his fingers through her hair and planted kisses on her head. He still had no idea what was going on, but he didn't care at the moment. His wife needed him, and he was going to be there for her.
"Shh, it okay. I've got you. Everything will be alright," he said just loud enough that she was the only one that could hear him.
James saw Red kneeling by Gepetto, conversing with him. She helped the man back to his feet and led him to his kitchen, shutting the garage door behind them. James made a mental note to speak with the woodcarver as soon as he could.
"I don't know what came over me. I just, snapped," she said as she attempted to stop sobbing.
"What were you so mad about?" he asked quietly.
Sh pulled out of his embrace and looked into his eyes. "The wardrobe took two."
James didn't understand. It didn't make any sense. Emma had to go in by herself on that awful day because there was only one spot. Only. One. Spot.
"No," he said, shaking his head.
"August is Pinocchio. James, Gepetto gave up my spot so that his son could come here with Emma." James shook his head, not wanting to believe what she was saying.
"How-what-who told you?" he managed to get out, his thoughts still trying to comprehend what he was hearing.
"Emma, she, she asked why we abandoned her. Why we gave up our spot for someone else. James, she thought we had knowingly put her in there with just a seven-year-old boy to protect her. August had told her about coming through."
James could see why Snow had overreacted. He understood the pain in her eyes. He felt betrayed. His daughter had been ripped from them and had to live a life alone, when there had been a chance that she could have had her mother by her side. James grieved for his daughter. She had been abandoned and left to live a life without love or protection, and he could do nothing about it. He began to weep as he thought of the pain his daughter had to endure, pain that could easily have been avoided.
James clung to Snow and they sobbed together. The shed tears for the twenty-eight years that they had been separated from their little girl. They cried for every moment that had caused her pain, pain that they were not able to protect her from. James's heart ached for his family. They had been separated for almost three decades, not even knowing that they were a family.
James held his wife close and silently vowed to never let anything hurt their family again.
One thing I love about the show is the fact that they show the weaknesses in the characters and they don't pretend that all the good people are perfect. I really love the idea that everyone has a dark side, and decided to explore that. I love the character of Snow and I loved the episode with Snow Dark. I hope you guys enjoyed a glimpse of the "dark side" of one of my favorite characters.
Now, a few people have asked about Regina. All I can say is that I would be extremely disappointed if we didn't find out what was going on with her in the near future…