A/N: So, I changed my mind. This story won't include Storybook/Fairy Tale Land. The only way I'll incorporate it is by alluding to things that happen in the characters respective fairy tales. I feel with the way the story has progressed, it might seem out of place to throw Stroybook/Fairy Tale land in the story.
Sorry about alluding to something that won't happen, and I hope it doesn't deter some from reading the story.
Also, thank you so much for the wonderful, kind reviews! They mean so much!
Things had gone smoothly for William since Mary Margaret had left his place the next morning. Surprisingly, William had easily transitioned from personal to professional even though he longed desperately to see her again; he would be content even if he could stare at her from distance. Last night she had opened herself to him again, and it was as wonderful and breathtaking as the first time. William couldn't get her out of his head, and he didn't want her to ever leave his life.
Her kindness had softened him, he knew, but he was a better man for it. William knew he was an excellent doctor before, but his bedside manners always had room for improvement. Ever since Mary Margaret had entered his life, he realized his attentiveness toward patients had increased. Perhaps her sweet demeanor had rubbed off on him in every way that counted.
It helped, especially, when his checkup with David came to an end as David hopped from the examination table and began to put his jacket back on. William would need to be as polite as possible around this man. With that, he summoned the gentlest voice he could muster, and asked, "Hey, David, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Doc." David answered as he fixed his hat. He had done a great job so far of not asking William any questions about Mary Margaret, though it soured him to think that William had touched her, kissed her, and other things he wouldn't dare consider for fear his rage would get the better of him.
"How are things with you and Kathryn?"
The question stunned David slightly. He had tried not to think about that situation too much, operating under the assumption that it was better to see where life took them and not worry so much about it. David did a good job of that, until moments like these, when he was asked to confront and explain his emotions. He shrugged slightly in response and answered, "We're...We're good. It's kind of hard, you know, because even though I remember...Things feel a little distant."
"That'll get better with time," William encouraged with a smile. "Soon it'll feel like no time passed at all, I'm sure."
"Yeah," David agreed, though he didn't believe his own words. It proved increasingly difficult to move forward with Kathryn when his mind was so fixated on Mary Margaret. Just the thought of her sent his head and heart into a tailspin, evoking feelings he wasn't sure how to label but ones he couldn't ignore. "And you and Mary Margaret?" David found himself asking despite his better judgment. "Are you okay?"
David wanted to rub the smug smirk of his face as soon as it appeared. William only chuckled and crossed his arms. "We're...We're great."
"Is...Is she happy?"
William eyed him carefully, attempting to gauge the reason for this questioning. He wanted so badly to ignore the fact that it probably was out of jealousy; it was so easy to accept this line of questioning came from pure, polite curiosity and not a deep desire to find out more about the woman he'd left behind. Part of William wanted so desperately to put David in his place and remind him that he had not only made his decision but Mary Margaret had moved on. Though she hadn't - and most likely never - would forget about David and how swiftly he'd swept her off her feet, William wanted to believe the heartache was slowly disappearing with each moment they spent together. If their moments of physical intimacy was any inclination toward her feelings, William would have guessed they definitely moved in the right direction, and she was starting to forget all about David.
"I think she is," William finally answered. He chuckled. "At least, she seemed happy last night."
If David didn't know any better, he would have thought the comment, coupled with William's smirk, was on purpose and held a double meaning. Not wanting to believe that this man had intentionally tried to anger him, David only nodded. It was better to pretend that his comment was innocent - and a comment over dinner - than the alternative, which was that they had done things which made David want to stab a sword through William's heart. To even consider that another man had touched Mary Margaret made David's blood boil, even though he had no right to feel that way.
"Well," David finally managed, "I'm glad she's happy."
"Even though it's not with you?" William challenged. He smiled when David's eyes went wide in surprise. "I know all about what happened between the two of you," William told him seriously as he took a step forward. "And even a blind man could see the way you looked at her over dinner. You don't look at Kathryn the way you look at Mary Margaret."
"Look, Dr. Whale," David began, "when I first came out of the coma I had no idea who I was and-"
"You don't need to explain yourself to me, David," William told him with a shake of his head. "I understand completely that she is an easy woman to fall for."
David frowned at the thought, but remained silent.
"But what you do need to do is get things straight in your head," William continued firmly. "Because it's not fair to your wife if you pine after another woman, and it's definitely not fair of Mary Margaret to lead her on with no intention of leaving your wife."
"What makes you think I wouldn't leave if things didn't feel right?"
"That's not you," William responded. "You're too noble. Hell, I think you'd stay even if you were unhappy because you're so set on doing the right thing. And you and I both know that leaving your wife for another woman is not the right thing, especially when there's still a shot to save your marriage."
"You don't know what goes on inside my marriage," David argued, his voice rising in agitation.
"And you don't know what goes on inside Mary Margaret's head," William countered. "She's happy, David. Now, if you really cared about her as much as it comes off, you'd let her be happy. You would let her move on with her life and be happy because it's the right thing to do."
The words weren't lost on David. William was right. The right thing to do would be to let her be happy, especially since he had not too long ago ripped that chance away from her. And even though Mary Margaret couldn't be happy with him - at least not right now when he was trying so hard to work on a marriage that still didn't feel right - David wanted her to experience happiness and joy and love. It killed him inside to know that wasn't with him, but her happiness...that meant the world to him.
"You know," David said after a few moments of thought, "you're really coming off as the crazy, jealous boyfriend."
"With good reason, right?" When David didn't respond, William had his answer. "Just...Let her be happy, David."
David could only stare at the blonde haired doctor in return, stunned by the plea which sounded very much like William would feel his world crumble without Mary Margaret. Unable to speak, David watched as William didn't say another word, grabbed his chart, and left the examination room.
For the first time, David understood how Mary Margaret felt the minute she realized he had chosen Kathryn over her, and the pain was enough to make him wish he was back in that coma - because that was better than this hell.
When Mary Margaret walked into William's bedroom that evening, she knew she was stepping into the bedroom of a bachelor who'd never really lived with a woman before. Even though she'd seen his room before, fallen asleep beside him, it still looked new to her - like she hadn't really seen it. Though his bedroom was small, the red walls made the room seem larger. The closet lining the wall, and bathroom in the corner, too, aided to the illusion of a larger bedroom. What didn't surprise her, however, was the black comforter on his bed. She laughed when she saw it, and shook her head. "Nice bachelor pad."
"Thanks. I like it as much as when I first bought it. Though, last night I gained a new appreciation for it."
She watched as he carefully removed his suit jacket, hanging it up in the closet. When he turned around and stared at her, she asked, "Are you going to change?"
"Do you want me to change?"
"Are you going to be comfortable in dress pants, dress shirt, and tie?" When he only squinted at her, she smiled. Shaking her head, she walked over to him and took his hands. "Let's just lay down, okay? Watch some tv and relax?"
"I'm okay with that," William whispered in response, a soft smile on his lips.
Mary Margaret tugged at his hands until he fell onto the bed with her. She smiled when he propped himself up on his elbows and stared down at her. "What?"
"You ever consider long hair?"
She laughed.
William tilted his head slightly. "What's so funny?"
"I was not expecting you to say that," she answered with an amused shake of her head. "I was expected something like, you know, 'you're so beautiful' or something romantic like that."
"You are beautiful."
"But I'd be more beautiful with longer hair?"
"Well," he leaned down to gently kiss her, "I was going to say beautifuler, but you know, more beautiful works, too."
"Beautifuler is not a word."
"Should be." He smiled when she shook her head. "No? Doesn't sound right to you?"
"No. Sorry." Mary Margaret smiled before she reached up, grabbed his tie, and pulled him down so she could kiss him once again. His gentle kisses surprised her because they were nothing like the heat she'd experienced the first time they'd landed on a bed together. Then the hungry, hurried kisses had robbed her of breath; this time, however, he had taken her breath away for an entirely different reason. The tender restraint reminded Mary Margaret why she'd agreed to make their relationship public and official. When he finally pulled away from her to take a breath, she smiled. "You're a surprise yourself, you know that?"
"I would never have guessed." William smiled down at her when she chuckled. "Can I keep kissing you now?"
"I'd like that."
"Okay," William whispered in response as his mouth met hers with soft, tantalizing kisses that made her shudder beneath him as she moved her arms so she gripped his shoulders. Continuing to tease her, he trailed kisses to her neck, taking his time to hit her sweet spots for only a few seconds before he captured her mouth once again. William would have continued until she couldn't resist him, but he wasn't given the chance. Her hands pressed against his chest and pushed him off of her.
Sighing heavily, he rolled over so he lay on his back beside her. Whining, he asked, "Now, why'd you do that?"
"Because," Mary Margaret rolled so she was on her stomach, "we aren't having sex tonight."
"Oh no?"
"That's correct." With a smile, she pushed herself off the bed, fixed the wrinkles in her cardigan, and smoothed out her skirt.
"So," William propped himself up on his elbows and met her playful eyes, "what are we going to do then?"
"I was serious, you know, when I told you that all I wanted to do was watch television and relax. And that television," she pointed to the flatscreen hanging from the wall, "is big enough for the both of us to see it from bed."
"So we really aren't going to have sex tonight?"
"Not unless you're really good." She squinted at him and questioned, "You think you can do that?"
"Baby, I can do anything." William gave her a devilish smirk as he extended his hand out to her. "Now, come lay down and watch television with me. Anything in particular you want to watch?"
"Can we watch Friends?"
"Of course." Once they were both settled, resting their backs against the plush headboard, and William had turned Friends on for her, he looked down and smiled. "Mary Margaret?"
She looked up at him, resting her head against his shoulder. "Yeah?"
"You're wearing a skirt."
"So?"
"That was the wrong thing to wear when you tell me that you're off limits." He smiled when she shook her head and turned her attention back to the television screen. "I'm not being very good with comments like that, am I?"
"No, but that's all right." Mary Margaret grabbed his hand, brought it to her lips, and kissed it softly. "Good or bad, you're still sexy to me."
"Well, you're sexier when you're not being good."
Mary Margaret laughed. "When have you seen me not be...what did you call me? A goody-two-shoe?"
"You are a goody-two shoe," he replied matter-of-factly. After a moment, and seeing he needed to fight off her growing frustration by his comment, William added, "And you weren't so good last night. In fact, you were down right sinful. And I loved it."
Mary Margaret squeezed his hand in response.
"Hey," he lifted their joined hands, "why do you wear that ring?"
Mary Margaret looked down, slightly confused. She never really thought about the ring she kept on the middle finger of her right hand. In fact, she couldn't remember how she had first gotten it. All she knew was that it was part of her for as long as she could remember, and not wearing it made her feel more exposed than if she had walked in a crowded area naked. Mary Margaret sighed as she watched him gently twirl the engagement ring so the diamond faced him.
Watching him inspect it sent a strange feeling through her stomach. Mary Margaret couldn't explain it, but she didn't want him looking at or touching the ring. The sensation felt odd, misplaced, but she was too comfortable to pull her hand away.
"Mary Margaret?"
"Yeah?" Her thoughts had pulled her away. "Oh! I...Well I don't know why I always wear it. I've just had it forever and it's a nice ring."
"Did someone give it to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well..." He shrugged. "Like an old boyfriend and it just didn't work out? Or, maybe it's your mother's engagement ring from when she was with your father?"
"Oh no," Mary Margaret responded with a shake of her head, "I don't think it's my mother's. She died when I was young. It wasn't from her or my father."
William frowned. "So where'd you get it?"
Mary Margaret wasn't sure why, but she could only think of David. The memory of how he'd looked at her when he admitted she was the only thing in his life that felt right flooded her brain. Though she'd never admit it to William, she knew she'd only ever look at this ring and see David. So instead of telling him the truth, and hurting him like David had hurt her, she said, "I have no idea. But I'll let you know if I find out."
William smiled. "Would you ever take it off for a really long period of time?"
"Never," she answered with a shake of her head, holding her hand close to her heart. "It's like a part of me."
"So what...?" He asked with a laugh. "What would you do if you met some guy and he proposed? Would you wear two engagement rings or just pick one?"
"Well..." Mary Margaret paused to think about that. "I suppose...I would cross that bridge when I got there." She met his gaze with a soft smile. "And that's how I feel about that."
William shook his head, leaning down to kiss her gently. He loved kissing her, especially with how her soft, warm lips would at first slowly react and then become passionate as the heat between them steadily grew. Taking control, he cupped her cheeks and deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth like it was the first time he'd kissed her. When William finally pulled away, she sighed softly and pressed her forehead against his neck. "You all right?"
She sighed again before carefully undoing his tie. "You win."
"I win what?"
Wordlessly, Mary Margaret shifted positions so she straddled him. Their faces only inches apart, she kissed him suddenly and completely removed his tie, throwing it to the ground. The warm touch of his hands running up her legs sent chills down her spine so strong that she pressed her body tightly against him for fear she'd float away. Her voice a whisper, she repeated with a swift kiss, "You win."
William smiled as she nuzzled his ear. "I like winning."
"I figured you would." Her skin felt on fire when he carefully removed her sweater and ran his hands up her arms. And when he tucked his head so he could kiss her neck, she felt the warmth of his touch spread throughout her entire body. The sensation overwhelmed her so deeply that she fought to control her breathing.
Mary Margaret had only a little strength left in her to pull away from him gently so she could look at him clearly. "William?"
"Yeah?" He ran his hands up her back, tracing circles with his fingertips.
Mary Margaret sighed softly. How could she vocalize the way he was making her feel? She felt more vulnerable and open around him than she'd ever felt before. And, for the first time in her life, she wasn't afraid he'd turn her away. Her chest tightened along with her stomach, but it wasn't a horrible feeling; in fact, the silent, intense euphoria that washed over her was something she was unable to describe, but a feeling she recognized because she'd experienced it once before.
Even in the heat of lust, Mary Margaret could finally pinpoint how she felt about the man who made her melt in his arms.
This was love.
The touch of his hands and breathtaking spark he'd ignited in her heart made Mary Margaret feel alive again.
But she couldn't say those words to him yet, not when things had just gotten serious and she was so afraid of his reaction - that he wouldn't love her back. For now she'd keep quiet, her love hidden until she was certain that he felt the same. Mary Margaret hoped that day would come; she wasn't sure her heart could handle the weight of unrequited love happening twice.
For now, she would wait - and not put her heart on the line just yet - because William was making it so easy to forget everything and just feel amazing, wonderful things that took her breath away.
If this was what it felt like, Mary Margaret was content never breathing again. Somehow, someway, William had crept into her soul and touched her, and she was so thankful he had.
