He'd led me to the harbour, sitting in his car with the grim expression he always wore. The man I was supposed to call a father, the one who had done nothing but try to hurt me. Seeing me George glared for a few moments before slowly getting out of the car, not taking his eyes off me.
"What d'you want Spencer?" He chuckled once, menacingly.
"I hear your wife is expecting a bastard . And I thought she loved you." I knew his words were designed to wind me up but it made no difference. He knew how the curse had gone, that what happened with doctor Whale had been totally out with Snow's control.
"And you plan to raise it? How can you fathom what the wench did. You should cast her out-"
I jumped in before he could finish that line, "What do you want George?"
"I want to make you a very simple offer. You are still legally my son and so I will rid you of the child."
Sometimes I really couldn't understand how this man could live with his own mind, just because my son was not my own flesh and blood it didn't make him any less important to me. Yes I'd happily seek revenge but I wouldn't do it, Snow deserved better than that. Whale was a part of her past and maybe that wasn't ideal but it wasn't changeable either. I loved my wife and I was beginning to love my son too.
"Why would I do a thing like that?"
George laughed, looking at the ground viciously for a split second before his flat expression snapped back.
"Because you don't know what it is to lose a son. You are putting yourself up to suffer when the bastard has nothing to do with you. You should get out of it while you still can."
"And why would you say something like that?" I knew there had to be something more to this, it seemed too nice a thing for him to say, he would never be so concerned.
"Because that thing will not have my throne so if you don't sort this I will."
"And what exactly are you going to do?"
"Well, if I were you I would be keeping a close eye on that wife of yours, wouldn't want her to have an accident would we."
"You wouldn't risk that, you know that hurting Snow would only hurt the whole town. They aren't as stupid as you may think."
"No, but you are." That reply from George, coupled with a sadistic, narrow smile, went straight through me and sent a shiver straight over my skin. Something wasn't right. At that point I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, something told me the caller was Snow. The sudden vortex of purple smoke turned my thoughts away from my wife as a woman I'd never seen before appeared in a cloud of purple smoke, the way Regina had disappeared from our wedding. I took a few steps back, away from the woman who appeared even though I knew a being with that amount of magic couldn't be easily escaped from.
The one who appeared in the middle of the cloud was dressed in clothes I'd never seen in Storybrooke. Her dark clothes belonged back in our world, where we belonged. She was older but something about her looked familiar.
"We finally meet, so many years and to think I've never known my grandson-in-law."
Those words cemented the idea in my head. This woman was the one that my wife had recently came up against. Cora.
I mouthed my thoughts without thinking and the ageing woman laughed. Her voice confusing me, like when an adult laughed at the suggestive antics of a child, things that the child couldn't understand. In front of Cora I felt suddenly vulnerable and as innocent as the child in my mind.
"Oh my dear James, you sound so scared. You have nothing to be frightened of," Cora voiced in a very mocking tone.
"We don't want to hurt you," she continued to soothe. I knew it was all a trick, a white lie. She didn't want to hurt me. She wanted to hurt Snow, and I was her weakness.
"What are you going to do to her?" I tried to sound angry, my voice wavering and giving in to fear with each syllable.
"We're not going to touch your wife, your majesty, we're simply going to lead her to believe you, are dead."
It would destroy her, and the baby-which must have been George's tie in. My wife wouldn't cope in this world, we'd already had our fair share of tragedy in the past weeks, she didn't need any more.
I turned, tried to get away but deep down I knew better and dark magic shoved me to the ground. Vines grew out from the concrete ground and grabbed my wrists like a vice. I pulled at the stupid plants, angry for being such an idiot. Snow and our baby were both in real danger, they needed me but I wasn't good enough to help them. I was stupid enough to go and see the Father who only ever wanted bad, I was stupid enough not to run when the purple smoke arrived on the harbour's side.
"Why, my dear prince, what makes you want to run? If you struggle the vines will only get tighter." She mocked, slowly walking over to me, standing above me. I felt air close and grasp my throat, matching the way Cora posed her hand. She curled it as if to fit my throat and I could feel it, tighter and tighter she grasped. I began to choke, struggling to breath with pressure building in my lungs as they cried for oxygen.
"Now, are we going to be more agreeable this time?" Cora asked in a voice very similar to her daughter's.
I couldn't help myself, I could feel my eyeballs burning and my face reddening and I had to get air somehow. I nodded and was released, getting instant relief as the oxygen gushed down my windpipe and fed my starving lungs.
Cora removed the vines, allowing me to stand upright and look her in the eye. She smiled a sickening grin and opened her mouth to speak just as footsteps were heard in the distance, pairs of feet running down the harbour towards us.
"David!" One of the voices called, there was fear in the female tone. The voice which I recognised straight off. Snow.
Cora knew it too, she grabbed hold of my arm, pulling me towards her with a vice like grip and a strength with had to be altered by magic. The purple smoke began to swirl around us as I glanced towards the footsteps.
There were three of them: Emma, Mary Margaret and Ruby. They'd came looking for me, realised I hadn't replied to the texts and calls buzzing in my pocket.
The smoke became thicker, enclosing my vision. The last thing I saw before the world disappeared was the face of my wife, her eyes filled with horror.
Then there was a load whack, like a stone being thrown at a brick wall. The smoke disappeared and before my furious Grandmother-in-law could lunge for me again I ran. Turned and went straight towards my family.
I foolishly turned my back, missing the smile on Cora's face, missing her whispering of 'plan B' to George. I was just a few steps from them when a ball of flames flew right passed my head, hitting my wife and daughter with full force and throwing them both down against the concrete floor. I heard Emma's head knock hard against the ground with a hard hollow thunk. I ran straight to her, scrabbling down onto my hands and knees. I took her by the shoulders and gave her a strong shake. Her head lolled back like a baby's and her green eyes remained shut. She was unconscious. My hand went to the back of her head, supporting her while I thought about what to do. My hand felt wet and warm after just a few moments and pulling it away it became obvious why. My hand was stained with blood. She had hit her head so hard she had split it open. My head whipped back around, father-mode turning itself on and threatening to kill the witch who had done this. There wasn't a single clue either of the evil pair had ever been there.
"David!" Ruby's voice pulled me back to the present. I turned and saw to my total horror that she was crouched over Snow who was curled up on her side. Her hands clutched her belly and her eyes were squinted shut in pain. Another surge of panic flew through me and I rushed over to my wife's side.
"Snow!" She whimpered in return, Ruby's eyes lit brighter, filled with even more concern than before.
"I smell blood," she whispered, trying to keep her voice low so that Snow wouldn't hear her and panic more. I ran my hand across my wife's forehead and she carefully opened her eyes, her pupils widened with pain.
"It's going to be ok, we'll sort this out." My tone did nothing to reassure her, I was sure I was only making her worse, make her worry more than she needed to.
"Mom?" Emma's voice whispered. I turned to see my daughter standing behind me, wobbling unsteadily with concussion. She clutched the back of her head where blood continued to flow. I shoved my hand in my pocket and handed Emma my phone. She knew straight away what I expected her to do and dialled the the three numbers, announcing where we were to the person on the receiving end.
As Emma talked urgently down the phone my eyes caught a passer by walking along the promenade. I recognised his hair instantly and my possessive side wanted to stop Ruby. I knew better and didn't shove my hand over her mouth when she shouted Viktor.
Dr Whale turned as soon as she spoke- of course he would turn to the sound of a female voice- and came towards us in a slight jog. His expression was grim when he saw what was going on. Despite what I generally felt for this man my wife and daughter needed his expertise. My thoughts turned to Emma, who's skin had changed to match her
Mother's. I glanced up at my baby, communicating through my eyes. Emma understood and came to take my place next to Mary Margaret, wobbling as she tried to sit on the ground, her hand cautiously going to dab at her head once more. She looked as though she was about to throw up, I just hoped she missed her mother. I went to meet Whale, jogging down to him before he reached Snow's hearing range.
The man who stole my wife's monogamy, who in many ways violated her pure heart and soul, looked up at me. He looked concerned, something I hadn't expected to see in those eyes.
"She's bleeding," I hissed to the doctor, "Ruby said so, she doesn't know. She's in pain and Emma's concussed. It was Cora." I knew what I was saying probably made no sense to him but I wasn't used to this situation, I wasn't accustomed to seeing either of my girls injured. They were both strong, not the type to cry over a scratch or a broken finger. Snow was crying; I'd only seen her cry a few times and each of them had been due to real pain, either emotional or physical. The doctor nodded, walking quickly in order to keep up with me. "David!" He yelled and I realised he'd been trying to stop me.
"Look, I'm sorry about what's happened and all but we've got to hold things together." I nodded, understanding straight away. As much as I thought he deserved a broken nose and a few other breaks as well as castration for what he'd done to Snow and I but that could wait. Right now she needed a doctor and he was the best we had.
"For Snow. Only for Snow." He nodded promptly and continued past me towards my wife and daughter. Ruby moved, slinking away from Mary Margaret's side and towards me while the doctor asked her about her pain.
"You ok?" Emma's godmother and Snow's closest friend asked me. She knew to stay quiet, she knew my wife and knew how she behaved. That was one of the best things about Red, she knew it all and listened to everything she hadn't learnt yet.
"We'll he isn't dead yet," I answered truthfully, Ruby smiled, laughing inwardly. She could probably imagine what I'd love to do to a certain doctor.
"She'll be ok, Snow I mean, she always is. She's been through a lot worse than this." I sighed deeply, nodding slowly but didn't say a word.
"So, where would you start on Whale?"
"The source of the problem, right between his smug legs." Ruby laughed, causing Emma to look our way,
" but don't worry- I'd make it painful."
The school must have raised alarms when I didn't return to school, it was only supposed to be a short break. That was very much at the bottom of my thoughts, the class could cope with another teacher covering for the rest of the day.
The pain, the sharp and aching pain in my chest turned out to be a cracked rib for the fall. It was awful, painful to breath, to move or laugh. I'd been given dire morphine for pain relief and a monitor was strapped to my belly, showing a strong and healthy heartbeat. Our son was fine even if our daughter wasn't.
Charming had presumed right, Emma had concussion and her head had to be glued back together. Despite throwing up until she'd emptied her stomach she was fine-or so my husband reported.
I couldn't move from the bed, it was far too painful for one and I had been bleeding. That was why they were worried for our baby. Ruby had smelt blood straight away but of course it had been kept from me. Both Ruby and David had my best interests at heart but sometimes they needed to remember that worse has come my way before. You don't learn to fight without breaking a few bones and you don't go through pregnancy with a life as stressful as the one our family always finds itself in without a little blood.
He left to pick up Henry as soon as Emma and I were both settled, poor thing was having to be mother grandmother and grandfather as well as husband and father, a lot of roles to take on in one afternoon.
Emma had been placed in a different area of the hospital- I'd been settled in the maternity ward- and so I had to wait for Charming's return before I could get any more updates on my little girl's condition.
I was surprised to find that the ward was busy. Better health care during the twenty eight years of the curse had brought on something of a baby boom. There had been many women pregnant at the time of the curse being cast- most of them would have lost their baby because of the atrocious condition the kingdoms were still in when it all happened.
Now many of these women could look forward to the birth of a perfect little one. There were many glances and straight-on stares directed at me, which were really to be expected- I was their queen after all. It wasn't long before a nurse approached and explained that doctor Whale had requested I was put into a side room to give me a chance to rest properly. The fact that Whale had suggested I was moved sent a dagger of dread through my heart. He was taking more interest than I'd thought he would. I knew it was selfish but I wanted him to disappear into the world and forget he had made this baby inside me. I had hoped he would step back, tell no one and let Charming be a father again.
However it was nice to be given my own room. The room had an adjoining bathroom and a wall-mounted tv across from the bed. It had a little more space for visitors too.
I was flicking channels on the tv with the arm which wasn't immobilised by a drip when the door opened and a familiar clean-shaven face appeared.
My husband was carrying a blue plastic carrier bag which he placed on my bedside table while shuffling out of his coat.
" I brought you some pj's and that juice you've been addicted to lately." He lifted out some modest pyjamas, once which were now tight, but I decided to say nothing and then a litre bottle of white grape and peach fruit juice before his hand delved back into the crinkly bag to being out some much needed clean underwear and an old favourite film- The Ring of Bright Water.
"Do you want a bath? I could help you?" My prince asked dutifully but I shook my head, the pain was awful, too much to be moving around that much, instead I asked him if he would help me out of my soiled, bloody clothes and into something clean. The experience was a painful one, the ache was that exactly but more than triple the pain of normal muscular pain. David tried his best to be gentle and I had to laugh when he hasn't a clue how to put a pad on for me.
"How is the bleeding?" He muttered conversationally as he shoved my dirty clothes into the blue plastic bag.
"It's slowing, it isn't going to come to anything, just like last time. It will be alright, he's-."
His face dropped white the moment I stopped speaking and he began to shake my arm.
I laughed at his expression, taking the chance to reach up and suck his lips into mine. A throaty groan came from him, showing his appreciation of the surprise kiss. His hand gently pressed on the back of my head in a very small encouragement to keep it up.
I had no plans of stopping and ran my hands up through his hair opening and shutting my mouth in time until he slipped his tongue in, making me groan instead. He caressed the insides of my mouth twice more before pulling away from me.
"You tricked me," he smiled, I felt instantly guilty the look in his eyes was now a little desperate, they glistened with lust and it wasn't just his eyes that had reciprocated to my touch.
He looked embarrassed, the same blush he'd worn when our earliest kisses had made him react in the same way.
"Sorry," I whispered, trying not to giggle, "v'got ice cubes?" I suggested, laughing. He rolled his eyes and came in for another kiss, this time reaching for my belly, he kept his kisses light and slowly massaged my stomach at the same time. After a short moment of bonding however he had to go, he'd left Henry up with Emma and he needed to check on them.
"I love you, take care of our son in there," he pressed his hand hard onto my bump and we both laughed at the kick he received in return.
"See you tomorrow," I nodded, accepting his last kiss- and continuing to be thankful his jeans were loose.
The moment he left the room my mood sloped downwards, hitting the bottom. It was silly but I missed him already. I was desperate to just go home, to my own bed where I could curl up against my husband's chest and have my grandson there to make me laugh. I knew I was ok, I knew the bleeding was nothing to worry about. I didn't know why but I just knew, the same way I had when it happened before. The baby kicked and my stomach rumbled in perfect time with each other and I realised I hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was nearing six. Hospitals took up so much time now, back in the Enchanted Forest we just called upon Doc for most things. Then again all he ever had to do was bathe wounds and my anti natal appointments- which only included listening with his stethoscope and feeling the baby's size and position. Hospitals were much more hygienic and specialised here.
My hand delved back into the bag for some food, wincing as every muscle in my body seemed to scream. Triumphantly I pulled out a bar of chocolate, it didn't have much nutritional value but it would do for now.
As I nibbled away our little boy turned flips inside me, it was funny to watch since he was now big enough to actually change the shape of my body as he moved around.
(A/N) I'm sorry this chap has taken so long! But it's a long chap, which is why I've chopped it in half. The next have will probably follow soon, hope you enjoy, please comment and thanks for waiting!
next chap includes an Emma/Snow moment and in a few chaps there'll be a charming/Snow only scene
