See previous chapters for summaries and warnings.
Thanks for the incredible response to this fic! Keep the reviews coming.
Once more, it is important to remember that Cora has cursed Kathryn to be this way. Thanks for all the reviews.
The curse has lasted 20 years in this verse until they found Storybrooke.
Here are individual responses:
Baratta Jennifer: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Grace5231973: I don't see David as weak at all either. And I do make some parallels between him and Rumple in this first scene. I have one reviewer that sees him as weak and abused so it can never work now, but I'm so going to prove them wrong. A little disappointed in their lack of faith in Snowing, but oh well, I would never think they couldn't overcome anything, even this. Yep, most of the time, Rumple has an agenda, but he's actually helping David here, because he wants to. You'll love him in this first scene, because this is one knife that he gets to twist and it's well deserved. :)
Austenphile: Sorry, I just don't agree with most of that. This is Snowing we're talking about and I'm writing this to prove they can overcome anything. And Snow will be de-aged, that's a definite. And yes, she'll want another child this time when she realizes that she and Charming are going to get a chance at it together. August may not be David's, but they're going to have a special relationship all their own that we'll be seeing soon. I set August up for that in this chapter with his inner monologue on his feelings regarding Marco. And we saw David find a place in Emma's life in canon even though they were the same age. We'll see that here too and she's a tad younger than him here. It will work, because they are Snow and Charming.
TheInferno1536: Belle's whereabouts and fate remain to be seen. But I can tell you that she's alive.
sexystarwarslover: Yep, Snow is helping David's confidence. And Gold gets to deliver the papers to Kathryn in the first scene in this chapter. It's fun. Nope, age doesn't matter when it comes to Snowing. Gold says he wants a favor, but he's actually helping David cause he wants to in this. Cause Rumple knows what he's going through. :)
TimeLord27: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I like the dynamic between Gold and Charming. They actually have quite a bit in common. As for Belle, I can tell you that she's alive, but I can't tell you where she is yet.
MondlerGellarBing: Yeah, I like the idea of Cora as the Evil Queen too. Glad you like the story and I know, I feel bad for David too. But things are getting better for him. :)
A Darker Curse
Chapter 7: Just Desserts
Mr. Gold entered the bank that afternoon with a pleased expression on his face. Though a pleased look on his face to everyone else usually looked to them like he was ready to eat someone alive. His expression today was similar as it was when he collected rent from the various residents in town and it was no secret that he enjoyed being feared. If one didn't know Mr. Gold's reputation, they might question why the people fear this man that walked with a limp and used a cane to get around. But the fear he invoked was not a physical fear, no it was far worse. Mr. Gold seemingly had endless financial resources and could hire any muscle he needed. He was a man that could make anything happen and if you wanted something, you only needed to go to him. Of course, that required making a deal with him and that usually came at some kind of great personal cost.
But once in a while, in his considerable years, he had the opportunity to make a deal where what he got out of it would be nothing more than smug satisfaction.
David Nolan had come into his shop and made a deal with him. The man had no money, not a shred of self confidence left, and was as desperate as he had seen anyone in a long time. Almost as desperate as his aging wife that he did not remember. If he wanted to, he could have made them both owe him a great deal and it was tempting. He would be lying if he said he wasn't curious as to how far this Snow White would go to get her husband back. This was a woman that had pined and suffered without the man she loved for twenty years, only to find out that her one comfort that he was at least safe was false.
And then there was David. Some would say he was damaged beyond repair; a shadow of his former self. But he knew better. He had been a victim of abuse and knew that despite that, a person could come back from that. He himself had turned to the darkness to do so. But David was stronger than he was. He would be repressed if he did not admit that they were once not so different. Both born into poverty, though David at least had the grace of a loving mother, it had left them both with a darker impression of the world around them. But unlike him, David had not turned to darkness, though he knew that meeting Snow and being thrust into the role of a Prince had helped that. He was definitely a man that believed in true love; he had banked on this particular true love, after all. But he had never put much belief in its staying power. Love was fleeting, but somehow this love had endured more hardship than any love should be required to. He knew many would think that there was no way to even repair this relationship. Even if David remembered, surely too much had happened to them for them to actually find their way back to each other. But Mr. Gold not only knew this pair would, he was also banking on it again. So that's why, as he delivered these papers, he was already collecting in the form of satisfaction. And it would be a satisfaction that would keep on giving. The look on Kathryn Nolan's face would be a start, but the real satisfaction would come when Cora realized that her perfect curse was going to crumble and there was nary a thing she could do about it. Sure, he knew she'd employ dastardly tactics and stop at nothing to keep Snow and David apart. But it wouldn't work. She had screwed up there and he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she realized it.
She could have cursed David into a happy marriage and possibly managed to succeed in keeping them apart for a time in that way. But all she had done was created an abused, desperate man that was finally ready to fight, because he had the right person in his corner now. And it was about to blow up in her face. He felt mild sympathy for Kathryn Nolan though. The person that Cora had cursed her to be was going to have lasting psychological effects on her as well when she remembered. Princess Abigail would be horrified by all that she had done to David over the years and the fall out from Cora's curse was going to be something akin to ruin. He couldn't wait. When the curse broke, he would find Bae and if the town wanted to burn Cora at the stake, he'd gladly provide the fireball to light her up at no charge.
"Mr. Gold...can I help you with something today?" Kathryn Nolan questioned, as she came out of her corner office, upon spotting him come into the bank.
"No...I'm just here to deliver this to you," he said, as he handed her the folded document. He watched gleefully, as she unfolded the parchment and her face went red with anger.
"Is this a joke?" she spat.
"Oh, I assure you it is quite valid and quite real," he replied pleasantly.
"You've been served, Mrs. Nolan," he added, as she looked up at him sharply.
"David has no money. Do you really expect me to believe that he hired you as his attorney?" she growled.
"Believe what you want, Mrs. Nolan, for David is my client. Let's just say I'm doing this one pro-bono and with a great amount of satisfaction, might I add," he replied.
"I'll fight this...if David thinks I'm letting him take half of everything, then he really is an idiot," she spat. He smirked.
"You can try to fight it, but David isn't asking for anything except to not be married to you any longer. You can have the house and everything else. He just wants to be divorced from you as fast as possible and the law will grant him what he wants, despite any protest on your part," Gold replied.
"Oh, but I would caution you in fighting this too hard...unless you'd like all those skeletons in your closet to be aired to the entire town, Mrs. Nolan, for if you choose to play dirty...then so will I," he warned threateningly and she shrank back a bit and watched him go in disbelief. Everyone around her stared at her, for Mr. Gold had made it a point to make sure he served her the papers in the most embarrassing and public place he could pick. Furiously, she grabbed her coat and stormed out of the bank.
August reluctantly arrived at Marco's shop to pick up the Bug for his sister. He had argued with her on why he had to be the one to pick up her car and she made an excuse. But he knew what she was really trying to do. She was trying to push him to talk to Marco, even if the man didn't remember that he was that right now. Emma and his mother had good intentions, but August didn't want to reconcile with this man. It was too painful, especially with all that he knew now. When they had arrived to find out that Emma's father and the man that his mother would eternally love had been trapped in such an abusive situation, it had been the final straw for him.
Snow had raised him and he knew she loved him, just as much as she loved Emma. But it still didn't change the fact that it was Geppetto that had indirectly caused David's predicament and exacerbated the pain his mother was feeling. He hated when she was in pain. His mother was the strongest woman he knew, but he was still really protective of her. And this man's lies had hurt her deeply. Blue let it happen, so he had a lot of anger for her as well. Over the years, he had a lot of time to examine things. At first, he thought he should have been grateful to her for giving him life as a human. But then, the older he got, the more he realized that Blue had placed unfair conditions on her spell. He had to be selfless, brave, and true. And the more life threw at him, the more he realized how truly fucked up that was. No person was selfless, brave, and true all the time. It was an impossible feat. It was setting him up for instant failure.
Thankfully, Snow had come through the wardrobe behind him, her belly still round with child, her face broken from having to say goodbye to the man she loved. And still, even in her anger at Blue and Geppetto, she had taken him in her arms and loved him as her own. Without her, he didn't want to think about how he might have turned out. He had a good life and grew up to be kind, caring, and a good person. But it was because of Snow, a woman wronged by Geppetto and a fairy that lied to her. They implored him to never lie and yet they had no qualms about doing so themselves. He was angry and it wasn't going away, but he could compose himself long enough to pick up Emma's car from this man's shop. But that was it. He wanted nothing to do with him, even when he did get his memories back. His mother, Emma, and little David were his family. And soon, the man that his nephew was named after would be a part of their family. As far as he was concerned, there was no room for Geppetto, as harsh as it sounded, but that was how he felt.
"Mr. Swan...here for the bug?" Marco called, as he spotted him approaching.
"Yeah...just picking it up for my sister," he answered stiffly.
"You are a good big brother," Marco commented, as he handed him the keys and August paid him for the repairs.
"Your mother...she is very lucky to blessed with such loving children," the old man mentioned. August could sense the wistfulness and envy in his voice, but he didn't care. His anger had long overwhelmed any empathy for this man.
"We're the lucky ones. My Mom is amazing...and she gave up everything for us. But it's my turn to take care of her and make sure no one can ever hurt her again," August said. His cryptic response was a bit confusing to the old man right now, but August hoped his words would instantly resonate with him once his memories returned.
"Have a good night," Marco offered awkwardly, as the young man took the keys and left wordlessly. He felt no remorse in walking away from this man. He wasn't family anymore and he doubted he ever would be again. None of that mattered though, he had a family and now he was off to help them. He had spoken with Regina earlier and done what she had asked of him. She had a surprise to drop on her mother and Kathryn, which would be essential in fighting them, for he was sure by now that they were both learning that David had filed for divorce. And they would be on the warpath, which meant his next destination was the diner so he could be there to support his family in the strife that was to come.
David was absorbed by watching Mary with her grandson, as they sat in the diner and ate dinner together. It had been the most wonderful evening that David could remember having. And something in his heart tugged at him, somehow telling him that this was how things were supposed to be.
"You're Nana's sweet boy, aren't you…" Mary cooed to little David, as she spooned another bite of his baby food into his open mouth. Little David cooed and grinned at her in response. David had always wanted kids, as long as he could remember. But that had never come up as a topic of discussion with him and Kathryn. But then their courtship had not been an ordinary one. It all seemed like a blur in his mind. Essentially, from what he remembered, his mother died when he was still a teenager and he had then been adopted by her boyfriend, the District Attorney, Albert Spencer. But that had not been a blessing and rather a curse, so to speak. David had wanted to go to Veterinary school, but those dreams were quickly squashed by Spencer when he learned that Lewis Dior, owner of the bank and any real estate in town that wasn't owned by Mr. Gold, was looking for a suitable husband for his daughter, David had been offered up. Lewis wasn't fond of David's humble beginnings as the son of farmers, but Albert Spencer's adoption of him garnered him definite consideration. After all, the owner of the bank allied with the town's district attorney was a union that had benefits to both sides. David was against it from the beginning, as he had always dreamed of finding true love. But George had threatened him that if he blew this opportunity that he'd pay for it with his life.
Kathryn had been drawn in by his good looks and how sweet and genuinely nice he was. At first, he thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but now he knew that his naivete was one reason she had seen him as her perfect victim. He was kind, sweet, and naive, so she knew keeping him under thumb would be easy. He was a good person, which made her manipulation of him easier and he was handsome, which made him the perfect arm candy to show off to her social circle.
Looking back, he realized now that Albert Spencer had offered him up to Kathryn's family like a piece of property and the district attorney had been paid handsomely for him. It had made David feel dirty from day one and he had never entertained the possibility that he could ever be free, until he met Mary. She had made him realize that he had courage he thought that had been stripped from him long ago. But he proved that to be wrong when he filed for divorce earlier that day. Of course, he knew this was just the beginning and so when Kathryn stormed into the diner and slammed the door behind her, he felt a shiver course down his spine. The look she was giving him was the same one she had a few nights ago, when she had made marks on his body...when she had belittled and controlled him...when she had raped him. He felt Mary reach for his hand under the table and squeeze it gently, somehow willing courage to him in a way he was was sure he had never known.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kathryn growled, as she approached the table. Little David whimpered from his high chair and Emma plucked him up, holding him.
"It seems you know if you were served the papers," David managed to say boldly. Kathryn looked stunned, as if she couldn't understand where he was getting the courage to defy her.
"This is ridiculous, David! Get your coat and get in the car. We're going home," she demanded of him. He fought the urge to shrink away from her and Mary squeezed his hand again.
"No," he said in defiance.
"Excuse me?" she questioned dangerously.
"You heard me. I said no and that's not my home anymore. I'm divorcing you," he replied, loudly enough so that everyone in the diner heard. And it caused instant gossip to ripple through the masses.
"If you go down this path...I'll make sure you regret it," Kathryn warned.
"No...you won't," Snow snapped, as the blonde looked at the raven haired beauty and smirked.
"What? You have Grandma protecting you?" she hissed.
"She's my friend," David snapped. Kathryn rolled her eyes.
"Please...I know a cougar when I see one," she accused, but it didn't phase Snow at all.
"Better to be a cougar than a leach, because I think everyone knows that all you've ever done is suck the life out of him," she retorted, which really riled up everyone that was enthralled by the spectacle.
"I'm not someone you want to cross, Ms. Swan. You have a beautiful family...I'd hate for something to happen to them," Kathryn warned, making David's eyes widened.
"Oh, if you do anything to my family, I'll grind you to dust," Snow warned back.
"And if she doesn't...I will," Regina interjected, as she arrived with August.
"Deputy Mayor," Kathryn greeted, seemingly un-threatened by the Mayor's daughter. Regina smirked.
"For now...but soon I'll be the Mayor," she retorted. Kathryn laughed.
"You really think you can beat your mother out for her seat?" she asked incredulously, but Regina kept smirking.
"Oh, I think the people of this town are more than ready for a real leader and not the tyrant that is my mother. Things are changing in Storybrooke and I'm here to give you a very direct warning, Mrs. Nolan," she explained. .
"I encourage you not to fight this divorce or make any kind of move on David or the Swan family," she continued. Kathryn snorted derisively.
"And if I don't heed your warning?" she challenged. Regina's smirk widened.
"Then I publish this article I wrote this afternoon," August stated, as he held up a document.
"It airs all your dirty laundry...and your family's. All your father's dealings in this town, including certain deals he made with people like the Mayor and District Attorney Spencer. I assure you that it will ruin your entire world," he warned. She huffed.
"Sidney Glass is a friend. He would never agree to publish your trash," she contested. But Regina kept smirking.
"Except that I just bought the Storybrooke Mirror today and fired Sidney Glass," Regina informed, shocking them all. Kathryn frowned deeply.
"August is going to run it for me and will be head writer and editor now," she added, as Kathryn finally looked truly worried.
"Now run along and lick your wounds or go cry to my mother," Regina added, as the blonde stormed out in a frenzy. There were claps and cheers, as she did and Snow saw the people looking to her sister as if they had just found a new leader. What she had said was true. Things were changing in Storybrooke and as she felt David squeeze her hand in return, looking like the weight of the entire world had been lifted from his shoulders, she knew these changes were going to be for the better...
