OOC: Hello lovely readers! I know I promised this latest chapter within a week, but I was busy. Also, my Once Upon a Time component to my brain was overloaded with pure fangirl joy at this week's episode (Insert fangirl squeee here) Anywho, on to this piece of fiction! I personally really enjoy this latest chapter, and I hope you do too. In particular, Archie's little monologue towards the end is one of my favourite bits I've written for this story. As always, read and REVIEW, it's what keeps me going. I hope you're all getting as into this story as I am, and I look forward to continuing on from here. Love y'all!
Mary Margaret opened her mouth to speak but not a sound came out. What could she say? Sure, she could deny all matriarchal facts to Emma, point out the obvious. They were the same age. They only met mere months ago. There was no physical way. No physical way. Mary Margaret wanted nothing more than to state all of those facts and brush the whole idea aside as a mere whim. But she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to say those things.
"It's impossible!" Archie exclaimed, his eyes betraying his inner bewilderment. "I mean, you two are the same age! There's no probable way!" A sigh escaped Mary Margaret's lips as Archie said exactly what she herself couldn't bring herself to say.
"But there is a way!" Henry explained. "Time was stopped here. No one aged. My mom was born right when the curse fell down, 28 years ago. The town's been waiting for her to return, so time can be set in motion again! Things are starting to move!"
Mary Margaret frowned, contemplating the thought of 28 years of time standing still. If that was true, how could she not have noticed? She did after all, live in StoryBrooke her entire life. But then again, how long was that? Biting her lip slightly, Mary Margaret tried to recall memories of being a child. Of those carefree days of freedom she saw in the children she taught. No matter how she tried though, only a muddled haze met her mental probing. She couldn't remember. Mary Margaret's thoughts fell to yesterday's meeting with Archie. She had been toying lost memories at that time, and once again the topic had made reappearance. She had never really thought about her past, but now it seemed that her past was all too present.
"Surely an entire town can't be frozen in time for 28 years and none of the residents notice," Archie countered.
"It's the curse!" Henry exclaimed. "But it's breaking now. That's why you're starting to remember what you were like before it."
Archie frowned and looked over at Emma. "You've been rather quiet Ms. Swann. What have you to say on this?"
Emma seemed to hesitate before speaking. "I'm not going to jump in and claim that all of this is true," she started. "I mean it is a lot to take at once." Her gaze shifted momentarily to Mary Margaret. "Henry told me all about the curse when I first got here. As you can imagine, I was sceptical. And that's not to say I still am. Things have been happening that I can't explain though. Like all human beings, I want answers. Why did Graham die? What is Regina's problem? Why can't anyone leave? What has Mary Margaret been seeing? Why do I oddly like hot cocoa with cinnamon just like certain other people…" Her voice caught slightly and she trailed off, her gaze once again momentarily resting on Mary Margaret. With a deep intake of breath, Emma continued. "Like I said, I'm not ready to blindly accept all of this. But right now it is an explanation, and I think it's best that we see where it leads us. If this isn't the answer, then maybe it'll point out what is. By no means am I diving in headfirst; just dangling my toes in the water to get a feel for it. We'll see where it leads from there."
The entire room was silent for a moment as they all pondered her words. Finally, Mary Margaret spoke. "I think I agree," she said tentatively, avoiding direct eye contact with Emma. "We all need answers, and right now this idea seems to be pointing in the right direction. I say we follow it. I'm telling you right now though; I am not going to suddenly move into a house with seven little men." She laughed nervously, attempting to clear the awkward and serious mood that had enveloped the room. Inside though, Mary Margaret still felt as awkward and serious as before. Bewilderment still rattled her brain, and she still needed definite answers.
Archie laughed softly at her comment and clapped his hands together with a smile. "Nor am I planning on befriending a wooden boy. But you both are right in saying that we need answers. Let's see where this road leads why don't we?"
"Operation Cobra!" Henry smiled. "It works a whole lot better now that you two are starting to accept this." He pointed at Archie and Mary Margaret.
"Operation Cobra," Emma repeated with a smile and slid Henry a high-five.
"What do we do from here?" Mary Margaret asked, glad the topic was off of her potential previous childbirth. That was an idea she still really needed to ponder herself.
Henry frowned slightly. "Have you talked to David since what happened on the street yesterday?"
"David?" Mary Margaret's voice cracked as recent memories rushed back in. The car ride out to the toll bridge. Her steadfast mental barricade against loving him. Then….touching him. Seeing (Remembering?) whatever that was with him. Kissing him. Leaving him. That's how she had last seen him. Alone, confused, heartbroken, and dazed in the snowy blizzard. With a gentle brush of her pale hand, Mary Margaret wiped away a single tear that had escaped her eye. Her heart ached at the thought of him hurting. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him again. To hold him again. Mary Margaret remembered that resolve she had felt last night and that very morning. She had seemingly decided to let herself love David wholeheartedly. Regina wanted her to be scared. Regina wanted her to be conquerable. As determined as she might have been, that conquerable, conflict-avoiding side was still a part of her. "He has a wife who loves him." She said softly, repeating the words she had heard so many times.
"He doesn't love her though," Henry replied seriously. "Not like he loves you. And you love him. True love can't be stopped, even by the curse. It's just put on hold. But you're starting to remember your love for each other."
"It's what Regina wants," Emma added. "For some sick reason, she wants to see you hurt inside, to be alone. But even I can't deny that something is between you and David. Remember what we talked about last night. The last thing she wants to see is you, or anyone in this town for that matter, thinking on your own accord. She holds no power over your own thoughts though. If stopping this curse or whatever is going against Regina, then we have to stop cowering and letting her hold the power." She glanced over at Archie who cowered slightly; obviously still feeling guilt for his fateful phone call.
"I know," Mary Margaret sighed and brushed away another stray tear, unsure of how to reply.
"If I might offer my insight," Archie said, clearing his throat. "Love is a special thing. So many seek it. So many more try to pass off mere 'like' as love. But true love. True, unconditional love. It's a rare thing. That being said, I've seen it. After he woke up, David came to several sessions with me to see if I could jog his memory. We never really got anywhere, but the one thing I noticed was what he spoke about. His life with Kathryn. His confusion. But most of all…you. And whenever he started on about walking around the hospital grounds with you, or you bringing him flowers in the hospital, or the moment when he opened his eyes and saw you, his eyes alit with such a sparkle I've never seen before. His eyes were alit with true love. And I see it in your eyes at this very moment. You can try to hide it as you will, but true love will find a way. It always does. You need to treasure what you have, for it's a rare thing. True love….it's more important than whatever it is Regina wants you to do with your life. Ignore what she says, and listen to what your heart says. If there's something I learned in the mineshaft, and relearned today apparently, it's that your heart should be the loudest voice of all when you choose how your life is going to go. It should trumpet loudly over all other influences, because your heart is the true decider of who you are. Your heart is what makes you, well, you." He sighed and looked down at his hands.
Mary Margaret blinked slowly as she absorbed his words. She wanted to ask herself if what she felt for David was true love, but she didn't even bother. She knew at her very core. She couldn't explain why, but she loved him. She loved him truly, deeply, and intensely. She loved him in a way that she couldn't explain fully. She loved him simply because he was him, in all his entirety. "You're right," she said softly. "I love him more than anything else." She paused and once again pictured what had happened last night on the toll bridge. "But he doesn't know that. I told him that I can't love him. That he has a wife. And then I just left him there." Her breath caught in her throat.
"We need to go see him," Henry said.
"Go talk to him?" the idea seemed both incredibly not good and appealing at the same time. While there was nothing Mary Margaret wanted to do more than be in his arms again, she wasn't sure if she could emotionally take all that went along with seeing him again.
"I agree with Henry," Emma added. "You and David obviously feel strongly for each other, and you need to make things right. In the end it's all a part of this grand scheme. Besides, obviously you're a little emotionally overwrought about this, and you know as well as I do that you need to fully accept your love for him. And I think that acceptance can best come from seeing firsthand his love for you."
Mary Margaret wanted to protest and ask what they would do about Kathryn, but the other three seemed so bent on the quest for true love. Besides, she told herself, the part of me that worries about Kathryn is the part Regina wants to see. With a sigh Mary Margaret forced a smile. "To David's we go then."
