A/N: Sorry for the late update! Things got busy, and I'm going away for the weekend again but I started writing as soon as I woke up so I could finish and post this update before I left. I'm not sure if it's just me, because I'm mapping out where it's going, but it's getting really interesting to write. I'm excited to reveal more about Harmony and Regina, and write more about Snowing and their family. I hope you guys like it! Thanks for the reviews.
Also if you guys have any guesses to who Harmony is or if she was even in the EF, I'd be really interested in hearing the predictions.
Oh and SaraLovesCastle, don't apoligize for a long review! They are my fav!
"Jiminy?" David's voice was encased in disbelief and doubt.
"Jiminy Cricket."
"You are Jiminy Cricket? You're unrecognizable."
"Yes, Regina turned me back into human form when she sent me to this world," Ryan looked down when he spoke, as if he couldn't bear to make eye contact.
"How did you get here? Who is the woman you are working with?"
"It doesn't matter, she has become Harmony now. It does no matter to dwell on our past selves, only who we are becoming from here. I came here with Regina's aid. She sent ah-Harmony and I here about a week before she set the curse. Our realm was so paralyzed with fear, scrambling for a way out, that nobody even noticed the small absences. We were to live in this world freely, so long as we kept you away from Snow White. And as long as Emma remained unknowledgable about the curse, she was to be left be."
"What if she did know? I mean, about the curse?" David asked with hesitation, thinking about his conversation with Snow last night.
"Then Regina would begin her plans to take Emma away from Snow White and keep her locked in solitude until her 28th birthday passed- or, she died," Ryan lowers his already quiet voice. "Whichever came first."
"No! How do we stop her?"
"I'm not sure how to stop Regina. I know we can buy ourselves time as long as Emma doesn't know about the curse and her role in it. Can you make sure of that?"
David clicked his tongue, unsure if he should believe Ryan, and unsure if he should force his wife and daughter to live in fear. But he couldn't sacrifice her safety just to live "right." Would Snow agree though? Maybe he should just try to talk her out of telling Emma without mentioning why. Could he keep up such an extravagant lie?
"Yes," David said finally. "I can make sure of that."
"Okay, good. I think I know where to start with Harmony."
David waited for a response, assuming Ryan would let him in on his plan after explaining all of this to him. He was right. Ryan continued with a mix of determination and regret in his eyes.
"We have to get to her son."
David power walked through the store, anxious to get back to his family. He was brimming with new information about their lives. Although he still didn't know how much he planned to share, he knew he just wanted to be with them. His visit with Ryan was longer than he expected, and he just wanted to get back to Snow and Emma.
He couldn't stop tapping his fingers waiting for the person bagging his groceries to finish. He knew he needed to calm down before he got back, so in Snow's car he counted until to ten, then took deep breaths until he calmed down. He continued his deep breaths throughout the ride, reminding himself that Snow didn't know where he was, and had no idea that he would be getting such information. He didn't want to lie to her. He knew that. But he also didn't want to burden her. He knew how devastated she would be to even think of what would happen if Regina knew that Emma knew. He didn't want to force Snow to make the decision between her consciousness, and Regina's threat. He didn't want Snow to live with either decision.
Closing the car door in their driveway, he realized he would just have to protect her.
He walked in to Snow and Emma in the same spot he left them in. Only, Emma was now awake and they were walking on a puzzle on the coffee table.
"Hi," David said shyly, not wanting to interrupt.
"Hi David!" Emma said without thinking, before she could recall the earlier conversation. It quickly washed through her, and Emma turned to look back at her puzzle before David could respond.
"What's going on?"
"Emma woke up from her nap about 30 minutes ago and we were just waiting, so we decided to do a puzzle. How was your trip?"
David swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "It was good... Really beautiful outside. I'm just going to go put these away," David offered, pointing to the bag of groceries in his hand with his eyes. Snow nodded suspiciously but smiled, and David walked to the kitchen.
"Is he still gonna live with us?" Emma asked out of the blue.
"Yes... yes, he's going to live with us, still," Snow said thoughtfully. "Does that upset you?"
Emma shook her head. "Mommy?"
"Yes, love?"
"Was I right?"
"About what?"
"Is he for real your prince charming?"
Snow smiled at her daughter, amazed at her conclusions on David after only knowing him briefly. The combination of David's charm and the excess of Disney movies with Emma's intelligence was there though. David was charming and sweet, more than Emma had ever known from any other man.
"Yes, Em, that's exactly what he is. I love and care for him very much."
Emma nodded, but a smile big enough to swallow her face erupted. "That means you're a Princess!"
Snow let out a chuckle of sheer disbelief at Emma's own perception of her parents. What were the chances? Of course Emma was smart, but it was amazing how right she was. Snow suddenly wanted to tell Emma everything, to tell her she was right, to explain how important she is, and tell her where she came from. But she knew now it was a decision to make with David. She had gone from a parent to a co-parent, and she had to make sure she let David's thoughts have just as much weight as her own if Emma would be able to ever think of him as her father.
"I'm back," David announced in the entranceway to the living room, as if he was afraid of surprising Emma by walking into the room unannounced. He was afraid of surprising her, as if it might set off more tears. "That's a really pretty puzzle. Did you pick it out?"
Emma looked at the picture of the sunset on the puzzle box, then at her father. "Yes."
"I like it," David confirmed.
"Do I have to call you Dad now?" Emma's blunt question caught them both off guard.
David could see Snow moving to respond, but David started talking first. "No, no, you don't have to call me anything you don't want to. I know this is new for you. You can call me David, or Cheese-head, or whatever name you want."
Emma erupted into giggles at the sheer impossibility of calling an adult Cheese-head. "That's disrespectful!"
"Oh, hmm, well... I guess David will be okay too."
"Okay, David." Emma was smiling when she said it, and David suddenly couldn't fathom living another day without that smile. "Do you wanna help me and Mommy with the puzzle?"
David smiled somewhat sadly. He should have been here, Emma should have been calling him Dad and Daddy with that kind of ease. He was here now though, and his daughter had invited him to do a puzzle with her.
"It would truly be my honor," David said and did a small bow, causing another fit of giggles in Emma.
At the end of the day, David was feeling pretty successful with Emma. He had gotten her to brush her teeth and take her vitamin all on his own. He pulled back the covers and got into bed with his wife for the second night in the row. She was using the lamp to read a giant brown book.
"I could get used to this again," David smiled coyly.
"Hmm?" Snow responded without looking up.
"What are you reading?"
"It's a book of our lives, David," Snow said eagerly, as if she was waiting for him to ask. "I never bought it, it just was in my closet one day. I have no idea how it got there. It's just all of our lives, written down. It's everything."
"And... you want to give it to Emma?" David said slowly.
"Wouldn't it be the perfect explanation? It's our real stories. Emma is smart enough to understand, but young enough to believe in us still."
"No, Snow. We can't."
"Excuse me?"
"We just can't. It's not the right thing to do."
"That's not really just a decision for you to make. If we're going to parent her together, we need to actually do it together."
"I know, just please. Can you trust me on this?"
Snow sighed and closed the book. She turned over to face David. "If you tell me where you really were today, maybe."