Totally wrote this when I'm supposed to be paying attention in class… Oh well! Hope you guys enjoy!
Snow kept the girls back and Timber hid just behind their feet, nervous of the entire situation. Both girls were turned into their mother's side, clinging to her coat with as their mother had one arm around each of them. Rumplestiltskin seemed shocked by the feeling of his still young son holding onto his torso.
There were too many question running through everyone's heads.
"Snow, take them home!" David called as he got down on his hands and knees to check the pulse of the driver.
She did not ask any questions. Cora was missing, two people were seriously hurt, if not dead, Rumplestiltskin had just saved her daughter's life and there was only so much more they could take in a twenty-four hour period.
"Bealfire, go with Belle," Rumple also instructed, gently nudging his son toward the kind woman. "She'll keep you safe until I return."
"You can come with us," Snow called to them. Her eyes fell on the boy pirate looking equal parts lost and fearful. "You too Hook."
"What if Cora-" Belle began but Regina shook her head.
"She won't. Not yet at least. She has too many people against her right now and she's probably somewhere licking her wounds." Regina shook her head as she thought about it. She looked just as nervous as the rest of them. She didn't know when she started to care so deeply for these people she loathed, but children didn't deserve to be hurt. "You'll be safe, but you should probably go."
Snow and Belle did not argue as she pushed the children toward Snow's car. It was something to frighten four teenagers into silence, but the entire ride home was quiet. The nerves were practically radiating off of them. Belle was constantly glancing in the back seat to be sure everyone was still in one piece.
Rose and Emma were coming out of it quicker than the boys, but then they were still with their mother. They had a protector with them. Hook and Bealfire/Neal, whatever he wanted to be called, they were not used to having protectors.
As soon as Snow unlocked the door to the loft, the girls quickly headed toward the living area and started digging through the movies. They planned on staying up with their mother until their dad got home and could tell them what was going on.
"Uh-uh. Absolutely not. Upstairs right now," Snow said harshly. "We have a lot to talk about."
Emma and Rose exchanged wistful glances. They had almost forgotten that they would be in trouble. Using magic against their parents so they could escape town with two boys probably was not the most intelligent thing in the world.
Snow turned back around to the three guests occupying their apartment. "Make yourselves at home. I will be right back." With another firm look to her daughters, she pointed up the steps. If it hadn't been such a hard night, Emma and Rose's sulkiness probably would have been found funnier.
When they reached the top of the stairs the girls sat separately on their beds, looking down at their feet. Snow was the firm parent, but she had a feeling David would have a few words for them too. She stood in front of them, studying each of them. There was a shallow cut on Emma's arm, but she seemed unfazed by it and Rose seemed mostly just covered in dust.
Snow didn't know where to begin. They used magic against their own parents. They tried to leave Storybrooke to go to a city that was known for being dangerous. They ended up getting nose to nose with Cora. Too many bad things came too close to happening.
But using magic against their parents?
Tears burned in Snow's eyes. She was frustrated and tired, and even hurt.
"I was wrong," Snow said softly after several long moments of painful silence. "We don't have a lot to talk about. But you have a lot to think about." The girls looked up and guilt flooded them when they saw their mother holding back tears. "You hurt your father and me today when you proved how little you trust us." Emma opened her mouth to say something but Snow held up a hand. "Don't talk. Don't say a word until both of you have really thought about what you're going to say and I can guarantee you haven't thought about it long enough."
Snow swallowed her tears as Emma and Rose both looked back down to the floor, tears in their own eyes now. They knew they messed up, but they really needed to think on it and realize that they couldn't treat their parents like they had treated foster families that never paid much attention to them. Snow and Charming would rather die than see something happen to their daughters.
The girls didn't even look up when they heard their mother's footsteps heading back toward the steps. Their mother was right. They really didn't think about how much they had hurt their parents. It all seemed like a good idea at the time. Prince Charming and Snow White would have helped their friends, but then again they were probably older than fourteen. Also they were orphans.
Something clicked in both the girls at the same time. It was an odd thing to have in common with their parents but they were orphans too. Then again, it would probably hurt their parents if they ever said that. So they had been with at least Snow (well Mary Margaret) for almost a year, but they still weren't completely used to all the things that came with having parents. Real parents. That cared.
They never meant for their parents to think they didn't trust them. They just… well, they just didn't think it would really hurt their feelings.
"We screwed up…" Emma said with a sigh.
"Yep," Rose said with a nod.
When Snow reappeared at the bottom of the steps, Belle gave her a gentle look. Though she was not a parent, Belle knew the look of an injured heart. "David called and said they're taking the two people into surgery now. Things don't look that great," Belle told her quietly as she glanced over at the two boys sitting at the coffee table playing some card game that seemed to come from more of the Enchanted Forest realm than the one they were currently in.
"Do you know his story?" Snow asked quietly, nodding to the boy who barely looked old enough to be considered a pirate in their world and still had the softness of a boy's face. Though he had a bit of a pirate's attitude, it was fairly clear to the people around him that it was an act. There was a softness to his eyes that held injury.
Belle nodded slowly. "I've actually met the boy before." There was a light chuckle in her throat. "He was going to kill me." The expression on Snow's face made Belle giggle even more. "It was his revenge on Rumple that I guess he never really gave up on. I don't think he really had it in his heart to hurt anyone. It really wasn't that long ago. Rumple's wife, Milah, was taken by pirates, his brother actually. But Milah had fallen in love with him. From the way he spoke, he didn't have much of a family and his brother was like a father to him. Long story short, Rumple killed his wife for leaving him and Bealfire to be with the pirate but let Killian's brother live. How he lost his hand, he never exactly said, other than it was 'the crocodile'."
Snow shook her head. "Our world proves to be as cruel as this world sometimes. Just in different ways."
Belle glanced at her, not understanding Snow's meaning, but she guessed it had something to do with her daughters. She had heard Ruby speak of the troubles the princesses had before they came to Storybrooke, but there was no specifics ever given.
Snow glanced at Belle. There was a lump in her throat as she bit her lip. "I thought my girls would be safe and protected. I swore I would protect them and half the time I feel like I'm still trying prove to them that I am worthy of their trust."
Though she had never met Snow before the curse, she could already tell they had similar hearts. They could be great friends. "I know it's not what you had in mind," Belle said quietly. "I'm sure no mother ever imagined earning their children's trust, but I can tell you those girls love you."
Snow seemed surprised by Belle's words and she quickly wiped the tears off her cheeks. "How?"
Belle laughed lightly. "It's obvious. Just as obvious as you and your husband are. Your family is not very good at hiding love."
The two women sat with each other at the table drinking hot chocolate as the night grew later. Blankets and pillows were given to the boys and they eventually fell asleep on the floor by the coffee table. It was close to six in the morning when Rumple and David arrived back at the loft. They hadn't quite decided whether or not it great news that the couple from the car accident had survived, but they were stable and still unconscious. Graham had promised to talk to them when they woke, but until then the rest of them could go home.
Regina had gone to her own home, and by the look on David's face Snow knew there had to be a little something more to that. She was as confused on her stand on the recent situation as the rest of them. However no one could argue that she wasn't helpful during the run in with Cora.
It was decided that Hook and Neal would go home with Rumple and Belle. They were fairly sure there would be no escape plans, at least not after the earlier events. The girls had not made a sound since Snow left them in their room.
It was odd to think of Rumplestiltskin as a father, but the way he looked at Neal there wasn't a doubt he loved the boy. If the group had been more awake, there probably would have been arguments over the destination of where the boys were staying, but they were too tired.
When everyone was finally out the door and the Charming family was alone, Snow leaned into her husband's arms. He thought for sure she would have gone to bed but then again he should have known she didn't sleep well without him.
"I may have been a little hard on the girls," she told her husband wistfully.
Charming held his wife a little tighter. "I think it was a fair time for some tough love."
Snow leaned back to look him in the eye. "It was definitely love."
OUAT
It had to have been noon. The sun was shining through the windows in an annoying bright way and the sound of footsteps on the floor above them had been going on for a while. Yet Snow and Charming did not move. They were still exhausted even if they were no longer sleeping. The night had lasted much too long and neither of them felt ready to face their children.
The top step creaked.
"You think they're okay?" Rose halfway whispered looking over the railing to see her parents' fingers still in bed. "They never sleep this late."
"No. I think they're under another sleeping curse." Emma shot her sister a sober look. "Called exhaustion."
Rose rolled her eyes and took a seat on the top step. "Your sarcasm is unbecoming."
"Really? I thought it was part of my charm!" Emma teased tiptoeing down the steps with Timber at her heels.
David smirked to himself as he kept his eyes closed, half hoping to hear the girls' conversation but the other half wanted to go back to sleep. The girls were different when it was just the two of them. They talked freely and their wit was intriguing. Snow thought it was sad that Mary Margaret saw more of it than Snow did. But she too laid silent, listening to their daughters tiptoe around the kitchen.
There was a quiet groan and the sound of the refrigerator closing. "Sometimes I miss when we had foster parents that didn't cook. There was at least frozen stuff or something!" Emma complained as the sound of Rose's footsteps also went down the steps.
"You like that Mom cooks. Besides, if I never see another pizza roll in my life I'd be happy," Rose said scrunching her nose. "I think we ate those stupid things every day for a year."
"Sometimes three times a day," Emma reminded her. "And they were always room temperature."
Both girls made a displeased sound but it was followed by a giggle. The cabinets squeaked a little as they opened. "Oh! I found peanut butter!" Rose announced happily, and probably too loudly.
"I found bread!" Emma added. The fridge opened again. "And jelly! Something that even we can't screw up!"
"Should we make some for Mom and Dad?" Rose asked as she got out two plates. "Oh! Is there juice? Like any juice? I really want juice." The last part maybe had a little too much enthusiasm. Emma gave her a weird look.
"Yes. Juice. Anyone else find it weird that Snow White keeps apple juice around?" Emma asked lightly.
"I ate a poisoned apple turnover, I'm okay with apple juice," Rose said matter-of-factly as she offered Timber a spoon full of peanut butter.
"Dad would tell you not to do that," Emma sang as she poured herself a glass of milk. On that note, David shifted lightly and Snow stretched her arms up. It was probably a good time to get up.
"Dad's asleep," Rose sang back as she continued letting the fox have some of the peanut butter, not hearing her parents enter the room behind her.
"Am not," David announced, making Rose jump up and hit her head on the kitchen counter. Everyone hissed as she yelped. Almost instantly David was rubbing Rose's head feeling for a knot and pulled her back to check her eyes. When he was satisfied she was okay, he cupped her face. "That's pretty quick karma," he told her before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.
Still, Rose rubbed the top of her head and tried to shake off the pain. Snow had already taken up making the sandwiches with Emma, but the girls still seemed very withdrawn. Emma cast a nervous glance at Snow, but Snow had almost completely forgot her the conversation from the night before.
"You guys sure you just want PB&Js?" Snow asked as she yawned and nudged Emma with her hip. "I'd like you all to have some fruit too."
"Fruit's fine," Emma said quietly, in a completely different tone than she used with her sister before. There was no playfulness to it, more hesitation. Snow glanced at her daughter sleepily, but then remembered why her daughters were finding it difficult to make eye contact.
"I think it would be a good idea to put what happened last night aside for a little while, kiddos. We can talk about that after we eat and relax a bit. For the moment, I'd like my happy girls back," Snow said making sure to get eye contact with both her daughters.
Almost immediately the girls seemed to settle, smiling fondly at their mother as David started the coffee. It wasn't a hot chocolate morning. They needed coffee. The girls could have juice if they liked, but David was still trying to wake up.
"So how are those people?" Rose asked as David pressed a good morning kiss to the side of Emma's head too before settling in next to his wife. "They're okay, right?"
Snow tensed next him as she focused on making the sandwiches. Hearing that car zooming toward her daughter, who stood nose to nose with Cora, was still sickening. The amount of dread and fear still caused Snow's stomach to churn.
"Graham's with them. But I think they're going to be okay," David assured his dark hair daughter. "But I think your mom's right. Let's leave the conversation of last night until we're all a little more awake and have some food on our stomachs."
Rose nodded, sensing that she said something that upset her parents. They weren't angry, but they weren't quite at their usual pace. Emma offered her sister a sandwich as she came around to sit next to her on the other barstool. Despite both of them being dressed for the day, they were barefoot and contently kicking their feet back and forth.
For the most part, they seemed rather at peace unlike their parents. An evil sorceress was after them, but they were more upset that they had upset their parents. There was no worry about Cora in their minds, they were fine.
It became clearer as Snow watched them. The previous night's mishap with her and Charming being stuck to the floor wasn't about mistrust. These girls trusted their parents enough not to worry about Cora hurting them as they ate breakfast. After all the girls had been through, all the pain and the hurting, they trusted their parents enough to know that nothing like that was going to happen on their watch.
However, there were small hesitations. Little hesitations with small glances when girls were doing something they worried their parents wouldn't approve of. Hesitation wasn't mistrust, it was testing limits. They were teenagers after all.
"Are we going to have to stay inside all day?" Emma asked, her voice bordering on a whine. Obviously she hoped not.
"Well," David started, looking at Snow. "You're going to have to stay supervised."
The twins looked at each other, having a silent conversation. Snow snapped her fingers and glared at them teasingly. "Conversations in this house are spoken or signed for all to understand," she told them with a smile. The girls rarely signed anymore, but then again Rose rarely took out her hearing aids. She was finally in a world she didn't feel the need to escape.
They hesitated. Emma looked directly at Snow, purposely avoiding her father's gaze.
"Can we-uh- can we hang out with Neal and Hook?" Emma asked uneasily resisting the urge to glance over at her father to gage his reaction. They knew how their father already felt about boys, but they were fourteen! In their eyes they were quite old enough to take care of themselves and choose who they wanted to spend their time with.
"Well, uh…" Snow and David looked at each other. To be completely honest, it would be good for the girls to have friends that treated them like normal people. All the other kids were too interested in the fact they were princesses. Neal had known the girls from before Storybrooke and Hook, though a pirate, had certain mannerisms about him that were in his favor. "I was thinking we could go to the stables-"
"They could come too!" Emma argued. "Please."
Right on cue, their already wide eyes rounded and both girls' lips jutted out in a very effective puppy dog pout. Timber even through in a small cry as if to emphasize the matter.
Snow cocked her head to David, leaving the decision up to him. The stables were usually his place to spend time with the girls. He had only recently gotten Rose comfortable on the horse. As much as the girl loved animals, she had to really work herself up to putting herself on the animal's back. As long as Rose was hesitant on horseback, David was going to be very uncomfortable setting her loose with her sister, much less two other kids too.
"I'll be fine, Dad," Rose assured him, seeing his hesitation. "It's not like you won't be there."
That made him feel a little better, but he was still unsure. His hesitation wasn't exactly logical, but it was still there. His girls were his girls. He wasn't ready for boys.
"Please?" the girls said in unison, still giving the puppy dog eyes. David actually laughed at their synchronization.
"Okay, fine. We can ask but Gold may not be willing to give up his son quite yet," he told them smirking as the girls exchanged a high-five. Without even finishing their breakfast, they jumped up and headed up the steps to get ready.
David sighed as Snow laughed and leaned against him. "They could use friends," Snow told her husband softly.
"Friends with Rumplestiltskin's son and a teenage pirate. Just what I always wanted for my daughters," David mumbled dryly.
Snow laughed and kissed her husband's cheek. "Well, I can assure you that there are enough people looking out for those two girls that if they tried anything a werewolf, seven dwarves, a granny, and maybe even a step-grandmother would be happy to dispose of the problem."
"You forgot a charming shepherd," David quipped starting toward his own bedroom for a change of clothes. "I thought I would have a decade and a half to prepare myself for this. Boys…"
Snow laughed and followed him behind the curtain.
I'm thinking that the stable trip should have a few extra visitors. Please review!