Chapter 29
Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time." Also this a sequel to the original "Thicker than Water" written by La Lisboa.
I'd like to thank Lisboa for betaing and letting me use her story as a starting point.
Red had started walking the kennel dogs outside again, now that the weather was getting warmer. Unfortunately, it wasn't warm enough to let them run around in one of the parks. There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground, after all. But the snow was melting steadily, and it was warm enough to take them around the block, as long as she still wore the hat and mittens Granny made for her.
Red really enjoyed it. This way, she could spend time with the dogs and witness spring coming. It was interesting, and comforting to her, that in this world, spring still appeared. The snow still began to melt. Even some of the grass that was already uncovered had started to turn green. Soon, Red assumed leaves would grow on the trees, and eventually flowers would bloom. Birds would also return from their migration. (Snow looked forward to that, Red was sure.)
The only "down side" of spring arriving was that Red wasn't the only person who liked to walk around and witness it. There were many other people eager to do so as well. Red accepted strangers, particularly men, better than she had a few months ago. She knew a lot of them simply walked by her without looking. Some of them simply said "hi" as they strolled past her and whatever dog she was walking. But there were still a few men that gave her trouble. And unfortunately, Red never knew which men those would be until it happened.
She would be walking down the street, holding onto a leash, with a small dog, or even a medium – size dog, and some man would approach her. "Hi there," the man would say. "What's your dog's name?"
Red would say the dog's name, whether it was "Lady," "Spot" or "Hercules," in the most intimidating way she could, looking the man straight in the eye. She could do a pretty good job sounding intimidating, since she was wearing a red hat, mittens, and jacket, and she was holding a dog. Dogs gave Red confidence.
"I see," the man would reply uncertainly. Most of them would walk away after that. Red was glad, considering she was sure they wanted the same thing Mr. Jenison did. A couple of them would try further than that. One of them laughed after she told him the dog's name, "Trouble."
"Boy, you're feisty, aren't you? Would you be interested in getting a drink?"
"No," Red snapped to him, her rage growing that he didn't get her message before. "I'd be interested in this, though," she added as she stepped on his foot and walked around him. Trouble growled at the man as well. Good for the dog.
"Ow!" the man screamed, since he was wearing sneakers. "What was that for? I just wanted to get some drinks…" Yeah, and Red was sure he'd want way more than that after the drinks were done, too. She was never going to put herself in a situation like that again.
At any rate she needed to get back to the kennel soon. "Come on, Trouble," she told the small but mischievous, black – and – white dog. "Let's go."
OOOOOOOOO
Red made dinner for herself, Abigail, and Fredrick that night. She often did that, ever since she stopped working at night at the restaurant. She'd never be as good of a cook as Granny or even Snow, but she knew more than a former pampered princess and a knight. And she'd even managed to figure out how to use the kitchen machines in this world. Tonight, it was chicken and that new food so many people were fond of in this world (including Abigail and Fredrick), potatoes.
Abigail and Fredrick came inside just as she was setting the table. "I think it's a great idea, Freddie," she was saying. "Oh, hi Red," she added as she sat down.
"Hi, Red," Fredrick greeted her as he sat down as well. Then he turned back to Abigail. "Yeah, but if I had a job, I might have different hours than you do. I might not be able to protect you on the bus as well as I do now."
Abigail made goo – goo eyes at Fredrick. "I love how you always want to protect me, Freddie. But we've been riding on the bus for months now, and nothing bad has happened to us. I think maybe… they're not as dangerous as we thought they were. It would be good for you to get a job, after all."
Red sighed as she took the chicken out of the oven. A couple of months ago, when Abigail and Fredrick first came to live with her, she would have agreed with Abigail. Those buses may move fast, but they weren't dangerous. She'd never had a problem with them, and neither did her other friends, after all. But since her "incident" with her ex – boss, she wasn't so sure Fredrick was wrong. Those buses did have a lot of strange men riding them. Red knew she could defend herself if she had to, since she'd defended herself against Mr. Jenison. But that still didn't make her feel entirely comfortable around all those strangers when she rode the bus. Especially considering she couldn't bring a dog with her. At any rate, Red was sure Abigail and Fredrick would figure something out. It wasn't really her business, considering she and Abigail could still make the rent themselves. In the meantime, she served the chicken and potatoes.
"Fredrick got offered a job as a custodian, right in the same building I work in," Abigail announced as they began eating. "Wouldn't that be nice, if he had a job as well? And since it's in the same building, he already knows where it is and everything."
Red sighed. Apparently they were making it her business. "Yeah, that sounds promising," she admitted.
"But I might have different hours," Fredrick argued. "How would I protect her then?"
Red shrugged. "Maybe you can think of something."
After dinner, Abigail worked on a special painting: a full portrait of Fredrick. Things were still good between her roommates, despite their disagreement about Fredrick's job. That was nice to see.
OOOOOOOOOO
The next day, when Red was walking "Trouble" again, she noticed a man walking another dog. Fortunately, the man didn't pay any attention to her, though. And despite the fact that Trouble began barking at the other dog, she simply led him in a different direction.
OOOOOOOOOO
A week later, Fredrick had finally agreed to take the custodial job in the mall where Abigail's dress shop was located. They realized that they their jobs did have similar hours. And when Fredrick had to go in earlier, Abigail simply went with him. When Abigail had to stay later, Fredrick waited for her, and vice versa. It was nice for them to have extra money. They put some of it in a savings account, to save for the wedding they planned to have in this world someday. (Abigail and Fredrick agreed with Snow and David. They wanted to be legally married in this world. But since they preferred fancier ceremonies, they wanted to wait until they could afford a big wedding.)
OOOOOOOOOO
The next day, Red saw the man with the dog again, while she was walking a new dog. (This was a Saint Bernard named Rosie.) Rosie was much better behaved than Trouble, so she didn't bark as much at the other dog. Therefore, Red noticed more things about the man and the dog this time. She noticed that the other dog was a large dog, similar to the Saint Bernard, only it looked to be some kind of white lab. She also noticed the dog had a strange – looking leash. Red had gotten used to leashes, since the first time she saw them and they'd horrified her. She accepted them as necessary for dogs in this world, when they were being walked. But she knew what an average dog leash looked like. It was a long rope that attached the dog at the neck. The leash that the man was holding was a long rope. But instead of attaching to the dog at the collar, it attached the dog around the waist. Strange.
OOOOOOOOO
The next time Red walked another dog, it had rained for close to a week. She and the dogs were more than ready to go outside again. So when it stopped raining for a little while, Red asked her boss if it would be okay to take one of the dogs for a walk outside today. Her boss told her, "Be my guest. Take Rover," she added, pointing to the dog in the far corner.
"Sure. Come on, Rover," she told the small black poodle.
"Arrf!" the dog agreed as she put the leash on him.
When they went outside, it was better than it had been before. Everything smelled fresh and clean. More of the grass was green. Some of the trees even had buds on them. Red slowed down a little so she could enjoy the scenery.
About half way through the walk, Red saw the man with the white lab again. Rover was a very vocal dog, so he immediately began barking at the other dog. It was kind of interesting, though, that the white lab didn't pay any attention to Rover or his barking. What was really interesting was what happened when they turned the corner. There was a beautiful rainbow that Red just had to stop and look at for a minute. But the man walking the white lab walked right past it without even looking up. Red would say he was just in a hurry. (She'd noticed a lot of people in this world tended to be in a hurry.) But the way he walked didn't seem to indicate he was in a big rush. When he strolled by her he even seemed to be savoring the smell of the fresh air.
Red couldn't figure out what was going on with the man or the dog. But she hoped she saw them again. They were a very interesting pair.
OOOOOOOO
David had been really busy at the dairy farm these past few weeks, since many of the cows were giving birth. He loved it. Bill would deliver most of the cows, while David gave them water, and made sure the new calves were healthy. New life coming to the world…it was wonderful.
David remembered the first time he'd seen a sheep give birth, as a little boy. It was one of the few memories he had of his father. "Come with me, David," her mother told him one morning. "Papa says we're going to have a new lamb soon!"
"No!" he protested, as a three – year old would. "I busy!" David couldn't remember what he had been doing at the time, but he did remember being upset his mother interrupted him.
"Believe me, David," his mother said gently, "You're going to want to see this. Watching a lamb be born is something I'll never get tired of." With that, his mother picked him up and carried him to the barn.
David pouted. He didn't understand why his mother was forcing him to go to the barn.
But when they arrived, Papa greeted them with a warm smile. "Hello, you're just in time!" He was sitting on the barn floor, massaging the stomach of one of the sheep's.
David smiled. He still didn't see why what was going on in the barn was such a big deal, but it was nice to see Papa. Usually Papa was too busy to see them during the day. "Hi Papa!" David exclaimed, about to run over and give him a big hug.
"Wait, David," his mother cautioned, grabbing his arm to stop him. "You need to be careful when Papa is taking care of a sheep that's going to give birth. Don't startle the sheep, okay?"
David nodded and carefully walked to his father to give him a hug. "Hello, son," Papa replied, hugging him back. "Now go back and sit with your mother, and you'll see a new lamb come out of this sheep."
David nodded obediently, wondering how that was possible. Meanwhile, the sheep seemed to be whimpering in pain. "Is the sheep alright?" he asked his mother.
"Of course, honey. It is just uncomfortable to give birth. But it's worth it," she promised her son.
David nodded as he watched his Papa talk soothingly and rub the sheep gently. It did seem to help. How did Papa know exactly what to do? Suddenly, David saw a small head appear out of the sheep's stomach. "Mama! Look!" he exclaimed, pointing excitedly.
His mother nodded. "I know," she whispered back. Papa slowly pulled the rest of the lamb out, and Mama helped clean him up. But David couldn't stop staring at that new lamb that he'd just watched come into the world.
Over the years as a child, he watched many lambs come into the world. As he got older, he'd helped deliver them. Those moments never stopped being special, and that hadn't changed now that he was witnessing baby calves instead of baby lambs. There was only one moment that was more wonderful than watching the lambs or calves being born in David's life.
The birth of his daughter. As horrible as that day was, with the Curse coming and the terror they were all feeling, watching his daughter come into the world was the most wonderful day of his life. That was how David knew they would win, actually, as he fought the black knights. How could Emma's birthday be the day which Regina won? David knew such a day could only be a good day.
OOOOOOOOO
After all the calves were finally born, David was busy feeding the new mothers, cleaning the stalls, and collecting the milk pails, as always. He also kept an eye on them, to make sure none of them were getting sick. One day, it had just finished raining (again), and David was unloading some new cow feed from Bill's truck. It was nice to be outside, after all. He liked seeing the snow had melted and some of the grass was turning green. Despite all the differences this world had from the Enchanted Forest, it still had seasons. Spring still appeared.
David hummed to himself. (He was actually humming the tune of the song Snow had sung to him for Valentine's Day. He really loved that song.) Bill was in his office, working on some paperwork. Tina didn't come around all the time anymore, since he'd "let her down." He was sorry about that for Bill's sake, but there was really nothing he could do about it. Suddenly, David felt something…off. Someone was watching him. But David was certain Bill was in the office. So he turned around, trying not to scare off whoever it was.
"I see you've gone back to your roots, Shepherd."
No! David thought to himself. He knew that voice. As he turned around fully and the man stepped into view, David's heart sank as he realized he was right. King George. Although David had to admit, it was rather strange to see George dressed in clothes men wore in this world. Nice black pants and a button – down shirt, although the clothes were ripped, indicating George had done quite a bit of work to get here. (Especially for a man like George, who always wanted to look presentable.)
"It took me long enough to find you," George continued, stepping forward. "I thought you'd be pretending to be the leader you never were, again. It didn't help that I didn't understand this world at all. But I'm a determined man, and I get what I want, Shepherd. I wandered around, asking many different people if they knew someone that matched your description. Finally I found someone who had heard a dairy farmer hired a tall, blond man who knew a lot about livestock. I thought that might be you, and I was right."
"I see," David replied, squaring his shoulders and his feet firmly to confront his old enemy. "Well, you're trespassing on someone else's land right now. So I suggest you get off this property now." He looked George straight in the eye as he said this. David had never been afraid of King George, and George needed to understand that hadn't changed, just because they were in a different world.
George squared his shoulders and feet as well. "I don't see how that's my concern," he replied, dismissively. "I'm a king after all. And right now I want what I've always wanted. Your head off your shepherd shoulders!" With that, George charged at David ready to attack him with his bare hands.
David may have been out of fighting practice, and he'd rather have a sword, but that doesn't mean he'd forgotten everything. He stepped out of George's charge and grabbed the man's leg, instead, knocking the old man to the ground. George growled in response. "It doesn't matter what you do, you'll never beat a true king! And I will have my revenge!" He grabbed David's leg as well, and almost knocked him to the ground. But David was able to wiggle out of his grip before he did so.
Suddenly, Bill appeared. "Hi David, I heard some yelling –"he began. "Who's this," he asked pointing to George.
"Who I am is none of your business," George replied getting off the ground. "My business is with this man." He ran into David, knocking him off his feet this time, because David had been paying attention to Bill.
"Well, since you're on my property and attacking my best farm hand, I'd say it is my business," Bill snapped back. "Now get off my property or I'll call the police."
David got up, despite George's attempt to hold him down, and flipped George over. The police! He thought to himself. That was Emma, wasn't it? He didn't need Emma getting in the middle of a battle with George. What if he attacked Emma, too? "No, Bill!" he replied sharply. "I'm sure I can handle him without the police."
George got back up, laughing evilly. "Yeah, that's the way you always were, Shepherd. Unwilling to accept help from anyone, because you had to be right. If you had accepted our deal was best, you could have had my help with the kingdom."
"I think your memory is off, George," David replied, as he ducked from another one of George's hits. "I had plenty of help to defeat you. I just don't need help now." Even if he did need it, there was no way he would endanger Emma that way, but he wasn't going to tell George that. George didn't need to know the beautiful blond woman was his daughter.
Unfortunately, it appeared Bill had called the police anyway, because David suddenly heard Emma's police siren, just as he had his hands around George's neck. Okay, so George had his hands around David's neck, too, but that wasn't important. All long as he took George down with him, and Emma wasn't hurt, it would be okay.
But as Emma's police car stopped in front of Bill's, George's hands relaxed, since he was distracted. David tried to take advantage of that, when Emma chose that point to yell "Dad!"
George's expression changed, and he immediately charged at Emma. Why did Emma have to use that point to acknowledge their relationship? David ran to step in front of Emma, thinking of his sweet baby girl whose birth he was just thinking of yesterday.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Emma was doing her usual patrol through Hampden Thursday afternoon. It was kind of nice because it wasn't raining for a change. Suddenly her phone rang. She picked it up casually, assuming it was her mother with a question about Henry or something. "Hello," she answered.
"Officer Swan," her boss greeted her. "I've just been informed of a trespasser on the Collins' Dairy Farm. It sounds like he's harassing one of the farm hands, too. I don't know if it's anything serious, but I'd like you to check it out."
"Of course," Emma replied hanging up. As she turned toward the dairy farm she began to think of what Chief Winslow had said. "The dairy farm." Where David worked. "Harassing one of the farm hands." David was the only farm hand there, as far as she knew. David could handle a trespasser and some harassment, Emma was sure. He knew how to stand up to people. That's one of the reasons she'd picked him to be her deputy. But what if the man began attacking her father?
Emma tried to tell herself not to worry. To be more optimistic, like her parents always were. All her boss said was that the man was trespassing and harassing someone, after all. But Emma also knew her father would probably try to "downplay" the danger so it wouldn't worry anyone. (She still remembered the way he acted when he was sick.) So maybe David was being hurt. Just in case, she turned on the siren and sped to the dairy farm.
As soon as she arrived, she was horrified to see a man trying to strangle her father. She jumped out of the cruiser and yelled "Dad!" without even thinking about it. Fortunately, the man let go of Dad immediately at that. Unfortunately, the man ran toward Emma instead.
"What's this 'Dad"? the man yelled as he charged at Emma. "You were supposed to be childless, Shepherd!" Emma sidestepped his charge quickly. She realized that this man hadn't attacked David out of nowhere. By the way he talked; he must be another fairytale character.
"Stay away from her, George!" her father yelled, grabbing George's legs from behind and knocking him down.
"I will have your head, Shepherd, and your offspring as well!" George yelled as he tried to get up again. But David held on to the man's legs firmly.
Emma squared her shoulders and her feet as she aimed her gun at the man. She was careful to aim it as far as possible from Dad. "You are cornered." She told him firmly. "Get up and leave or I will shoot." What she wanted to do was shoot this "George" right now for trying to strangle her father. But the incident with Tamara and Hook had taught her vengeance was never the answer. Not if she wanted to be a cop. She had to give him a chance to surrender.
George laughed evilly. "Whatever. I'll get you." He managed to force himself from her father's hold and crawled to Emma, ready to punch her in the stomach. But she saw him coming and grabbed his fist first, pushing it out of the way. Then she pointed her gun at him and fired, hitting him in the leg. He went down immediately. She realized the comment "I'll shoot" probably didn't mean much to this man, considering he wouldn't know what a gun was or what it did, but she really didn't care. He tried to kill her father.
David stood up and gave Emma a big hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!" he exclaimed, still shaking. "When Bill said he was calling the police, I knew you'd end up in the middle of this, and it was the last thing I wanted. Why did you have to use that moment to call me 'Dad'" anyway?"
Emma shrugged as she hugged him back. "I didn't think about all the reasons that I shouldn't. I just saw his hands around your neck, and I reacted. Although I'm really glad Bill called the police. What if would have happened if didn't get here?"
David shrugged as he finally let go of her. "George would have been taken care of, and you would have been safe. I had my hands around his neck, too you know."
Emma hadn't really noticed that, she had been so focused on the hands around David's neck. Still, that wasn't really the point. "Yeah but you could have died, David…Dad. This is my job. I'm supposed to take care of bad guys like this," she pointed to George, still lying on the ground, blood coming out of his leg.
"Oh, such sentimental drivel!" George screamed from the ground, as he struggled to get up. "I will kill you shepherd! And all your offspring! You humiliated me!" Fortunately, George was unable to get up. He obviously didn't know enough about gunshot wounds. In fact, all that wiggling was probably making it worse. Emma really didn't care.
David smiled at being called "Dad" again. "Yeah, well it was supposed to be my job," he commented softly. "I was supposed to protect you from the evils of the world, as a father should."
Emma nodded, thinking of all the times where she would have loved to have her dad save her from the "evils of the world." But they needed to put that behind them. "Yeah, but I'm not a kid anymore. When we were in Storybrooke, you learned to accept that. We worked together."
David looked at the ground. "Well I don't know if I can accept it now," he grumbled. "But I have to say, I am proud of the way you fought him off. I like to think you get your fighting style from me. The way you stand against your enemy and the way you managed to dodge his attack."
Emma had never really thought about that before but she supposed they did have similar fight styles. Maybe that's why they made such a great sheriff/deputy team in Storybrooke? "Maybe," she replied. "Thanks for helping me take care of him by the way. You knocked him down, after all."
Bill suddenly walked over and examined George. "What do you want?" George snarled as he got closer.
Bill shrugged. "Well, even though you just attacked my best farm hand, I was thinking we should get you to the hospital."
"Yeah, he is," Bill replied after a couple of minutes. "For now anyway." He pointed to Emma. "You should probably get him to the hospital, just in case."
Emma nodded. She didn't really want to take care of this piece of trash that tried to kill her father, but she supposed it was part of her job. "Okay. I'll call for a transport vehicle." She used her cell phone to call for an ambulance, making it clear it wasn't an emergency. Emma didn't want George to take the place of an innocent person who actually needed the one, after all. But she still needed people to help transport unconscious person.
When she hung up, she turned to Bill and asked, "Can you do me a favor and make sure David gets checked out, too?" trying to sound as causal as possible. But she was staring at the bruises on her father's neck in the shape of George's fingers.
David shook his head. "No, Emma, don't worry about me. I'm fine."
Emma shook her head, with her hands on her hips. "He was strangling you when I got here. I just think you should get checked out, just in case."
Bill nodded. "I agree. I mean, you were holding your own with him, better than I would, that's for sure. But it's still better to be safe. Where did you learn to fight like that, anyway? Were you on the wrestling team or something? And who was he? It sounds like you had a history."
David nodded. "Yeah, we had a history, all right. He blames me…for the way his life turned out, even though most of it is because of his choices."
Bill nodded. "That's the way these characters usually are. And he wanted Emma…because she's part of your family? I seem to recall she's your sister – in – law, right? "
"Something like that," David growled.
"David's kind of like a father to me, because I never had one," Emma added, anticipating his next question.
"Oh, okay," Bill replied, slightly less confused. Just then, the ambulance arrived to transport George.
Despite George's protests that he didn't need their help, they loaded him into the vehicle.
"Let's go, David," Bill commented, leading him to his truck.
OOOOOOOOOOO
Emma watched George while the doctors treated him and then quietly stepped out and called her mother. David would tell her he was "fine" and there was no reason to worry Snow. But Emma would rather her mother be here, just in case.
"Hello Emma!" Snow greeted her when she answered the phone. "Is there something wrong?"
"Maybe, I'm not sure," Emma replied honestly. "Well I was on patrol today…I got a call about someone trespassing on the dairy farm. Turns out someone was attacking David."
"Is he okay?" Snow asked nervously.
"I think so. But he was being strangled before I got there and distracted the perp. I had him go to the hospital to get checked out, just in case. Can you come –" Emma began.
"Of course!" Snow replied, before Emma even finished her question. "The only thing is…Henry isn't here. He called me and told me he was spending the afternoon at the library. Do you want me to pick him up on the way?"
Emma thought about that for a minute. Henry would want to see his Grandpa if he knew he was in the hospital, she was sure. On the other hand, the injury wasn't supposed to be serious. Emma hated to worry Henry for no reason. Besides…Emma sort of wanted her mother to come to the hospital right away, even though she hated to admit it. "Why don't you come over now and make sure David's okay. There's no need to worry Henry yet," Emma suggested, trying to sound causal.
"Sure, I'll come right over, honey," Snow replied.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Snow wasted no time putting her coat on and dashing over to the hospital. She knew Emma was trying to sound causal, but Snow could hear Emma's worry. Emma had been trying not to admit she needed her mother, but Snow understood that was what she was really saying. Besides, despite the fact that Snow was relatively sure her husband was fine, (Charming had faced a lot of battles and had yet to be defeated, after all), she wanted to make certain he was okay as well.
Snow thanked her blessings they lived so close to the hospital. She didn't have to worry about waiting for a bus, or even worse, ride in someone's car in order to get to the hospital (like they did when they had to go all the way to the apple orchard). She was also glad all the snow was melted, so she could run without worrying about slipping. Still, Snow had to stop to watch for cars more often then she liked. Seriously, these "cars" were annoying. It was much easier to run in the Enchanted Forest, when the fastest vehicles were powered by horses, which didn't move nearly as fast as cars.
Finally, Snow arrived at the hospital and approached the main desk. "Hello. My name is Mary Margaret Nolan," she told the woman easily. (Using the name "Mary Margaret Nolan" came naturally to her at the hospital, because that was the name she used when she worked here.) "I was told my husband, David Nolan, was being checked in here."
The woman at the desk nodded, looking down for a second. "Yes, I have his name right here. He was just admitted about ten minutes ago. You can wait over there," she told Snow, gesturing to the chairs in the waiting area. Snow nodded and noticed the room had about thirty chairs, as well as several tables with books and magazines available.
Snow looked for Emma but didn't see her anywhere. Snow thought Emma had gone to the hospital as well. Emma certainly implied she wanted Snow here for support. Or had she read into what Emma wanted incorrectly because she wanted to take care of Emma again?
She sighed and went to sit down, anyway. Charming was here, after all. At least she could be there for him. As she did so, another man stepped forward. He looked to be in his forties and his dark hair was slightly balding. "Did you say you were here for David Nolan, Ma'am?" he asked her.
Snow nodded, wondering who this man was. "Yes, that's right."
"I'm Bill Collins," he introduced himself, holding out his hand. "David is my farmhand. I brought him here to get checked out."
Snow smiled. So this was Charming's boss. It was nice to know he cared about Charming's health. "I'm Mary Margaret Nolan," she introduced herself as she shook the man's hand.
"Well, I was going to wait here for David, but since you're here, it's probably not necessary. You don't mind if I head home, do you? I should make sure my cattle are alright."
Snow shook her head. It made sense that he was concerned about his cattle. "Wait," she said, stopping him as he started walking away. "Will Charming, I mean David, be okay? I didn't get much information before I came here. I know he's pretty strong but…"
Bill smiled at her. "I think he'll be okay soon. I had him checked out because some crazy guy attacked him. Tried to strangle him at one point. But he was fighting back the whole time, so he can't be that injured."
Snow smiled. "He does that a lot. Fighting even though he's injured. Fighting for him is about protection and defeating the enemy, not about him personally. Besides, he doesn't like to be still."
Bill nodded again. "I've noticed he doesn't like to be still on the farm. As far as the fighting, was he in the military? I was told he used to be Amish? Aren't they nonviolent?"
Snow didn't know how to answer that. "He's done a lot of different things," she finally replied, which was definitely true for Charming. A shepherd. A prince. A soldier. A defender and a protector. A leader. A father. And of course, a husband and a lover.
Bill shrugged at that and walked off.
Snow sat down to wait. She hadn't been sitting there for more than two minutes when Emma appeared. "Hi!" she greeted her, trying to sound causal again. But the expression on her face said, "I'm so glad you're here!"
"Hi, Emma," Snow replied eagerly. "Come sit next to me."
Emma did so. "I had to make sure the perp would be okay first," she explained, grumbling. "It's part of my job. Plus, I had to call my boss and tell him what happened. I knew I wouldn't be here right away. That's one of the reasons why I called you. I wanted David to have someone…I mean if he's…" Emma sighed and looked down for a couple of minutes.
Snow nodded, understanding what Emma was trying to say. She gave her daughter a sideways hug. "So what happened, anyway?" she asked Emma, curious. "You said someone attacked him, but why would anyone attack him on the dairy farm? He hasn't made any enemies here, has he?"
Emma shook her head. "I think this guy was from…where you used to live," she replied carefully. "He said his name was George."
Snow snorted in anger. Of course. "Well, that makes sense. The only thing that man has wanted ever since Charming broke his engagement to Abigail is your father's life or misery. I thought when we defeated him…over there, our problems with him were over, but I guess that's too much to ask." Snow stamped her foot on the floor. Thinking about George always made her angry. Not only did he try to kill her Charming, but he tried to prevent Emma's existence as well.
Emma nodded. "Okay, I remember him now, from the book. What I don't understand is why he has his…other memories in the first place."
"What do you mean?" Snow asked, a little confused, despite her anger about George.
"When Storybrooke blew up, you guys all drank a potion so you would remember your other memories. Why would you give the potion to someone like that…creep?" Emma sounded pretty angry at George herself.
"I don't know," Snow replied, confused as well. They wouldn't leave George to die, of course, but they certainly wouldn't give him knowledge he could use to harm their family. Unless…George was a low and under – handed fighter. Who would do whatever it took to have his revenge on Charming. Including stealing this potion from someone else? "What if the reason Sneezy and Sleepy don't have their memories isn't because there wasn't enough potion? What if it was…taken from them by someone else?"
Emma's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me this George," she spat out the name, "not only attacked David, but probably cost at least one innocent person their memoires?" She grinded her teeth. "Why didn't I kill him again?"
Sometimes Snow wondered the same thing, but at the end of the day, she always knew the answer. "Because we don't want to stoop to their level, Emma. Killing doesn't solve anything."
Emma sighed and closed her eyes. She appeared to be thinking about something for several minutes. "I guess," she replied. "I shot him in the leg anyway, but they gave him a transfusion when he got here, so they said he would live. At least when he gets out, he'll be going to jail."
Snow nodded, relieved about that as well. "I hope he stays there permanently this time," she grumbled. She was so tired of that man coming out of the woodwork to attack her husband and her family.
"Me, too," Emma replied, as she grinded her teeth again. Then she added, softly, "Do you really think…David will be okay? I mean George had his hands around his neck pretty tightly when I arrived. I saw the bruises already forming when I left. What if…he lost too much oxygen or something?"
Snow wrapped her arms around Emma, understanding why Emma needed her here so badly. "I know your father's a very strong man, Emma. He's been attacked and had injuries before, and he never lets it get him down for long. So yes, I think he'll be fine."
Emma nodded. "Yeah, I guess." She sighed. "It's just that when I'm in law enforcement, I'm not used to people I…I…love getting hurt."
Snow's heart soared that Emma acknowledged that she loved her father. It was so good to hear. She gave Emma a squeeze, with Snow's arms still wrapped around her. "I know, Emma," Snow told her, thinking of all the times when Charming had received injuries when he was fighting. "It's never easy. But you just have to believe they're going to be alright."
Emma shook her head. "But Neal wasn't alright!" she protested. "The last time someone attacked someone I loved was…Neal. And she killed him!" Emma's voice sounded choked up at that.
Snow sighed, beginning to understand why this was so hard for Emma now. At the same time, she couldn't help the joy that welled up in her heart. Was Emma finally giving Snow the chance to comfort her over the loss of Neal? "That's true," Snow replied, finally. "And I'd give anything if you didn't have to go through that, Emma. But what happened with your father wasn't the same thing. He wasn't shot. He was only strangled for a couple of minutes. And you stopped that from continuing, right?"
Emma nodded, blinking her eyes.
"Then he'll be fine soon. Thanks to you," Snow assured her daughter, proud of her.
"I guess. I just keep thinking of Neal and David and I…" She shook her head, blinking her eyes again.
Snow turned around and gave Emma a full hug.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Emma and Snow sat in the waiting room for what felt like quite a while. Snow had no idea how long it actually was. She loved being able to given Emma the comfort and support she needed, but it was beginning to wear on her, as much as she hated to admit it. She wanted to believe Charming was fine, but she couldn't be certain. What if he lost too much oxygen or something?
Suddenly Snow someone who looked like Charming walk into the other side of the room. Was it him? She bolted over to the man's direction, eager to see if she was right. She broke into a huge grin when she saw she was. He was okay!
"Snow!" Charming exclaimed, obviously without thinking. Fortunately, no one else seemed to be paying attention. "What are you – " he began.
Snow cut him off with a deep kiss. She was so happy he was okay! When they finally broke apart, Charming finished, "What are you doing here?" She noticed they had now attracted some attention from some other people. Apparently, people in this world weren't that used to them kissing in public. (In the Enchanted Forest, people accepted it as the norm for her and Charming.) She supposed that meant they'd have to be more careful what they said.
"Emma called me," Snow replied. "She told me George attacked you at the dairy farm today. She asked me to come."
"Speaking of me," Emma interrupted them, revealing that she was standing nearby. "Are you really alright, David?" she asked him, nervously.
Charming nodded. "Of course. Like I said before, George didn't get very far strangling me, Emma. You made sure of that."
"Yeah," Emma replied. She stepped forward and gave her father a hug, which he gladly accepted. "I'm glad. Anyway…as long as you're okay, I need to get back to the police station. I did make an arrest and fire my weapon today, after all. I really hate to leave but, it's part of the job. You'll get him home and everything right?" Emma asked Snow.
"Of course," Snow replied, nodding.
Emma walked out of the hospital. "I should be home for supper at my usual time," she added, as she was leaving.
"I'm glad to see you and Emma, but really, you didn't need to come," Charming tried to tell her after their daughter left. "It wasn't even that big of an injury."
Snow looked at him sternly, ready to go into an – age old argument between the two of them. "Can you let me be the judge of that?" she asked as she stroked his cheek.
Charming shrugged.
Just then, a doctor walked by. "Are you Mr. Nolan's primary caregiver?" he asked Snow.
Snow nodded. "Yes. I'm his wife. Mary Margaret."
The doctor nodded. "I'm Dr. Fox. I treated your husband. There are some things I want to discuss with you. Come with me."
Snow nodded and did so. She entered into an office – type room, suitable for talking. "Do you work here?" He asked. "You look familiar."
She nodded. "Yes, I work in housekeeping, in the morning."
The doctor nodded. "Good. Then you're already familiar with some care giving practices."
Snow looked at him strangely. "I suppose, but why? My husband told me he was fine." There was no way Charming had lied to her. She would have been able to tell.
Dr. Fox nodded. "Yes, he is. To the best that I can tell. But victims of strangulation can experience delayed symptoms that I can't check for. I need you to keep an eye out for them, and bring him back if he exhibits any of the following in the next couple of days. Loss of voice, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, pain or tenderness at the neck, change in mental capacity, restlessness, amnesia, involuntary urination, coughing or vomiting, or vision changes. Can you do that?"
"Yes," Snow replied automatically. Charming might not like it, but she was willing to anything and everything to make sure he was okay.
"Good. Here's a list of the symptoms, in case you need a reminder," the doctor added, handing her a piece of paper with Dr. Fox's name, the number to the hospital, and the list he had just told her on it.
With that, Snow returned to Charming and they left the hospital.
OOOOOOOOOO
It was about 5:30 when they arrived at the apartment. Henry hadn't called to be picked up from the library yet, so Snow called Red. This day had been so overwhelming. She loved being able to comfort and support Emma for a change, and she was glad Charming seemed fine now. But still, Snow had no one to support her. And she needed support, too. Especially considering she knew Charming may have delayed symptoms. She needed a sounding board. She needed her best friend. Hopefully, she was available.
"Hi, Snow. What is it? Did you see that rainbow yesterday?" she asked.
Snow shrugged, trying to remember. Her mind wasn't on rainbows. "I guess," she replied, finally. "But, Red, Charming was attacked today while he was working at the dairy farm! Somehow King George was able to find him!"
"Really?" Red replied, surprised. "I thought we were done with him."
"So did I, but I guess not. Hopefully we will be now. Emma stopped him from strangling Charming. She says he'll have to go to jail, here for that."
"That's good. Of course Emma is a fighter, with you guys as parents."
"Yeah," Snow replied pride showing in her voice despite herself. Emma really was quite the fighter. "But the doctor said, …he said Charming might not be out of trouble, Red. He gave me a list of things to watch for. If he gets one of those symptoms, I have to bring him back to the hospital. Oh Red, I know I should be strong…but…I don't know. Charming doesn't like me looking after him well he's sick or injured. What if he doesn't let me take care of him?" She voiced her worst fear to her best friend.
"Snow, don't worry. When has David telling you not to take care of him ever stopped you? Just do it anyway, like you always do."
Snow smiled. Red was right. "Yeah, I know. I just…needed to hear someone tell me that. Today has been so overwhelming, you know?"
"I'm sure," Red replied. "You'll get through it, though. You always do."
"Thanks."
That "man with the white lab" will become quite important to Red as the story continues, which is why I made such a big deal out of it. Red noticing him (with the rainbow, etc.) actually occurred the day before David and Emma's attack, if you missed the connection at the end.
I wanted to have David have a fight with George so he and Emma could have the experience of fighting off an enemy together, especially considering the way they fight is so similar. It was kind of another "bonding" moment. (And the way she called him "Dad," too. Very fitting, for feels and dramatics, don't you think?)
Thank you very much for those reading, especially those following and favoriting. I'd like to especially thank those that have reviewed, as those people really show me what my readers are enjoying in this story, and what I might need to work on. Please review. You are guaranteed a response in the next chapter. Here are some reviews to the last chapter.
Guest #1: Glad you liked the dancing and the family moments. Snowing was actually able to have "fun" on their air mattress before this. But I agree with you; it's nice for them to have a big bed with more comfort and...bounce possibilities, tee hee.
Guest #2: Glad you liked the Snowing moment. I actually have had that scene in my head for a long time, but I needed to find a chapter where showing it would really "fit." I thought them getting a new bed was a good place for it. Glad you liked Emma noticing the similarities in Emma and David's movements, too. I thought it would make sense, that they would have a similar dancing style, considering they have similar frames and fighting styles. (Assuming that you're the guest I think you are, it's especially good that you liked it, as I put Snow's observation in there for you.)
BanditCharming: Welcome. I'm glad you like the story so much. I love to explore the cultural differences between EF and our world, and in a story like this, without fake memories and in a no - magic world, it really allows me to highlight them. Totally agree with you that there needs to be more Snowing and Charming family fics on this fandom these days. Especially mulit - chapter stories. I have nothing against the one shot -series, a lot of them are really good, but I just can't invest in them the way I can multi - chapter stories.As far as the scene with David and Tina in chapter 27, David actually doesn't wear his ring to work. He would like to, of course, but he also knows working with cow manure, etc. is a good place to lose a ring and not be able to find it. I don't want this to happen to David. (I speak from personal experience, and a wedding ring or an engagement ring is not something you want to lose.) However, as you aren't the first person to ask about this, I think I will go back and add a paragraph about how David doesn't wear a wedding ring at the farm.
Happy Season 4! How many people are with me, hoping that the show will still do episode based on Snowing? (They always have before, but I'm a little worried with all the new couples around, and so many people thinking Snowing is "boring" now, that they might not get much screen time. I like some of the new couples, and they definitely have there place, but none of them will ever take the place of Snowing for me.)
