They haven't tell anyone about the engagement yet. It wouldn't feel right to introduce cubs to their father same moment as telling them mom is getting married to him, too many changes at the same time. The plan was to give them a little time to get used to him being around before breaking news to them. And "being around" of course meant seeing him in the only area they could meet. Snow imagined meeting your father in a restricted space due to his past murders must not be the most comfortable scenario, but it was what it was.

Rose Red also didn't know yet. Even though she asked about every little detail from their first conversation in years, Snow managed to only give her vague answers and not even really confirm if they are romantically involved now or not. Which wasn't hard for her to be honest, she had some practice in giving people evasive answers when they asked about nature of her relationship with Bigby. She still managed to keep her sister in the dark when she asked her to babysit while she went to talk to Bigby in private. Though on her way there she did find in her purse a box of condoms that wasn't there before.

He waited for her just where he said he'd be waiting.

"Hi" he said and kissed her lips lightly.

"Hi."

"Care to sit down? There is nothing here to sit on, I know, but I figure it will be more comfortable anyway." He took his dustcoat off, put it on the grass, sat on it and then gestured asking her to sit next to him.

She took her place and put her head on his shoulder, while he embraced her with his arm. For a moment they were just looking together at the valley where they planned to build their future.

"So, what exactly did you want us to talk about today?" he asked.

"Everything."

"I imagine, but which part first?"

She started talking at faster pace than normal.

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into? You know that you can be a father to your kids without marrying me, right? It's twenty first century after all."

He smiled and looked at her, but she kept staring at the valley.

"How you keep repressing the fact that I am madly in love with you is far beyond my understanding. Snow, I want to marry you. I would want that even if we didn't have any children to think of."

"I know you love me, but I just want to be sure that you know that I come with a baggage."

"Of course I do, we know each other for centuries." He kept looking at her, while she kept looking in front of her.

"I was a victim of years of rape and abuse, then when I thought I had a shot at happiness, I was brutally disillusioned, but everyone in Fabletown knows this part. I had terrible experience with men, both in the homelands and here. You're sure you're ready to deal with all of this?"

"Yes."

"I also haven't had sex since my divorce."

Bigby shrugged. Lightly enough so as not to nudge her.

"I mean technically…" She began.

"Yeah, that doesn't count." He started caressing her hair. "You keep asking me if I'm not afraid, but I just feel like you are. Are you scared of me?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. I was never scared of you in my life, not like everyone else is. But what if we are no good for each other?" She met his gaze. "If it doesn't work out between us that's one thing, but I don't want the kids to have to deal with our problems."

"I get that. But don't you think that working together for so many years gives us a pretty good forecast?"

"This is not the same."

"No, it isn't, but we do make a good team."

She snuggled him.

"Bigby, I'm sorry. If I wasn't so stubborn, we could get together so many years ago. I kept persuading myself that I don't care about you. But after you left, I missed you so much that it was no longer possible. It was strange, to realize I'm in love with the father of my children while raising them, but…"

He stirred momentarily.

"You love me?"

Her face showed honest surprise.

"Of course, wasn't it obvious? I wouldn't agree to marry you otherwise."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess, but it the first time you've said that." He couldn't help smiling widely.

She kept cuddling with him not saying anything.

"I'm just… I'm just so happy." He said quietly. For a moment they just remained in a close embrace.

"Are you still mad at me for not running away with you?" She said while moving away a little to look into his eyes.

"No. Don't exploit it in the future, please, but I learned that I am not able to stay mad at you."

"I regretted my decision not long after I made it, but there was no coming back."

"Maybe it's for the best, I know you couldn't be truly happy living outside of the community, I feel like it wasn't fair for me to demand that from you. But still I was angry that I was forced to abandon my children, I never ever wanted to do anything like this, to do what my father did. I'm still mad that I lost three years from their lives. And I hate to see them being afraid of me."

"Well, out of all the places where your reputation is terrible, farm is the one where it is the worst. I always told them only good things about you and wrote your letters. I tried to prevent them from hearing what others were saying about you, but it was unavoidable. Just explaining to them why you cannot visit them was a challenge. In the end, to be absolutely frank, I still think you have yourself to blame most of all."

He stiffened. "Believe me, I do."

"They'll come around, just give them some time. They're scared and embarrassed when they're with you, but when we're at home they keep talking about you and asking when they'll see you again. They like you. Just be careful and you'll earn their trust. While we're at it, we should talk about how we'll be raising them. There is something very important to me."

"Hmm?"

"I want you to treat your daughters and sons equally, you can't be more forgiving to boys, you can't allow them anything that you won't allow girls, I don't want to see any of that shit." She looked serious, which also put him in the serious mood.

"Of course. Truly, I wouldn't even think about it, that's not what wolves do."

"Great." She was visibly relieved and put her head back on his shoulder, but leaning on him more than she was when they first sat down.

"But wolves do hunt. I'm gonna teach them that. And I'm gonna teach them how to kill."

"I'm not saying I like it, but I was expecting that. Also… I really, really love our cubs, but seven is already a lot and you're not gonna put me through another labor like that, we're going to use contraception every time."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He looked straight into her eyes. "If you feel obligated in any way to sleep with me, don't. You don't have to do with me anything you don't want to, ever."

She smiled. "You get it all backwards, I really want to sleep with you, trust me. And I did for longer than I am willing to admit."

"God, you knew where I lived, right?"

She laughed "I already said I was sorry."

"Out of curiosity: how did you explain all of this to people? I didn't even really know while you were pregnant. I assume you had more people asking about it than I ever did."

"Oh, well. I told them nothing. They had their assumptions, I let them believe what they wanted, many believed we were having an affair for years anyway, I didn't correct them. Most I've ever said was that it's complicated. Well, I told Rose more, but she is the only one. And asking… some asked, that's true, but it was a lot more judgmental. I've heard a lot of comments, some to my face, some not, about being a slut or worse, but that's nothing new."

He was visibly upset.

"And it's not gonna end after you'll make an honest woman out of me, too many members of our community hate us both or have outdated views. That's something I always envied mundy women seeing the rise of suffragettes and feminists over the years. When there is generational change, it's easier for the society to move forward. We are stuck with what is considered in this world a medieval point of view." He hugged her.

"I'm sorry, really. I hope you never felt like I think this way."

"No… I don't remember you being like that… But I remember when you investigated Faith's and Lily's murder, how much respect you showed all of those women, who were so widely despised. God, why haven't I picked you up earlier?"

"Because you have strongest trust issues I have ever seen and also some deep disgust for me, I always imagined."

"I…" She struggled to answer.

"Hey, you have already apologized twice." He said smiling at her.

"I'm not disgusted by you."

"But has it always been this way? I find it hard to believe. But don't answer, I get it, really, I fucked up a lot. I'm kind of disgusted myself. And I know how I look compared to your ex, I'm very much aware."

"Yeah, you look way better, I just couldn't see that."

"While we're at it, it's not like it's my intention to warm your feelings towards him, I'm pretty cool with you hating him, truly, but I feel like you should know that we got this land and house that's gonna be here from him. I don't want to keep that from you."

She had trouble believing what he was saying.

"Yep, that's true, he also said he wishes you to be happy with me."

"Wow, that's… I still hate him."

He smiled. "That's great."

"And if you ever fuck my sister, I'm gonna tear you to shreds and I won't care that we have kids, I once was a single mother, I know I can do it again."

"If I ever fuck your sister, please do" he said and laughed.