David has been at home all day and still Snow is feeling tense unable to relax. Everything is happening just like David said it would. The chief of the White Knight force holds a press conference at noon and announces that all charges against David have been dropped. Their house is still spell protected so no matter how badly they want to, reporters can't show up to ask for a statement. There is nothing that the former Queen can do to bother them here. And yet Snow has this intense feeling of impending doom. She keeps checking up on him to make sure he is still there. She walks to the back window and checks for shadows. Is anyone in their back yard watching them? She walks to the porch. Are any suspicious pumpkins parked on the road upfront?
Later that night, they are laying tangled together, his head resting on her breasts, both of them still panting. Snow doesn't mean to, but the look in her eyes is so worried and wistful he has to know. He props his head on his arm and asks.
"Alright, what is it? Did I do something wrong? You keep looking at me funny..."
"You didn't," she replies. "It's just that I keep thinking. This cannot happen again!"
"Ever?" he asks, a playful smirk on his face. "Because I like this. A lot!" he gestures vaguely at their naked bodies and their tousled bed sheets.
"What?" Snow frowns confused and then she shakes her head in a hurry, shooting him a halfhearted glare. "No, David! I am talking about the past three weeks. And about ten years ago. About the Queen tearing us apart. It can't happen again. David she was watching us while we were at Water World... That is creepy all by itself. And then she managed to separate us again...It can't... I can't go through this again..."
"Oh, that," he replies laying his head on his pillow and wrapping his arm around her waist. "Don't worry, it won't happen again..."
Snow is still watching him unconvinced.
"How can you be so sure?"
"It won't happen again," he continues, "because you and I are going to go on the offensive. We are not going to take any more cases for a while. Our number one priority will be to capture the Queen and I wont rest until she is behind bars..."
Snow lays back on her pillow staring at the shadows the candle casts on the ceiling.
"How will we manage that?" she asks.
"I have a plan," he mumbles, and he must be really tired, because when Snow turns to look at him next he's already asleep. Snow pulls up the blankets to cover him up and blows out the candle.
"Goodnight," she whispers and then she reaches for him in the dark. She needs to make sure he is still there.
Snow and David, Grumpy, Jiminy and Blue are all gathered in Blue's office.
"It's simple," David is saying. "We've done this before. Instead of going after her, we let her come after us. We have the council announce that the Queen violated the terms of the agreement. She has committed a murder since they let her go on exile. So they will not keep their end of the bargain. They will cremate Daniel's body... Regina is going to show up to prevent that form happening..."
Snow is already shaking her head. "Not that simple," she mutters under her breath.
"What? Why not?" David turns to look at her surprised.
"We've done this before," Snow explains.
"And it worked!" he is quick to reply.
Snow rolls her eyes. "Do you really think she won't notice the pattern?"
"When it comes to Daniel I do not think she is seeing things clearly..." he shrugs.
"We can't do this again" Snow is still shaking her head. "We can't keep using the life of the man she loves for leverage!"
David crosses his arms on his chest. "The life of the man she loves? In case you haven't noticed Daniel is dead!"
"You know what I mean," Snow says dismissively.
"What do you suggest?"
"We treat this as any other missing case. We follow the clues one by one until we get there."
David's turn to roll his eyes. "You can't be serious. After all she's put us through, we are just going to follow crumb trails? Snow! Why are you even protecting her?"
Grumpy, Jiminy and Blue are getting increasingly uncomfortable at the argument unfolding in front of them. This isn't like them.
"I'm not protecting her!" Snow retorts. "I'm protecting us. Do you really want to see what a woman with magical powers will do when you come after the man she loves again?"
Grumpy clears his throat about to intervene.
"He is already dead!" David sounds exasperated.
"She doesn't care!" Snow raises her voice. "Your plan is reckless!"
"Guys! It' s alright! Let's not do this..." Grumpy tries again but neither David nor Snow are listening. " Let's think this through... I think both your arguments have merit..."
"Reckless or not, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life sneaking around, looking for your evil stepmother just because you are too scared to go directly after her!" David yells back.
"Then there's the door!" Snow yells loudly. "Go get her! I am not going along with this!"
David takes a step back his eyes locked with Snow's. He looks stricken. She cannot possibly mean that.
Snow holds her breath. For a moment her expressions softens, like she might cry. She is going to take this back, she is going to change her mind, she has to. David hesitates.
There is a brief moment of silence.
Snow looks down. She is holding her ground. "Go!" she says again.
Jiminy raises his eyebrows looking at Blue. What is happening? Won't she try to stop them?
"Listen..." Blue starts.
"Is that really how you want to do this?" David asks, his face a mixture of anger and regret.
"You heard me!" Snow replies this time more quietly.
David looks at everyone around him, then he nods. "Fine," he says and he steps out of Blue's office.
Grumpy is looking at Snow horrified. What is she doing?
"Excuse me," Snow says quietly after he is gone.
They all feel relieved, because they think she is going to run after him. But she doesn't. Snow pulls out a magic bean, drops it on the ground and steps into the bean portal.
Jiminy clears his throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Well, here is the Snow we've all come to know and... learned to avoid..." he adds hesitantly.
Because the way Snow acted just now is very much the reason why her former partners refused to work with her.
"Honeymoon is over," Grumpy shrugs shaking his head.
"I'll talk to her," Blue adds surprising anyone. It's not like the chief of the black knight force to interfere in her officer's personal lives.
Blue talks to David first then she calls Snow using her magic mirror. And in the end Blue decides that they are both right. She is going to go ahead with David's plan, while letting Snow investigate the whereabouts of the former Queen with Grumpy.
"Well? Did you get anywhere with them?" Grumpy asks.
Blue explains the plan to Grumpy as he shakes his head in disbelief.
"Not what I meant... are they okay? Are they still fighting?"
Blue shrugs. " I don't think they are talking to each other at the moment," she explains.
Grumpy sighs.
It is a strange quite day at the office after that. Snow works in their old office in the black knight force headquarters. Everyone is on edge. Grumpy tries to talk to Snow but she browsing through her files, looking for possible hideouts of the former queen, not really listening.
Then he tries to talk to David. He is in complete agreement with everything Grumpy is saying. Yes, Snow is under a lot of stress, yes, she probably didn't mean what she said. He even smiles when Grumpy describes how brokenhearted Snow was while David was away. But when Grumpy tries to get David to take the first step he shakes his head sadly and walks away.
The Crimson Fairy is quite eager to assist Blue and the Black Knight force in the apprehension of the Queen. He meets with the council and then they issue a formal announcement, wording it pretty much exactly like David suggested.
"It has come to our attention that Regina the former Queen has repeatedly violated the terms of her exile agreement, therefore the Council no longer feels obligated to honor their commitments to her. Keeping Daniel cryogenically frozen is too expensive. Daniel's body was cremated this morning..." the announcement reads.
The rest of the day just drags on. There is so many things Snow wants to say, so many words she want to take back but she can't. David doesn't come back to the White Knight Headquarters. When Snow gets home she finds him playing with Emma and Wilby in the back yard. Emma is laughing but David is unusually quiet.
"Talk to him!" Grumpy urges her when he calls her on her magic mirror. "Tell him you got carried away, tell him you didn't mean it..."
"What if I did mean it?" Snow mumbles.
"Snow!" Grumpy is using his scolding voice. "He was in the dungeon for three weeks and you were working tirelessly to get him back. And now you are just going to push him away? What kind of sense does that make?"
"I will talk to him," Snow sighs.
David waits until Emma is asleep then he steps in their bedroom and starts throwing a few clothes in a small suitcase in a hurry. Snow walks to the room. There are a lot of things she want to say, but then she hesitates. David shoulders stiffen, sensing her presence at the door. Snow stays silent. And David shrugs and exits the bedroom.
Only once he is in front of the house about to mount his horse Snow steps out on the porch.
"David!" she starts.
He stays rooted on his spot waiting to see what she might say next.
"You don't have to do this, you know," she says quietly. " You don't have to leave..."
David finally turns to glance at Snow her expression a mixture of sadness and regret.
"I'll be at Granny's if you need me..." he says quietly, then he tugs on the horses reins and he is trotting away.
Snow stands on her porch, watching him leave, feeling her eyes well up, feeling like she can't really breathe. I do need you, she should have said. She should have ran after him, she should have apologized, she should have tried harder...
David is pacing up and down in his bedroom at Granny's. This better work, he thinks. He leans against the wall closing his eyes. He can't put Snow out of his mind, her eyes following him as he left. This better work. The clock on the clock tower strikes midnight when he feels the pulse of magic entering the room.
His hand is on his dagger before Regina fully materializes. She isn't pretending to be anyone else today. She is here as her herself in her owm black gown embroidered with black opals, her eyes on fire.
"Still up?" she scoffs. "What is the matter? Can't sleep because your princess kicked you out?"
Regina has a whole speech prepared about how she is going to rip David's heart out now that he is sleeping here alone, away from the protection of Snow's magic spelled cottage. How he might have escaped Regina's last trap but he will not get away this time... How he is going to pay, how Snow is going to pay, how she is gong to hold his heart hostage until she brings Snow to her knees... And then she stumbles forward. Because on the spot where David's bed should be, lays a closed metal casket still frozen cold. And Regina feels off balance. She gasps turning at David. "You lied!" she cries out. "The council lied! Daniel is right here! What is this?"
She snaps her fingers to disappear again, but its too late. Earlier that day David spread on the floor Tink's very special magic cancelling fairy dust. And since last time Tink's added squid ink and mermaid's tears, making the fairy dust stronger than ever.
"Why? How?" Regina cries and then she changes her mind. She doesn't need an explanation. She needs to run. Regina makes a mad dash towards the door. Blue, Jiminy and Grumpy enter the room along with three black knights.
Regina gasps in horror glaring at David. "You trapped me!"
She waves her fingers wildly, trying desperately to produce a fireball but all she manages to make is a mere puff of smoke.
Regina's shoulders slope, she doesn't see a way out of this. She raises her hands to indicate she is unarmed, and then she changes her mind and tries to make a fireball one last time. Her magic is still there, just barely out of reach. Her magic isn't working.
"It's over Regina!" Blue says as Grumpy places two magic cancelling leather hands on each wrist.
"Two of them?" Regina scoffs.
"Just in case you decide that cutting your own hand off is a good idea," Blue nods.
And the anger and hatred in Regina's eyes is enough to tell Blue that two magical cuffs is in fact the right choice.
"I have a deal with the council. You cannot hold me!" Regina cries out.
"You are under arrest for the murder of Baron Edward of the Peninsula, for interfering with an official investigation and witness tampering. Please take her to a holding cell!"
"What?" Regina is looking shocked. "You have no proof, my lawyer will have me out by sundown..."
"I very much doubt that," Blue replies. "Take her away!"
Regina doesn't offer any resistance as the Black knights lead her out of Granny's inn and into a knight force gourd.
And then David sheathes his dagger and pulls out his magic mirror.
"We got her," he says quietly.
Grumpy looks at him inquisitively. Who did he just call?
Three seconds later Grumpy his question gets answered and he has to jump back because a bean portal appears in the middle of the room, Snow stepping out of it. She ignores everybody else and runs straight to David.
"Are you alright?" she breathes, cupping his face, running her fingers up and down his arms, searching for injuries."Are you okay, I was worried sick..."
"I'm fine," he is quick to reassure her. "It worked!" He looks so relieved.
"Of course it worked," Snow beams at him, kissing his cheek. "It was an excellent plan..."
An excellent plan? Grumpy stares at Snow dumbfounded.
"We got her," Blue smiles brightly at Snow. "Thank you so much for all your help!"
Grumpy blinks in surprise. Snow's help? What is Blue talking about?
"So you guys are good then? No more fighting?" Jiminy is looking as confused as Grumpy.
"Wait a minute! Was the fight even real?" Grumpy crosses his arms glaring at them.
"Oh, the fight was real," David replies.
"Mostly real" Snow shrugs. "We had an intense discussion earlier this morning at home... Then we quickly came to the realization that we should keep it up because it could provide an excellent distraction for the Queen since she most likely was watching us all along ..."
Grumpy rolls his eyes. "I was so worried!" he exclaims turning to Blue. "Did you know about this?"
Blue nods, a guilty smile on her face.
"Well, someone could have told me," Grumpy throws his hands up in the air. "So I didn't spend the rest of the day running after you, dispensing sage marital advice..."
Snow kisses him on the cheek. "I am so sorry, you do give excellent advice..." she says quietly and his expression softens. He's never manages to stay mad at her for longer than ten minutes anyway.
"The question is do we have enough evidence to hold her?" David turns to Blue.
"We do now," Blue smiles. "We found John in Wonderland. He said a woman who sounded very much like Regina and had Ursula's face was the one who told him he was accepted for an internship on the court of the Queen of hearts."
"That's not enough," David frowns.
"Tink was tracing Regina's magic and found magic beans with you essence and a dagger in a small realm pocket that Regina has been using to hide things," Jiminy adds. "We think she meant to plant the dagger in your hotel room but didn't get a chance... It's not a lot, but it should be enough."
"Tink helped you track her?" It is now Snow's turn to be surprised.
"She did," Blue smiles. "Apparently you told her that she had to figure out how to help David using only legal means. She came straight to me after that offering her services... She is the one who said we should put two magic cancelling cuffs on Regina's hands..."
"Amazing!"
"She did so well, we are thinking of offering her a permanent consultant position. For when we are dealing with magical crimes..."
Snow is very doubtful that Tink will accept a permanent position in the Black Knight force but she smiles back at Blue.
"Tink is the best!" David replies. It's almost two'o clock in the morning. He is feeling exhausted. It is time to go home. He grabs his suitcase, and tugs on Snow's hand. "Let's go home. Blue, if you need more help..."
"Go home, get some rest," Jiminy replies smiling. "You've done enough! We got her!"
Outside Granny's stable David offers Snow his hand, to help her climb his horse and they ride quietly all the way to their cottage.
"It worked," Snow says quietly leaning her head on his shoulder. "I wasn't sure it would! I was terrified that she'd attack you on your way to Granny's..."
"It worked," he agrees tugging on the horse's reins, to make it go a little bit faster. "Even if she attacked me on the way, Blue had two fairies watching me..."
"It was still risky," Snow mumbles. "I don't like you being bait... it was too dangerous!"
"Said the woman who went after King George by herself," David rolls his eyes.
"Desperate times, desperate measures," Snow shrugs.
"Exactly," David nods.
"When you said 'if you need me I'll be at Granny's' it felt so real... David, I couldn't breathe..." Snow adds quietly and her voice cracks. "I wanted to drop on my knees and beg you to stay..."
"Sorry," he whispers holding her tighter. "Didn't mean to hurt you... then again when you kicked me out of Blue's office, I felt like I'd been punched in the gut..."
Snow squeezes his hand. "Let's not do that again," she whispers. "Ever. No more brilliant plans that involve loud arguments and break up ruses..."
"No more break up ruses," he promises.
They've already arrived at the cottage. David dismounts first then he pulls Snow down and instead of setting her on the ground he just holds her against him.
She cups his face now bathed in moonlight.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you and kicked you off the case," she whispers.
"You don' t have to apologize" he argues. "It was a ruse..."
He has plenty more to say but then her lips meet his and he closes his eyes, completely forgetting what he was going to say next.
Hello! Hope you guys are staying safe! Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing! Grateful for your input!
Jennifer Baratta chapter 39 Outstanding chapter! Your welcome and getting over the flu strain A
Thank you! Hope you are feeling better!
Bwayrox chapter 39 I'm glad David's out of jail, but you've left the Queen out there to continue wreaking havoc. Ah well, that just means the story will continue...right? That last scene from the moment Snow saw David coming down the road to the ends was just perfect.
Thank you! And you are absolutely right. We can't have that!
Bella1296 chapter 39 . Wonderful chapter!
Thanks Bella!
Guest chapter 39 Oh! David is free and they are reunified. And it's all nice and good. Not only am I happy for David that he was let go. But for Snows and Emma's sakes as well. Snow (or emma) is never gonna let him out of her eyesight ever again I'm sure. I know whatever happens next they'll handle it together. Great chapter, hope everything is okay on your end!
Thank you! :)
