Summary: Some light teasing around the breakfast table reveals something new about Roland. Merlin gathers his tutors to explain his plans for the magical school. Snow goes to see the town psychiatrist before facing her estranged husband. And David finally tells her his decision.
Mifflin Street - the following morning
It was just after seven on a sunny Monday morning, and the entire Locksley family had gathered around the breakfast table, ready for the start of a new week. Robin sat at one end of the table, smearing marmalade on his toast, while looking proudly at all his family gathered around him. Every one of them was there apart from Henry, who was snoozing upstairs.
Or at least they thought he was, till a heavy thud on the stairs was followed by a groan. "Henry?" Regina grinned, as her eldest slumped into the dining room. "Well this is a nice surprise! I wasn't expecting to see you down here so early. Couldn't sleep?"
"No really," he yawned. "Ro's bunk bed's a bit small for me these days! No offence."
"I'm surprised you couldn't sleep, judging by all the snoring you were doing!" said Roland, smirking. "You're only tired cos you spent half the night talking to Ella. You woke me up!"
"I did no such thing. Ignore him, guys!"
"I love you, Henny!" Roland gave a silly, high-pitched impression of Henry's supposed girlfriend, in a terrible accent. "Can't wait to be in your arms again, baby."
"Shurrup!" said Henry, embarrassed, trying not to grin at his foolish little brother.
"…my big strong cuddly bear…" the boy continued, his sisters starting to giggle at the silly voice.
"Roland, I'm warning you! I'll remember that when you bring a girlfriend home!"
"…my hunky, Henny Wenny…"
"She never called me that!" Even though he was grinning, Henry was starting to get a little pissed off.
"My big, hot sausage…" At that, Honour started laughing louder, as did Robin. Henry though, had had enough of his ribbing, picking up a slice of toast from the pile on a nearby plate, and skimming it straight at Roland's head! However, a moment before the spinning slice collided with the teasing youth, it stopped, suspended in mid-air, inches from its target!
Henry turned to look at Regina, assuming it was his older mother who'd intervened with magic. "Sorry mum, but he was winding me up!" But he noticed she was just as surprised as him, and had both hands holding her cup!
"Robin? Did you do that?" said Regina, seeing the toast still suspended inches from Roland, wobbling slightly and starting to turn unsteadily. Her husband also had his own slice of toast in his hand, the other resting on the table.
"Pardon?" Then he saw what she was talking about. "No." Both sets of eyes looked to their daughters, who seemed to be getting on with eating their cereal, oblivious to what had happened. Finally, they noticed the one child left. He had a hand up, eyes focused hard on the object in question.
"ROLAND?" said Marian.
"Sorry?" The fourteen-year-old was distracted by his mother's voice. The moment he turned his head, the slice of floating toast suddenly stopped spinning, falling lifeless on to the table, making all three parents, and Henry, gasp, temporarily shocked. "Erm…what just happened?"
"Oh, my dear lord!" whispered Regina, to Robin, under her breath. "His magic's arrived!"
"Roland, elbows off the table please!" Marian rebuked him. "And stop teasing Henry! I'm quite sure Ella sounds nothing like that, and is absolutely delightful. Apologise to your brother right now!"
Roland wasn't usually a badly behaved child, and he knew he'd probably gone too far. "Sorry, Hen."
"It's okay…" Henry forgave him, distracted by the worried look exchanged between Regina and Robin. "Besides, you'll be meeting her this weekend. Tease her to her face, and she'll soon sort you out!"
Minutes later, as they cleared plates from the table, bringing them into the kitchen, Marian spotted her wife and husband standing close, having a muted conversation.
"What are you two whispering about? What's going on?"
"You saw that toast Henry flicked at Roland? The one that stopped and floated just before it hit him? That wasn't me or Robin. Or the girls. It was Roland! We think his magic may have just come in."
Instead of looking concerned like the pair of them, Marian's face broke into a grin. "Good! Merlin said he had it in him. Just goes to prove something." She moved in front of Robin, pecking him on the lips.
"Namely?"
"That Robin and I definitely had true love, when we first had Roland! As you have with him now, and I have with you." She turned to deliver a similar kiss to Regina. "Just reinforces how much the three of us were meant to be together, doesn't it?" She slid an arm around her wife's waist, the other around her husband, pulling all of them together in a hug. "Forever and always…"
"Forever and always," Regina agreed, pecking her cheek. "You always were an incurable romantic, dear."
"You wouldn't have me any other way."
"I would..." said Robin, dropping his arms to give his wives' bum cheeks a gentle squeeze. "In the shower, with me, preferably."
"Down boy!" Regina whispered, rebuking him by slapping his chest. "We both had a bath last night. You, on the other hand..."
"I wasn't invited! Ladies bath night, as usual..." His hands stayed, giving them both another squeeze. "Of course...I can always make you dirty again?"
"Behave!" It was Marian's turn to scold him. "You'll have to wait till tonight."
Granny's Diner
David sat at a corner table, nursing his coffee, waiting for his bacon sandwich to arrive, having just dropped Neal off at school ten minutes earlier. He'd originally texted Snow last night, suggesting he meet her at the flat straight after. However, he'd received a reply late last night, asking if they could meet at the farm later in the day, as she'd asked for a short notice appointment with Archie Hopper this morning. Frankly, he didn't mind too much, as it gave him a little more time to prepare himself for what he had to tell her.
However, his thoughts were distracted by the bell above the café entrance clanging, as more diners entered. Looking up, he spotted Merlin walking in, with a strikingly tall, slim woman, wearing a white mantilla veil over her head and shoulders. The Sorcerer said something to the waitress behind the counter, before looking across and recognising him. Saying something to his accomplice and pointing David's way, the pair started walking across to him.
"David my dear fellow! Good morning. May we join you?"
"Hello Merlin. Yes, of course, please…" he rose, instantly moving to pull out one of the chairs out for the woman beside him. Close up, he could see she was a good six foot two tall, a good inch taller than him! He gave her a warm smile. "I'm sorry my lady, I don't think we've met?"
"Goodness, where here are my manners today?" huffed Merlin. "My apologies. My dear, let me introduce you to Sheriff David Nolan, also known as His Royal Highness Prince Charming. David's a father to one of the children likely to join us at the summer school. David, I'd like you to meet Morgana, or Morgan le Fay."
As the woman removed her mantilla to reveal shiny raven-black long hair, she gave him a beautiful wide smile. Even David, until very recently only having eyes for Snow, could see just how breathtaking she was! "Lady Morgana, I have read about you, though I'm aware the story books usually leave out so much. Not least how beautiful you are. Welcome to Storybrooke." He stooped, before taking her hand and gently turning it over to almost brush his lips over the back. "Do please come join us?"
"How Charming!" said the delighted beauty, clearly interested in him. "Your name's well suited." She sat in the offered chair as he pushed it in, Merlin moving to sit opposite her.
"Morgana's travelled from an entirely different realm to meet us, David! She's kindly agreed to join some of our teaching staff over the summer and I suggested it may be a good idea for her to meet some of the parents and children beforehand."
"Sounds like a good idea. Morgana, I'd love you to meet my son, Neal. And of course my grown-up daughter, Emma. They both have magic, though I have none at all, so I'm going to be fairly useless in that area. But I'm still interested, nonetheless."
To his surprise, she rested a warm hand over the back of his, curling itself around his fingers. "No human is useless, your Highness, whether they have magic, or otherwise! The fact you sired two children, one the Saviour I'm given to understand, with the gift, leads me to believe you may well have a very submerged ability of your own! Does their mother also possess magic?"
"Just call me David. And no, none whatsoever…" As he spoke, he noticed she'd started slowly massaging his hand with her own. "At least…not that she's aware of."
"These things are often submerged; but the fact the two of you produced such children is even more remarkable," she looked over at the Sorcerer. "Merlin, is David the Golden Child's grandfather?"
"No, you're thinking of Honour, the daughter of the queen, her wife and Robin of Locksley. You remember we spoke about the three genetic parents? But David's granddaughter, is the girl's close companion. Together, they have healed even in a land without magic and brought David here from out of a coma. All before their magic has arrived. Quite remarkable, really!"
"Wait a minute!" Charming was concerned how two powerful wizards, or sorcerers or whatever Morgana was, had been discussing their families. "You're talking about Lizzy? Lizzy and Honour? The Golden Child? What's going on?"
"Nothing to worry about, I assure you…" Morgana now used her free hand to also massage his hand and fingers in her own. "Merlin mentioned them because, it would appear that this Honour and your daughter have a future already foretold. They're not enchanters or wizards such as myself and Merlin but, if the runes are correct, they have very powerful healing magic unknown for millennia. It is a truly marvellous gift. You must be so proud?"
"Well…yes, of course I am. Elizabeth's wonderful, and so is her big sister, Hope. But…" as he talked, he noticed she was continuing to massage his left hand vigorously between her own fingers. "Sorry but…whilst that feels nice, what are you doing?"
"Why…I'm relieving your tension, of course! When I first saw you, I could tell you were very vexed. Distressed even. I'm just using low-level magic to reduce it and calm you, aren't I Merlin?" she looked at the Sorcerer to back her up.
"Exactly. Morgana has a wonderful healing gift of her own, David. You see, it was partly because of Honour and Elizabeth's talents that I've asked her if she would consider helping us at the new academy. Our lady here is a powerful enchantress, a fay, part-fairy and sorceress combined. Her reputation in some of the modern Arthurian legends are based on a simple lie that spread." As he praised her, the goddess-like woman seemed to blush. "Most unfair."
"Well I'll admit, my lady, I did read that somewhere that you and Merlin were enemies? And you fought Arthur himself."
"All lies, I assure you." Said the Sorcerer. "There was a mediaeval French poet, Chrétien de Troyes, who was nearest to the truth. Morgana here was married to an ancient king, Urien, but banished when her powers became known. In another realm, when Excalibur was intact, she was the one who gave the sword to me to put in the stone for Arthur to pull. And the one to whom it was eventually returned."
"So you're…" David connected the dots. "The Lady of the Lake?"
"The very same. Sadly, a vile creature, Nimue, caused some havoc in between. But yes. How are you feeling now?"
David could stare into those green eyes forever. They were almost hypnotic and he felt himself floating. "Erm…I'm sorry?"
"Your anxiety?" They both looked at her hands, as she continued massaging him. "Is this helping?"
"Definitely," he certainly felt calm. "I must admit, I'm rather enjoying this…"
As he spoke, Ruby appeared carrying his breakfast and two hot drinks for the others, hardly failing to notice the elegant woman sitting close to Charming, his left hand in both hers. "Hi David," Ruby hadn't realised the sandwich was meant for him, otherwise she would have got one of the waitresses to bring it over, to prevent any awkwardness. But he had an odd, dreamy smile on his face. "Your bacon sandwich? And one pot of tea and milk for your guests…"
"Hi Ruby…" David didn't even bother looking up, instead focused on the other woman, whose eyes never left his. As far as Ruby could tell, she seemed to be blatantly flirting with him. And that really irritated her. If anyone was allowed to flirt with him, apart from Snow, it was her! And…maybe Dorothy.
"A-hem!" Ruby coughed loudly, deliberately, trying to distract him. "Would the lady here, and Mr. Merlin like anything to eat?"
"Yes please," said Merlin. "Perhaps we could just leave us a menu, Mrs Lucas, and I'll come over to the counter?"
"Sure, here you go. " Ruby placed a plastic menu in front of him, noticing how David still hadn't looked up, just continued staring at the seated woman, who seemed clearly interested in him. She needed to tell Snow.
Archie Hopper's office
When Snow had arrived, instead of knocking on the door of the psychiatrist's office, she'd paced up and down the sidewalk for a good ten minutes, now feeling a whole lot more unsure about doing this! For her, the former Jiminy Cricket, the gentlest, kindest of men, wasn't just the only shrink within the hidden town; he was the conscience of Storybrooke. It's moral compass. Beneath his calm demeanour, lay the mind of a man who knew more hidden secrets about the town's characters, heroes and villains alike, than everyone else put together. He'd never interfere, never judge, and never condemn. But he'd been a devoted ally to Snow White since her parents were alive. Archie knew all about the stresses she'd been through after her father's killing and Regina usurped the throne. As merely the monarch's wife, she had no legitimate right to the throne, which should have automatically passed down to the King's eldest child. But it was not to be. It was at times of greatest stress and the greatest peril, that the cricket would appear at night to Snow, as if by magic, to advise and guide her. He'd witnessed love blossom between her and Prince Charming; witnessed their wedding, the curses they survived, and all the major events of her life since. To Archie, Snow White was the very symbol of love and purity.
And that was now the problem. Because Snow definitely didn't feel pure! Or loved, right now. She'd let everyone down. And it was becoming clearer, by the day, that something she regarded as merely affection and intimacy with a dear and much-loved friend, was regarded as something so very different by two of the three closest people to her. Her husband and daughter. She knew David's opinion full well; him having raged at her, as though she'd slept with Ruby behind his back, even though she knew it never happened like that! Ruby was on her side, as always, and also thought he'd overreacted about something that had happened over three decades ago! But it was Emma's coldness last night that was the most chilling. The fact she knew nearly everything that had happened. Her way she dismissed her reasons, which had nothing to do with David. What did she call it? Piss-poor? And worst of all, the fact that she was told by her little brother! Now it was beginning to look like she'd lost not only her husband, but her children too!
"Whatever's on your mind, Snow, isn't going to be helped by you wearing out those shoes!"
She spun around, brought out of her maudlin thoughts, to see Archie now standing in the open doorway. "Hello Archie - sorry, I'm just…"
"Pacing up and down past my door, worried about going in?" He gave her a knowing smile. "Come on in, anyway. I'll get the coffee on."
"Er, thanks but…" she started to babble, hesitating and now regretting she'd called him. "I'm not really sure. It's nothing important, I'm just…just…worried about something. I'm sure it'll pass. These things do…and you're probably busy."
"That bad, huh?" The grin changed from knowing to sympathetic as he stepped outside, holding the door open. "Snow, we've known each other too long. I'll always make time for you. Now come on through…"
It took longer than usual for Archie to get her to talk. Snow dithered and deviated from his opening questions, and the experienced psychiatrist realised from her obvious obfuscation that, whatever was troubling her, was more serious than she pretended.
"Snow. In all the time we've known each other, you of all people have never put up barriers to me. We've done this before and, you know full well that I can only help you, if you trust me enough to talk to me. You know my confidence is always assured, so…let's try again, or perhaps we do this again another day?"
"Oh, Archie…" she sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just…it's difficult to talk about. Its…very personal."
"Most problems people come to talk to me about, usually are. Is it an issue with David?"
She nodded, keeping her eyes closed. "It's something he found out by accident. he's discovered. About me, long before we arrived in Storybrooke."
"Okay. Why don't we start at the beginning? How did you first meet him?"
As her mind went back to the day long ago, she smiled, recalling his face. So young. So handsome. She finally started talking. About her stealing his then fiancée's ring. The beginning of their love affair, their courtship, him waking her from a sleeping curse which confirmed their true love, and eventually their wedding. Archie asked about her time before they met. Her friendships and allies. And as he did, her close reliance on Red, now Ruby Lucas, became apparent. He closely watched her expression change when she spoke about the wolf, and picked up on it. Then she moved onto losing their daughter, and Storybrooke. How after Emma broke the curse, she and David became even closer. Her own curse, to reunite them with their daughter, was also covered. Then, as he moved onto recent difficulties, the sad demeanour returned.
"So let me see if I've understood this. The plan to help Ruby and her wife have a child was yours and Ruby's initially?"
"Er…yes. But David agreed quite quickly. He could see it was in their interest, and he and Ruby are…were…close."
"Were? Why the change? You've both known her a long time."
That's when she ground to a halt again. And it took another few minutes for her to eventually disclose what had happened after the girls night out, and David's reaction. But Archie realised there was more to it, and probed until she also told him about the dream catcher. And his reaction.
"So David discovered that you and Ruby had been intimate, more than once, after your wedding and without his prior knowledge?" She nodded, eyes cast down in shame. "That must have been quite for shock to him. How did he react after he returned?"
"Like a different man. He was no longer angry, just…hateful."
"I see. That was over a week ago. And now?"
"No change. Yesterday morning he said he suspected I've always been in love with her."
"And are you, Snow? Are you in love with Ruby?"
Her sad eyes looked up at him, telling him all he needed to know. "I…I really don't know any more, Archie. But one thing I do know, is that I've destroyed my family more than any curse could!"
"He must be deeply hurt." He looked across at the clock on the mantelpiece. She'd been there two hours already. "But I think you do know. Either way, you're both married women with children now. You need to think very carefully what you do next."
"It's in David's hands now. Whether to kick me out, or find some way to forgive me. Either way, Emma and Neal know what's happened, and they've taken his side, not that I blame them. What can I do Archie? What can I do to put this right?"
"By putting this right, what do you mean?"
"Getting my marriage back on track! I love him Archie, I always have. I love him so much I split my own heart! I love him more than anyone, and that includes Ruby. I need him. If he doesn't forgive me. If he leaves me for good, and Emma and Neal join him, I don't think I'll want to go on living."
At that, the psychiatrist's brows rose, and he was about to ask the obvious question, even pondered notifying other professional care givers, when she spotted his concern. "Don't worry Archie, I would never consider suicide. Not because I would want to live, but because of our shared heart. If I kill myself, I kill David!"
Mifflin Street
Merlin had phoned around, asking to meet with the Locksley, Swan-Jones, and Gold families. It was rare for the Dark One to appear at their home, but the Sorcerer seemed to have an influence over him that few understood, apart from Belle, who assumed it was because he was the only one who fully understood the nature and control of the darkness over its current host. Regina had proposed they have the meeting at the mansion, and was more surprised than anyone at just who was turning up.
"Mal? What on earth are you doing here? I'm sorry, but your timing's not great. We're just about to start a meeting here…"
"I know, kitten. Merlin invited me. I've also brought someone along." Regina looked over her shoulder at someone walking up the path.
"Jefferson? What on earth? Shouldn't you be making dresses in New York or something?"
"Hello Regina," The hatter looked more rosy-cheeked from when she'd last seen him at a wedding. He looked healthier, dressed in a well-fitted linen suit, and looked to have gained a stone in weight, which suited him. Frankly, he looked good! "I took a break. I got a message from Merlin too. You look well! But perhaps we should go inside?"
As they walked back into her dining room, the larger-than-expected group assembled around their dining room table which appeared to have been extended considerably (probably by Merlin, she thought).
"Maleficent, Jefferson, how lovely to see you both!" beamed the Sorcerer, "Thank you for coming. Come now, take a seat? The Locksleys here, have kindly agreed to host what I suppose you could call our first parent-teachers meeting! May I introduce you to a couple of new faces? To my left is Madame Morgana, or Morgan le Fay, and to my right Nicolas Flamel. Both have agree to provide their skills for the first year of the summer school! Everyone else has been introduced before you arrived. Morgana, Nicolas, this here is Maleficent, a distinguished enchantress and fairy, like yourself Morgan, I'm sure you two will have a lot in common. And Jefferson Hatter, a time-traveller of some renown. Both of them have assisted me greatly over the last few years and have also agreed to join the teaching staff for the first summer…"
"Jeez," said Emma, sitting opposite the latest arrivals. "You've picked a seriously mixed up group for this, Merlin?"
"Indeed. Because all of you around this table have unique gifts which can benefit the next generation!"
"Excluding me and Killian, of course," said Marian, sitting next to Morgana and looking around at the assembled bunch. "We're the 'muggles' here, I guess?"
That produced a loud groan from the elderly man on Merlin's right. "Please don't use that word madam, I beg you?" said Flamel. "I curse the day those bloody Harry Potter books came out! My role is so damn inaccurate, yet they've even made films based on them too!"
"Why ever would you think that?" Morgana placed a large palm over the top of Marian's right hand, lifting it up and placing it within both her own, green eyes boring into brown. "Please don't belittle yourself! You most definitely have magic within you, even if it is buried deep and may not appear. How else do you think you could have given birth to not only two children with the gift, but also created the Golden Child with your two delightful spouses? You, my lovely one, most definitely have rare gifts too." Marian was a first-rate flirt with most people she liked, but the woman sat next to her seemed to be in a different league. And she was very beautiful! She felt an immediate warmth and attachment, even though she'd only known her for ten minutes. "I'm sure I'll be able to bring some of them out, if you'll allow me?"
The heated look they shared was immediately picked by Emma, who glanced across at Regina, expecting a reaction. She scowled, while Robin just held a smirk, knowing full well what his wife was like. What is it about men and their weird thing about women flirting with each other?
"MAY WE START NOW?" said an irritated Regina, louder than necessary, to break them out of it. "Merlin, what's the plan for the first summer?"
The Nolan Farm
It was late afternoon by the time Snow finally arrived at the family home. She'd been dreading coming back all day, and after leaving Archie Hopper's office following a good three hours on his sofa, she felt completely drained. Under Archie's gentle yet relentless probing, she'd told him everything. Even about that damn truth stone. Yet he didn't judge, nor tell her what she should do, other than tell the absolute truth. However, after hearing herself going through all the events that lead up to this day, she now finally accepted, that without any shadow of a doubt, that she had wronged her husband. The most loyal and faithful partner. And there were no excuses. She had to accept her fate.
As she turned her key in the lock of the farmhouse door, and entered, she was struck by a sound she hadn't heard there for a while. Laughter. David's laughter?
Walking through to the living room, to where the sound was coming from, she found her estranged husband sitting in his favourite armchair, while their son stood nearby, grinning, with his arms up, as though he was holding an invisible ball! About four feet away, suspended in the air, was what looked like a ball of swirling water!
"Excellent!" said a female voice from nearby. Snow looked over to find a tall, slim woman in a dark blue dress, smiling and encouraging him. "Now picture it in your mind getting smaller and tighter! Yes, that's it! Now… raise your arms very slowly, keeping the shape. Good. And will it towards the window. Careful now, you don't want to soak Flossie again now, do you? And…will it to move outside, just like you did before!"
Snow watched, dumbstruck, as Neal followed the stranger's instructions, with an excited look on his face. The ball of water, now about a foot in diameter, moved towards the open window and through it, until when it was only inches outside, she called. "Now…let go!" The ball immediately fell apart, dropping down to the path outside. "Bravo, young wizard! Bravo!"
"I did it! Dad, did you see that? I did it!" He beamed back at his father.
"You certainly did, my boy. Well done! I think you're going to enjoy the summer school!"
"That was brilliant!" He looked up at the woman. "Thanks, Morgana, I'm really looking forward to summer now!" Surprisingly, he pulled his arms around the woman's waist, hugging her. "It's gonna be great!"
"I'm sure it will, and you're most welcome, young prince." She smiled, kissing the top of his head. "You did very well for your first attempt. Next time, we can-"
"WHAT'S GOING ON?" said a voice from the doorway. All three turned to see Snow standing there, with an annoyed look. "Who're you? What are doing with my son?"
Neal's smile instantly turned to a frown. His mother hated magic, and she'd made him promise never to use it at home, only outside. But a large hand on his shoulder made him look up, to see his father still smiling down at him. "Why don't you pop upstairs?" he winked at him. "I've got this."
As Neal left them, not even bothering to look up at his mother, David moved to stand next to the stranger. "Snow, this is Morgana. She and Merlin have set up a summer school for gifted children with magic, and she wanted to meet Neal beforehand. Morgana, this is my wife."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Nolan." said the woman, walking over to her and offering her hand. "Your son's a very gifted young wizard. I also met your delightful daughter, Emma, this afternoon. You must be so proud of them both."
"Obviously," she said frostily, taking her hand and shaking it, before looking at her husband. "David, can we talk?"
Morgana took the hint. "Well, I'll be on my way. David, it's been an absolute pleasure! And thanks again for the drink. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Definitely," Snow was even more surprised when Charming gave her a warm smile, placing his hands on her upper arms and kissing her cheek, which she returned. "I'll pick you up from the convent at eight? Take care…" She said something Snow didn't catch, before collecting her bag and heading for the door.
Snow waited till he came back from showing her out. "What was she doing here?"
"I already told you. She came to meet Neal and explain the summer magic school. He asked her to show him something he could learn."
"David, you know we don't allow magic in our own home!"
"No, you don't normally allow it. But I gave them permission. He has two parents, Snow, in case you forgot?"
She frowned. "But we agreed."
"No, we never did. You just got your own way, as usual! Well…things are changing. I've signed him up for a six week summer school in July. In Scotland."
"Scotland? The UK? That's thousands of miles away! What on earth were you thinking?"
"I was thinking it would be a very good idea for him not to go through all the trauma that Emma did. By the way, Emma will be joining him. As will Regina and our grandchildren. I'm planning to join them. Neal really wants to do this, and so I want it for him too. The decision's made."
"Without consulting me? How could you do that?"
He gave her a sad look. "You were occupied. And, I already know your views about magic, and I happen to disagree. Now, shall be talk about the real reason you came, or do you want to discuss the real issue?"
She sighed, nodding, trying to calm herself. To buy herself a moment before he told her what she expected to hear, she walked over to the large bay window, looking out over the gentle sloping field towards the little copse at the bottom, near the brook. She could just about see the sheep at the bottom, and it looked like there were new lambs around.
"I'm going to miss this."
"You don't need to."
That threw her! "I'm, I'm sorry?"
"You don't need to miss this. The farm? We have options."
"Options?"
"As you know, when I first found out, about what happened here, about the shower room with the three of you, and the diner, I was angry. I was really pissed off that you could do something like that, in this house, without thinking. I needed to get away, so I drove towards the docks, to think. But…because we know nearly everybody around here, I didn't want to talk to anyone. So I decided I needed to escape the town completely. I remembered we needed those scrolls if we were to leave, to get back, so I went to Gold's. I told you what happened next, with the dreamcatcher and everything? Gold left the room, so he didn't see what I saw. Saying that, he probably knew, anyway! He usually does…"
Snow stood silent. He already told her a few days ago, but it was still painful to be reminded of her actions.
"Seeing the two of you, together, like that, was hard. I deliberately slowed it down for some of it. That sounds perverted, I know, but I wanted to hear what you were saying to each other. I did, and you seemed to have no sense of shame. I couldn't believe I was watching my own new bride fucking her best friend! It was horrible. If only I'd known then! And the way you talked to her? Telling her how much you loved her, and you'd always be together, despite having a new husband. Can you imagine what that was like for me to hear?"
She wanted to say something. Anything, to apologise for what she'd done. But the words just wouldn't come.
"That was bad enough. But I had to know how often you'd done that. How often you'd desecrated our marriage! Rumple had showed me how to fast forward, so that's how I saw everything. And the last time was when we had that games tournament on the castle lawns. On my birthday, in fact! You two were in our bedchamber, while I was outside. You must have fancied a quicky, because you both kept your pageant dresses on, while you lay there. But you got interrupted, by someone outside, didn't you? It sounded like someone banging on the door. It didn't sound like me, so it was probably one of the servants. But you went bright red and jumped up, and got Ruby hid behind the drapes while you went to answered it. Seeing that, I realised you must have known that what you were doing was wrong! That's what got me so angry, when you said it wasn't the same thing as adultery, just because it was Ruby. That was bullshit!" He stopped talking, standing and moving over to the drinks counter, to pour himself a glass of scotch. He'd definitely been drinking too much over the last two weeks!
"I think the final nail in the coffin, was you saying it wasn't the same thing as being unfaithful, because it was her! Like it was some sort of excuse, because we had both slept with her on several occasions, and she was…family. Even you know that's bullshit, Snow!" He took a large slug of the scotch, enjoying the burn at the back of his throat. "But leaving all that aside, the trip I took to Hank's made me think. About everything. About whether our marriage was built on a lie."
"David…it wasn't! These things happened decades ago." She started, but he put a hand up to stop her.
"The trouble is Snow, I love you, I really do! And that's why it hurts so much. If it had been a quick tumble with Ruby and Dorothy, I could probably overlook it, seeing as we've been so close recently and already have an odd relationship with them. I would have been upset, I might have even gone to see Archie, but I probably would be over it by now. But seeing your history together, and what I heard you say to each other, while we were married took it to another level! I even saw how you looked at her. That's why I had to get away!" He finished the rest of the glass in a single mouthful.
"But then I got to thinking about what I should do now. My head told me I should just arrange to separate, and file for divorce. It would have been upsetting for everyone, but we'd get through it. Having our own son tell me he listened in and knew everything really hurt too. Emma basically knows all of it…"
"She came to see me last night. She'd already talked to Neal. My son hates me, and my daughter's ashamed of me."
"That Alitheia stone was Merlin's idea. He said it's never wrong. So when I asked you whether you were in love with Ruby, I got the answer. You are. After you left here, annoyed, I went over to see Dorothy. We've been talking a lot recently. She used it on Ruby and asked her the same thing. Was she in love with you? She lied, too. Dot isn't too happy about that."
"But it went bright blue when I told you I loved you more than anybody else! And also when you asked me if I would agree to never see them ever again? And that I would obey you, if you asked?"
"That's what stayed my hand. Because of the stone, I realised yesterday, that you'd never stop loving her, or her you. Despite the fact you love me, you two have always been fairly inseparable at times. Even Dorothy agrees. Merlin told me that you see love in a slightly different light to everyone else. And after talking to Regina, she reminded me how she feels about Emma, and I know Emma feels the same. They're still happily married to other people; but they choose not to act on their feelings. I'm guessing that's kind of what you and Ruby feel at the moment?"
She ignored the question completely. "David, can we just…end this? Can you just tell me what you've decided to do? I know I've wronged you, and I'll go to my grave regretting it, but could you just put me out of my misery? Are we divorcing? Because I can't bear this any longer!"
"I'm forgiving you. For what you did in Misthaven before the curse. And for what happened recently. I don't think you two will ever stop loving each other, but if that can be contained, in the same way Emma and Regina do, then I think there's hope. After all, nothing's happened for a very long time…until recently."
"Really?" Snow felt the tears start to build at the first sign of light for what felt like ages.
"Really. I don't want us to suffer any more. Plus, we need to think of Neal, Nathaniel and Dorothy's baby."
She pulled out a handkerchief, to dab at her eyes. "So…can I come home?"
"I never asked you to leave, so of course you can, but-"
"You want me to stay away from Ruby? Yes, I can do that."
"No, it's not that. You do what you want, but…I think we need a break. From each other."
"A break? But surely…"
"I said I forgive you, Snow. Not that I've forgotten. You should live here, at home, and we continue to raise Neal together. But I think we need a break from each other, a trial separation. Just for a few months, to give us a chance to reassess where we stand. I'll be taking Neal to the summer school during that time. We can make a decision after that. Meanwhile, you're free to do what you want. To be with whoever you want. But then again, so do I."
"You really want that?" Her mind was racing. Was he serious? "You want to be free to…to date other people?"
"Yes."
This was worse than she thought. Then she remembered what the other woman did as she left. She was flirting!
"Why? Are you…do you…have someone in mind already?"
"No. I don't know yet. We'll see...