Y'all ready for a new story? Because I missed you guys! Here we go...
Snow tiptoes into her bedroom, kicks off her boots and plops in her bed. She is too tired to take her clothes off. Too tired to go under her blanket. She drifts off to sleep in an instant.
She stretches and looks at the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall. It's almost noon. She slept through her alarm.
"Oh, no," she groans. She jumps out of her bed and rushes out of her bedroom to see Nova reading a book, on a chair by the window.
"You are up!" Nova smiles.
"I didn't mean to oversleep, why didn't you wake me?" Snow mumbles, reaching for a mug.
"Oh, we tried," Nova shrugs. "Emma kissed you and shook you but you were too exhausted so she let you sleep..."
"Did she get to school alright?"
"Of course," Nova smiles, then she shakes her wand and Snow's cup is filled with coffee.
"Thank you," Snow sighs contentedly, taking a sip of coffee. Nova's magiced coffee is so good you almost can't tell it isn't brewed coffee. "I don't know what I'd do without you..."
"You are very welcome," Nova smiles. "Can I get you anything else? Do you want breakfast?"
Snow shakes her head. "Not hungry," she replies. She walks to the window next to Nova's chair and looks outside. It's raining. More of a drizzle really, watering the snow lilies on the flowerpots on Snow's porch.
Nova is one of the people that has been watching Emma for Snow since day one. Nova and Ruby. Granny Lucas too. She lives with Grumpy just around the corner, which is incredibly convenient.
"How is your case going?" Nova asks.
Snow rolls her eyes. "There is no case..." she sighs. "I solved it last night...Dopey has been getting drunk and tagging the dwarves houses in the middle of the night...surprisingly he is a really mean drunk...the dwarves are furious..."
"Oh no! I'm sure I'll hear all about it when I meet Grumpy for lunch," Nova replies. "I'll pick up Emma from school, don't worry..."
"Oh, I was going to do that," Snow frowns.
"I don't think you can. Your mirror has been ringing all morning. I think Jiminy is looking for you..."
Snow sighs. "Do you mind picking Emma up?" she asks.
"Of course not," Nova smiles."I'd be delighted...is it Ruby's turn to watch her this evening?""
Nova has a full time job as a weather fairy but she is on leave now. She is eight months pregnant. She is not supposed to exert herself and use too much magic now that she is pregnant.
"Alright, I better go see what Jiminy needs..."
Snow picks up her magic mirror and says "Jiminy!" heading to the back of the house where her home office is located.
The mirror is smoky at first then the cricket appears. " Snow White! Where have you been? We've been trying to reach you for a while..."
"Sorry, I slept in," Snow mumbles suddenly aware of how wild her hair might look. "Do you have a case for me?"
"It's fine, it's just that this is important and we need to talk in person, as soon as possible. I can't tell you over the phone. I'm sending a squad gourd to pick you up."
"A squad gourd! What happened to the squad pumpkins?" Snow glares at him.
"Budget cuts" the cricket shrugs.
"I don't like squad gourds. I can just ride my horse to the station!"
"It's raining!" the cricket replies incredulously. "Besides, I already sent the gourd, it's on its way."
"Oh, alright, see you in a bit..." Snow consents, turning off her mirror.
She rushes back to her bedroom and brushes her hair while looking for something clean to wear.
She really needs to do laundry. She's been meaning to do laundry for a while it's just that she's been so busy and tired. She grabs a white tunic, her pair of favorite brown pants out of the hamper and walks out to Nova.
"Could you take care of this for me real quick?" she asks. "Jiminy is having a gourd pick me up..."
"A new case?" Nova asks shaking her wand. Snow's clothes are immediately clean. Snow inhales deeply. Her tunic smells like lilacs. Nova is really good at magicing laundry. Her magiced laundry smells so good and gets so clean it's almost impossible to tell the clothes haven't been in the washing machine.
"Thank you so much," she says in a hurry and disappears back into her bedroom. She glances at her mirror. Green eyes, red lips, long dark hair almost tamed. She looks tired but presentable nonetheless. Professional enough for a meeting with Jiminy. She pulls on her riding boots and hangs her favorite two daggers on her sword belt.
Snow White is rumored to be the best private investigator in the Enchanted Forest. They say there isn't a missing person she cannot track, a mystery she cannot solve. She lives in the Northern kingdom and whenever the black knight force is stumped with a crime or a mystery they cannot solve, they always ask for her help. Jiminy is the chief of her department and they get along fine because he knows when to back off and let her work. Jiminy Cricket, who can shapeshift from human to cricket form and who rose in the knight force ranks after he singlehandedly brought down the Black fairy after years of working undercover, strictly existing in his cricket form.
"The problem with squad gourds is that no matter how much you magic them you can never get rid off that distinct gourd smell," Snow says the moment she steps into Jiminy' s office. "Squad pumpkins are so much better. I know you have budget problems but you really should...-" her voice trails off.
Jiminy is in human form today, glasses resting on top of his nose, his tie in place, but he is not alone. There is a knight in light armor sitting across from Jiminy's desk, a case folder in his hands.
Snow pauses to get a better look at the new knight.
"I'm sorry, I thought you were alone. I''ll come back," she says preparing to make a hasty exit from Jiminy's office.
"No, no, please stay. We've been waiting for you..." Jiminy replies in a hurry.
"Waiting for me?" Snow frowns looking at the knight. "I don't believe we've met, I'm Snow White..." she offers her hand.
The man stands up. "David Nolan," he replies shaking her hand.
He is taller than her, blond hair, bright blue eyes, clean cut, fresh shaven, broad shoulders, his armor is impeccable, his boots shined to perfection, wearing a sword and several daggers. He is looking so official, not a hair out of place, except for a small scar on his chin.
He is a White knight.
What is he doing here, she wonders. This is the Black knight force. He is out of jurisdiction. Snow's gaze lingers, and all of a sudden she is acutely aware of how worn out her boots are and how she threw her hair in a braid in a hurry.
"What is this about? Do the White knights need our help?" Snow frowns.
"Won't you sit down, Snow White," Jiminy points to the chair across from his desk. "Lieutenant Nolan will be joining our force for this investigation..." he adds.
"Please, call me David," the knight interrupts.
"He will? Why?" Snow crosses her arms on her chest. She is still standing.
"In fact he is going to be running point...-" Jiminy continues. "I need you guys to work together..."
"Excuse me?" Snow glares at him. "I thought that I made my self very clear, that if you want to hire me I work alone...No offense, Lieutenant Nolan, I'm sure you are great at whatever investigation you run for the Southern kingdom... But I do not need your help..."
"Be that as it may," Jiminy interrupts, "I am pretty sure you will make an exception just this once, because this is a sensitive investigation that you want to participate in. And the only way I could convince the boss to include you is if you weren't alone... and we all know that no one from this department is willing to work with you...except for maybe Grumpy who is busy in the one eyed strangler case..."
"Cowards," Snow scoffs. "This order is coming straight from Blue? On what grounds? I have done nothing but solved cases for this department, I close cases, that's what I do. And if that's the way you are going to treat me, maybe I do not want to be associated with you and your knight force any more..." She looks ready to storm out.
"Snow White, please, hear me out! We need your help!" Jiminy exclaims.
Snow shakes her head. "You have a very funny way of showing it!"
"Queen Regina is missing!" Lieutenant Nolan says mildly and Snow freezes in her tracks. Her face blanches.
"What? What did you just say?" she breathes.
"Regina, the Queen of the Northern kingdom is missing. Official itinerary has her visiting King George in his Summer estates yesterday morning and then she disappeared on her way back..." he explains extending the case folder that was on his hand.
Snow doesn't move. She either doesn't see or chooses to ignore his gesture. She stands perfectly still, trying to process this information. For a second she looks as though she might cry. But she doesn't. She nods, takes a deep breath and sits down on her chair, across from Jiminy's desk.
"I'm in," she says quietly. "Would you be so kind as to give us a minute," she turns to the Lieutenant.
"Of course," he replies, he steps out of Jiminy's office and shuts the door behind him.
"How long has she been gone?"
David can clearly hear them through the stained glass door.
"This morning," Jiminy replies. "Nobody knows yet..."
"How long do you think you can keep this quiet?" Snow frowns.
"She doesn't have any official engagements for this whole week...her council has been notified and they are confident they can run things smoothly without her..."
"A week then?" Snow pauses briefly. "Two weeks?" She shakes her head. She cannot believe this is happening. "I really wish you hadn't blindsided me like this!"
"I didn't mean to. I've been trying to reach you all morning..." Jiminy protests.
"I mean, he is running point. Who is he? How do we even know whether to trust him? This isn't just any missing case, this is my stepmother we are talking about... "
"Not just your stepmother! This is the Queen. And she disappeared while visiting King George so this is a diplomatic nightmare no matter which way you look at it. This is serious. Which is why we need him Snow. He will open door for us. He is the best the Southern kingdom has to offer, or so I'm told... Give him a chance. I have no doubt you can manage him..."
"He is white Knight!" she groans, knowing that Jiminy is probably going to ignore that point as well. "White knights don't break rules, they don't even bend the rules, how am I supposed to work with him..."
"Give him a chance Snow White, we need him..."
"Why! Why do we need him?"
"Exactly because he is a White knight. Regina was last seen in the Southern kingdom. I do not need to remind you that it's outside of our jurisdiction. Technically our department shouldn't be the one handling this at all, but this is out Queen that's missing. If we do a joint investigation, they've agreed to let us handle it as long as he is in charge..."
Snow sighs. This is a nightmare on so many levels. "He looks like a sword fighter, not an investigator..." she is looking really doubtful.
"So, the ladies will be willing to talk to him. That's a good thing..." Jiminy is relieved. He is pretty certain Snow will cooperate.
Snow rolls her eyes. There is a brief pause.
"So, Regina is missing, huh?" Snow sighs. "Why am I not surprised?"
"When was the last time you talked to her?"
"Right after Emma was born," Snow shrugs.
"Are you sure you are up for it? You don't have to..."
"Of course, I'm up for it," she replies.
There is a brief moment of silence.
"Won't you let him back in then..." Jiminy motions to the glass door.
Snow glares at him but she does open the door.
"Alright," Jiminy Cricket tries to sound confident. Like this isn't the hardest most complex case his office was ever asked to handle. "Now that we are all on the same page... there will be no official announcement. You report directly to me or Blue. There is no room for error, the fate of all the kingdoms is resting on this investigation..."
Snow glares at him. "No pressure," she deadpans.
Jiminy shoots her a warning look.
"This is just a missing person's case," she argues. "Do not say the fate of the kingdoms lies in this investigation or something equally dramatic..."
"She is the Queen!" Jiminy protests.
"Queens can be replaced. Nobody is indispensable, the kingdom will go on..." Snow argues.
Lieutenant Nolan looks at Snow White, wondering if she is as certain as she sounds, and whether she is mostly trying to convince herself.
Jiminy nods. "You are right. This is first and foremost a missing person's case. Let's do our best to keep this under wraps as long as we can. Lieutenant Nolan has all the information you need...Keep me posted..."
And just like that without actually saying it, Jiminy dismisses them both from his office.
Snow nods trying to keep a neutral expression, trying not to glare at Lieutenant Nolan who happens to be in charge. They both step out of Jiminy's office, David carefully shutting the door behind him. He points to the corner office. He has only been here for a few hours but due to the sensitive nature of the investigation he was offered a private office. Or rather, they have been offered the corner office, because there are two desks facing each other in a small room. Lieutenant Nolan seems to have already claimed the desk on the left so Snow sits on top of the desk on the right and crosses her arms. Without a word she reaches for the file in Lieutenant Nolan's hand. He hands it to her right away.
"There's not much to go on," he starts, studying her face carefully as she browses quickly through the information. A missing queen and all they have to go on is two measly pages of nothing.
"The Huntsman called it in?" she asks.
Lieutenant Nolan nods. "He was expecting her to arrive at the last night..."
"Last known location?"
"Crossing of Queen's road and Story Lane," he replies, pointing to the last page in the file she is holding.
"She took the scenic route," Snow mumbles mostly to herself. "That's unusual. I suppose that's where we start. Alright, shall we go?" she asks, jumping off her new desk. "Your squad gourd or mine?"
"We don't do gourds," he replies.
"You have pumpkins?" Snow almost perks up.
"Beans," he replies pulling a small leather pouch from his pocket.
"Beans? Magic beans? " Snow is looking shocked. Because the Black Knight force struggles with budget cuts and can't even afford squad pumpkins let alone magic beans. The White Knight force seems to be doing alright.
"Yes!"
Snow is so fascinated for a brief minute she almost forgets how annoyed she is at him. Almost.
"How do they work?" she asks, looking at the clear bean he has in his hand.
"Here, would you like to try?" he offers.
Snow looks closely noting how the bean shimmers to the light.
"How many of these do you get a month?" she asks.
"Ordinarily between thirty to sixty, but we have no limit," he replies. "As many as we need..."
"Infinite beans? You are not serious!"
He smirks and doesn't reply he just places the magic bean in her hand.
"I've never used one before..." she mumbles.
"There's nothing to it. You toss it on the ground and you say where you want to go...But it's safer if we go outside...technically you are not supposed to do it indoors unless it's an emergency" he points to the staircase that leads to the front courtyard where all the squad gourds and pumpkins are parked.
They walk hurriedly down the stairs. Once they are outside, in the open space of the courtyard, Snow takes a deep breath. "Crossing of Queen's Road and Story Lane," she says tossing the bean on the ground.
A light flashes and a bright green ring appears on the ground, the size of a small pond making a loud humming noise. Snow is looking at it very carefully. This is both brighter and louder than she expected.
"After you!" he smiles.
Snow isn't scared. If she is, she is definitely not going to show it, not in front of Lieutenant Nolan. She steps inside the green circle, careful not to touch the bright green burning edge. Lieutenant Nolan steps in right after her.
For a while she feels confused like she doesn't know which way is up, which way is down, she is lost in the fog, falling. She reaches around her, trying to grasp something, anything. Her hand finds his arm.
"It's alright," she hears him say.
Snow pulls back her hand trying to force her heart to calm down. It's just a magic bean, she tells herself. They are perfectly safe, it's just a magic bean...
And then the fog clears up. They have arrived.
"Are you okay?" he asks. "First time can be very disorienting..."
"I'm fine," mumbles, not sounding entirely confident.
"You are doing great," he means to say but she walks away. She definitely doesn't care much for his approval.
At the crossing of Queen's road and Storylane, thirty white knights are combing the forest on all four sides.
Snow's eyes open wide. "Who authorized this?" she asks. "I thought we were keeping this under wraps!"
"I did," Lieutenant Nolan is right behind her. "They don't know exactly what they are looking for..."
Snow turns around to face him. She is not looking happy about this at all. "In the future you run everything by me..."
He is not about to commit to anything. "My men are trustworthy" he replies. "They are trained, they are very reliable... How is it going?" he asks the young knight that rushes towards them.
"Nothing to report so far sir. We will proceed in area B-59," he says pulling out a magic mirror that shows a grid map of the enchanted forest. "How are you doing Ma'am?" he asks noticing Snow.
"B-59? " she rolls her eyes. "You don't say..."
"Is there a problem?" David asks.
"Of course there is nothing to report after their highly trained feet stomped on everything..." Snow says shaking her head. "Pull them back!"
"If they said they didn't find anything, that's because there was nothing to find..." he replies firmly.
"Rule number one, Lieutenant. There is always something to find...and I get to look at everything first..."
"You plan on combing the entire forest by yourself?" he asks incredulously.
"Rule number one..." the young knight repeats, his eyes open wide. He knows that rule. He recognizes her. "Excuse me Ma'am, do you happen to be Snow White?"
And when Snow doesn't react he continues. "You...you are amazing, I am a big fan, I studied all your cases in the academy... Would you mind signing my sword..." he says unsheathing his sword and handing it to her.
Snow doesn't reply, she just glares at Lieutenant Nolan.
He takes a deep breath. "You heard the lady," he turns to his knight. "Pull everybody back..."
"Sir?"
"Rule number one," he mumbles following her.
This is going to be a long day.
But in the end even as Snow carefully walks the edges of the carriage road, there isn't much to find.
When no one is watching, Snow whistles and a bluebird perches on her hand.
"Was the Queen here?" she whispers.
The bluebird chirps back at her for a while, then it flies away.
Snow squats to the ground looking closely to the patterns of the dirt on the ground then she walks back to Lieutenant Nolan.
"When was the last time it rained?" she asks.
He pulls out his magic mirror and checks the past weather reports. "Three days ago..."
"This isn't right," she replies looking at the ground. "None of this is right...it's should almost be carriage tracks overlapping, instead there is nothing...as if someone swept it clean..."
"Who has those kind of resources," he frowns.
Snow looks at the thirty knights that are throwing their magic beans on their ground one by one heading back to the white knight force headquarters.
"King George?" he raises his eyebrows.
Snow shrugs.
"Surely he'd be smarter than that. He wouldn't make a Queen disappear right after an official visit to his estate..."
"What if he was pressed for time?" she asks.
"Alright. Shall we question him next?" he asks.
"That's going to be a nightmare," she sighs. "I'm going to have to run it by Jiminy and Blue... and the superiors of their superiors..."
"No, you don't. We can go question him right now..." he offers.
"We can? We can just walk in the castle and question the king?" Snow is looking at him shocked.
"I don' t see why not," there is no doubt in his voice.
"You'd do that? You'll question the king without getting some kind of approval first?" she looks at him as if she didn't quite hear his previous answer.
Lieutenant Nolan is standing tall, unflinching. "It's what I'm here for, isn't it?" he replies. "Make it possible for you to run this investigation without White Knight force blocking your path?"
Yes, she thinks, but she looks at him surprised. She didn't expect him to admit to that.
"Alright...what time is it?" she asks checking her mirror. "It's dinner time, um... I need to check on someone real quick, it will just be a minute..."
Snow walks away and she looks in her magic mirror. "Call Ruby!" she says. But nothing happens."Ruby!" she says again, but her mirror stays dark.
Snow turns around. She is looking uneasy now.
"She is not picking up. I have to check on my daughter," she mumbles, "before we question the king...it shouldn't take too long..."
"Here you go," he says handing her two magic beans. "Message me when you are done?"
Snow glares at him. She needs to decide and she needs to decide fast. Can he be trusted? He is a White Knight, from the Southern kingdom, no doubt loyal to his king. Can she trust that he is not going to warn the king? Can he be trusted at all? What if... Her eyes are still on him when she drops the bean to the ground, right at his feet.
The green ring opens up and swallows him whole.
"I want to go home to Emma," Snow tries to hide her mischievous smile.
When the fog clears up he is standing there, right next to Snow's mailbox, overflowing with mail and covered up by vines, his arms crossed.
"If you wanted me to come along all you had to do was ask," he says dryly.
"What? I've never used beans before," she shrugs.
He is not buying it, not even for a minute. "Maybe you should be using squad gourds," he glares at her.
But she is not listening, she's already heading towards her cottage. "Are you coming?" she asks.
He is still shaking his head, even as he follows her.
"You really should check you mail," he mutters under his breath.
Snow's place is a simple cottage with large windows and a rose trellis shading the front porch. It's beautiful in a rustic disheveled sort of way. Her yard needs to be mowed and her flower beds need weeding. She walks inside, and he rushes to follow her.
Her living room has a large fireplace a comfortable oversized couch and pictures of birds hanging on every wall. It would be really cute if it didn't look like a tornado run through it.
"Mom!" a blond girl that can't be older than ten runs and hugs her so fast Snow almost tumbles over.
"Emma," she says, smiling brightly for the first time.
"Are you busy? Do you have a new case?" Emma doesn't really wait for an answer. She just starts talking fast. "I made a picture at school but Grace spilled the glitter and it got on my hair and then Grace laughed and...-" Emma's voice trails off as she takes in the Lieutenant.
Lieutenant Nolan isn't really listening to her words. He is just standing there, looking at Snow and her daughter. Sure, he's heard rumors of Snow White being the fairest of them all, everybody has. And he does finds her incredibly attractive even when she is glaring at him, but this, this is different somehow. Snow is listening intently to her little girl, smiling back and she looks like she is practically glowing.
"Hi!" the little girl smiles at him brightly.
"Hello," he returns her smile.
"I'm Emma!" she says, "who are you?"
"This is Lieutenant Nolan, he is going to work with me for a while," Snow replies.
"I'm David," he interrupts.
Emma untangles herself form her mother's arms and walks over to him.
"Are you a private detective like Mom?" she wants to know.
"Not quite," he replies. "I am in the knight force..."
"White knight?" she asks looking at the insignia on his armor.
"Exactly," he nods. "That's really good! How did you know?" he looks genuinely impressed.
There is something about this little green eyed wisp of a girl he finds captivating.
"Mom says if I'm going to be in the knight force one day have to observe everything."
"Your Mom is right... Are you going to join the knight force?" he replies smiling, because she looks so serious there for a moment.
"I'm going to be a knight, or a ballerina, or a vet" she shrugs. "Haven't decided yet..."
He nods trying not to laugh.
"What happened? Ruby wasn't picking up her mirror, I got worried..." Snow is fussing, pulling Emma's hair out of her face.
"Auntie Ruby is cooking," Emma shrugs points towards the kitchen. "Maybe she forgot to charge her magic mirror..." There is a vague unidentifiable smell of burned food coming through the door.
"I see," Snow nods. "Do you want to tell me what happened here, sweetheart?" Snow asks pointing at the broomstick sticking out of the couch and the big white sheet attached to it.
"Hansel and Gretel came over, " Emma shrugs. "We played pirates and bandits..."
"Nice," Snow laughs. "I better check on Ruby."
She walks into the kitchen to find Ruby staring at some chicken nuggets, poking them with a fork.
"Snow! You are back early. How do you know if the nuggets are done?" she asks.
"When they start smoking it's generally a good indication," Snow offers.
Ruby pulls them out of the oven. "Is everything alright? Are you done for the day?" she asks.
"Not done... You aren't picking up your mirror... I got worried, I came to check on you guys..." Snow explains. "Also, I got a new case by the knight force and a new partner..."
"A new partner?" Ruby frowns. "I thought that you'd made it clear you work alone. What's he like?"
"He is too...-" Snow's voice falters.
"Too bossy? Too old? Too incompetent?" Ruby tries to be helpful.
"No...He is too...-" Snow looks away. She doesn't know how to finish her sentence. "Well, since everything is under control here, I should get going..."
"You have to go back right now? Snow!" Ruby looks at her friend face carefully. "Snow, what's wrong?"
"Nobody is supposed to know about this," Snow's voice is barely louder than a whisper. "But my stepmother is missing..."
"Your stepmother... the Queen?" Ruby's eyes open wide.
Snow nods.
"How is that not the biggest news of the day?" Ruby blurts out. "All they keep talking about in the news is Ella's triplets...apparently one of them lost a tooth..."
"They are keeping it under wraps... trying to at least." Snow shrugs. "You can't tell anyone..."
"My lips are sealed," Ruby makes it a point to pretend lock her lips and throw away the key.
Snow smiles.
"Are you alright?" Ruby asks quietly.
Snow hesitates. "I will be," she nods decisively.
When the women step out of the kitchen they find Lieutenant Nolan sitting on the couch, Emma standing in front of him, both of them deeply engrossed in a clapping game. Emma is going faster and faster and the Lieutenant is messing up.
"No, you are doing it wrong, you have to do it three times..." Emma corrects him.
He shakes his head. "I'm a little rusty," he replies. "Let's me try this again..."
Emma giggles. "One more time," she agrees magnanimously. "Don't mess up this time..."
"I'll do my best Ma'am," he replies playfully, and Emma giggles again.
"Is that your new partner?" Ruby mouths at Snow, fanning herself, her eyes wide open, a very playful smirk on her face.
Snow avoids her eyes all together.
"Come on Emma, your chicken nuggets are ready," Ruby smiles.
"I'm not that hungry," Emma mumbles.
"Did by any chance Hansel and Gretel bring candies when they came over?" Snow watches her daughter's face carefully.
"Maybe," Emma smirks. "Hansel and Gretel were lost for a while and Mom found them and now their Dad spoils them rotten and they get as much candy as they want," Emma explains to Lieutenant Nolan who turns and gapes at Snow.
"Hansel and Gretel?" he asks. "The Hansel and Gretel? The case of the Blind Witch?" he asks.
"You are not going to ask me to autograph anything, are you?" Snow sighs.
"Oh, how exciting! He is a fan!" Ruby claps her hands.
Snow half glares at Ruby and doesn't reply.
Emma smiles at David. "I have to eat. And you need to practice more, you need to get better..." she says then heads towards the table.
"Absolutely," he laughs.
Ruby coughs loudly.
"Oh, sorry," Snow starts. "Ruby this is Lieutenant Nolan, umm I mean David, David this is Ruby. And we really got to go. I'll probably be home after you are in bed," Snow kisses her daughters forehead. "Please go to bed early and don't give Auntie Ruby a hard time you have school tomorrow..."
Emma looks disappointed. "Do you have to go?"
"I'm sorry baby..." Snow replies in a hurry. And then they are heading out the door.
Once they are outside, Lieutenant Nolan turns to Snow.
"Do you have children Lieutenant?" Snow asks before he gets a chance to say anything.
"I don't. Listen, if you need to stay home..." he offers. "I can question the king on my own...Or if that goes against your rules we can question the king tomorrow..."
Snow shakes her head. "No," she sounds quite firm. "This needs to happen today, while it's still only a missing person case. I want to keep it that way. Time is of the essence..."
"True..." he pulls out a magic bean, "To the castle," he says and then he carefully drops the magic bean on the ground.
This is my new story folks. Hope you enjoyed it. Drop me a line, let me know your thoughts. Comments, objections, suggestions always soooo appreciated. I will be updating next Saturday morning, pacific time.
xoxox