It feels like it's been a million years. I had Snow's portion of this chapter written since December, but the rest took it's sweet time coming to me. In this chapter, we go into Snow waking up, David noticing some workplace drama and Emma...well...I won't spoil it all for you.
It's like waking up with a hangover. Brain throbbing, body aches and the overwhelming sensation to throw up. Memories of the night before are hazy but come back the more you wake up.
This is what Snow White went through in the hour after she woke up from the curse. Her mind was torn between two worlds. In one, she was a quiet school teacher that had lost everything she ever cared about because of a carless mistake. Yet, she was working on getting it back. She was dating her ex-husband, her grown foster daughter lived with her. In the other, she was a princess turned bandit. She beat trolls and ogres. She had a former step-mother that despite everything, her heart would not allow her to hate. She was a wife, a mother. The last thing Snow White could remember were dark purple clouds surrounding her as she clutched to her husband.
David. He had bled out in the nursery, no heartbeat. In Storybrooke, he walked around with a scar, the origin of which he could never quiet recall. The baby hadn't been in the wardrobe when the knights cut it down, but there was Emma. Her daughter.
Snow sinks onto the stool as her memories continued to intertwine. Ones of Regina braiding her hair and calling her beautiful collide with the first time she saw Emma at 5 years old. David trapping her in a tree fall against the day Emma was taken away.
She's going to kill Regina.
Her eyes flicker to the clock by the television. 8:30. She'll be home. Snow had let her go once. The hope in her told her that it was for the best, it'd give Regina one last chance to change. Even after she was banished, Snow hoped and prayed that one day the woman she once knew would return to her. After being cursed to be apart from her daughter for 27 years, she knows that's not going to happen. Her burning rage is burying her love for Regina and she knows that, but it needs to this time. She cannot let down her kingdom, her family again.
She's halfway to the door when her mind fogs over again. A reminder that she hasn't been asleep completely for these 28 years. It's sobering to remember storming into Regina's office with the same anger and hurt. She didn't have a game plan; she got her memories back and flew to that office with such vigor. And what had that gotten her? She lost the chance to raise her daughter, albeit in a cursed town. If she had just curbed her anger, she could've prevented more pain for herself, for David, for Emma. Her daughter had grown up in the foster system.
As much as it would hurt Snow, she would've rather Emma had a family, any family. One that care for her and loved her the way that she couldn't at the time. And yet, that never happened it. Part of it is on Regina, but the other part is on Snow for punching her enemy in the face. She's never had great impulse control and now is the time to gain some.
She doesn't even know if the curse is completely broken. The first time, a flower woke her. Now, it's Emma. She's the savior. Rumpelstiltskin always said that it was her that would bring back their happy endings. This wasn't the first time Emma had kissed her though. She can remember pecks on the cheek, her nose, all throughout Emma's time with them as a foster child. What had changed in the past 23 years?
The door creaks open and David emerges. She takes in her husband. Not her ex, her real husband. He's got the same deep blue eyes and blonde hair that curls when wet. The lopsided grin that so perfectly matches their daughter's. He looks so much like her. When Emma was little, Ruby said it was fate that they got a daughter with their combined looks. How had it not hit them then?
"David," she breathes.
It's like seeing him for the first time, falling in love with him all over again. He's wearing a flannel shirt and ripped jeans instead of his tunic and the leather pants that left little to imagination. Instead of a sword, during their Storybrooke marriage she'd watch him clean a gun. He's grown out some scruff since days of having to be well groomed for the public. He's both the shepherd turned prince she fell in love with and the sheriff that she's never stopped thinking about.
And he's looking at her like she's insane. There's no relief written in those beautiful eyes. He's confused, his eyebrow arched ever so slightly.
He's not awake.
She gets up from the stool and walks to him. Her fingers caress the spiky fuzz on his cheek. She cannot be alone in this, she needs him. The real him.
Her lips connect with his and he returns the kiss. His lips are rough, chapped from the turning weather. While his eyes shut, she keeps them open, looking for the telltale rainbow ripple that appeared when he woke her from Regina's sleeping curse.
It's an average kiss. One between two people from a land with no magic.
Her heart crashes like a ship into the shore. Tears build back to her eyes and a single one falls hotly against her cool, pale skin. She slowly pulls away and hides her face, for the first time realizing just how short her hair is. In the Enchanted Forest, it was a security blanket. With it, she could hide from the world and no one saw her emotions. The pixie cut exposes her and she's feel vulnerable, naked.
"Mary Margaret," his voice is soft, tender.
The name hits her like a knife. She wants to scream that's not her name. She's Snow White, daughter of Queen Eva and King Leopold. She's the leader of their land.
But just like David is both…she is too. She's the princess who was forced into a bandit and the meek school teacher.
His calloused fingers, proof of his upbringing on a farm, caress her chin. "What's wrong? You don't seem yourself."
He'd never believe her. He wouldn't be mean about it. David Nolan is not a cruel man. He'd pity her, though. Look at it as her way of coping with them losing 23 years with their foster daughter.
Just as Regina can't know she's awake, neither can he.
"I'm fine," she lies. Uncursed, he knew when she was doing so. Emma got her "superpower" from someone. "Really, I just…had an emotional conversation with Emma."
"About what?"
She thinks that her biological parents don't want her. That if they did, they'd go looking for her. Except they're right in front of her. We're them and we couldn't go after her because this curse made us forget who she was. And it's all my fault that she grew up that way.
Instead, she just swallows hard. "Just her life in foster care. Nicholas and Ava, uh, brought up some hard memories."
"I'm sure. Where is she?"
"She went for a walk. When she goes for those, she tends to go to the woods."
"Then we have some time," he wraps his arms around her waist and begins nibbling on her ear. She wishes she was in the mood. She wants more than anything to make love to him.
But her body aches. Her mind is still heavy with the past, present and unknown when it comes to the future. She doesn't know how she's going to make it living as two. Snow is exhausted and she wishes she could go back to a half hour ago when she was just Mary Margaret Blanchard. The curse should've broken for all of them, but instead, she's just alone.
"David," she pulls away from him with an ache in her heart. "I'm sorry…I'm just not feeling well."
"Hey," he rubs her back and she melts into his touch. "It's okay. How about I make us some tea? We can watch a movie or something?"
"That sounds nice. Besides, if Emma comes back and sees us, we could scar her for life." The joke barely lands, she doesn't have it in her.
David still smiles. "True."
Mary Margaret slinks to the living room and lowers herself onto the couch, She pulls her knees to her chest and throws a lavender flannel blanket around her. It's a lucky thing that Gold let her get rid of the couch that felt like sitting on a jagged rock…
Gold.
When she woke up the first time, he's the one that tried to convince her to leave Regina alone. In fact, one of the last things she remembers is having tea with him and then she was asleep once more. After that, he seemed like he was too. Ever since Emma came back, he's been different. He gave her the file that told the truth. He let Emma move in with no argument about her lease stating that only one person could live there. Mr. Gold wouldn't do that…but Rumpelstiltskin would.
The stove crackles to life as Snow makes plans for her lunch break the following day. She's going to see the Dark One.
The shop is empty when she enters around noon. It's cluttered with items she recognizes. Ruby's cloak hangs on an antique coat rack that once belonged to Thomas. A pocket watch she saw Regina's father wear many times sits underneath some glass alongside her mother's own ruby earrings. She catches sight of two horribly carved puppets that almost look dead somehow. Snow shudders, knowing Geppetto could never carve such horrid creatures. They have to be done by an amateur. She turns to find herself face to face with the mobile.
A gift from Ashley not long after she discovered she was pregnant. Made of white and blue glass unicorns, it hangs gracefully in the corner of the shop. Snow takes a step forward, her hand cradling one of the horned horses in her palm. Memories of decorating the nursery hit her. They knew the odds of them being able to raise Emma in it, but every royal baby got their own nursery. Emma would be no different.
They got it ready for all stages of life. A huge plush giraffe kept guard of her crib with other teddies littered about. Geppetto took a break from carving the wardrobe to make a castle with Snow and her seven brothers. David bought an abacus from the market in town. He had a homemade one when he was a child and had fond memories of Ruth teaching him math on it. Ruby's contribution had been a doll that looked just like her. Granny's gift was the blanket, the very one Emma was wrapped in. The one she still had after all of these years. After a curse and 28 years in the system, it hadn't aged a day.
"A beautiful piece."
Snow jumps at the accented voice. Gold-no, Rumpelstiltskin-stands before her. In a three-piece suit with long brown hair, his scales are long gone. His knuckles grip a cane, showing signs of one leg that can't keep up with the other. He's got a few wrinkles but no one would ever guess that he's centuries old. The smile he gives her sends a chill down her spine. This isn't Gold, not at all. Rumpelstiltskin is indeed awake.
"Where'd you get it?" Snow asks, testing him. His smile widens.
"How do I get most things? They just appear. It's like…magic."
Snow bites her tongue. "That's all the magic that exists in this town?"
"Well, that depends."
"On?"
"What you believe. I hear Mayor Mills' son has faith that we were all once fairytale characters. Who does he think you are again?" His face feigns confusion before he snaps. "Right, Snow White."
"And who does he think you are?" Snow fires back, her mouth forming a thin line.
"Ah, no one knows my name."
"I do." She takes a step forward. "Rumpelstiltskin."
His lips turn into a smirk. "I have no idea what you're talking about, dearie."
"I think you do. And it's time you answered some questions."
He looks her up and down, his smirk growing. "Welcome back, Snow White."
She's been awake for 16 hours and it's the first time someone's called her by her real name. It's like a rush of warm water, a relief.
"How long have you been awake?" She asks.
"For about 9 months in 1988. 6 weeks now."
"Since Emma came back." She looks at him curiously. "How?"
"Didn't you ever wonder why I wanted your precious daughter's name? Hearing it was the way I'd known she had returned."
It should creep Snow out, but she pushes right past that. "You're why I woke up last time. Why would you do that?"
"Because it wasn't time. I told you then, dearie, Emma can only break the curse at 28 years old."
"Well, she's 28 now." The harsh reminder that she didn't get to raise her daughter, not really, not in the way it counted ran over her like a bus. "Why am I the only one awake? True love's kiss can break any curse."
"It's more complicated than that. Anyone Emma kisses in town will awake, that much is true. But that's not true love, it's because she's the savior. In order for true love's kiss to truly work, both need to believe that they share it."
"I know I have it for her…" She trails off, not needing Rumpelstiltskin to tell her the rest.
She doesn't doubt that Emma loves her, but it's not in the same way. Not how she would if she knew the truth. Hell, even then, she'd probably still hate her for abandoning her in the first place. And Snow can't blame her.
"So, the curse can never be broken," Snow whispers. Emma will never believe that she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. It's too crazy for any adult to understand unless they know what Snow does.
"Now, now, weren't you the one with hope? No curse is unbreakable," Rumpelstiltskin says. "All Miss Swan needs to do is share true love's kiss with someone who believes they both share it. And there's someone in town who fits that."
"Who…Henry."
She's a grandmother. There's so much still hitting her now that she's awake. Despite not even being 30 herself, she's the mother of a 28-year-old and a grandmother. She's known him his entire life. She remembers when Regina brought him to town. He's the one thing that humanizes her. Despite everything, Snow can see the love she feels for that boy. He had a happy childhood until recently.
And that's another thing that's her fault.
They were doing family tree projects in class. Mary Margaret told Henry that it was okay if he couldn't fill out the dad's side and offered to let him do an additional one on his biological family if he knew who they were. The look on his face said it all. He hadn't known he was adopted until that moment.
Regina nearly had her fired for that. Mary Margaret watched as the boy once filled with joy and happiness became a recluse who avoided his friends and barely turned in her homework. It's why she gave him the storybook. Even in her darkest moments as Mary Margaret, fairytales had given her the hope she needed to carry on.
"Emma and Henry don't spend any time together," Snow points out. "I mean, he visits her but she can't be around him. Regina's his adoptive mother, she doesn't want them together."
"It'll happen. The curse was not meant to last forever."
Snow wants to believe him. It's a personality switch of epic proportions. She's supposed to be the hero of the story but she can't find hope. Rumpelstiltskin has it and she's not entirely sure how.
"If this town has no magic, how did you drug me all those years ago?"
"I added it to the curse. I knew if anyone woke up, it'd be a recipe for disaster. It wasn't a lot, only enough for me and whoever it was."
"Why would you want to be cursed?"
"Look at yourself, dearie. You're the only one of your family awake. Is it easy?"
She bites her lip. "Not in the slightest."
"The worse curse is being awake, remembering everything." A flicker of pain crosses his face and she frowns. Does the Dark One actually have regrets? "To know what you've done."
"I wouldn't expect that from you."
"You don't know me."
His eyes flutter to the door and she follows his gaze. A few people are lingering outside, window shopping.
"I have customers."
She straightens herself. "I should get back to the school."
"Miss Blanchard…"
"It's Snow," she corrects without thinking.
"And there lies my next point. Last time you woke up from your little slumber, you went crazy on Regina. That cannot repeat."
"I know. As far as Regina knows, she's won. I've lost everything that matters to me." She pauses, her hand lingering above the door. "I do have one more question."
Rumpelstiltskin rolls his eyes. "Of course you do."
"It's been 23 years since Emma was last here, obviously nothing has changed. She doesn't seem that bothered by it. She was at first, but that dropped rather quickly." She ponders it some more. "Heck, while David and I questioned how she aged and we didn't…the thought left pretty quickly. Why is that?"
"It's a part of the curse, we're never supposed to think too hard about the passage of time."
"But Emma…and even Henry. It took him 10 years to question why he surpassed his peers in school?"
"Regina added it to the curse shortly after he arrived to town. Any newcomers won't fall under the curse, but they won't question the oddities."
"He questions it now, though."
"That book you gave him; it broke his spell."
Snow tilts her head. Who'd think a simple leatherbound book could hold that much power?
David's dealt with his fair share of station drama. Anthony and Kyle nearly came to blows over the latter drinking the last of the coffee for 3 weeks straight without refilling the pot. Bridget and Whitney refused to speak to the other after they went out for drinks and got into a fight over a guy. It seems so high school, but it's the reality of spending so much time with your co-workers. They become like family. Siblings squabble often. And as sheriff, it's often up to David to play dad and tell them to sort their shit out off the clock so it doesn't effect their job.
This drama…well, he's not even sure what it is.
Emma's the new girl to the force. She's the same as she was when she was a kid: guarded, reserved. She's definitely not joining Bridget and Whitney for beers at the Rabbit Hole (and a part of David is thankful for that). She politely declines Anthony's invitation to join the guys for wings and the football game at his place. Most of her time is spent at work. When she's not there, one can find her with Mary Margaret or Ruby, maybe Henry if he peels away from Regina long enough.
And yet, she seems to have some sort of problem with Graham.
David's not sure when it started. From the start, Graham was a familiar face for her. He seemed comforting to her, to have someone else at the station that treated her like an adult and not the little kid they once knew. Graham wanted to help her adjust, he was kind to her.
All the while, Emma keeps him at arm's length. She went from accepting his tips and asking him what he'd want when she headed to Granny's to not even meeting his eye. Graham stares after her like a heartbroken puppy. That makes no sense, though. It's not like they dated…had they?
The thought grosses David out. Emma is a grown woman, a fact he's coming around to accepting. She can date whoever she pleases, but Graham? He knew her when she was a little girl. He gave her piggy back rides and bought her ice cream, for crying out. The idea alone sickens his stomach.
David walks over to Emma. She's looking over some files for another missing person's case, blowing strands of blonde curls from her face every so often. "Hey, kid."
Heat creeps up on her cheeks and she looks around quickly. "I told you, no pet names at work."
David curses himself. "Sorry, I keep forgetting."
"Yeah, well, I don't think people are going to take me seriously if my dad's always calling me "kiddo" or "princess"."
His heart swells at Emma referring to him as her dad. It's the first time she's done it not in jest since she returned. David does his best to play it cool, not wanting to embarrass or scare her.
"You're right. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"Things just seem tense between you and Graham lately."
Emma's grip tightens on her pencil and she looks over her shoulder at Graham. David glances in that direction, noticing that his deputy conveniently chooses that time to shuffle through papers on his desk. Yeah, because that's not suspicious at all.
David braces himself for an answer he may not like. He runs his fingers through his hair and swallows. "You're not um…you're not seeing him, are you?"
Emma looks up like a deer caught in the headlights. "Why would you ask me that? Did he say something?"
"No, of course not. I just…got a weird vibe between you two."
Emma visibly relaxes some. "Well, nothing's going on between me and Graham. I knew him when I was 5, I drew him a picture of a butterfly. That'd just be creepy."
A weight lifts from David's chest, though lingers halfway through the air. "Okay, but then what's going on with you two? You barely speak."
"We have nothing to discuss. I find people, he hands out parking tickets."
"I mean, that's not the full extent of his…"
"You get what I mean. We have nothing to do with one another. And I don't want anything to do with him."
David cocks an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"He's just a cocky asshole," Emma says quickly, too quickly. "He kept trying to get me to play darts the other day and got mad when I said no."
David regards her carefully for a moment. That does sound like Graham, he can get pretty competitive. But is that really all that's going on? Mary Margaret's competitive herself and Emma still plays Scrabble with her.
"I gotta go, Billy texted saying he has a clue." She hops out of her chair, throwing her jacket over her. "I'll see you later."
Emma hurries out of the station, barely looking Graham in the eye as she passes his desk. David scratches the back of his neck, feeling more lost than ever.
Nights in Storybrooke are still an adjustment for Emma. She's spent most of her adult life in cities that don't sleep. There's always the faint ambulance siren or the 17-year-old in 3B throwing a party because her parents went away for the weekend. A couple on the streets below will argue over who has to pay the cabby this time. Someone drunk will inevitably start singing..
Storybrooke seems to have a 10 PM curfew. Sure, there's the Rabbit Hole crew and those that work the night shift. Most, however, are at home watching the evening news in their floral nightgowns with their tea.
Emma likes to walk around the square late at night. It's quiet, only the streetlights to guide her. In the city, she never had the peace to think for long. In Storybrooke, she's found that her mind is loud and expressive in contrast to the quiet. She thinks back to living with Bill and Katie. They told her that camping could be good for her anger, it'd give her a serene place to heal. It sounded so silly at the time and she just politely smiled through it.
Now, she sees what they meant by it.
Former foster parents are one thing on her mind as she turns right from Granny's. The what ifs. There's Bill and Katie, who were willing to bat out of birth order and make her the older sister to two adorable boys. That went south because of Lily. Then there was Ingrid, who Emma had admitted that she loved. She knew what Emma needed. And then she turned out to be a loon. Emma resigned herself to thinking that she'd have no one.
She thought that you didn't get a second chance in life. With exes-both friend and lover-and former foster parents. She'd never returned to a family she'd been booted from. Emma came close with the Smiths, she had so many questions when it came to them and why they just sent her away. In the end, her talk with Cleo made her realize that she couldn't look back. She had to focus on her future.
And while doing that, she ended up back with one of the best foster families she ever had. The second family that was supposed to be "the one". And she could see herself staying.
Emma stops to catch her breath, her feet aching from the long walk. As she holds her leather jacket closer to her, she hears the rumble of a motorcycle. A Harley pulls across the street from her, with two people hidden by helmets riding on it. Emma grins, a sense of thrill filling her. She always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Movies made them seem so cool. In the end, she barely learned how to drive a car and only officially got her license after a close call in Tallahassee when she was 22. Still, she dreamed of her hair in the wind as she barreled down the highway on one of those bad boys. She loved her bug, wouldn't trade it for the world…even so, a girl could dream.
The driver of the bike kicks the stand and dismounts, removing his helmet. Emma doesn't recognize him. His hair is a mess of brown curls, sticking up in different directions due to the protective gear. Emma squints to make out a grizzly face and black leather jacket. The stranger looks across the way to her and smiles. She folds her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow, trying to seem like she wasn't just staring. The second person climbs off, removing his own helmet.
This person isn't a stranger at all. Age has caught up with him, just like it inevitably has her. And yet, some things are still the same. Dark hair that curls when wet or messed up (like by a motorcycle helmet), piercing brown eyes and that damn puppy dog smile.
Emma's eyes connect with his and the smile drops. She wants to scream. She wants to cry. Instead, all her mouth can do is drop down, her heart burning. Why the fuck does he still have that effect on her?
"Emma," his voice is scared. And maybe 10 years ago, she would've comforted him, asked what was wrong.
Instead, all she can make out is, "Neal."
Another cliffhanger, I promise there won't be another for a few chapters. I have the fic planned out for the most part. I want to add that my Charming Family fics are usually light on Emma ships so they're readable by everyone. Neal being here doesn't change that, it's still a Charming Family/Snowing fic and that's the focus. Neal is just here for other angst purposes.
If you do have any questions for me or the characters/prompts/etc: reach out to me on my CuriousCat/Tumblr/Twitter, justanoutlawfic.
