AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.

Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)

Thanks for awesomethe reviews. Here are individual responses:

Ravenclawdiadem: Wow, thanks! So glad you like the story! Hope you continue to enjoy. I agree, I think Regina got of a little light sometimes. I haven't actually written Lacey before, so I think I'm going to have fun with that. :)

Ragsweas: Yep! David will know before Snow. But actually, when you think about, she read the book as Mary so it will be easy for David to help her realize that book was not fiction when her memories return. I love Belle too, but I'm looking forward to playing around with Lacey for a while so hope you enjoy. August is going to be fun, because Emma already believes. I have started watching season 7. I'm behind though. I've watched through episode 5 and the rest are on my DVR. It's funny, because seasons 1-6, I watched every episode live. As much as I want to be, I'm just not as invested in it as I was, because no Snowing. So I'm watching more casually now. I will eventually finish the rest of it though. :)

Saberius Prime: Thanks! Glad you liked it!

NaomiBlue: Glad you liked it! I think you'll like this chapter with David finding out about Snow's true origins. And August will be fun since Emma already believes.

Guest: Thanks! Glad you liked it!

Beth1980: Sorry you were sick! I know what you mean about the stress of the holiday. I'm so ready for it to be over. I'm falling behind on my writing so I'm ready for January where it's boring and cold so I can catch up. Yeah, Damon should probably have an accident. Who knows, maybe he still will, lol. As for Emma and August, yeah, she'll have a few choice words for him when the time comes. Yep, David's about to know the truth! Glad you're enjoying the story!

Sara K M: Yeah, Gold's first instinct is to shun everyone, but I figured he would reluctantly realize that doing so would be exactly what Regina would want. Glad you liked the conversation with Emma and Henry. There's kind of a follow up to that in this chapter in the dreamscape with her parents I think you'll like too. There's also more comparisons on traits she got from Snowing too in this one, this time David. Glad you're enjoying the story!

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 23: Secrets

"Sister Astrid…" Mary said, as she approached her, as she sat at the counter, nursing a cup of coffee.

"Oh...hello Mary Margaret," she greeted in a depressed tone.

"Is something wrong?" Mary asked.

"Not really...just the usual, which is that I'm a complete airhead," she replied.

"No...why would you say that?" Mary asked, as she sat down beside her.

"I am...you won't believe what I did," Astrid fretted.

"I'm sure it's not that bad, whatever it was," Mary soothed.

"When I was ordering the helium for the Miner's Day celebration, I accidentally added an extra zero to the quantity and now we have no money for rent, because I blew it on helium we don't need," she sniffed.

"Oh...well, I'm sure there is a way to come up with the money," Mary said.

"I don't think so. Mother Superior was livid with me. The convent could be shut down, because of my blunder," Astrid replied.

"What about your candles? You sell them every year! They could help you raise the rent money," Mary suggested. Astrid scoffed.

"I sold ten candles last year and you bought half of those," she replied.

"Oh...well, let me help you sell them this year," Mary replied.

"I can't ask you to do that," Astrid said.

"I want to...and I'm sure Stephanie will help too! Please...let us help," Mary pleaded. Astrid looked truly touched.

"Okay...if you really want to," she relented, as she turned away and accidentally spilled her coffee all over Leroy.

"Oh...I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy!" she cried. Leroy was about to lay into her, until he looked up and got a dreamy look on his face.

"It's...it's no big deal. No worries," he said gruffly, as she started trying to clean him off. Mary smiled, as she watched the exchange and helped mop up the counter with napkins.

"I'm such a mess," Astrid fretted, but Mary squeezed her shoulder.

"He doesn't seem mad at all and we'll get that money, you'll see," Mary said, as she carried one of the boxes back to her table.

"It's a good book, isn't it?" she asked her love, as she saw him reading it. He looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Are you okay, baby?" she asked and he quickly smiled.

"Yeah...I'm fine. You're right, it's a good book," he agreed, as he saw the box.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Oh...well sister Astrid needs to raise the convent's rent money to fix a mistake so I offered to help her sell them," she replied. He smiled and kissed her tenderly.

"That's very sweet of you," he said, as he pulled out his wallet and gave her money for one of the candles.

"Honey, they're only five dollars," she said, as she looked at the twenty, but he only kissed her in response.

"Keep it…" he said, as he got the box for her.

"Ready to go home?" he asked, as he tucked the book in his jacket pocket. She bit her bottom lip and hooked her hand on his elbow.

"More than ready, handsome," she purred, as they left the diner for the loft.

"Here it is! This is his bike!" Henry called, as Emma glanced at the license plate. It was a Maine license plate, but somehow she didn't quite believe he was a resident of this state.

"What do you think is in the box?" Henry asked, as he moved to touch it.

"Kid...we can't just go snooping and touching someone else's property without cause," she chided, as he pulled his hand away.

"Yeah...besides, you could just ask and I might tell you," a voice said, as they turned to find the rider of the motorcycle before them with an amused look.

"Uh...hi. I'm Sheriff Swan...and I guess you've met Henry," she said.

"Have I done something illegal, Sheriff?" he asked coyly. She smiled.

"No...I'm Emma and my kid is just really curious about new people. We don't get a lot of strangers in town," she mentioned.

"Nice to meet you, Emma. I'm August W. Booth," he introduced himself, as they shook hands.

"What's the W stand for?" she asked.

"Wayne," Henry answered and August chuckled.

"Kid has a good memory," he mentioned.

"Oh trust me, he never forgets anything," Emma added.

"So...what's in the box?" Henry asked.

"What do you think is in the box?" August asked. The boy shrugged and he chuckled, as he opened it, revealing a typewriter.

"Whoa...that thing is ancient," Emma commented.

"Hey…" August said in offense and she smirked.

"Sorry...but you do know this is the twenty-first century, right? They have laptops now," she mentioned.

"Oh yeah, because this town looks like it's the modern center of the east coast," he countered.

"Don't get my started on how this place is stuck in 1983," she joked, as there was an awkward pause and Henry looked between them.

"So...how did you find the town?" Henry asked bluntly.

"Kid…" she scolded, as she nudged him, but August only chuckled.

"Yeah, this place is a bit out of the way, so to speak," he mentioned and Emma gave him a scrutinizing gaze. She couldn't get a clear read on this guy, but her superpower was telling her he was definitely hiding something.

"So...you're a writer?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yep...just traveling up the coast looking for a good story," he replied.

"Yeah, well I'm not sure there's anything here like that," she deferred.

"Oh I don't know...good stories are usually in the places you least expect them," he replied.

"Does Granny's have good food?" he asked. She shrugged.

"The onion rings are pretty great," Emma replied. He nodded.

"Great...onion rings. I'll have to try them," he said, as he unhooked the case that held his typewriter.

"It was nice to meet you both. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around," he said, as he walked away toward the diner.

"Who do you think he is?" Henry asked.

"I don't know...but I think I'm more interested in what he might want...or what he knows," Emma replied, as she watched him go.

For a few short hours, David forgot about what he was reading in the old, leather bound book and lost himself in Mary. He wasn't exaggerating to his daughter earlier when he said he had fallen in love with her all over again as Mary, because he had. Never had he thought he could ever love Snow more than he already did. But meeting Mary, who was Snow, but not quite, was a unique experience. And he fell hard all over again. He loved being Mary's Prince Charming as much as he loved being Snow's.

Making love to Mary was like making love to Snow, though Mary had been much more timid and shy at first. Twenty-eight years of being put down required him to convince her how incredibly beautiful he thought she was and little by little, Mary had started to come out of her shell.

That was evident when she came out of the bathroom in a sheer piece of lingerie that he was pretty sure she bought just for him. Dressing in lingerie was a very Snow thing for her to do. It was something Snow had done on numerous occasions for him back in their land. The clothing and styles may have been different here, but no less sexy. The shy look on her face the self conscious way she had looked down as he stared at her in awe was all Mary. But as he took her in his arms and looked at her with love, her insecurities melted away, as he kissed her and clearly conveyed how aroused he was by her. Then a side of her he had only seen in Snow came out. She couldn't get his clothes off him fast enough and he became lost in a haze of pleasure, created by her. Being pinned beneath her and the vision of her riding him was something that would be etched in his memory forever. The joy and pleasure of undressing her completely became his as he returned the favor by taking her hard, as she begged him to.

He should have been sleeping as deeply as she was now after the several bouts of lovemaking they had engaged in. But the contents of the book kept him awake and he finished the entire thing, knowing by the end for sure that it was no work of fiction. He gazed at his beautiful wife, as she lay asleep on her stomach, still bare from sex earlier and then back at the book. He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it all, but he knew his wife had no idea. No idea that, biologically, she was the daughter of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. And now it didn't take much to realize that Stephanie wasn't Stephanie at all. He didn't know how he had missed it before, for his wife resembled "Stephanie" greatly. He needed to talk to Stephanie again, but first thing, he was going to go to Gold first. He knew that he must know and now Deimos' obsession with his wife was a bit clearer, yet no less unsettling. Persephone had given Snow up to protect her from Hades himself and to think that the Lord of the Underworld might be after his beloved was more than a little frightening. He also had to tell Emma, as well. Despite his restlessness, he managed to settle down so as not to wake Mary.

His eyes became heavy, as he put his arms around her and finally fell asleep, as if he could hear Snow calling for him from the dreamscape.

The Dreamscape

"Charming!" Snow called, as he finally appeared and she rushed to him.

"I'm sorry, my darling. I'm not sure why it took me so long to come to you tonight," he apologized.

"You're here…that's what matters," she replied, as she crushed her lips against his and he pulled her flush against him, kissing her back desperately.

"Uh hello…your child is still in the room," Emma complained, pulling them apart, as they shared an amused smile, before they hugged her between them. And Emma found solace, for no matter what was going on in her life while she was awake, somehow, they could always make everything okay, even when it wasn't.

"Are you okay, Princess?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she insisted and then watched her parents look at each other and have an entire conversation with their eyes. She rolled hers. Seriously, it was almost as bad as their eye sex. Almost.

"Sweetheart...you know we want you to tell us when something is bothering you," Snow implored.

"I...I just feel like I'm letting Henry down," she confessed.

"Oh honey...I'm sure that's not true," Snow reasoned.

"He just wants the curse broken so badly and I do too. It just seems like I'm not making any progress. I mean...I'm supposed to be the Savior. I feel like I'm failing everyone," she confessed.

"Oh sweetheart...no," Snow said.

"You're not failing anyone, Princess. If anything...we've failed you," David said sadly.

"What? Daddy...no," she protested.

"This isn't what we wanted for you. It's not what we planned. This burden...it's not fair to you," Charming lamented.

"Maybe not, but you and Mom are not to blame for this. Regina did this to us...to all of us," Emma said.

"I know you've been alone and we hate that. But we're still here to help you in anyway we can," Snow reminded.

"She's right and if I'm awake already in this town, then you need to lean on me, Princess. You may be the Savior, but you're our daughter first," he reminded.

"I know...I'm just not very good at asking for help or dealing with my feelings and all that crap," she muttered. Snow smirked.

"I know...you tend to try and internalize everything so you don't burden others and hide your pain. One guess on where you get that from," Snow said, side-eying her husband.

"She's right...you get that from me," he admitted.

"How do you guys do it? How do you guys not lose hope or doubt everything?" she asked.

"Love," Snow answered.

"She's right. We know it sounds simplistic, but love always wins in the end. Sometimes it also means sacrifice, but we've never doubted you for a second, Emma," he added. She looked at them and then dove between them for another hug. David cradled her head and kissed her hair.

"I love you guys," she said.

"We love you too, baby," Snow replied.

The next morning, after breakfast at Granny's, David kissed Mary goodbye for the day, as she went off to school and he made his way to Gold's shop.

"You're early today," he pawnbroker mentioned, as he came in and placed the book on the counter in front of him with a meaningful look.

"I see you've been doing some reading," he quipped.

"This...it's all true, isn't it?" David asked.

"I thought I had this well hidden until it was time. But I should have known Belle would have found it. She was always intrigued by rare, old books," he answered. But David still waited for a direct answer and it came from another voice.

"Yes David...it's all true," Stephanie said, as she walked into the shop.

"I might as well throw that closed sign away," Gold commented dryly.

"You're…" David started to say.

"Persephone...yes," she answered.

"Snow has no idea, does she? That you're her birth mother?" he questioned.

"No...I had to give her up to protect her from Hades and Deimos upon her birth, but I've always been watching over her from afar and protecting her where I could. My time in the Underworld limited my ability to do so much of the time," she confessed.

"And it's winter now...yet you're here," he said. She smiled.

"Very astute. Once Emma arrived in town, the realms were no longer frozen and time began to move again. I saw an opportunity to escape to this land out of Hades' reach. As you can imagine, he was probably livid when I did not return to the Underworld," she responded.

"You're here to protect Snow from him then," David deduced.

"I'm here to protect all of you...my family from him and Deimos. Hades will come," she warned.

"And when the curse breaks and Snow has her memory back?" he prompted.

"I will tell her everything," Persephone promised.

"Good...because I won't keep secrets from her. I'd tell her now if I thought she'd believe me," he replied. She smiled.

"I know and I know how much you love my daughter," she said.

"I'd die for her," he promised.

"And I'm here to make sure that's not necessary," she countered.

"Have you known all along too?" David asked.

"Yes...I commissioned this book as the only account of your wife's true origins so there would be a recording when it was time," Gold replied.

"And by commissioned, he means he made a deal with a writer at the time that was responsible for recording events," she clarified.

"You know that my deal with Isaac kept him from manipulating the story for his own volition and got him out of our hair," he reminded.

"I suppose you're right," she agreed, remembering how the little worm had planned to use his powers as the author to manipulate her daughter and son-in-law. Fortunately, they put a stop to him and sent him off to a place where he'd never bother their land again. David looked between them.

"Clearly you two have met before," he mentioned.

"We've had...dealings before," Persephone commented.

"Yet you still failed to tell me about the dreamscape," he countered. David's eyes widened.

"You're the reason we have the dreamscape?" he asked. She nodded.

"When I realized that the curse could not be stopped and my daughter faced losing her daughter and the man she loved for twenty-eight years, I went to Morpheus and begged him to create the dreamscape for my family," she explained, pausing for a moment.

"He agreed. It was a small consolation to know that at least in your dreams, you could be together," she revealed. He was stunned and grateful.

"It made all the difference. I mean, Emma was still alone, but not completely," he said. She nodded.

"That's why I pleaded so vehemently to Morpheus. And he fortunately agreed that the Savior should have every advantage possible," she added.

"I know you have many more questions, David and in time, I will answer them all," she promised.

"But Snow needs to hear everything too," he realized, despite his anxiousness.

"Yes...and she will once the curse is broke. Just know, that I am here to protect my family. That means Snow, Emma, Henry, and you," she implored.

"I trust you," he stated.

"You do?" she asked.

"I don't trust easily, but you're Snow's mother and it's obvious you'd never do anything to hurt her," he stated. She smiled, touched by his faith.

"It's not hard to see why Snow loves you so much," she mentioned.

"We all have the same goal too and that's breaking the curse, ending Deimos, and defeating Regina," he stated.

"And once the curse is broken, the final battle will begin," Gold reminded.

"You spoke once before about the final battle," David said

"Yes...and it could be one battle or many. Once the curse breaks, Hades and Deimos may only be part of our problem," he replied.

"Who else is there?" David asked.

"Many evils...but Cora for sure," Persephone interjected.

"Cora...Regina's mother?" he asked. She nodded.

"Like we don't have enough to deal with," he lamented.

"Yes...and she knows the truth. She stole this book years ago from me and exposed Snow's secret origins to King Leopold," Gold revealed.

"Snow's father knew?" he asked incredulously.

"She gave him the book shortly before his death. It was her plan to blackmail him into marrying Snow off to some prince twice her age in the southern Kingdom, so she could not challenge Regina for the Throne someday," Gold replied. That made David's blood boil.

"Surely he would never agree to something like that?" he exclaimed.

"He didn't want to...but Cora had something on him," Persephone replied.

"What was it?" he asked.

"Well...Leopold originally broke off his arrangement with Eva, because he and Cora were once in love. He found out she was lying to him about...something and ended up marrying Eva," Persephone revealed, as she and Gold exchanged a glance. Now was not the time to reveal what she was lying about. David felt like his head might explode.

"Okay...so he was going to marry Cora and then thirty some years later he marries Regina? He had to know who she was," he said, feeling a little disgusted.

"He did...yes. Leopold loved my Snow, even after he found out the truth...but he did questionable things in his life," Persephone replied.

"Cora was going to blackmail him with that little tidbit of information, but I intercepted her and promised that if she forced Snow into a marriage to get rid of her that I'd make sure Regina would never be Queen," Gold stated.

"No offense, but I'm guessing you didn't do that out of the goodness of your heart?" he asked.

"I had my own agenda, that's never been a secret. Seeing Snow White married off to some over the hill prince like a trophy wouldn't have boded well for my plans. But I assure you, neutralizing Cora was in the best interest of all," he replied.

"Your head must be spinning," Persephone mentioned.

"Just a bit. So...he still loved Snow, even when he found out she wasn't his biologically?" David asked. She nodded.

"I didn't like his choices, but yes, he did. As you can imagine, arraigned or forced marriages are not my favorite," she replied.

"Yeah...mine either," he said and she remembered that he too had almost been forced to marry someone he didn't love.

"I better get to the station, before Emma worries," he mentioned, as he went outside the shop. Persephone shared another glance with Gold and followed him out.

"I know this was a lot to take in. I have to say, you're taking it very well," she mentioned.

"I think I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all," he replied.

"Then can I ask you something?" she requested. He shrugged and nodded.

"How do you think Snow will take all of this when she learns the truth?" Persephone asked anxiously. He sighed.

"I only ask, because you know Snow better than anyone," she added.

"She'll be shocked at first, even more so than me. The parts about Leopold and Cora will be hard for her to hear, but Snow is the strongest woman I know, followed very closely by our daughter. We'll be there to get her through it and you're right, I know her," he said, looking over at her.

"She'll understand why you had to give her up, because we had to do the same with Emma. She'll want to know you and I think it helps that you're friends first. Be that for now and eventually she'll accept you as her mother," he advised. Persephone let out the breath she didn't even realize she had been holding.

"Thank you David," she said gratefully.

"You're welcome...I'll see you later," he replied, as he headed into the station, while she continued on to school. It was barely after eight in the morning and it had already been a very interesting day...