AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.
Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)
Please consider leaving a review. Feedback is much appreciated.
Also, feel free to follow me on Tumblr lilacmoon83. In an effort to grow my Snowing fanfiction blog on Tumblr and get more visibility for my writing, I invite anyone following my stories here on to follow me on Tumblr.
For one face claim reveal, I will tell that I chose Gal Gadot as the face claim for Persephone...cause she's perfect as Persephone!
Please consider leaving a review if you're reading. It is very much appreciated!
I was asked to give a rough estimate of exactly what month/year it is, like I do with Finding You Always. So since it's estimated that the curse was broken in late February 2012 and it's been a few weeks since, it is now early April 2012
Thanks for awesome the reviews. Here are individual responses:
MerlockVonBaron: Yeah, Regina's not coming off looking very good right now.
Theinferno1536: I'm sure Jefferson will spill. And we see August again in this chapter.
Sara K M: Yeah, at this point, Regina is ready to run with Henry since she's not getting anywhere in Storybrooke and made some pretty big missteps. Yep, Neal is slowly starting to realize that he belongs in Storybrooke and New York almost seems foreign now. The rift between him and Tamara has already started and he doesn't even know the truth yet. I'm glad Persephone chose to open up to them too. The Hades situation does affect them all. Yep, I saw the perfect opportunity to showcase their different parenting styles there. Snow wants to push, but realizes that Charming is right that this is not the right time or situation to do so. Never just to sleep...taco time! :)
Saberius Prime: Yeah, Regina isn't making good decisions still. Yep, Greg and Tamara will get what's coming to them. Glad you enjoyed it!
Grace5231973: I hope they can too. Neal can be stubborn. We shall see. :)
Baratta Jennifer: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Naomi Blue: Yep, Jefferson has a good eye on the town. Hopefully it will make a difference. I know, Regina needs to start making better decisions.
Number Ten: Yep, Regina is struggling right now. She has a bit more to go before she starts to realize that the family she's always wanted is right in front of her. She'll get there though. Yes, Rumple's dream actually happened in the show. 2X17 or 2x18 I believe. Yep, Jefferson is going to create some conflict. Neal can be stubborn for sure.
Beth1980: I know, the Persephone and Hades confrontation was weird. He is acting very strange. I do like a roadkill version of Hermes too, lol. Yeah, after that conversation with Hades, she definitely needs a drink. A family trip sounds very fun. Yes, I would say it's safe to say that she put protection spells around all the people she cares about. Snow does push and she knows she does, which was the point of that scene; to showcase her parenting style versus Charming's. Yeah, Regina needs to start making better decisions. Rumple is right, fate is a sadist and Neal is in for some heartbreak soon. Glad you're enjoying!
Dreaming Out Loud
Chapter 65: Something Just Like This
Snow finished getting sick that morning and flushed it away, before immediately going to the sink to brush her teeth. But as she did, she stared at reflection in the mirror. It was the third morning in a row and she knew she could no longer ignore these symptoms. She had to face what this really was, but she was a bit perplexed, for she was on birth control.
So far, she had been hiding her morning sickness easily, since Charming was already up and gone on morning patrol, thanks to their daughter's penchant loathing of early mornings. But now she had to face the very real possibility that she was pregnant, despite precautionary measures she had been taking.
Naturally, her first thought was to go to the drug store to buy a test, but she soon realized that with her mother, she may not even need that. Her mother would probably be able to tell with the wave her hand and if Snow was being honest, she needed to talk to someone. She knew David would be over the moon and she actually was too. But pregnancy also brought trepidation for her as well. She and David wanted more children; they always had. But she had imagined discussing Emma's feelings on the matter with her long before it became a reality. And that wasn't even factoring in the fact that Storybrooke wasn't exactly safe, no matter how much Hades insisted he wasn't there to cause trouble. Not even she was ready to give him the benefit of the doubt.
No...she needed to talk to her mother first. Snow never thought she'd be able to have this opportunity again and now that she did, she wanted her mother's help and advice.
As she came out from behind the curtain, Henry was coming inside with Wilby.
"I filled the bird feeder and Wilby took care of business," the boy announced. She smiled.
"Thank you Henry...did you eat breakfast? The bus will be here soon," Snow said, as Emma stumbled down the stairs.
"Why am I the only one in this family that hates mornings?" she grumbled. She smiled.
"To be fair in the days before I was on the run, I was not a morning person either. And even when I first married your father, I thought he was usually up far too early," she mentioned.
"Guess waking up with the sun on the farm stuck with him," she mentioned, as she poured some coffee.
"Which is why he doesn't mind taking early morning patrol," Snow said.
"You want some of this coffee?" Emma asked. Snow almost answered yes out of habit, but then remembered the possibility that she was eating and drinking for two.
"You know...I think I'm going to have cocoa this morning," she replied, hoping that Emma didn't think that was strange.
"Let's get you breakfast," Snow said, as she pulled out a pan.
"Can't I just have pop-tarts?" Henry asked.
"Sugar is not real breakfast," Snow responded.
"It's worked really well for me in the past," Emma joked.
"I know, but now that you're here with me and your father, I'm determined to make sure you're not living on bear claws and Ramen noodles," Snow chided, as she took the eggs out of the fridge.
After feeding her kid and grand kid, she saw them off and looked up to the loft, seeing that her mother was coming down the stairs about that time.
"Good morning," Persephone greeted.
"Morning…" Snow said, as her mother instantly noticed her pensiveness.
"Snow…" she started to say.
"I need your help...unless you have somewhere you need to be," she blurted out. Persephone smiled.
"Snowdrop...there is never anywhere I will ever need to be, especially if you need me," she responded. Snow swallowed, as they sat down on the couch.
"Honey...are you okay?" she asked in concern.
"I think I might be pregnant," Snow announced. A huge smile replaced the frown of concern on the Goddess' face, as she put her arms around her daughter.
"Oh Snow...that's wonderful!" she said and Snow smiled too, letting a bit of that joy she had been trying to contain out.
"I...I haven't taken a test yet and I just know that if I go the drug store to buy one, it will be all over town by dinner time. And this is delicate. I mean, I'm on birth control so we weren't expecting this. I...I just want time to talk to David and then Emma," she said.
"Say no more," Persephone replied, as she put a hand to her daughter's still flat stomach. A smile spread across her face again.
"Oh Snow...you are…" she confirmed, as they hugged and Snow sniffed.
"Oh sweetheart...you are happy about this, aren't you?" she asked.
"So happy...we've always wanted more children. I just...we wanted to talk to Emma about it long before it happened. I...I couldn't bare it if she thought we were replacing her," Snow cried.
"Oh honey...I know. And perhaps without the dreamscape, Emma would have a hard time not thinking that. But I honestly don't think that's going to be the case here," Persephone responded, as she put her hand on Snow's.
"It may have only been in the dreamscape, but she remembers having you and David there, at least part of the time. I can't speak for her, she loves you both so much. I think she'll be happy for you," Persephone reasoned. Snow nodded.
"I hope...it's just that this baby is going to get us full time and that's going to be hard for her," Snow lamented.
"It will...but I think she also knows that it's not like you and David set out to do this deliberately. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she knows this is a possibility now," Persephone said.
"Talk to her," she added. Snow nodded, as the door opened and revealed that Charming was home, probably only briefly, before he would go to the station. Persephone smiled.
"I think I'll make myself scarce," she said, as she passed David with a sly smile and went out the door.
"What was that about?" he asked, as Snow squelched the daylight between them and crushed her lips against his, surprising him. But he quickly got over that surprise and kissed her back, just as passionately.
"Wow...not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" he asked breathlessly, as their lips finally parted. Tears filled her eyes and she put his hand on her stomach. He looked at that and then his eyes shot up to hers.
"Really?" he asked, as if his voice almost didn't dare to hope. She nodded, as the tears began to fall. A wide grin spread on his face, as he picked her up and spun her around. She laughed, as her feet dangled off the floor and he placed short kisses all over her face. He slowly set her down on her feet and enveloped her in a hug, as he buried his face in her neck.
"I love you so much…" he said, his voice thick with love.
"I love you...I haven't been to the doctor yet, but my mother confirmed it. I thought it was better than buying a pregnancy test. If I did that, it would be all over town, before we were even sure," she replied.
"Then let's go to the see a doctor...right now," he said excitedly.
"Don't you need to get to the station?" she asked.
"Patrol was quiet and my boss is our daughter. I'm sure she's going to understand," he replied.
"Then you think we should tell her first?" she asked.
"Why not?" he responded, but then realized what she was worried about by the look on her face.
"I know you're worried, but Emma is going to be happy for us. She knows how much we love her and how important she is to us. Maybe things would be different if we hadn't had the dreamscape...but that's not the case. Let's go to the station and tell our daughter she's going to be a big sister," he said. She grinned, as his excitement was contagious and hugged him again.
"Then we'll go see a doctor...wait, is Whale the doctor we have to see?" he asked. She giggled at the disgust on his face.
"I'm afraid so, my love," she replied.
"We can't see Doc? I mean, he helped deliver Emma," David reminded, as he helped her into her coat.
"I know that, but having a baby in this world comes with a lot of modern benefits and Whale is unfortunately the only real doctor. Besides, Doc is now the Coroner and that's just...weird," she mentioned.
"Yeah...I guess it is," he agreed.
"I just hope Whale keeps the creepiness down to a minimum," he added.
"You and me both," she agreed, as they joined hands and headed out.
Emma entered the diner to grab a to go order for herself and her parents. Her Dad had texted her and said that they needed to talk to her, suggesting they could do so at the station in her office. She was definitely curious about what they could possibly need to tell her that couldn't wait until that night, but since the town was quiet, she wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to have lunch with them both. These days, now that they were finally together, they had been spending as much time together as possible and though she played her emotions close to the vest, she loved that.
She saw Tamara there too, also picking up a to go order, probably for her and Neal. She ignored the stab of jealousy that caused and inwardly cursed at herself for it. She could not have feelings for Neal anymore. She had gotten over him or so she thought and yet, after learning of August's part in their separation, she reconsidered her disdain for him. Add to that, seeing him with Henry and how much they loved each other definitely stirred feelings in her. She was sure her mother would tell her that such was natural. She knew Snow always got misty-eyed when she watched her with her father. But the situation was entirely different, wasn't it? I mean, her parents were true love and she and Neal were not. Dammit...she hated feelings and all that crap. Things were much more simple when she had closed herself off from all that after Neal broke her heart, save for her parents.
But her emotions for them were a lot less complicated than her romantic feelings. She wanted to be happy for Neal and let go of any residual feelings she had for him. And that might have been easier if she didn't get so many warning bells going off in her head around this woman. She wasn't sure if her feelings about Tamara could be trusted here. Were her feelings for Neal interfering with that and making her want to see that there was something bad about her? On the other hand, Emma would not be one to ignore these feelings completely, even if there was possible bias. Her son and parent's safety could be in jeopardy with outsiders in town. Regardless of her feelings, she wasn't going to let her guard down for a second when it came to protecting Henry and her parents.
The waitress handed a bag to Tamara, as Emma sided up to the counter.
"No mayo, right?" Tamara asked, as she turned and crashed into Emma at the counter, pulling her from her inner monologue.
"Ohh! I'm so sorry...he still hates mayo, huh?" Emma mentioned awkwardly, as she helped Tamara pick her things up off the floor. Among the things she had dropped was a piece of paper, listing most of the people in town and their counterparts. Emma stared at the list and felt trepidation start to fill her, for her parents and their real identities were at the top of the list.
"Avoids it like the plague," Tamara commented, referring to Neal's dislike for mayo. Emma handed the list back to her and Tamara tucked it away. Even as she was secretly panicking inside, she knew she had to keep her cool in front of this woman so she plastered a kind smile on her face.
"How are you doing here in Storybrooke? I mean, it's a lot to take in," the blonde mentioned.
"Understatement," Tamara said, as she laughed. Emma faked a laugh too.
"I guess you know that better than anyone...I mean, your parents are…" Tamara said, trailing off.
"Yeah...I guess that's true. But honestly, they're just Mom and Dad to me. And I had Henry to help me too," she mentioned cautiously.
"Right...Neal's doing the same for me," she agreed.
"Even so, it's pretty crazy here. If the world found out about this place, do you know what that would mean for Henry or Neal?" Emma questioned.
"Look Emma, you don't have to worry. You can trust me," Tamara insisted. Emma gave her another fake smile.
"That's good to know," she replied.
"I'll be seeing you later," Tamara said, as she left. Emma frowned, as her unease about this woman had suddenly taken a whole new and frightening turn.
"Yeah...I'll be seeing you," Emma muttered, as she got the takeout order and headed to the station. She wasn't sure what her parents wanted to talk to her about, but she was now doubly glad they were having lunch, because there was no way she was not going to tell them what she had just found out. A list...she didn't know what it meant or why Tamara had it. But the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach could not be ignored and at the very least, she needed to talk to them about it.
August got out of the car, as they arrived in the place the Dragon insisted they go to in New York City.
"So we're here...at an herbal garden?" August asked, as he stared at the small shop before them in Chinatown.
"You think you might answer some questions now? Like who you really are and why we're here at what seems like some hole in the wall in NYC?" August continued.
"My name is of no consequence and quite recognizable in this world. But I am nothing like the silly creature for which is my namesake," he said cryptically. August sighed.
"And I thought I was a master of riddles," he quipped, but received no response.
"If your daughter is Circe...does that make you the Titan, Hyperion?" August questioned. The Dragon smiled slightly.
"One that has read any of Homer's works would think such...but as you may imagine, stories are not always what we think," he replied. August snorted.
"Okay...I'll give you that. Like Snow White being the daughter of Persephone. And Prince Charming also being the pauper," he said.
"Quite. Or the Big Bad Wolf also being Red Riding Hood. Or Rumpelstiltskin and the Beast being one in the same as well," the Dragon added.
"How do you know so much about my land? Are you from there too?" August asked again.
"I am from...no where anymore. I am a man displaced forever with time as both my friend and nemesis," he replied.
"Wow...that was just ridiculously cryptic. Are you sure you're not the Riddler?" August complained, though he was feeling a bit like he might deserve it a bit. After all, he had been cryptic himself before.
"So...you're not Hyperion, but the father of Circe. And I'm guessing that the written myths are wrong about her too or they at least left out quite a bit," August said, as they went inside the shop.
"Quite a lot," a woman said, as she emerged from the back room. She was beautiful, but elderly, around the same age in appearance as the Dragon was, though she had aged much more gracefully. Her hair was all white and she carried herself with an air that reminded him of how Persephone carried herself. An air of the Divine.
"I suppose you're not going to tell me your name either," August said.
"Oh no, dear boy...I am Hecate. Welcome to my humble little shop," she replied.
"Hecate...the goddess of magic and witchcraft?" August asked. She nodded curtly, as her eyes flicked to the Dragon.
"Hecate...you are as lovely as ever," he said.
"And you got old," she quipped.
"We must find Circe…" he said.
"You think I do not know that?" she snapped.
"What kind of danger is she in?" August asked. Hecate's eyes flicked to the Dragon.
"You didn't tell him?" she asked.
"He's not a very straightforward guy," August commented. Hecate sighed and looked at him.
"Circe is not in danger...she is the danger," Hecate revealed, as she looked back at the Dragon.
"Tell him...tell him everything, Mushu," she demanded.
Snow and David arrived at the station hand in hand, shortly after Emma arrived. Hook was still in his cell and looked at his food with scrutiny.
"And this is called what again, love?" he asked.
"A cheeseburger. It's great...feel grateful that I didn't try to feed you the half eaten pop-tart again," she replied. He shook his head and took a bite.
"Well, the food is quite strange in this land, but delicious at least," he commented.
"Hey…" she said, as she noticed them and stood up.
"Hi honey," Snow greeted and Emma took a double take. Her mother seemed almost giddy and was practically glowing. She supposed that boded well for whatever they had to tell her. She just wished what she had to tell them wasn't extremely troubling. She was going to hate spoiling their good mood with talk of possible doom to the town, but they were leaders and had to know what she had learned.
"Should we go in your office?" David asked.
"Well...he's not really going anywhere, but if you'd rather," Emma replied. Snow shrugged.
"It probably won't exactly be a secret much longer," she said, as they shared a contagious smile.
"Okay...come on guys. What is it already?" she asked anxiously. Snow took a deep breath, as he squeezed her hand.
"Okay, before we tell you...we just want to make sure you know how much we love you," Snow said.
"You mean everything to us, Emma. We had the dreamscape, but that wasn't the plan we had for you," David continued.
"I know that...I know things were rough when I was a kid and a teenager. I was terrible to you both," she reminded. But Snow shook her head.
"That's all forgotten, sweetheart. We just want to make sure you know that nothing could ever replace you in our lives," Snow said, as she looked at her.
"And the reason I'm saying that is...I'm pregnant," she announced, waiting for her daughter's reaction with bated breath. She grinned and then came forward to hug them both.
"Mom...that's wonderful," she told her.
"Really?" Snow asked.
"Of course!" Emma exclaimed.
"Thank you honey...I just want to make sure you know that we didn't plan this exactly and even though you're grown, you're still our baby as much as this one is," Snow said.
"Mom...I know that. I know that the curse stole a lot from us and I didn't have a normal childhood. But I still had you guys in the dreamscape and it made all the difference in the world," she told them.
"I know what I was like as a teenager and the fact that you never gave up on me proves what amazing parents you are. Because I know I did not make it easy," she admonished.
"Emma...you went through hell and it haunts every day. Between all the terrible group homes and worse foster homes...it kills us that this was your life," David said. Snow sniffed.
"He's right...all those people that mistreated you. Or the ones that gave you back, like your first family, or those hypocrites that decided that somehow you didn't fit into their vision of family when you were fifteen...they had no idea the incredible gift you are and how stupid they were to let you go," Snow cried, as she hugged her.
"Because now that we're finally together, Daddy and I are never letting you go," she continued, as Emma swiped a tear away and hugged her mother fiercely.
"I know…" she confirmed, as David joined them in a family embrace and cradled her head. Hook wisely kept his mouth shut and had averted his eyes from the intimate family moment.
"I know...and I'm so happy for you both. For us...this is a wonderful thing for our family. And I can't wait to meet him or her. They're going to be the luckiest kid, next to me, to have parents like you. Believe me...I've seen enough bad ones to know when I see good ones," she told them.
"So...how far along are you?" Emma asked. Snow smiled.
"Well...we're not sure. I didn't want to go buy a pregnancy test at the pharmacy…" she said.
"Yeah...this town would salivate over that kind of gossip," Emma snorted. She nodded.
"So I had my mother confirm it and we wanted to tell you before we went to the hospital," Snow replied. Emma smiled.
"I'm glad you did...but I guess now comes the real test. Enduring an appointment with Whale," she said, wrinkling her nose. Snow looked like a dark haired version of her daughter as she did the same.
"I know...I really hope he keeps the creepiness down to a minimum," she agreed.
"He will...if he knows what's good for him," David said dangerously, as he looked to their daughter then.
"I was hoping my boss might give me the afternoon off to go with her?" he asked.
"You better go," Emma replied, as he smiled and kissed her forehead. That's when Hook decided it was more appropriate to offer his two cents.
"Well, congratulations are in order I'd say, milady," Hook said, giving her a deep bow.
"Thank you Hook," she responded politely.
"And to you as well mate...well done, indeed. No doubt it was a task you enjoyed immensely," Hook added with a leer of amusement.
"And just when I thought your congratulations were sincere...you ruin it," Snow deadpanned. He smirked.
"Oh no, my congratulations are quite sincere, love. Congratulations to you both on bringing another insufferable royal into the world," he added. David growled and advanced, intending to reach through the bars for the pirate's throat. But Snow pulled him back.
"Charming...no, he's not worth it," Snow said, as she pulled him back.
"You wound me, princess," Hook mocked.
"More like pity you," she retorted and he glared at her for that.
"You've wasted your life pursuing revenge and leaving a trail of blood in your wake. That must be a lonely life," she said, as she hooked her hand on Charming's elbow, as they went to sit down to eat with their daughter, leaving Hook to think about her words. He didn't like being called out like that, especially not by a royal. His revenge was everything. That spoiled little princess didn't know anything. She never needed revenge, though he knew she had been the focus of Regina's revenge. She couldn't be right about his revenge. It had sustained him and would complete him once he had it. Once he had his revenge, his life would have true meaning...wouldn't it?
"Mmm...I'm starving," Snow said, as she started eating and David chuckled.
"I figured...that's why I made sure Emma got dessert too," he replied. She looked at him and in the other bag, finding a huge piece of Granny's chocolate cake.
"Oh, I love you," Snow gushed, as she returned to eating her meal. He ate too, though he was more content to watch her, which made Emma smile. Her parents were definitely a love like no other.
"Oh honey...what did you need to talk to us about?" Snow asked. Emma sighed.
"I really don't want to spoil your good mood," she replied.
"Emma...we've talked about this. You don't have to protect us like that," David admonished. She nodded.
"He's right...just because I'm pregnant now does not mean I'm to be treated like some porcelain doll and that goes for you too, Charming," Snow said.
"Okay...well, I ran into Tamara at the diner, like literally and as I was helping her pick up her stuff, I saw a list that she had," Emma replied.
"A list?" David asked.
"Of all the townspeople and their counterparts. And you two were at the top of her list," Emma replied. They exchanged a glance.
"What could that mean?" Snow wondered.
"I'm not sure, but my super power went crazy when I asked her if she understood that no one can know about Storybrooke. She said she understood and that I could trust her...but it was a bald face lie," Emma replied.
"Then you think she intends to do something sinister with that list?" David asked. Emma shrugged.
"I'm not sure...she was lying, I felt it. I just don't know about what," she replied, unaware that Hook was carefully listening to their conversation again.
"Are you going to tell Neal about the list?" Snow asked.
"For Henry's sake...I think I have to. Having two outsiders here is bad enough. We need to make sure she's not a threat and not just for my child's sake now," Emma replied. Snow and David exchanged another look and nodded.
"We're with you, Emma...whatever you need from us," he confirmed. She smiled at them.
"I know...for now I guess you two should probably get to the hospital after Mom finishes her cake," Emma said in amusement, as she spied her mother chowing down with chocolate all over her lips. David chuckled and checked his phone, having had it on silent. He was surprised to find that he had ten missed calls, all from Jefferson. He pushed the button and then put the phone to his ear.
"Don't you ever answer your phone, chisel chin?" Jefferson answered crossly on the other end.
"Sorry...it's been an eventful day so far," he said, as he smiled fondly at his wife.
"Well, it's about to get even more eventful. You and Snow need to meet me at Gold's shop, like now," Jefferson replied.
"Can't it wait...Snow and I need to do something this afternoon," David said.
"No...it can't wait. It's really important. There's a very real possibility that the entire town could be in danger," Jefferson replied desperately.
"Okay...Snow and I will head for the shop first," he said, as he hung up.
"What was that about?" Snow asked, as she wiped her mouth on a napkin.
"I'm not sure, but he's anxious about something. We need to stop at the shop before we go to the hospital," he said. She nodded, as they gathered their coats and prepared to leave.
"Okay...you two go see what's up with Jefferson and I'll talk to Neal," Emma said.
"Okay...we'll see you at home later. Hopefully this is nothing," David replied, as they hugged her, before leaving hand in hand.