AN: Happy Valentines Day! I decided to post this little mini-series a day early. It's four parts and an epilogue that I'll be posting over the next five nights to celebrate Snowing and Valentines Day. This is a little modern AU I came up with a while ago, so I hope you enjoy. Please review and let me know what you think.
Responses to individual reviews:
AnonSnowing: Yes, it's similar to that one-shot series from Once Upon a Snowing. I do that from time to time when I think those little fics in that series deserve a full fic treatment. Plus in the original, Regina is the villain and I changed that here. Plus the entire first part before Mary Margaret meets Ruth in chapter one is a new addition and original. And this will have an ending. I never really continued it after part 4 so I'll be adding an epilogue to it. :)
Alissahoule: Yes, it's similar to the one-shots from Once Upon a Snowing. I will do that from time to time when I think those little fics in that series deserve the full fic treatment. Plus, it's not exactly the same. In the original, Regina is the villain and I changed that here, making it Cora. Plus the entire first part in chapter 1, before Mary Margaret meeting Ruth in the barn, is a new addition and original. This will also have an ending. I'll be adding an epilogue. I'm glad you like it anyway though and hope you enjoy. :)
Sweeter Than Fiction
Chapter 3: One Heart
Mary was tired, cold, and hungry, as she trekked deep into the forests of Maine. She couldn't stop though. She knew Cora's hired hands were on her trail and getting caught was a death sentence. And when she wasn't thinking about being tired, cold, and hungry, or being captured by some brute, she thought of David. Unfortunately, even that was painful right now. She missed him so much it hurt.
She leaned against a tree to rest, but gasped seconds later, as an ax landed next to her head. She jumped away and saw a man there. She scrambled to get away, but he grabbed her arm. She screamed and he put his hand over her mouth, before dragging her back toward the tree.
"Quiet...I'm not going to hurt you," he said with a thick accent.
"You really expect me to believe that? Cora hired you, didn't she?" Mary spat.
"She did...my name is Graham," he replied. She swallowed thickly, as he pulled his ax free from the tree.
"What are you going to do to me?" she asked.
"Nothing...I'm here to warn you. She's hired many more mercenaries to track them down and they won't be like me. They are animals. Cora doesn't just want you dead. She wants you brought back alive and she very much wants you broken. If one of those men gets a hold of you, they will do exactly that," he warned, giving her a meaningful look.
"If she hired you, then why aren't you going to do the same?" Mary challenged.
"I'm very good at tracking, but I'm not an animal like them. I know you didn't do what you're being accused of," he explained, as he handed her a pack of supplies.
"Even if you don't believe I killed my father, why would you help me?" Mary questioned skeptically. Graham smiled.
"Because your step-sister asked me to and she's my friend. I have a cabin north of here. It's still a bit of a trek, but it's very secluded. The rough terrain might deter anyone from looking out that far," Graham explained.
Part of her screamed not to trust anyone; that this was probably some horrible setup and she really had no way of knowing if Regina had really asked this of him. But his eyes were kind and he spoke with kindness. And staying out here in the woods definitely wasn't an option.
"Thank you," Mary said.
"You can thank me and Regina by getting away. Go where she'll never find you," he urged. Mary nodded and took the pack, before heading off north through the hilly terrain.
It was sometime later when she heard a twig snap behind her and knew she was being followed. Her heart pounded, as she dashed behind a tree and picked up a rock. As the man passed, she jumped out in surprise and hit him in the face. He went down and a dog emerged from the brush nearby, whimpering and she dropped the rock in alarm.
"Wilby...oh my God, David!" she exclaimed, as she knelt beside him and helped him sit up against the tree.
"Oh God…" she fretted, as she saw his chin was bleeding, but he laughed, as she dug through her pack to find a cloth to dab the blood.
"Maybe you don't need me to protect you, after all," he joked.
"I thought you were one of the men after me! What are you doing out here?" she asked.
"Isn't it obvious? I love you," he replied.
"And I love you...that's why I had to leave! I needed to know that you were safe! I was trying to protect you!" she cried.
"Mary...I don't want to be safe or protected, not if it means not being with you," he said passionately. She softened and collapsed against him in relief, as he took her in his arms.
"I couldn't stand it if something happened to you, because of me," she sniffed.
"Shhh...nothing's going to happen to me. Besides, we'll have a much better chance together than apart," he reasoned. She shook her head.
"David...I might be on the run for the rest of my life. I can't do that to you! You deserve better," she lamented. He shook his head.
"I want you...I need you. I don't give a damn if I have to run for the rest of my life, as long as you're by my side. A life without you is no life I want," he said fiercely. She melted against him, but didn't allow herself to get lost in him, not yet.
"We have to go…" she urged.
"Can I ask exactly where you're planning to go?" he asked.
"For now, a cabin north of here. A friend told me to go there. It's secluded and I think we'll be safe there, at least for a couple days until we figure out where to go next," Mary replied. He smirked.
"We?" he asked. She smirked back and kissed him passionately.
"We," she confirmed, as she bit her bottom lip. The way he was looking at her, with so much love, was doing nothing for her concentration. He laced his fingers with hers and they started off, with Wilby trotting along beside them.
They reached the cabin by nightfall and were pleasantly surprised to find a supply of cut firewood, allowing them to quickly make a fire inside the cabin. It had the modern amenity of indoor plumbing, but no heat or appliances. The fire would serve them well for keeping them warm and allowing them to cook.
David fed Wilby from the supply of dog food he had brought in his supplies and then cooked some meat his mother had sent for them.
After their meal, they found sleeping bags in the closet and went about getting ready to sleep. Wilby had already curled up and gone to sleep, but would hear anything if someone approached the cabin.
Once they had made a suitable bed with the sleeping bags and blankets, their attention turned to each other. They hadn't done more than making out in their time together so far, but Mary knew he was the one. And she knew he obviously felt the same about her. He had said as much and his actions spoke louder than anything. Being in his arms was heaven and she wanted more. So, as their kisses turned feverish, she started unbuttoning his shirt. David broke the kiss and looked into her emerald pools, seeing love and desire shining in them.
"Mary...are you sure?" he asked in a husky tone. She smiled.
"Oh, I've never been more sure about anything," she replied, as she lifted her arms for him. He swallowed thickly and his heart pounded, as he pulled her top over her head and discarded it. Their lips crashed together again and he lowered her to the soft fabric beneath them. The fire burned as brightly as their love and passion for each other, as they gave themselves to each other.
Sometime later
They lay curled together beneath the blankets, as they basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Their limbs were entangled and their bare bodies pressed tightly together, as he placed loving kisses on her neck and shoulder, while lacing his fingers with hers.
"I love you…" she whispered.
"I love you too...I will eternally," he said, as he momentarily disentangled from her, long enough to grab his shirt and pull something out of the pocket.
"What are you doing?" she asked, as she sat up, covering her unclothed body with the blanket and admiring his muscled chest and torso. She gasped, as he showed her a ring, a silver band with a peridot gemstone.
"David…" she uttered.
"It was my mother's...and she insisted I take it before I left. She said that true love follows this ring," he said.
"And I know that's what we have...will you marry me?" he asked. Happy tears filled her eyes and she held her hand out.
"What do you think?" she teased, as he slipped it on her finger and she gazed at it in awe and then at him with love, before pulling him close. Their lips met and their passion consumed them once again and well into the night.
The next morning, after cleaning up and making breakfast, they started to pack up, knowing they would have to move on soon. But Mary was worried.
"David...even if we do go to Canada, they'll still be looking for me," she lamented.
"Which is why we need to get new identities," he said.
"Which costs a lot of money...money we don't have," she replied.
"Then we'll get it. We'll get jobs," he said.
"The minute I apply for a job, they'll run my name and the warrant for my arrest will come up," she reminded him.
"Then I'll get a job...I'll get two jobs and get the money we need," he insisted. She sighed and he pulled her into his arms.
"We'll figure this out...I promise," he soothed, as they suddenly heard Wilby start growling. David put a finger to his lips to motion her to remain quiet, as he grabbed the fireplace poker. He prepared to strike when the door swung open, but hesitated when he saw it was an older man with a cane. The man put his hand up in surrender.
"Easy dearie...I mean you no harm," he said in an accented voice.
"Mr. Gold?" Mary asked.
"You know him?" David asked.
"He owns the pawnshop back home," she replied.
"It's good to see you are well and unharmed, Miss Blanchard," he said.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I've come to make a deal," he replied.
"What kind of deal?" David asked.
"One that I think you'll want to take," Gold stated, as he handed a folder to her. She opened and found new driver's licenses', birth certificates, a marriage license, and all the documentation they would both need to start new lives.
"I don't understand...why would you do all this for me...for us?" she asked.
"You have quite a few people back home that support you...and hate Cora. The truth about who killed your father will eventually come out and when it does, you will return and take back what is rightfully yours. Until then, you and your future husband need to survive," Gold stated.
"I still don't understand...why would you do all this for us?" David asked.
"Because when you return and the fair Miss Blanchard takes back what is rightfully hers, you'll help me with something, a favor of sorts. Let's just say...I'm invested in your future," Gold replied.
"And you're so sure that her case against me will fall apart?" Mary asked skeptically. He smirked knowingly.
"Oh most certain, indeed. I wouldn't dawdle if I were you. When you get to Toronto, you'll find I've already lined up jobs for you," he said, as he turned to leave.
"Oh...and congratulations on your engagement," he said, as he left. David looked at their new identities.
"David and Mary Swan," he stated.
"I guess so...I just wonder what he'll want in return someday," she said, a note of worry in her voice.
"We'll figure that out when the time comes. For now...we have a new life to start," he said, as he slipped his arm around her waist. Mary nodded and closed the folder. As she did, something fell out and fell to the floor. She bent down and picked up what looked like a car key. They looked at each other and then hurried outside, finding an old, yellow Volkswagen bug waiting for them.
"Well, this will beat the hell out of walking to Canada," he mentioned. She smiled and they joined hands.
"Come on Wilby...let's go boy," David called, as he loaded their things in the car and they got in, with their dog in the backseat. They were off to start their new life together, but someday they would return to set things right.