Gremma

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time.

This chapter is dedicated to La Lisboa, who is a huge Gremma shipper. (You should read her "I See the Light" if you haven't already done so. Very well – developed Gremma AU, with a great Snowing subplot. You can find it by clicking on my favorite authors, as Lisboa is one of the few authors I actually have listed.)

Before she wrote "I See the Light," La Lisboa wrote another one of my favorite OUAT stories, "Thicker Than Water." I was inspired to write a sequel to that story, which she graciously allowed me to do. (You can find that story, "Thicker Than Water Part II," on my profile.) Not only that but she also spent two years betaing that story for me. I think she really helped improve my writing during that time, so this is my way of saying "thank you" to her, for everything she's done.

One more thing. This will probably be the only "Emma ship" I will write. I have nothing against the other two parings, but I have a hard time figuring out how they would work in this universe. I'm also not very good at writing their characters. If you don't like Gremma, I'm sorry, but you are welcome to skip reading this one. But Please don't flame me for writing this paring, especially as this is supposed to be a tribute to one of my first friends on this site, and in many ways, my writing mentor.

What was going on in the forest? There certainly were some unusual noises coming from that direction tonight, Princess Emma thought to herself as she rolled over again on her bed in the palace.

Tap, tap, tap, snap. Tap, tap. That sounded kind of like someone was walking on the forest floor, and yet the tapping wasn't quite right for that.

Then a whizzing noise. That sounded a lot like her mother's bow and arrow. Perhaps it was Mom, out in the forest tonight? Usually when Mom wished to spend time in the forest, she took the whole family with her, but you never know. Emma certainly wouldn't blame her mother for visiting the forest on a hot night like tonight. It was much too warm in the castle to sleep. Her skin was almost sticking together as she lay on her bed. Even the silk sheets didn't help.

Slowly, Emma opened the door to her suite and crept across the hall, trying to stay as quiet as possible. The last thing she wanted to do was be caught by one of the many servants that lived and worked in the castle.

A soft breeze brushed against her face as she stepped outside. At least it was cooler now.

Emma found the perfect place to climb the castle wall. Most of the wall was rather smooth, but there was one weak spot in the back, in the old garden. She put her foot on the stone, feeling the rocks sting against her feet. Perhaps she should have put shoes on before she left, but she'd been too impatient.

Emma had to find out what was going on in the woods.

After all, it was hers, considering it grew right behind their castle. And her parents had raised her to understand the forest from the time she was very young. They taught her which animals were friendly and which to be warier. Wolves were particularly a problem, especially when they got near Dad's sheep on the farm. Dad even taught her how to trap animals if necessary. Mom showed her exactly which plants were edible and which should be left alone.

And they had showed her how to climb trees, too, Emma thought with a grin as she finally reached the top of the wall. Apparently, a lot of the same rules applied to climbing walls.

Princess Emma, along with her brothers and sister, had been raised in the forest just as much as in palace and on their Dad's farm. She lost count of how many times they had gone riding, enjoyed a fall picnic, or even camped out on the summer nights in the forest.

And now, Emma needed to know what that noise was. Was it her mother? An animal from another land? An outlaw trying to find his or her way into their palace? Carefully, she climbed down the other side of the wall and ran into the forest.

Stepping on another rock that cut her foot, Emma bit her lip to keep from screaming. She wasn't going to make any kind of loud noises until she figured out what was in the forest tonight.

She listened for the noise again. Tap, tap, tap, tap, crack. It was getting louder. Emma must be closer to whatever it was. She dashed off in the direction of the sound, ignoring the pain in her foot.

And then Emma heard something very familiar. A noise her father had warned her about for years. A wolf's howl.

Without thinking, Emma automatically climbed the first tree she saw. Wolves couldn't climb trees, her mother always told her.

And yet, the wolf could definitely smell her as it ran directly to the tree Emma was hiding in and howled again.

Despite her nerves, Emma watched in fascination as a man in bare feet and old clothes walked up to the wolf. Kneeling, the man petted the wolf and whispered something. The wolf didn't snarl or try to bite the man, as Dad always told Emma they would if she got too close. Instead the animal appeared to lick the man's face.

Who was this man?

Was the wolf a werewolf with good control, like Aunt Red?

Still, Emma kept quiet and stayed out of sight. She wasn't sure if they were trustworthy yet.

But both the man and the wolf seemed interested in Emma, as they examined her tree in detail. Fortunately, they didn't bother to look fifteen feet up.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Two weeks later, Emma's feet no longer stung from cuts and bruises. Thank goodness. She could still hear her father's screams when he saw the damages to her feet.

Still, the air was still thick with humidity, especially inside the palace. If anything, tonight was worse than the night Emma had visited the forest, trying to investigate the new sounds. And her siblings agreed. All four of them asked their parents if they could camp out in the forest that night, and Mom and Dad easily approved.

Breathing in the cool air while she laid on some moss, Emma finally sighed in relief. "Much better."

"I'm not so sure," said Neal, laying on his own bed of moss. He stared right at the large tree behind which their parents were supposed to be sleeping.

But of course, they weren't. Instead Emma, Neal, James, and Lucia heard moans and sighs of "Snow," and "Charming." Such noises weren't uncommon in the palace, but they were a lot more noticeable when they were only being blocked by a large tree instead of stone walls.

"I know," James agreed, who was laying next to Neal. "Sometimes I wonder if coming out here is really worth it. Do they really have to do that every time we go camping?"

Emma sighed as she tried to focus on the other sounds of the forest. Owls hooted. Leaves rustled. But it was impossible to block out her parents completely. "Apparently they do. Do you think they honestly believe we can't hear them, or do you think they just don't care?"

"I don't think they really care, if how many times they kiss in public is anything to go by," said Neal, with a chuckle.

They all laughed at that, even Lucia. They loved all the hugs their parents constantly gave them, but they'd never cared for the excessive kisses (and then some) that Dad gave Mom and Mom gave Dad.

"Do you think we could use our magic to soundproof them?" James asked.

Emma thought about that briefly, but then shook her head, her ear brushing against the moss. "We still don't have enough control. We can certainly do better than when we first started, but I wouldn't want to accidently make them disappear or something."

Neal and Lucia nodded in agreement, while James narrowed his eyes, obviously wondering if they really believed that. James always favored doing things the "easy way" rather than thinking things through a bit.

"Let's just try to ignore them," Neal said firmly. "How about a game?"

The others sighed and nodded.

Emma was glad they hadn't decided to try magic on their parents. It was too big of a risk. Besides, even though she still found her parents' physical affection annoying, lately Emma was seeing it in a different light. At eighteen, she was being encouraged to try courting young men who she might like to marry someday. Emma hoped to find someone who loved her as much as her father loved her mother.

Unfortunately, all the princes and young kings she had been introduced at balls were boring and superficial. The shepherds that Dad knew from the farm were a little better, but still too boring for Emma. Her parents tried to tell her she had plenty of time to fall in love, but still. Emma was getting frustrated.

Would she ever find a man like her father? Would she have a love like her parents'?

OOOOOOOOOOO

Emma listened to the sounds of the woods again as her parents finally quieted and her siblings eventually fell asleep. She was just beginning to tire herself when she heard it.

The same noise she'd heard two weeks ago, followed by a wolf's howl. Immediately, Emma's eyes opened wide. Was it the same man, wandering around the forest in bare feet, with a wolf (or werewolf) for a companion?

Before she could think further, she leaped up and prepared to find them again. Emma told herself she still needed to find out if they were a threat to her family and her parent's kingdom. But deep in her heart, she knew that wasn't really the case. She just wanted to find out more about this interesting man.

But this time, Emma was certain to put on her hiking boots before she finally disappeared.

"What are you doing here, human?" the man asked suspiciously as soon as she saw him. His wolf stood next to him, growling and showing teeth.

Emma kicked herself for not being careful this time. He wasn't supposed to see her so quickly! "Camping. With my family," she said carefully, staring at the wolf as she did so. Why was did he seem so sweet with the man and so dangerous with her? At least she didn't need to worry about Dad's sheep right now.

The man still looked at Emma suspiciously. The wolf took a step forward and growled at her again. Emma swallowed, wondering why she hadn't thought to bring her sword. "Are you a werewolf?" she asked the wolf, grasping at straws. "My Aunt Red is a werewolf."

"She is?" the said the man, surprised. "Do you… like her?"

"Of course," Emma replied. "She's fun. And she knows just as much about the woods as my parents."

The man petted the wolf, and he stopped growling. "No, he stays a wolf all the time. But he's still my family. My brother."

"Was he cursed as a wolf?" Emma asked. "If he was, I bet I could get the fairies to help him. Or my parents could."

"No, he's just a wolf," the man said firmly. "Wolves are very noble animals you know. Much more noble than most humans." It was dark, especially deep in the forest, so she couldn't see his face clearly. Still, Emma instinctively knew that he wasn't lying. She could always tell when someone was. He must have had some bad experiences with humans if he believes that wolves were better.

Emma hoped to prove that she, at least was more noble than a wolf. "My name is Emma," she told him, hoping to inspire a bit of trust.

The man nodded, gesturing at the wolf he called his brother. "His name is…," and then he made a barking noise.

"Hello…," Emma said to the wolf, trying to make the same barking noise. The wolf had completely changed his additude since the beginning. Instead of growling at her, he nuzzled her. The man picked up her hand and placed it on the wolf's head allowing her to pet him.

Was she dreaming? Would she smell dog in a dream and would the man's hand feel so surprisingly nice?

"My name is…" the man paused a little, as if he was trying to decide whether she should trust her with this.

Emma's heart thumped with excitement that he might tell her.

Then he finally made another barking noise, like the one he'd made before. "I'm sure it's a very nice name, but I don't understand how…", she barked. "Is any different than…" She barked again.

The man chuckled a little, and Emma decided she would like to hear more of his laughter someday. "I can help you, if you'd like." He put his hand near her jaw. "For…," he barked. "You put your tongue on this side of your mouth." "And for...," he barked. "You put your tongue on the other side."

Emma's heart thumped even faster as he moved his hands across her jaw, for a very different reason.

Smiling, she tried to do as he suggested, but the man shook his head. "I think you need more practice."

"I'd be happy to practice more, but I need something to call you in the meantime. Would you mind if I came up with my own name?"

"I suppose not."

Emma thought for a long time about many different names she'd heard of. Princes. Kings. Shepherds. Traders. Finally, she settled on a name from a book she'd often read. The character lived in the forest with the animals. "I think I'll call you Graham."

"Graham." The man looked at the wolf. "What do you think? Is that an acceptable name for me?" He made a couple of different kinds of barking noises, and then the wolf barked back. "He's decided it's fine… for now, but you're going to need to learn to say my real name if we continue to spend time together." His voice sounded teasing, in a good way. It reminded her of the way Dad often teased Mom or Emma and her siblings.

"I will," Emma promised.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Emma, Graham, and his…" brother" spent the next two hours talking. Somehow, Emma even managed to tell him she was a princess. He knew just as much about the woods as she and her family did. Graham's relationship with the wolf was also quite interesting. Most of all was the… rather sweet way he seemed to trust her, even though he still didn't trust most humans.

"Would you consider us courting in the future?" Emma finally asked, staring right into the shadows of Graham's face. The sounds of the night had long since disappeared.

He seemed… somewhat open to the idea, although he was a bit uncomfortable with courting royalty. Emma promised him that shouldn't matter, as her parents spent just as much time on the farm and in the woods as they did in the palace and in court.

Emma hoped that perhaps someday, they might have a relationship as loving as her parents did.

Of course, first Emma had to introduce Graham to her parents.

Yes, I'm going to leave it there, and no I'm not going to do a sequel to this. I know, I'm cruel. :)

But the truth is, I don't know how Snowing would react to Emma's new beau, (or more importantly the fact that she snuck out to meet him). Nor do I know how Graham got away from Regina.

So you'll have to figure it out for yourselves.

Please consider giving me a review if you decided to read this one.

Here's some responses to the last chapter.

Baratta Jennifer: Of course. And you keep giving reviews.

Austenphile: Yes, Snowing may be well… Snowing, but they can't see eye – to – eye on everything. Birthdays is a perfect example of that. But of course, Charming being the understanding man that he is, eventually makes peace with it. And Snow can't stay mad at him for that long. But, of course they can both enjoy Emma's birthday.

Bloomandgrow: Thanks again. Yes, Snowing are very good at resolving their arguments and putting their family first on the show, too. They have a very solid relationship.