Ruby wasn't sure how it all happened, but Archie managed to clean her and the baby up so August could come and meet the newest member of the Hopper family. The door opened slowly, and a crop of vibrant red hair poked into the room.

"It's okay," Ruby said with a chuckle. "You can come in."

August slowly stepped past the doorway. As soon as he met Ruby's eyes, he grinned, and rushed to the head of the bed.

"Careful," Archie warned gently, standing behind his son and placing his hands on his shoulders.

"August, I'd like you to meet Peter Henry Smith… Hopper," Ruby said softly, the baby now wrapped in a blanket and lying in her arms as she sat up, propped against the pillows. "For his father."

"He sure is pink and wrinkly," August commented. Archie squeezed the boy's shoulders and Ruby laughed.

Archie bent down. "Well, you looked about the same when you were born," he informed his son.

"Are you feeling better, Miss Ruby?"

Ruby smiled. "I am, thank you. Though I do feel pretty tired." It was true, she was exhausted, but she was certain she'd never felt such joy in her life. Her son was safe and warm and healthy, and they were tucked into a fine bed together, with their family to watch over them. It was as if there was a warm glow hovering over them all.

She caught Archie's eye and saw a peculiar look flit across his features, and she quickly returned her attention to August.

"That's good," the boy added, "'cause you were mooing louder than Flora when her calf was born."

"August!" Archie chastised, though they all laughed.

Ruby dropped her gaze to her son, a pull like gravity itself between them. She marvelled at his tiny features, the little hands with fingers so delicate they took her breath away.

"Alright, August, we'd better leave Miss Ruby and the baby to get some rest," Archie said from beside the bed, and Ruby was only vaguely aware of him leading his son out of the bedroom as she sank into her pillows and let her eyelids flutter closed before the door was even shut.

The next day or so passed by in a blur, with Ruby unsure of the hour. She was even more grateful than she'd realized she'd be to have Archie to take care of things, surprised by how tired she was—and how her body needed to heal.

When she'd awoke from her first rest, Archie wasn't long in checking on her, and his warm smile made her chest light. Knowing him, he'd been poking his head into the bedroom to see that they were doing well.

"Hey," he murmured when he realized she was awake, taking a ginger step inside the doorway. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," she assured him, sitting up as best she could against the pillows, holding the baby with one hand on her chest.

As if on cue, Peter started to squirm and fuss in protest at being disturbed.

Or, more accurately, a demand for food, as Archie seemed to sense.

"Do you want to see if he will nurse?" he asked gently, stepping beside the bed.

For a moment, Ruby felt a flush of embarrassment at the thought of exposing herself in front of Archie. Then again, he'd seen far more, and she remembered Mary Margaret had said that it could be difficult to get the baby to latch right away. "Mmhmm," she said with a nod.

Indeed, it calmed Ruby's nerves to have Archie's words of encouragement and instruction to guide her. Soon, any concerns washed away as the baby latched on, his contented sucking filling the quiet of the room as Ruby watched in wonder.

Archie wasn't sure where to look when Ruby began nursing the baby, once Peter was started. He let his gaze rest on her face beaming down at her son. She took no notice of him, which gave him a chance to let his own thoughts wander, as if to process all that had happened.

Her labour had been relatively quick, but there'd been a serious scare with the complication of the umbilical cord. He didn't know of how much Ruby was aware, but he knew how quickly the situation could turn deadly if he couldn't remove the cord from the infant's neck. He'd seen it, in fact, and he shuddered to think how close baby Peter had come to being in real danger.

Thank goodness he'd thought to get his medical bag ready, having brought it in and placed under his bed a couple of weeks ago.

No, everything was fine—mother and child were healthy and happy and resting.

The sight of Ruby with her little one made his chest swell, his heart light to see her so overcome with joy. It was infectious.

"Would you like to hold him?" Ruby asked, pulling Archie from his thoughts.

"I, uh—of c-course," Archie stuttered as Ruby gently laid the baby wrapped in blankets in his arms.

Archie's breath hitched in his throat and tears pricked his eyes as he took in every detail of the newborn. It was hard to believe that a child could be so tiny, so vulnerable, and yet so perfectly formed. His heart felt like it would burst from his chest as he held little Peter close. The baby lifted his hand up slightly, and Archie slipped his pinky under the little fingers—almost microscopic under his own.

"Hi there, little one," Archie breathed. "Your mommy is a brave woman, and she loves you so much. And so do I."

Archie swallowed, realizing how true those words were. How was it possible to love somebody with such force that you'd only just met? It was overwhelming, and already Archie could sense the grief that awaited him when he'd have to say goodbye in a few short months.

No, not yet. For a little while, he could pretend.

The next few days passed by in a blur. Ruby was completely preoccupied with the baby, making sure he was feeding regularly and ensuring that he was wrapped in his diapers properly and warm in a multitude of layers. Archie kept the cabin warm and well-stocked with firewood, and he kept the three of them well-fed with buns and salted pork and some soups that had been prepared earlier.

It didn't take long for Ruby to feel restless, cooped up in the little bedroom, however cozy, and soon she ventured out into the rest of the house, despite Archie's protests. Truth be told, he didn't protest much and instead agreed that it was good to be up and about if she felt up to it. Still, Ruby wasn't good for much and spent most of the day in the rocking chair by the fire while Archie and August ran things. Even August took his turn preparing a meal or two while his pa was out in the barn, though Ruby made sure that he still had time for his studies.

In fact, the baby proved to be a help rather than a distraction for August in that way. The boy was eager to stay close to his baby brother and would explain to Peter what sums he was doing, or would read him whatever book he was working through.

"See, Peter, you gotta carry that one and then include it in the next column," August would say aloud before sticking his tongue out slightly as he added his four-digit numbers together. Ruby had to bite back a smile to hear the sincerity in the boy's tone, though the child he was instructing was barely able to make out specific sights or sounds, let alone words and concepts.

It became clear that some space between the two boys was wise, however. Archie moved August's bed to the other side of the house with his cot, though Ruby wondered how the father and son had any room to move with the two beds crammed in such a small space. Still, it would at least mean that the nine-year-old could get some sleep instead of having to share a bedroom with a newborn who woke up every couple of hours for his feeding.

Though Ruby might have had her doubts about August's reaction to the baby, she knew she didn't have to worry about his father. Still, Ruby was surprised at how good Archie was with the baby, and how he spoiled her. It was almost enough to make her feel guilty, and she resolved to work twice as hard as soon as she was able.

Archie would keep the fire going in the hearth throughout the night, and Ruby quickly got into the habit of bringing the baby into the main room for his feedings, as long as he wasn't too fussy. One night, after she awoke to his cries beside her bed, she gently lifted the infant from the wooden cradle and padded out to the warmth of the main room, sitting in the rocking chair in gestures that were already familiar.

She hummed to little Peter as he sucked greedily, and she rocked back and forth. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Archie coming from behind the blanket that divided his and August's beds from the rest of the cabin.

"Hello," Ruby greeted with a shy smile, tugging her shawl just enough to cover the top of the baby's head.

"Hey," Archie replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "How is he doing?"

"Oh, just fine—he's a hungry little guy, is all."

Archie let out a chuckle. "He's a strong boy." He put another log on the fire and pulled up a chair, taking a seat beside her as he faced the fire.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments while Peter continued to feed. When he was finished, Ruby adjusted her nightdress and hugged her shawl around her, shifting the baby in her arms so she could rock him back to sleep.

Her thoughts wandered over the last few days. Truth be told, she'd been so caught up in the baby that she had almost forgot about Archie's big secret, and in the rare moments that she had remembered, she'd not been able to ask him more. Now, curiosity began to nibble at her. What else did she not know about this man who was technically her husband?

"You—you said you used to be a doctor," Ruby said, her gaze fixed on the flames that danced and crackled before them. The question came out more like a statement, but she said no more.

She could hear Archie shifting in his seat beside her. "Yes."

Clearly there was something painful hidden behind what he could not say, but Ruby felt like they'd been through too much together for her to not know everything she could about this man—or at least, what he was willing to share. Whatever it was, it must have something to do with his first wife.

"What… what happened?" she asked carefully as she continued to rock back and forth.

A long pause followed before Archie let out a deep sigh, and Ruby kept her gaze fixed on the hearth.

"I was a doctor, once upon a time. That in and of itself was a miracle. My parents were conmen, always travelling from town to town in our caravan of sorts. As a child, I would travel with them around the East coast, performing puppet shows and the like. But they weren't content with the few coins we could scrape together from that, so they soon had me in the crowd, picking the pockets for any extra coins I could find. Even better if I could snatch a pocket watch or a ring or other fine jewelry. Then we'd eat like kings for a night or two."

Ruby swallowed the lump that rose in her throat, unsure of what to do with this new information, but grateful that it spilled from him and eager to hear every detail. She didn't dare look at him in case he decided to stop.

Luckily, he continued. "I hated it. I hated the lying and stealing, and the cold, wet nights. I wanted to help people, not cheat them. Sometimes, I would try to sneak away with another traveller family that we would camp with for a night, knowing they were good, hard-working folk. I never could get away with it, though. Not until I was a young man.

"I managed to finally get away from my parents and convince the druggist in town to let me work for him. I discovered that I enjoyed the medicine—and I had a knack for it, too. The details involved, memorizing the human body, helping to make people well."

He paused and shifted in his seat, and Ruby dared to glance at him. She gave him a small smile in ways of encouragement, and he took a deep breath before he continued.

"Long story short, I was able to get in on a scholarship to train to be a doctor, and I was thrilled. I probably worked three times as hard as the other men, knowing that I would be thrown out at the first sign of trouble. And I did, it too—I graduated and got a job as a doctor in a small town outside of New York.

"For the first time, I was a respected part of the community—Dr. Hopper—and I was really making a difference. It wasn't long until I met the Geppettos—this nice couple who had emmigrated from Italy. He was a carpenter—made the most beautiful things, though he supported his family by fixing fences and making plain furniture—a waste of his talent, but there it was. I became fast friends with them, this young and optimistic couple who were expecting their first child. Maybe I was drawn to them, knowing how cruel people could be to outsiders. Whatever the reason, we became a family of sorts, and of course I was there to deliver the child." Archie smiled to himself. "It was in the middle of a heat wave smack dab in the middle of June. Of course he would come at a time like that."

August. Ruby's brow furrowed as these seemingly disconnected pieces of the puzzle began to slide into place. She remembered the picture of the blonde woman, hidden away in the drawer in the bedroom.

"Everything went fine, and the next couple of years passed on uneventfully. Of course, being the only doctor in town was tiring, and you couldn't always save everybody, but generally events took a turn for the better far more often that they went downhill."

Ruby nodded along with his story, her chest already tight in anticipation of a tragedy she knew was about to unfold.

"Then, the town was hit hard by influenza," Archie continued, his voice small. "I fought hard, but it came so fast and wiped out whole families. There was nothing I could do." His tone was even, as if it was a distant story, and he stared unseeing into the hearth. "I tried to keep it from the Geppettos, but ultimately, there was nothing I could do."

He took a gasp of a breath, and Ruby could hear the heartbreak in his voice as he continued, causing tears to spring to her eyes, and she held Peter tight in her arms.

"One day, they were fine, and then, seemingly, the next, they were gone, leaving a little three-year-old boy without his parents."

Ruby felt a tear escape down her cheek, and she could see the tears welling in Archie's eyes so that she had to look away.

"For all my training, I couldn't save them. All my hard work, for nothing. And I'm not proud of it, but I was mad. Mad at a world that could be so unfair, mad at a God that would let such chaos reign when dishonest folk could go about their lives and truly kind-hearted people were cut down so quickly. But more than that, I felt such guilt, as if I should have been able to save them. As if I had killed them myself.

"So, I quit—I vowed to never practice medicine again, and I took August with me and moved out west for a new start." Ruby glanced back at Archie to see him looking at her, his eyes wet as he offered her a small smile. She let out a breath as he confirmed her suspicions, and for the first time she felt like she really knew Archibald Hopper.

"We were one of the first in Storybrooke," he continued. "The town was eager to get farmers to settle, so land was cheap, and I was able to build a little life for us out here. David and Mary Margaret came shortly after me, and I was glad to have them as neighbours—especially for August's sake."

He held her gaze for a moment. "Life out here can be lonely sometimes."

Ruby took a shuddering breath, her chest aching as she realized all that this man had been through. Not only had he built this successful homestead, but he had been a doctor before that? A self-made man, twice over?

And always by himself.

It was more than Ruby knew what to do with, and so, she simply reach out her hand and squeezed his arm.

He let out a nervous chuckle and looked away, though he placed his hand over hers for a moment. "I, uh—I'm sorry I never told you that before," he said. "Not many people know—not even David and Mary Margaret. It's usually not important, and it was so long ago. Although, I'd be grateful if you didn't tell anyone."

"I understand," Ruby said softly, her heart full. "Thank you, for—for telling me."

They said no more, but sat for awhile in the warmth of the hearth as it burned down to embers, and Ruby was hit by the weight of what it meant to be chosen by a man like Archibald Hopper.