The Start

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Emma asked, still cautious about Regina's warning. Doing a search in a rainy forest, in the cold, with growing darkness was not as romantic as the stories made it out to be.

"I have to," Mary Margaret responded, keeping her attention fixed on the trail ahead.

"Considering Regina threatened to put me on the menu at Granny's…" Emma was trying to get Mary Margaret to come out of the trance she'd been in for the last three hours.

"Regina's always threatening. But this one is too absurd for her to carry out." Emma nodded, but wasn't entirely convinced.

They were approaching the troll bridge now, as the sun began to set.

"You know, it's getting dark out," Emma hedged. She was worried that they would get lost in the growing darkness. But, her efforts were in vain.

"No. Look, if he's not here then we'll go back," Mary Margaret promised. "But, I just know he will be. Something inside of me is telling me to find him." Emma flinched, and half cursed under her breath and she stepped into another icy cold puddle.

"Something inside of me is telling me to find a mug of warm cocoa," she reasoned. And while that was her way of bringing humor into the conversation, she was somewhat serious. She could see the young woman was shivering. But, the mind could make the body do incredible things sometimes.

"I don't think the mayor will be too pleased if we both end up in the hospital with hypothermia," Emma said, half under her breath.

"Up there," Mary Margaret said, pointing up to across the bridge. Emma squinted, and through the rain, she could see a figure moving through the trees. Or maybe that was just the rain blurring her vision. She shook her head, partly to clear the tiredness, partly to shake off the drops of rain gathering on her cheeks,

"Come on Emma," Mary Margaret called out, running over the bridge. As Emma crossed, she saw the familiar flash of blue that signified a hospital gown. Looks like Mary Margaret was right. Mary Margaret rushed towards him, approaching slowly.

"Hello?" she asked, stepping closer. The man stopped, stared, and made no move.

"Who are you?" he asked, voice rough and hoarse.

"My name is Mary Margaret," the young woman said, stopping about ten feet away from him. He began approaching, squinting against the now downpour of rain.

"Where am I?" he asked, seeming to finally notice his surroundings.

"You're in the forest," Mary Margaret answered, taking another few steps. "You were in the hospital. You were in a coma. But, then, suddenly you woke up. After I read a book to you. It's called Once Upon A Time. I think it prompted you to come here."

"A book?" the man asked, shaking his head again. He looked thoroughly confused. And exhausted. Emma hung back, not wanting to break the connection they seemed to have made.

"Yes. I read you the story of Snow White. And, it must've sparked something-"

The man suddenly collapsed, falling with a soft thump onto the forest floor. He lay in the mud, spitting and coughing.

"Emma, help me get him," Mary Margaret pleaded, already running and grabbing his arm.

"Where are we taking him?" Emma asked, glancing back down at their path. It was completely waterlogged.

"There's a cabin," Mary Margaret said, heaving the man upwards. Emma ran over to help, taking his right side.

"Where?" Emma asked, scanning the forest. Mary Margaret pointed right.

"Come on. The rain's getting worse. There's probably going to be a full blown storm. We have to get him inside."

With the support from both Mary Margaret and Emma, the slowly but surely made their way to the cabin.


Mary Margaret gently deposited the man on the bed. He was still coughing weakly, and was half asleep.

"Emma, get some blankets. He's going to get sick if we don't get him warm."

"Sure," Emma said, running to the small closet. Mary Margaret looked at the man, wondering if it was worth it to start a fire. She decided it would be smart, and left him to go to the main room of the cabin. There was a small stack of wood next to the fireplace, and she quickly piled logs into a proper structure.

After the logs were situated, she began rooting around the small kitchen for matches. Once she found some, she quickly started a small fire. But, it seemed to to the trick. The heat soon began to spread through the small cabin. Once she was done, and the fire was properly looked after, she went back into the bedroom. He was still lying there, but with a pile of blankets on him.

Next thing would be clothes. She rooted through the drawers, and found a gray pair of sweatpants. Next, she found a simple black t-shirt. Hopefully, they would be the right size. But, when she was turning around, she knocked a small wooden box off the table. The box clattered to the floor.

"Crap," she muttered, hoping the commotion wouldn't disturb him. No such luck. He was startled awake, and slowly sat up in the bed. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust to his surroundings. His eyes fell on Mary Margaret, and he gave her a small smile.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Emma asked, coming in with a box of noodles.

"I found some food. It's not a lot, but it should be enough. I thought hot noodles would be nice."

"Uh, yeah," Mary Margaret said, nodding to the girl. Emma nodded as well, before leaving to prepare dinner.

"So…" the man said, trailing off.

"Uh, yeah," Mary Margaret said awkwardly.

"Uh, thanks. For saving me," he said, offering another small smile.

"Oh, it's no problem," Mary Margaret said, blushing slightly. "I mean, I find strangers in the woods all the time." He smiled again, blue eyes becoming brighter.

"Uh, the name's David," he said. "David Nolan. You're Mary Margaret if I remember correctly."

"Yeah," she said, looking around the room. Her eyes fell on the clean clothes.

"Oh, you must freezing with your wet clothes. I, um, found some clothes in the drawer." She picked them up, offering him the small bundle.

"Thanks." he paused before saying "Mary Margaret." And the way he said her name, it sounded right.

"Of course," she said, giving him a smile, before leaving the room to give him some privacy.

She re entered the main room, the smell of pasta wafting through the air.

"That smells great," she said, going over to Emma.

"Ah yes, Emma Masterchef," the young girl proudly announced. "Tonight I am serving an elegant dish containing the finest noodles in the land, topped with zesty tomato sauce. All with a pinch of basil for good flavor." She finished with a flourish, before shooting Mary Margaret a smile.

"So, how is he?" she asked, stirring the pasta.

"Better," Mary Margaret answered. "I think he's gonna be fine. He seems to be very sweet."

"Uh huh," Emma said, giving her a wink.

"What are you gonna tell Regina? Weren't we specifically told not to find him?"

"Crap."


Sorry about not completely following the prompt. That will be next chapter.

Next time… Regina is not at all pleased with the connection between Mary Margaret and David. But, can she stop it?