New Beginnings

The storm tore through the forest for the next sixteen hours. Mary Margaret found herself actually enjoying herself. Emma had been nothing but help ever since the storm started. And Mary Margaret was grateful. So, she'd been spending her time with the mystery named David Nolan.

There was so much to him. But, even he didn't know it. She'd asked who he'd been before the coma. He'd responded with a confused look on his face.

"I… umm… I can't remember." She could see the distress clear in his blue eyes, so she decided to drop the subject.

"What do you think of him?" Emma asked, bringing her yet another bowl of pasta. It seemed to be the only thing this cabin had that was edible.

"He's fascinating," Mary Margaret said, looking back at the bedroom.

"I don't know. He's an enigma. That's for sure."

"Uh huh," Emma said, a knowing look in her eyes. She cocked her head, waiting for what the older woman really wanted to say.

"Okay, he's also really handsome," Mary Margaret admitted, blushing as she said it.

"There we go," Emma teased.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything. Sure, he looks like Prince Charming, but doesn't everyone always love that?"

"Not me," Emma said, shrugging.

"You're twelve," Mary Margaret retorted. "I mean, he's not a really Prince Charming. He just has the looks of one."

"And who are you?" Emma asked. "Cinderella?"

"I prefer Snow White," Mary Margaret responded. Emma laughed, taking another bite of noodles.

"You sound like my friend now, she said, thinking of Lily.

"Who's that?" Mary Margaret asked, curious to learn of Emma's past.

"Her name is Lily. She's the reason I decided to escape. She always told me I was better than what I was in the home."

"And she liked fairy tales?" Mary Margaret asked. Emma nodded, remembering the storybook. Currently, it was laying on the bedside table in David's room.

"She was the one who gave me the book," Emma explained. "When I left, she told me to live my own fairy tale."

"Well, you've certainly got it all now," Mary Margaret teased. "Stuck in a cabin, with two people who might as well be strangers to you."

"Better than back there," Emma said, being completely honest.

"What's going on out here?" David asked, stepping into the room.

"David, you should be resting," Mary Margaret scolded, moving to take him back to bed.

"It's okay," David reassured her. "I'm feeling much better. Besides, you've already saved my life once. I've yet to thank you for that."

"Really, it's no trouble," Mary Margaret said earnestly.

"Well, maybe you're my Princess Charming," David teased, moving to sit down.

"Princess Charming," Mary Margaret mused. "I'll also accept Your Highness."

"Oh, sure," David said, blue eyes lighting up. "Should I kneel when you enter the room?"

"I'd accept that," Mary Margaret said, laughing. In her mind, she was marveling at how easy it was to talk to him. Like they'd known each other for years. Emma coughed sightly, trying to hold back her own laughter. Mary Margaret glanced over at her, realizing the girl had guessed at her thoughts.

Honestly, Mary Margaret would've been happy to stay at the cabin much longer, but she knew that was just ridiculous. The storm had cleared up, making the hiking conditions bearable. At least it was only a mile hike back to the car. One mile back to the road. One mile until she was on her way to Regina. Great. Just great.


Emma inspected her fingernails, unable to think of anything else to do. David and Mary Margaret had been talking the whole way back, seemingly getting along even better each minute.

It'll be a miracle if he doesn't propose once he gets back. Okay, maybe that was stretching it some. Mary Margaret pulled into the hospital parking lot, still laughing over a quip that David had just said. She opened the door, telling him to wait for a second.

However, once she was out, she was immediately confronted by Ruby. The brunette began talking about the "guy in the woods" unaware of the other person in the car.

"Well then, looks like she got interrupted," David said, turning around to face Emma.

"She'll come eventually," Emma said, looking out the window. "Do you know her?" she asked. David stared out the window, trying to put a name to the face. But, he was clearly struggling.

"I'm not sure," he said, wracking his brain. "I mean, she looks familiar. But, I can't remember who she is." Emma shrugged, dropping the subject. Mary Margaret clearly knew her. They seemed to say goodbye, and Mary Margaret was soon returning to the car.

"Okay, let's go," she said, beckoning them both out of the car. David hesitantly stepped out, unsure of what to do.

"We'll have to talk to the hospital staff," Mary Margaret explained, leading them in.

"They're going to want a full explanation I'm afraid."

"No, it's fine," David said. "I mean, it makes sense." Mary Margaret noded, leading them both up to the receptionist desk.

"Hey, I found the guy who escaped," Mary Margaret said, not wasting anytime. The nurse glanced up at her in surprise.

"Excuse me?" she asked, looking at David. He smiled, shrugging his shoulders.

"The guy who was in the woods," Mary Margaret repeated. "He was wandering around the bridge. But, the storm came, and we were trapped in a cabin for a while."

"I'll have to get someone," the nurse said, reaching for her phone. Mary Margaret nodded, giving David a thumbs up. So far, things were going much better than could be expected. But, because this was Storybrooke, and it was Mary Margaret, something had to happen.

"David? David! Oh my God!" Mary Margaret was almost trampled by a blonde woman, running up to the confused man. She flung her arms around him, half sobbing with relief. David looked at Mary Margaret in stunned disbelief.

"So it's true?" the woman asked, looking at him. "You really don't remember me? It's me David! It's me Kathryn!" She took no notice of the fact that he was still utterly confused.

Mary Margaret couldn't even find her voice as she watched the scene unfurl.

Regina watched the entire thing with glee in her eyes. Finally. Now, she could make Mary Margaret suffer exactly the way that she did.


Next time… Mary Margaret faces her own problems with David and Kathryn. Meanwhile, Regina is determined to tear the two friends apart.