Chapter 2
The last time he had a home-cooked meal it was made by his mother. She poached cod in condensed milk with some canned vegetables. The smell was glorious, filling the whole house.
"Marry that poor girl David. Marry her and make her happy."
"Albert's already promised me to Kathryn Midas's father and I can't get out of it." She turned after checking the fish. "Do you think I care what that miserable, cruel, toad thinks? I married him for security, to keep a roof over our heads after your father's actions left us with nothing."
"Mother-"
"Don't you 'mother' me David. Kathryn is a sweet girl but, she doesn't love you. Mary-Margaret sets a fire in your heart unlike anything I have ever seen. Do not sully that."
He remembered that as he snaked both arms around the waist of his warm fiancé as she fried the very scarce eggs that, as it turns out, she had spent the last of her food rations on.
The peridot shimmered as the eggs popped and sizzled against the pan. The aurora yolk perfectly intact as their stomachs gurgled in hilarious synchronicity. "We certainly worked up an appetite didn't we soldier?" Mary-Margaret smirked as he kissed the pulse of her neck and then met her half-way in a soft kiss to her lips.
"We certainly did." Rubbing their noses together he smiles as she tips the eggs onto the waiting plates despite the restriction and distraction of him now trailing searing kisses steadily down. "Stop! Hahahaha! The eggs will go cold." She laughs: "Then they will just to go cold. Mrs Nolan." He whispers the last words sensually after all, she had agreed to become his wife, why not start as they mean to go on?
"David." Mary-Margaret exclaimed, breathless immensely overwhelmed at the sentiment. "You have no idea how much hearing you say those words means to me."
So he says them again and again as they spoon feed each other semi- warm eggs sunny-side up.
"I'm going to go out first thing tomorrow and knock on every door I have to until I have a job." David swears sweetly, the finished plates having been lazily discarded on Mary-Margaret's bedside table the lure of her bed too great.
"You have just come home from hell, give yourself a day to rest." His Snow White negotiated, sliding herself down under-neath the blankets to kiss and heal his angry, healing scars.
One of them, across his abdomen, twisted it was a stab wound she noted, silently which seemed to be the direct accompaniment to the thin scar on his left shoulder.
"My GOD!" "Darling what did they do to you?" The tears flow thick and fast as she places kisses wherever possible as he franticly burrows down to reach her and pull her up to him.
She was too lost in love, of having him in her arms again to notice the impact of years of war on his beautiful body.
"David what did they do?" His Snow sobs, "I could have lost you, I could have…."
"Shh."
"I'm here, I'm alive and I love you with all my heart and soul."
"Ch-Charming. Mma." Mary-Margaret holds back more tears as she joins their lips in a painful, bittersweet series of kisses neither willing to release the other.
He strokes her face and threads his hands through her hair as he smiles and positions her gently under him.
"Look at me."
"Look at me Snow."
She does, not breaking contact at the tender order. "We are going to grow old. We are going to grow old and grey surrounded by our children and grand-children. We are going to do this because the thought of that kept me alive."
"You kept me alive."
"I love you so much. And I cannot wait to marry you."