Chapter 3
"David? Honey, what are you doing here?" The look of wonderful surprise on his fiancée's face was worth the wrath he'd face for seeing her the night before the wedding.
He smiled and took her lips slowly, stroking her face with the backs of his thumbs until she made a desperate noise.
They break, love so clear in his crystal blue eyes. "So sue me, I'm in love."
Mary-Margaret lets a slow smile come as she stands in her night-gown. "You can't be here."
"Are you alone?" He asks, mischievously with a hint of desperation at being without her touch for the last day, work helping the injured animals putting food on their table and much needed dollars in their pockets.
She hesitates, but, the ridiculous grin on both of their faces refuses to fade. It's breaking a million unwritten rules for a man to see his bride before the wedding. But, that hasn't bothered them before, the memory of her skin far too fresh in his tired mind.
"Snow, are you alone?"
"It's bad luck." she reasons, not that they have not had their fair share of it, more than most but, they don't dwell on the past. Not anymore.
"Go."
"You are alone." David says triumphantly, before taking her lips as she giggles one kiss after another making her euphoric.
"Not the point." She pecks, failing at wriggling away from him.
"It is the point." David emphasises, "If it means I get to spend the night with my love."
"You assume I'll let you in."
He gives a short laugh, tipping his head back slightly. "Are you saying you won't?"
"I am saying, I love you very much but, I need you to go or Ruby will kill you." Mary-Margaret chuckled at the last words, this time succeeding in pushing him slightly away though, not roughly.
"I'm not scared of Ruby." He whispers lovingly. "I'm not scared of anything."
She smiles, "Good."
He snuck out in the early hours, their bed and her still so very warm. "I love you."
Ruth helps him adjust his suit.
Ruby gives her flowers to hold. Snowdrops.
Thomas chuckles about how happy he is with his wife Ashley and can't wait until their kids are old enough to play together. "Haha. Give us some time buddy." Ruth just smiles and thinks of the grandchildren she will have as the organ starts and every-body stands to see Ruby proud, while a serene Mary-Margaret walks with her in her mother's wedding dress.
"How beautiful is she?" David tries to guess, having promised not to look til she reached him.
"Put it this way." "You're one lucky Son of a Gun."
He kept his promise, she can tell by the gorgeous look of "My God" on his face as he sees her peeling back her lace veil tenderly.
"Hello." Mary-Margaret sobs happily.
"Am I dreaming? Because if I am I do not ever want to wake."
"You are not." Mary-Margaret exhales euphoric as he wipes away her tears and takes her hands as they beam at Father Lancelot.
"And do you Snow White promise to love this man, for all eternity?"
"I do." Mary-Margaret beams, imagining a fairy-tale after placing the ring on David's finger, eagerly anticipating the return of peridot which will happily double as both her engagement ring.
He places it on her finger and kisses her hand lingeringly before they wait for the glorious inevitable.
"It gives me great pleasure, to announce that you are husband and wife together." "What God has joined together let no man put asunder."
But, all they were waiting for was…
"You may now kiss the bride."
"You ready?"
He barely let her finish before their lips crashed in unison in a passionate yet, formally restrained show of affection.
"I'll take that as a yes." Mary-Margaret breathed against him as she rubbed their noses together and their families cheered.
"What do you think? Mrs Nolan." David whispers the last words pressing a kiss to her temple.
"I think, Mr Blanchard that we should go down that aisle and start the rest of our lives together."
"After you kiss me again."
"What my wife wants. My wife gets." He smirked before pulling her in for a longer, more tender embrace.
The picture of happiness.