Author's note: Like I promised, here's a new ch. Thank you so much for all the reviews. You have no idea how happy they make me. Seriously.
Chapter 7
The door jingles as she pushes it open, a thick pink winter jacket slung over her arm. Normally she would've worn it, but her red dress was just too pretty to cover up. A blonde woman follows her. They open the door of the nondescript diner and face a smiling crowd, who roars in delight at their entrance. Everybody is there. David, Ruby, Granny, Leroy and the other dwarves, Archie, and a small boy who looks very familiar.
Someone hands her and the blonde mugs of a strange yellowish substance, a drink that has a very strong alcoholic smell.
"To Mary Margaret and Emma!" David calls, raising his mug. Everyone follows suit.
A loud crash wakes Snow White from her deep slumber and dream. Her eyes fly open. She is lying in her bed in the huge, ornate bedroom that she loves so much. That she's spent so much time decorating and perfecting. Thankfully, it has been left relatively unharmed by the earthquake that Charming said ruined most of the castle and sent everyone in the kingdom here as refugees. Every time she looked at the horrible, debris filled, burned down state of her home, it brings tears to her eyes. How could an earthquake do so much damage?
Snow reaches up to brush through her long black hair, which tends to tangle up every night, but her hands hit air. Right. A sinking feeling of disappointment spreads through her again. She's forgotten that her hair had been chopped off as a result of a fire accident caused by the earthquake. Her hair has been something she's taken for granted, something that has always been there. And now that it's gone…she hadn't realized how much she's loved it.
She wishes she could go back to sleep for various reasons. Her dream has left her vaguely unsettled. It felt so…so real. As if it wasn't a dream, but a memory. Everyone she knew was there. She'd known exactly what to do and where to go. Like she'd lived there, which was completely ridiculous, since she'd never been to that place before. A…diner? That was what her dream self had called it. What was a diner? Her dream had taken place in such a weird place, somewhere she'd never been before. It'd looked so different from any place she'd ever seen before. Yet she'd known exactly where to go.
In her dream, everyone had looked so different. Like an odd version of themselves, with different haircuts and strange clothing. Since when has Red worn pants? Then again, since when have any of the women worn pants? The weird thing was, Snow doesn't remember much from yesterday's tumultuous events, but she does recall that everybody in her dream looked exactly like everybody she'd seen the day before, from the same odd styled clothing to their haircuts. It was like an alternate universe.
Why had she thought of herself as Mary Margaret in her dream? She hadn't used that name since her days with Red, before Red found out she was the wolf. Speaking of Red, why had she thought of her best friend as Ruby? Was that her nickname or something? But as far as Snow remembers, her friend has always been Red.
And then there was that blonde. Snow had felt a real connection to that woman. Like she was family or something, when in fact Snow has never seen her before. In her dream, there was something very special about the blonde, but Snow cannot remember. Something about her name that struck a deep chord inside her…what was it again?
Before Snow has the chance to obsess over this, the door flies open. She swivels her head to the left, towards the door. Due to the earthquake, all the lanterns and candle holders on the wall had been destroyed, leaving the castle flooded in darkness, save for light coming in from cracked windows and holes created by fallen trees. A figure comes into the room, shrouded in darkness.
"Crap, wrong room." The person says. Their voice is strikingly familiar, yet Snow cannot place it. "Sorry."
"Wait." Snow sits up in bed. "Who's there?"
"No one." The person says. "Sorry." They say again.
Snow stumbles out of bed, feeling slightly off balance. Her body hasn't felt this light in months; now with the absence of her long black locks and her pregnant stomach, she feels as though she's trapped in someone else's body. Like she has an entirely different identity. She doesn't know why, but she feels like she has to talk to this person.
"Hello?" She calls out. Through the darkness, Snow can see that the figure is slim, and has long blonde hair. She is carrying what appears to be armfuls of bread. The woman is wearing the strangest assortment of clothing Snow has ever seen.
"Wait. I just want to talk to you." Snow stops her with a hand on her arm. She can feel an electric tingle travel up her arm as her hand touches the woman's shoulder. She has an odd sense of déjà vu, as though she's done this before. The woman shudders beneath her touch but turns to face her.
"Look, I just got lost, ok? This place is huge. But I'm not stupid. I can see that this isn't my room. Well I mean it's not exactly my room, but yeah. I'll just leave, ok?" The woman rambles.
That face. The round face, framed by light blonde hair. The familiar greenish eyes that look startlingly like Charming's. The chin that, for some odd reason, mirrors her own. Snow just stares at this woman, taking in her features, eyes wide and jaw in a round O. It's the woman from her dream.
"What?" The woman frowns. She looks over her shoulder. "What?" She asks again, folding her arms over her chest and tilting her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. It's a pose that is so familiar, though Snow cannot place it. Maybe this was in her dream?
"I-it's you." Snow says in awe.
"Not again." The woman groans. "I don't know you, ok? I'm sorry." She turns to go, but Snow stops her again.
"N-no. I don't know you either. It's just that…I've seen you before somewhere. You were in my dream!"
"What?" The blonde gasps. She places her hands on her hips. "Ok, now I'm getting seriously creeped out. You had a dream about me? I don't even know you!"
"It's not what it sounds like." Snow says quickly. She doesn't know why, but she feels like she knows this blonde. That she's used to her sarcasm. "In my dream, I was going to this party. A-and you were with me."
The woman gapes at her. "That's just weird." She starts backing away, a peeved expression on her face.
"Wait!" Snow calls desperately. "What's your name?"
"What?"
"Your name. I know this sounds weird, but your name is somehow connected to me. I need to know what it is." She urges. "Please."
"What the hell's wrong with you? I don't know you. I've never seen you before in my life. So what makes you think I'm gonna tell you my name." The woman snaps, her voice low and dangerous. She is crouched in a defensive position, as if she is posed to attack at any moment.
"Emma?" A voice calls from behind. It's Charming. He is carrying a basket full of food, a confused expression on his handsome face. "What're you doing here? Is everything ok?" His voice is full of concern as he takes in the scene before him.
"Just got lost." Emma says absently, her eyes flickering to Snow's trembling face. "And now I'm leaving."
Emma. That's her name. Emma. But…but…that's her daughter's name. Is this woman somehow connected to her daughter? Does she know more than she's letting on? What are the chances that she has the same name as her dead, unborn daughter? Suddenly, Snow has to know. Has to know what this woman knows. She has to know something. There's no way they can share the same name without there being some sort of connection. "No!" Suddenly, Snow lunges straight at the blonde. "You can't leave!" Her hands clamp desperately onto Emma's arms, shaking her hard. Loaves of bread rain down around them, thumping on the ground. "Tell me what you know!"
"Get off me!" Emma screams, struggling violently in her tight grip. She claws at the hands clamped around her arms. "What the hell?!" Snow's face is mere inches from Emma's as she screams and cries. Emma attempts to free herself, but Snow is much stronger.
"Snow!" Charming roars, tugging on his wife's arms. "What are you doing? Let her go!"
"NO!" Snow begins to sob. "I need to know! I have to know what happened! My daughter's dead! What do you know?!"
"Let her go!" Charming tugs at her arms. "You can't assume she knows something just because she has the same name! She doesn't know anything!"
Emma's thoughts are whirling as she takes in what the man is saying. Doesn't know anything? Same name? What in the hell is he talking about? But she doesn't take the time to obsess over this, for her priority is to get away from this crazy woman. The look in this woman's eyes is exactly the same as the look Emma has seen in the eyes of many screaming people in insane asylums. The woman looks like a trapped, cornered, desperate animal. Someone that will do anything.
Emma thrashes wildly, kicking her legs. Her socked feet make contact with someone's body, but she doesn't know whether or not she's hit herself, David, or the crazy lady. Her nails dig into the black haired woman's, but the woman doesn't take any notice as she continues to scream in her face.
"I don't know anything about your daughter!" Emma cries. "Let me go! I have no idea what you're talking about!'
With some effort, Charming and Emma manage to pry Snow off. Manage to free Emma from the screaming, thrashing mess.
"Go!" Charming calls. His arms are around his wife's waist as he visibly struggles to restrain her. Stop her from jumping straight at Emma again.
Emma doesn't need to be told twice; she takes one look at Snow and sprints out of there, her loaves of bread abandoned on the ground.
"NO!" Snow shrieks. "COME BACK!" She reaches a hand out as if she intends to grab onto, to hang onto Emma, to prevent her from leaving.
But Emma is already gone.
Snow collapses on the ground, a shaking, screaming, writhing mess. The word Emma rings continuously through her mind as her entire body is wracked with uncontrollable sobs.
Emma.
She's never even had the chance to meet her. To hold her baby girl in her arms. To sing her to sleep. To just see the wonderful creation that she'd fought so hard to protect, from the very first day she found out she was pregnant.
Emma.
Waves of grief wash repeatedly over her as sobs rise in her throat. Her breathing hitches as she lets out a tortured wailing sound. She feels as though her chest has cracked open, and she flops over on her side, utterly consumed by her pain. Snow feels Charming smoothing down her hair, attempting to calm her down. But she is inconsolable. After a while, Charming just gives up. He just holds her as her body is wracked with sobs. Beneath hard, choking sobs, he can hear his wife repeating their daughter's name over and over again.
And David begins to cry too. For an entirely different reason than Snow, but tears rush down his cheeks nonetheless. He cries for the daughter that has forgotten him. The daughter that he never really got to know. The daughter that looked straight into his eyes like a stranger. The daughter that might never call him Dad.
In a million years, David would've never imagined himself teaming up with Regina. They've been mortal enemies for so long. But recent circumstances have drastically changed their relationship; instead of adversaries, they have become a team. De facto leaders, united against a difficult situation.
After tucking Mary Margaret into bed and employing Ruby to keep an eye on her, he heads toward the conference room, where he's going to meet Regina and the dwarves to discuss castle repairs. They'd found out quickly that Regina's magic was unpredictable, due to the aftermaths of being mysteriously transported back to the Enchanted Forest. They'd tried to use that to conjure up food, but it had failed; instead, a flock of birds had been conjured up. Luckily, Granny and her crossbow fixed that problem. As a result, they couldn't rely on Regina to fix the castle.
He walks down the hall, keeping his head ducked down. He cannot bear to look at the grand palace that was once his home. When the curse first hit, he'd been unconscious, unable to see its effects. And now, now that he's back, he is able to fully see the aftermaths of the curse that destroyed his home and splintered his family and the lives of everyone else for nearly 30 years. Many parts of the castle are unsafe, leaving many of Storybrooke's residents camped out in any available space they can find: hallways, the courtyard, and the large conference room. He is just lucky that their old bedroom had been relatively untouched.
David doesn't even want to think about the mess that is family is left in. His wife is mentally unstable, his daughter has completely forgotten about her family, and his grandson is trapped in a different universe. Hearing Mary Margaret's sobs had broken his heart; in that moment, all he'd wanted was to alleviate some of her pain, and the fact that he couldn't do so nearly killed him. And being so close to Emma, yet unable to hug her or tell her that he loved her was one of the worst moments of his life.
Tears begin making their way down his face again, blurring his vision, and he reaches up to wipe them away with his sleeve. He cannot face everyone like this; no matter how devastated he is, it is imperative that he hide it, for he needs to project the image of a strong, capable leader. Or else chaos will break out again. He takes a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down, to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, for he is near the conference room; he can hear the voices of Regina and the dwarves. The dwarves sound as though they are loudly arguing. For some reason, he thinks he can hear the voice of Tamara. Sounds as though she's discussing something with Regina. What would she be doing in there? Neal was in an entirely different wing of the castle.
"Ooff!" He's bumped into someone.
"Sorry." The person says. It's that stranger, Greg. He looks up at David. For a second, David can see a flash of worry in the other man's eyes. Like he was afraid of getting caught or something. David shakes his head. It's probably just the lack of sleep talking.
"No, I'm sorry." David says. "Where you headed?" He asks.
"Oh, uh…" Greg stammers. "Trying to find a bathroom."
David laughs. "No bathrooms here, sorry. It's a bit old fashioned."
"Right." Greg nods.
"You should really go back to the hospital wing." David advises, mainly in an attempt to get rid of him. He doesn't need this stranger overhearing conversations about magic.
"Right." Greg says again. But he makes no movement to go anywhere.
"It's that way." David points over his shoulder. "Take a left at the end of the hall."
"Ok."
David looks back on his way into the conference room. Greg is still standing there, just watching him.
"That way." David repeats. Greg nods and goes, casting an odd look back that David can't read. David makes sure Greg is gone before going inside the conference room.
As he walks away, David remembers that Greg hadn't appeared to be on his way somewhere. It'd looked like he was flattened against the wall, positioned just outside the conference room, like he was trying to eavesdrop on something.
Or maybe somebody.
Emma groans and shifts in her makeshift bed, which is really just a pile of old curtains she'd found in the corner of the room. She rubs her sore back and hugs her sweatshirt closer to her body in an effort to create more warmth. She has no idea what time it is, just that it's the middle of the night, for the castle is nearly silent. Through the huge hole in the wall, she can see the bright moon, casting a dim light over the room.
She is unable to sleep, and it's not just due to the hard ass floor. Every time she closes her eyes, all she can she is the tear stricken face of the dark haired lady. Thanks to the silence of the night, all Emma can hear is the woman's screams, echoing in her head over and over.
What was her name? She doesn't even know. All she knows about this woman is that she lost her daughter. The daughter who's also named Emma. And apparently, just because Emma and that woman's dead daughter share the same name, that must mean that Emma is somehow responsible for the baby's death, that Emma is hiding something about a baby she'd never even met.
Emma snorts at this ridiculous thought. It is apparent that this woman is devastated by the loss of her daughter. Emma sympathizes with that woman, she really does. She knows firsthand what it's like to lose your child, though her child hadn't died. But it is quite ridiculous to assume that a completely random stranger knows something about your baby's death. To lunge at them and scream in their face.
Emma didn't know what she would've done, what she would've been forced to do, if David hadn't pulled that woman off her. David. He was so…odd. It'd looked like he was visibly struggling to stop himself from reaching out and touching her or something. Which is completely creepy, for they didn't even know each other. But he acted like he'd known her for a long time.
She doesn't know why, but the sad look he'd given her nearly broke her heart. There was absolutely no reason why; she'd never seen that man before. He was just one of the many strange faces in a sea of thousands in this weird place.
But she feels such a strong connection to him. Hell, to both of them. David and his crazy wife. They were obviously going through some hard times. Probably PTSD, thanks to that freak earthquake that'd hit this place. Those two scared her. One was obviously losing it and the other acted like he was…like he was…like he was her father or something!
The longer she lay here, the more unsettled Emma feels. She was so good at adapting, so good at not letting people get under her skin. And yet those two were leaving her more uncomfortable than she'd felt in years.
She had to get out of here.
Emma tiptoes to the room in which she'd found food earlier, looking from side to side. She feels like she's being watched. She reminds herself that it's the middle of the night, that everyone is asleep.
Thankfully, the long table with the food is still there. Though most of the food had been taken, Emma manages to find several loaves of bread, albeit a little squashed, and several peaches. Quickly, she stuffs them into the makeshift bag she'd created out of a few curtains. In her other hand, she clutches a pair of leather boots that she'd found in the closet of the room she was hiding out in. They are a bit big, but better than being in socked feet. The boots look quite ridiculous with her sleep shorts and sweatshirt, but they'll have to do.
She slips out of the huge, gaping hole in the side of the room. The hole that leads to the outside. Casting one last look at the monstrous castle, Emma runs straight into the forest.
Straight into the unknown.
Author's note: 10 reviews and I'll update by Thurs! Btw, for anyone who likes Pretty Little Liars, plz check out the story The Hardened Heart by Monkeylovr. Co written by me and Monkeylovr but published under her account.
