There is just no excuse for this late update. I'm so sorry about this guys. If you're still bearing with me, you earn all the medailles in the world! ;) But even during my absense, I noticed you're fav's, follows, and reviews and you can't imagine how good that feels. It really keeps me going!
Major thanks again to Rolltidegoironmen for betaing (is that even a word?) this chapter!
DISCLAIMER: I don't anything, just this profile ;)
''Snow? Snow?''
She hears her name, but can't point a finger on who called her. The voice who called out her name seems to stand miles away from her.
She feels numb, and it's a nice feeling. It's like she's flying on soft white clouds, gliding through the sky. Like she's weightless. Why would anyone wake her up from that?
''Snow?''
This time the voice is louder, clearer for her to hear. She also feels a tingling sensation on her arm this time. The floor she lies on is cold. Then, her eyes shoot open and everything comes back to her in a flash of light.
The burning room. No way out. Emma. Emma! She needed help! The room she was in was on fire! The horrifying scream her daughter had casted repeats over and over in Snow's head.
The brunette lifts up her legs and places herself in fetal position. Her body rocks back and forth, until she realizes that she's not alone.
''Snow, what happened?'' asks her husband, who is trying to help her up.
As soon as she feels Charming's protective arms wrapping around her she sits up straight and moves back as quickly as she can. She doesn't want to look at him. She can't even look at him. Not after what she did. ''Go away!'' she yells as loud as she can.
''What are you talking about? Snow, what happened? Please talk to me.'' He tries to move closer, crouching down to come to eye level with her. His voice is soft and caring.
Snow knows what her husband is doing. It's in his nature to calm down people, to help people, especially when it comes to one of his family members. He will do everything to try to make things better. But that will not work this time. What has happened exceeds all levels of catastrophe. It was the most brutal thing that could happen to a parent, losing a child. Yet she was the one to blame. She is the one responsible for the… she cannot come to think about it. But she has to face the facts. She is the one responsible for the death of her daughter. She doesn't deserve pity. She should be punished. Or better, be killed herself. She is not worthy to live her life any longer. Not after what she did. She was able to save her daughter and she failed. There is no forgiveness for that.
Shock starts to dawn on the Prince's face. ''Snow, what did you do?'' he asks softly, but determined.
The brunette's back is pressed against the wall, knees raised to her chest and her hands cover the sides of her face. Her body rocks back and forth, and her eyes are glued to the floor beneath her. But she doesn't say a word.
''Not very talkative is your wife now is she?'' asks a low voice.
''Regina?'' asks Charming bewildered.
''Yes, it is me.'' A silhouette appears from the shadows, just like had happened before. ''Well, as she's not going to talk, let me show you what happened,'' offers the Queen as she motions to Snow.
''What do you mean? Show me what?'' asks Charming.
''This!'' is Regina's response. She waves her hand and immediately, a mirror appears again on the wall behind her.
Snow knows what her husband is watching. What is being shown in the mirror. The truth. A cold chill runs up her spine when she hears her daughter's final scream once more.
''No. No,'' whimpers Charming.
Snow can't help herself but to look up at her husband. He looks devastated. Tears run from his face and his eyes are glued to the mirror, which now only shows blackness. She looks back down again, no longer able to look at what she has wreaked.
It remains silent for a long while. Regina seemed to have disappeared the moment she showed Snow's husband the shocking truth.
The air feels like it is being pressed out of the room. A suffocating atmosphere remains.
Finally, Charming turns around. Slowly. ''What were you thinking? Are you out of your mind?'' His eyes spit fire and his voice is like thunder. ''You are sick, you know that? Sick! Our daughter was in danger, and while you had the chance to save her, you didn't. Instead you just stood there like some sort of idiot, feeling sorry for yourself, or whatever the hell it was that you were doing. While our daughter was dying in there!''
Snow feels herself become smaller with every word her husband says to her. It's like a knife is carving holes in her body. Deeper and deeper.
''You are sick, you know that?'' he says again. ''A sick and twisted person! There are no words to describe this. You've demolished our world. At least my world, because my world is my family. But apparently that doesn't mean anything to you, now does it?''
The brunette feels herself literally dying bit by bit, from the inside. She knows that everything Charming says is right. She must be sick. Mentally instable. No worse even, because mentally instable people do not let their children die like that. She can picture her heart being as black as coal.
She has never felt so miserable her entire life. Not when her mother died. Not when her father died. Because she wasn't to blame for that. That wasn't her fault. At the time, she thought that losing your parents is the most horrible thing that can happen. Now, reality has caught up with her. She's the villain with the darkest heart. Nothing more and nothing less.
It is then that Charming verbalizes the thing that Snow couldn't agree with more. ''There is no forgiveness for what you did. You are not worth to live. You have to die.''
''Neal?'' asks Emma when she sees her ex-boyfriend entering the hospital room. She notices him hiding something under his jacket.
''Hey Em, how're you feeling?'' he asks quietly as he's standing in the doorway, all insecure.
''You can come in, I won't bite,'' the blonde says jokingly, trying to lighten up the mood.
''There's no way of knowing with you,'' he grins as he takes a chair to sit on.
''Well, I promise I won't.''
''How're you feeling?'' he asks again as he's all settled.
''Fine, I can't wait to get out of this place!'' exclaims Emma.
Neal seems satisfied with that answer, but his expression turns serious again, when he weighs his options on how he's going to say this to her. ''Hey listen,'' he starts, ''I heard about what happened to your mom earlier, and… well, Henry told me that your father woke up from his coma when your mother read him from Henry's fairytale book.'' He finally reveals what he had concealed under his jacket.
''Ah, so that's what it is you were hiding there,'' Emma says with a watery smile. ''I was getting worried that you had gained a few pounds.''
Neal smiles sheepishly at the blonde. ''No, I was just thinking, well you know, maybe you can read it to your mother. Maybe it will help her?'' When Emma doesn't reply immediately, he takes the book again and to puts it away. ''Sorry, stupid idea. I shouldn't have brought it up.'' His face is covered with embarrassment.
''No, no it's not that! It's not that at all.'' Emma's eyes light up. ''Thank you for this. I really appreciate it. It's just… well I didn't expected something like this from you, that's all.'' She grabs his hand. ''Thank you,'' she whispers.
''Always,'' he replies hoarsely.
They both look at each other, and another spark seems to enlighten between the two.
Then, as suddenly as it came, Neal lets go of Emma's hand and gets up from the chair. ''I really should go. You need your rest.''
Although she doesn't want anything else than for him to stay, she only nods, building her walls up high again.
''Bye Em. I'll leave the book here on the table.''
''Bye. And, thanks,'' she answers before Neal heads out the door.
''Come on Ruby, one more!'' begs Lacey with a big smile. She holds up two shot glasses and waves one in front of her friend.
''No thanks, I think I skip this round,'' laughs Ruby, impressed by the amount of drinks the other girl can consume in only one hour time. It doesn't seem like Belle at all. But it isn't Belle, she has to remind herself. It's Lacey now.
Lacey is unaware of Ruby's ponderings and continues: ''Perfect, cause that means I get two!'' she laughs almost hysterically. She gulps down the two drinks. ''Man, what a boring song! Are we at a funeral or in a bar?'' she asks indignant as she walks over to the jukebox standing in the corner. ''Don't they have Van Halen or something?'' She flips through the songs, and as soon as she has found one she likes, she walks back to her friend. ''Now, let's dance!''
''But, hey wait!'' exclaims Ruby. But before she can do anything, she's dragged to the dance floor by Lacey.
''Come on. Let's have some fun. Let's bring some life into this dreadful place!''
As Ruby looks around, she notices that her friend is kind of right. There are a few men playing pool at the pool table, and some others are sitting at the bar. Not really what you call a lively place.
The four men at the pool table start to discuss something, while constantly staring and pointing at Ruby and Lacey, making Ruby feel quite uncomfortable. Even though she's known for her provocative choice of clothing, and not being afraid of male attention, this was even crossing a line with her.
Lacey didn't seem to notice any of the men at all, and starts dancing like some kind of wild animal.
When the four men clearly come to some sort of agreement, one of them steps forward, and walks towards the dance floor, encouraged by his friends, who cheer at him loudly.
''Hey there,'' he says to Lacey. ''You're a pretty good dancer.''
''Yeah? Well, you don't know what other things I'm good at,'' she answers, clearly not impressed.
''I bet,'' chuckles the man, like some sort of nervous schoolboy.
When he seems to be out of words to say, Lacey looks at him mockingly, and says: ''Really? Is that the only thing you can come up with? I've heard thousands of better pick-up lines in my life than this pal. Go annoy someone else.'' She waves him away with his hand, like he's some sort of annoying fly zooming around her. Clearly losing interest in the guy, she dances her way back to Ruby.
The three other men at the pool table shriek with laughter when their friend walks back to them, ashamed of the humiliation he's been through. This pisses him off so bad, that he straighten his shoulders and walks back up to Lacey with firm steps. ''Hey lady, I don't know who you think you are, but if you think that you can talk to me in that way, you're wrong. You're so very wrong and…''
But before he can finish his threat, a fist comes flying his way, hitting him directly on the nose. He passes out on the floor.
''What the hell did you do that for? I could've taken him myself, thank you very much!'' snorts Lacey to the attacker of her admirer.
Ruby also turns around and looks right into the face of… ''Mr Gold? What are you doing here?''
''Protecting Belle from that scumbag over there,'' scoffs Gold as he spits right in the face of the unconscious man on the floor.
''Who is Belle? And more importantly, who are you?'' cries Lacey, still angry with the man.
These questions takes the pawnshop owner by surprise, and he looks confused. ''What are you talking about? What do you mean who is Belle, and…?''
Ruby feels that this is the right moment to come in between. She lays a hand on Gold's arm. ''Can I talk to you for a minute? In private?'' she adds. The forcing tone in her voice make it clear that she's not joking around.
He nods and follows Ruby to the other end of the bar.
Lacey rolls her eyes at the two, but steps over the man's body and keeps on dancing like nothing has happened.
The men in the bar who've followed the spectacle with great interest, now turn back around and act like they haven't seen a thing. They all know by now that that girl has sharp nails, and that the shop owner has a temper not to be trifled with.
Ruby casts a worried look at Lacey before she hesitantly starts to explain to Gold what has happened during his absence. ''So here's the thing…''