It was a rainy, cold, Saturday afternoon, and Emma, much like both her parents hated being indoors. Snow kept trying to find things to keep her entertained. In the end they settled for trying to find anything they could around the house to make into a collage. Charming was due back any moment, having to pop into work to do some last minute paperwork.

Emma had a face screwed up in concentration, Snow knew her daughter, and that face probably had very little to do with the artwork they were creating, which could only spell trouble for Snow.

"Mommy?" Emma looked as if she was considering her words very carefully.

Snow knew this would come eventually "Yes Emma?"

"Well you remember story, you and Daddy told me the other night?"

"I have a vague recollection of it yes, why do you ask?"

"It was about Snow White, right?"

"Of course it was." Snow was not sure where this was leading, letting Emma go with her own little thought process.

"Well if it was about Snow White, where were the Seven Dwarfs?"

Disney had a lot to answer for, Snow thought. She doubts that her dear, dear friends were what Emma had in mind, when thinking of the "Seven Dwarfs".

"That's easy to answer, Snow hadn't met them yet." She wanted Emma to hear about the special people that got left behind. The ones who helped Snow and Charming from the beginning, if it hadn't been for Grumpy, it would be doubtful that Emma would be here. They deserve their stories to be told also.

"What do you mean? Wasn't Snow White living with them when she met the Prince?" Now Emma was really confused, where did her parents get these stories from?

While Snow as try to figure out how to explain the best was she had met the dwarfs, Charming walked through the front door, dripping wet.

"Hi" He called out trying to stamp his feet to get warm, making his way to the room currently occupied by piles and piles of different objects. Snow went to get a towel for him.

"Did you sort everything out?" asking, as she handed the towel to him.

"Eventually." He went to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"David you are freezing, go and get out those clothes and I will start making a hot chocolate." Snow jumped as far away from his as possible, there was no way she was going to get cold, his kiss could wait.

"Sounds like a good idea, though are you sure there you have clothes left, they haven't been donated to the gluing pile?" He viewed the mess around the kitchen, it seemed that anything that wasn't stuck down somewhere in the house, was going to get stuck on Emma's project.

"We are making a collage Daddy, we needed things to glue." Emma was very happy with her work so far.

"I see, well I better put dry clothes on whilst I still have some left." With that he walked out the kitchen, looking forward to the hot chocolate that Snow had already started to make.

"Mommy can I have some too?" Emma loved her mom's hot chocolate, no one made it like she did.

"I suppose so, as you have been good today." As if Snow could deny Emma a mug.

The hot chocolate was ready just as David walked back in, definitely dryer this time around. He gave both Snow and Emma a kiss, and joined them in the gluing mess on the table.

They were quite for a bit, drinking the warm drink. Until Emma reminded her mother about the questions she just asked.

"Mommy, you were saying how Snow met the Dwarfs." She was never one to get distracted from her goal.

David looked up at Snow is a surprised/puzzled fashion. "Do you know what; I don't think I know that one?"

It was Snow's turn to look bewildered, "What do you mean, you don't know that one? You must."

"No, I really don't know how y..." He cleared this throat, David was about to say, how you met them, quickly catching himself he finished the rest of the sentence "How Snow, met the dwarfs."

"Tell us Mommy please."

"Ok but bear in mind that it's not a happy story, but you have to remember that it does end well."

Emma nodded, but this made David more confused.

"Well do you remember us telling you that when Snow and Charming found the ring, afterwards, they went their separate ways, Charming to marry Princess Abigail." She still couldn't hide the distain in her voice, even when she tried. "Snow went to find a little cabin that she could live in peace, away from the Evil Queen's guards. But, along the way she met Red, who became her best friend."

"As in Little Red Riding Hood?" Emma was thrilled,that she was starting to guess who some of the people were.

"Yes, I suppose a little bit like Red Riding Hood, but that is another story. Anyway Snow found the little cabin, it was lovely, hidden deep in the forest, and no one knew where it was, apart from Red, who brought food once in a while. Snow thought she was happy, and she was most of the time. But she really missed the Prince and so wished she could see him again."

Charming reached for Snow's hands that were twisting on her lap, he remembered that time apart. The not knowing how she had felt about him, when he knew without a doubt, it was ONE of the worst times for him.

"Until one day Snow received a letter, sent by a bluebird. It was from Prince Charming, he told her that he loved her, and if she felt the same way to go to his castle, and they would runaway together. Red told Snow to go immediately."

"I think I owe someone a thank you." David whispered to Snow, she tried to ignore his comment, but in reply gave his hand a squeeze.

"Did Snow White go to the castle?" Emma so captured in the story, she missed her parent's interaction.

"She did."

"Yes!" Emma fist pumped the air. "Go Snow White."

"But... just as she snuck into the Prince's Chamber, just as she saw him and was about to say something to him, someone came up behind her, taken her down to the dungeons."

"What!" This hadn't come from Emma; this actually came out the mouth of her husband, who was sitting there with his jaw wide open. He was trying very hard not to give the game away. This is a story he reminded himself. "Snow was there, before she spoke to him. They put her in the dungeons. How am I only just hearing this story now?"

Snow turned to David, she placed a hand on his cheek, trying to calm him down, this story had worst parts in it for him to worry about, "I guess we have been a little busy."

Emma watched her parents, it was one thing for her to get excited about the story, it was a little odd that her Dad seemed to care about it too.

"I think it was a good thing that Snow got put in the dungeons." Snow said this a little louder.

"Really, this should be good, and please tell me why you think that." David was still not happy.

"Because, if Snow had never been put in there, then she would have never met Grumpy." Snow was happy with this outcome; she believed everything happened for a reason, meeting Grumpy, and then the rest of her friends, it had most definitely been worth it.

"Why was he there Mommy?" Who would put Grumpy in prison, Emma wondered.

"He never really told Snow, he mentioned that it had something to do with Love, and Snow admitted to Grumpy that she was also there for Love, but it was different because she planned to tell her Prince Charming, how much she loved him, where as Grumpy, had lost the person he loved. It was what made him well... Grumpy, but he still had the biggest heart, him and another dwarf called Stealthy."

"Who?" ok this maybe a new story, but Emma was adamant that there was no dwarf called Stealthy.

"Stealthy, the 8th dwarf." Snow said this like it was obvious, why couldn't there be an 8th one. Damn Disney.

"No, there were only 7, Happy, Grumpy, Doc, Sneeze, Dopey, Sleepy and Bashful. There was no 8th one called Stealthy." Emma was counting them off on her fingers very carefully.

"That's because no one knows about Stealthy, he rescued Grumpy, and in turn Snow. But then he got hurt very badly by the King's men. Snow's eyes started to water for the brave fallen dwarf.

"Really?" Emma was still a little sceptical about this new development, but she was nothing, if not open minded. Which was a good thing considering what her future held. "If you say so."

David, who had been following the story closely, laughed at the expression on his daughter's face, it most unquestionably all Snow.

"I say so. Shall I continue?"

"Yes" Emma conceded her point, for now.

"Thank you, The King's men were about to hurt Grumpy when Snow stopped them, the guards knew that she was Snow White and wanted by the Evil Queen, so they let Grumpy go, for Snow. They took her to go and see King George." She heard David's intake of breath, waiting for him to say something, when he didn't she continued know this bit was the hard part for him to hear, to Emma, it was just another part of the story.

"King George wasn't a nice person; he wanted the Prince to marry Princess Abigail, because it would make him very rich." She was trying to tell it so Emma would understand; the truth was so complicated, Emma didn't need that. "So of course the King was angry, when he found out that the Prince was going to run away with Snow."

"How did HE find out?" David couldn't keep quiet any longer; the King had been close enough to Snow, that he could have harmed her.

Snow simple said "The letter" knowing this was all the answer Charming needed.

"What did the King do?" This time it was from Emma, her voice was so quiet.

Snow pulled Charming's hand toward her, hold it near her heart. Her voice was betraying her emotions that she was trying to hold back. She hadn't planned going this far into the story, but the 2 people next to her wanted, and in Charming's case, needed to hear it.

"The King told Snow, that she had to tell the Prince that she didn't love him."

"What no! She did love." Snow thought this would upset Emma, but instead of sadness, anger was showing in her little voice.

"Snow loved Charming so very much, but she had to save him, the King said that he would hurt the Prince, if she didn't say that."

"I don't like this King." Emma slumped in her seat, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Neither do I. How dare he threaten..."

"Snow?" His wife finished for him.

"Yes that is what I meant to say."

"Of course it was Dear." She smiled fondly at him, it had been so long ago, but King George, could still affect Charming this way. If he only knew.

"Did Snow White really tell him that she didn't love him?" Emma was starting to get upset, now that she was over her anger. Snow needed to finish this story and try to end it happily.

"She did. BUT, and it is a very big BUT, once she left the castle the dwarfs found her, and they took her back to where they lived, and that is where she then stayed for some time. So she wasn't on her own anymore. Snow wanted to think about the good in this story, because remembering the look on Charming's face when she told him that she didn't love him, still broke her heart, even with everything that has happened. Even though against all the odds, they were here. Together.

"I am glad that she had some people to take care of her, she would have been lonely otherwise." Emma replied with regards to the story that she had just heard.

Snow nodded, yes, as much as she thought at the time, being alone was the best thing, moving in with the dwarfs had changed her life and only for the better.

"And I will tell you a little secrete, that not even your Mom knows." David whispered, rather loudly so Snow could hear, across the table. "Prince Charming, didn't believe a word Snow had told him."

This perked Emma up completely. "Really!?"

"Really, he left the castle, left King George and went to go and find her."

"Did he find her?" This is what Emma wanted to hear.

"I think THAT story is best left to another time." Snow interrupted, before Charming could say anymore. One dark story at a time, may be enough, for her little ears.

David wasn't quite done. "Do you think he found her?"

"Yes" Emma was confident in her answer. "Because he will always find her."

"That, my little Princess is completely correct, now why don't you go and watch some TV, whilst I help your Mom clean this mess." He really just wanted a chance to talk to Snow, without anyone eavesdropping.

As soon as Emma ran out the room, he pulled Snow to him. "Why didn't you tell me that before?"

Snow wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer, whilst the room was empty there were a lot more fun things to be doing, but for once David held back "Snow."

"Fine, spoil sport. I didn't think you needed to know, it's in the past. We are ok now, and like you said, you didn't believe me anyway."

"Is there anything else I should know?" Snow suddenly became very interested in the mess in the Kitchen.

"I'll take that as a yes then." He ran his hand, exhaustedly through his hair, what else hadn't she told him.

"Yes, ok David. But now is not the time to be talking about this." She didn't know how she was going to get out of avoiding this conversation. There was so many things in their past that should stay there, making into a story for Emma was one thing; she isn't too sure how he will react to some of the other things.

"Later then." He was not taking no for an answer.

"And we wonder why Emma is so stubborn." She knew there was no point in arguing with him, once he had a bee in bonnet about something.

"Oh no, my dear Snow, that I have never had any doubt about." This time he pulled her to him to take advantage of the empty room.

"Mommy, Daddy. There is nothing on TV" Came a shout from the family room.

"Should have taken advantage when you could." Snow pulled away from him, heading to the room where Emma's voice had travelled from.