Hey all! Thanks so much for all of your reviews, follows and favourites – I love when this story gets them! Hope you all enjoy this chapter :)

Alas, I do not own OUAT.

The gradual passing hours of the day morphed into endless minutes of darkness by night. This night was darker than any other night before and David was certain that even nature could tell something was wrong. Lying in bed as the world kept turning outside of the hospital, David replayed his visit with Emma earlier over and over again as if to confirm that it was real; that they were really all recovering from a magical outburst stemming from their daughter who was now in a coma. Things like this didn't happen. Sure, they' fought many battles and alluded numerous lethal foes, but all that was supposed to over with; they weren't in the Enchanted Forest anymore but in Storybrooke where those things shouldn't be knocking down their door and finding new and alternative ways to poison their lives. Back at home, threats of danger came mainly from Regina and King George, but here it came in all shapes and forms and now, Emma, their own daughter, had displayed something far more frightening than a legion of sword bearers or an evil spell caster – an ability to wield something more powerful than any of them could fathom.

Of course, Emma having magic at all was incredible but it was becoming more difficult with the passing minutes to see the bright side of this. Across from him his wife lay silently, sniffing every few minutes, using every ounce of strength to stay strong. But anyone could see that her defences were weakening. That hope she had found from seeing Emma was still there, still shining behind her heartbroken green eyes, but she didn't want to talk. Ever since David came back they hadn't spoken a word to each other and he didn't know what to do. Did he attempt conversation? Promise everything would be okay? Hold her and let her cry into his shoulder? Whatever the option, it didn't seem right. It didn't feel like it would do any good. Words and actions were failing them and the more time that passed without any update on how their daughter was doing, the more the anxiety and apprehension built into an insurmountable mountain.

Holding his ribs, David squirmed onto his side in the bed so as to face Snow. The gentle rise and fall of her chest indicated that she had finally fallen asleep but there was no doubt what her dreams consisted of. Her forehead pinched and her lips curled downward, it was plain to see that Emma was the only thing on her mind. And, she was the only thing on David's. Every day since the curse broke, the very first thing David thought of as his eyelids fluttered open and he greeted the day was Emma. It was strange, being a father that was, particularly to a grown-up woman but he hoped that he was doing enough to convince the doubters, among which was himself.

He needed to sleep. Dr. Whale had been adamant that rest was imperative to his recovery but the medication they had him on to dull the pain of his ribs kept him awake all night which meant that he could do nothing to escape the worries that tortured him during the day. He was left alone in the dark to ponder what would happen next.

Snow was awake; actually she'd been awake for hours but for the first time she opened her eyes to take in the view of the grey, melancholy tiles of the hospital ceiling. Melancholia seemed pretty apt for the day that was in it. Dr. Whale hadn't been by since the night before which to Snow only meant one thing: Emma hadn't woken up yet. Snow wasn't naïve but she couldn't help but wonder if her little talk with Emma had caused something inside her to revive. After all when they were just Mary Margaret and Emma, just best friends, the simplest of comments would set the blonde off and seemingly stir a lot of bottled emotions but now…now there was nothing. Needless to say, sleep didn't come easy and dreams and memories of time spent with the woman floated through her mind throughout the eerily quiet night.

Trying to rejuvenate herself, Snow smacked her cheeks lightly and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"How'd you sleep?" She should have known David would be awake.

"Is there a right answer to that question?" she deadpanned, turning her head to see him. He looked worn and tired; the lines on his face more pronounced than she had ever seen.

"I couldn't sleep a wink with this medication," he answered, reading her thoughts.

"Any sign of Whale?"

"He was in about an hour ago to check my dressings. No change." Snow clamped her lips sadly and nodded. "But he said that they're going to keep you in an extra day just to keep an eye on your head injury."

She ran her hands through her hair, parting it at the side. "I don't think I'll be able to go home."

"Well considering there's not much of a home to go back to anymore-"

"No that's not what I meant," she said softly, exhaling, "what I mean is that I don't think I can face the idea of going back home – not without Emma. Henry's staying with Regina, you're in here and Emma's…" she trailed off before her voice cracked. The idea of being discharged from the hospital alone while other members of her family had to stay behind was horrible; and then what was she going to do? Where was she going to go? As much as she wanted to, she couldn't camp out in Emma's room and she sure as hell wasn't going to bunk with Regina and she didn't want to be a burden to any of her friends…what were her options?

David grimaced as he pulled a pillow out from under him and placed it against the bedpost. With some stern concentration, he strategically planted his hands on the mattress and pushed himself upright. He still looked pained but a little more limber than the day before, which Snow was glad for. "You've been practicing," she noted with a warm smile, deciding to sit up as well.

"Well when you're awake most of the night you've got nothing else to do but figure out how to manoeuvre to the bathroom. This is step one," he chuckled lightly as he pulled his blanket around his torso. Clearing his throat, he rested his head against the wall behind him and turned to the side, his face more stoic than it was the few seconds previous. "We have to talk about it, you know."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I think we have to-"

"I don't want to," Snow cut abruptly, her emotions getting the better of her. Obviously she knew that they couldn't go on dancing around the subject and ignoring it in the hope it goes away, but every time she thought it was the right time, the right moment to bring it up, she curled inward and everything just became that little bit more harder. As if the reality wasn't already soul destroying enough, discussing it was far more unendurable.

"But Snow," her husband appealed sensitively, "we have to talk at some point. The more we put it off, the harder it'll be." It was like he had read her mind. "Look, I don't want to bring it up either but the truth is it's a case of having to."

The way his words hung heavy in the air pierced Snow's heart and the ever faithful tears filmed her eyes yet again; the lump in her throat was a much more prominent feature of her frame than ever before. "What are we going to do, Charming?" she whispered. "We got her back and then we were separated again, and we finally make it home and this happens. Why does the world keep throwing obstacles at us? Why couldn't we just spend time with her and get to know her and just be her parents? What if we never get to be them?" The rising and subsequent breaking of her voice signalled that she was about to lose it and she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to stop.

"Snow," David soothed, "Snow, we will be. We will be."

"You don't know that; you can't predict the future."

"You're right, I can't but that doesn't mean that I'm going to give up hope; not where my daughter is concerned and I know you're not going to either."

He was right. Believing in hope and having faith was something they had always done even when the odds were stacked against them and the outlook was miserably bleak; it was the only thing they could do, the only thing they had control over. She nodded purposely, to manifest her resolution not to quit.

He seemed content with her action and let out a sad sigh as if remembering what they were agreeing: to believe that their daughter will survive. What a terrible agreement. No parent should have to pray that their child would make it through the night and the next one and the next one…

"Do you know what I was thinking about last night before I eventually fell asleep?" Snow gently asked. She brought her knees close to her chest and observed despondently that Emma did a similar thing when sitting on the couch, ready to listen to Mary Margaret about all that had happened that day. Now that she thought about it, she didn't remember seeing Emma do that at all since the curse broke.

"What?" her husband replied warily.

Snow drew circles on the blanket covering her knee with her pointer finger. "I was thinking about how I spent so much time with Emma when we were just friends, just Mary Margaret and Emma, and how, even though I could see Emma slowly letting her guard down, I still didn't really know that much about her past. I mean, I knew who she was as a person: kind, loving, funny, fiercely loyal, stubborn to no end, tactful, resourceful, incredibly strong and courageous. There were so many facets to her, so many new things to discover every day; she was like a riddle." She stopped for a moment and smiled as she thought of the blonde. "We grew so close. Did I ever tell you that she once told me we were like family? Before that moment I didn't think much of family because in Storybrooke I didn't have one, but hearing her say it aloud, I'd never felt so…important before. So connected to someone. At the time I cast away any kind of peculiar thoughts I had, but now I can see that in that moment, I truly believed that we were family and not because she had just said it. I really believed it and it turned out to be the truth."

"You both had a very special friendship; everybody could see that. Emma was willing to lose her job and her status in town as long as she could prove your innocence when everyone thought that you…" he trailed off, assuming that wouldn't be a good line to go down presently. "She wasn't going to stop for anything until she proved that you didn't do anything. You share a unique bond with her, Snow."

"But I still don't know anything about her past," Snow pointed out hastily. "I spent so much time with her and we grew so close and yet I don't even know how she got her last name or where she went to school or what friends she had when she was younger. I don't even know when her birthday is." A single teardrop escaped her eye and trickled down the side of her face, finishing at the corner of her mouth.

"You can ask her all those things when she wakes up. We have all the time in the world to get to know Emma." There was his unwavering faith yet again, striking at the most vulnerable time and throwing light on a dark situation. He looked like the weight of the world was pressing down on his shoulders and he clutched the covers but the sincerity that burned with his assertion could not be overlooked. "How's your head?" he suddenly asked, catching her unawares.

"Oh, it's okay…I guess." The headaches had dispelled into nothing but a persistent pounding in between her eyes and her dizziness had decided to take a vacation for the time being. A pleasant break from what it was like the day before.

His eyes were saturated with distress but warm and understanding all at once. With a loose gesture, he beckoned for Snow to join him. Shooting her husband a meek smile, she crawled out from under her covers and shuffled around David's bed, sitting up onto the bed beside him. Once there, David looped an arm around her shoulder and drew her close to him so that her head could rest in the crook of his neck and kissed the top of her head sweetly. He soothingly and wordlessly ran his hand up and down her arm like he was trying to heat her up.

"What are we going to tell Henry?" Snow whispered into his shoulder and her heart ached again as her mind drifted to her grandson. So young, so innocent, and yet so involved in a dark and complicated world. Not every young boy has to deal with the fact that his mother's ability to use magic put her in a coma.

Even now Snow cursed herself for not being clearer of the dangers of using magic. She suspected Emma wouldn't have given her warnings much adherence but at least there was an incentive to plant the seeds of what were to happen if things went too far. As soon as they stepped foot in Storybrooke, Snow was more than aware that her daughter was struggling with the toll magic was taking on her body but evidently, she assumed that Emma would never reach a point where all of her strength would cascade out and leave her running dry of energy.

"We tell him the truth: that Emma needs rest and she'll be awake in no time."

"I don't want to lie to him, David. He knows what a coma is; he understands the severity of the situation." She paused to dance her fingers along her husband's forearm.

"You're right. We'll just take it a step at a time." He kissed her head again. "What are we going to do about the apartment?"

It seemed like such an insignificant problem when compared to everything else they were facing but it was a valid question. The apartment was in ruins. Whatever the outcome, they still needed somewhere to live. "Well the apartment was too small for the four of us anyway, so I guess we'll have to go house-hunting."

"Oh joy," David droned sarcastically with a smirk. "I do have one condition though."

"Really? And what would that be?"

"We need to have a big yard. I grew up on a farm so if we're going to buy a house then it's got have a lot of space."

"I'll see what I can do," Snow teased, draping her arm across his abdomen. It was amazing how easy they were around each other despite being apart for so long. However, no amount of light conversation could detract them enough from their reality – there was no escaping the gravity of the circumstances that gripped them so tight that breathing became highly laborious.

"I think we should go visit Emma," David suggested, his tenderness so incredibly palpable.

"Together?"

"Yeah. Emma needs to know that her parents are there for her and that we're not going anywhere."

She saw it – that glimmer of the protective, nurturing, loving father that she knew he would always be from the day she told him that she was pregnant. "I think that's the best idea you've had all day," she replied, keeping it all as upbeat as she possibly could though most likely failing miserably.

Following a routine check-up from Dr. Whale and some deft persuasion on David's behalf, both Snow and Charming were allowed to see Emma at the same time. Whale, though opposed to the idea initially, was clearly sympathetic to their ordeal. He explained to them that they could take their time but they'd have to be back in their room for lunch to which they readily agreed.

Standing outside of the room, Snow paused to catch her breath. She looked to her husband for reassurance and he weaved his fingers through hers. With a small smile and nod he pushed the handle down and opened the door, leading the way in.

It seemed as though Emma had more colour in her cheeks than the previous day but that could have just been Snow's mind tricking herself into believing it was true. She still resembled a person in a peaceful slumber which still lent comfort to the brunette. Charming dragged over a stool and placed it beside the blonde's bed. Snow lowered herself onto the seat she sat in hours ago; she was certain the arms of the chair were still tear-soaked.

"Hey, Emma," Snow greeted, brushing her hand through the ends of Emma's unruly hair. She loved that Emma's hair was as wild and as curly as hers once was.

"It's us," David continued. He opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it just as quickly. Snow cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows. "I've got nothing," he admitted sheepishly.

Snow pondered for a minute as she gazed at her daughter and then to her monitors and then back to her again. "Why don't we tell her a story? One that she doesn't know?" she offered.

Charming's eyes alighted. "Yeah, which story? The one where we defeated King George's men, or when we tricked Regina or the time we had to stop Red from eating Grumpy?" She could practically hear the wheels squeaking in his head and for the first time since they woke in the hospital, he was enthused. It was obvious that he missed the Enchanted Forest. If he saw what Snow did, however, he may not look at it as fondly as he remembers it to be.

"No I was thinking of something a little less gruesome." She took hold of Emma's hand. "Why don't we tell her the story of when I told you I was pregnant with her?"

"If you must," David sighed good-naturedly with a theatrical roll of the eye. She loved how he acted as if Emma could see and hear everything they were saying. Then again, maybe she could.

"Okay," Snow began, leaning in to conspire, "so it was about three months after our wedding and I had been feeling quite sick, especially in the morning, and me, not being very experienced in the art of pregnancy, immediately thought I was dying or had some kind degenerative illness."

"She's not joking; you should have heard her," David chimed in with a low laugh. "So one morning she forced me call Doc but then insisted I leave when he was running all sorts of tests because she feared I couldn't take the result – we didn't even know if there was anything wrong yet!"

"Right, but you know how you are. You're constantly jumping to conclusions and trying to automatically fix things-"

"I am…?"

"Yes. I'm glad we can agree on something," Snow teased, "so anyway Doc ran all sorts of tests on me and I…I was totally freaking out and running through a list of possible sicknesses and I remember not really paying that much attention to what Doc was saying other than hearing the words, 'Congratulations your Highness, you're pregnant' and then that was it. I'd never felt such elation, such love, such joy in one swift moment and everything I had ever envisioned for myself about my future had been pushed aside in that the only thing I could imagine was me, you and your father; nothing else but being a family." She was whispering now and her voice wobbled as she recalled the moment. She rubbed her thumb across Emma's knuckles and looked to her husband to see him staring at Emma as intently, so affectionately. Clearing her throat self-consciously, she continued, "And then I was so excited that I just had to tell someone."

"Yeah, Emma, and you would think that was me, right? Nope. It turns out Red gets precedence over me."

"I couldn't find you," the brunette defended, "and Red happened to stop by for tea while you were off doing whatever it was that you were doing."

"It's called running a kingdom, my dear," he smirked.

"Whatever. Besides, Red is Emma's godmother so she had a right to know, too. Anyway I told you as soon as you came back and do you remember how you reacted?"

David hung his head. "Vaguely…"

"You nearly fainted, Charming," Snow laughed, gazing back at the blonde. "He needed to sit down before he ended up on the floor. I tell you, for someone who is so brave you'd think he'd be able to deal with the news that we were having a child. And then, to celebrate and possibly ease his mind, your father went out all night with the dwarves and ended up wandering the woods the next day, somehow losing his jacket and boots along the way." Charming remained silent now, but she could see the beginnings of a grin on his lips. "Eventually he returned home and I think he was still a little out-of-it, but I didn't care because he looked into my eyes and he told me that he'd never been happier, that he already loved you and that he couldn't wait for us to start…to start this new chapter in our lives." Bringing Emma's hand up to her face, Snow let the tears flow as a culmination of what was happening at that moment, what she was remembering, and how they never got that life they wanted to have reached its peak. She just wanted her little girl to wake up.

"It's true, Em. I know your mom makes it out like I was scared – which in fairness I was – but once I thought about the life I wanted, I knew I wanted you in it even though I had absolutely no idea if you were going to be a boy or a girl. But that didn't matter – I was going to be a father and I can't possibly describe how much that role means to me. I just didn't expect it to come so quickly after getting married," he tagged on with a chuckle.

"Please wake up, Emma," Snow whispered intensely…again, feeling like a broken record. What else could she say? What else could she do but hope?

The sound of the door opening made Snow and David look up to see Henry standing at the end of the bed.

"Henry," David said breathlessly.

"Mom?" the boy said, taking in the scene.

"She's going to be okay, Henry. She's going to be okay."

"When will she wake up? Dr. Whale said she was in a coma and it took you twenty-eight years to wake up from yours…" He was visibly upset and Snow dropped Emma's hand to take the boy into a hug before letting him take the seat next to his mother.

"I was under a curse, Henry; they're completely different situations. Emma will wake up when she's ready; you just have to have faith in her and know that she's coming back to us."

"Maybe you could talk to her – if you like?" Snow suggested.

"Yeah, buddy, that could be a good idea."

"What would I say?" he sniffed.

"Anything you want. We could go outside if you want privacy?"

Henry seemed torn. "Could David stay with me?"

Snow smiled at the bond those two shared and it warmed her heart. "Yes, of course. I'll be right outside." She let her stare briefly flicker to Emma as she exited the room to meet Regina sitting on a chair in the hallway.

So what did you all think? I know it didn't move the plot forward that much but I like playing around with the drama of the story and how that affects everything around them so I hope you all don't mind! When will Emma wake up? Will she survive? That's a question that will be answered…at some point. Haha as always, I do hope you enjoyed it and please review and let me know what you thought! :)