I do not own OUAT. Massive disclaimer which applies to all my musing and whimsical imaginings.
10- Bye, Bye Baby.
"David. Honey what are you doing here?" Mary-Margaret asked her voice full of surprising laughter at her husband's presence in her classroom this particular afternoon.
"You aren't happy to see me?" He said deeply with the cheekiest grin adorning his lips as he leaned over her desk for a kiss.
Eye-roll.
She stood up and walked to where he stood her nearly five month pregnant belly proudly rounding her blush sweater and filling the space between them.
"What do you think?" Linking her arms softly around his neck she showed him in the most delicate of kisses.
"Mmm. Hello Mrs Nolan." He sighed
"Hello Mr Nolan." She replied rubbing her nose up against his own taking a moment to just breathe him in. A summer breeze dancing against the humidity of the bare classroom, love for every reason and none at all.
"You still haven't told me what you're doing here." Mary-Margaret said trying to extract clues from the shining crystal blue in his eyes.
"Do I need a reason to sweep my wife off her feet on the last day of school before Summer Break?"
She pondered. "What are you up to?"
"Follow me and all will be revealed."
Twenty-minutes later it was.
"Oh David." She gasped as he sat her down on a tartan picnic blanket a basket, glassess and the fanciest non-alcoholic wine money could buy within reach.
"I know things have been hectic lately and we've barely had a minute to just be together without worrying about money or leave and I know when Emma is here we won't want to be away from here so…" He cut himself off and brought the basket to her laying out all the continental goodies including chocolate croissants, orange juice, hand-made truffles and three tickets to Paris dated for exactly a year's time.
"Paris." Mary-Margaret says caught happy tears streaming down her blushed cheeks.
"Our Honeymoon." He catches her lips in his to confirm.
"Yes, yours, mine and Emma's."
"Our first family vacation." She marvels looking into his eyes unable to hide her excitement.
"Baby she's going to love it." The teacher shrieks taking a chocolate biting it and pushing the rest in his mouth as he chuckles.
"Just wait until she sees Mickey." He beams before kissing her thoroughly and holding her until the basket is all but, empty and they are ready to go home.
"Hey Phoebe!" David says as he eases his wife through the now unlocked apartment door giving the dog a light fuss before locking it behind them.
"Were you and the pups good for Grandma?" He asks eye on his tired mother who was sat watching over three sleeping pups in their basket happy and content with a belly full of milk.
"You wouldn't think it but, they ran rings around both of us." Ruth chuckled smiling at her son and glowing daughter-in-law.
"Thank you so much Ruth."
"It's a pleasure my darling girl. And I can tell from the look on your face it was worth every minute."
"Do you want to tell her or shall I?" David joked kissing his barely containable wife's for-head sweetly.
"This time next year we'll be in Paris on our Honeymoon."
"That's fantastic but, what about Emma?" Ruth asked worriedly.
"She's coming with us. We have it all planned our first family adventure." They say breathlessly excited "That is if you don't mind…"
"Taking care of my best girl? Of course not."
"Thank you so much Mom we love you."
"I love you all too. So much." She said with resonant conviction before hugging them goodbye.
She loved them they knew but, suddenly in an instant that love was weakened and taken away and not two months later. She was gone.
The funeral is modest full of family and friends saying how much they loved and respected her. The friend, the sister, but, nothing hurts him as much as mother and soon to be grandmother.
"Why didn't I know sooner?" He says in disbelief kneeling down and staring at her headstone the one the town pulled together to purchase and put in place so as not to prolong any-more grief on the young family.
She places a healing kiss on his shoulder and rests her head against him. It may have only touched the fabric of his pristine charcoal suit but, he felt it.
"Charming I'm so sorry. She was all the family you had left." Mary-Margaret says through grief.
Hoisting himself up and turning to her he looks radiant as he strokes her face. "No. I have you and our baby. My beautiful Snow and Princess Emma."
She kisses him hard knowing he's needed her touch but, gone without it so as not to crumble in front of their friends. But, now it's just them her David and her seven month old bump hiding the most treasured grand-daughter.
"Ruth." Mary-Margaret says as they walk hand in hand beginning the long walk to the car. David supporting her back with gentle rubs for every step.
"What?"
"Her middle name. Emma Ruth Nolan." She assures knowing he'd love it.
"Are you sure?"
"From the first moment I met her. I knew."
He turns her and crashes his lips against her own the cold chill being replaced by the warmth of True Love.
"I love you." He gasps needing her to hear it. "Eternally."
"Eternally." Deepening the kiss and smiling into it before… Pain.
He registers her pulling back sharply and looks horrified. "What is it?"
"The baby. She's COMING!"
I know this is short but, I wanted a bittersweet and sombre chapter much like what happened in "Lady of The Lake." And the last part I had to do it. I couldn't see such a momentous episode as 3:19 and not give you a birth to look forward to. I promise they'll be more action and a longer story in this next one.
P.S I figured Ruth would have been a fan of The Bay City Rollers hence the chapter title.