Chapter Thirty-Two—"The Hard Road"

3 Years, 10 Months Before the Curse

"When you don't want to be found, you really do know how to go to ground, don't you?"

It had taken him two months to find her. Two horrible, nerve-wracking months in which David was terrified that Cora had captured Snow, hurt her, or even killed her. He knew firsthand how many men the Evil Queen had out hunting for Snow, having been on the run with her when they'd left Cora's kingdom, dodging the Huntsman, mercenaries, and the Queen's guard. They'd managed then, but that had been as a team. David knew that Snow could take care of herself, but that didn't stop him from worrying. He loved her more than he'd ever thought it possible to love a person, and not being near her was like missing a limb. Now he'd finally found her, not anywhere David had expected, but in a small house in the woods.

Had he not tracked her here after finding Snow gathering firewood, David would never have thought to come to this place. He might have expected Snow to be living in the woods like a bandit, but hiding out in a small, obviously occupied cottage was not what he had anticipated.

"I knew you'd look with Ruby," Snow replied bluntly, shrugging a bit nervously. Her eyes were looking everywhere but at him, but kept tracking back towards David as if she couldn't bear to look away for long. For his part, he watched her like a man dying of thirst stared at a glass of water. Snow was so beautiful that it made his heart hurt, and he had missed her so much.

"Well, yes. I did," he said when she offered nothing else, shifting uncomfortably. Snow looked so at home here, dressed in a peasant's dress and carrying a bundle of firewood. She didn't look like the princess he'd fallen in love with or the outlaw he'd been on the run with, and a sudden pain struck deep in David's chest. Was this it? Had she decided that she would rather live like this than with him? That fear kept him silent, left him staring helplessly at the woman he had come to love with his entire soul.

"Why are you here, David?" Snow finally asked as the silence wore on uncomfortably. It was the first time he'd been uncomfortable around her, and David did not like the feeling at all.

"Because I love you," he answered honestly. "Because you left with no warning, and I was afraid that Cora would find you and kill you."

"Don't you see?" she took an obviously involuntary step forward, her eyes wide and pained. "That's why I had to leave. Cora almost killed you once, and then she tried to make you kill me. I won't let that happen. I'd rather live here, as a peasant in hiding, than let anyone hurt you. I couldn't bear it if that happened."

Gaping, David could only stare at her for a long moment, hearing the deep emotion behind every one of Snow's words. It was as if her pain was his pain, and her heart was his heart. He could suddenly feel how much she missed him, could see shining it in her eyes like a gaping wound. Without meaning to, David stepped forward, his feet carrying him towards Snow until he stopped just an arms' reach away.

"I would rather fight danger with you by my side than live a safe life without you," he told her. "I love you more than I love my life."

"I love you, too," Snow whispered, and suddenly she was in his arms, kissing him while David's heart roared in his ears and the world seemed to spin. He had missed her so badly, had needed her so much, and the way Snow kissed him told David that she felt the same way.

"Never leave me again," he pleaded.

"I won't," she promised, and kissed him again.

When they finally pulled apart, David suddenly realized that there were not alone. Eight dwarves stood watching them in silence, but all of them looked towards Snow as the lovers broke apart, still holding hands.

"Is this him?" the grumpiest looking of the bunch asked, looking David up and down like he was some sort of animal to be inspected in the market.

"Yes, Grumpy, this is Prince James," Snow replied with a smile.

"I thought you said you didn't want to see him."

Tears shone in Snow's eyes. "I was wrong," she said softly. "I was so very wrong."

They met outside the annoying old woman's diner; Cora might not have seen them if she had not been walking down the street that afternoon, but she was out to see how her town was faring. Cora had long since learned that the best way to take Storybrooke's pulse was to walk amongst the residents, keeping an eye on them and spying out who might dare move against her. Although she disliked having to lower herself to mingle with the peasants, it did serve to remind them of where the true power resided. So, Cora usually enjoyed her little jaunts, enjoyed putting her people in their proper places and exercising her supremacy. Power, after all, was meant to be used. But not today.

Seeing Mary Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan glowing in one another's presence outside of Granny's did nothing to improve her already sour temper. They looked at one another like a pair of village idiots, moonstruck and stupid, with eyes only for one another. It was sickening, and not only because it was evidence that her curse was weakening. I was never such a fool, even with my heart in, Cora thought, watching the two speak briefly before going their separate ways. Did they think no one noticed? Did they think she did not notice? Cora's lips twisted into a sneer. She had made them suffer in the past, but neither of those two had the slightest idea how terrible her revenge could be.

This is twice this prince has tried to jilt my daughter, she thought coldly. I will not let him do so, not this time. But vengeance enacted in haste often came apart at the seams, and Cora had not inserted a thread with which to deal with Snow's oh-so-charming True Love. She had assumed he was dealt with via his marriage to Regina, but apparently the prince wanted to choose wrongly once more. She would deal with that in time, particularly because Regina seemed incapable of doing so, or unwilling. Of course, Regina had her memories back thanks to Eva's infernal granddaughter, which meant she would prove difficult, but Cora knew how to control her daughter. The same methods would work this time as well as they had in the past, even if she had to use a different bit of leverage.

"On Regina, perhaps," she said quietly to herself, her eyes tracing over the rest of the town and cataloging those she needed to punish. The list was long, but each person required a certain amount of care. Some plans she already had in motion, but others she would have to…adjust.

I cannot continue like this. I must stop reacting to this infernal 'Savior' and take control of the situation, Cora decided as she walked back into town hall. She might not be able to stop Emma Swan, not directly, but she could prove to the rest of this slowly changing town that they could not afford to cross her. She would remind them of her power.

Slipping past Regina's empty desk—where was that girl?—and into her own office, Cora seated herself in her comfortable chair and pulling out a blank sheet of paper. She missed the old parchment and quills of the old world, but there were certainly advantages to this world. For example, a simple tweak of computer records could accomplish as much as magic could in the Enchanted Forest, ruining lives at her whim. It was easy. Not all of her plans could be enacted in that fashion, of course, but the curse had laid enough eggs for her to easily put things in motion.

Cora put pen to paper to record the others.

Gold, was the first name she wrote. Then next to it, she added: Exploit Lacey French with Moe French and Tony Rose. Etc.

Next was Mary Margaret Blanchard. Debt. Blame for her father. Merryweather.

Then Sidney. The genie still held a grudge, whether he remembered it or not. She would have to watch to make sure he did not try to seduce Regina again, but in the meantime, she could use him. Hook to deal with.

Regina—remove Henry from her care. But where to keep him under control? Or perhaps a serious injury. Scadlock? Death would be precipitous now.

David—Compliance or death.

Emma Swan—a curse? Use Graham against her.

Then her pen paused, and Cora cocked her head thoughtfully. Moving further down the page, leaving herself plenty of room for other notes, she wrote one more name.

Chloe Zephyr. An alternate?

3 Years, 8 Months Before the Curse

George gave Snow a sour look. "I'm glad you were able to re-join us, Princess," he said dryly. "I would hate to liberate your kingdom without you."

"I am glad to be back," Snow replied with calm dignity, her hand held tightly within David's. The king nodded to his son, his attitude towards "James" slightly less frigid than it was towards her. She supposed that was because he was getting credit for bringing her back, which David did deserve. Yes, Snow knew that her future father-in-law was unhappy, and she didn't blame him for that. She'd run without warning whilst he was busy building an army to retake her kingdom, all based on the promise that she would marry his son. And she'd left.

Snow wasn't really ashamed of that, even though she'd allowed David to talk her into coming back. She'd run because she didn't want to be used to hurt those she loved, not again. Not after what had happened with her father. Over a year after her beloved father's death, losing him still burned. Particularly like that. He'd killed himself, chosen to drink the poison to spare Snow from having to force him, and had died telling her that he loved her. Snow could picture every moment of that night still; they were etched into her heart with deep and painful strokes. Leopold had died as bravely, but Snow would never forget that Cora had killed her father because of her. She wouldn't let that happen to David, too, and that had been why she left. But David had reminded her that they were in this together, so she had come back.

"We'll start planning your wedding immediately," George decreed in a tone that permitted no arguments. "And there will be no further escapades, will there?"

"No. No, there won't." Snow had made her decision, and David had warned her that George would want them to marry sooner than they had previously agreed upon. She didn't like it, but she understood the political necessity. Her own actions had caused this situation, and Snow would have to live with that. "I'm here to stay."

Besides, a lot of battles could be won during the year it would take to plan a royal wedding.

Mary Margaret squared her shoulders. She had never thought herself particularly brave person, but she needed to do this. She had never felt for anyone the way she felt about David, and had they been free to be together, she would have felt like they could do anything, so long as they fought their battles side by side. Mary Margaret's soul wanted to fly high in the air every time she was with him; she felt complete, felt stronger and braver than she had ever been. But things were not that simple. David was married, and this relationship of theirs was wrong. There was no arguing that.

Regina Nolan had never been anything but kind to Mary Margaret, even when the teacher had to tell her unpleasant things about Henry's behavior at parent-teacher conferences. Henry was doing better these days, but early in the year he'd been downright difficult, speaking out in class and refusing to fit in with the other students. Despite that, Regina had always been understanding (unlike some pushy and obnoxious parents), and Mary Margaret had always liked her. And now I'm having an affair with her husband.

Sucking in a deep breath, she lifted her hand to knock on the door. David was at work, watching over the pet shelter where no one had ever adopted a pet until the week before, and Henry was out with Emma. That meant Regina should be home alone, which was exactly what Mary Margaret was looking for. So, she knocked, tentatively at first and then a little more strongly. She had to do this. She had to be brave.

The door opened all too soon. "Mary Margaret," Regina said with surprise. "What can I do for you?"

"I was…wondering if we could talk," she replied, wishing her voice didn't sound so small.

"Of course. Why don't you come in?" the older woman stepped aside, looking like she felt as awkward about this as Mary Margaret did. Obviously, she knew, but then, David had said he told her about them. Taking another deep breath, Mary Margaret followed Regina into the house, trying not to notice the simple luxury with which it was decorated.

Who was she to take this woman's husband away? David had a good life here, a rich life. Mary Margaret was dirt poor, struggling to pay her debts off even with Emma covering half of the bills. David didn't make much at the animal shelter, she knew. Would they even be able to make a life together if he left Regina? Suddenly, Mary Margaret got the terrible feeling that she was doing the wrong thing, that she shouldn't be here at all. She should walk away, should apologize and tell David that, no matter what they felt, they should not take such an insane risk based on their feelings.

"What can I do for you?" Regina asked while Mary Margaret was busy fighting with her heart. She wheeled to face the other woman, tearing her eyes away from a beautifully expensive equine sculpture, and gulped.

"I wanted to talk to you about David," she admitted in a tiny voice, but gained strength from the way Regina gave her an encouraging nod. "I know…I know he said he talked to you already, but I…"

"You wanted to clear the air between us."

Mary Margaret nodded helplessly. "Yes."

"There's nothing to clear," Regina said more gently than she would have expected. "I know you love him, and he loves you. I'm not going to get in the way of that."

"You're not?" she couldn't help yelping.

Surprisingly, Regina smiled. "No. Not on your life."

3 Years Before the Curse

The war had started four months earlier. Cora's forces had attacked before George finished massing his armies and had held the upper hand until George's new general, Sir Lancelot, had turned the tide against her. Lancelot's armies had crossed the border three days earlier, and Regina now watched her mother rage after the news arrived in the capital. Cora's presence chamber was a wreck; ice cold wind still whipped at the ancient tapestries on the walls, one window bore a spider web of cracks, a candelabra had been overturned, and the ornate carpet leading up to the dais was singed. Only the throne remained untouched.

Regina supposed that said a lot about her mother.

"I am done tolerating Eva's daughter," Cora snapped, swinging to face Regina. She was cold now, her short burst of fury—probably all she could muster up with her heart still locked away—spent. But Regina's own heart still leapt into her throat, pounding rapidly. She knew what was coming. The moment she had dreaded for nearly a year had arrived.

Oh, Snow…

"It is time," Cora declared, and a perfect red apple appeared in her right hand. Dark eyes focused on Regina. "You remember your duty, don't you, darling?"

"Mother…" she whispered helplessly. Regina had prayed this moment would not come. Ten months had passed since her mother had laid down her ultimatum, and the less logical corner of Regina's soul had dared to hope that Cora had changed her mind.

"Argue with me for one moment, Regina, and your precious stableboy will die."

Regina's mouth snapped shut.

Cora studied her in silence for a long moment. "You will take my Huntsman with you. Now go."

He didn't know why he was doing this. He was a reporter, not a spy or some power-hungry mayor's bully boy! Yet still Francis Scadlock found himself following David Nolan as the man left the animal shelter and climbed into his old truck. Interestingly enough, David hung a left instead of a right, heading away from the home he shared with the mayor's daughter and their annoying kid. Given how I feel about my own utterly bonkers wife, I can't blame the poor bloke, he thought to himself, grinning at the steering wheel. He probably needs a bit of freedom. Bet Regina Mills Nolan is as controlling as her witch of a mother.

He still wasn't sure why he worked for Cora so often. Lord knew, he didn't even like the bossy woman, and she certainly didn't pay him very well for any of these odd little jobs. Wait a minute… Sure enough, David Nolan wasn't taking the scenic route home. He took another turn, and Francis eased his BMW around the same curve a few hundred yards back. This time of night, there wasn't much traffic on Storybrooke's roads, but Nolan didn't seem to be worried about anyone following him. Guess he's a bit of an idiot after all. Cora wasn't wrong about that. Francis had laughed when the mayor had told him to spy on her bumbling and boring son-in-law, but apparently Cora was on to something.

It was almost dark by the time David pulled into a parking spot by the lake, and Francis did the same, choosing a spot far enough away from David to keep from drawing suspicion, keeping his headlights off. Francis snapped a couple of pictures as the man climbed out of his car and headed towards the gazebo known as Lover's Point, glad he remembered to bring the low light lens for his camera. Curiouser and curiouser. Quietly, Francis crept out of his own car and jogged after David, grateful that his high quality camera meant he didn't have to get too close. So, Francis zoomed in on Lover's Point…where there was someone waiting for David.

"Well, I'll be damned," Francis breathed to himself. That was the goody-two-shoes elementary school teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard, and she was busy throwing her arms around David Nolan and kissing him senseless. Not that Nolan seemed surprised, but Francis was. Mary Margaret was probably the nicest person in town, and so not the one that Francis would have pegged to the 'other' woman.

This is going to make one hell of a good story, the newspaper editor thought, snapping another set of photographs as the pair kissed a second time. As usual, Cora had been right. Francis could admit that while still despising the woman. Still, she'd given him a story that would sell, and two innocent people to burn on the altar of public opinion. Scandals made money, and Francis Scadlock was the king of scandals.

"My father tried to tell me that I should leave you and marry Tony," Belle told Rumplestiltskin after a few days of mulling over the meeting with her father. She wasn't tempted—obviously—but there had been something desperate in Moe French's eyes that gave Belle pause.

Her husband snorted. "How'd that work out for him?"

"Not terribly well. I told him that is my life, and that he can either accept me as I am or stay out of it," she replied, smiling. They were curled up on the couch together reading after putting Renee to bed, but neither had been paying much attention to their chosen books.

"No one decides your destiny but you?" Rumplestiltskin quoted the words she'd said so long ago, and Belle felt her face heat a little.

"Exactly."

"So," he started, slipping an arm around her as Belle melted into his embrace, loving these quiet moments together when they could simply be husband and wife without the world telling them they were wrong. "Why bring it up? I'm assuming you made verbal mincemeat of him."

"There was just…something in the way Papa said what he did," Belle admitted slowly, turning the conversation over in her mind again and again. "He seemed desperate. He even said that Tony would 'let' me keep Renee, as if it was some huge concession. And—well, I don't know. It's probably silly."

"It doesn't sound silly to me, sweetheart." Rumplestiltskin's voice dropped slightly, and Belle could hear the sharp edge creeping into his tone.

"Rumple," she said softly, hoping to head his temper off before it could get going.

This was why she hadn't told him right away, much though Belle was a big believer in keeping their relationship honest. But, she'd married the Dark One with full knowledge of what he was, and although she knew that Rumplestiltskin usually tried to be better for her sake (and sometimes even managed), he would always be a work in progress, particularly here in a world without magic where she could not break his curse. The darkness inside him, and the things it did to him, had been very hard for her to swallow in the early days of their marriage, and she'd almost left him more than once because he couldn't be honest with her. But they'd both eventually managed to give a little and learn a lot…though Belle never let herself forget his tendency to overreact when that damn curse of his had a tight hold on his mind.

"What?" he half-snapped, and Belle twisted to face him.

"I'm fine," she told him firmly. "Renee is fine. Don't start getting overprotective on me again. Please."

"Your father—"

"Is my father," Belle cut him off. "And I'm sure he means well. He just…oh, Rumple, he doesn't know what he's doing. And he's never understood. It's not like this is anything new."

Rumplestiltskin actually growled, although it was a soft and frustrated noise instead of one full of fury. "I don't trust him, Belle," he said bluntly. "Not after he tried to send you to the clerics."

"I know. But there are no clerics here, or at least none that remember who they are," she reminded him. "And I have you. I'm not going anywhere."

She punctuated the reminder with a kiss, and felt the tension slowly began to bleed out of her husband. Still, Belle could sense his worry in his kisses, and knew what he wasn't saying. It had taken her a long time to understand how very much her husband depended upon his magic to let him feel like he was able to protect his family, and although she rather thought that their time in Storybrooke had proved he didn't need magical power to do that, she wasn't going to bring that up. A good half of Rumple's nerves came from the fact that he didn't have magic here to protect her and Renee, and Belle just had to live with that. She knew enough about Rumplestiltskin's past to understand why he felt that way, even if she couldn't quite share his need for magic. So, she did her best to calm him, knowing that only he could ignore the raging curse in his mind.

Fortunately, Belle also knew that being with her helped him fight back the darkness, so she willingly threw herself into helping Rumplestiltskin forget the reasons he had to fear and the power screaming at him to wreak vengeance. That, and she loved him, which made her task an absolute pleasure.

3 Years Before the Curse

Regina's message had been completely unexpected, but Snow had still headed out immediately after receiving it via a friendly gray dove. This time, she told David before doing so, because she had promised not to run out again without warning, but Snow obeyed Regina's request not to tell anyone exactly where she was going. However, it turned out that telling David wouldn't actually have mattered; the moment Snow was outside the castle walls, the letter she held teleported her and her horse across two kingdoms and to the grassy field outside of an empty barn.

A moment passed before Snow recognized where she was. Blinking, she stared at the stable where Regina had brought her after she had saved her life so many years ago, the same place from which Regina had tried so hard to run away with Daniel. The fields surrounding the barn where abandoned, now, and a little overgrown. Regina had inherited the lands after her father's death, but Snow knew that Cora never let her visit. There were supposedly tenants who maintained the fields, but Snow couldn't see anyone today. Had they run away, or been driven off? There was no way to know.

Taking a deep breath, Snow stepped forward and pushed the barn door open. It creaked ominously, sounding like a woman wailing, but it swung aside begrudgingly after a moment. Snow walked inside the stable, trying not to hold her breath nervously. Regina was there, waiting for her, but her sister looked terrible. Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying, and her face was worn and drawn.

"Regina!" Snow cried happily, rushing forward to embrace her. She hadn't seen her older sister in almost a year, and Snow had missed her terribly. The worst part about this war was that it forced them to be on opposite sides, and Snow would have done anything to change that.

But Regina stepped back, shaking her head. She looked miserable. "Don't."

Snow stopped, confused. "What's wrong?"

"She's going to kill Daniel if I don't do this," Regina whispered brokenly, and Snow finally managed to grab her sister's hands.

"Tell me how I can help," she said quickly. "I'll do whatever you need me to do."

"Don't say that. Please don't say that. I don't know how to ask you to do this…and I know that I shouldn't."

Whatever it was, Snow had no illusions over who was at fault. Regina was her sister, even if they shared no actual blood. Snow would not blame her. So, she looked Regina square in the eye and said: "You aren't doing this. We both know who is. She's just using you to hurt us both, and I won't let her tear us apart."

"I don't deserve a sister like you."

Regina seemed unable to hold back her tears, now, so Snow reached out to hug her tightly. They clung to one another for several long moments, both crying quietly, before Regina stepped back, still looking devastated but perhaps a little less so. She was certainly more under control, but Snow sensed that the calmer façade was brittle and likely to break at any time.

"Now," Snow said as bravely as she could, noticing the Huntsman lurking miserably against the back wall. "Tell me what we have to do."

Taking a shuddering breath, Regina reached a hand out, flicking her fingers. A swirl of purple smoke filled her palm, slowly resolving into a red and shiny apple.

"I need you to eat this." Her voice was so soft that it was barely audible.

Snow eyed the apple warily. "What's in it?"

"One of the worst curses ever created. A nightmare curse."

"That sounds horrible," she breathed before she could stop herself, and watched Regina flinch. But Snow couldn't ask Regina to sacrifice her True Love. Not when Regina had saved her life more than once, and not when Regina had helped Snow find her own True Love. So, she squared her shoulders again and asked: "What will it do to me?"

"Consume you in nightmares," her sister answered bluntly. "Make your worst memories seem real once more. These curses kill people, Snow…and horribly. Mother wants you to die in fear and in pain."

Hearing that rocked Snow back on her heels, feeling ice seep through her veins. She'd known that Cora hated her, had known that Cora wanted to see her suffer, but this…this was worse than she'd ever expected. And she wants to punish Regina, too. She's more evil than even I thought. Snow shivered. She's making Regina choose between me and Daniel, between her sister and the man she loves so much. This is Cora's perfect revenge against me, my mother, and the daughter who dared to choose love over hatred. Swallowing hard, Snow had to struggle for several moments to find her voice.

"Can it be broken?" she whispered, not daring to hope.

"Yes. But it's hard. Most people just die." But there was something in Regina's eyes that gave Snow pause. Particularly when her sister looked away, glancing pleadingly at the Huntsman. He nodded briefly, and turned away for a moment, studying the wall.

Cora can see through someone's eyes when she holds their heart, Snow remembered. She knew that from painful personal experience. But her thoughts were cut off by a suddenly tight embrace.

"Charming can do it," Regina whispered urgently in her ear. "He's your True Love, and he can save you. No one else can."

Regina pulled back, and Snow let go of her reluctantly. The Huntsman looked back their way almost as soon as Regina released her, his brief ignorance at an end. Tears filling her eyes—not for herself, because Snow could face this bravely, but for her beloved sister who faced such a horrible choice—Snow nodded as firmly as she could.

"Okay," she said. "Give me the apple."

"Are you sure, Snow?"

She squeezed Regina's hand. "You saved my love," she replied. "Let me help you save yours."

"I love you." Reluctantly, Regina handed over the apple, and Snow took one last deep breath.

"I love you, too," she replied, and took a bite.

A/N: Again, I apologize for the delay before this chapter. That midseason finale just ripped my heart out and stomped on it. Rumbellers, however, take heart—I'll be doing nothing like that to them here! And Outlaw Queen fans, there's nothing like that for you here, either. I promise!

Next up is Chapter Thirty-Three: "Vengeance is Victory," where August and Emma start talking, Cora starts pulling Moe French's strings, a scandal erupts, and someone tries to blackmail Hook. Back in the past, Cora hides Snow away while she suffers under the nightmare curse and then offers peace to King George.