Chapter 32 Welcome Home, Snow White

Emma and Snow followed the ambulance that had taken George to the hospital. Once there Emma had insisted that her mother be checked out as well. Cynthia the nurse had agreed. They had taken a quick ultrasound and the doctors had decided that she and the baby were in perfect health, except that she was a little dehydrated so they had hooked her up to an IV.

Emma had spent the better part of an hour explaining to her mother everything that had happened while Snow was held captive in Boston. Emma did not spare her mother form any of the details and as a result, Snow now knew that her husband had been elected Mayor of Storybrooke and that he had lost his sight while fighting a dragon with Emma. This last piece of information was particularly Startling for Snow White

"Your father is blind?" Snow exclaimed in an excited manner which nearly made her fall off of the examination table.

"Yes, but he is doing remarkably well for a man who has lost his eyesight and is desperately missing his wife and unborn son." Emma shrugged.

"How did this happen?" her mother demanded.

'Let's see, we went to Oz to try and find a portal ring. We found out that the ring was being guarded by a dragon with two heads. The two of us attacked the dragon, and defeated it I might add, and in the process he got blood from the dragon in his eyes and it caused him to go blind. Which I had never heard of, but I suppose I would have if I had been raised in the enchanted forest." Emma replied sarcastically.

Snow was taken aback. "Is that why your father didn't come himself? Is he angry at me because I kept the location of his mother from him?" She asked sadly.

Emma frowned. Her father hadn't seemed upset at her mother. In fact, Emma was pretty sure that he was angry at his mother for tricking Snow.

"No, that isn't why he stayed in Storybrooke. He wanted to come desperately, but there was no way for him to cross the town line without losing his memories. Which reminds me, what happened to your bracelet?" She looked down at her mother's bare wrist.

"George decided to punish me and removed it believing that I would revert to my Cursed personality and be easier to control as Mary Margaret." Snow shrugged.

A worried look crossed Emma's face.

"Only that didn't happen because you clearly remember who you are, right?" She asked her mother hesitantly.

"I remembered as soon as he took off the bracelet, but I pretended not to remember that I was Snow White. I think I only needed the bracelet when I crossed the town line or maybe your brother protected my memories." She suggested.

Emma thought about this for a moment.

"Anything is possible, but I don't want to take any chances. I would like you to be wearing the bracelet when we cross back over the town line." She informed her mother.

"I just want to go home." She stated with exhaustion in her voice.

Emma nodded her head in understanding.

"We will as soon as the doctors clear you and we find out if George can be transported back to Storybrooke." Emma promised. She gave her mother a reassuring hug. "Chad was supposed to be checking on his condition. I'll go see if I can find out anything."

She was at the door when she nearly ran into the police officer.

"I was just coming to look for you." Emma stated. "How is George? Will I be able to take him back to Storybrooke?" Emma asked.

Chad shook his head in the negative.

"I'm not sure when he will be stable enough to travel. It could be a couple of days." He replied.

A look of panic crossed Snow's face.

"I am not staying here for a couple more days." She replied stubbornly.

Chad glanced at Emma and then looked back at Snow.

"You can leave the prisoner in my custody and when he is stable enough to transfer I can bring him to Storybrooke." He offered.

Snow was not real comfortable with the idea of an outsider visiting Storybrooke and she gave Emma a worried look.

"It's okay; he knows that Storybrooke is different." Emma assured her.

"In that case it is settled." Chad announced. "I will go make the arrangements to take custody of Albert Spencer."

Emma watched him leave and in turn her mother watched her carefully.

"He looks like your father." Snow announced to her daughter in a casual manner.

Emma gave her a shocked look.

"I think you are missing David." Emma replied firmly.

"That is a given, but Chad still resembles him a great deal. He is not as charming as your father though." She stated with feeling.

"Great, so that means I have daddy issues?" Emma asked with sarcasm in her voice.

"Emma, we all have daddy issues of what sort or another." Her mother admitted dryly. "Do you still have feelings for Chad?"

Emma thought about this question for a few seconds.

"No, I don't think I do. I am grateful to him for helping me find you and that is about all." Emma replied.

"Then you might have worked through your daddy issues." Snow suggested. "Speaking of your gorgeous, perfect in every way father, can we please get out of here and go home? Her mother begged desperately.

Emma gave her a sympathetic look. "We have two stops to make first. We need to find your bracelet and I need to stop by the apartment that David was going to move into he tried to leave Storybrooke."

Part two

Snow stood in the doorway of the apartment in Boston and survived the stacks of unpacked boxes. It was hard to believe that the life of a person could be reduced to a pile of boxes. Yet, when Emma had moved in with her she only sent for one box of belongings. Of course the most precious item had been her baby blanket which Granny had spent hours knitting. It had been the only protection Snow White and Prince Charming had used to accompany their newborn daughter on her perilous journey to a strange new land. Snow wondered what treasures lurked in the boxes. She wondered what sort of protection David had chosen to accompany him on his journey to his strange land.

Emma picked up the stuffed tiger and cradled it protectively. Snow's eyes lit up when she recognized the stuffed toy as one of the items she and Charming had lovingly chosen for the nursery of their newborn daughter.

"That was in your nursery in the enchanted forest!" Snow happily informed her daughter.

Emma lovingly stroked the tiger.

"I saw it in Mr. Gold's shop several times." Emma informed her mother. "It meant nothing to me, but it clearly meant something to David. Even in his Cursed state he wanted it with him" She shrugged.

Cursed David Nolan had driven Emma crazy. She hated the fact that he was weak and indecisive and that he was manipulating her friend. Every encounter she had with him had ended in conflict. Those negative feelings had carried over for some time after the Curse had been broken. Then Emma had started to realize her father hated all those things about his Cursed persona as well. They had started to bond over their common distain for David Nolan.

"There really was an apartment in Boston?" She asked in a breathless, disbelieving voice.

"I spent last night here." Emma informed her.

"Do you really think he would have left Storybrooke?" Her mother asked in a quiet tone. She realized that she had never really considered the fact that he could have left. The idea that it could have happened bothered her greatly.

"It is likely that the Curse would have prevented him from leaving Storybrooke. I think we are lucky we never had to find out how that story ended. Let's go home." Emma declared. She started to look through the boxes. "Do you think there is anything else in here that he might want?" Emma asked.

Her mother shrugged, but looked through the boxes. They were mostly clothes and a few dishes. The clothes were brand name and in good shape. There was an expensive watch and several sets of nice cufflinks. There was also a bottle of Tom Ford for Men Extreme. The Curse had been good to David Nolan. If you ignore the fact that he was placed in a coma and separated from the woman he loved for 28 years. Emma also found a small leather box. When she opened it she saw that it contained a golden wedding band. She held it up for her mother to inspect.;

"Was this from his real or fake life?" Emma asked.

Snows eyes grew large.

"That was from his real life. I gave it to him on our wedding day!" She happily informed her daughter. "I wondered what happen to it."

"I guess it went shopping at Gold's shop before he planned to leave town." Emma shrugged and put it in the pile to take back with them.

"I remember seeing him wearing a ring in Storybrooke. I always assumed it was his wedding ring from Kathryn." Emma replied causally.

"That was a different ring." Her mother informed her with a defensive tone in her voice. "It wasn't even made of gold. The ring I gave your father on our wedding day is special!"

Snow gave the ring a loving look and then placed it in her pocket.

Emma was about to ask about the story behind the ring but she was distracted by a leather bound book about the size of a journal.

"He kept a journal?" Emma asked as she flipped through and read some of the entries.

"David Nolan?" Snow asked.

Emma felt her face grow hot with embarrassment.

"No, this is pre-curse stuff. Oh my god! This is a bodice ripper. A young shepherd pretending to be a prince meets and falls in love with a bandit princess! This is about you!" She pointed an accusing finger at her mother. "Those are some pretty steamy feelings coming form a shepherd who clearly fell in love at first sight!"

Snow grabbed the book away from her daughter.

"Those are your father's private thoughts! I assure you there were no bodices being ripped and it was far from love at first sight!" Snow argued.

"That book begs to differ. The words heaving bosoms appear six times on these two pages alone!" Emma pointed out laughing.

"Give me that!" Snow insisted as she grabbed the book from Emma. Snow placed the book in her pocket along with the ring. She hadn't known about the journal, but she would ask Charming about it later and maybe they would even read some of the entries together.

Part three

Red was about to lose her mind. If David drummed his fingers on the desk or shuffled around another set of papers she was going to be driven to do something drastic.

"How long has it been since Emma called and said they were leaving Boston?" He asked.

Red rolled her eyes. "It has been ten minutes longer than the last time you asked!" She snapped.

Charming let out a sigh, "Please don't roll your eyes at me. I miss my family."

Red gave him a sympathetic look. "I know you do. I miss Snow as well. How do you know that I am rolling my eyes? Can you see?" She asked excitedly.

"I can hear it in your voice." He replied. His eyesight had improved slightly, but for the most part he was still blind. "How long has it really been since Emma called?" He asked.

Red looked at the clock. "They should be here very soon." She promised. She heard a sound outside and confirmed what she had heard by jumping to her feet and running to the window.

"They're here!" She excitedly informed him. Red watched out the window and was amazed to see Snow jump out of the car and run into the building. She had never seen a woman 9 month pregnant move that fast.

Charming stood up and moved from behind his desk. He smoothed down his suit pants and put his jacket back on.

"How do I look?" He asked Red. "I don't want to scare Snow. It's bad enough that Emma told her that I am blind." He walked around of the front of the desk and Red decided that he looked impeccable, but he was visibly nervous which she cute.

"I am sure that Snow will be so happy to see you that she will not care if you are wearing a flour sack." Red reassured him. She was mostly proven right when Snow burst through the doorway of the mayor's office a few seconds later and didn't stop until she was in her husband's arms. Only after Snow had kissed her Charming thoroughly and passionately for several minutes did she turn and greet her friend.

"Red, it is good to see you." Snow told her friend as she continued to embrace her husband.

"Welcome back." Red replied. "You too Emma, it is good to have you both back home."

Emma and red tried to ignore the make out session going on in the office by turning slightly away from the amorous Charming couple.

"How crazy has he been driving you?" Emma asked Red in a low voice.

"You cannot imagine! He asked me about your ETA every ten minutes!" Red admitted.

Emma gave her a knowing look. "All the way from Boston we played the 'are we there yet' game."

"I really have to get out of here." Red admitted desperately.

"Go!" Emma commanded. "I actually need to go check on Henry."

She started to follow Red out, but her father stopped her.

"Emma, wait. There is something that I need to show you and your mother."

Charming felt his way over to the wall and unlocked a safe. He pulled out the dagger.

Snow gasped in astonishment. "Is that the Dark Ones' dagger?"

"I thought we were keeping it at the sheriff's station?" Emma asked. Her eyes were wide with astonishment.

"I felt it would be safer here." Her father replied.

"Were you could keep an eye on it?" Emma asked with heavy sarcasm in her voice.

"That is very funny Emma!" Her father quipped dryly.

"We have to give it back to the Dark One." Snow insisted. "It is too powerful."

"I agree that it is too powerful, but maybe we could find a way to destroy it or neutralize it in some way." Emma replied.

"How did you even get it?" Snow asked. She had to wonder what all had gone on while she was away.

"Belle gave it to us so that we could make the Dark One tell us what had happened to you." Emma answered.

"Emma might have the right idea." Charming added. "If we can neutralize the dagger and make it harmless then everyone wins. Regardless, the dagger will be safe here until we decide what to do with it."

"I Agree!" Emma replied.

Snow sighed and realized she was outnumbered. "Fine, but we need to get rid of it quickly. I don't like it hanging over our heads this way."

"I'm going to go check on Henry. I will meet you two at the house later?" She asked.

"Don't take too long." Her father advised.

Once Emma left Snow led her husband to the couch.

"Are we alone?" He asked softly.

"We are alone at last." She replied slightly out of breath. "How much did you miss me?" She asked with a teasing tone in her voice.

"Nearly more than I thought was humanly possible." He answered with emotion in his voice.

"You know that I prefer actions to words. So show me how much you missed me." She pleaded in a voice that was lower and more seductive.

He didn't have to see her face to know what it looked like. He knew her eyes held a mix of love and lust and it affected him physically and emotionally. He wanted to please her, but it went beyond the need for physical pleasure. After being apart he desperately needed to reestablish the connection between them.

"It would be my pleasure." He responded as he pulled her against him and realized that the fit was not the same as it had been the last time he had held.

"Our son has grown." He commented.

Snow raised an eyebrow, which was lost on her husband.

"Is that the nicest way you can find to comment on my expanding girth?" She asked defensively.

"That is not at all what I was doing!" He replied, equally defensive. "I spent nearly 9 months sleeping with my hands on your stomach feeling our child grow and move. I haven't slept in weeks because I have missed that so much. I honestly don't know what I am going to do when your girth stops expanding, but you are always the most beautiful thing in the world to me."

"It is a good thing that you are blind and can't see how much I have turned into a blimp." She sighed.

"Are you and the baby alright? When I think about what George did to both of you it makes my blood turn to ice."

"We are both fine. Emma insisted that I get checked out at a hospital in Boston." Snow assured him.

"Is Emma aright?" He asked.

"I think so, but you tell me? The two of you seem to have gotten close." Snow observed.

"It is hard to tell with her. Just when you think you are getting close she pulls away." Charming replied.

"She knows that we love her and she knows that she is a part of this family. She has never had that it her life before. It must seem unreal to her at times. She has always lost everything she loved, but she will realize soon enough that she isn't going to lose us." Snow sighed as her husband kissed her gently.

"Plus she is extremely stubborn." Charming added.

"I wonder who she got her stubborn streak from?" Snow teased.

"She got it from her mother." He replied as his kissed the neck of his wife.

"I think she got her stubborn side from the man whose motto is "I will always find you." Her words are slightly slurred as his lips trace a hot path from her neck southward.

Snow was working her fingers against the nape of his neck and she could feel his feel his heart rate speeding up. She pulled back and studied her handsome husband.

"I really like your suite, is it a part of your mayoral image?" She asked as she eased onto his lap.

He moaned something in response that she could not make out.

She nearly didn't hear the wall clock chime the hour, but her husband clearly did, because he pushed her off of him and stood up off of the office couch. The next thing she knew he was pulling her to her feet.

"I didn't realize it was so late!" He stated urgently. "We have to go home!"

Before Snow could protest, he was pulling her out of the office.

"What's going on?" Snow asked.

"It's a surprise, but there are a few things you can know." Her husband teased. "We have a car and a driver now that I am mayor."

Snow let out an audible groan. She hated having someone drive them around. It limited spontaneity, but of course being 9 months pregnant and facing the prospect of having a newborn around meant that they were going to have to learn to control their impulsiveness anyway.

"Regina never had a driver." Snow pointed out with a pout.

"Regina could see." Charming reminded her.

She hadn't thought about it in that way. In fact, ever since Emma had told her she had tried very hard to forget that her husband was blind. She had hoped that maybe when they kissed his sight might be magically restored, but he wasn't suffering from a curse, so True Loves Kiss wasn't going to cure him.

"The driver is Prince Thomas though, so I am sure that he will be disappointed if we don't slip off by ourselves from time to time. As much as we can taking in to consideration that we will have a baby to take care of and a town to run along with our regular heroics." He added.

"Of course he will be expecting us to sneak off." Snow agreed. Their friends knew then pretty well.

"I missed talking to you so much." Charming stated. "Something else, we don't live in the loft anymore."

Of course the shock on her face went completely unnoticed by her husband.

He grabbed her hand and ushered her towards the waiting car.

By the time that they crossed the toll bridge Snow had pretty much figured out that they were on their way to the cabin. She was not prepared for what she saw when the car finally stopped. It was a perfect representation of her dream home in every. She would always miss the enchanted forest, but if she had to stay in Storybrooke, this was where she wanted to live. It was built out of rock and it had turrets, but they were scaled to the size of the house. She could see the nursery sticking out of the west side of the house, just as they had discussed so that the morning sun would not wake the baby to early.

"It is beautiful." She said softly. Tears were forming in her eyes and threatening to spill out over her cheeks. Thomas opened the car doors and helped her and Charming out. He rushed towards the front door which led Snow to believe that Ella was probably inside. In hindsight, he looked over his shoulder and asked, "Do you guys need anything else?"

"Go see your wife!" Charming commanded as he joined Snow outside of the car. He laced his hand through hers.

"I wish I could see your face at this moment." He replied with his voice tinged with sadness.

"The house is perfect." She leaned up to kiss him and he felt the tears on her cheeks.

"So this is the surprise!" She replied.

"It is part of the surprise, but you are going to have to dry those tears before I show you the rest of the surprise." He reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I can't have you crying on our wedding day." He added.

Snow continued to wipe her eyes. "What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Snow, I realize that you don't think it is important for us to be remarried in this realm and I almost always let you get your way, but all of our friends are in there waiting for us and I would really like to marry you in front of all of them today." He let out a breath of air and waited for her reaction.

She kissed his lips long and hard. "Charming, I would gladly marry you in this and every other realm in the universe." She answered sweetly.

"Maybe that can be our new family motto." He quipped.

"I could live with that." She replied. "I would love to retire the other motto because I really don't want us to have to find each other for a very long time."

He leaned in to kiss her again. "Welcome home, Snow White!"