David Nolan

Part of a cursed @ouat-rpg || closed RP

[dinneratgrannys]

shoutout to snowing & their very fashionable hats

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

[charmingprinceflannel]

aloneswan:

struggling-harper-royal:

At the mention of the sword, Snow felt her stomach dip. She forced her face to remain blank and began to assure her daughter that they could do this but instead said; “I completely forgot about the sword. And about the end of the final battle.” She wanted to press her lips together and shut up but she also couldn’t resist asking; “Is it possible to do the battle without the sword? Maybe things don’t have to play out like we thought.”

Hell, none of this was playing out like they had all thought it would. None of them had expected to be cursed again in such a way, to have their entire home as well as themselves changed like this. Snow certainly didn’t expect to be forced into this kind of life and she doubt David and Emma would have guessed at the lives Fiona gave them.

“And anyway, how do we know David even has the sword anywhere near him?” She looked at her husband. “What if it’s gone back to Gold’s shop? Or if Belle has it? Or Mother Superior or anyone else?” She paused. “What if Fiona has it…” She suddenly realised what they were going to have to do. If they wanted to find the sword, and quickly before Fiona could find and stop them first… “We’re going to have to split up.” She sighed, the dip in her stomach coming back twice as harshly now.

Maybe Mary Margaret has a point. She’s not quite convinced the trick to winning the battle is going into it unprepared, but there might be something to her theory. It’s been… months, maybe? She’s completely lost track of time, but she knows for a fact she hasn’t seen Gideon. Maybe her visions were wrong. Maybe now that Fiona’s here things are different. Maybe… 

But maybe’s weren’t going to cut it. And they all knew that. They have one chance to put an end to this. If it comes down to her having to make a sacrifice to save the town, she’s going to make it, isn’t she? She’s the savior. It’s her job. Still, doesn’t mean she won’t feel a lot better about her odds if she’s got an actual weapon in her hands. 

Frowning at Mary Margaret’s uncertainty, Emma closes the distance between them in a few steps and places a reassuring hand on her mother’s arm. “We’re going to win,” Emma says, hoping she’s able to convey the kind of confidence she’s not certain she feels. It’s true, they will win. She believes it as much now as she did on that rooftop when this whole curse started. She doesn’t know how, or if she’ll survive – but she knows good will prevail. If her mom has taught her anything these past years, it’s the power of hope. 

“I almost beat her before,” she reminds them, “I can do it again.” With her song. She’s more powerful than Fiona expected, and more motivated now to take that fairy bitch down than ever before. “Splitting up is our best chance at beating her.” Together, she could take them all out in one fell swoop. “She’s not expecting us all to be awake. If she finds one of us, the other two can still defeat her. This is going to work.” And then, because of the stupid truth spell the adds, “Probably.”

“It’s true, the sword could be anywhere,” David started as he looked in worry at Snow who was clearly panicking. Shaking his head, he looked to Emma. “But I don’t think splitting up is the way to win this. We’re unable to control our speech either way. Singled out or together.” Reaching to touch her arm, he persisted. “I believe in you, Emma. You can do this, but you don’t have to. This family fights together.”

They were entirely unprepared, but time was of the essence and they had a point, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Being separated from all of them while he was on the farm gave him the impression that splitting up again now was exactly what Fiona had wanted. So she could pick them off one by one if needed. 

“I don’t like this. But let’s plan to meet again in an hour. If one of us finds the sword, we’ll call and meet back here. Meanwhile, try to see if you can lie in case we cross Fiona before that. We are both after all. We can do it. I’m still David the Farmer.” Looking to Snow, he cupped her cheek and smiled though there was a note of sadness in his eyes. “You’re also Harper... the very strong... single mom.” Because that’s what Harper had been. And oh, how that hurt as if he’d just stabbed himself in the guts. Groaning at himself, he turned his head away wanting to punch the wall, but instead struck a cabinet causing such a jarring noise, Jefferson sat up suddenly from his cot, but laid back down unnoticed by David. “I hate this! I want this over with!” 

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

[charmingprinceflannel]

aloneswan:

struggling-harper-royal:

Snow clung onto David’s hand, even when she was forced to let go of Emma. If she had it her way, she would have held onto both of them and refused to let go until she could get Neal, only to hold all three of them in her arms for the rest of their lives. God, she loved them all so much. And she couldn’t wait for this to be over so they could settle down as a family. Maybe after this, maybe they could finally just be together without worrying for their lives and the lives of everyone they loved.

“That damn truth spell will keep us from doing any kind of sneak attack on her.” Snow said, as they left. “We’ll need to make sure we’re a hundred percent ready before we attack her so she doesn’t have a chance to prepare once she realises we’re awake.” The truth serum kicked in once more and Snow found herself speaking sharply without thought. “That evil woman has been tormenting me with threats of taking away Neal for too long. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that a woman who stole babies all her life would make herself the social worker here.”

Blushing slightly, Snow pressed her lips together and shook her head. She didn’t want the others to know how badly Fiona had gotten to her but all she could think of was what would have happened if Fiona had separated her from Neal. And not just for the curse. Snow couldn’t have handled the idea of a social worker telling her she was a failed mother and dragging her son from her arms to take him away forever while she could remember she once had him.

She was glad when David asked Emma about her magic. It distracted her from her own worries of all the what if’s. And she was also curious. If Emma had her magic, that would make things a lot easier for them to best Fiona and end this battle.

“Yeah Dad, I noticed,” she deadpans, and oh – there’s that honesty thing again. At this point, she’s not even sure which curse she’s more pissed off about. (The one where she took her family’s memories, obviously, but it’s a pretty close call!!) Mary Margaret has a point though, it’s going to be hard for them to sneak around with this truth… thing affecting all of them. Or, harder anyway. But they’ve been through a lot together. Fought their fair share of evil mothers (it’s still so weird she’s Gold’s… mom), and Fiona’s not even the worst of them. Well, actually she kind of is because this is the final battle, the one she’s supposed to die in, which pretty much makes this worst-case scenario, but they’re still going to win. 

They have to. Everyone is depending on them, even if they don’t know it yet. And they only have this one chance to get it right. 

No pressure. 

Just the thought of Mary Margaret turning back into Harper, so… alone. Fiona keeping her and Neal under her thumb and in constant fear of separation. No, she won’t let that happen again. She can’t. 

“Yeah,” Emma says, in answer to David’s question. She can feel it more strongly now that she knows what it is. “I think I used it to fix Killian’s leg, but I wasn’t able to control it then.” She’d just known she wanted him to be okay. “But now that I know what it is … who I am… I should be able to control it.” Assuming she doesn’t get any more of those tremors. But just in case. “Where’s that sword?”

David frowned at Snow when she said what Fiona had threatened to do to her and Neal. “We won’t let that happen,” he assured her with another squeeze to her hand. He would have liked to think that he could have stopped Fiona from carrying out such a threat while he had still been cursed, but there was no way Snow as Harper would have gone to him or that he would have known to go to her. He wasn’t a deputy any longer and Snow as Harper had hardly been the woman with an edge that she now was. They had been effectively separated by miles without knowledge of the other’s existence or what they as individuals were truly capable of. That is until they had crossed paths in front of the grocery store and a certain boldness took over Harper in front of him. “No version of you would have let her take Neal from you. I can’t believe it.” He rubbed absently at the spot in the center of his chest where Harper had shoved him hard into a wall when he had demanded his wallet back, and smiled.

Emma was sure she had magic now, was just as sure she was certain of her own abilities as well as Snow’s just as David was sure of their collective ability to face Fiona. 

But it was Emma’s question about the whereabouts of that sword that David froze as he looked over Emma’s expression more carefully. That was when it hit him. He remembered something else now and dread momentarily crossed his own expression. The Final Battle. Pulling strength from the hold he still carried through Snow, he shook off the dread in favor of determination. They would prevail. They would all face Fiona together.

“I haven’t seen it in the past few months, but...” Thinking of where he had last held it, he recalled. “I stored it at the Loft. Could be that it’s still there...”

[goshdarncute]

Farewell Snow White and Prince Charming

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

[charmingprinceflannel]

aloneswan:

struggling-harper-royal:

“Emma!” Snow repeated, and just as she predicted, a flood of tears broke out from her. Tears began to flood her eyes and she gasped as she rushed forward to her family, grabbing David’s hand and throwing her other arm around Emma, pulling her into a spine crushing hug and sobbing into the strands of her beautiful blonde hair resting on her shoulder.

She was gasping in between her sobs, so relieved because the truth was she hadn’t been sure on whether or not it was actually going to work but it did! She should have known better than to doubt David. To doubt the true love that their family shared. Because their family wasn’t just special. It was more than that. It was strong. Strong enough to withstand any curse and to bring them all back together no matter who tried to push them apart. No matter who they faced, they would always find each other.

“Oh, Emma!” Snow sobbed, still clinging to David’s hand and squeezing until her nails began biting the skin. She couldn’t help it. She felt like she might never let either of them go again. Her stomach had been knotted and finally released enough for her to no longer feel like she was going to be sick, and for a moment she allowed herself to forget. She forgot about Fiona and the dangers and everyone else still under the curse and instead focused on having her daughter back.

No matter how many curses they break or prevent or wake up from – it never gets any easier. Not that she has a ton of experience waking up from curses. But this feels different than New York. She has to brace herself against David’s steady shoulder as all of it came back. The visions, and the tremors, and Gideon, and Fiona, and – 

That bitch ruined her wedding ceremony!

At some point, Mary Margaret must have rushed over to them because she can hear her sobbing into her and feel her arm wrapped around her – solid, and real. It grounds her. Something her – Mary Margaret has always been good at. So she leans into it, into her – cheek pressed against Mary Margarets as she offers David a small smile. So much has happened under this new curse. Fiona’s clever, almost crueller than Regina had been all those years ago, but even the Black Fairy hadn’t been able to pull them apart. Not really. She’d been careless. She’s left the savior hope, in the form of an old photograph. 

With a reluctant smile, Emma pulls back and steps away from her parents, it can’t have been more than five minutes but she’s already back in savior mode. “As happy as I am to have this reunion, we better get moving. There has to be a reason the Black Fairy wants to force us all to be honest.” A truth spell of some kind, she recognizes now. She really hates that fairy. “Right now we have the advantage, but if she finds out we’re awake…” She turns back to her parents as she slides on her patent red leather jacket. If she finds out they’re awake before they can form a plan, they’re screwed. 

They need to find that sword, find that Fairy Bitch, and win the final battle. 

Snow’s fingernails were biting into his hand, but David didn’t stop her. He gave her a firm squeeze of support, however. He knew how much she needed her daughter to know her and it worked! Magic might still exist and Emma was still... well, she was still herself. This was evident in the way Emma was ready to confront Fiona as well as with a warning.

David would keep hold of Snow’s hand if she needed it - hell, he even needed it thinking what they had just woken their daughter to do - but this was what people like them do. Heroes don’t give up. 

As he started heading for the doors, David added reluctantly, “So you noticed about the truth curse,” and looked to Snow with a grim expression. “I fear we’ve not had luck in holding back exactly what was on our minds.” Including expressing an urgent desire for later after they defeat Fiona. “We’re not going to have that element of surprise on our side for long. Especially not with the three of us together. We’ll have to strike fast.” Even if he’d thought of Fiona as family. Sort of. Shaking his head, he grimaced. “She’s a smooth talker. I haven’t witnessed her using magic, but if the damage to the farm was at her hand, I’d say she has it. What about you, Emma? Do you still have magic?”

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

[charmingprinceflannel]

aloneswan:

struggling-harper-royal:

When David kissed Emma’s head, Snow felt her breath hitch and froze in her throat. She didn’t do it consciously, but when she realised what she had done she held it in there. So much for trying that as a last resort. Maybe they should have discussed all the possibilities before they had come charging into the station but then, they had assumed they still had the flower with them. And Snow could hardly complain about any of this when she was the reason they were in this awful situation.

Still, Snow believed in David, so she silently hoped he knew what he was doing. Maybe Snow was worried for nothing. After all, they loved Emma, the truly loved her and with that love - even in a land without magic - there had to be some power behind it, right? Emma had woken Henry with a true love’s kiss even without magic…

But then Henry had believed. Did Emma believe what David was saying to her?

Still holding her breath, Snow took a slow step towards them, watching carefully for the blonde woman’s reaction. Finally she forced herself to let the breath out and asked shakily. “Emma?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper and she realised that no matter what happened next, no matter what response Emma gave them, there would most certainly be tears.

It’s crazy, she continues to tell herself. They’re stoned or nuts or some combination of the two – she should be calling social services to check in on little Neal, not entertaining the craziness. Hell! Even David knows he sounds like a total nutjob, so really she has no reason to second guess herself.

But… there’s something so earnest in his words – not just what he’s said but how he says it. He believes everything he’s saying is true. And while Emma’s not quite as certain as he seems (crazy people tend to believe their crazy the most, after all), she wants to believe it too. If she squints just enough she can even see it.  All that stuff about family, and working together, and that picture —

Neither of them could remember that picture being taken! And the way she’d found it like it wasn’t supposed to be there. Like it’d been left behind. So many coincidences she’d purposely ignored because they didn’t make sense. Not just the picture either – Killian’s leg healing too quickly, the way nobody could seem to lie, Jefferson’s entire personality change –

Maybe not everything he’s said is as crazy as she thought…

Maybe she doesn’t want it to be.

So when David leans in to press his lips against her forehead, she doesn’t pull away or punch him in the unsolicited act of affection. Like she said, she’s not sure she believes this is anything other than a drug-induced rant, but she wants to. If not just to ease some of those nerves in Harper’s eyes. Which is totally dumb, and just as (if not more) crazy as their stories, because a forehead kiss can’t change anything, right?

A flash of something curses through her.

Emma takes a deep breath and a step back, looking down her own body in confusion. Holy crap.

Her eyes shoot up to meet David’s, “Dad?” Then to Mary Margaret, “Mom?”

The flash which emanates between them catches David’s breath in his throat. No matter how many times he’s witnessed the act of true love breaking a curse - whether between he and Snow waking one another from seemingly impossible sleeping curses, or a radiating wave waking the whole town - it brings about the same response. 

Smiling at their fortune, his lip wobbles into a smile, moisture collects in his eyes, and he laughs. Following Emma’s gaze to Snow, David laughs again and holds his hand out to his wife. “Yes. It worked!” 

But did it work for the whole town since Emma was involved this time? The question was in his eyes. Maybe they would have more help than they had expected, but one look towards Jefferson still laying flat on his back on the cot in the cell told David the answer was probably no. 

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

[charmingprinceflannel]

charmingprinceflannel:

aloneswan:

struggling-harper-royal:

As David stepped forward, Snow pressed her lips together to keep from shouting anything else out. And also to fight back the tears that were beginning to build and the sob that was threatening to tickle the back of her throat. If she let herself, she might lose control and all because she had messed up and left the flower back with Killian. How could she be so foolish? What were they supposed to do now?! How were they supposed to wake Emma without the magic of the flower? Was it too late to run back for it? Maybe David could keep Emma busy while she collected the magic… Then again, Killian had probably thrown the wilting thing out by now.

True Love’s Kiss wouldn’t work here. Even though a part of Snow was screaming at her to step forward and try it anyway, she knew that without Emma knowing and believing in them as well as them believing in her, she would just come across as a crazy person randomly kissing her cheek! That would only make things worse but then… What else could they do? They HAD to wake her. They just had to.

Snow glanced back and forth between her husband and her daughter. She had no idea what David’s plan was, but surely he didn’t think he could just make her remember by telling her about their real selves? Then again, what other options did they have at this point? It was making Snow nervous, but she decided to stand back for a moment and let David try his thing. If not then… Well… Then they might have to regroup and come up with a new plan. Or maybe they could try True Love’s Kiss? As a last resort of course, and not until they had truly tried everything else, including searching for the flower she had left behind.

Her mo–

Emma’s brows furrowed. David didn’t have to finish the word for Emma to know where he was going. And honestly, she didn’t know what part of it was worse. Having the woman who’d abandoned her thrown in her face as some kind of proof that the whole story wasn’t completely insane or the implication that Harper – a woman that was visually the same age as Emma herself – was somehow her… mom. Must have been some pretty good ‘flowers’ they’d taken. She wanted to take a step back, put some physical distance between the two of them, but her feet stayed rooted in place. 

“That’s crazy,” Emma said with less conviction than she’d meant, “You know that sounds crazy, right?”

She looked between the two of them again, stuck by the urgency she found in their eyes – how desperate both seemed for her to listen to them. How earnestly David seemed to believe the words he was saying. And as crazy as it was, there were no lies detected. Of course, crazy people tended to believe the lies they told themselves, so there was that…

The only thing was Emma sort of believed him too. Or she wanted to, anyway. His story sounded nice. David as her deputy. The two of them hanging out with Harper on Main Street taking pictures. She could almost see it in her imagination. In fact, the harder the concentrated the clearer she could see it. Only it didn’t feel like an image conjured up by her imagination. 

It felt like… a memory. 

The three of them sitting around a table at Granny’s. With the Mayor, for some reason. And Harry. And Harper is… super pregnant. And they’re happy. Or they seem to be maybe. But it’s not possible, is it? She’d remember that. David as her deputy, and casual meals with Regina, and hanging out with Harry…

“It’s crazy,” she said again, only she wasn’t sure which of them she was trying to convince anymore. 

Crazy, Emma said three times trying to convince herself and them, David knew. Nodding, he smiled, even laughing a little in relief because he knew exactly what to say. The truth. “Yes. It is absolutely crazy. Things like that shouldn’t be possible. They’re basically straight out of a story book. But,” he paused as he approached slowly as if he was nearing one of his... cursed?... horses. But, no they were actually his horses and she is actually his daughter no matter what a curse made them believe. “It’s all true. We lived that life, Emma.”

Holding out his arms, he carefully tried to embrace Emma knowing full well she may hit him for it, or he could have just completely ruined their chances of being able to get near their cursed daughter again, but he had to try. “We are both. I am the farmer and I was your deputy, and we are family.” That last part was a risk to say aloud just yet, but with this truth curse affecting them, he knew it was inevitably going to be said. Why deny it now when it could wake her? They were out of options and he could feel Snow panicking. 

Cupping the back of her head as he always did when he hugged his family, David whispered, “I love you, Emma.” And kissed the top of her head.

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

[charmingprinceflannel]

aloneswan:

struggling-harper-royal:

At the sound of the voice, Snow glanced up across the room and instantly had a familiar memory pop into her head from the very first curse Regina had cast. They hadn’t interacted before or after that but there was an evening that she remembered well enough when she had still been Mary Margaret This guy was Jefferson, the one who had kidnapped her and Emma and…

“Jefferson… I haven’t seen you since I kicked you out your window.” Snow blurted curiously before she realised what she was saying and how it might have sounded. She tried turning to Emma to explain but, as usual, it all just came tumbling out. “But that’s only because he kidnapped us and was threatening our lives and I didn’t know who he was or what he wanted back then.”

She would have kept going if David hadn’t attempted to bring some focus back into their visit. But even he wasn’t doing much better - though at least he was stopping himself before he said too much. By the time Snow realised she should be stopping herself, she’d already blurted it all out.

“Yes! The flower!” Snow gasped, thankful to have something to keep her busy and keep her from saying anything else that would make Emma think she was even more crazy than she was probably already assuming.

Only, when she opened the bag, she was met with an awful sight.Something that was practically right from a horror story. The bag was empty. She couldn’t even shuffle through like it was hiding behind something because there was absolutely nothing inside at all. It was a completely empty bag. The flower wasn’t there. She must have left it with Killian back in his shop. Oh god no…

Snow looked up at David helplessly. The bag open between them so he could see the horror itself. An empty contents. She had lost their chance to wake Emma.

Whoa, whoa, whoa – did Harper say she kicked Jefferson out of a window? She was sure her face expressed both her concern and confusion at the admission, her eyes wide and mouth gaping just so. She was starting to think she shouldn’t take anything either of them said too seriously. Either this was some kind of over the top prank or they’d both totally cracked. Well… Emma wouldn’t exactly categorize Jefferson kidnapping people as totally out of the realm of possibility (neither Jefferson or  Killian seem to have any clear answers as to how they ended up at that mansion), but she does have a hard time imagining sweet Harper – who couldn’t even pull her door closed the other day – kicking Jefferson out of a window…

Then again, this was a whole new side she was seeing of Harper. Maybe she wasn’t really as sweet as Emma had initially thought…

“The ‘flower’?” Emma asked brow raised as she made a mental list of all the street names she knows for hallucinogenic drugs because… seriously? She very much doubted them showing her a flower was going to change much of anything. But they sure seemed pretty convinced, didn’t they?

Emma sighed as she watched Harper search through her bag, almost frantic when she realizes whatever ‘flower’ she’s looking for was missing. There was something about the look in Harper’s eyes as she turned to David and showed him her bag that tugged at her heartstrings. She didn’t understand it, but maybe she didn’t need to. But she did have a responsibility to this town and the people in it. 

Peering quickly over her shoulder at the cell to make sure Jefferson had in fact gone back to sleep, Emma turned her attention back to the pair. “Are you two… high?” She wasn’t judging, they didn’t seem the type to get into anything hard (then again, she remidned herself, how well did she know them?), but if there was a lost baggie of ‘flowers’ on main street, she should probably confiscate it. 

David nearly missed Emma’s questions. He was only nodding absently about a flower while his eyes moved from the empty bag to Snow’s eyes. Now what? 

Well, he sighed as he patted his wife’s arm. His eyes would say to her, We can do this regardless of a flower.

“Look. Emma.” He stopped and winced as he tried to formulate what he could possibly say that wouldn’t have her thinking he was actually high and out of his mind. Because what he needed to say sounded completely out there. “That picture you showed me? The one in front of the Sheriff’s car?” He took a slight step closer to her with one hand out placatingly. “It wasn’t a career day. It was just us enjoying a nice summer day as we worked together here. I was your deputy then. Your mo--” He froze, eyes widening just slightly before he took control over his tongue again. Gesturing back at Snow, he added, “That is to say, Harper took the picture of us.” Not that that should be reassuring at all since clearly Emma wouldn’t have remembered that and she was looking at them like they were both culty stoners.

“You asked me sincerely on the street the other day if I remembered it. If I remembered you. I do now.”

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

[charmingprinceflannel]

aloneswan:

if-you-onlyknew:

struggling-harper-royal:

Snow had to fight the urge to run over to her and hug Emma. She never wanted to let her daughter go, which was why she resisted. Because she really did know she would do something foolish if she let her emotions run wild and control her actions. But that didn’t stop her smiling at Emma with tears building in the corner of her eyes. It felt like when they had been reunited with one another all over again, when the curse was broken and they met - truly met - for the first time since they gave her up.

And then the moment was broken when Emma called her cursed name. In a rush she suddenly remembered what had been bothering her during the ride here. She’d been so caught up in meeting with David again, in reuniting their family and facing off against Fiona, that her thoughts got jumbled and she forgot. She forgot that, not only did she knew Emma in this curse world, but they were actually room mates.

It seemed no matter what their enemies did, she and her daughter always found their way back to one another. Just like their family motto.

Snow opened her mouth, though even she wasn’t sure what she was going to say, and the word vomit kicked in. “I forgot we knew each other here!” She blurted, then blushed and tried to explain but just ended up making things worse. “I mean, I’ve lived so many lives now, it’s hard to keep track of them when you’re scared for your life and the life of those you love!”

Unsure what else to do, Snow turned and pressed her face against David’s shoulder, using his sleeve to muffle any more attempts at saying things she didn’t mean. Only when she had herself under control did she pull away and turn back to Emma, smiling like nothing had happened while her face revealed her extreme embarrassment and she was burning pink in the cheeks.

“Hi, Emma. I know I sound crazy but things will make sense soon.” Snow said, choosing her words carefully and still coming out with something very different to what she had meant.

There were conversations going on filtering through his dim awareness of half-sleep, half-apathy. Jeff opened his eyes and sat up on the cot in the jail cell. A man and a woman speaking to Emma, David and Harper apparently. 

What was this about pressing matters? Scared for your life, and LIVES? Crazy? What the hell?! The woman was even pressing her face into the man’s arm. She really did look scared for all he could tell. 

Panic set in. He was trapped. Caged in. “Um, hello!” Jeff called out as he gripped the bars. “What’s happening?” He’d been so agreeable, even allowed Emma to put him behind the bars, but now he was completely regretting it. 

David and Harper are acting… weird. Like, really weird. About to tell her they’re actually in Storybrooke with the Witness Protection Program levels of weird. And whether it actually is something in the water or Emma’s just finally realizing everyone in town is just a little bit… cracked, it sure as hell has her putting her guard up. Because none of this seems to make any sense.

Like Harper pressing her face into David’s shoulder, for example. And talk about protecting the people you love and pressing matters and – she’s realizing how little she actually knows about these people. She just took them at their word. Trusted so easily. And maybe that’s the weirdest part of all. For whatever reason, she’d trust them both immediately, saw what they wanted her to see. Or maybe it’s what she wanted to see. 

But her superpower…

Before she’s able to tell them just how she does, in fact, think they sound, Jefferson pipes up and it’s everything in her not to sigh in annoyance. Wait – is she sighing? She didn’t mean to sigh. “Go back to sleep, Jefferson,” she calls, not bothering to look over her shoulder to see if he’s done as she told him to. She’s not too worried about it. He’s been much more agreeable since his talk with Paige. Since he took that fall, really. She probably should be a little worried about that last one, but she’s got to get to the bottom of this, starting with –

“What the hell are you guys talking about? Pressing matters and things making sense soon,” Emma crosses her arms over her chest, the look on her face dubious. “Are you two like… part of a cult or something? Because I am so not interested in drinking the kool-aid.”

Snow was having trouble controlling her words again, David realized. She tucked her face into his arm and he raised his to hold her securely across her back, again feeling at a loss that she’d been so afraid for her life and Neal’s this time but also because this wasn’t the first time this had happened to her and to them all. But she pulled away after she had gained some control. His eyes remained on Emma as Snow continued to talk. He figured this wasn’t making any sense to their daughter. She was going to think them crazy and excessive, surely. But he hoped because of what Snow was saying, that Harper and Emma knew each other, that she would still listen. Not back away and close off. 

And it seemed she was listening, even if skeptical by the expression on her  face.

The voice calling out around the corner had Jefferson glance up to see who she had locked up and it was none other than the hatter. He looked like he was thoroughly disturbed. Well, more than usual anyway. “Hey, I remember him.” David raised a finger to gesture toward the cells and glanced to Snow with a raised eyebrow. 

Emma told him to go back to sleep which raised the question of whether Jefferson was actually awake awake or just as under the curse as the rest of them. He would put money on the fact that he was cursed though because without argument, the man nodded, rubbed a hand through his hair and flopped back down on the cot. Too agreeable for the cynical man he remembered. 

Back to Emma now, David raised a placating hand and a half smile upon his face. “No, we’re not part of a cult. We’re...” Don’t say family. He gulped and glanced to Snow. “Show her the flower. That’s probably the easiest way.”

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

[charmingprinceflannel]

aloneswan:

struggling-harper-royal:

“Well someone needed to look after Neal,” Snow noted. She understood what David meant. Killian was Emma’s love after all, so maybe he could have helped, but at the same time, they only had so much of the flower left to use. There was no telling they would be able to wake them both and Snow wanted Neal to stay with someone, safe from the danger, until they had gotten his sister back and faced against Fiona once and for all. Yes, this was for the best.

Walking into the station, Snow couldn’t resist looking around. A sadness weighed down on her and, not for the first time, she wondered if they would ever have their Happily Ever After. Or would they always be battling one curse or another? Would they always be fighting and would she and David always be finding each other only to lose one another time and time again? If that was their fate…

Reaching down, Snow touched the bag, just to assure herself that it was still hanging on her shoulder with the flower still safely inside. Her heart was beating but from excitement of seeing Emma again rather than fear of what might come next. And yet, she still felt like she was forgetting something. Not to do with the flower in the Neal’s baby bag but something else… Something to do with the curse… Or to do with what happened during the curse… But what?

Well, it probably wasn’t important and anyway, now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Now was the time to find her daughter.

“Emma?” She finally called out, leading the way towards where the main office resided.

It’s been a weird day. 

From her interview that morning with… Robin Hood (that’s definitely going to take some getting used to), to the lengthy conversation with Granny about her real thoughts about meatloaf. Everything in Storybrooke felt a little off. A little too honest. Must be something in the air, she figures. The change in weather or something. The snow had stopped. That made people chatty, right?

Speaking of chatty…

Emma looks up when she hears her named called by – is that Harper?

“Uh, hey Harper –” it’s not that she isn’t happy to see her again, it’s just that the visit is unexpected. No kid in her arms this time she notes, but she is accompanied by – “David?” Do they know each other? She’d sort of gotten the impression that neither had a lot of friends, but there they were. And for some reason, the two of them together made…sense. 

“I know we said we should do more town things,” she starts, her gaze moving between Harper and David before settling on David, “But I sort of figured – drinks at the Rabbit Hole not… field trips to the station,” a beat, remembering the picture that had stirred up the conversation to begin with, “And I really didn’t mean sheriff for the day…”

David stepped in beside Snow and upon seeing their daughter, and he knew who she was this time, he couldn’t repress the broad grin he wore. His eyes lit up, happy to really see her with his eyes open this time. 

Emma’s puzzlement was expected. Maybe she was busy. He did have to suppress the laughter that goes along with a happy misunderstanding, however. Confusing her at this point would just make everything more difficult than it needed to be. 

And thinking of confusing, David turned a concerned glance Snow’s way. “Harper?” he whispered. “What happened to Mary Margaret?” But names didn’t really matter at a time like this. What mattered were Emma’s memories. 

He glanced back to Emma with as much a reassuring smile as he could muster. “Drinks at the Rabbit Hole would be great, but another time.” Thumbing a gesture between himself and... Harper, he added, “We can promise you this won’t take but a minute of your time.” And then a lot more time after... “We have far more pressing matters to discuss.” 

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

[charmingprinceflannel]

struggling-harper-royal:

Snow was quiet for almost the entire ride. Too many thoughts were crowding her mind that she couldn’t even begin to start a conversation. Her mouth felt dry, her stomach knotted and her head was dizzy. She might have been worried about fainting if she weren’t already sitting down.

A part of her was worried about Neal. She knew Killian would protect him, but he was still under the curse. If Fiona showed up with some kind of story, or told him she was from social services, would he protect Neal from her or give him up? If he did, what would she do with him? What if she sent him away? What if she hurt him? And even if Fiona didn’t find them, that still didn’t mean they were out of danger. Anything could happen between now and their return.

While another part of her was thinking about everyone else in Storybrooke. Regina, Henry, Grumpy and the other dwarves, Granny, Dr Hopper, all their friends and family. Were they okay? She hadn’t seen most of them since the curse started - Harper was a very closed off woman who avoided other people unless she thought she might get a job out of it. Best case, they just had a bit of a memory swap and maybe a slight change in their personalities. Worst case, they could hurt themselves or others - And that was if Fiona didn’t hurt them first. In their cursed states, she could easily start picking them off, one by one.

And of course there was her worry for Emma. This flower should wake her up, but then what? Would it give Emma her magic back? Or would they need to do that some other way like Rumplestiltskin did for the original curse. Then would Emma be ready to defeat Fiona? And how? Would she need to just kill her, or was there anything else to it? Nothing was ever that simple and Snow worried what they might need to do in order to truly end this nightmare.

When David started talking, Snow only half listened. But she did automatically reach over and place her hand on top of his knee for a slight comfort. If nothing else, she was happy to have her one true love back. He gave her the strength to leave Neal and come looking for Emma.

Speaking of which, Snow was getting an odd sense of Deja Vu. Was there something she was forgetting? No. It was probably nothing. Her nerves were on edge, there was no reason she shouldn’t been feeling a little on edge. Yeah, that had to be it.

When they approached the station, Snow sat up slightly. She pushed aside the feeling that she was forgetting something and nodded her head. “Yeah.” She whispered. “Let’s go get our daughter back.”

David nodded once. They were ready. Even if the act of waking someone from a curse might be easier between true loves, it was different with Emma. She was never as easily convinced. 

But maybe with the pixie flower, they would have better luck. It might be faster anyway. “Maybe we should have brought Hook after all,” he pondered dubiously as they approached the front doors to the station. But then again, one party already being awake seemed to be key and Emma would have two people that love her present.   

Pulling the door open for Snow to precede him, one look into the station and David felt almost like he was home again. They were good days working with Emma at the station. Now was she handling it all on her own? A strong woman, she was, but with Fiona wreaking havoc on the town, he figured she needed the help just as much as her parents did.

[iriswestsallen]

[charmingprinceflannel]

Rise and Shine || Snow, Emma, David

Occurring after Awake Again 2

As the truck pulled out of the parallel parking spot in front of Pick Your Poison Florist, David could not help keeping his eye on the building in the rear view mirror for a moment. There was so much more they could have said to Killian. They could have tried waking him from the curse just like they hoped to do for Emma. 

But, they really had needed someone to watch Neal. Someone they trusted. And if David knew Killian, if they had been successful in waking him, he might want to go along in their attempt to wake Emma. Most certainly.

David’s eyes moved from the rear view mirror back to the road as the truck carried them past several shops and past others they knew carrying out their jobs as if in a daze. These were all their people and they would find a way to free them.

“Like I told you earlier, I met Emma a few days ago. She’s still the Sheriff. I’d imagine she’d be at the station at this time of day.” That was where he was headed now. Not her home. And if she wasn’t at the station, they’d keep looking until they found her.

He glanced over to Snow to see how she was taking this separation from Neal so far and the impending meet with Emma who wouldn’t know them. Or at least not past the brief meeting in the street with the run away dog and the strange picture that neither had recognized. He cracked a smile. “She had that picture of us in hand. It was that one from the cork board, the one of us wearing badges leaning against the deputy car.”

His laugh felt good to let out. Sort of a stress-reliever. “Neither of us recognized it, but we figured it had slipped our minds. But it seemed to have gone well, so I don’t think us showing up at the station now would be too surprising.”

He turned the steering wheel to guide them towards the building up ahead. The station. “Ready?” 

[struggling-harper-royal-deactiv]

Awake Again: We Need A Sitter - Killian, David/Charming & Harper/Snow

[charmingprinceflannel]

pickyourpoisonflorist:

struggling-harper-royal:

When David started talking about Emma being the Savior, Snow felt herself mentally cringe and she resisted the urge to drop her face into her hand. It wasn’t his fault, and she knew she wouldn’t be any better than him if she started talking again, but she still got a heavy dose of second hand embarrassment from her husbands babbling.

Snow nudged her elbow lightly into his side, but by then he had already caught himself and quickly turned the conversation in another direction before Killian could comment on the weirdness of what he had just said. Unfortunately Snow didn’t think that was going to work, but they could hope he would just brush it off as nothing.

“Yes,” Snow nodded, clinging to David’s arm to resist running back to Neal for fear she wouldn’t be able to leave him again if she did. “Thank you for this, Killian. We know we can always count on you to keep our family safe.”

With that accidental blurt of truth, Snow pressed her lips together, blushing and smiling. Then she forced back the last of the urge to cry and tightened herself against her emotions. Harper Royal was gone. Snow White was back and she was ready to save her home from the Black Fairy, once and for all.

Killian’s brows rose towards is his hairline. Savior? Was Emma in on whatever this was too? If so, she was a lot better at hiding it than these two were. He felt a bit conflicted, realizing perhaps he didn’t actually know the woman at all. Just like he didn’t know these two. 

Though they seemed to think he knew them. Once again, Harper implied that sitting for them was something he’d done before. And maybe he had considering how calm the lad in his arms was being. But he had no memory of it, and several questions. 

He nodded as they walked out the door, feeling tired already. Killian had a bad feeling that this could maybe be the last time he saw the two of them, though he wasn’t sure if it was instinct or just influence from them insisting it was dangerous. Either way… it felt like it was going to be a long day. Once they were gone, he looked to the lad in his arms. Putting on the best smile he could for the boy, he said. “I can’t remember a thing your mother said. How about some television?” And then he pushed the door closed.

Once outside the shop, David breathed a sigh of relief, going as much as to slouch just enough with his arm around Snow. He could peek into the shop to see how they were faring already, but there was no reason to alert Killian of the goings on outside or to cause him to think they were leery after all. 

No, they needed to get in the truck and find Emma immediately. 

But first, David faced Snow within his embrace wanting to face her. He looked into her eyes, watching for the stress he felt emanating from her in the shop, which she likely had felt from him as well. Cupping her face, he shook his head as if to push away the worry. “I just want you to know, whatever happens, I love you.” She knows this already, but the need to say it again, aloud, without any reservations in speech as necessary in the shop, he could let it out now. 

Leaning in, he kissed her hoping to convey the love he felt, pouring in the pent up emotion over the separation, realization that they had been tricked twice over again, and the need for action. 

Breaking the kiss only to speak, he remained close. “We could die,” damn this truth curse, but no, he needed to provide assurance since she had seemed so upset in the shop. “But that’s never stopped us before. We could also prevail as we have time and time again. Have faith, Snow. We can do this. And...” Letting out a tentative breath, he shrugged. “I don’t think we made a bad decision asking Killian. It’s not like he’s going to teach Neal how to scrape barnacles off the side of the Jolly Roger.” 

Grinning, he would escort Snow back to the truck and hold the door for her. 

[struggling-harper-royal-deactiv]

Awake Again: We Need A Sitter - Killian, David/Charming & Harper/Snow

[charmingprinceflannel]

pickyourpoisonflorist:

struggling-harper-royal:

Snow didn’t trust herself to speak. She was afraid she might blurt something out and make Killian change his mind about helping them. She almost started babbling more instructions instead, suddenly remember a series of things she forgot like the songs Neal liked to hear or the way he liked to be rocked. But instead she pressed her lips together, afraid that it might start to sound like she was preparing him for them not returning. And they were coming back. One of her children had already grown up without her parents, she was not going to have the second one suffer the same.

Shuffling closer to David for comfort, Snow tried not to look at Neal and Killian too hard. She didn’t want to treat this like a forever goodbye, but it was hard to resist the urge to take them in like she might not see them again. She could feel tears building and wished they could hurry up and leave before she changed her mind and did or said something she might regret, but she also wanted to hear the answer, to find out of Killian had seen Emma.

She needed to know if her daughter was alright.

The longer this went on, the more Killian felt like this departure could be rather permanent. It seemed to be a fairly intense parting, and he had no idea why. Harper looked like she was ready to cry. What the hell were they getting themselves into? What was he getting himself into?

His brows raised at David’s question. Of all the things to ask… Not why he was missing, nor how long, or how he’d ended up in the woods. No, he asked about who found him. 

“Aye, she did. Laid down in the road after I made it out of the woods, and she found me there. Why?” Because there had to be a reason David was asking. Was it relevant to whatever they were doing? 

With Snow pressed into his side, David wrapped an arm around her back and squeezed her shoulder. He kept eye contact with Killian, however. It was important to get the answer from him. 

And once answered, of course, another question was posed. He should have known. 

But first, ‘the middle of the road’ sounded rather horrible, but after being lost for a week... It took a week for him to be found. He shook his head, unable to imagine such a thing in Storybrooke in a time of electricity and heating. In the Enchanted Forest, it seemed more feasible. For a pirate as well. But for a florist? 

“Good. Good.” Was he just going to keep repeating good? It was merely an attempt to stall as he focused, to not say what was about to be blurted. She’s our daughter! That would go overly well with Snow nearly panicking in his shoulder. “Oh, just wanted to make sure things are how they should be. The Sheriff is the Savior. The whole... ‘I will always find you’ phrase is true after all.” Shutting his mouth quickly before finishing that sentence with ‘for our family.’

To quickly cover up how awkward that might have sounded he added, “Look, Killian, it’s been a long time since she’s had a babysitter for Neal, and I’ve only just been reunited with him. We’d better go before parting becomes too much for us to handle, you understand? It’s okay, honey.” He patted Snow’s shoulder sympathetically as he shifted his stance to head to the door. “Thank you again.”

[struggling-harper-royal-deactiv]

Awake Again: We Need A Sitter - Killian, David/Charming & Harper/Snow

[charmingprinceflannel]

pickyourpoisonflorist:

struggling-harper-royal:

Despite David’s assurance, Snow couldn’t help but worry. Neal was normally easy going, but since the curse had been cast, he had been very irritable. Killian had experienced this first hand when he found the two of them on the streets, though he had calmed down once Killian had held him so maybe the familiar face would help keep him happy. Most of it was probably that he was tired of being alone with Snow all the time when the rest of his family was out there, so maybe some time with someone else would be good for him.

And, of course, there was the added worry she had for leaving her son alone for so long - he would be with Killian, but a cursed Killian that didn’t understand the dangers in the world. Even before Fiona showed up, she hadn’t liked the idea of being apart from her son for even a second. And that was long before The Black Fairy cast a curse that separated everyone and put them all in danger. Speaking of which, what would Fiona do if she knew they were awake? Would she come after them? Or would she come to Neal in order to use him as leverage? That would be unbearable.

Would it be too much to ask Killian to take Neal into hiding? Yeah. He might be a little suspicious if she said that aloud.

To resist the urge to say something along those lines, Snow busied herself by moving forward, and hugging and kissing Neal hard before David stepped over to give him to Killian. The only thing giving her the strength to do this was the idea that they were going in search of their daughter. Once they had reunited with Emma, things would start to get better again and they would break this curse together, as a family.

They all just needed to hold on until then.

Strangely enough, David’s encouragement… helped. Something inside him just felt more confident hearing his words, despite the fact that he still had no idea what he was doing when it came to caring for a child, let alone one as young as Neal. It brought up more questions, ones he hoped he would have answers to once they both returned.

It felt a little bit like he was bidding them goodbye as they went into battle, strange enough as it seemed. Shaking the thought, he reached for Neal. 

“I’ll keep him safe,” he said, although he didn’t know why he said it. Killian was just bloody babysitting, this wasn’t a life or death situation. They weren’t going off to war. 

After Killian took Neal, David found his arms suddenly bereft. He hadn’t known for about two months that he had missed his son so terribly and Snow even more so, though he wouldn’t admit that aloud if he could keep his mouth shut. But now that he’d had a few minutes to hold his son again, to feel his chubby legs in hand as he had held the boy against his side, the sudden lack of which brought reality quickly into focus. They were about to go and face the Black Fairy. One with far less humanity than Regina had. 

They may not come back, but they had to have hope and belief that they would. 

David knew Fiona possibly better than most in town. He’d lived under the same roof as her, though they had barely conversed. It had to count for something. But what did he really know? She was heartless, uncaring, and manipulative. She’d fooled him out of everything he owned. Except his truck anyway. She’d stop at nothing to separate families and torment single mothers. And if Killian’s getting lost in the woods he’d mentioned had anything to do with Fiona as well, well, it was a damned miracle he’d gotten away. 

Now David and Snow were going to attempt to wake Emma and face the ruthless fairy. They might need a miracle as well. Or a savior. And that’s exactly what Emma was.

“Killian?” David felt the inquiry on the tip of his tongue wanting to blurt it out, but he reined it in trying to decide if it was the right thing to ask. Perhaps it would give them some hope if it was true. “When you were lost in the woods, did Emma find you? The sheriff...” The title was added just in case he was way off and she hadn’t been the one to have found him. But she is the Savior. If it was true, they could certainly have hope that Fiona’s plan wasn’t rock solid. There was always a chance.

[struggling-harper-royal-deactiv]

Awake Again: We Need A Sitter - Killian, David/Charming & Harper/Snow

[charmingprinceflannel]

pickyourpoisonflorist:

struggling-harper-royal:

“Yes!” Snow gasped, she had been shocked into silence for just a few seconds at Killian’s sudden change of mind. She wasn’t going to question it. Mostly because she just assumed that a part of Killian real memories were peeking through enough that it influenced him into trusting her. Either way, she didn’t plan on giving him a chance to change his mind. “Yes, we promise, we will tell you everything once we’ve cleared up this whole mess.”

Dashing back into the room she pulled out the cheap mobile she had been using and quickly went onto her information for her number, reading it out for him. Hopefully he wouldn’t need to use it. And if he did, then it would just be for a brief and harmless message rather than a life or death situation.

After wards she put her phone away and immediately her mother side took over. “He’ll be fine so long as he has something to eat. All the food is on the table and a change of diapers. If his poop is off coloured then you’ll need to get him to the hospital but that shouldn’t happen so long as he doesn’t eat anything he shouldn’t. There’s also his music box. You only need to play that if he gets restless but he should be fine, he likes you and if he does start getting upset, just pull some silly faces. He’s always liked that.” She was babbling so quickly she didn’t even think twice about revealing any more truths. “You can’t remember but he does so you’ll both be fine. If he does start getting really upset then he probably wants a nap so just walk around with him and he’ll drift off on his own. If that doesn’t work then warm him up some milk. But don’t let him drink more than a small cup otherwise he might be a little sick. If he still doesn’t want to calm down then you might need to tell him a story. He likes my stories best of all but since you can’t remember them then just tell him any fairy tale stories you know, mostly Snow White or Cinderella. Do not tell him Little Red Riding Hood. He does not like that one. That should get him asleep. If he wakes up a little grumpy then that’s fine, he takes after his father in that way, just give him a piece of paper and a pencil and he’ll do some drawings and keep himself busy. Otherwise he’s pretty quiet and he likes watching people so you don’t need to worry too much about keeping him entertained but if you want then you can play some videos but only for a short time. It’s not healthy for a baby to stare at a screen for too long. Or alternatively you could take him for a walk, he likes to be active more than anything but don’t worry if you need to stay in the shop. In fact it’s probably best to keep him indoors anyway so just play some music or go back to the funny faces and I’m sure you’ll do great!”

All the while Snow babbled she lined up the things she had emptied from her bag to show them off. She hoped Neal would be okay with this worlds version of the fairy tale stories. He’d only even listened to hers since the curse was cast. She wished she had the Story Book, if only so Killian could read from that. But then, if they had the book, it might have been easier to wake everyone up with it instead of just using it as a bed time story. But for now hopefully Neal would be okay with the Disney versions of their stories. Her’s was reasonably close at least.

No, he wasn’t sure, not with David’s seemingly unsure estimate of time he would need to care for Neal, and most certainly not with the incredibly long list Harper was giving him. What the hell did she mean by her stories? Was she an author? And what was wrong with Little Red Riding Hood? 

“Right…” was all he said as she lined things up and rambled. Killian looked over at David for some sort of help, or an idea of what was actually important for him to remember. Just about all of it was already gone from his mind. He did recall her mentioning only playing videos for a short amount of time, but Killian had a feeling that was exactly what he’d do to entertain Neal. One day of heavy video watching wouldn’t kill the kid. 

“You’ll return by the evening, won’t you?” he asked nervously. Harper’s list was intimidating certainly, but David’s uncertainty about how long they would be gone was his main concern. They’d call if they would be longer, right? Killian didn’t know anything about kids, and he was hardly a qualified sitter. 

He hoped he wouldn’t regret this. It seemed like a bad idea, even more so by the second.

“Don’t worry. He’s an easy-going kid. You’ve got this,” David said calmly with a trace of an encouraging smile over Neal’s head. He could see the stress over the sudden request and agreement weighing on Killian. It was no small undertaking either to someone that may not remember that they are actually very good with kids.

The next question was one that required a delicate answer. Assurance that yes, if they survived this confrontation, they would most certainly be back well before dark. That would be ideal for everyone. Neal didn’t have a bed at the shop and David doubted Killian would know exactly where to put Neal to sleep if it did come to that. 

Rubbing Neal’s back as he deliberated over what to answer, and being mindful of their recent affliction of blurting out whatever came to mind, he answered as carefully as he could. “We’ll do everything in our ability to be back before dark.” He looked to Snow for confirmation of this as he kissed Neal on the head, then looked back to Neal. “Be brave for Killian, okay?” And stepped forward to offer his son over to his son-in-law. “Thank you again. You’re our hero, seriously.”