Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 17 - John Doe

"I found your father." said Henry to Emma.
They both sat up in Henry's castle, the fairytale book open on a page with picture of Prince Charming.
"Prince Charming."
Emma raised her eyebrows. "Henry........"
"He's in the hospital in a coma. See the scar?" he pointed to a scar on Charming's face. "He has one, too."
"So? Lots of people have scars."
"In the same place. Don't you see what this means?....... The curse is keepong them apart with the coma...... Now they're stuck without each other....... We have to tell Miss. Blanchard we found her Prince Charming."
"Okay, kid. Telling someone their......soul mate is in a coma is probably not helpful....... Not having a happy ending is painful enough, but giving someone unrealistic hope is far worse."
"But what of I'm right? We know who they are, now they have to know."
"And how do you intend to make that happen?"
"By reminding him..... We have to get her to read their story to John Doe...... Then maybe he'll remember who he is."
Emma leaned forward, then hesitated for a moment. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah. We'll do it, but we'll do it my way.... Let me ask her."

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Mary Margaret held two mugs of hot cocoa. "You want me to read to a coma pacient?" she asked to Emma. She handed her one of the mugs.
Emma took the mug. "Henry thinks it will help him remember who he was."
"And who does he think he was?" "Prince Charming."
"And if I'm Snow White......."
Emma smiled.
"......he thinks me and him......."
"He has a very active imagination. Which is the point....... I can't talk him outbox his beliefs. So we need to shoe him...... Play along, do what he says, and then maybe, just maybe......."
"He'll see that fairytales are just that......... That there's no such thing as love at first sight. Or first kiss. He'll see reality." Mary Margaret took a sip from her hot cocoa.
"Something like that."
"Sadly, this plan is rather genius..... We get him to the truth without hurting him."
Emma put he mug down and took the fairytale book from her bag. "I told him that we will all meet tomorrow for breakfast at Granny's, and you will give a full report." she placed the book on the counter.
"Well, I suppose I'll get ready for my date...... I guess I'll have to do all the talking."

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Mary Margaret sat on the side of the coma pacients bed, the fairytale book in front of her.
"Look, I know this is odd, but I'm doing it for..... a friend. So please just bear with me."
She opened the book and began reading........
"As the prince chased after the theif on horseback through the treacherous forest, his betrothal crossed her arms and pouted, wondering how many dreadful, boring minutes it would take until they could resume their journey again. The thief vaulted over a fallen juniper........
......and stared into each other's eyes. They didn't need words to express what they felt in their hearts. For it was here, in the shallow of the Troll Bridge, that their love was born. For they knew, no matter how they were separated, they would always......
Mary Margaret stopped suddenly, the coma pacient had lifted his hand and placed it on hers. She looked up startled and stared at the coma pacient, still unconscious.

"No, I'm sure he's waking up." Mary Margaret said as she walked quickly with the doctor into the private room. "He...... He grabbed my hand."
The doctor looked at the pacient and examined the screen, showing his heart rate and pulse. "Everything's steady. Same as it's always been." he said. "What were you doing in here?"
"I was just reading him..... a.... story."
"Oh..... Well, perhaps you dozed off. Perhaps you imagined it."
"No I didn't imagine anything." she argued.
"Miss. Blanchard, I can only tell you what I see which is nothing. Sometimes there are minor fluctuations in readings...... Perhaps you heard the machine register something and misunderstood."
Mary Margaret stared at the coma pacient, in thought.
"Look, why don't you go home? Get some rest. If anything changes, I'll call you. Okay?"
Mary Margaret nodded, took the fairytale book and quickly walked away.
Once Mary Margaret had left and turned the corner, the doctor took another look and the pacient and took his phone from his pocket. He dialed a few numbers and held the phone to his ear.
"Yes?" said the voice of Regina on the other end of the line.
"It's Dr. Whale. You told me to call you of there was ever a chance in our John Doe......... Something's happened."
"What?"
"One of our volunteers said he grabbed her...... There was a slight fluctuation in brain activity."
"And who was this volunteer?"
"Mary Margaret Blanchard."

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Mary Margaret sat up in her bed flicking through the pages of the fairytale book, searching for an answer......

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The girl ruffled through her belongings and packed them in her canvas bag. She collected a few gold coins and put them in a small sachel. She gentle took a tiny bottle of sparkling, dark dust and tied it around her neck with string.
She then pulled her cloak over her head, grabbed her canvas bad and threw it over her shoulder. She then stepped from a small, camouflaged hole in the forest and walked away.
She stumbled and fell into some rope, she gasped, which lifted her up into the air. She was trapped, in a net of rope, above the forest ground.
She struggled and tryed to bet out of the trap and stopped when she heard a man's laugh near by.
Prince Charming walked towards her, in the trap. "I told you I'd find you....... No matter what you do, I will always find you." he wore a broad smile.
The girl shook her head in discust. "Is this the only way you can catch a woman?..... By entrapping her?"
"It's the only way to catch thieving scum."
She chuckled sarcasticly. "Aren't you a real Prince Charming."
"I have a name you know.
"Don't care Charming suits you."
Charming still smiled.
"Now cut me down, Charming."
"I'll release you when you return the leather pouch you stole with my jewels."
She shook her head. "Not the jewellery type."
"Indeed. I noticed."
"What is that supposed to mean? Are you insulting me?"
"Quite right. My apologies. How dare I cast aspersions at the person who robbed me!" his voice grew harder. "Where are my jewels?"
"I sold them."
"What?"
"What do you care? Don't you have a palace full of treasures somewhere?"
"These were special. Among them was a ring that belonged to my mother. The ring I was about to give to......."
"The nag with the bad attitude? That's what this is about?"
"She's my fiancée."
She smiled. "Good luck with that. You must be getting something impressive to have agreed to that union."
"Excuse me?"
"I know how this works. True love? It doesn't exist. It's all arranged marriages and business transactions. There is no such thing as love at first sight. Or first kiss. Let me guess. Her Kingdom wants to take over yours. And this is, what, a last ditch effort to avoid war?"
"This is not a takeover."
She continued smiling, disbelievingly.
"It's a merger. And quite frankly, it's none of your business. Now this is what's going to happen. I am going to cut you down, and you will take me to whoever has my jewels, and then you're going to get my ring back."
She shook her head. "Why would I do that?"
Charming smiled. "Because you don't want me to tell anyone who you really are......." he took a sheet of parchment from his coat. He unfolded it and held it up. It was a wanted poster, with the girls face printed on it. "Snow White."
Snow fell silent, suddenly a little afraid.
"Help me get my ring back or I turn you over to the Queen's forces...... And I have a feeling the Queen's not as charming as I am."
Snow thought for a moment. "Well, I wouldn't want to stand in the way of your tgetting true love."
Charming smiled, drew his sword and cut the rope holding Snow captive.
She fell to the ground and let out a yelp.