Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 58 - The Pain Of Love

"You didn't know." said Mary Margaret looking down at the floor again.
"No." said David.
"And you two aren't trying......"
"Not as far as I know."
She sighed.
"Mary Margaret, you have to believe me........." he started.
"David." she looked at the window as she realised that the storm at calmed and the rain stopped. "The rain stopped. I need to get her out." she ran to the cage.
"No........ Mary Margaret."
She took the cafe and opened the door, stepping outside. Davis followed.
She walked quickly along the footpath. The beautiful yellow and brown leaves falling gently from the trees as the sky cleared.
"Mary Margaret, please. Can we at least talk........." called David after her.
"Shhhhhh.... Listen." she said and looked up, listening to the coeing of does in the trees.
Suddenly a dove flew from the trees and out into the clear sky. Then more and more doves followed that single bird.
"The flock, they didn't leave." she smiled.
"They must've been waiting for the storm to clear." said David looking up at the sky with her.
Mary Margaret placed the cage down on the earthen ground and opened it. She gently took the dove from it. "Okay...... Okay girl." she stared at the bird, smiling. "Time to join your friends. You can do it." she held up her hands and let her grasp go and the white dove flew from her hands and up into the sky along with her flock.
She chuckled as she watched the bird go.
David then slid his hand into hers.
She took her hand away. "No, David. It's too painful." she still smiled.
He sighed. "It doesn't have to be....... We don't know Kathryn's pregnant."
"Doesn't matter. You chose her." she turned to look at him.
"I know. But I still have feeling for you."
She shook her head. "You can't have both."
"But I do have both. I know. I know it doesn't make sense. But it's like I have these two conflicting lives. Memories of feeling for her, and real feelings for you."
She hesitated. "Who's to say which is real?"
"I can't get you out of my head."
"I know. Me too. But we're going to have to. We're just going to have to forget each other." she walked away, leaving David's thoughts on a stranded island.

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"So you're the one." said King George repolsivly to Snow, holding up her chin.
"I don't know what you're......." she started.
"Enough. I know everything." he held up the letter. "You've poisoned hos heart, now his marriage. And with that, the entire kingdom. All because of your feelings."
"I wish feeling could be helped, but they can't."
"Of course they can. Love is a disease. And like all diseases it can be vanquished in one of two ways. A cure, or death. Do you know where your beloved is right now? He's right down that hallway, packing for his new life." he pointed down the hallway.
Snow looked where he was pointing. "And he'll never know I'm here."
"Oh, yes, he will." he smiled.
Snow looked at him.
"Because you are gonna walk down that hallway, Snow White. You're gonna sneak in and tell him you received his letter. You're gonna tell him why you're here. Because you don't love him. It'll break his heart. And that will cure him."
"Or you'll kill me."
"Oh, no." he shook his head smiling. "I'll kill him. Killing you would just make him love you more and the marriage and the kingdom would ultimately crumble. But if he were to die an assassin's hand, he would die a martyr. Midas would forgive, even laud, the death. And the merger would be complete."
"You would do that to your own son?"
He leaned forward. "He is not my son."
Snow looked at him, realisation accusing.

Snow peaked her head through the door of Charming's bed chamber.
He stood by his king bed packing belongings in a leather bag.
Snow stepped into the room silently and smiled staring at him. She leaned back agaist the door and it shut closed.
Charming looked up at the sound of the door shutting. He saw Snow and stared at her.
She began to slowly walk towards him. She nodded her head. "James."
"Snow." he breathed, smiling.
"I got your letter."
"You came." he ran towards her. "You came! You came!" he put his arms around her and lifted her off her feet as he gleamed in happiness.
Snow put her arms around him. Her face down in sorrow.
He spinned around as he held tight to her. He sighed. Then chuckled. He let her down. "You came." he breathed.
Snow said nothing but stared into his blue eyes.
Charming leaned forward.
Snow put her hand on his chest and pushed him forward. "Wait, James."
He leaned back again and looked at her.
"Us..........it can't happen."
"What's wrong? Of course it can. You're here. We can go. We can be together. We can leave all this. I know there are costs but I've planed for everything. They can't hurt us...... And now that I know that you love me too....."
"I don't."
"What?" he said slowly.
"Love you........ I don't." she shook her head. "I'm sorry. You said I would always be in your heart and that us too cruel a fate. Go live your life....... Live it without me because there is no place for us together......"
Tears rowled down Charming's as he listened to every single soft, cruel word that came from her mouth.
"........ And fill your heart with love for someone else. Someone who can love you, the way I never have. The way I never will." she held out the letter he sent her in her brown, leather gloved hands.
Charming took the letter and crunched it in his hand.
Snow looked back into his eyes once more then walked away from him, tears rowling down her face as she silently sobbed, walking to the door.

******************************

David stood in front of the mirror, fixing his shirt. He watched at he saw Kathryn walk into the room by the reflection.
Kathryn sighed and sat down on the bed, pulling on her boots.
"Anything you wanna tell me?" David asked.
Kathryn looked at his back. "What do you mean?"
"Something's up. Isn't it?" he looked at her through the reflection. "What?"
"I feel like......ever since you've come home.......you're her, but you're not here." she tryed to explain. "I know you say you're trying and I know you've been through a lot."
"No, no, Kathryn........" he turned to her.
"No, David, please. Just let me finish." she interrupted. "I know it's been hard on you, but it's also been hard on me........ I want a family with you someday. I want children. I'll be honest. I thought I was pregnant. And when the test came back negative, at fiest I was upset, but then I was relieved........ We're not ready. If I was pregnant now, it would be a disaster."
"Yeah."
"But I wanna fix thus. I wanna fix us."
"Me too."
"Do you?"
He nodded.
"Well, then let's go see Dr. Hopper. Let's get some help. Will you do that? Will you give us our best shot?"
He nodded again. "Yeah."
He sat down on the bed next to her. "Look, you and I, I know we're........ I know we should be in love......... And I wanna make thar work."
They looked into one another's eyes. Then Kathryn looked away.
"It's 7:10."
He looked around at the alarm clock by the bed.
"We should get going if you want to get coffee before work." she got to her feet.
"No." he got to his feet too and put his hands on her arms. "Why don't we go downstairs and have some breakfast instead?"
"Okay."
"All right." he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

******************************

Snow walked in the darkness from the castle. Her face tear stained and full of sorrow. She stopped and glanced one more time at the castle. She sighed and looked away.
Then as she walked along the pathway through the woods, Grumpy joined her followed by more dwarfs.
"You okay, sister?" Grumpy asked.
She looked around at the dwarfs. "Not even close." he voice broke.
"You didn't find him?"
"Worse......... I lost him."
Grumpy took her hand. "Come on."
"Where are you taking me?"
"Home."
Snow looked onto Grumpy's face.
"We all lost someone today." he explained.
"No we're seven." said Doc from behind her.
Snow looked around at the dwarfs again.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." said Grumpy. "So you're coming home with us, Snow. And we're gonna protect you."
"The only thing that needed protecting is destroyed. My heart."
They stopped in their tracks and Snow looked at Grumpy again.
"It will get better." said Grumpy.
"Yes." she pulled a little glass bottle from her belt. "Yes, it will." she stared at the bottle. "This will take all of my feelings. All of my pain. And destroy them."
"No." Grumpy took the bottle from her hands.
"Why? You of all people should understand. You've lost love. What if your pain could be erased?"
"I don't want my pain erased........ As wretched as it is, I need my pain. It makes me who I am. It makes me Grumpy."
A smile grew on Snow's face.
"Look around you, Snow. You're not alone any more. I promise you, that's all the cure you need. If the pain is too much, you can always drink it. But for today? Put it away."
"Okay." she took the bottle from his hand and with the other hand she took Grumpy's hand and they continued walking.