Beane Odette - Reawakened - A Once Upon A Time Tale

Emma didn’t press too hard, hoping it would fade. Not just for Mary Margaret’s sake, but for Henry’s as well. To him, as he told her again and again, it made complete sense that the two were drawn to each other. It was only a matter of time before the natural order was restored. Prince Charming and Snow White together, their daughter Emma grown and present, the grandson Henry smiling up at all of them, the whole family stable and solid and united.

When Emma thought about it like this — in terms of the perfect family tree Henry had constructed for himself — his fantasy life went from seeming innocent to seeming dangerous. Something that could end up hurting him far worse than he’d already been hurt.

Emma took Henry to David’s «Welcome Home» party, and on the way, Henry — who had noticed when Mary Margaret muttered to Emma, «I can’t go, I shouldn’t go» — explained to his mother how Prince Charming had ended up betrothed to the woman Abigail. Not that Emma asked.

— He didn’t really love her! — Henry told Emma. — That’s the thing. He got stuck in this huge thing with King Midas, her father, and he had to agree to marry her even though he believed in true love.

— He had to agree? — Emma asked. — Why?

— Because he was a fake Prince Charming anyway. — Henry nodded to himself, as though all of this made perfect sense.

— What’s a fake Prince Charming?

— Okay. I’ll explain it. It’s not that complicated, — Henry said. — A long time before Snow and Charming met, this other king, King George, couldn’t get an heir and called up Rumplestiltskin and was like, ‘Hey, Rumplestiltskin, I need a baby, can you bring me one?

Emma smiled at her son’s retelling of the tale.

— Rumplestiltskin trafficked in babies?

— Yes, — said Henry. — For a price.

— Good to know.

— And so Rumplestiltskin took one boy from this family of shepherds and made a deal and gave the baby to King George, and that was who grew up to be Prince Charming.

Emma tried her best to listen as Henry told a convoluted tale of twins, false identities, and dragon slaying, but her mind drifted to Mary Margaret, and to the very real David Nolan, who was clearly having a difficult time readjusting to his married life with Kathryn. The whole story was strange, and Emma still suspected that Regina had fabricated something here, although she didn’t know what, or why she would do such a thing.

When they arrived at the party, David drifted over to them.

When he came up and smiled, Emma could tell that he was uncomfortable here, surrounded by his old «friends», who he didn’t recognize. He knew Emma because she’d been there at the hospital and she’d helped to find him.

He greeted her and Henry and took their coats. Kathryn саше and said hello, but she dashed off toward the kitchen right away.

— You look like a lost man, — Emma said. — Come on. Hide over here with us. We don’t bite.

David smiled, obviously relieved, and the three of them went to the corner of the room.

— Thanks, — he said. — It’s a little overwhelming.

— I can’t even imagine, — Emma said.

He seemed to grow nervous then, and Emma tried to give him a «spit it out» look.

— And I’m sorry, I know that — I know that you live with Mary Margaret. I was wondering if you knew when she would be here.

Ah, Emma thought.

Emma crossed her arms, smiled a curt smile.

— Yeah. She can’t come— was all she said. — I’m sorry.

David continued to watch her, looking for a signal as to what that might mean. Emma felt no need to elaborate.

— She was busy, huh? — David said.

— No, she’s not! — Henry said, smiling. — She’s at home, hanging birdhouses. You should go talk to her. Because of your eternal love.

— Henry, — Emma said, putting a hand on his shoulder. — It’s his party, he can’t go anywhere. — She turned to David. — Besides, — she said, — she’s not feeling well. It’s really for the best.

— Yes, — David said. — Probably for the best.

Mary Margaret was standing at the top of a stepladder when she heard someone say her name.

Startled, she nearly fell from the ladder, but she caught herself by reaching for the tree trunk in front of her. She twisted to see him.

— Oh, David, — she said, feeling a sudden and inexplicable sadness, looking into his eyes. Seeing his face was like looking directly into an unsolvable problem. — You shouldn’t have come.

— There was no one at the party I wanted to see, — he said.

She climbed down the ladder and crossed the yard.

— You’re married, — she said, once she’d gotten to him. — We can’t do this. It’s — it doesn’t make any sense. — She nearly laughed at this last word, but he didn’t seem to find it funny. But it was the truth. More than anything, she just didn’t understand any of it. Including her own feelings.

— That doesn’t matter, — he said, taking her hands. She resisted, but he held them. — Look, listen to me. I know, I get it. I was in a coma, I had this whole other life, but you — There’s just something, Mary Margaret. We both feel it. I don’t know what kind of person I used to be, but I know who I am right now. I’m a person who trusts his heart. And my heart’s telling me that my authentic life, that my real life, is somehow over here. Not back there.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she felt herself smiling a worried little smile.

Then she pulled her hands away.

— I think it’s simpler, David, — she said. — I think it’s just that I happened to save you. That’s all. The feeling will go away.

She turned and retreated to her back door.

Emma came home to find Mary Margaret abusing the kitchen with a scrub pad and pulled her away to calm down, talk it through, and have a drink. Mary Margaret obliged and told her about David’s visit to the yard. She admitted that she’d been tempted, that she felt something as well.

— He’s married, — Emma cautioned. — His life is a mess. It’s not the right time, Mary Margaret. You can’t get involved.

— I know that, — she said quietly. — So I told him to go.

— That’s good, — Emma said. — It might not feel good now, but that’s good. I think you know deep down that something isn’t right, that your conscience doesn’t like it. Trust that. Trust yourself.

Mary Margaret did not sleep well and dreamt of the toll bridge, where they’d found David, dreamt of him facedown in the water. Over and over again, she saw him rolling upright, saw herself placing her lips on his lips. When she awoke, it was light and she heard birds cheeping outside. She felt unrested and considered calling in sick. Instead she pulled herself from her bed, got dressed, and went to the diner.

She soon wished she hadn’t. She ran into Dr. Whale at the door.

He really was an unlikable man — she’d always thought it. Handsome enough, sure, but obviously smug. And smarmy, too. The kind of person you wouldn’t want your daughter dating.

His eyes lit up and locked with hers before she could brush by him and go to a table. He touched her arm, which she pulled away.

— Mary Margaret, — he said, sounding contrite. — I’ve been wanting to talk to you. I hope your resignation from the volunteer staff didn’t have anything to do with our date.

His narcissism came close to making her laugh, but she kept a straight face.

— It’s very boorish of me not to have called you, I know, — he said. — I apologize. If you’d ever like to go out again, you have my number. — He left the diner, oblivious to her very different interpretation of the night in question.