I'm sitting at the firescape in Lilly's tiny New York apartment. Henry is already asleep on the couch. Emma finally agreed to go with Lilly to hear Lilly's favorite band perform at a local nightclub, after Lilly pestered her long enough. I close my eyes. The noises of the bustling city drown out my voice, but I keep talking anyway.
"It's been two weeks Charming. I miss you, so much. This is getting harder and harder everyday. I know I tell you the same thing over and over but I have no way of knowing if you can even hear me. I have some pretty wonderful news and you are the only one I've told so far..."

David is charging into battle, the dwarves and Red by his side, the nine of them against several ogres. He is surrounded by two ogres and a chimera and a third ogre approaches from behind and I want to run and help him out but I'm still in the land without magic. 'Behind you!' I yell but he can't hear me. He turns around the last moment and I breathe out a sigh of relief. I need to be there, I need to help him out, the dwarves and Red are doing their best but no one reads him like I do. We make such an incredible team. An ogre reaches his large terrifying hand towards him trying to disarm him and I wake up bathed in cold sweat. Just a dream I tell myself. Just a dream.I reach for him just like I do every morning. He is not here. He is not here. I blink, swallowing back my tears as I remember him standing at the Storybrooke town line looking at me, trying to smile, staying strong for me. After twenty eight years waking up without him you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not. These two and a half Storybrooke weeks were such a gift. To think that I had him right there, laying beside me. To think that I could reach over and touch him all through the night, to think that I could just hold him all night long if I wanted to. To think that I tried so hard to set him free for his own good. As complicated and cursed Storybrooke was, it was such a gift. I get up slowly. I cannot start the day wallowing in self pity, I just can't. I have to take care of Emma, and Henry and maybe even Lilly. Henry is still asleep. Emma and Lilly must have come home pretty late last night, because they are both snoring soundly. I get up quietly and I walk to the bathroom. I stare in the mirror. Every time I look in the mirror I'm surprised by the young woman looking back at me. There are dark circles around my eyes. I can't remember feeling this exhausted, not until,well, twenty nine years ago,when I was pregnant with Emma. There were times I fell asleep while we were still with our council, and David had carried me back to our bedchambers. David. My David. Every time I think of him my heart hurts. I stare at the beans in my hand. "I don't know how much longer I can do this Charming,"I whisper. "I know it's the right thing to do, but I just can't do this anymore." I take off my clothes, I sit inside the tub and I let my tears flow freely. I turn the water on to muffle my sobs. I stay in the bathroom until I'm feeling calmer and my eyes don't look all red and puffy from crying anymore.

When I step out of the bathroom I'm surprised to find everybody is already awake. Emma is in the kitchen flipping pancakes, Lilly is scrambling eggs and Henry is setting the table. Wilby sensing something exciting is about to happen offers a few celebratory barks.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"Good morning Mom! Would you sit down? Please!"Emma smiles.
I reluctantly sit at the table.
Emma hands the spatula to Henry, offers me a plate of pancakes and sits across the table from me.
"Mom," she says, and her eyes well up with tears.
"Emma what's wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong," she shakes her head. "I just want to thank you for giving me time. I know that this was incredibly hard for you. And I want to say that if everybody else is ready then I'm ready too."
"Ready for what?" I ask, my voice barely audible, because I need to make sure.I'm not ready to get my hopes up. I feel like my soul is hanging by a thread. If I'm wrong about what she means I'm just going to fall apart and start bawling over my pancakes.
"Ready to use the beans and go!" Emma replies. "Ready to go home!"
I tale a deep breath."Emma are you sure?" I ask.
She nods and smiles. "I'm ready."
I get up, walk around the table and I wrap my arms around her.
Henry is so excited, he is jumping up and down, Wilby stats barking, the pancakes are burning on the stove and that sets of the smoke alarm.
The next door neighbors bang on our wall. "Would you keep I down?" they yell at us.
Lilly laughs. "I'm all for dramatic exits, but let's not set the apartment on fire on our way out!"
We finish our breakfast then we all get dressed. I put on my white shirt, my jeans, my boots and then I strap on my bow and quiver. I look at myself in the mirror. My cheeks are flushed and my eyes are glowing. Gone is the sad, tired woman of this morning. I am so ready. I've waited for twenty eight years to go back to the Enchanted Forest. I have to remind my self that technically I am a grown woman of fifty eight years in order to suppress my urge to start bouncing on the couch or dance around the room.
My name is Snow White. Due to a complicated curse, I spent time in the land without magic, and I worked as a police officer. I was good at my job, I even got a metal of valor. I managed to find my husband and my people in the land without magic and through the help of many and the sacrifice of one, everyone else managed to get back home. Everyone but me. I am Snow White, I have always been Sow White and now I am coming home...
"Should we be packing our stuff?" Emma asks. "Should I bring my gun?"
"No guns honey. If you want to, you can pack lightly. Definitely bring your boots."
Henry packs our story in his backpack, hangs his practice sword on his belt and puts on his jacket. "Ready!"
It takes Emma and Lilly about thirty minutes to pack up a few clothes then they are ready too.
"Is there toothpaste in the enchanted forest?" Lilly asks.
"Emma has magic, so at this point I think the Enchanted Forest has anything you want," I smile.
"Maybe I didn't need to pack anything after all."Lilly shrugs. "Alright, how do we do this?" Lilly asks.
"We are going to jump twice," I explain, showing them my two magic beans."The two curses have ripped our two realms apart so we need to use a third realm as a stepping stone. Regina suggested Neverland, Oz, or Wonderland. We just have to pick one."
"Neverland!" Henry smiles.
Lilly nods "I agree with the kid. I've always wanted to go there..."
"I don't know, Neal said that Neverland was a scary place..." Emma hesitates.
"Did he?" I ask.
"Yes, but I don't remember why...He might have said that Pan was evil."
"Dad knew Peter Pan?" Henry exclaims."Awesome!"
"Should we try Wonderland?" I ask.
"Can Peter Pan be worse than the Red Queen?" Lilly asks. "The 'off with their heads Queen?' Because I really like my head.".
"What about Oz?" I ask.
"Okay this is going to sound really weird but I don't want to meet any flying monkeys. Remember Mom when I watched the movie when I was younger? They really freaked me out," Emma confesses.
"Well, then we are back to Neverland," I reply. "We will only be there for a few minutes at most. What do you guys think?"
"If it's just for a few minutes Neverland should be fine," Emma agrees.
"We should probably do this in the alley not inside the apartment," Lilly says.
"You are probably right" I smile. I wouldn't want a portal formed in the middle of my living room either, even if it was temporary.
We all rush to the back alley. I'm so excited, I could squeal. Perhaps the future queen should be more dignified but I don't even care. We are going. We really are. I bite my lip trying to focus on the task at hand.
"Let's all hold hands," I smile. "Emma, make sure you are holding Wilby tightly!"
Henry holds Emma's and Lilly's hand. Emma holds on to Wilby's collar, Lilly holds onto my hand. She looks around to make sure that nobody is watching.
"All clear" she says,"go Snow!'
I hesitate. This better work, I think then I take a deep breath. I lift up the first magic bean, and I say "Neverland!" then I throw it on the ground.
Nothing happens. I gasp. I put so much hope on the magic beans.
"What's going on?" Emma asks."
I'm too heartbroken to form words. I walk blindly to the nearest wall and I break into sobs. I can't, I can't loose him again. I feel like I'm going to pass out. I bend over and I throw up all of my breakfast.
"Mom!" Emma is arms on my shoulders as I get up slowly."Mom are you alright?"
"This should have worked!" Lilly mumbles.
"Wait a minute!" Henry cries out. "This is the land without magic. There's no magic here. The only place there's magic is in Storybrooke! In order for this to work we need to be in Storybrooke!"
"Of course! Kid you are a genius! Don't loose hope Mom! This will work, I know it will!" Emma smiles rubbing my back.
I wipe my eyes and I try to smile back. There she is, my Emma. She is back.
We practically run to Emma's yellow bug.
"Off to Storybrooke!" Emma cries out and just like that we drive to Storybrooke one last time.
We park the car away from the town line and we walk in slowly. There are still reporters in the town line but they are looking really bored. One empty town void of any magical fairytale characters does not make for a very exciting reporting job.
We veer to the right, and we sneak into Storybrooke through the forest.
Emma tries to use her magic but she is having a hard time.
"It's almost like the magic is fading away slowly," she frowns. "Follow me!"
We follow her to the troll bridge, and I remember how we found David in the water barely breathing.
"You saved me!"
"Do you know who you are?"
"No matter what happens..."
We walk a bit further and we arrive at a wishing well.
"Here" Emma says decisively. "I can feel the magic stronger right here. Let's try!"
I hand her the magic bean. I really don't have the strength to do this again Without any further discussion we hold hands, I grab onto Wilby's collar and and hold my breath. This has to work, it just has to.
Emma lifts up the bean, she says "Neverland!"and drops it the ground.

None of us is prepared for what happens next. The ground opens up in a bright colorful gaping hole.
"Mom?" Emma yells. I'm so relieved I feel like sobbing and giggling simultaneously, but there's no time.
"I think this is the part where we jump!" I yell back and I take a step into the gaping hole smiling. I can feel them all tumbling behind me. I feel my body falling and flying all at once and I smile because it's been so long since I've had an actual magical adventure. There are bright lights flashing all around us and then the air clears up and I feel my feet on solid ground again. We are on a top of a mountain. Wilby is crying. Emma kneels to hold him.
"That was awesome!" Henry smiles.
"Neverland!" Lilly whispers.
I look around. I've never seen anything like this. There are stars in the sky but at the same time, there are two stunning sunsets both in the east and the west. There's a pirate ship sailing in the horizon and an island shaped like a skull towards the north. The air feels ripe with wild unharnessed magic.
Emma opens up her hand, shakes her fingers and I can actually see the magic dancing at her fingertips. She flicks her fingers and Henry is holding a cupcake.
"My magic is working again!" she smiles.
Henry takes a bite of his cupcake. "This is so cool Mom!" he smiles.
"Do you take orders? Can I get mint chip ice cream?" Lilly laughs.
"Your Mother is a witch right?" Emma turns to Lilly. "Try! You probably have magic too"
Lilly opens up her fingers and a different sort of magic seeps through. Small tendrils of smoke, like tiny thunder clouds show up.
"I can make tiny storms!" Lilly laughs.
"You are doing this!" Emma smiles. "You have magic!"
"Careful!" I say because the clouds are getting bigger and bigger.
"Sorry!" Lilly smirks. She claps her hands and the clouds are gone.
I sit down and watch them play with their powers. Emma is making little bright lights that float around, Lilly sends tiny thunder clouds that explode next to Emma's lights. I yawn. I'm so proud of them, I think. I'm so tired.I could rest here for a while, then we could be on our way. There's no rush. Where were we off too anyway? Somewhere in the back of my mind I know that we are not supposed to be here, we are supposed to be on our way, but I can't remember where it is that we are going. I need a nap. That's all. I close my eyes.
I better say goodnight to Charming first, I yawn. Charming! Wait a minute? Where is Charming? Charming is in the Enchanted forest, I was in the land without magic. How could I forget that? I jump up.
"How long have we been here?"I yell.
Emma looks at me and blinks a couple of times.
"Where?" she asks.
Lilly is giggling. "Here, there, everywhere," she sings.
Henry is half asleep laying his head on Wilby.
There's something in the air in Neverland, I realize. Something to make you dream, something to make you want to sleep, something to keep you form remembering.
"Emma how long have we been here?" I ask again, trying to keep the rising panic from my voice.
Emma looks at me quite serious now. "I don't know Mom. It can't be that long. I mean the suns haven't even set yet!"
"What if they never set?" Lilly asks."What if they are always like that?"
"We have to go, now! Please!. It's time to go!"
They all look worried and confused. Nobody argues with me.
"Hold hands!" Emma says."I got Wilby!"
We all hold hands again and then I reach in my pocket and I grab my last magic bean.
"To Charming's castle in the Enchanted Forest," I say and I drop my bean to the ground. The hole in the ground opens up once again, except this time it looks more colorful and I actually hear a faint lullaby echoing through the realms. I jump in and I feel everybody behind me following me. I watch as the colors burst around us. Is it colors or stars, I wonder, as they flicker around us and then the images around become clearer. We are at our castle gates. I smile brightly even as my eyes well up with tears.
"Welcome to the Enchanted Forest!" I say to Emma, Henry and Lilly who are blinking and looking around. Wilby is actually whimpering, his tail between his legs. He really doesn't like bean travel.
"Is this your castle Grandma?" Henry asks.
"Our castle," I explain.
Our castle looks just as amazing as I remember it, bursting with life, people walking in and out, knights on their horses, nobles on horses drawn carriages, farmers bringing in their goods, a group of children tossing a ball around, a lot of new faces I do not recognize. No sign of Regina's invasion, no sign of her curse.

Grumpy is on guard duty at the gate. He is the first one who notices me. He runs up to me and gives me a hug, then he yells "She is here!"
We walk inside the courtyard together, my hands shaking, my heart is pounding.
Red rushes and hugs all of us at once. She squats to pet Wilby.
"Snow! You are finally here! I don't believe it!" she says and she hugs me one more time. "Lilly! Emma! What do you think! How do you like the Enchanted Forest?" she asks.
"I don't know, I just got here!" Emma laughs.
"How did you do it?" Red turns to me.
"With great difficulty," I reply. I look around the walls. Our banners are hanging high, blowing in the wind. The dwarves swarm in, then Granny, then Geppetto and Archie. There are tears and hugs and kisses and complicated explanations. Red introduces me to a couple of new people in our court. I look around. As much as I love seeing everybody, I'm feeling impatient. There is no sign of Charming anywhere.
"Red? Where is he?"
"I'm not sure."
"What do you mean you are not sure!" I ask trying not to get upset.
"He comes here, every day. He attends all the court council meetings, he does everything that's required of him, no need to worry."
I look at Red. At this very moment I couldn't care less if he is doing all that is required of him.
"Where is he?"
"We had a rough couple of months battling ogres, he led us into battle of course, then Regina offered to fix the castle. He said no at first but then he agreed. It looks amazing doesn't it? We tried to convince him that it was time for a coronation but he kept putting it off, so we dropped it. He is here every morning when we hold council, then he oversees all the rebuilding efforts in the nearby towns and does whatever needs to be done."
I listen to her words very carefully. I can't believe what I'm hearing.
"First couple of months? Red? How long have you been here?"
"Two years, give or take!"
"What? How is that possible? It's only been two weeks for us!"
Red look at me all confused."Two weeks?" she asks.
"Neverland!" Emma replies. "There are time anomalies in Neverland. Neal explained that to me once but I completely forgot...- Mom! I'm so sorry!"
I cover my hand with my mouth. No, no, no, it has been two years for Charming and only two weeks for me.
"Where is he? "I ask again.
"He kept disappearing in the evenings and of course we were really worried about him, so Grumpy and I tracked him to a small cottage, in the edge of the forest. If you follow the road that starts at the North side of the castle and then make a right on the great rock you can't miss it. When he is not here, he is over there."
I nod. I know exactly where she is talking about. It's the small abandoned house Charming would say reminded him of his old farm, whenever we rode by it.
Lilly looks at me, concern all over her face.
Then Graham approaches her.
"Would you like some help locating your mother?" he asks.
"Hello to you too," she frowns. "Do you know where my mother is?"
"No, but I am an excellent tracker," he replies with a half grin.
Lilly turns around and smiles at me then she looks back at Graham frowning.
"Alright," she says, a very serious look on her face."I accept your offer."
"Be ready at dawn," Graham replies, then he disappears in the crowd.
Henry is already begging for permission to join the dwarves in the mines.
Emma is looking at the castle completely awestruck.
"This place is amazing Mom!" Emma says.
"It is, isn't it?" I smile. "Welcome home, sweetheart!" I smile and I kiss her cheek. Then I take a deep breath. "Emma, I'm going to go find your father!"
"Go ahead Mom," she smiles."We are good here."
"Let me show you guys around," Red smiles. "This is so exciting! I'm so glad you are here!"

I mount the first horse I see in front of me.
"Hey!" A young knight yells trying to grab the reigns of my horse. "Hey!Thief! Stop her!"
"You didn't recognize her but that's your Queen stealing that horse," I hear Granny's voice behind me. "You should feel very honored. Also I'm pretty sure she'll bring it back!"
The knight looks at me, his eyes wide, he bows and I take off. Wilby runs after me.

Two years. Two years is a lot better than twenty eight years of course, but still, two years is a long time. I exit the castle gate and I gallop on the thin strip of land that connects the castle with the mainland. As soon as I reach the forest I turn right, racing as fast as I can. To my great surprise Wilby manages to keep up with me.

Every single thing Charming's ever promised me echoes in my head as I ride deeper and deeper in the forest.

" No matter what happens..."

"if I take too long and you find love again..." "I'm yours and yours alone..."

"Tell you what. If you want to break up with me it's alright, I'll just stick around for the rest of the day and at night I'll ask you if I can spend one last night with you... And in the morning I'll ask if you want to pretend to be married to me just one more day...and I'll do this day in and day out, forever until I'm a hundred and you are a hundred something... I'll wake up in the morning and say 'good morning Snow White. Can we please pretend to be married for one more day?' and I'll hold my breath until you say yes..."

The Enchanted Forest surrounding me looks both familiar and strange. After a while the trees get thicker and more tangled up so I get off my horse and I start walking. The wind is gently swaying the brunches of the trees around me and I feel like they too are waving hello, welcoming me home.
"Where is he?" I ask them.
The trees stay silent of course but still they are a comforting presence.
A blue bird perches on my shoulder.
"Hello friend," I smile.
The little bird tilts its head slightly towards the right, then he flies away.
It is such a beautiful thing being able to talk to birds again. It's strange but I have this intense feeling that here in the heart of the forest is where I actually belong.

My thoughts are interrupted because I see the small cottage in the edge of the forest, just as I remember it, just were Red described it would be. I feel my heart beat faster. I want to run but my whole body is shaking and if I move too fast I feel like my knees are going to buckle. There's a small winding path that leads to the house and I follow it slowly, my heart beating so loudly I wonder how he does not hear me coming.
I see him in the front of the house and my hearts stops. He is wearing a simple dark tunic and gray pants, and he is busy digging a hole. Nothing in his attire gives away that he is a royal, or that though he hasn't been crowned yet he is the king of this land.
"Charming!" I want to yell, but my voice won't come out. He is still digging when I slow down to get a better look at him. He stops to wipe his brow and that's when Wilby runs up to him, wagging his tail. He smiles, stabs the shovel into the ground and bends down to pet the dog, then his hand freezes midair.
I hear him say "Wilby?"
He gets up and scans the trees with his eyes slowly. When he turns towards me and I smile. I want to run to him, but my tears are blinding me, my heart is beating fast and I can't move. My feet are rooted on the ground. He stands there, still, frozen, not daring to believe what he is seeing. He walks towards me dazed, as if in a dream.
"Snow!" he says then he rushes towards me. He grabs me by the shoulders to make sure I'm real and tangible. Through my tears I register the surprise and the sheer joy in his face. I grab onto him tightly and I start sobbing.
"You are here!" he says and he lifts me up in his arms, burying his face in the nape of my neck. "You are here!" and the love and relief in his voice makes me cry harder."You are here," his voice is barely more than a whisper. After my sobs have subsided his lips crush into mine, I cup his face with my hands and I feel his tears mingling with mine. I hold him tight, because I know my heart can't take being away from him for another moment. I don't want to loose another moment.
I pull back to take a better look at him. I trace his face with my fingers. He is still the same of course, a lot tanner than I remember, and he's definitely lost some weight.
"Charming!" is all I manage to say.
"How did you do it?" he whispers.
"Magic beans! Regina slipped some magic beans in my pocket right before the curse hit, but I couldn't come straight here so I took a detour to Neverland and time runs different there, because I've only been away from you for two weeks in my timeline but I've been gone for two years in yours!" I explain breathlessly and he laughs and holds me tighter.
"Emma and Henry?" he asks.
"They are at the castle,"
"They are here?" he asks and he looks so happy, my eyes tear up again.
"Yes, of course they are here. We went straight to the castle thinking you'd be there. I didn't realize you've become a recluse!" I smile and he laughs.
"I had to do something Snow... I can't really sleep at night, not in the castle and definitely not without you, and the people in the castle were getting very nervous with me, pacing the castle hallways all through the night. And if I tried to do anything physical, like digging, or cutting down a tree, trying to blow of steam, they all jumped in, trying to do it for me. The only physical thing they'd let me do was practice swordfighting, but I was too tense and I thought it best to take a break from it before I accidentally killed somebody... I had to get away," he replies and I pull him in closer.
"I tried talking to you, when I was alone in the dark, did you ever hear me?" I ask.
He shakes his head.
"I briefly considered asking Regina to put me under a sleeping curse so I could hear you..."
"No!" I gasp.
"I didn't. But I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't think about it every single night."

"I missed you!" I whisper.
"I don't know how to function without you," he replies and I nod. I know exactly how that feels. I did that for twenty eight years.
"It's like living half a life, isn't it?" I ask and he nods.
"How is Emma holding up?" he asks.
"She is doing better. It was terrible at first but now she is doing better."
"And Henry?" he asks.
"He is so excited to be here! He missed you so much."
David smiles.
"I can't believe this is actually happening!" he says again and again. "Let me grab my things and we can head back to the castle."
I walk in the house with him. There isn't much to see, other than a cot, a chair, a table with two candles and some bread on it. David grabs his sword and his cape and then he looks around. Turns out there isn't much from here that he needs.
"Ready!" he says.
"What were you doing out here anyway?" I ask.
"Do you want to see?" he smiles and he pulls me through the back door of the house to the back yard to show me beans stalks planted in neat rows.
"You are growing beans?" I ask all confused.
"Not quite," he smiles. "I got stems from the giant's beanstalk and I was trying to graft them into regular beanstalks. I was trying to grow some magic beans."
"Charming!" I whisper and I kiss him on the cheek."Did you have any luck?"
"Look," he points to the beanstalk on the right. It is unusually large and there are several almost clear bean pods hanging from it. " I'm getting close, but I'm not quite there yet. These ones blow a lot of smoke if you drop them on the ground, but they do not open portals. The ones over there glow in the dark...I found the last giant and I begged him to help me, but he absolutely refused. He claimed that he was out of beans and I was lucky that he didn't throw me off his beanstalk. Apparently he had an encounter with James in the past and he thinks I'm him..."
"Oh no!"
He pulls me by the hand through the house out the front door.
"Do you mind walking back to the castle?"
"Do you walk to the castle every day?" I ask.
He nods. "How did you get here?"
"I might have stolen a horse from a very confused knight at the gate!"
"Misbehaving already?" he laughs.
"You can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the bandit out of the girl!" I reply and then I laugh because that didn't really make a whole lot of sense.
"Well, if you work on this a bit, it could be our official motto," he replies. "We can carve it above our royal crest."
I laugh hard then I start crying again.
"What's wrong? I was just teasing...-"
"I missed you, I missed how funny you are, I missed your voice..." I cry and he holds me.
"Snow!"

We walk slowly back to the castle pulling the horse behind us, David's arm on my shoulders, Wilby jumping around us excitedly, trying to trip us up.
"So, what did you do in the last two weeks?"
"Took care of Emma and Henry, visited Lilly and as soon as Emma was better, I used the magic beans to jump from the land without magic to Neverland, and from Neverland to here. That's pretty much it," I reply. "What did you do?"
"I missed you, we fought some ogres, I missed you some more...that's about it," he replies.
"You did a bit more than that! The castle looks amazing!"
"That was all Regina's doing. The council wanted me to order repairs on the castle, but it was mostly our wing that was ruined, and I said that we will repair the castle last, there is so much work to be done. Regina stormed in the meeting, wearing one of her more dramatic gowns, and she said 'your wife is coming back and you are not going to ask her to stay with you in that hovel, you are calling a home. I will repair your castle if it's the last thing I do!' Red got excited and started clapping her hands, then the dwarves gave her a standing ovation. So she did, she spent about a month putting things back the way they were, wall by wall room by room."
"She is doing well then?"
"She is. She has spent most of her time helping people get their lives back together, making amends. She's opened her castle to anyone homeless or alone. There are about ten orphans that are living there and they are really happy. The fairies are helping her of course. Blue's only complaint is that Regina spoils them rotten... She comes back occasionally to give us reports...and she is always complaining about this former outlaw, Robin Hood. She brings him up so much and she dislikes him so fiercely, I'm pretty sure she is in love with him."
"Really?"I ask and I feel so happy. "I wouldn't have minded living at your hovel, by the way," I smile and he frowns.
"I know. Hey! It's not a hovel! It is a perfectly good home...-" he tries to protest but he gives up when he hears me laugh."Fine, it's a hovel..."
"Rumpelstiltskin?" I ask.
"He disappeared in the forest. Belle went after him. We haven't heard from either of them. I'm hoping that they are grieving and healing together."
"Oh I hope so. Maybe once we are settled, and if Emma is alright with it, I can send him a message, let him know his grandson is here..."
"Yes...-" he says frowning slightly.
"He can have two grandfathers you know..."
"Yes, of course," he replies but he is still frowning.
We are almost at the castle gate so I hold him back.
"What is it?" he asks.
"There's one more thing I need to tell you..." I say and I hesitate.
He waits looking at me.
"I haven't told anyone yet, not even Emma...-"
"Something wrong?"
"No, not wrong..." I don't know why I hesitate, when this is all I've been dreaming of telling him this past two weeks. It's the very thought that sustained me. I take deep breath, and my voice won't come out.
"Snow, what is it?" he asks again.
"I have the most wonderful news," I reply and my voice catches. I can't bring myself to say it, so I place both his hands on my belly.
David stares at me for a second and his mouth gapes.
"Are you?" he rasps. "Are we?"
I nod and I smile through my tears."We are going to have a baby!"
"Snow!" is all he says then the future king of the Enchanted Forest kneels before me, buries his face in my tummy and cries. I tangle my fingers in his hair and I close my eyes.
He looks up briefly and he brings both my hands to his lips. "Are you sure?" he asks.
"I'm sure," I say and I feel tears streaming down my face. "I was telling you every night, in the dark and you couldn't hear me...and I didn't want you to miss this..."
He gets up, pulls me in and holds me tighter. "I'm here now," he says. "I'm here."
I close my eyes and I breathe him in. I'm finally home.

When we finally make it back to the castle there are people everywhere and they are clapping their hands and placing their right hand on their hearts, crying and hugging me.
Emma and Henry rush to hug David. There are more tears, hugs and introductions and even more tears and explanations.
Emma feels completely responsible for David being alone for two years, even though I try to explain to her that Neverland wasn't her fault. David is so happy he'd be willing to forgive just about anything so he just holds her and tells her over and over that it is all going to be okay.
Red leads us into the dining hall where there are garlands of flowers and welcome home banners. The chandeliers are gleaming, the candles are glowing bright, the tables are overflowing with the most delicious fruits and meats, and the musicians are playing an old favorite song of mine. A song I've always had in the back of my mind, but I never thought I'd hear again. I look at Charming and my eyes are welling up with tears. He pulls me in closer, his arm on my shoulders and he kisses my forehead.
"Welcome home, Snow" he whispers and in that very moment my heart is overflowing with so much happiness I feel like it could burst.
Our people are eating, dancing, laughing and celebrating. By the end of the day everybody has settled down, Emma and Henry have picked the most beautiful bedrooms in the castle and Lilly is visiting the kitchen packing provisions for her journey with the Huntsman.
David and I are standing on the balcony of our old bedroom enjoying the view of stars reflecting on the lake, my back leaning on his chest, his arms wrapped around me.
"So, where are we staying tonight?" I ask.
"Anywhere you like. We can stay here, or in my hovel, or in the forest for old times sake..."
"Is the forest ogre free?" I laugh.
"Yes it is," he smiles.
"I'd love to try your hovel but I'm too tired to go back there tonight, let's just sleep here for now," I smile and I turn around to kiss him, tugging on his shirt. He scoops me up in his arms and then he carries me over and places me on our large canopy bed.
"Who said anything about sleeping?" he smirks and I throw my head back and laugh.

The End. probably :)... You know I have a hard time letting go of stories. This is most likely, probably the end. Maybe.

Thank you so much for reading my story. Thank you for your insightful fun comments! I appreciate you guys!

Austenphile chapter 17 I thought a lot in season 6 that Emma was an extremely selfish character. In this story she is so selfish. Her mother is hurting. Her father is hurting. Her son is hurting. Lily is hurting. Maleficient is hurting. And yet, she only thinks about herself. She cares nothing for her dad. Or even her mom for that matter.

I was thinking of her more as being in a state of complete shock. She discovered that she had powers and her first magical act was to pull out crush her husband's heart. That would mess somebody up, right?

Guest chapter 17 Here's the thing. I get Emma's reaction. She's mourning and hurting so much, her husband the one she just got back, died and there was nothing she could about it. She needs some time to collect her thoughts and emotions before getting back in the game and I can't blame her for that. Because right now she needs Snow more than ever because she knows how it feels like to lose the one she loves the most. She has lost David more times than I can count. I loved that you were able to introduce teaching to Snow, it still suits her. Getting out of storybrooke was a good call but why couldn't David get to keep his dog if he had to lose everyone else. Maybe Snow will give the beans away to Lilly so she can get back to her mom and then let Lilly deliver a message to David. I'll keep on reading anyways. For the intrigue. And not because it's a great story. Because I haven't forgiven you yet.

Yes, that's kind of how I thought of this too. Emma is in shock and angry, abusing her powers, just a little bit. Ummm thank you for reading for the intrigue and reviewing nevertheless. I really appreciate it. Have you forgiven me yet? :)

Guest chapter 17 This was a well written chapter. You demonstrate Emma's devastation well. I like that You don't have them just throw down a bean and head to the EF. You give the characters time to process thier feelings. I found the part about life being unfair touching because of my own experiences with loss. Thanks again for writing this story.

Thank you so much! (I cried when I wrote that line...)

Guest chapter 17 Wow look at this hot mess. I can hardly recognize Emma. She's not the only one hurting and she's not the only one who's lost someone but she's the only one acting that way. Snow/Henry/Lily are all trying their best while Emma is going around playing the evil queen and if she's not careful she'll go down a road that won't be easy coming back from. Emma should take some of her mothers advice and stay strong for her child because they need them more. I liked that painful illusion of Snows entire being is screaming for Charming. And when Emma asks she'll put her first and not get back to her husband and people. Grief can do stuff to people but I hope Emma realizes that she has not lost everyone she cares about and that anger and guilt are no ones help when you want to heal. Thanks for the update!

Thank you for your very thoughtful review. And yes, I agree she should be trying to take care of Henry before playing Evil Queen...

thescturn chapter 17 . Great story

Thank you!