Chapter Text
The dark curse was edging in towards them faster than anticipated. Snow staggered to the nursery, with only minutes left before she gave birth. She paused and looked around for Charming, even though she knew he was off fighting Reginas soldiers. By now the whole castle was engulfed in purple smoke, and any chance of a reunion with Charming was lost.
“I will find you. I always will find you.” Snow whispered, her thoughts as ever on her true love. She opened the door of the wardrobe which would take her to this new land. A land without magic. A land where she, and her unborn child would be safe from the curse.
Or so she thought. If she had been a moment earlier then she would have escaped, but as it was a brief whisper of smoke got into the wardrobe with Snow. She hadn’t noticed its icy presence on her skin, or it’s taste as she breathed it in until it was too late.
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Mary Margret swung by her local shop before heading home. Her date for the night had been a bust. Whilst he seemed nice at first, underneath he was a bit of a creep. And she had dealt with more than her fair share of creeps. She headed first to the chiller aisle to pick up a tub of rocky road ice cream, and then to pick up a bottle of the cheapest wine she could find. She didn’t care about the taste right now, all she cared about was numbing the empty pit inside. The cashier- a kindly older woman whom Mary Margret was well acquainted with- gave her a knowing look of sympathy but said nothing, which Mary Margret appreciated.
As she strolled home, she passed a large water fountain which the children in her class at school were convinced granted wishes. It was looking rather beautiful tonight as it was all lit up.
“If anything in this town was magic,” Mary Margret thought to herself, “then it is this fountain. Here. Tonight.” She dug deep in to her jacket pocket and found a quarter. She held it in her hand, closed her eyes and made a wish, before throwing the coin into to water. She opened her eyes expecting some miraculous change, but nothing did. She turned around and began walking back to her apartment once more. However, if she had stayed just a moment longer, then she might have noticed that her coin had vanished.
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When Mary Margret arrived at her own front door on the third floor of her building, she was surprised to a small blonde girl sitting in the hallway. This girl, whoever she was, was engrossed in a large book and barely took notice of Mary Margret.
“Uh... can I help you?” Mary Margret asked, rather confused by the whole situation. The girl looked up and smiled. She slammed her book shut before speaking.
“Are you Mary Margret Blanchard?” the girl asks, getting up on her feet.
“Yeah”, Mary Margret replies getting more and more confused. “Who are you?”
The girl beams at her. “My name's Emma. I'm your daughter”.