Chapter Text
The first time it happened was on a Friday around lunch. Snow was munching on some homemade pasta salad when she leaned forward to fish a highlighter from her mug of pens. As she popped off the cap, her vision started to blur... small black spots clouding the corners of her sight and growing. The orange marker instantly tumbled from her hands as she held her desk with a death grip. Instincts kick in and she draws some slow deep breaths all while struggling to remain conscious and keep herself from tilting one way or the other. Then, just as soon as it appeared, the brief lightheadness passed without warning. The hold on her desk gently released as she dared to move. Whatever had just happened had left her feeling severely off-kilter; a feeling she wasn't used to let alone a fan of. As she stood she found herself unsteady, as though her legs might not hold her weight and it caused an anxious whimper to crawl from her lips.
Of course the first thing to enter her mind was that she was pregnant. She and David hadn't discussed having a third baby nor had they started trying for one, but then again they weren't really trying to prevent it either. She drew another slow and steady breath as she straightened herself out. After lunch, she only had two classes; she was in the home stretch, she could do this. And she did. Her last two classes thought they'd gotten off easy with work sheets that allowed them to break off into pairs, but really she just had a killer headache. Even the sound of her own voice was beginning to irritate her.
When the bell rang she didn't stick around for car pick-up duty, passing it off to Ms. Harding with the promise that she'd pick up the other teachers shift next week. As soon as she got home she took some aspirin and sunk directly into bed. Which is where David found her that evening.
"Snow?"
"....hmm?..."
The side of David's thumb gently runs across her cheek as he tucks some of her hair behind her ear. He liked it in it's pixie-cut days but these shoulder length waves made his knees weak whenever she looked at him. "....you okay?"
"...mhmmm..." She rolls beneath the covers so that she can face him with a sleepy look, her hand finding his so that their fingers laced in the dark. After a mumbled yawn she props herself up against the pillow. "...what time is it?"
"It's a little after six-thirty."
"What?!" With another groan she yanks the covers back. "Oh god, I need to get dinner started. I'm sorry, I didn't think I'd nap this long."
David chuckles and with a gentle hand he holds her in place where she sits. "Dinner is already taken care of. Neal has been fed and is in his playpen and the kitchen is clean." He clicks the bedside lamp on to reveal a plate of smother pork chops with gravy and potatoes. "...now I just need you to eat so I can put you back to bed."
Sweet relief leaves her shoulders in a sag as he leans in, kissing her softly. "Mmmm.. you're too good to me, Charming."
"I am, aren't I."
She laughs as she pulls him towards her for another kiss. When he moves to stand, she grabs his sleeve, suddenly remembering that there's something very important she needed to tell him. "Wait...we need to talk."
The gentle smile had left her face, exchanged for something more serious and it worried him. He lowers himself down beside her on the edge of their bed. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Her hand finds it's way to his chest, nervous nimble fingers adjusting his collar as a way to keep busy. "I, um.... I had a little incident at work today."
"An incident? What do you mean, what happened?"
She draws a quick deep inhale before letting it slowly seep from her lips. "I'm not exactly sure but I got extremely dizzy at lunch, thought I was going to pass out.....but it's happened before."
David takes his wife's hand in his, scooting closer to her as his brow wrinkles. "What do you mean it's happened before?"
Snow bites her bottom lip as she gives him a squinting look. ".....during both pregnancies...." The pair sit in silence for a few seconds as Snow waits for the realization to hit him, smiling when his face lightens and eyes widen.
"...ar-....are you saying what I think you're saying?"
She lightly shrugs her shoulders with a shake of her head. "I don't know yet, I was going to take a test in the morning but I wanted to make sure yo-..." He catches her off guard as his lips slam into hers. Strong arms wrapping around her, rolling them over until her back hit the mattress and he hovered over her. "....am I to take that as your seal of approval?..."
His smile widens as he kisses her again. "Are you kidding me? I'm thrilled, Snow! I'd love nothing more than for us to have another baby!"
"If I am, then I'll be due around the Holidays." This time she kisses him soft and slow, her hands curving around his sculpted biceps until they come together behind his neck. "And that means I'm off the hook, I can't really top that sort of gift with something from a store."
David chuckles, humming as he kissed his way down her neck. "....you could only top it with twins."
She playfully slaps at him with a smirk. "David Nolan, you know better than to say things like that when we live in a place where magic exists. With our luck, it will be." Her husband releases a hearty laugh as turns off the lamp, ready to ravage her with supper pushed to the wayside.
But morning would only bring confusion.
With David making breakfast and Neal buckled in his highchair, she slipped away to the bathroom to plan their future. With the test strip carefully balance on the edge of the counter, she paced. These were the longest, yet shortest, minutes of her life. Another baby? They'd just gotten use to being able to sleep more than five hours a night. Neal was talking and walking... and now they were looking at possibly starting all over. A brief chill of anxiety washed over her, but she didn't let it linger. She had David beside her, fully ready to go down this road with her again and that made all the difference. The thought alone of buying little socks and booties once more nearly brings her to tears, but she holds them off long enough until she can know for sure.
Her pacing stops. Her hands bracing themselves against the cold sink as she looks at herself in the mirror. With one deep breath she grabs the test and flips it over..... negative.
She stares at the single pink line for a long time, trying to wrap her head around it. It was negative, there was no baby on the way. Her brow furls as she lowers herself to edge of the tub when there's a knock on the door but it sounds so terribly far away.
"....Snow?"
She blinks rapidly as her eyes shift down. David is squatting in front of her with his warm hands on her thighs, she hadn't even registered that he'd come in. She manages a shake of her head as quiet unwanted tears cloud her vision, her voice reduced to soft whisper. "....I'm sorry..."
"Shhh, don't even say that."
"I thought-.... I thought for sure I-..."
He leans forward and kisses her forehead, one of his hands taking the test strip from her and tossing it in the trash without a second thought. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not upset, not even in the slightest. This just means we get to keep trying for our New Year baby." With his thumbs he wipes her cheeks clear of the falling tears. "Besides, I'm not letting you off the hook that easy."
His words pull a weak scoff from her, the corners of her lips curling into the beginnings of a smile. Both of her hands lace around his face as she kisses him with a whisper. "I love you, Charming."
"And I love you, Snowbell."
The pair of them dismissed the morning setback, trudging on into the weekend filled with errands around the farm. But something kept nagging at Snow. She'd thought for sure the test would have come back positive, the only other times she'd experienced dizzy spells like that was when she had been pregnant. Had it just been a fluke? Was it just an off day? She begins to reason with herself, reminding herself that she had in fact skipped breakfast the other morning before jetting off to the school.
Yes, that was all it was, it just had to be. Or maybe it was because she hadn't had her usual coffee... yes, perhaps it was the lack of caffeine, it must have been it. After all, it would explain the headache she'd had that afternoon. Whatever it was, or had been, was just a one off. No more skipping breakfast and coffee, she decided.
But just over two weeks later, it came back. Visited again by the same sudden onset wave of symptoms.
It was the first day of Spring break and she decided the house needed a good cleaning that couldn't wait another minute. David was off at work, Neal was captivated by his building blocks in the living room and now Snow had all the time in the world... or at least she did for the next ten days. She slid the kitchen table over and mopped the floors from there into the foyer and down the hall, relieved that she didn't have to worry about her husband tracking in dirt and her floors could actually dry clean. Even Wilby was on his best behaviour as if he knew his life depended on it, laying steadfast beside Neal on the otherside of the babygate. Surveying her work, Snow gave a grin and nod as she checked the time. It wasn't even ten in the morning and she was already on a roll.
As the kitchen and hallway dried, she went upstairs to seize the opportunity to strip the beds while there wasn't an 18-month old or dog constantly at her feet. Making a nice pile of sheets and pillowcases next to the towels, she sorted the laundry. Turning to head back down the stairs, she makes the corner and out of no where she's hit with another round of dizziness. Now is when the panic sets in. She had a little one down stairs sitting alone in the living room, the back door was probably unlocked, and of course her cell phone was sitting nice and safe on the kitchen counter.... and here she was about to drop into oblivion. The laundry basket tumbles down as she reaches out and grabs the nearest wall she can get her hands on, sinking to the floor before she can topple backwards. She knows she can't attempt the stairs, she'd probably just end up seriously injured if not accidentally killing herself.
With her hand sliding along the wall, she lays back against the floor and props her legs up. Deep breaths in her nose and slowly released through her mouth help her hold on. There's no way she can justify the symptoms this time around. She'd had breakfast earlier that morning with David before he left, she was on her second cup of coffee, and she knows for sure she's not pregnant...nothing was making sense and it was starting to upset her. Great, just another thing she had to add to her list of worries; a list that she had no business adding to as it was already filled. And of course she'd have to tell David and make his own worry list grow. But it couldn't be ignored any longer. Something was wrong.
Eventually she's able to sit up and slowly make her way back down stairs, clinging to the banister railing as she went. She spent the rest of the day on the ground floor, making sure her phone was in her pocket.
That evening when David came home he noticed his wife wasn't herself. She was quieter and seemed to be almost avoiding his gaze. Yet as soon as Emma showed up with Killian for dinner that night, Snow snapped out of it and was back to her usual self. All night he watched her, waiting to see if her demeanour changed and most of the night she kept up appearances...but she let the mask slip for just a second while stepping back into the kitchen. David was with her, carrying bowls of salsa when he watched Snow pause at the sink. One of her hands went to her head, rubbing the side of her temple with her eyes tightly shut.
Something was wrong.
Emma and Killian stuck around for a little while after dinner. David and Killian stepped outside in the cool air as Emma sat with her little brother, reading to him while Snow wiped down the table. She couldn't help but beam whenever she saw her daughter bonding with her son. Snow flings the kitchen towel over her shoulder and leans against the archway of the living room, smiling like a fool as she watched her two children. She had to admit she was a little worried before Neal was born. There was a bit of tension between she and Emma and she was worried that after she gave birth that the tension would grow; that there would be a permanent wedge between the two of them. But thank the heavens for Regina, one stern lecture from her had Emma checking and changing her attitude.
And as the Charmings stood on their porch waving goodbye to Emma and Killian, Snow can't help but voice her desires again. "I want another baby." Arms wrap around her, with a kiss landing against the side of her cheek as the Sheriff's car drives down the road. Her hands wrap around her husbands forearms, holding them to her. "I want another one." She whispers again to herself, giving one of his wrists a tickle.
The Shepherd chuckles with a nod, squeezing his wife closer to him. "We will."
"...David?"
"Mhmm?"
"Why do you smell like a cigar?"
He snorts with a shake of his head. "Blame the pirate."
Snow turns within his grasp and looks back at him. "He smokes?"
"Apparently only on occasion. Tonight being one of them."
His wife arches an eyebrow as she's only half surprised at this news. "Well, do me a favour and make sure his habits don't become your habits."
David smirks with a nod. "Don't worry, there's not even the slightest chance of that happening."
"Good, now go shower. I don't want our clean sheets smelling like that." She slaps his thigh before giving him a quick kiss but his arms wrap tighter around her, not letting her escape and causing her to look back at him. "...What is it?"
"Talk to me, Snow. I've known when there's something bothering you."
"I'm fine, David. Just a little tired after today."
"Snow."
She takes a deep breath as her soft smile slips away. Stepping in closer to him, her arms wrap around his back as she lays her head against his chest. For the longest time she doesn't say a thing... only the sound of crickets and some far off hoot from an owl interrupting the silence. "......it happened again." She finally confesses, her arms tightening their hold as if she may slip away.
"What happened again? The dizziness?"
Her dark waves gently move as she nods her head, then tilts up so she can look at him. "...I was upstairs doing the laundry and almost blacked out." She watches as his brows wrinkle for just a second. "If something had happened to Neal while I-..."
David stops her when her voice cracks, pulling her into him and feeling her gently shake under soft crying. Without letting her get in another word he swoops down, picking her up to cradle her to his chest and her arms wrap around his neck. "Everything is going to be okay, but tomorrow I'm taking you to see Doctor Whale." He feels her nod against him as if she had already resigned herself into making that exact same plan.