POV Series: Companion Piece: Tears
Summary: Charming, Snow, Emma, and Henry share the different times and types of tears they have cried throughout their lives. Mr. Gold has a guest appearance at the end.
Charming-
He couldn't really remember the first time he had ever cried. Surely as a baby and young child, he must have cried several times, but he had no true memory of any of them. Growing up, his father had instilled in him the idea that tears were a sign of weakness. So though there had been several times in his life when he felt like crying- the night his father died, the day he found out that he had a twin brother who was dead, the day he said his final goodbye to his mother and embraced his new life as Prince James- his eyes, though filled with pain, always remained dry.
Then came the day when he raced on his horse through the forest, desperate to reach her in time yet knowing he was already too late. He cautiously approached her glass coffin that was surrounded by the dwarfs who loved her as her family should have. Seeing her lying there unmoving, not breathing, had been like every other pain-filled moment magnified a million times.
His voice cracked as he begged the little men to remove the lid and the tears flowed freely and unashamedly- for without her what did it mater if he was thought weak?
Snow White awoke at his kiss and the pain gave way to a happiness he had not known was possible.
He had foolishly believed that he could never be happier than the moment Snow became his wife. Even overshadowed by the Queen's wicked display, he still believed that day to be the happiest of his life.
And then, Emma was born. And for a few brief moments he had held the entire world in his arms. The first tear was shed from the overwhelming joy and happiness that threatened to explode within his heart, the second tear was shed from the horror and sorrow that came with the realization that those few brief moments was all they would ever have.
Finally, he fell to a mortal blow from this enemy's sword. Lying on the floor he could see the wardrobe where he had placed Emma seconds before they found him.
The rough punch of the henchman and the crunch of the wood as it splinter felt like a physical hit to his chest and though he struggled to breathe, his entire focus was on keeping his eyes open- watching out for his Emma.
The wooden barrier broken away, he had a clear view of the emptiness inside.
The magic had worked. She would be safe, and maybe one day they would be together again.
The last tear he shed, was from hope.
Snow-
She was no stranger to tears. Growing up as a precious treasured princess who's mother had died much too soon, tears came easily and often. Her father was great at soothing the hurts and turning the sobs to laughter.
The loss of her father had the tears running non-stop for days. Everyone tried to console her. Even her stepmother, who had never shown her anything more than slight tolerance, seemed unusually sympathetic.
Of course, that was ruined when evil woman tried to have one of her men kill Snow in the forest. Tears had saved her life then.
She had cried tears from fear as she ran through the woods trying to out run him. It took falling three times before she realized that she would never be able to escape him.
The fear turned to acceptance as her death became more certain. She cried as she wrote her last letter, begging her stepmother to be content with her death and not punish the people. Her tears and words moved the heart of her enemy and he let her go.
The second time she came so close to death had tears as well, but the sight of her beloved's face as she finally opened her eyes wiped away the memory of the hurt.
Happy tears, she discovered, were her favorite.
It had been everything that she could have possibly dreamed of. A wife. A mother. A few glorious moments until the Queen had upheld her promise of destroying every shred of happiness that she held dear.
As she held her daughter in her arms for the first time, she knew in her heart it had to be the last.
“The wardrobe. It only takes one.”
She could see her husband did not understand what she was trying to say, she swallowed hard:
“You have to take her. You have to take the baby to the wardrobe.”
Snow watched the realization dawn on her husband's face. She knew that it was a terrible thing to suggest, but it was the only way to save her newborn daughter from the pain that the Evil Queen's curse would undoubtedly unleash at any moment.
“We have to give her, her best chance!” she pleaded.
She watched as Charming finally agreed and, with one parting kiss, her baby girl was gone. The magnitude of what had happened hit Snow full force. She wasn't entirely sure when they had started but the tears for the loss of her child were streaming down her face as she collapsed on the bed.
The sound of fighting in the nursery was enough to bring Snow back to the present. Though she had only just given birth, she knew that she had to make it that short distance down the hall to see what was happening; to see if her baby girl had escaped. As she forced herself off of the bed, the pain shot through her entire body. It was tears of determination that consumed her now. She made her way down the hallway as quickly as she could until she reached the nursery.
“No!” she gasped as she saw the almost lifeless body of her husband surrounded by the wood that had meant to protect their daughter, “please … please … come back to me.”
Her grief turned to joy for only a moment. Five little words spoken and then he was gone. Her husband. Her daughter. Gone. She sobbed over his lifeless body, the heartbreak more obvious with every tear she shed, until the curse removed any trace of the tears that had fallen that night.
Emma-
She had cried quite a few times in her twenty-eight years. The earlier years were mainly from loneliness and hurt of never truly belonging anywhere or having a real family that loved her.
There weren't many tears in her teen years, at least not ones that she allowed anyone to see. Tears were silent and saved for nighttime when most were sleeping and she had nothing to distract her from the loneliness and hurt that she would never outgrow.
She was eighteen when her tears finally saw the light of day. She cried many from the pain and exhaustion of bringing her son into the world. Then they turned into an expression of her wonder at the realization that someone as damaged and dirty as she, could give life to such a beautiful creature. The tears soon became ones of grief and loss as she had to say goodbye and hand this wonderful thing that she had helped make over to someone else to raise. For surely if she had tried to keep the boy he would end up as broken as she was.
When her son, Henry, suddenly thrust himself into her life and pulled her into his, she found herself telling him of the loneliness and hurt of her life. The tears she cried begged him to understand that she did it because she loved him. And the answering ones in his eyes told her that it was okay. He understood and he loved her too.
Since Henry entered her life she has felt fulfilled and complete. Things aren't perfect and they have a long road ahead of them but for the first time in her life Emma smiles in the dark of night because that is when the hope comes. Hope that something even better is waiting for her and Henry just around the corner...
Henry-
Throughout his life, he has cried more than anyone he has ever known. So fragile was his heart and so lonely was his life that the tears came easy and often. His mother told him that crying means he's weak, but Mary Margaret said that tears come from love and that love is never weak.
He cried tears from the loss of friendship when he started Kindergarten and his best friend remained in preschool.
He cried from pain and fear when his mother slapped him for asking the question that any kid in his predicament would ask, 'Why am I the only one, the only thing in this whole town that ever changes?'
He cried tears of hope when it was revealed to him that the woman who called herself his mother was lying. He had a different mother. A real mother. She was out there, somewhere, he would find her.
He cried tears of despair when nothing he tried worked. No matter where he looked, who he asked, what he did, he couldn't find her. It was not allowed.
Henry sank into a well of misery and was almost content with the only plan he had left. Give up and just die.
But then she gave him a gift. Mary Margaret saw his hopelessness and passed the beautiful book filled with classic stories of hope to the lonely boy she felt such a strong connection to. As he read each treasured tale the tears fell freely. He was awed by this gift, this guide that was the answer to all of his questions. Why he was the only one who ever changed. Who these people, trapped in time, were that surrounded him. It even gave him a name. Finally a starting place. The name of his mother. Emma.
He found her, believing all of his problems were solved. But she wasn't ready yet. And soon they were arguing out in the cold sitting in his castle. His refuge. He tried to make her understand how horrible his life was, but then she revealed how horrible her own had been.
She cried as she told him. And he remembered Mary Margaret's words. Emma's tears told him that she loved him. Something he already knew, but still he treasured the proof that was held in each salty drop that rolled down her face.
He would just have to be patient. And more tears would come, proof that he loved and that made him strong.
Mr. Gold
He watched them all from afar. This family that was slowly finding their way back to one another. The gift of fore-sight he had possessed in his previous life had followed him to this one. And though he was manipulative, conniving, and clearly had his own agenda, even he was touched enough to shed a tear at the vision he saw of their future. That far off day when those four individuals would look at each other and recognize who they really were. That they were a family and they could finally be together and happy.