CHAPTER ONE
the life of alan milne
　

THE BRONZE BELL ABOVE THE DOOR OF GRANNY'S CHIMED AS ALAN MILNE STEPPED OVER the threshold of the homely establishment. With a newspaper hooked beneath his right arm and a pair of reading glasses settled against his chest, the man took a quick look around the room and bid those he knew a good morning before taking his usual place at the counter, sliding onto the stool that may as well have his name on it, seeing as it's where he sat every single morning to enjoy a steaming cup of coffee and a delicious plate of breakfast.

Just as he got settled down on the stool and unfolded the newspaper to begin reading what the Daily Mirror editor Sidney Glass had to say today, a steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of him, which brought a smile to his face. He followed the bright red fingernails that rested against the countertop up to the person's face and offered his best friend a polite smile. "Morning, Ruby. Thanks."

Alan grabbed the cup of coffee and brought it up to his lips, smiling in satisfaction when the taste of honey exploded off his taste buds. He knew that to anyone else honey would be a strange request to have mixed into your morning coffee, but, at least to him, the beverage tasted far too bitter without its sticky sweetness.

A hum of satisfaction vibrated in his throat, causing Ruby's nose to wrinkle in disgust. She leaned up against the counter and shook her head as she watched him take another sip of the honey-infused cup of coffee. "I will never understand your love for honey."

"Hey," Alan said defensively for the sweet treat that he has loved for as long as he can remember. He placed the cup onto the counter with a growing smile. "Don't knock it till you try it. Honey is but the cure for happiness."

With an amusing chuckle and a shake of her head, Ruby pushed herself away from the counter. "You need honey rehab," she teased, causing him to laugh softly. "The usual, then?"

"Please," Alan nodded, and thus Ruby was off to place his order of two pancakes with a side of bacon to the chef in the kitchen. He looked down as she left and began reading the morning paper while occasionally sipping the sweet-tasting coffee.

Just as he was finishing the first paragraph of an article on the front page, which contained news about a development on the west end of town, the bronze bell above the door chimed and a familiar voice spoke his name.

"Oh, Alan, thank goodness!" He recognized the raven-haired woman as Mary Margaret Blanchard, a teacher that worked down at the school. Her cheeks were flushed a shade of red, a sign she had hurried to get here. He wondered why. "I was hoping to catch you before you left."

Alan offered the woman a polite smile as he reached up to remove his reading glasses, placing them down on the countertop near the newspaper he had been reading. "What can I do for you, Mary Margaret?"

"I was hoping that maybe, if your schedule isn't too busy, that you would come by my classroom today?" She asked with a hopeful smile. "The hinges on one of my windows have broken and the children and I could use a nice breeze every now and again. I would fix it myself, but I don't even own a toolbox, to be honest with you."

"Sure," Alan nodded, knowing that he could easily fit in a trip to the woman's classroom this afternoon. "I have some other appointments today, but I can drop by around noon and take a look at the window then."

Mary Margaret sighed in relief. "Thank you so much, I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Alan replied.

The woman then checked her wrist watch and her eyes widened at the time. "Oh shoot!" She jumped up from the stool she had taken a seat on. "I have to get going before the kids start school without me. Have a good morning, Alan. And thank you, again."

"It's no problem," Alan called after the woman as she raced out the front door so she wouldn't be late for work. He shook his head and smiled lightly as he watched through the window as she took off in a run down the sidewalk, before he turned back to his morning newspaper and continued reading.

　
IT WAS ONLY A COUPLE WEEKS ago that Snow White had been poisoned by an apple and stored within a glass coffin, cursed to remain in a death-like slumber forever. But true love's kiss from Prince James had shockingly awakened the woman. Now the couple stood at a wedding altar together, surrounded by the people of their kingdom.

Christopher Robin had been invited to the wedding through his best friend, Red. He didn't know the couple well, only having met them a handful of times, but since Red was good friends with Snow White, he tagged along to celebrate the new marriage with the rest of the happy kingdom.

The bishop, having just finished with the groom's vows, turned to face the bride with a smile spreading acress his aged face. "And do you, Snow White, promise to take this man to be your husband, and love him for all eternity?"

Snow White beamed. "I do."

The bishop smiled, glancing between the couple with clasped hands. "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Grinning happily at each other, the newlyweds met halfway in a loving kiss to seal their marriage, and the crowd erupted with cheer. Christopher nudged his best friend when he noticed Red shed a tear. Ruby rolled her brown eyes when she saw the teasing expression on his face before she reached up to wipe the tear from her cheek and watch how happy her two friends looked on their wedding day.

Everyone was so happy for Snow White and James, but when the doors suddenly burst open and the Evil Queen emerged from the hallway, the entire room grew silent as she flashed her signature sinister smirk at them. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized while dispelling the guards that charged at her with weapons.

Christopher exchanged a worried look with Red, who reached out and grasped his wrist out of concern for what may follow the Evil Queen's unexpected arrival. Then, instinctively, his other hand flew towards the dagger on his hip, gripping the pommel firmly.

Snow White's jaw clenched, her cheeks flushing with anger. Of all days, her step-mother had to ruin this one. Her wedding day. With flared nostrils, she reached out and drew her husband's sword from its scabbard and pointed it toward the Evil Queen. "She's not a queen anymore! She's nothing more than an evil witch!"

"No, no, no, don't stoop to her level, there's no need," James spoke calmly, fingers reaching out to cover his wifes on the pommel of the sword. Slowly, he lowered her hand, and the sword with it. "You're wasting your time, you've already lost. And I will not let you ruin this wedding."

"Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything," the Evil Queen said. "On the contrary, dear, I've come to give you a gift."

"A gift?" Red whispered from beside Christopher. He glanced at her and shrugged before they both turned to watch the Evil Queen, silence falling over them once more.

"We want nothing from you."

"But you shall have it," the Evil Queen insisted, not giving her step-daughter or her new husband a choice in the matter. A smirk appeared on her face as she eyed the newlyweds and all their wedding guests. "My gift to you is this happy, happy day. For tomorrow, my real work begins. You've made your vows, now I make mine. Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love, will be taken from you. Forever. And out of your suffering will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness, if it is the last thing I do."

Without another word, the Evil Queen turned around and left, the dark skirt of her purple and black dress sweeping across the floor in dramatic fashion. But she didn't get very far before King James stepped forward and bellowed out an outraged Hey! that brought the woman to an abrupt stop.

The Evil Queen turned at the sound of his voice and King James glared before throwing his sword with a powerful thrust of his arms. It flew toward her almost in slow motion, and the entire room grew still as they waited in anticipation for the Evil Queen to become impaled by the weapon.

Christopher's breath hitched in his throat as he watched a cloud of purple smoke appear out of thin air and envelope the Evil Queen before disappearing completely. In the absence of the smoke was not even the sword James had just thrown, only the ominous feeling that remained and the chill that slithered down Christopher's spine, for he knew that the Evil Queen would be back soon to fulfill her promise to them all.

　
ALAN MILNE FINISHED UP all of his morning appointments rather quickly and arrived at the school about twenty minutes after noon to fix the hinges on Mary Margaret Blanchard's classroom window. He listened to the raven-haired woman teach her students as he worked and was unable to keep the small smile off his face.

The way Mary Margaret interacted with the young children and made them become so invested in their schoolwork warmed his heart. He could tell even by only being in the classroom for about fifteen minutes now that this group of children adored their teacher just as much as she adored them.

"As we build our birdhouses, remember what you're making is a home, not a cage," Mary Margaret spoke as she walked between the desks with a small, blue bird nestled in her hands. She gently caressed its neck with her thumbs, a gentle smile on her face. "A bird is free, and will do what it will. This is for them, not us. They're loyal creatures." She paused at the open window near Alan and extended her hand out, allowing the bird to flap its wings and fly toward the birdhouse hanging on the tree outside. "If you love them and they love you, they will always find you."

The school bell rang after a lingering moment of silence during which the woman stood there smiling at her students, signaling that it was time for recess. Excited to go outside and play with their classmates, the students began to clean up their desk areas and head towards the exit.

"We'll pick this up after recess," Mary Margaret said. "No running!"

Alan smiled as he watched a random student walk right up to Mary Margaret and offer her a pear, which the raven-haired woman accepted with a bright smile. He moved away from the window, screwdriver in hand, and said to her, "You're good with them."

Mary Margaret lowered the piece of fruit onto her desk before turning to face him. "They're pretty great, aren't they?"

"Was this what you always wanted to do?" Alan asked, making causal conversation as Mary Margert started cleaning up the classroom. "Be a teacher, I mean?"

"Not always," Mary Margaret confessed. "Once upon a time, I wanted to work with animals. Birds, mostly. They are just such beautiful, peaceful creatures. I admire their freedom."

"So why didn't you?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess it just wasn't my true calling, after all. But this? Teaching?" A smile spread across her face. "I enjoy bestowing wisdom to their eager, young minds. Makes me wish I had one of my own."

There was a sad look in her crystal blue eyes that didn't go unnoticed by Alan, and he suddenly felt a pang of regret for bringing up the topic that had now led to her being single and childless. But thankfully she blinked and the sadness was gone if only replaced by a guilty expression.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, Alan," she apologized, suddenly feeling awful for saying she wished that she was a mother while knowing he had lost his wife and daughter several years ago. "I didn't meant to bring up such a sore subject for you."

Alan shook his head immediately and was quick to reassure the woman that what she said hadn't bothered him even in the slightest. "It's okay, really. I know what you meant by it. And I hope one day you do get to be a mother. I think you'd be really great at it."

She smiled. "Really?"

He nodded as he put the window back on its hinges. Wiping his hands on his flannel shirt, he moved to begin putting all of his tools away. "Well, there you go. One fully functioning window."

Mary Margaret crossed the room in an instant, stepping up to the window and unhooking the latch. She pushed it open and then pulled it shut with a smile. "You did it. Thank you, Alan."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Milnes is a very talented handyman," said a new voice riddled with irritation. The pair turned, finding the mayor, Regina Mills, standing with her hands on her hips. "Miss Blanchard, I'd like a word."

Alan nodded in the woman's direction. "Madame Mayor, how are you?"

"I would be a lot better if I could find my son," Regina snapped, causing his eyebrows to shoot up in surprise and then pull together in confusion. She then looked at Mary Margaret. "Where is he?"

The teacher frowned in concern. "Henry . . . I assumed he was home with you."

"You think I'd be here if he was? Did you give him your credit card so he can find her?" Regina asked, gesturing toward the blonde woman lingering in the doorway of the classroom.

Alan looked behind Regina, eyeing the woman for a moment. She was beautiful, with her honey-coloured hair and hazel eyes, but as he kept staring at her, he couldn't help feeling something stir within his chest. There was something about her that was different and he didn't know what that was, but it deeply intrigued him.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Mary Margaret asked, glancing at the blonde woman.

"I'm⎯⎯ I'm his⎯⎯"

"The woman who gave him up for adoption," Regina interjected.

Alan's lips parted in surprise and his eyes widened the slightest. Everyone in town knew that Regina had adopted young Henry Mills a little over a decade ago, but it wasn't exactly something that they talked about, especially in front of the mayor or her son. It was a sealed adoption and that was about all Alan knew about it.

"You don't know anything about this, do you?"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "No, unfortunately not." She reached for her purse, placing it on a desk and searching through it for her wallet, which, in fact, was missing a certain credit card. "Clever boy. I should never have given him that book."

"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?"

"It's just a storybook, Madame Mayor," Alan reassured. "I've seen Henry reading it at the diner from time to time. He seems rather invested in the stories."

Regina eyed the school teacher in suspicion. "And you just . . . gave him this book out of the goodness of your heart?"

Mary Margaret nodded innocently. "Yes. It's . . . it's just some old stories. As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it."

"What he needs is a dose of reality. This is a waste of time. Have a nice trip back to Boston," Regina said bitterly to Henry's birth mother as she twisted on her heel and walked out of the room, but not before knocking over a stack of books on her way out.

Alan scoffed and moved to help Mary Margaret pick up the books. Henry's birth mother bent down to help as well, glancing apologetically toward the school teacher while saying, "Sorry to bother you."

"No, it's . . . it's okay, I fear this is partially my fault."

"It's not your fault," Alan insisted. "You said Henry needed the book, and he clearly enjoys it a lot if I always see him with it at the diner. All you did was help a lonely kid, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"That's very kind of you to say," Mary Margaret said, her smile directed at the handyman.

"How's a book supposed to help?"

Mary Margaret put the stack of books they gathered from the floor on a desk as Alan moved to grab his toolbox. "What do you think stories are for? These stories? The classics? There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense."

Alan picked up his toolbox and headed for the door. "Well, I better get going. I've got more work to do," he exhaled, before glancing toward Henry's birth mother with curious eyes. "It was nice meeting you . . ."

"Emma."

"Emma," Alan smiled. "It was nice meeting you. I hope you find Henry. He's a good kid."

"Thanks again for fixing the window!" Mary Margaret called after him, and he gave a thumbs up over his shoulder in response as he walked out the door.

　
SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER King James and Queen Snow White returned from their honeymoon, they came together and decided to forge a council that consisted of their most loyal family and friends, royal guards, and even representatives of villages on their land to discuss topics regarding the kingdom that needed their utmost attention.

The council members got together on a somewhat weekly basis to discuss issues and come up with a solution to fix them. Today, they were talking about the Evil Queen and what she promised them at the royal wedding. They hadn't known what she meant at the time, but now they knew.

Seated along the round table were several of the council members and good friends of Snow White and James, including the former's sister, Princess Rose Red and her husband, Ser Aramis. Next to Aramis were a few of the dwarves, then Granny, Red, Christopher Robin, and lastly, Geppetto and his son, Pinocchio.

Christopher Robin was in no way a close friend of James and Snow White. The only reason he had a seat at the table and was summoned to a meeting from time to time, was because he acted as a representative for the people of the Hundred Acre Wood, which happened to be near the boundary of the Evil Queen's Kingdom. He wanted to ensure the safety of his home.

"I say we fight!" King James exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the table, and from beside Rose Red, the very pregnant Snow White jumped at the thud that echoed when her husband's fist made contact with the table.

"Fighting is a bad idea. Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything," voiced Jiminy Cricket.

"And how many wars has a clear conscience won?" King James retorted. "We need to take the Queen out before she can inflict her curse."

"Can we even trust that Rumplestiltskin is telling us the truth?" asked Doc.

Just a few minutes ago, James and Snow White had told everyone that when they went to visit Rumplestiltskin in his cell, the man told them that the Evil Queen intended to enact a dark curse that would destroy everyone's happiness. He also said that the only hope they had of defeating the Evil Queen was the baby girl growing inside of Snow White's stomach because the child was supposedly the Savior.

Christopher scoffed at Doc's words. "You're mistaken if you think otherwise."

"I've sent my men into the forest. The animals are abuzz with the Queen's plans," James informed. "This is going to happen unless we do something."

"There's no point. The future is written," Snow White said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began. Her voice was hollow, void of any and all emotion. And, apparently, Christopher Robin wasn't the only one to notice this either, as several others seated along the table glanced worriedly toward their queen as the expecting mother drew random patterns on her protruding stomach.

James shook his head. "No. I refuse to believe that. Good can't just lose!"

"Maybe it can."

"Snow," Rose Red tried, but before she could speak any further, James cut in.

"No." The King leaned down, tenderly cupping his wife's face in his hands. "Not as long as we have each other. If you believe him about the curse then you must believe him about our daughter. She will be the Savior."

Snow White said nothing in response. Then, suddenly, the doors opened up and the Blue Fairy fluttered inside with soldiers carrying a rather large tree trunk behind her.

"What the hell is this?"

"Our only hope of saving your daughter," the Blue Fairy responded in her usual soft voice.

"Our fate lies within a tree?" Ser Aramis said, voice laced with uncertainty.

Grumpy grunted an agreement, glancing briefly at Aramis. "I say let's get back to the fighting thing."

"Aye," Ser Aramis nodded.

"The tree is enchanted. If fashioned into a vessel it can ward off any curse." At this, the hope seemed to return as smiles graced the room. Even Snow White, who was void of all hope just moments ago, had perked up a little bit. "Geppetto, can you build such a thing?"

The man in question nodded and smiled, reaching down to ruffle his son's auburn hair as Pinocchio sat on the floor playing with some toys near his and Granny's chairs. "Me and my boy⎯⎯we can do it."

"This will work," the Blue Fairy said reassuringly to the uncertain parents, whose smiles had faded at this point. "We all must have faith."

A moment of silence passed, and the look of hesitance and guilt upon the Blue Fairy's face didn't go unnoticed by Rose Red. The blonde leaned forward, eyeing the fairy with narrowed eyes. "There is something else, isn't there? What is it?"

The Blue Fairy's lips formed a tight line as she nodded her head, dark curls speckled with flowers bouncing in confirmation. "The enchantment is indeed powerful, but all power has its limits. And this tree can protect only one."

Snow White's expression dropped and her heart fell with it. She smoothed a hand over her large stomach while visibly trying to hold back her tears. "But she can't be alone. She needs us. She needs both of us. We can't just abandon our daughter."

"I know," the Blue Fairy frowned. "Your daughter is going to be the Savior. The one that will save us all from the Evil Queen. So, she will have to be the one that we build the vessel for, not you and your husband. I'm sorry."

"No," Rose Red shook her head. "We cannot just separate them! They need to be together. A child needs their mother. There has to be something that we can do so that my sister and James can remain with their daughter."

"I'm afraid there is nothing that we can do," the Blue Fairy responded with sad eyes. "I'm sorry."

James perked up, an idea in his eyes. "What if we send Snow into the vessel while she is still pregnant? Will that work?"

The Blue Fairy thought about it for a moment. "The vessel is only powerful enough to hold one person, this is true, but there is always the possibility of a loophole. So, yes, maybe it could work. But we'd have to start making the vessel as soon as possible so we can test the theory."

All eyes rested upon Geppetto in that moment, and the gray-haired man gave a confident nod at the room. "I will do everything in my power to have it made before you give birth to your daughter, my Queen."

Snow White smiled gratefully, eyes shining with fresh tears. "Thank you, Geppetto."

"It is settled then," James said, rising up from the council table. "Geppetto will build the vessel and we will help him in any way that we can. The quicker it is done, the sooner we all will be safe." He glanced across at Geppetto. "Tell us what you need to get started and it will be yours."

a/n: well there you go, the first chapter! i hope you all enjoyed this first taste of alan and emma and are excited for their journey together! also, just to be clear, christopher didn't really know or was close with snow white and james in the enchanted forest because that would just be gross, them being friends and then falling for their daughter