That Retched Undergarment

***

"Mom, you already asked ten times and I've already answered: "we'll be fine!", Emma groaned, looking to her father (who was standing at the door ready to leave) for some help with her argument and earning an understanding eye roll. "And besides, it's only one night. Kid and I have everything we need, and I'm not five years old anymore; if we run out of anything I'm not incapable of going to the shops", she giggled. There was an awkwardness at the unspoken fact that Snow wouldn't know how capable or incapable Emma would have been at age five. Emma didn't mean it in that way, of course, but the fact remained, and David seemed to notice the hurt he knew only he could identify in Snow's eyes, so he quickly intervened by snaking his arm around his wife's waist and, after pecking a quick kiss on Emma and Henry's foreheads, practically dragged Snow out the door with a "don't stay up too late!", and the door to the small apartment banged shut. David giggled at Snow's attempts at escaping his grip, clearly desperate to run back in and double check for the one hundredth time that their daughter had enough food to last Her and Henry the night. "Relax, Snow", he told her, pressing his face to her ear, "stop stressing; Emma and Henry will be fine. C'mon, this is supposed to be our night—not 'fret over other people unnecessarily' night" he reminded her in his most soothing voice possible. A giggle echoed out from inside the apartment which seemed to calm Snow a bit, her sense kicking in and making her realise—yes, this night was for Her and her Husband. There were no current threats from an Evil Queen or Peter Pan lurking over them —for now, at least. Emma and Henry would be just fine. She felt her own shoulders relax and she nuzzled into David's body as they made their way out onto the street. "Thank-you", she smiled. "For planning this, I mean. I think we could use this night" He tightened his grip around her waist to hold her tighter. "I know, but don't thank me until later" he smirked and smacked her ass, then managed to steal a quick peck on the cheek before she smacked him in the arm. "Charming!" she gasped, unable to hide her giggles as she clasped his hand with her own. They both laughed as they made their way along the streets, swinging their arms as they went. It was evident to both of them that this would be a good night.

She loved the smell of horses, as did He. It reminded them both of carefree days before their troubles began. But it reminded Snow not only of her days as a princess, of a strange woman who saved her life out of the good of her heart, but also of her days as a bandit—running from the same woman. Charming thought of his days as a shepherd, but he also thought of his days outrunning an Evil Queen and a vengeful King. No matter bad memories or good memories, neither minded revisiting them, because at least in the bad memories, they had each other. They would spend days on horseback venturing through treacherous forests and hilltops to escape their fates—but it didn't matter. They had each other, if only for short times. It was evident on both of their faces they were remembering these things as they mounted the borrowed horses. Charming smiled at his wife and reached across to give her hand a tight squeeze before he gathered his reins and winked. "You ready?" he asked. "Question is, are you?" Snow replied enthusiastically before winking back and galloping off so fast he had no time to reply, and she was out of sight before he had time to even gather his thoughts. He should have known she would make a game out of their little trek. He giggled to himself as he took off after her, planning on finding her, as he always would.

He did find her in the end—she had stopped to take a break and was now on foot, crouched at a nearby tree rummaging in her satchel looking for something to drink. Charming saw this as an opportunity, and crept as slowly as the hooves of his horse would allow behind her, grabbed the reins of her horse, which she had carelessly left standing, and took off with it. He was roaring with laughter to himself as he heard Snow's screams of protest get quieter and quieter as the distance between them grew greater and greater. He knew that if she was in his shoes, she would take this round of their little game to the full, so he decided he would too. He was going to make her walk back to the stables. It wasn't too far, and he knew fine well his Bandit could handle it, so he made his way back and waited for her at the start of the trail. She did make it back, of course. She was trying to keep an angry expression on her face, but she failed miserably and burst with laughter, the smile lighting up her face an infectious one, making David grin back as he ran to embrace her. They crashed into each other in an explosion of laughter and energy, David lifting up his wife and spinning her around. "Okay, you got me there. Well played, Charming"