#shes doing the bare minimum to survive which... is exactly... what Margaret did

[bluejaybytes]

Maggie is honestly probably the hardest of my OCs to talk about because she very easily can come off as like... lacking depth beyond she's DEPRESSED she's MISERABLE she has a TERRIBLE LIFE and EVERYTHING SUCKS, but in reality she has more going on and is also just in general pretty deeply personal. And even with that it's MY OC, who even cares if she WAS just nothing but a pile of depression and misery. It's my touys I can play with them how I want

[lilacmoon83]

Love in a Ruined World

Something a bit new tonight! I’ve been working on this one for a while. I will take prompts for this verse, as I attempt to get back to working on my short game.

This first one includes the POV’s for Snow and Charming, Regina, Emma, Gold, and Henry.

I think this concept has a lot of potential, so read, enjoy, and if there’s something you’d like to see pertaining to this verse, send me a prompt!

 This is AU directly after 1x22

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Love in a Ruined World

Snow and Charming POV

Snow White, who just moments ago, was simply Mary Margaret Blanchard, looked up at the man she loved more than anything. Who only moments ago was the man that had broken her heart. But none of that mattered any longer. They were Snow and Charming again and their love was stronger than any she knew. Whatever had happened during the curse was in the past. They would talk about it eventually, but then it would be left there, despite the bitter feelings she knew they both had about being forced to be with other people. No one had a choice during the curse, but now that time was over and it was a new day. She wasn't exactly sure what a non-cursed Storybrooke would look like, but she knew she could face anything with him by her side.

As it would turn out, the curse ending would mean the end of the world as well...literally.

If there was one thing Snow and Charming had learned throughout their lives; it was that life could change in the blink of an eye.

For Snow, her father dying turned her world upside down. As a girl, she loved her father and only saw the good side of him that adored her. But as she grew into a woman and looked back, she realized there was a darker side to him and that he was not the good man she once thought he was.

One day she was a Princess and the next she was a runaway living in the woods and fighting for her survival. Hope had nearly died inside her, until the moment she met a shepherd masquerading as a Prince, willing to fight for her and save her life from the Queen's soldiers and trolls.

For David, his life had also changed in the blink of an eye. One day, he was struggling to keep his mother's farm functioning and fighting to keep them fed. Poverty could create hopelessness, but he was always thankful he had his mother. When his mother suggested a marriage of financial benefit, he had refused. As good as it might have been for their farm, he insisted that true love was the one thing he could afford.

Then as a Prince, he learned that royals were brought up to marry for the good of their Kingdoms. True love was one luxury even they could not be allowed. But then he met a bandit, who didn't believe in love at all or even kindness supposedly. And yet she saved his life and tried on his mother's ring. And then he realized that the world was wrong about true love. That it was very rare and it was something that had to be fought for, even if it meant defying evil Kings and Queens and memory erasing potions and sleeping curses.

Yes, life could change in an instant, just as it had when the rainbow wave of magic swept over them. It was done; the curse was broken and with it, their real memories came flooding back. They found each other again and now they would find their daughter. They didn't know what an uncursed Storybrooke might look like, but they were anxious to know.

Unfortunately, that's when everything changed again and this Land Without Magic they had come to would change in the blink of an eye again. Whatever had been raging outside their town before the curse was broken had finally reached them. It was probably a saving grace that it had held off long enough for them to get their memories back. If it hadn't, they were both certain that there might have been more deaths in the beginning.

Reports of what had actually happened were slowly trickling in, as radio waves were the only form of any long distance communication left. Something had caused a worldwide blackout. No more electricity anywhere. Cell phones and cars went dead and the Internet was once again a pipe dream. The world had been blasted back centuries in a matter of days.

"Charming...what is that?" Snow had uttered that day, as they stood in the streets of Storybrooke, having just been reunited. He was seeing what she was seeing and could hardly believe his eyes. It was an airplane, falling through the sky, having probably taken off from upstate and now had no functioning power. He didn't say anything...he only grabbed her hand and they ran, as the plane crashed into the residential part of town. And jet fuel burned like a raging inferno.

Snow and David led efforts to put the flames out, as much as they could. The fire trucks no longer worked, but the hoses did. They pulled a few survivors from the wreckage, including Regina that day.

And in the blink of an eye, they faced an entirely new world. But they had each other and they found their daughter and grandson that day as well. That gave them hope; each other and those they loved. This was now a world in ruin, far worse than any cursed world any of them could imagine. Life was now about survival and they knew that they could only do so together.

Emma's POV

The blonde watched the couple with scrutiny. They looked like the same people she had known during the curse, but they carried themselves so differently. In the last two days, she had observed them fight for all of them in one minute and hold each other in tears the next. They were like two halves of one whole and so in love that it was surreal to her. She didn't believe in love; it had betrayed her long ago. But she had seen other things in the last two days that she didn't believe in either. So she supposed that if those were real, then maybe love was too. At least, their love was.

Two days ago, she had kissed her son goodbye and then watched him awaken miraculously. She had watched a rainbow wave burst forth and spread through the entire town. She had broken the curse, Henry had declared. She had just fought a dragon, so she figured that made sense.

And then in the streets, there they were. Her parents. Her parents. Mary Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan were her parents...no Snow White and Prince Charming. And she didn't know what she was supposed to feel about that. The way they had looked at her with such awe and reverence had taken her aback. No one had ever looked at her like that, with unconditional love in their eyes, except most recently Henry. It was too much. Her best friend and the guy that had hurt her were suddenly gazing at each other like that too. They were in sync in a way David and Mary Margaret never were. They took charge and carried themselves almost regally in a way David and Mary Margaret never could. But she didn't have time to process any of that, because that was the day the world decided to end...literally, like out of a movie or something.

The actual event had happened just before the curse was broken and the whole world had descended into chaos in a matter of hours.

The actual official account of what exactly had happened was unknown. They had been able to piece together accounts from a few radio broadcasts that were still going. Radio waves were the only technology that were still going. It was being called simply: the Blackout. A complete and total loss of all electricity in the world. Cars, computers, phones, and all modes of transportation were useless. Millions died instantly that day, just from plummeting aircraft around the world crashing into heavily populated areas all over the globe.

Then the curse broke, lifting the barrier around town, and exposing them to a world now destroyed. The town was already chaos with the curse breaking, but outsiders had invaded their borders; survivors likely coming from ruined cities and scavenging for whatever they could find. The end of the world brought out the savages first. They hadn't been prepared, especially Gold.

Crashing aircraft was not their only problem. The world had given way to complete and utter chaos, bringing violent people from the outside, traveling town by town, taking what they could, and leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

Three of them had trashed through town and Gold's shop had been the first target. Pawn shops usually had a lot of gold and that's exactly what they had gone for. Her mind was still reeling from seeing Gold and a woman named Belle cowering before three violent men. She had sprung into action, but it was David and Mary Margaret that had left her stunned. Before she could get a shot off, they had swooped in and taken the three down with a few well placed arrows and slashes of a sword. Ultimately, she knew they had saved Gold and Belle's lives, but the damage had been done.

Gold was a mess, as he anguished over the tiny smashed bottle containing a potion in which he had planned to use to bring magic to Storybrooke. A potion bottled from the hairs of her parents, true love literally in a bottle. But now it was gone and they were left in a world in an apocalyptic state.

There was no magic, no modern convenience, and no way back to the Enchanted Forest. While Gold was a bit lost at how to survive without magic, she felt that way with modern technology. But it was her parents that seemed to excel at such. As a former bandit and a shepherd that grew up very poor, they were both good at surviving on the bare minimum and keeping hope alive in them all while they did it.

Invaders and scavengers were still a problem, but they were far more organized than the rest of the world seemed to be with her parents at the helm.

Every major government in the world had collapsed and some violent factions had formed as a result. But each group that had come this way had met a strong resistance in Storybrooke, the little town that didn't exist on any map. Yes, life these days was hard and many had not adapted well.

Regina and Gold were struggling with everything, especially Regina since she was forced to rely a lot on Snow and David. Gold was withdrawn and shell shocked, despite having Belle back in his life. The brunette had confessed to her that it was because there was no magic and practically no chance of finding his son. To never taste magic again and find the reason he had wanted the curse cast in the first place was a devastating thing for him.

Henry seemed to take to everything well enough and her parents had taken to him equally as well. They were teaching him many things about how to survive in this new world and she was grateful for that. And even more grateful when she had allowed them to start teaching her as well. They all missed electricity and modern convenience fiercely, but her parents seemed to adjust to it best. Though she was beginning to think that those two could be happy in any situation as long as they were together.

Those whose homes had been raided and destroyed by the falling plane, if they had survived, were living in bunks they had set up at Town Hall or at rooms at Granny's Inn. Most of the mansions, including Regina's, had been destroyed by the falling plane. However, the loft was still livable, though it had been pilfered through by scavengers. It afforded a bit of privacy, even though the door was revolving most of the day, between them, the dwarves, Red, Granny, Regina, Gold, and Belle.

They split a lot of their time between the loft and Granny's, as both acted as makeshift headquarters. So it didn't surprise her that morning when her parents returned, carrying some game they had caught. Emma still wrinkled her nose that the sight, even if this is what had been keeping them all alive for weeks.

"Ah good...put them in the back. Red and I'll skin and cook them," Granny said, as David did as she asked.

"It will do for now, but many of the animals are dead and those that aren't are migrating further away from town," Snow mentioned, the worry clear in her voice.

"Yeah...we've managed to scavenge enough canned food and non perishables for now. But next winter...I don't know…" Red mentioned, sharing her worry.

"David thinks we should start migrating as well," Snow mentioned.

"He wants to leave town?" Emma interjected, gaining her mother's attention.

"Not far...but there are farms on the outskirts of town and beyond," she responded.

"The farmland...yeah, because growing food is the only way I see all of us surviving next winter," Granny agreed. Snow nodded. Emma knew they were right, but something about moving further away from town didn't sit well with her. Which was silly, since she had been ready to ditch it weeks ago for Boston. She heard the big cities were nothing but absolute devastation in the wake of the blackout. They had no real way of estimating just how many people were dead, but she knew it was billions. She wouldn't be surprised if it was over half the world's population, a true apocalypse in the most horrifying of ways. But she knew they were right. They had to grow food and find other fresh water sources if they were going to survive. And Emma wanted to survive, for despite the world being in ruin, she finally had a family. And she would be damned if she let them go without a fight.

Regina's POV

For Regina, as she clutched Henry's pillow to her chest, the world was truly ending. Her curse was broken and with it, her revenge. Her revenge had nearly lost her Henry and now she felt like he was lost to her anyway with no curse to keep everyone apart.

But then her worries of all that faded away, as she saw fire in the sky and then nothing but blackness…

Her first memory after that was pain and she wondered idly if this was hell. Had the town come after her and sent her there for what she had done? But no...the town had not done this, she vaguely recalled. There had been an airplane of all things, falling from the sky and down upon them with quick devastation. Then sometime later, she heard voices; the voices of her enemies. She was positive she was dead then.

"Charming...I found her…" she heard Snow cry out. And with that, strong arms were pulling her from her from the sheer wreckage of her mansion and placing her on a makeshift gurney. Then the woman she had enacted her revenge on was pressing a cloth to the gash on her head, as the Prince and the Sheriff lifted the gurney to carrying her away from the flames.

"Whale...she needs medical attention," David barked.

"You want me to treat her?" the doctor questioned.

"Yes…" Snow snapped. Yes, she supposed his callous nature would be a shock to her step-daughter, but then Dr. Frankenstein's moral compass was quite skewed, she knew. The look of disgust on Snow's face was one she wished she could enjoy, for she could see how repulsed Snow was that she had ever allowed the doctor to touch her during the curse. She wished she could enjoy that, but she didn't. Being with someone unwillingly was horrible. She knew this all too well. Being with someone when one isn't in their right mind was just as bad. And she had done it to them with a fake marriage and a one-night stand. Just to keep them apart and yet they still saved her life. She didn't know exactly how she felt about that.

The days ahead were hard...really hard. Regina had grown accustomed to a world with modern technology and its comforts. In the life before, as Queen, she had staff and servants to do the work and magic for everything else. But the end of the world had truly equalized all classes and she found herself struggling a bit with that. It miffed her more though that the two idiots didn't seem to be struggling much at all. They knew just what to do and how to take care of their little band of survivors. And they did it all while still making gooey eyes at each other. She was so ill-prepared for anything like this, but she still had Henry. She took heart at that, even if she had to now share him with his biological family. He loved them though and they clearly loved him. Snow and Charming were taking care of him and were the reason he was still alive. And though she loathed it, she had to be grateful to them both for fighting to keep them all alive in this burning world.

Gold's POV

It had finally happened. The Savior had broken the curse at last and now his real work would begin. Finding his son...he was so close now he could taste it. Until it was all snatched away from him again in a blinding flash. For all the possible futures he had seen, he had never seen this one. When that flying monstrosity fell from the sky, it ended many things, including his hope of finding Baelfire. He had thought at that point, at least if he could bring magic back, then he could fix it so he could still go look for him. Dead or alive, he still wanted to find him. But then that ended too when men from outside the town, from a world that had ended so abruptly, smashed their way into his shop. And like he had so long ago, he found himself cowering beneath them with Belle, pleading for their lives. His showcases were smashed, as gold and jewels and silver alike were greedily loaded into their sacks. But these were not men that left survivors. These were men that left death in their wake. It was a new world and these scourges intended to own what was left.

"Please…" he heard his voice plea, hating himself with every word uttered. The true love potion he had bottled lay smashed at his feet, thanks to these evil interlopers. Belle's eyes were wide with fear, as she faced down the barrel of a gun.

"Hey guys...should we take this one with us? I'd like something to keep me warm tonight," one of them hissed, causing more fear in Belle.

"Stop thinking with your dick and ice them," the other shouted, as they heard him cock the gun. Belle cried out in fear and hid her face in him, as he stared up at their assailant, absolutely powerless to do anything. Powerless...again. He was the Dark One, for the Gods sake, and yet he was at the mercy of cruel, feeble minded tyrants once again.

"Too bad...we would have had fun," he leered, as he prepared to shoot them. But a rustling behind him stole his attention and he turned just in time to see a blonde man spear one of his buddies through the chest and a beautiful raven haired woman put an arrow in his other friend's chest. He raised his gun, but his shock would be his undoing, for he wasn't fast enough. The man charged him, disarmed him, and then he knew nothing but a short pain before it all ended.

Rumple took grim satisfaction at these men's deaths, only sorry that he couldn't have caused it himself. He could scarcely believe it. His life had been saved by none other than Snow White and Prince Charming. Wonders never ceased, he supposed. But in this new world, this world of nothing and ruin, he recognized that it would be Snow and Charming that would help them all survive. Perhaps there would be a deal to be made later. Her certainly hoped so. He no longer had anything to offer anyone or hold over them. He loathed that with a passion and he remained in a state of shock for many days, despite Belle's presence. Snow White and her Charming prince still believed there was hope for them all. But Rumpelstiltskin didn't know if he could believe in hope anymore. He supposed the Charmings, as he affectionately dubbed them, might be able to have enough hope for them all though. It was an uncertain world with no magic or comforts. But there was still love, it seemed. Love...something he believed was weakness at one time. But now love...love might very well be the only thing that could save them; the only thing salvageable in an non-salvageable world...

Henry's POV

Since the moment Miss Blanchard had given him the book and he realized the truth behind it, Henry had craved adventure. But this wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Instead of awakening from the sleeping curse and celebrating the breaking of the Dark Curse, Henry found himself in a world not even he could have imagined.

Everyone remembered who they were, but it didn't seem to matter much now that the world was ending around them. It saddened him that many people, possibly half the town's population, was dead.

But his world still had hope. Both his Moms were alive and co-existing. They weren't fighting over him anymore and that made him really happy. And then there was his grams and gramps, who had taken to being called such far better than either of his Moms. He had taken quite well to them as well. He already had a good relationship with Mary Margaret and he found that Snow was even better. She was just as kind, but bolder and braver. Watching his grandmother shoot arrows and reading about her doing so were two very different things. He found himself in awe of her, for she was just as amazing as the stories said she was. Then there was Gramps. He was so sure of himself, so brave, and so patient in a way that David Nolan never could be. He was in awe of him as well and ecstatic when Charming had instantly taken him under his wing. He loved his Moms and grandma, but having a guy around to spend time with meant a lot to him, even in this destroyed world.

Henry began learning things that he was sure his Moms would have fought against if things had been different and the world wasn't burning. He was learning to hunt game and forage food from the land. He was learning to sword fight, even if it was just a wooden one for now. And he was learning to survive in a new world that was snuffing out life at an alarming rate. This was not a world of happy endings, but Henry still believed that someday, it could be again.

Snow and Charming

They had gotten rather lucky with the loft, she thought idly, as she placed a palm to his naked chest and rested her head there. She could still feel the perspiration on their bodies, as they lay entwined beneath the blankets. They still have a bed and the curtain around it. The loft still has most of its furniture, including the beds in the loft where Regina, Henry, and Emma were sleeping. There was a couch too that had seen better days and the kitchen table had broken legs, but they would fix that. Mary Margaret hadn't owned much jewelry, but they had taken what she had. Thankfully, her ring was always on her finger, for it was the only piece of jewelry she cared about. All in all, the loft had fared much better than most places, which were either destroyed or picked clean. Her modest home hadn't attracted the looters in the least. They were still afforded some privacy, despite the fact that it seemed their home had become a revolving door as sort of a home base. But they took the privacy at night when they could. The world might have ended, but it didn't change that they had been separated for twenty-eight years. They considered themselves lucky, despite everything. They had each other. They had their daughter and grandson. And they even had Regina, who was civil at best, but not ungrateful to them for all they had done in the wake of devastation.

"What are you thinking?" he murmured, as his lips trailed from her ear and down her neck.

"Mmm...that we're lucky in a very unlucky world," she breathed, as she lost herself in the sensations he was creating.

"The world is dying...but I feel more alive now than when I woke up," he confessed, as their eyes locked.

"Because you're you again and I'm me again," she replied and he responded by capturing her lips in a passionate kiss again. Hands roamed with new urgency and their bodies hummed. Desire and lust and love swelled between them again, as blinding passion and unspeakable pleasure consumed them again. The world was dying and there was no promise of tomorrow. But they were Snow and Charming again and whatever they would face would be done as they did everything. Together.