Love in a Ruined World

True Aim

True Aim

Emma followed Snow along the path through the woods, resisting the urge to complain. Since the blackout, she had seen far more of the woods than she ever wanted to. These last two months without modern convenience had been hell for her and many others. She knew her parents missed things about this world too...she just wished they would show it sometimes. Instead, they put on a positive front for everyone, complete with hope speeches and a make the best of it attitude. And then there were the gooey looks they were always giving each other and the over abundance of PDA. Most of the time, it was sweet and endearing. She saw a lot of the remaining townspeople draw strength from her parents and their happiness, even in this situation, they did bring hope.

But the making out all the time and the eye sex was a lot for a daughter to take, even if she was secretly thrilled to have parents at all, let alone parents that actually loved each other.

All of the foster homes she was ever in, that wasn't the case. Usually the parents fought and screamed at each other. Most would call each other horrible names and in some there was even physical abuse. So learning that she actually came from a love like this, the ultimate true love that set the example for all others to follow, was both humbling and surreal.

"Is this completely necessary?" Emma asked, as they finally reached a clearing.

"Absolutely...especially now of all times," Snow replied.

"Your mother is right. As much fun as I'm having with teaching you swordfighting, using a bow is essential for survival. It's the only way to catch long range game," David added.

"I still have my gun," Emma reminded. He nodded.

"Yes...but eventually the ammunition will run out and it's not readily available anymore. Arrows can be made," he countered. She nodded.

"Can you use a bow?" she asked curiously. He smiled.

"I'm not as good as your mother, but I can hold my own," he replied.

"Don't let his modesty fool you. He can hit a moving target from more than a hundred feet away. He saved me once doing so," Snow said, as she shared a love filled look with her husband. Emma rolled her eyes. Great...more eye sex.

"Or maybe my heart was invested in making sure I didn't miss saving my future wife," he replied, giving her a charming smile. She looked coy.

"You didn't know I was going to be your wife then. I had just thrown you into a river," she reminded.

"Maybe...but I knew when you tried on my mother's ring," he countered.

"That's when you fell in love with grams...at the Troll bridge, isn't it?" Henry asked excitedly.

"Sure was, kid...I think it took your grams a little longer to fall for me though," he replied, as he looked fondly at his wife. She turned and threaded an arrow with her bow.

"Oh I knew then...I'm just better at denial," Snow said, as she let the arrow fly and hit the tree dead center.

"I'm really good at denial too...guess I know where I get it now," Emma commented, as she took her bow and threaded the arrow as Snow had taught her to. The raven haired beauty smiled at that, appreciating that her daughter would even want to compare them.

"Okay...here goes nothin' I guess," Emma said, as she aimed and pulled back the bow string. The look of concentration on her face made David draw a sharp breath, for despite her light colored hair, she was the spitting image of her mother in that moment. She let the arrow fly and it whizzed past the tree and landed on the ground. Emma's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Well I suck," she muttered.

"No, you do not suck. You should have seen me the first time I used a bow. I couldn't even properly extract an arrow from the quiver," Snow said.

"Your mother is right...I was a terrible swordsman at first, horrible in fact. But I learned and so will you," David added, as they shared a smile. Emma was bolstered a bit by their confidence and then annoyed by more eye sex. She threaded another arrow and aimed again. But this one too flew passed the tree, albeit nicking it slightly. Emma sighed in exasperation.

"If I can't hit a tree...then how do you expect me to catch game? Can't I just stick to my gun?" she asked. David chuckled and shook his head.

"No...but maybe you need a spotter," he said, as he and Snow shared another smile. Emma drew back another arrow and felt him standing behind her. He steadied her elbow and guided her arrow.

"When you're shooting a bow, you have to let go of your emotions. You won't hit anything if you're too upset," he instructed.

"He's right...just relax and find your target," Snow instructed. Emma blew out a breath and saw the spot where her mother's arrow was. With that, she let the arrow fly and watched in amazement, as it hit just to the right of her mother's. They smiled at her.

"You did it!" Henry exclaimed. Her surprise melted into a grin and she hugged him.

"Yeah...I did...thanks," she told them.

"You're welcome, but that's just the beginning. It gets harder when the target is moving," Snow said. Emma nodded, but was truly ready to learn. This was something she had never expected to learn, but it was a new world and if there was one thing Emma Swan was; it was a survivor. She had just never realized that her parents were also survivors and that she could learn from them. It was bittersweet and life as they knew it was forever changed. It was much harder and far more dangerous now, but they were finally together as a family. It was in a way none of them imagined, but it was still great, despite the ruin around them. Because just as brave could come from broken, love could also come from ruin...