HOT CHOCOLATE

Echoes

John was heading down the street, sack of groceries in one hand – Granny had kindly offered to let him use the kitchen in the B&B since he was going to be a rather long-time resident; she had also given him a standing invitation to eat with her and Ruby. It wasn't an ideal set up, but it would work for now.

Louis had told him yesterday that Kathryn's lawyer was combing through the divorce paperwork with a fine-tooth comb, looking for some hidden catch, of which there was none. John had no desire or intention of hurting Kathryn any further than he already had. He just hoped that the lawyer wasn't doing this just to milk her for more money. As things currently stood, it was going to be a while before the divorce was finalized. He had only given Kathryn the paperwork yesterday and he was already wishing it was all over.

"John!"

He spun at the familiar, sweet voice.

Mary jogged lightly to catch up to him. He found a smile spreading across his face, as it always did when he saw her. "Hello, Mary."

"Hi," she breathed, staring at him for a moment, before she shook herself and a concerned look came over her face. "Um, Emma said that you moved out of your house?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Kathryn and I are getting a divorce."

Was that joy that flashed in her eyes before worry settled once more?

"I didn't know things were going badly between you two."

John shook his head. "Not badly, just nowhere." At her confusion he elaborated. "Our marriage never felt real to me. And I realized that I didn't love her. It was better for us to separate and move on."

"Oh," she said breathily.

Their gazes locked, the connection between them hummed. He felt himself falling into her eyes; it was so tempting to forget that his divorce wasn't yet finalized, and that he was still technically married. More than anything he wanted to bend his head, close the small space between them and kiss her. The pull was so strong, and somehow he knew that her lips would be soft and pliant, that her frame would fit perfectly against his, that she would taste of cinnamon and chocolate.

Their lips were inches apart when the blaring of a car horn jolted them back to reality.

Her head dropped, red flaring up her neck and cheeks.

John's heart was pounding and he could see Mary's chest was rising and falling much faster than usual.

She lifted her eyes a bit and realized that one of her hands had risen to grip his coat; she snatched it back as though burned, and if how he was feeling was any indicator for her, she may well have been.

He looked upward, swallowing hard, trying to rein in the galloping rate of his pulse.

Mary took a step back, though the air around them still seemed to crackle with electricity.

She cleared her throat nervously. "So, Emma said you were staying at Granny's?" Her voice was far too husky for the good of his control.

He nodded, swallowing thickly again. "Yeah, at least until I can find somewhere else to live." He quirked up a corner of his lips. "Though according to her there aren't any vacancies in town. She said something about a curse?" The joke eased the tension the slightest amount.

She squeezed her eyes shut with a half-laugh-half-groan. "Yes. The curse." She looked down at the sidewalk.

He raised an enquiring brow once she looked back up.

She took a deep breath. "Henry thinks that everyone in Storybrooke is a fairy tale character; that we have all been trapped here by a curse."

He should have been amused. He should have grinned and laughed it off. He should have shaken his head at the boy's extremely active and vivid imagination. But none of these happened. Instead he felt a nagging pull at the back of his mind, something demanding that he take it seriously. "Really?"

"Yeah." She looked down for a moment, the looked back up. "Except for Emma, apparently."

John cleared his throat. "So, who are you and I supposed to be?"

Their eyes were once again locked together; she didn't seem to draw a breath. She swallowed. "It – it's silly." It didn't sound like it was silly from her tone; her voice was far too thick and it sounded more like a weak protest.

He stepped closer, his heart racing; he swore he could see her pulse fluttering fast as a butterfly's wing in her throat. "Humor me," he requested, his voice low and horse.

Mary's lips parted. "I – I'm…Snow White…"

A soft voice echoed through his head saying tauntingly, "Because you don't want me to tell anyone who you really are…Snow White." He moved even closer, there was hardly any space between them now.

"You're…" she began.

"John! Ms. Blanchard!"

They both looked up at Henry's call to see him racing toward them, Emma following only a few steps behind.

Mary moved to step back, but he gently grabbed her arm with his free hand.

"Mary, who am I?" His eyes bore into her.

She lifted her eyes to his once more, took a deep breath and said quietly, "You're Prince Charming."

All the air left his lungs in a whoosh. There was a roaring in his ears. He could hear a voice, one very similar to Mary's but with a strength and confidence that hers lacked, say sarcastically, "Aren't you a real Prince Charming?"

"Hey!" Henry latched onto John's arm, breaking him from the spell.

John barely managed to work a smile onto his face, his heart was still beating far faster than it should and he was feeling a little light headed. "Hi, Henry. How's it going?"

Mary was smiling weakly at Emma who looked back and forth between them with narrowed eyes.

"Pretty good. Emma and I're going to Granny's; you guys wanna come?"

"Thanks, but I have to get these groceries into the fridge," he held the bag up in emphasis. "Another time."

Henry shrugged. "Ok. How 'bout you, Ms. Blanchard?"

She managed a more convincing smile. "I'd love to, Henry."

"Great!" The kid took off for the diner.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I swear, that kid has two settings: stop and go, go, go." She headed off after him. She stopped abruptly and turned back to them. "Are you coming, Mary?" she asked, concern coloring her expression as her eyes cut briefly to John.

"Yes," Mary called back. She turned to him. "It's good to see you, John," she told him quietly.

"You too, Mary."

They stared at each other for a moment; she gave him a small smile, which he returned, and she headed over to join her roommate.

He watched the two women go into the diner. His mind was still racing over what Mary had told him and the echoes in his mind.

What did it all mean?

So…those of you who asked for sexual tension between Mary and John…how was that? ;) Thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you think!

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