Eleven year old Lily Nolan-Blanchard raced through the streets of her hometown, Storybrooke, Maine, towards her family's apartment. She had been studying in Belle's library and was running late for dinner. Again. She entered her building and scrambled up the stairs, bursting through the worn wood door of her home.
Lily was breathing hard as she almost collapsed onto the faded wood floor of her living room.
"Lily?" she heard her mother, Mary Margaret, say from the kitchen, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Lily stood up straight, "Why?"
"You look a little…disheveled," Lily's father, David, came over and readjusted the backpack strap that had fallen off of his daughter's shoulder, "Not that that's anything new."
"Aren't you funny?" Lily rolled her eyes.
"I'm just teasing," David smiled as he pulled Lily into him and kissed the top of her head.
"Yeah, yeah," Lily kicked off her shoes.
"Oh no, young lady. Take those upstairs to your room. I just picked up in here," Mary Margaret instructed.
"Yes, mom," Lily sighed as she scooped up her shoes and shuffled towards the stairs.
"You might want to hurry up, Lil," Mary Margaret smirked, "You want to be washed up and back down here by the time Emma and Henry get here, don't you?"
"Emma and Henry are coming to dinner?" Lily's eyes widened.
"Would I lie?" Mary Margaret chuckled, "David, come help me set the table please?"
"Of course, dear," David leaned down and kissed his wife.
"Hey! Your kid's still in the room you know. Yuck!" Lily teased before she ran up the stairs.
It was still another ten minutes before Emma and Henry arrived, but when they did, Lily was ready for them.
"Henry!" she said happily as she answered the door.
"Hey there, Auntie Lily," he chuckled. Henry was about thirteen years older than Lily, but she was still technically his aunt. He often called her that, too, only to tease her. Henry moved past Lily to hug his grandparents and Lily turned to Emma.
"Hiya, Em," Lily wrapped her arms around her sister, instantly comforted by the familiar feel of Emma's old red leather jacket that she's had for ages.
"Hiya, little sis," Emma smiled at her, "You giving mom and dad any trouble?"
"Only every day of our lives," David teased as he went to hug his eldest daughter.
"I'm not that bad, am I?" Lily raised an eyebrow at her father.
"Well, maybe not that bad. But still bad," Mary Margaret kissed Lily's temple and smiled at her before moving to hug Emma.
"It's okay, sis," Emma smiled at her, "I was trouble when I was your age, too."
"Yeah, yeah," Lily rolled her eyes once more, "Why are you guys being so mean to me?"
"Because it's fun to watch you get mad about it," Henry came up behind Lily and jabbed her in the back of her ribs, causing her to yelp and swing her arms back at him on instinct. Henry caught them easily.
"I'm impressed. Your reflexes are improving," Henry smirked at Lily.
"Takes after her old man," David said proudly.
"I don't know about that," Mary Margaret smirked at her husband, "After all, who was it who smashed your chin with a rock?"
"That doesn't count! You stole from me and I was caught off guard!" Lily watched her parents argue and smiled at the familiar story. It was one of her favorites, and her parents still always told her about how they met and all of their adventures back in the Enchanted Forest, Neverland, and in Storybrooke.
"With reflexes like those, you'll be able to handle a sword in no time," Henry winked at Lily, whose eyes lit up.
"Do you really think so?" Lily was ecstatic.
"Of course, princess," Henry teased, "You'll have to learn some day, right Gramps?"
"Only when she starts dating boys," David informed Henry, "Which won't be until she's thirty or so."
"Thirty? No way! I can't wait that long!" Lily whined.
"He's just teasing you, Lil," Mary Margaret laughed as she crossed the room and pulled her pouting daughter into her arms, "You hungry?"
"Yes," Lily immediately forgot about the sword and focused on her empty stomach.
"You're always hungry," David ruffled Lily's hair as he passed her on the way to the kitchen.
"Except when I'm asleep," Lily smiled at him.
The family enjoyed their dinner, chattering endlessly about current events in Storybrooke. Were any of Storybrooke's inhabitants giving Emma any trouble as sheriff? How was Lily doing in school? Did they think the weather was going to ever get warmer?
"So, Lily," Henry said as Mary Margaret and David cleared dishes of off the table, "Your birthday is in a couple of weeks, huh? The big One-Two?"
"Yeah," Lily looked down at her water glass. Her birthday. How could she forget? Normally she was excited, but this year she realized she didn't think of it as anything special, and she didn't really know why.
"Have you thought of any gift ideas yet?" Emma asked.
"Not really," Lily shrugged as she muttered into the table, "I guess I don't really want anything this year." It was strange for Lily to admit, but it was true. She would feel completely content with just a birthday card and a couple of dollars she could put in the piggy bank her parents kept for her on the top shelf of their closet.
"Well, keep thinking about it, promise?" Emma thought nothing of Lily's response, which she was grateful for.
"I promise," Lily smiled at her shyly. Emma smiled back and held out her little finger, which Lily latched onto with her own finger. It was something the girls had been doing practically since Lily learned how to say the word promise. Lily and Emma knew that they would never think to break promises to each other, but their ritual was and always would be important to them.
"Well, Henry and I should probably head out. It's getting late," Emma stood up and pulled on her jacket, "Thanks for dinner, guys." Henry stood and followed his mother's actions.
"Goodbye, you two. Thanks for coming over," Mary Margaret came out of the kitchen to hug Emma and Henry and walk them to the door. David followed her, but Lily settled for waving sheepishly from her place at the kitchen table.
When the front door clicked shut, David immediately yawned.
"It is getting late," David observed, "It guess it's probably time for all of us to hit the hay." David snuck up behind Lily, scooped her out of her chair, and threw her over his shoulder.
"Dad!" Lily said through a fit of giggles.
"Man, you're getting big!" David exclaimed as he headed towards the stairs.
"Wait!" Mary Margaret's voice got David's attention and he carried Lily back to where she was standing and leaned down so Mary Margaret could kiss Lily's cheek.
"Goodnight, baby," Mary Margaret rubbed her daughter's cheek with her thumb, "I love you."
"I love you, too, Mom," Lily smiled at her. Mary Margaret smiled back and ruffled Lily's hair before David continued towards the stairs.
"Permission to land," David said as he threw Lily down on her bed. Lily's room was special to her. Besides the fact that it was the only room that she had ever known, Lily's room had also once belonged to Emma, back when she had been living with her parents after the curse had first been broken. To Lily, this served as a connection between her and her older sister.
"Dad," she giggled some more, "I'm getting too old to be carried like that."
"Well, no matter how old you are, you're still going to be my little girl," David leaned over and kissed Lily's forehead. He started to head for Lily's bedroom door.
"Sweet dreams, Lil," he said, "Make sure you remember to brush your teeth."
"I know, I know. I'll remember," Lily smiled at her father.
David smiled back, "I love you, Lily."
"I love you, too, Dad."
