Little Wonders

Author's Note:Just a little something I'm hoping for in season 3. Warning- fluff ahead! Enjoy!

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Living with Mary Margaret before the curse broke was easy. She cooked, cleaned, and never failed to fill the apartment with a warm, cheerful light, unlike her gloomy previous home in Boston that reeked of loneliness to match her own. The only cost to this agreement was half the bills, free protection (physically and mentally), donating a bit of relationship advice to her dear innocent friend, getting roped into watching sappy romance movies that she "accidentally" fell asleep during every once in a while, and the one night a week she was asked to mae dinner (she honestly tried, but her experiments ended up as a dinner for two at Granny's - her treat - more times than she would be willing to admit).

Living in a very confined space with Snow, who was just like her in nearly every way, on the other hand, was difficult.

Maybe it was their similar attitudes clashing, maybe it was just the stress finally getting to them, call it what you will. But stating that the two women "butted heads" every once in a blue moon was quite the understatement.

This particular disagreement had carried on a lot longer than the rest and took place in the cabin below the deck. If asked, more than likely niether could correctly state what started it, but man were they at it this time.

A steaming Emma had finally had enough. She hated fighting with her mother like this, but she also wasn't one to just give up an argument. Either way, she needed to cool down. She needed to escape. She turned, knuckles white from clentching her fists, and took one step up the ladder.

The fire was rising in Snow as well, but her daughter's actions sent her far over the boundary line. She was not about to let her revert back to her old method of dealing with conflict after she had come so far. She wasn't about to let her run again.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, Emma Ruth."

At first she thought it was the sternness in her voice. Then she retraced her thoughts and finally caught what had slipped out of her mouth that made Emma stop dead in her tracks. They both held their breaths until she was back on her ground level.

"When the hell did I get a middle name?!"

Snow tried not to notice that her voice had gone up two octives like it did when she was in her most fragile state. She gave a small shrug. "You've always had one, I think."

"Oh." was the only thing she could force out of her mouth.

They stood in silence for what felt like another twenty eight years. Snow finally found a seat on the bunk behind her and buried her face in her hands. She now knew for a fact that she crossed the line.

Or had she?

She peeked from the corner of her eye when she felt the bunk sink in beside her. She watched as she shuffled her feet uncomfortably, but breathed a little easier when she watched her expression soften.

"Ruth, huh?" she asked with a light chuckle. "I guess that's good information to know. And that was the first time I've ever been middle named for getting in trouble."

"Your foster parents didn't give you one?" She asked in surprise.

"No...where they supposed to?"

She grinned. "No, I just kind of assumed, since they gave you their last name and all."

"Nope." she shook her head. "I've always been 'Just Emma'." Her eyes moved from the floor to meet her mother's. "So who came up with it?"

"I did," she smiled. "You haven't heard Ruth's story, have you?" Her head cocked to the side, signalling her a no. "Well, Ruth was David's mother. Your grandmother. She was the kindest woman I've ever met, but I only met her once."

"Only once?" she asked.

Snow nodded. "Your father and I were in the midst of taking back the kingdom, and he decided that it was time for me to meet my future mother in law. That was all going according to plan, until Lancelot kidnapped me-"

"Wait, Lancelot as in the old buddy pal you were hugging before you knew he was Cora?"

"That's the one." She laughed quietly at her daughter's confusion. "Just bear with me; it'll make sense soon enough."

By the time her tale came to and end, Emma's positon had moved from sitting a few inches away from her to sprawled out on her stomach, almost childlike with her legs crossed in the air, one arm extended to the floor tracing figures in the dust, and the other supporting her chin as she listened to every word in awe.

She drew a long breath. "So, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have existed."

"That's right," Snow agreed. "Your grandma was has been looking out for you since before you were even concived."

"Wow." she whispered. She was at such a loss for words. She spent her whole life believing that not one soul in the world cared what happened to her. She was told by too many people to count on two hands that no one ever has and that no one ever will and she believed that for much too long.

But not anymore.

They were wrong. She had a whole kingdom that cared about her. She also has two parents that love her more than the sun and the moon. She even had a grandmother that willingly gave her life so that she would even be a possibility.

And that was a lot of love.

"I..I'm gonna go get some air," she said, standing up and starting off to the ladder. Snow nodded, still lost in a deep thought.

She swallowed hard. "Hey Mom?"

"Yeah?"

The slimmer of fear faded into a broad smile. "Thank you for telling me about her."

"You're welcome," she said, mirroring her smile, her smile to be exact.

Snow yawned and stretched and started to peel off her coat after Emma had disappeared into the upper deck. She stood up, wondering if her husband had thrown anyone overboard yet, when she noticed exactly ehat her daughter had been tracing in the dust and covered her open mouth with her hand.

Emma Ruth Swan.