Flour Monsters And Jelly Handprints

by BombtasticSkittles

August discovers that there are harsher foes that a dragon or an evil queen. That foe would be a flour monster. This is flour coated fluff, and adorable children. Starring August, and his children Henry Conner and Annabelle. Read and Review, even if you hate it. Now a series of one shots featuring The Booth Family.

1. Chapter 1: Flour Monsters

Title: Flour Monsters and Jelly Handprints

Author: BombtasticSkittles

Rating: K

Word Count: 1,325

Characters: Emma, August, Henry

Authors Note: I own nothing, if I did would I really be posting on here? Owing Once is just a wonderful dream. I do own Annabelle and Conner though!

Henry 17 years

Conner 3 years

Annabelle 3 years

-Tap-Tap-Tap-

Emma never understood why someone bothered trying to be quiet, they always just made ten times the noise. The blonde glanced over to the bedside table, 4:15 am the alarm clocked glowed, the only source of light in the pale yellow room. It was early, to early. Who was making a racket in the kitchen before there was even a pre-dawn glow outside?

-Tap-Tap-Clang-

The sound of a metal cooking pan hitting the tiled floor resounded though the house. Emma groaned and rolled over, determined to go back to sleep.

Down in the kitchen stood a small group of people. One adult, a teenager, and two small children. The four of them covered in a dusting of flour and cinnamon. A giggle came from the smallest child, and small sticky hands covered her mouth.

"Annabelle shhhhs! Momma's sleeping." Conner whisper-shouted putting his hands over his sisters, only causing more giggles from the youngest child. August glanced down at his children and tired not to roll his eyes. He should have just sent them back to bed when the pair had snuck into the room he shared with Emma around 2 am.

He never had a chance against those big pleading green eyes he realized as he looked around the kitchen. There was an empty bag of flour on the floor, most of it scattered over the countertops and on the floor. A strange substance that resembled grape jelly had somehow found the ceiling and the door to the refrigerator, tiny purple handprints decorating the front of it.

The least coated was Henry, his hair deceivingly a lighter brown than usual from the previously full bag of flour. Pancakes only needed 2 cups, the other 6 were another story. "Baths?" the eldest leaned over and whispered into his step-father's ear, glancing down at the flour monsters that were his younger siblings.

August nodded in agreement and grabbed his little girl before heading to the first floor bathroom. Henry grabbed Conner before he could make a break for it, and headed upstairs.

"What did you get mommy?" August asked as he poured another bucket of water over his daughters brown curls. Promising himself to never let his children near flour again, it wasn't to bad when her hair was dry, but once he mistakenly added water into the mix, her hair was transformed into a goopy disaster.

Annabelle started to whine as her father started to work shampoo into her hair for the seventh time. Her water was starting to get cold, and her fingers were pruney. "No more bath daddy." She said putting her hand on his face, trying to plead her way out of the water.

"One more time baby." He said swishing the soap off of his hands and rinsing out a pale lavender wash cloth. "Eyes!" he said smiling as her hands flew up to cover her eyes with the cloth. August picked the floating bucket up, determined not be bested by flour and baby fine hair.

-Gurgle-Tap-Tap-

The clock in the room now read 5 am, the sun was beginning to rise, lighting the room though the thin curtains. Emma tried to flop onto her other side, but the need to pee out weighted her desire for more sleep. She pushed herself into a sitting position, the child growing in her womb getting bigger each day. It was nothing compared to carrying the twins, but she was still heavy with child. She ventured into the hallway still half asleep.

As she was exiting the bathroom, which had a suspiciously damp mat and bathtub, she was drawn down to the kitchen by the sounds of childlike mumbles and tiny feet.

"Mom!" Henry shouted right behind her, causing her to swing around, ready to kill her boy. "You can't be awake yet."

"Lily says otherwise, Why are you up? It's not noon yet." She said looking at her 17 year old.

He just rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath. Knowing that they were caught and the plan was ruined. "Annabelle and Conner give a pretty persistent wake up call. They're an alarm clock on speed with no snooze button."

Emma laughed and promised to stay in her room, until Henry told her it was okay to venture out.

-Tap-Tap-Tap-

By 6:30 the flour had been cleaned and the jelly scrubbed from the refrigerator. The twins were sitting on top of the table munching on toast occasionally bouncing from excitement. Their momma was going to be so surprised!

August took the plates holding pancakes that were a couple of hours old out of the oven, still warm from the low temperature it was set on. He switched the pancakes onto a cooler plate and sat them on a tray. "Ready?"

Dual bouncing curls climbed off the table and dashed up the stairs. August and Henry followed the pair after a moment. Annabelle and Conner looked about ready to explode with excitement as they stood outside of the door, the handle just out of reach. August set the tray down and peeked into the room. The light from the window making his wife's blond curls shine as they laid spread across the pillow.

He could tell Emma wasn't asleep, in fact she was trying too hard to look asleep, but that was completely lost on his children. The twins had apparently already worked out their plan. With Conner on the right, and Annabelle the left, there was no chance of escape for Emma.

Emma smiled as she felt her children crawl onto the bed, she had moved to the middle on purpose. As soon as they got close enough to wake her, Emma pulled the blankets completely over her head. Henry remembered this game, and it could go on for several minutes.

But today father and son intended to ruin the game. They quickly untucked the blankets from the foot of the bed and waited. They waited for that moment when Emma would laugh and her grip would loosen. It didn't take long. They took ahold of the blanket and pulled down as hard as they could. The blanket slipping from her grasp and falling to the floor.

With cool air touching her body she playfully threw a pillow at her husband and Conner, hoping to convince the young boy to lay still and give her warmth. Conner wriggled against his mother, far too excited for a nap. "Surprise Momma! Surprise!" He said squirming his way out of her arms and running over to August. Henry had gone into the hall and gotten the silver plated breakfast tray, walking over to his mother with a smile he sat on the edge of the bed before releasing her breakfast.

Happy birthdays were chorused through the room, different ages and voices making a beautiful melody. Life may be much more hectic than it was on her 27th birthday, but she wouldn't change her 34th birthday for anything.

Yes I purposely choose Emma's 27th birthday because I think that driving Henry back to Storybrooke would be mildly hectic for Emma. I will most likely be playing with these characters again, and the twins kind of demanded attention. Flour is incredibly hard to get out of long hair, by the way, I got into a flour fight with my best friend My-Sexy-Meagan (who also beta-ed this for me) before I cut all my hair off and it took almost a whole bottle of shampoo to get it all out. I made the same mistake as August and added water. Please review, even if you hated it, just be nice about it please.