Aloha everyone!!! I am back at it with this new story!! This story is a continuation of the Where is He? and Family is Everything "series". If you haven't read those stories, you can still read this one, but I would recommend reading those two first. Here's the things you need to know if you haven't read them -
Killian and Emma have two daughters- Charlotte(12 y.o. and main POV) and Layla(9 months at start)
Henry is about 30 and has moved out of Storybrook
Happy belated Thanksgiving to those here in the States, and I hope everyone is having a great start to their holiday season (whichever holidays you celebrate) Enjoy!!
Ps- I started this story before start of season 7 so it's not gonna line up...
"Good morning, love," Dad greeted as he glanced up to see me coming down the stairs toward the kitchen.
"Hi, Daddy." I approached the table, and, standing next to him, looked over his shoulder at what he was reading. Picking up the newspaper, and glancing at the headline, I asked,
"Hey what's this? New villain in Storybrook?"
Dad looked up at me.
"Mmmm, I don't think it's true. We haven't had a villain around here in years – these journalists are just probably faking a story for the publicity," he responded, putting his arm around my waist.
"Oh."
I tossed the paper back on the table just as we heard more footsteps coming down the stairs. Mom came around the corner of the railing, holding Layla on her hip. Pulling out a chair, she sat down next to my dad.
"Lottie, will you grab the bottle out of the fridge?"
Of course. No 'good morning'. No hug, no kiss. Only 'Get this for Layla.'
I let out a frustrated sigh (which neither of my
parents heard) before retrieving a bottle from the fridge and passing it off to my dad.
Layla was about 9 1/2 months now. She was getting close to being able to stand( with help, obviously), and my mom still didn't want her going to daycare. She claimed that Layla is magic was unpredictable. She had only had 4 more outbursts since that day at Granny's , and Aunt Gina didn't think that her magic would be completely developed or controllable until she was around five years old. Personally, I thought that mom just didn't want to let her go. The bond between the two was insane. Layla loved my dad, too, but she was a 100% mama's girl (I was the opposite). It didn't help that mom was so attached to her, which I think was mostly due to how we lost Finley all those months ago.
I picked up my breakfast, some cereal and fruit. I was never really hungry this early – I had to wake up an extra hour earlier this year since mom was here with Layla and couldn't take me to school.
Mom put Layla in to the highchair next to her, and slid the tray on. She placed some freshly cut banana onto the tray. Banana was Lay's absolute favorite food. She immediately picked up a chunk with her little chubby baby fingers and smeared it all over her face. We all cracked up laughing, which made her giggle. It was moments like these that, even though they frustrated me, I realized was so lucky to have my family.
"Lottie, bus will be here in a few minutes," dad reminded me gently.
"Yep, I'll get my stuff," I replied, standing up to take my dishes to the sink.
"Wait." Mom interrupted me. "Before you do that, I have some exciting news.." She said, barely being able to contain a smile.
Oh goodness... If she is pregnant again... I thought. She interrupted me before I could think of more possibilities.
" I just talked to Henry… And he's coming to visit from Boston!"
I couldn't help but break into a big smile. "Yay!" I cheered.
"How nice," dad said, standing up to kiss mom on the temple. "I know how much you've been wanting to see him."
She smiled and leaned into him
as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
I absolutely loved when Henry visited. He had come by only one since Layla was born, so it had been a while. He was so sweet, caring, and an amazing big brother. Plus, he always put mom in a great mood.
"He is staying for four nights next week, and he said he can't wait to see everyone!" Mom added.
"Does aunt Gina know he's coming?" I asked.
"Well, I haven't told her, so I don't think so, that's definitely something on my to do list."
"Well, I was just thinking, maybe I could just go home with Jason after school, and I could tell them both then?"
She thought for moment as I sat with a pleading expression on my face.
"I guess it's all right, as long as your dad can pick you up on his way home from work."
I turned to my dad. "Can you?"
He rolled his eyes as he pretended to be frustrated, but couldn't hold back a smile.
"I'll try."
"Yes!" I grabbed my backpack as the bus came into view through the front window. "Bye, Dad, love you." I leaned in as he kissed my forehead.
"Love you too, darling." I took a few steps forward to my mom.
"Love you, too," I said, kissing both her and Layla on the cheek.
"Have a good day sweetheart." She called after me as I hurried down the steps before I missed the bus .
Like any normal school day, the day seemed pretty long (except for my grandma's class, which I actually enjoyed).
It was a great feeling as I hopped into the familiar front passenger seat of aunt Gina's Mercedes, forcing Jason to take the backseat.
"Charlotte! What a wonderful surprise!". Regina exclaimed as we turned out of the school parking lot.
"Well, I hope it's not a problem I came. My dad's gonna pick me up and around an hour, I just really wanted to hang out with you guys for a little bit."
Aunt Gina smiled.
"Of course it's not a problem, Lottie. It's always great to see you."
Many people have tried to tell me how evil Regina once was- The Evil Queen. They told me of all the murders, curses, and unhappiness she had caused. I believe that she may have once done all those things, but I really think having her own child changed her. Henry did too, of course, but Jason really
changed her whole way of thinking. My while family agreed, because she is so sweet now. She and my mom appearantly used to be bitter enemies, but now they were so close that she was considered my Aunt Gina. We drove up to the house, where we parked, and walked inside.
I took in a deep breath. The smell of the Mills' household was pretty undescribable. It was mostly Apple, with a slight hint of cinnamon. But there is a faint smell of vanilla, along with what can only be described as a fresh breeze.
It had been a while since I've been here. It seems like everything got 10 times more hectic after Layla was born. I set my backpack down by the door as Aunt Gina walked toward the kitchen.
"You two sit down and I'll make some apple cider."
I couldn't help but smile. The only time I ever drink cider (my side of the family were more of cocoa kinda people) or got waited on, was at the Mills'.
Aunt Gina came back a few minutes later carrying three mugs in her hands, which she sat on the coffee table. Jason and I both grabbed one, and I leaned
back on the couch. I took a sip and let the hot cider heat my throat.
Setting the mug back down, I set up again and began to talk.
"So, one of the reasons I came was to share some really exciting news with you all…" I started.
"If your mother is pregnant again… I just don't know if anyone can go through that for a second time." She said.
"No, no, no. My mom is not pregnant again."
Aunt Gina sighed.
"Good, we would have to wrap her up in bubble wrap."
I laughed at the thought of how protective my whole family would be if we found out my mom was pregnant again.
"What I came to tell you was that we got a call from Henry…" I waited as a smile already began to form on Aunt Gina's face.
"He's coming to visit next week!"
Aunt Gina gasped.
"Yay! Oh my gosh that's amazing." I looked to Jason.
"Cool!" He said smiling. We spent the next 20 minutes listening to Aunt Gina's amazing stories about Henry as a kid. My personal favorite was the one of him learning to read, which I already heard 100 times, but his cuteness never got old.
All too soon, the doorbell rang. Regina popped up from her seat.
"Emma?" I heard her say before hugging my mom.
"This is an amazing surprise, but I was expecting hook. Don't tell me something is wrong?"
I felt my blood turn cold and my heart start to beat at the thought of this. The last thing we needed was another adventure like the one when I was 11...
My mom smiled. "Everything is fine, he just got caught up at the station, so I thought I just come instead. Layla is waiting in the car."
Aunt Gina peeked around her to blow a kiss towards the car. I grabbed my backpack and walked over to meet my mom on the porch.
"Bye Jason, see you tomorrow. Bye aunt Gina. Thank you so much for having me."
"Anytime," she said, and giving me a side hug.
"By the way, Emma, Lottie told me about Henry. I can't wait!"
"I know! I don't think Violet is coming, but it'll be so nice to catch up."
We both smiled and waved as we climbed into the car. I set my backpack next to Layla in the backseat before hopping upfront with mom.
"Hey Mommy." I said, smiling.
"Hi Lottie." She said back
""And hey to you too, Missy." I said, tickling
one of Layla's bare feet. I loved hanging out with my mom, even if it was for the five minute car ride back home. I know she stressed with the baby, so I try not to blame her for not always being caught up with me. As I got home, and settled in for the night, I realized that I absolutely couldn't wait for Henry to get here!
There ya go!!! I know that was a pretty boring first chap but there is much more drama to come. Also, I'm trying to include more actual Captainswan moments in this story than my previous ones. I think I will probably post every Saturday or Sunday, but that'll get more consistent as the story goes on. Thanks for reading!!!
Xoxo Ella