Bedtime Stories

Emma had only been living with her new parents for a few months. At only six years old she'd been tossed about from pillar to post more times than a discarded rag doll. Nobody loved her. Not until Storybrooke, until them David and Mary-Margaret Nolan. They let her speak when she wanted to, made her sandwiches appreciated her drawings and gave her big kisses and every night they told her a new story that always ended with "We love you Emma."

"Mary! Mary. Tell him." Emma pleaded through giggles as David tickled her during his rendition of "The Tickle Monster".

"Tell him please!"

Mary-Margaret turned gave Emma a wink and said obediently.

"Please. David."

Then before the little girl knew what had hit her they were both tickling her with renewed delight and placing kisses on her forehead.

"Well you did say please Em."

Mary-Margaret jokingly pointed out before giving her husband one of those mischievous looks that Emma was beginning to love so much. It meant more fun and more tickling.

"Stop"

"Stoooop."

"Stop it Mommy, Daddy Sttop!"

They did. She'd never called them that before. David was in smiling shock and Mary had happy tears falling down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying? Was I bad? I won't say it again Mommy if it makes you and Daddy sad." She promised eyes piercing into both the overjoyed parents' eyes innocently oblivious to the irony of the words.

"Oh no Em. Mommy's not crying because she's sad." David rubbed Emma's shoulders as she shuffled in her sheets.

"No. No sweetie I'm crying because I'm happy. We're happy sometimes people cry when they are happy." Giving Emma a big joint hug and kissing a cheek each they were about to say goodnight when the little one continued.

"Daddy? When else did Mommy happy cry?"

Mary-Margaret blushed knowing which time he would pick.

"The first time I kissed her." He sighed through the words.

"Seven years ago."

"When I moved here from Boston. She was next door and the first one to offer to show me around the place."

"Well, I couldn't leave you stranded there looking all lost with nothing but, your pretty blue eyes staring at me could I? Mary happily nudged him.

"I would have found the store." He gave her one of those smiles laced in "poor me" sympathy.

"Daddy!" Emma laughed.

"No you wouldn't have." "Luckily you had your wallet so the supplies were easily bought."

"You played supermarket Mommy?"

"We did. We got all the things Daddy needed and put them away but, by the time we did all that…"

"It was dinnertime." He continued.

"I said I better be going." Mary started to walk away playing the scene for a mesmerised audience.

He moved over to catch her arm tenderly to be met by an "Ah?" The twist was great for a six year old who genuinely didn't see it coming.

"Ah." David chuckled

"Then I said. "Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Oh but, I don't want to keep you." Mary blushed.

He placed his arms lovingly around her tenderly whispering. "Oh but, I want to keep you."

"Daddy! So naughty."

Mary gave her a wink.

"Really."

"Really." He showed tender insistence but, kept it as PG as possible aware of their daughter.

"Anything you want. Eggs?!"

"Eggs would be… nice." Mary stroked his face strangely yet, familiarly backed up against a giant bookcase.

"AND THEN?" Emma screamed nearly hitting the ceiling.

"Then. The happy tears came." They both sighed before kissing sweetly.

"Aww! Then what happened?"

"We dated, got married and had a daughter." They said having returned to her side.

"ME!"

"You."

"And we love you."

"We will always love you." David insisted.

"Love you too." Emma yawned before falling asleep.

After putting out the light and shutting the door David turned to his wife.

"Now when do we tell her our other story? The one we remembered as soon as we saw her ."

"Tomorrow."

"Charming, we'll tell our baby tomorrow."