She had been trying to get him down for a nap for twenty minutes. She'd rocked him, walked him, bounced him; now she was trying to give Henry his pacifier, and usually that worked like a light.
Not today.
Every time she would get the passy anywhere near his mouth, the baby would swat it from her hands (his aim was quite good) and off it would go, skittering across the floor.
She tried again, with the same result. She sighed and picked up the pacifier, going to the sink to rinse it off. For the fifth time.
"Oh, Henry, please, come on," Regina begged, not caring how whiney and juvenile she sounded, handing back the pacifier. Henry threw it down again, still wailing at the top of his lungs. His mother bent again, her tired muscles wailing themselves. "Please honey, just go to sleep. You'll feel better, I promise!" She tried to coo soothingly like she'd heard Ami do, but her voice broke and it just didn't sound right. Mayors didn't coo, and Evil Queens certainly didn't either.
It still took her a moment to remember the four month old didn't quite grasp logic yet.
When Regina gave him the pacifier back this time, Henry screamed even louder and launched the plastic passy halfway across the room.
Ami came in through the kitchen door, toting her two work bags and a bag of groceries. "You know if you quit poking him, he'll stop crying," she smiled, setting down her things.
"That's not funny, Ami," Regina replied, a slight edge to her voice. "I'm not in the mood."
"No, I know," the secretary replied, tickling Henry in the tummy, seemingly oblivious to the baby's crying. As Regina joined her at the counter, she asked, "So how long have you been playing?"
"What?" Regina rinsed off the passy and went to give it back to Henry.
Ami plucked it from her hands. "Fetch. How long has he been playing with you?"
"I don't know what you're…oh." Regina looked sheepish. "About twenty minutes?"
Ami rolled her eyes and fixed Henry in a pointed glare. "No more punking Mommy," she said, shaking the pacifier gently in his face. His watery eyes followed it, cries choking in his throat. He coughed thunderously once, and was quiet.
Regina stared at her secretary in awe. "How…how did you do that?" she asked.
Ami grinned. "I'm the eldest. In my house the rule was three times and it stays where it lands."
"Oh." Regina looked between her son and the pacifier. "Okay, then. Did you hear that Henry? Three times and you're done."
Henry gurgled, grinning at his mother.
Ami laughed and turned the baby carrier to face her. "Go take a nap, Mama, I'll make dinner tonight." She herded the protesting mother out of the kitchen before turning back to look at Henry.
"Nice try kiddo, but you're dealing with a master."
Henry giggled, and down the hall, Regina smiled.
Author's Note: Fluuuuuuuff! I loves it. I was out to dinner with my family one night and a table near ours had a crying baby. I couldn't see, but my parents could. The topic of conversation quickly changed to if either my sister or I had ever done anything like that. Yes. Yes we had. And the same rule applied to us as it does to Henry. And thus, this popped into my head. BTW, Ami is an OC of mine, and her name is pronounced Ah-mi, not Ay-mi. Just 'cause I'm specific like that. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!