A/N: I didn't really plan on writing this, but I saw a really cute Gremma AU on Tumblr and thought, well it is Mother's Day in America and then I just had the idea and couldn't concentrate on the Harry Potter chapter I was trying to write, so I thought it would be better to write this and get it out of my head. I hope you guys will like it. Let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own anything.
Emma turned around just before the front door to inspect the scene, smiled to herself, satisfied, and left for work before anyone could stop her.
It was another ten minutes before Snow opened the bedroom door and paused, taking note of the flowers sat in a vase in the centre of the table along with the fresh glass of orange juice and the still warm waffles waiting for her.
"James…" she murmured, walking out into the kitchen. Her husband followed her out, looking up from doing up the buttons on his shirt at the sound of her voice.
"Wow, this is a nice set up. I wonder who did it," he said, searching the table for a card or note of some sort.
Snow smiled at the waffles and the fact that one of the kitchen counters already had a mug filled with cocoa mix sat atop it, just waiting for the kettle to be boiled and the water to be added. "I think it was Emma," she practically hummed, bursting with happiness.
"But why's there no card?" James asked.
"Honey, this is Emma we're talking about. I doubt she'd want anyone to know it was her."
"Guess you're right," he replied. "Why don't you sit down and dig in, don't want to let all this good food go to waste, and I'll sort out that hot cocoa she's left for you?"
"Thanks," Snow nodded, pulling out a chair and sitting down in it, still staring at the spread Emma had organised for her. Frankly, she was a little surprised that Emma had managed the waffles. In all the time they'd lived together, Emma had shown no affinity for the culinary arts. Snow and James did all the cooking in the apartment.
James kissed the top of Snow's head as he set down the steaming cocoa and pilfered a waffle from her plate.
"Pity Emma didn't do a plate for me too," he mumbled around his mouthful.
"Just wait your turn," Snow told him, taking a sip of the orange juice, the freshly squeezed stuff full of zing and hitting her taste buds in all the right places. She thought it was very thoughtful of Emma to put ice cubes in the glass to make sure the juice stayed cold for her.
"You think I should ask her later if I get this kind of treatment for Father's Day?"
Snow shrugged. "But what if you put her off?"
"I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed then, won't I?" he grinned. "Right, I'm off to work. Just because we're related doesn't mean Emma won't bust me for being late." After grabbing his jacket off the hook near the front door, he crossed back to the table and gave Snow a long kiss. "Happy Mother's Day, by the way."
"Sshhh," Graham chided Henry gently. "We've got to be quiet remember. Your mother will be here any minute."
Henry nodded, pressing his lips together to stop another laugh bubbling out. "Do you think she'll like it?"
"I'm sure she'll love it, Henry," Graham replied, smiling at his stepson. They both fell silent as the jingling of keys signalled Emma's arrival. Outside Emma slid her keys into the lock, frowning as the door moved from just the slightest touch.
"Funny," she mumbled to herself. "Why isn't the door locked?"
Removing her keys, she cautiously entered.
"Hello? Anybody here? Graham?"
Nobody answered, and just as she was calming her nerves and assuring herself that Graham must have just forgotten to lock up when he was working the night shift the night before, Henry leapt up from behind one of the desks and yelled, "Happy Mother's Day!"
Emma couldn't stop the strangled scream that flew from her lips in fright. Her hand hovered above her pounding heart as she laughed.
"Thanks, Henry," she told him, accepting the decorated chocolate cake he was holding out to her.
"It's chocolate and vanilla and I made it myself – well, Graham helped," he added, nodding down at Graham who slowly stood up and smiled sheepishly at Emma. "Do you like it?"
"I love it, Henry," Emma assured him, pulling her son into a one armed hug.
Henry beamed.
"What did I tell you?" Graham asked. "Now, come on, I believe you told me we had some more deliveries to make. Why don't we let your Mom get on? That way she can be home sooner." Graham kissed Emma's cheek and steered Henry towards the door.
"Bye Mom," Henry called, twisting to wave.
"See you late, Kid," Emma smiled back.
Graham waited in the car as Henry skipped up the pathway to Regina's house and pushed open the front door. Although Regina had certainly changed, he had no desire to spend any more time with her than was necessary.
"Henry? Is that you?" Regina called from upstairs after hearing the door open.
"Yeah!" he yelled back, rushing up the stairs. "Happy Mother's Day," he told her breathlessly from her bedroom doorway. "I made you a card. Here." He thrust a decorated and folded piece of card into his mother's hands.
"Thank you, Henry," Regina murmured, flipping open the card and reading her son's sweet message inside, her heart strings being tugged by his words and his gesture.
"And there's these too," Henry said, holding up a small box for her.
Regina took it from his open palm with a smile and lifted the lid, gasping at the handcrafted earrings within.
"Henry," she breathed, lifting one of them to light and observing the beautiful patterned glass bead hanging off the metal hook.
"I love you, Mom," he told her, wrapping both arms around her middle. "Happy Mother's Day," he said again.
After taking him to see Regina, Graham drove Henry back to Snow and James' apartment and entered with him. In his arms, he carried Henry's gift for his grandmother, since it was much too big and heavy for the young boy.
"Grandma?" Henry called out.
Snow leaned over the banister at the top of the stairs. "Hi Henry, Graham," she replied, smiling at her grandson and almost-son-in-law. "I'll be down in a second – just let me get these towels into the airing cupboard."
"Where do you want this, buddy?" Graham asked Henry, lifting the present in his arms slightly.
"Set it on the table?" Henry suggested.
Graham nodded and carefully laid the paper-wrapped present on the table, careful not to knock the vase of flower's Emma had snuck into the apartment that morning.
"I'm just going to go check on Grace," Graham told Henry, heading up the stairs to his and Emma's room.
"She's been an Angel," Snow told him as they passed. "Haven't heard a peep out of her all morning."
Graham nodded and pushed open the door quietly, not wanting to disturb his daughter's slumber.
"Hey baby-girl," he murmured, approaching the cot and stroking their ten month old's soft cheek. Already she looked like Emma, small, bright blonde curls covering her scalp. He could have sworn she also had the chin that Emma and Henry had both seemed to inherit from Snow. As his darling girl stretched and woke up, he saw the one thing she seemed to have inherited from him, her beautiful eyes. Quietly gurgling, Grace lifted her arms to her father, demanding to be brought close and dandled in his arms. Unable to ever refuse his darling girl a thing, Graham lifted her out the cot and secured her to his hip and kissed her soft curls, his scruff of beard probably tickling her. "Ready to give Mommy her last present later?"
"Happy Mother's Day, Grandma," Henry said as Snow came down the stairs. "Here's your present."
"Henry, you shouldn't have," Snow smiled, squeezing his shoulder.
Henry just beamed back and asked, "Aren't you going to open it?"
Snow chuckled and carefully untied the strings keeping the paper around her present. It was so bulky; she could barely guess what it was and just hoped that Henry hadn't spent a lot of money. Her breath caught as she pulled aside the paper, revealing a large, framed version of the photo Graham had taken of her, James, Emma, Henry and Grace all cuddled together on the sofa at Christmas.
"Henry, you sweet boy," she smiled. "Where shall we hang it?"
When Emma came home, she slid the plate bearing Henry's cake onto the table where he was sat enjoying some of Snow's mac and cheese, ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek.
"Where's Graham?"
"Upstairs with Grace," Henry answered, setting down his fork and taking a sip of water before digging back into his dinner with gusto.
"Back in a sec," Emma told him, depositing her jacket over the back of one of the chairs before climbing the stairs. She found Graham sat on the end of their bed, leaning back every few seconds and holding Grace in the air so she was flying. The sight brought a grin to her face and a laugh from her lips.
"She looks like she's having fun," Emma said.
"She's not the only one," Graham replied, bringing their daughter back down to his chest. Whilst Emma busied herself changing out of her work clothes, unclipping her badge and gun and placing them safely in the lockable draw beside the bed, Graham worked the ring free from his pocket and put it into one of Grace's small hands, keeping a close eye on her to make sure she didn't lose it or swallow it.
Once she was done, Emma bent down, bring her face level to Grace's where she sat on Graham's lap. "Mommy missed you," she told her, taking hold of both of her small hands, frowning slightly as she felt something inside one of them.
"Graham?" Emma asked, holding up the ring.
"Yeah?" He was doing his best to act nonchalant.
"What's this?"
"Emma, will you marry me?"
Her heart stopped. A laugh of disbelief slipped from her lips. "Seriously, you used our daughter to propose to me?"
"Mmhm," Graham answered, completely unashamed. "So will you?"
"Yes," she answered. "Yes, I'll marry you, Graham."
He grinned and stood, shifting their daughter onto his hip, caressed Emma's cheek with one hand and kissed her, happiness bubbling out of him.
"Happy Mother's Day, by the way," he said as soon as he could muster the ability to pull his lips from hers. He dropped his hand from her cheek, passed her Grace, knowing Emma would want to spend some time with her after being away from her all day, and wrapped an arm around her waist.
A/N: Hope you liked it!
