Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. This story is for entertainment purposes only and means no copyright infringement. Please do not publish without my explicit knowledge and consent.

"Earth to Emma." The young woman recognized her mother was talking to her. It was a sunny afternoon and she, Snow, Charming and Henry were having a picnic near the lake surrounding the castle. It had been quite some time since they had left Storybrooke. The castle was almost completely rebuilt. What could one do with a motivated population and a little bit of fairy dust! Everyone had been so busy with rebuilding their castle and helping the people and they felt like their deserved a little treat.

"Sorry. I was just thinking."

"About what?" Snow asked. Her daughter looked different today: a little preoccupied but in the same time dreamy and glowing.

"Many things." Emma answered. She had changed a lot recently but she was still tightlipped when it came to sharing her feelings with others, the only exceptions being Snow and sometimes Henry.

"It will take time but you'll het used to life here." Snow put her feelings with others.

"I actually started to like my room." Emma said. "And as long as you don't force me to make public speeches again. I'll be fine."

"You're just like your father. Give his a dragon to slay and he'll be totally fine with it but try to make him speak to the people and you'll see him hide behind me like a 5 year old." Both women laughed out loud.

"It's still weird when people compare me to one you, you know?" Emma said.

"Who does that?" Snow asked but Emma gave her a "don't play innocent" look. "Besides me."

"Well, yesterday, Ruby said that I reminded her of you from before you met him." Emma glared at her father who was playing soccer with Henry.

"You're beginning to change you know? You may not realize it but you are." Snow said calmly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, while I was living in the woods. I was bitter and closed off. Red was my only friend and that was because she didn't exactly leave me a choice. And then… then I opened my heart to love. And not only to Charming. To the world in general. And I ended up having more friends than I ever thought possible. And you are opening up too."

"Weren't you afraid?" For the first time since the curse had been broken, Emma was asking for advice. She'd always wanted to deal with things by herself being to proud to admit that she needed help. That had Charming written all over it.

"To lose my identity?" Snow understood where Emma was coming from. Emma had never had to rely on others and she wasn't sure whether she was able to. And if she was, she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to go by on her own after that. Snow had gone through that herself 30 years ago. "Of course. That is why it took me so long to release and admit that I was in love with your father. But you have to understand that the love of your family and your friends is part of your. If you push it aside, you are not being true to yourself and you will never be complete."

"It's easy to say."

"I know. Remember what I told you in Storybrooke? That wall of yours might keep out pain but it also keeps out happiness. I know. I've been there." Snow stroked Emma's cheek. "Once you admit that you care about others, you will find out how incomplete you'd been before. Look how much changed when you told Henry you loved him." They looked at each other for a few moments. "May I ask when this is coming from?"

"Nowhere." Emma was avoiding eye contact.

"Emma." Snow made Emma look at her. "Talk to me."

"It's just… it's nothing." Emma felt uncomfortable voicing the reasons for being worried.

"Does it concern Pinocchio?"

"Can you please, not call him that?" Emma was still weird about names.

"All right. If you talk to me." Emma still refused to talk. "I saw him sneak out of your room this morning."

"What?" Emma wasn't sure whether she was more angry or embarrassed.

"Honey, I've had to sneak in in this castle more than a couple of times. I know very well that the statue of the Chimera on the 2nd floor is there to hide a door leading to your current room." Emma glared at her. "It's all right. We know about the two of you. You don't have to hide?"

"We aren't." Emma was going to have a talk with the architects of the castle about changing those passages.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Snow was concerned.

"August and I… Last night… we…" Emma was hesitating. "it was the first time we…"

"Oh. I see. " Snow smiled. "That would explain your glow all day. I knew there was something different about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Like 5 minutes ago, you had your eyes closed and you looked so relaxed and dreamy? I had never seen you like that."

"Don't make a big deal out of it, ok?" Emma said.

"But it is a big deal and you know it." Snow knew that it was awkward for Emma to talk about this but she also knew that the sooner her daughter dealt with her issues, the sooner she'd have a shot at a happily ever after. "Emma, this is not one of your one night stands that you could forget about the next day."

"I know." Emma leaned back. "It's just that I'm not used to be treated like that. Like I matter."

"Tell me." Emma sent a blood red glare at her. "Look, I promised myself to make up for all those years that I missed with you. And girl talk is one thing that mother and daughter should share. Besides, you and I started off as friends, so it's not that weird if you think about it." Snow looked at Emma with the same look as Henry when we wanted something really badly. And that look was something that Emma couldn't resist. "Tell me."

"Ok." Emma took a deep breath. "I was a little overwhelmed with everything that's been going on and I was standing on the bridge looking at the forest and he was just finishing up something in the West Tower. We started talking. I don't even remember about what. And then he accompanied me to my room. It was like in those cheesy movies where the guy is being a perfect gentleman and accompanies the girl home and gives her a kiss on the cheek. But instead … we kissed… for real and something happened. We just... I just … couldn't stop."

"Like your body was on fire." Snow said and Emma nodded.

"Yes. The sensation was so powerful and…. And..."

"Addictive?" Snow finished her sentence.

"Yeah." Emma looked surprised.

"Don't look at me like that. You were no miraculous conception." They both smiled. "Look, it's normal. Your first night with your soul mate is something special and precious. Hold on to it."

"Soul mate?" Emma was still uncomfortable when it came to labeling her relationship with August. He'd told her he loved her and during all this time he'd been so patient for her to come to terms with her feelings, which at least she didn't deny any more. She'd been scared to say the "L" word though.

"Tell me it's not true." Snow looked at her. "And I'm not referring to what the Blue Fairy said the day we came back here."

"I don't know." Emma said although her heart was shouting at her brain to shut up.

"You're rationalizing." Snow took her daughter's hand. "Look, I know that you have never let yourself fall for another person before. And it's normal. You were alone. But as much as it pains me to say it, he's not going anywhere."

"That's odd, coming from you."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Emma. I was older than him when I got fooled by Cora to tell her about Regina's plans and look where it got us. But Regina never gave me a chance to apologize and her anger almost destroyed her. I won't make the same mistake. I'm not saying that your father and I are fully ok with everything that happened but August is good for you and that's all we can ask for."

"Do you really think so?" Snow thought that Emma was so sweet at that moment.

"Besides, he knows me and your father well enough to know that it is not wise to hurt you." They smiled and Snow hugged her daughter. "Emma, all I want is for you to be happy." They both cried silently. It was kind of their thing whenever they shared a mother/daughter moment.

"What happened here?" They were pulled back to reality by Charming's voice. "Did I miss something?"

"Just girl talk." Snow teased him. "Something you wouldn't appreciate anyway."

"Are you saying that I'm not sensitive?" He helped her get up.

"Not at all. You are the most hopeless romantic that I have ever met but some things should stay between girls." With that she winked at Emma who laughed.

"Come on. You should join us. It will be more fun if we all play." Charming suggested as rapped his hands around his wife and kissed her.

"I don't know. Soccer is not really my thing." Emma said as Henry sat next to her and hugged her.

"Neither was being a princess but you're great at it." He said.

"Hey, kid, aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Emma stroked his hair.

"Not when it comes to having fun. Come on." He pulled her arm but she did not want to move. "In that case." He took the bottle of water lying on the ground and sprinkled Emma with some of it.

"Henry! Give me that right now." Emma stood up and tried to shake the water off her hair and blouse.

"Come and catch me."

"I don't believe he just did that." Snow said to her husband. "Aren't you going to do something?"

"Actually I am." Charming smiled took the bottle from where Henry had left it and sprinkled his wife.

"All right. I'll play." She managed to take to bottle from him and pored a good quantity of it on his head.

"Oh! That is how you want to play it?" He managed to take her in his arms and started running toward the lake and dropped her in the water.

"Ohhhh! If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me." She pulled him under the water. Soon they both emerged completely soaked.

"Guys, come on." They heard Emma say. "Aren't you a little old for that?" Snow and Charming looked at each other knowing that they had the exact same idea in mind. "Oh, no. What was that look? Don't you even think about it." Emma started to get away from the lake but her father caught up with her pretty fast and swept her off the ground. She was kicking in the air but he had a good grip on her waist. She saw that her mother wasn't far behind while she was tickling Henry. The next thing she knew, she was in the water.

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