Title: Nothing to Fear
Summary: Only when they sat down at the table, warm mugs of cocoa sprinkled with cinnamon in front of them, did Emma touch on the real reason for her midday visit. "Dad? How did you know you'd be a good parent?"
Spoilers: If you're current, we're good.
Rating/Warning: K+. Marshmallow fluff here, ladies and gents.
Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time and its characters were created by Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and are owned by ABC. I'm just borrowing them but I'll put them back when I'm finished!
Author's Note: I miss the Charmings like crazy and I've been having Daddy Charming feels lately so I decided to channel them into this little ficlet. Feedback makes my little day! Enjoy. :)
The old pickup was finally soaped and scrubbed. Charming tossed the dirty sponge back into the bucket, grabbed the garden hose, and started rinsing the soap off the truck, careful not to step into the spray.
As he rounded the driver's side, a flash of yellow caught his eye. His little girl's Bug pulled into the driveway and came to a stop far enough behind the truck to avoid getting wet. This is certainly a nice surprise, Charming thought, a grin tugging at his lips.
As Emma stepped out of her car, the bright spring sunshine hit the spray at just the right angle for a rainbow to form in the mist. Even the universe shared Charming's excitement at this impromptu visit, it seemed. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he called to her.
Charming's smile dropped into a frown the second he caught sight of the troubled expression on his baby girl's face. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
He tossed the hose aside, his half-rinsed truck instantly forgotten. Before he could even open his mouth to ask if everything was all right, however, she wiped the worry off her face. "Hey, Dad," she smiled, leaning in for a hug.
"Hey, kiddo." He held her tight, offering her as much comfort as he could without knowing what was wrong. "What brings you by this morning?"
"Is Mom here?"
Charming winced as he released his baby girl from the hug. She sounded nervous. "No, not right now. She took Neal to get the supplies for his diorama."
"Oh," Emma said, her disappointment clear as a bell. "Right. The solar system thing."
The first big science project of Neal's elementary school career was to construct a model of the solar system. He'd decided to make a diorama with black construction paper dotted with White-out for the background and Styrofoam balls of various sizes covered with Play-Doh for the planets and the sun. He planned to hang the Play-Doh covered planets from the top of the box with fishing line. "Yes. You just missed them but you're more than welcome to hang out and wait for them to get back."
"Yeah. Okay."
Charming's heart twinged when his little girl began literally wringing her hands. "I know something's bothering you, kiddo. Is this something I might be able to help you with?"
She swiftly shook her head. "No." After a beat, she seemed to think better of her answer. "Well, maybe. Oh, I don't know."
Paternal instinct took over as Charming reached up and cupped his little girl's cheek in his palm. "Tell you what. How about we go inside, I make us some cocoa, and you tell me what's on your mind?"
At long last, a tiny, genuine smile lit his precious little girl's face. "Yeah, all right. Cocoa sounds nice."
"Cocoa fixes everything," Charming agreed in a teasingly solemn tone. Her smile grew just a little bit. Pleased, he wrapped his arm around Emma's shoulders and walked her up the porch steps and into the house.
Once in the kitchen, he retrieved the milk from the fridge and the cocoa powder and sugar from the cabinet. Emma hadn't said much of anything and by now, Charming's overprotective-dad instincts were in overdrive. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and hold her until all her misgivings went away.
He knew he couldn't push her, though. No, the best thing he could do for his baby girl right now was let her know he was there for her. He had to trust that she'd open up when she was ready.
While the milk warmed, they chatted about this and that. Charming asked about Emma's latest doctor's visit. According to her doctor, her pregnancy was progressing as it should, thank goodness. Emma had, however, been driving Killian crazy with her late-night ice cream cravings. "Let me tell you something, this little guy or girl definitely has a sweet tooth," she quipped.
"Someone takes after their mama," Charming chuckled.
Emma smiled, resting a hand over her stomach. "We actually bought some midnight fudge ice cream to keep in the freezer after the third time Killian ran out to get me a sundae."
"Along with the requisite jar of microwavable hot fudge and can of whipped cream, I take it."
"You better believe it."
Charming smiled. "Your mother craved strawberry tarts when she was pregnant with you."
A look of loving wonder lit Emma's eyes. "She did?"
"Yes indeed. The kitchen staff learned very quickly to have a few on hand at all times."
Emma chuckled. "Some things never change, I guess. Here we are, realms apart, and pregnancy cravings are still the same."
Only when they sat down at the table, warm mugs of cocoa sprinkled with cinnamon in front of them, did Emma touch on the real reason for her midday visit. "Dad? How did you know you'd be a good parent?"
Charming blinked at her, both touched that she thought of him as a good parent and confused as to where this line of questioning was coming from. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't. I was petrified that I was going to be terrible at it and somehow fail you when you needed me the most. That's a pretty common fear, though. I think all expectant parents are afraid that they're not going to be good at it but I promise you, it just naturally comes to you. You get to know your child and you learn what they need when."
"What if I can't figure out what they need when?"
"You will, kiddo."
She didn't at all seem convinced. Charming let out a soft sigh as he looked her over. Her shoulders were tense, her worry written across her face. "Emma, you know you're a good parent. Where is this coming from?"
Emma squirmed in her chair. A long time ago, she would have shut the conversation down at this point but now … now she was comfortable enough to see it through. "I'm just … getting scared, I guess. I've never done this before."
Charming reached across the table to take his little girl's hand in his. "Emma, you are a fantastic mother. I've seen Killian enough with Henry to know that he's going to be a wonderful father. You both have so much love to give and you both know better than most how important love is to a growing child. My new little grandchild will be the luckiest baby in any of the realms with the two of you as parents."
Emma raised panicked eyes to his. "Yeah but we can't exactly go by Henry. He came to us half-grown already. We didn't … I didn't do the diapers and the midnight feedings and the figuring out what different cries mean and all that baby stuff. What if I suck at it? What if I have no idea how to do any of it?"
No longer able to resist his paternal urges, Charming pushed himself up from his chair, rounded the table, and gathered his little girl in his arms. "Emma, I want you to listen to me. I know you are going to be an amazing mother to this little baby. I know because I remember how you were with your brother."
Emma pulled out of the embrace and blinked at him, somewhat confused. "You're going by Neal?"
"Yes, of course. You were a natural with him when he was a baby. You knew when he needed to be changed and when he was hungry and when he just wanted attention. You were the one who figured out how to calm him with your 'magic touch,' remember?"
At the memory, Emma smiled through the tears brimming in her eyes. Her "magic touch" hadn't been magic at all, just a couple soft swipes of her index finger down his little forehead. While the gentle caress worked for everyone, it had always worked the fastest for Emma.
"You played with him and taught him. You protected him and loved him. You were wonderful with him and now he thinks you hung the moon. You, my darling daughter, were – and still are – a great big sister and you're going to be a fantastic mommy."
The tears in Emma's eyes finally spilled over as she leaned in for another hug. "Thanks, Dad," she whispered.
"You're very welcome, kiddo," he replied, his voice as soft as hers.
Charming held his little girl in the hug a moment longer before letting go, drying her cheeks with his thumbs, and reclaiming his seat at the table. Emma ran her hand over her face, cursing her rampant pregnancy hormones.
No sooner had their emotions settled than the back door banged open. Neal dashed inside with Snow following closely behind him. Both mother and son had bags of craft supplies hanging from their arms. "I smell cocoa!" Neal exclaimed with all his little-boy exuberance. His eyes lit up the second he spotted his big sister. "Hi, Emma!"
Emma laughed when Neal launched himself at her for a hug. "Hi, squirt. Hi, Mom."
"Hi, baby," Snow smiled, leaning down for a quick kiss. "To what do we owe this surprise?"
"Emma wants to help me with my solar system," Neal informed his parents before shifting his attention to his big sister. "Right?"
Emma grinned at her baby brother. "That's exactly why I'm here. I can wrap a couple of Styrofoam balls in Play-Doh but only the easy ones. You have to do Earth and Jupiter and Saturn all on your own."
"Aw, man!" Still, Neal's eyes were sparkling as Emma helped him unpack the supplies.
"Is everything all right?" Snow murmured to Charming. Though not obvious to Neal, Emma clearly hadn't come over just to help him with his science project.
"She had a bout of pregnancy nerves," Charming admitted. "You know, the whole 'what if I'm not good with a baby?' train of thought."
"Oh, no, she's going to be a wonderful mommy! How could she even think she wouldn't?"
Charming gave his wife a gentle smile to calm her down. "I reminded her that she was great with Neal when he was a baby. As you can see, she calmed down. For now, anyway."
Snow looked over at her babies. Neal had laid out the Styrofoam balls and was using a picture of the solar system in his science book to determine which ball should represent which planet based on their relative sizes. Emma simply looked on, encouraging him when he made a correct choice and gently nudging him in a different direction when something was amiss. The obvious love between them, the bond that had formed the moment Neal was born, was nothing short of heartwarming.
"You're right," Snow said, smiling at her wonderful husband. "She's going to be just fine."