Emma sat on the couch with her feet up, her arms wrapped around her knees, hugging them close to her chest. The familiar warm fuzzy feeling of home sinking in as she watched her baby brother silently dreaming in the crib beside her. Mary Margaret had gone to wash the empty baby bottle and tidy up the kitchen.
Emma craned her neck over the top of the couch to see how long her mother would be.
'Mother' she thought to herself. It still baffled her how after spending her whole childhood looking for her parents, she finally found them and they were none other than the heroes in the Fairytales she'd cherished her whole life. She hadn't clung to these stories because she fantasised about the ideas of 'Hope' and 'True Love', but because of the battles that the heroes would face. Slaying dragons and bringing the villains to justice. Ultimately setting a good example for the greater good of others. Emma couldn't help but smile as she watched her mother put the last coffee mug in the cupboard.
Mary Margaret felt Emma watching her. She turned around to find Emma was no longer staring at her, but rather gazing lovingly at her baby brother beside her. Mary Margaret's heart swelled, she couldn't help but feel grateful to have this moment alone with both her children.
She crept around the side of the couch, placed two mugs of hot cocoa down on the coffee table and sat beside Emma. They watched the little infant wriggle in his sleep and Emma laughed quietly, taking a sip of her hot cocoa. Mary Margaret placed her mug down after taking a sip and tucked her feet up beside her on the couch, stretching her arm across the top of the couch behind Emma. She sighed slightly and Emma popped her mug down on the coffee table to look at her, confusion masking her face.
"What's wrong?" she asked wrapping her arms around her knees again.
"Nothing." her mother replied, looking from Emma to Neal and back.
Emma looked over at Neal. "I wonder if Henry was ever this quiet." she wondered aloud.
Mary Margaret froze for a split second, she couldn't tell if Emma was hurt by the idea or intrigued. She placed a loose strand of Emma's hair back behind her ear, placed her hand on her daughters knee and smiled warmly. "If he's anything like you were, he'd have been as quiet as a mouse." she managed to choke out.
Emma heard her mother's voice break and placed her hand over her mothers, on her knee. "Oh, Mom. I didn't mean it like that…" Emma began.
"No, I know. I just… I remember it like it was yesterday. Still… so… vivid…" Mary Margaret mumbled, getting lost in thought.
Emma hadn't felt comfortable discussing this topic ever, especially with her parents, but seeing the hurt and loss on her mothers face, and the small voice inside her urging her to find out, she tilted hr head ever so slightly, gaining the attention of her mother's gaze. She smiled at her, "How big was I?" she asked enthused. The enthusiasm in her voice took even her by surprise, she watched as her mother's eyes widened for a split second, then a wide grin spread across her face. Emma's shoulder's eased knowing her mother was so happy that she'd asked.
"Well…" Mary Margaret began taking a quick sip of cocoa and Emma leant back against the couch, getting comfortable. "You were about this big…" Mary Margaret estimated the size with her hands and giggled lightly when Emma's eyebrows raised at how small. "You had the most beautiful long lashes and tiny fingers and toes." she closed her eyes, smiling, remembering.
Emma rolled her eyes and laughed, "Every baby has tiny fingers and toes." she stated looking down at her hands which were now in her lap. A coping mechanism when she felt uncomfortable. Part of her wanted to know the story, but the other half which had kept her emotionally protected all these years still stood strong.
Mary Margaret squeezed Emma's arm lightly and when she looked up she opened her arms.
Emma scooted over slightly and rest her head against her mother's shoulder, her hands still in her lap. Mary Margaret wrapped her arms around Emma and sighed happily, finishing where she'd left off.
"I can remember Charming looking absolutely terrified when I asked if he wanted to hold you." she laughed and Emma smiled, tears building slightly in her eyes. "His face was priceless. He was so worried that if he touched you, you'd break." Mary Margaret rocked them from side to side slightly. "You were so tiny…" she remembered and Emma felt her mother's tear hit her head, and her hands instinctively moved from nervously fidgeting in her lap, to drawing patterns on her mothers knee beside her. Mary Margaret's arms raised with goosebumps at Emma's touch. They'd not been this emotionally honest with each other… well, for a very long time. Just the fact Emma wanted to know and felt comfortable enough to be hugged against her side was everything she'd dreamed of and more, for so many years.
"Charming had taken you into his arms and that was the very first time I'd seen him speechless. He was afraid to breathe incase he woke you." they both laughed, then fell into companionable silence. Mary Margaret turned her face to press her lips into Emma's hair, her arms hugging her a little closer.
"Do you think Henry was quiet?" Emma asked her mother, this time settling herself in to the space beside her mother. The warmth of her mothers embrace finally broke down her last wall.
"I think he would have been, yes." Mary Margaret said with completely confidence, one of her hands gently scraping through Emma's hair over and over. "Have you ever asked Regina?" Mary Margaret wondered quietly, feeling Emma stiffen under her touch.
Emma cleared her throat slightly, "No. I haven't." she barely whispered.
"Well maybe your next one will be." Mary Margaret tried to make light of the sudden awkwardness.
"Next one?" Emma scoffed and pulled back to look up at her mother.
"Well, I just mean… we had you and now Neal." Mary Margaret flustered and her cheeks filled with colour.
Emma rolled her eyes, "I know what you mean, and I do want Henry to grow up with a sibling. He has Roland now.." she trailed off.
"What does Hook think?" Mary Margaret's eyebrow raised and she bent forward to pick up her mug of hot cocoa. She sipped from it, all the while staring at Emma cheekily.
"Killian…" Emma corrected and Mary Margaret nodded, placing the mug back down and grabbing a pillow to hug onto. Emma moved slightly to she could lay down on the couch, resting her head against the chair arm, and avoid her mother's line of view.
"…he doesn't think about it because we don't talk about it." Emma said blatantly and sighed.
"Just because you don't talk about it, doesn't mean he doesn't think about it." Mary Margaret challenged and laughed slightly at her daughter's eye-roll.
"What makes you so sure he'd even want kids?" Emma asked looking over at her mother who was smiling at her, like she knew something Emma didn't.
"What?!" she asked her mother impatiently.
Mary Margaret shrugged her shoulders smiling again. "The way he looks at you when you're not looking is the same way I look at Charming when he's not looking." she explained, "You're so much like your father, you don't realise. Always looking to help others before you take care of yourself. That's what we are for." she said before taking another sip of cocoa.
Emma sat and listened as her mother's words sank in. She remembered back to every time he'd pretend not to be staring at her after getting caught. Every time she'd wonder why he would be looking at her.
"Besides, have you seen him with Henry?" Mary Margaret asked smiling, "They always come back from a day of fishing or sailing with the most amazing stories." she recalled. "He's getting better with Neal too." she mused. Emma couldn't stop herself from smiling as she listened to her mom speak so lovingly about their family.
Mary Margaret started laughing to herself and Emma poked her mother's leg with her foot. "What?" she asked laughing a little herself.
"It's just funny because Killian's face was the exact same as Charming's when I asked him if he could hold Neal for a few seconds." she remembered and smiled fondly, before finishing the cocoa.
"It was?" Emma asked with genuine curiosity.
"Oh yeah." Mary Margaret laughed again, setting the mug back down on the coffee table and rocking the crib ever so slightly. "The whole wide-eyed panic and muscles frozen in place as I handed the baby over to him." she laughed a little louder now remembering. "I could have sworn I'd seen him sweat a little. The nerves were radiating from him. I don't think he breathed for those few seconds he held your brother either." she finished laughing with a long sigh.
Emma pouted slightly but smiled, "He wanted to do a good job. Make a good impression on you guys." she explained in his defence. She didn't know this happened at all, her heart ached for him.
Emma leaned over to check the time on her phone. The knowing smile was back on her mothers face. "What?" Emma asked laughing.
"They'll be back soon." Mary Margaret replied shrugging her shoulders.
"That's not what I-" Emma started.
"I know what you were doing." Mary Margaret interrupted with a wink and Emma laughed.
"So how are things between you and Hook?" Mary Margaret asked curiously, hugging the pillow closer.
"Killian…" she corrected again, "…and everything's fine." she said. The very thought of him, putting a huge smile on her face.
Mary Margaret tilted her head and smiled warmly at her daughter. this is what she'd hoped for her. To be happy. Unconditionally loved and ridiculously happy.
Emma laughed slightly, hiding her face with her hands embarrassed. She hadn't felt this comfortable talking to her mother ever since, before she found out Mary Margaret was actually her mother. Back when they were just roomies and friends. Back when she was the only person who'd shown her kindness, besides Henry, the first person she'd ever called 'Family' to.
The uncomfortable feeling in her stomach started to settle in, remembering that Mary Margaret was in fact her mother and that talking about Killian was going to get into detail. She had to change the subject. But to what?
"What happened when you had to put me through that wardrobe?" Emma just came out with it, only realising the weight of her words after she'd spoken them.
Mary Margaret's gaze dropped and her body froze at her daughter's question.
"You don't have to-" Emma started to apologise.
"No, you have a right to know." Mary Margaret said painfully.
Emma sat up and leant forward to take both her mother's hands in each of her own.
Mary Margaret looked up at Emma and smiled apologetically. Emma nodded encouragingly.
"When we were told that only one person could go through the portal, the plan was that I would go through, still pregnant. However we'd miscalculated the time it would take to make the wardrobe, and by the time you came… it was too late." Mary Margaret explained and took a deep breath, looking down at Emma's hands holding her own.
"Charming needed to get you to the wardrobe before the Evil Queen's guards came. We had to say goodbye and I've never felt more hopeless in my entire life." Mary Margaret's voice shook and tears began to fall down her cheeks.
Emma wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and squeezed her mother's hand slightly to continue the story.
"I held you in my arms and I can remember wishing for a miracle." Mary Margaret closed her eyes, steadying her breathing.
"Charming kissed my head and placed his hand over mine, which was tangled in your blanket." she shook her head slowly, eyes still closed.
Emma could see the torment and pain on her mothers face, these awful memories engraved in her mind.
"Everything was a blur after that." Mary Margaret said sniffling as she opened her eyes. She looked over at Emma lovingly, blinking through tears.
"I kissed your forehead and…" she struggled to get the words out, "…and whispered in your ear to…" she broke into a sob and Emma rest her head against her mother's shoulder. She wrapped her around her mothers arm and hugged it against her, trying to sooth the heartbreaking sobs which escaped her mother's lips.
Mary Margaret held Emma close and whispered into her ear, those same exact words she had before they'd said goodbye all those years ago. 'Come back to me.' she whispered and a tear fell from Emma's face onto their hands.
They sat in silence for a few moments, just holding onto each other. Emma's tears stopping when Mary Margaret's sobs calmed.
"And I did. I came back." Emma said in a small voice, her attention turning to the ring on her mother's finger. She held her mother's hand up slightly to see it better.
"You did." Mary Margaret breathed, smiling again as she watched Emma marvel over the ring she'd been given by David with his mother's blessing.
"You know, I give him my blessing." Mary Margaret said quietly, barely a whisper but Emma heard.
She froze and her mouth dropped open in shock.
Emma didn't even need to ask, "What?!" her mother knew what she was thinking by this point.
"For me, it was a huge deal to meet Charming's mother, let alone get her approval. The whole status thing didn't affect me. I wanted her to choose me like he had. I wanted her to approve, that I was worthy of marrying him, not based on my class or status, but on my unwavering devotion and love for him. I see these in him, you know. It's the little things that don't go unnoticed. He would quite literally go to the ends of the earth… or the end of time… for you, which he already has, and they way he looks at you tells me he'd do it all over again in a heartbeat." Emma's heart swelled as her mother listed the little things she'd noticed about both them together and just Killian.
"All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy and I can see that you are with him. And when the time comes that he asks, he will have my blessing." she explained, playing with Emma's hair again. "Our blessing." she corrected smiling.
Neal wriggled suddenly and both Mary Margaret and Emma's heads snapped to the crib.
The front door opened then, and Henry burst in dropping his back at the bottom of the coat rack and kicking off his shoes at the bottom of the stairs. He ran to the bathroom completely oblivious to his mother and grandmother sitting on the couch.
"Hey, Kid?" Emma said but Henry had already disappeared.
Emma and Mary Margaret looked at each other confused.
Just then, David appeared in the doorway panting. Killian was next to appear, he patted David on the back and laughed, before entering the loft. "Maybe next time don't shake on a bet involving money with the lad." Killian laughed again and David walked over to the chair at the table and collapsed into it, breathing heavily and holding his chest. "You're a traitor. You helped him win!" David accused laughing.
"What's going on?" Emma asked.
"Oh, Hey Mom." Henry chimed and popped his head up from behind the couch, startling her and Mary Margaret.
Killian, David and Henry laughed in unison.
"Come here then, cheater." David said waving a $10 bill in the air, surrendering to Henry.
Henry grabbed the money from his grandfathers hand and retreated to the couch beside his mother.
Emma wrapped an arm around him and kissed his head. "How was it?" she asked smiling.
"It was amazing! Killian and Grandpa showed me how-" Henry began explaining and Emma looked at her mother who was smiling her knowing smile again. Remembering back to their earlier conversation about how Henry always comes back from days out with Hook having experienced so many new things, having the most incredible stories.
David sat smiling, chiming in when Henry would forget details of the days events. Emma nodded for Mary Margaret to turn around and watch Killian.
Killian was smiling widely, whilst listening to the boy recount the fun they'd had with such enthusiasm. He was so engrossed in Henry and David explaining the fact he had fallen overboard that he didn't even notice Emma and Mary Margaret staring at him.
Emma was nodded and smiling as Henry explained the days events, not really hearing what'd happened. All she could think of was how Killian would be as a father himself.
He took his jacket off and hung it up on the coat rack, laughing at the story of David catching a tiny fish and thinking it was huge. He bent down, picked up Henry's bag and hung it on the coat rack too. Henry explained that Killian had bet that David couldn't run from Granny's to the loft quicker than Henry himself could. Killian walked over to the stairs, picked up Henry's shoes and placed them back under the coat rack, nice and tidy where no one could trip over them.
Mary Margaret raised her brow at Emma smiling. 'I told you.' she mouthed and Emma rolled her eyes turning her attention back to Henry.
"Sounds like you had a great day." she stated, ruffling his hair.
"Always." David said still laughing.
Neal wriggled again and David came over to pick him up before Mary Margaret could move. "It's my turn, now." he whispered, cradling his little boy into the kitchen to go find a bottle for him.
Henry yawned and Emma laughed lightly. "Come on then, I better drop you home before I get a dozen missed calls and angry texts from Regina on reasons why you're late." she said standing up and holding a hand out to help him up. He took it and Emma helped him up.
Killian got up silently and waited for them by the door. Mary Margaret hugged Henry tightly before letting go and hugging Emma. They lingered in each others arms for a few moments. Mary Margaret kissed Emma's cheek and thanked her genuinely for the company today. Emma hugged her mother quickly once more and headed for the door.
"Bye then?" David said feeling left out.
Henry ran over to hug him and tickle Neal quickly, before going to get his shoes on.
Emma rolled her eyes, smiling at her fathers pouting expression. "Bye Dad." she said wrapping her arm awkwardly around him as he held Neal.
David held her close for a moment, his hand protecting the back of her head like he usually does.
Emma kissed her brother on the head and walked over to the door.
"You ready kid?" Emma asked holding the door open.
Emma and Killian were both looking down at Henry. Mary Margaret and David looked at each other smiling.
Henry looked up at them, "Yeah, let's go." he said standing up and taking a step forward.
"You sure about that lad?" Killian put his hand on Henry's shoulder and revealed hi bag dangling off of his hook.
"Oh yeah. Thanks." Henry said taking it.
Emma looked up at Killian and an involuntary sigh escaped her lips, she smiled a little embarrassed. Killian winked at her. "Bye Dave, thanks for today mate." he thanked David quickly before following Henry down the stairs to the car.
Emma turned back to find her mother silently clapping and beaming a massive grin.
"Oh stop." Emma rolled her eyes and Mary Margaret laughed.
"What's all that about?" David asked confused.
"I'll tell you later." Mary Margaret replied smiling and Emma shot her a glare that just screamed 'Don't you dare!'
Emma closed the door and made her way down the stairs to the bug.