so...I'm kind of obsessed with colin o'liferuiner/donoghue. And captain swan, and ouat in general. i get way too excited about this show and yeah now i'm really excited about this story! This is the the prologue to a multi-chapter story, so please review to give me motivation :))))))

The thing about birthdays, especially when you're with kids, is that you have to invite everyone.

And that means everyone.

She wouldn't have minded it as much if it had just been Mary Margaret, David, and maybe Ruby, or hell, even Grumpy, but no, Henry had insisted that Emma's birthday be an entire town affair.

And what could she have said? Things were still shaky after the beans got destroyed-which meant there was no way in hell they were getting back to fairy tale land-and Emma wanted to make sure that there was no confusion between her and her son. Especially not now, when things could go either way.

"Remind me again why I'm doing this," Emma says, pulling a white turtleneck over her head and shaking out her hair.

Snow-Mary Margaret-sighs, folding yet another cardigan and placing it on their bed. "Because you love Henry that much."

"Give me something else," Emma replies. "Something that will actually make me excited about going."

"Well...I'll be there!" remarks Mary Margaret, abandoning her folding and sitting on the bed beside Emma. "That's something, right?"

Emma allows a small smile. She has to appreciate her mother. But as usual, sometimes she just doesn't get it.

"I'm kidding," Mary Margaret assures Emma. Yet another thing that the two of them have to work on-understanding attempted jokes.

"I know."

"You like these people. Just enjoy yourself, okay? Or at least try to." Mary Margaret pats Emma's leg and launches herself up, tying a scarf around her neck at the front door. "I'll see you in half an hour, okay?"

"Yeah," Emma responds, allowing another half-smile. "See you."

It's odd, she thinks, as the door closes softly behind her mother-Mary Margaret makes a point to never slam doors-how different the two of them are.

"Surprise!"

Emma offers a half-assed I'm so surprised! You really fooled me! face, mostly because Henry is standing right in front of her mother and father. Mary Margaret had let the whole surprise party slip to her daughter a few days earlier, but everyone else thought that it was still an actual surprise, so she figures that it's only polite to let them keep thinking that. It's just easier.

"Wow...uh, thanks, guys," she says nervously, standing and surveying the crowd. Just as she'd suspected: Ruby, Whale-the two of them certainly look cozy-, Granny, Grumpy and the rest of them, Regina, Ashley and Sean, Gold and Belle, Archie, and a few others that Emma doesn't recognize, and-

No.

Emma spins to her mother's side, restraining herself from pointing. "Mary Margaret-?"

"Emma, I'm sorry, I know it's a surprise, but-"

Emma's eyes grow wide and she turns now to her father. "David-you don't even-"

"It wasn't planned," says David slowly, glancing at his wife for help that he doesn't get and scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Look, he's not here to make trouble-"

"Yeah? Because that's kind of what he's done for a long time! He can't be trusted!"

"That would have been true a month ago," Mary Margaret says slowly. Comfortingly. "He can be trusted." She gives Emma a knowing glance. "Can you believe me, please, Emma? Don't ruin this," she continues, shooting a look over at Henry, who's piling a slice of Emma's birthday cake onto his own plate and engaging in a heated discussion with Granny.

Emma's lips part and she restrains herself from rolling her eyes. "Okay, but I'm not talking to him."

"Suit yourself. I'm going to go have some refreshments," David tells her, smiling broadly. "Try to enjoy yourself, won't you, Emma?"

"Yeah, your wife said the same thing," Emma mutters under her breath as her parents disappear into the crowd.

"Said what, love?"

Emma spins around again-god, she's getting dizzy already and she hasn't even had a drink, but hell she's going to need one-to see who dares to talk to her.

Who else? Of course he would make it seem like he knew that she and her parents had just been talking about him. Of course it was him. The slightly slurred, drawled speech, the infuriating yet annoyingly attractive accent-

Hook.

a/n: lots of CS in the next chapter, i promise. also, please don't favorite/follow without leaving a review :)