This one-shot is dedicated to Zebragirl & oncer4life11, who both had great prompt ideas for little Violet fics. Thank you both for your support it means a lot :) I hope you all enjoy! Much love.
"Do you remember the first time you went to the beach, Vi?" Henry asked his daughter as he put sunscreen on her. "No," the 3-year-old answered as she put sunscreen on Henry's face. "You took your first steps at the beach. You loved it."
"Daddy?" Violet asked as Henry strapped her into her car seat. Regina had given him permission to drive her car across town by himself for the first time since he got his license, and he was anxious. "Yeah?" The boy answered distractedly as he made sure the straps were as tight as they would go.
"Do you really have to leave?"
Henry sighed and frowned at the sad look on his daughter's face. For the last 3 years, he had never been away from Violet for more than a weekend, let alone 5 days out of town. For his big 16th birthday, Regina had set up a trip for the two of them to go to New York together.
Regina hadn't had the chance to tour the city and Henry had been dying to go back. Emma had volunteered to watch her granddaughter for the week while they were gone. Henry was excited to go, but he knew he was going to miss Violet every second.
"I'll be back soon, Monkey. Besides, we have all day today to spend at the beach," the teen smiled as he set her mini-sunglasses on her nose. "Okay…" the toddler pouted.
Henry started to drive, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. "I'll bring you back some cool presents from New York," the boy tried to cheer his daughter up. The girl frowned and stared out the window.
"DADDY!" Violet suddenly screamed.
Henry slammed on the brakes and turned around to see what had happened. "What's wrong?" He asked as his heart slammed against his rib cage a million miles a minute. "There's Pongo!" The little girl pointed at the Dalmatian trotting down the street.
Henry took a few deep breaths and turned around in his seat. "You can't scream like that, Violet. We could have gotten into a car accident."
"Sorry," the little girl giggled.
The two arrived at the beach without any more incidents. "Ready to go have some fun?" Henry asked as he pulled two surfboards and a bucket of supplies from the car. Violet had already jumped out of her car seat and was running towards the sand.
"Vi, wait up!" Henry called as he ran after her. Man, I have to start working out. This kid has worn me down.
Eventually he caught up to her and scooped her up, hanging her upside down. Violet giggled and did a flip out of his arms. "Watch me, Daddy!" The girl called as Henry set out some towels and a few snacks.
The girl did a few cartwheels and a front hand spring perfectly on the uneven sand. "Great job, Vi!" Henry clapped for her.
Three times a week Violet was attending a dance/gymnastics class taught by Ashley. The munchkin group that Violet was in had been practicing a dance routine for the spring showcase.
"Can you do a cartwheel, Dad?" Violet asked as she sat down next to him. Henry got up and attempted one which ended up with him landing on his head in the sand.
His daughter laughed and jumped on top of him as she began to bury him in the sand. It was all fun and games until Henry couldn't move and Violet had his phone in her hands.
She dangled it over the water and pretended to drop it a few times. A classic Emma move. "Violet Elizabeth Mills you put my phone down right now!" Henry demanded. "No!" The girl laughed and ran farther into the water.
Henry watched helplessly as his expensive phone was thrown up and down, barely escaping a watery death each time. "Hey Vi, do you wanna go surfing? I'll teach you," the boy asked, trying to distract her. "Okay," the girl relented before unburying him.
Henry made sure to hide his phone deep in the beach bag where his daughter wouldn't find it. He'd have to talk to his mother about the new prank she had shown her granddaughter that nearly cost him his phone.
Henry waded out into the water with Violet clinging tightly to his shoulders. "You ready?" Henry asked. "No," the little girl said uncertainly. "What's wrong, Vi?"
The boy held her close to his chest as waves rippled around their feet. "What if there are sharks?" She asked. "There aren't any sharks out here," Henry tried to reassure her.
"Can I make sure?" Violet asked. "Alright," Henry set the girl down and watched as she held out her hands. The dark water began to glow bright blue and green as magic swept through it. "See? No sharks," the teen said.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his leg. Henry cried out in surprise and fell backwards into the waves. "Just mermaids!" Ariel popped up from the foamy water, causing Violet to giggle. "Now will you go surfing? We have Ariel to keep us safe," Henry said.
Violet bit her lip and stared out at the glowing water. "What if I fall in?"
"Daddy will catch you." Henry lifted the girl onto her small board and helped her onto her stomach. "Now paddle like this!" Ariel flipped her tail and moved her arms in a swimming motion.
Henry pushed Violet's board into the waves until he had to swim beside it. "Look, see that wave? When I say go, you stand up. Ready? Go!"
The girl pushed herself up but was propelled backwards by the huge wave. Henry lunged forward to catch her as she fell. "So close! Good try, Monkey."
Violet wiped the water off her face and climbed up on her board next to Ariel. "Here, I'll show you how." Henry began paddling until he neared another wave. Successfully he stood and rode the wave back to Violet and Ariel before jumping off back into the water.
"Good job, Dad!" Violet said. Henry kissed her cheek and picked her up. "Wanna try the next one together?"
The little girl nodded eagerly and sat with one leg on either side of the board. Ariel swam next to them just in case Violet were to fall off. As a wave approached, Henry stood on the board and pulled Violet to her feet.
The smile on his daughter's face was priceless as they rode the wave all the way back to shore. "Daddy we did it! Let's do it again!" Violet squealed in delight as she pushed the board back out. Soon, Violet was riding the waves next to her dad like a pro.
As Henry started to set up the picnic lunch he had brought, Ariel taught Violet how to swim like a mermaid. Luckily the girl didn't know how to turn herself into one quite yet. When she learned how to do that they'd never get her out of the water. `
After lunch, Ariel helped Violet and Henry make a sand castle. Then they scoured the beach for seashells. Violet made sure to grab one for everyone she knew.
By the time they got back to the house, the sun was set in the sky. Henry carried Violet into the house as she had fallen asleep on the way home. "Hey, did you guys have fun?" Emma asked them. Emma, Regina, and Snow were drinking tea and knitting.
"Yeah we did," Henry answered. "Looks like you grandmas are having fun yourselves."
"Hey, I am not old, okay? It just turns out I'm pretty good at this whole knitting thing." Emma held up a handful of soft pink material that somewhat looked like a sweater. Regina and Snow laughed at her excellent knitting skills. "I give up!" Emma threw the sweater down and poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Are we all packed for tomorrow?" Henry asked as he took Violet's jacket off, being careful not to wake her. "Yep, all set. You excited?" Regina asked. "Yeah, it's just gonna be weird being away from Violet for that long," Henry answered.
"We'll have fun. I have our whole week planned," Regina said. Henry looked to his other mother. "What?" Emma asked. "Do you have yours and Violet's week planned out, Mom?"
Emma shrugged. "We don't really need a plan. Other than going out on patrol a few times, I figured we could just go with it."
"Mom, you have to have a little bit of a plan. Violet still gets cranky when she doesn't have her nap," Henry reminded her. "Kid, I took care of you I think I can take care of my granddaughter. We'll be great."
Early in the morning before the sun rose, Henry went into his daughter's room to tell her goodbye. "Where are you going, Daddy?" Violet asked with a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. "Me and Grandma 'Gina are getting on a plane to go to New York soon."
His daughter wrapped her arms around Henry's neck. "I don't want you to go."
"We'll be back soon. Besides, you'll have a whole week to spend with Nana Emma. Go back to sleep, Monkey." Henry kissed her forehead and laid her back down. "Love you."
"Love you, Dad," the little girl yawned before falling back asleep.
Emma woke to a curious pair of eyes staring at her right in front of her face. "Hey, Monkey," she greeted her granddaughter. "What are you doing up so early?"
"I'm hungry," Violet answered. The blonde looked up at the clock to see it was just barely 7 in the morning. "Can't you be hungry in a few hours?"
Emma rolled over and hid her face in the pillow. Violet climbed on top of her and shook her. "Nana, wake up!"
"Here, just watch some cartoons," Emma mumbled as she handed over the remote. "What about breakfast?" Violet asked. "There's a box of Count Chocula in your cupboard. Go get it."
Violet ran downstairs and grabbed the cereal out of the cupboard that was low enough for her to reach.
Emma jumped as the little girl shoved the box in her face. "Do you want some, Nana?"
"Go ahead and eat it up, kid," Emma said before falling back asleep.
When she woke up again, little chocolate cereal crumbs covered the bed. The Disney Junior channel was blaring loudly and Violet was asleep with her hand in the cereal box. Emma groaned and carried the girl downstairs before pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"At least Henry let me sleep in peace," Emma yawned as she saw it was a little after 9 in the morning. "What are we gonna do today, Nana?" Violet asked as she inspected the seashells in her bucket. "Watch some movies. Maybe order a pizza later," Emma answered.
"Can we go to the park?"
"Vi, it's raining outside. Today is a stay inside and sleep day," Emma said before laying down on the couch. "Nana…" Violet groaned. "Daddy said we would have fun."
Emma peeked one eye open to see Violet frowning. "I know lots of fun stuff we can do inside. Have you ever gone mattress surfing?"
Emma dragged two of the twin mattresses in the spare room out and set them in front of the stairs. Violet waddled over in her protective gear. "Why do I have to wear all these?" She asked, motioning to the pillows covering her arms and legs.
"Because I've done this before with your dad. It's how he broke his arm for the first time," Emma explained. Violet sat down on the edge of the mattress. Emma pushed her down and laughed as the girl tumbled off at the bottom.
"Can we do that again?" Violet asked with a wide grin on her face. Emma nodded and dragged the mattress back up the stairs.
Violet ran and jumped on the mattress, nearly knocking Emma over. She pushed Emma down, laid on her stomach and slid down, stood and slid. She was a little daredevil.
They continued this until it was lunch time. "What are we eating for lunch, Nana?" Violet asked as she followed Emma into the kitchen. The blonde pulled out her favorite container of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. "I'm eating Cherry Garcia. What flavor do you want?"
Violet's mouth fell open as she stared at the many flavors before her. "Grandma 'Gina and Daddy never let me eat ice cream for lunch before."
"You're my favorite grandkid. This is what a week with Nana looks like," Emma said. Violet grinned and pulled out a container of Rocky Road, which also happened to be Henry's favorite.
The two sat and watched Disney movies while they ate their unhealthy lunch. "Why doesn't Baymax hold onto Hiro when they fly out of the portal? Why does he let go?" Violet asked. Emma raised her eyebrows at the adult observation. "I don't think they would have made it if Baymax would have held on."
"But why does Baymax have to die?" Violet's eyes filled with tears, and Emma's heart softened. "Baymax loved his friend so much he sacrificed himself to save him."
"Like my Mommy did with me?"
The question caught Emma off guard, and she set down her container of ice cream. "What makes you say that?"
"Daddy says Mommy died when I was born. Did she sac- sacrice- "
"Sacrifice," Emma corrected her.
"Did she do that with me like Baymax?" The little girl's eyes peered up at her questioningly.
Emma rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to explain it in a way her granddaughter could understand. "Daddy says she was a Princess," the little girl added.
Emma smiled sadly and turned to face her. "Your Mommy loved you more than anything else. She loved you even before you were born. In a way, she did do what Baymax did. She gave you your best chance."
"Daddy says you gave him his best chance. That's why I have two grandmas," the little girl said. "That's right. You get the best of both worlds, kid."
The little girl looked thoughtful and confused for a minute. "Where do babies come from?"
Uh oh. It was the big B question. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. "When two people love each other, they- they express their love in a way that can sometimes make a baby."
"How? Do the babies come from the sky?"
"Well- "
"Does a fairy deliver them?"
Emma thought for a second. "Well, when two people are in love and they want to have a baby, a fairy comes and sprinkles fairy dust over the mommy so she can carry a baby."
"Where at?" Violet asked innocently.
"In her tummy," Emma answered, pointing to her own. Violet leaned forward to look. "Is that where my Daddy came from?"
"Yep."
The toddler reached her hand out to touch the woman's tummy, then suddenly pulled back. Emma giggled and grabbed her granddaughter's hand. "It's okay, you can touch. There aren't any babies in there right now."
Thankfully, the phone rang and ended the difficult conversation. Violet was soon distracted with another Disney movie as Emma answered the call. "Hey, Regina. How's it going?"
"Great. We are just about to go to some SC-Fi tech thing that Henry wanted to check out. How are things going there?"
"Uh, pretty good. I just had to explain where babies came from to a three-year-old."
"BABIES COME FROM FAIRIES!" The little girl screamed as loud as she could. "They what?" Regina asked, having heard her granddaughter. "Nothing. Uh, you guys have fun. I'm gonna get Violet down for her nap," Emma said.
When Emma hung up the phone, Violet was upstairs on Emma's bed. The blonde winced as she saw that the little girl was crushing the cereal pieces into the fabric. She'd have to sleep in Regina's room tonight. "Whose up for a nap? I know I am." Emma grabbed her pillow and went downstairs.
Violet followed her, still hyper from all the sugar she had ingested. "What are you doing, Nana?"
"Building a pillow fort," Emma answered as she stacked pillows and blankets on top of each other. "Why?" The girl asked. "Because who wouldn't want to take a nap in a pillow fort?"
Soon, both girls were sound asleep.
Emma woke up to noise, and lots of it. The TV was blaring, the smoke alarm was beeping, there was an unidentifiable pounding nearby. "What the hell? Did the apocalypse happen in the hour we slept?" Emma grumbled.
Surprise surprise, Violet was no longer sleeping beside her. Climbing out of the fort, the blonde looked at the clock to see it was 8 in the morning. She had slept all evening and all night. "Violet?" She called out, her heart racing. What is the worst a 3-year-old could do?
As she walked into the kitchen, the answer hit her right in the face. Literally.
A wet glob of what looked like bread dough fell from the ceiling onto her face. Emma stared in horror at the once-pristine kitchen. All the ice cream was pulled out of the freezer and was now melting on the floor, the fridge was wide open, smoke was rising from the microwave, pots and pans were ripped from the cabinets.
The walls were colored on with marker, there were a couple holes in the hallway wall, food crumbs scattered across the wood floors. "Violet Elizabeth Mills you come out here right now!" Emma yelled.
The door opened, and Snow came in with David right behind her. "What happened in here?" Snow asked. "I fell asleep and I slept through dinner. The kid went crazy!" Emma exclaimed. "Where is she?" David asked. "I don't know." Emma threw up her hands in defeat and sat against the wall.
Snow couldn't help giggling at the sight of her disheveled daughter. Emma glared up at the brunette. "This isn't funny."
Snow tried and failed to quiet her laughter. "This is what happens when you take care of a toddler."
"Henry's a better parent than me. I take care of the kid for one day and this happens!"
David soon came back hand in hand with little Violet. "What do you say to Nana?" He said. "Sorry," the little girl mumbled. She was covered head to toe in ice cream, bread dough, and flour.
"Okay, you earned yourself a time-out. 3 minutes on the timer. Then when you're done you can tell us what happened," David said sternly. The little brunette pouted but sat on her stool in the corner as she was told.
Snow and Emma worked together to clean the house. Emma couldn't help but smile as she glanced over to see her father kneeling in front of Violet and talking to her. Snow noticed and smiled too. "He's a good father. Neal listens to him more than he does me. Daddy means business."
"Yeah, Violet usually doesn't act out like this. It's probably because I spoiled her. Gave her ice cream for lunch," Emma said. Snow chuckled and mopped up the remaining bits of the sticky dessert. "You're trying to be the cool grandma."
"Well, I just want her to have fun. This is the first week I'm actually alone with her and I want to make it special," Emma said, pouting slightly.
David came over with Violet and sat her down on the counter. "Why don't you tell Nana and Mama Snow what you did."
"I was trying to make pizza for you. You like ice cream so I was gonna make a ice cream pizza. I was trying to do what Grandma 'Gina does with the dough but I couldn't."
"So you put it in the microwave?"
"Yeah," Violet nodded. "What about the coloring on the walls?" Snow asked. "I was trying to make it look pretty."
"You know you're not supposed to color on the walls," Emma scolded her. Violet blushed and kicked her feet out. "Sorry."
"Thank you for telling the truth. Now, let's get cleaned up so we can go have breakfast with Mama and Papa," Emma said as she kissed the little girl on her nose.
After breakfast, Snow and David brought Neal along with them to the trampoline center. The family had a fun time playing dodgeball for a while before Violet and Neal practiced their dance/gymnastics routine.
Emma and Snow took pictures as they admired the gracefulness of the two toddlers. "Ladies man, that one." David winked as Neal kissed his niece's hand and then dipped her.
Snow and David took Neal home after too much jumping resulted in him getting sick. "Well now what do we do? Your Uncle got the trampoline center closed down!" Emma said as she drove around town. "Movie!" Violet pointed out the window to the cinema.
Emma glanced out the window to see the movie theatre was showing Trolls and The Conjuring. "I guess we could go see that troll one," the blonde said. "No I wanna see the other one!" The toddler said excitedly.
Emma turned around in her seat to face her granddaughter. "That other one is a scary movie. I don't think your Dad would be very happy if we went to see it."
"Please, Nana?" Violet asked with a pouty face. "You'll have nightmares for weeks," Emma said. The little girl shook her head defiantly. "Nuh-uh."
Emma sighed and pulled the bug over. "Fine. But I get to choose the kind of candy we buy."
Throughout the whole movie while Emma and the audience jumped at every scare, Violet laughed. Emma stared at her little granddaughter in shock. How the hell was the kid not terrified? It took a lot to scare her, and this movie was doing a great job.
"It's okay, Nana," Violet reassured her as she covered the blonde's eyes at the scary parts. Emma got so scared she eventually pulled the little girl onto her lap and hid her face whenever one of the creepy demons would appear.
Violet calmly petted her hair and fed her popcorn as she laughed at the audience's reaction. Emma felt mortified. She was 34 years old and here she was using her granddaughter as a human shield. "It's over, Nana," the little toddler twisted around to face her.
Emma refused to look up. It was never over when there was scary music still playing. "Emma, you can get up. Seriously, it's over."
Emma looked up to see Ruby with Belle beside her. The lights had come back on and the theatre was nearly empty. Violet giggled and pulled her up. On the way out of the theatre, a little boy jumped out from behind a trashcan.
Acting on impulse, Emma shoved Violet forward and jumped back. The two kids slammed into each other and fell to the ground. "Ow!" The little boy grumbled and rubbed his head. Violet bit her lip and whimpered.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Emma asked. Ruby and Belle couldn't contain their laughter. "Scaredy-cat Emma!" Ruby sang. "My arm hurts," Violet complained as she stood up. Emma's eyes widened as she realized the girl's arm was bent at an awkward angle.
"Vi, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you!" Emma said as guilt clouded her mind. Belle knelt down to inspect the girl's arm. "It looks like it may be broken but don't worry the doctors can get you fixed up," the brunette said calmly.
Emma's eyes filled with tears and she dropped the popcorn bucket on the ground. "Shit!" She cursed as she bent to pick it up. "It's okay, Nana." Violet hugged her with her good arm.
Soon, the gang was sitting in the hospital waiting area. Ruby had bought a coloring book and some snacks from the gift shop to keep Violet occupied. Surprisingly, the little girl was rather calm about the whole affair.
"Violet Mills?"
Emma stood and walked with Violet to the back. After careful inspection and an X-Ray, Whale lead Emma out into the hallway. "The good news is, it's a clean break. The bad news is it needs to be reset."
Emma glanced nervously over to her granddaughter who was eagerly picking out what color cast she wanted. It was the Henry accident all over again. Her son hadn't cried or barely uttered a peep until they had to reset his arm. His screams were the most painful thing Emma had ever heard.
"Can't you give her some morphine or something to take the pain away?"
"We have a few options. Instead of putting her under anesthesia, we can give her a memory block," Whale explained. "What's that?" Emma asked. "It's a new drug that is a great alternative to anesthesia, which would leave her feeling groggy all day."
"What does it do?"
"She would feel the pain when we reset her arm, but afterwards she would forget what it felt like. It would be like she had fallen asleep minus actually going out."
"She would feel everything?" Emma asked nervously. "She won't remember it afterwards. Besides, she's a tough little girl. I don't think we'll have much trouble with her." Whale said. "Let me just call Regina before we make any decisions," Emma said as she dialed her friend's number.
"Hey, Emma! What's up?" Regina giggled into the phone as she answered. "You're on speaker! Say hi to Henry!"
'Hi, Mom!" Henry called out. "Hey, bud. You guys having fun?" Emma said. "Oh yeah! We just got back from a hockey game! I got an autographed hockey stick! And then I bought a little one for Violet to teach her to play!"
"That's great. Um, I have some news." The blonde bit her lip nervously. She could practically feel the good mood damper over the phone. "Is everything okay?" Henry asked. "Well, nobody's dead…"
"Emma, what is going on?" Regina asked. "Well, Violet kinda broke her arm," Emma answered. "What happened?" Henry asked, going into full on daddy-mode. "She fell… because I pushed her."
"What?!"
"She's fine, she's not crying or anything. It's just some asshole kid scared me, and- anyways we're at the hospital now. Whale was just giving me some options on pain management so he can reset her arm."
"Should we come home?" Regina asked. "No. No I have everything taken care of," Emma said firmly.
Once the group decided on what was best, Emma went to visit Violet. "Hey, Monkey. Dr. Whale is going to fix your arm now. I have a surprise for you."
"What is it?" Violet asked as the nurses hooked her up to wires and machines. Emma turned the phone around to face her. "Hi Daddy! Hi Grandma!" Violet grinned at them. "Are you back from New York yet?"
"Not yet, Monkey. We're just face-timing you while you get your arm fixed. Daddy misses you a lot," Henry said. "I miss you too, Daddy." Violet's smile faded.
"Okay, Violet, I need you to keep your arm real still for me," Whale instructed. Violet looked at him curiously as he inserted an i.v. into her good arm. "What's that?"
"This is called a memory block. It's going to help me fix your arm. Just keep real still and keep talking to your Dad, alright?"
"Kay," Violet answered as she turned back to the screen. Henry held up a stuffed penguin to the screen. "Look at what I got you at the hockey game earlier. Isn't he cute?"
"I love him!" Violet smiled and kissed the screen. Emma moved closer to the girl as Whale touched her broken arm. "Ow!" The little girl yelped in pain and attempted to wrench her arm away. "Don't move, Vi." Emma held her still as the doctors did their work.
Violet broke down in tears and cried out for Henry. Emma's heart broke as she listened to her cry. "Hey Violet, guess what? I went to this really cool bookstore they have here. I bought us a bunch of books to read together," Henry tried to distract his daughter.
Regina held her son's hand as he tried not to panic. It hurt him to know that his daughter was hundreds of miles away and he couldn't comfort her.
Once the hard part was over with, Whale injected the memory block into Violet. Her body went still and her eyes closed for a minute. "She won't remember anything from the past hour and the pain should be manageable. I'll write a prescription for you to pick up later," Whale said.
Violet's eyes opened again, and she sat up slowly. "Nana? What are we doing?" She asked. "We are in the hospital. You fell and hurt your arm. Look who's here."
Violet looked at the phone Emma was holding to see Henry. "Daddy!" She cried happily.
"Hi, Vi. You having fun with Nana?" Henry asked. "Yeah!" The girl answered with a smile. "We're having lots of fun too. You'll have to come with us one of these times."
Violet smiled and bid everyone goodbye as the doctors discharged her.
"Are you sure you want to do this, kid?" Emma asked as Violet awkwardly pulled on her clothes with one hand. Her right arm was stuck at a certain angle and wrapped in neon green gauze. Violet nodded and hopped up and down as she pulled her boots on.
It was the day after the incident and Emma couldn't stop feeling guilty. Violet only complained a few times but Emma could tell she was hurting. The little girl still insisted on trying to have the best week ever and refused to rest.
"You know what the best thing about patrol is?" Emma asked with a mouthful of glazed doughnut. "Mmm?" Violet asked through her own bite of their breakfast. Emma reached over and flipped on her cruiser lights.
"Cool!" Violet grinned at the red and blue lights reflecting on the car. "Nana?" The girl asked as she reached for another doughnut. "Yeah?" Emma asked, reaching over to sneak a bite.
"Will you show me how to be a cop? So I can grow up and be sheriff like you?"
The woman smiled at her granddaughter's comment. "I thought you wanted to be mayor like 'Gina?"
Violet's nose scrunched up as she thought. "Well, Grandma 'Gina doesn't have cool lights and she doesn't eat doughnuts."
Emma chuckled. "That's not all there is to the job, kiddo. But sure, I'll teach you some of the basics. First rule is we don't tell your Dad that you sat up front."
Violet glanced down at the stack of books she was sitting on. "I like it better than my booster seat," she said. "Yeah, well it's not exactly safe. If we weren't just patrolling you'd be in the back. But I couldn't find your seat anywhere so that is good enough for now." Emma said.
"What's the next rule?" The little girl asked. "Don't tell 'Gina we're using her law books as a booster seat," Emma answered with a sly smile.
About 20 minutes into patrol, Violet spotted something through the binoculars she was using. "Nana look! It's Grumpy!" She said, pointing ahead. Emma squinted and sighed as she realized it was Leroy. Only he was drunk and stumbling along the sidewalk.
"Geez, it's barely 9 in the morning. I can't catch a break it's every week with this guy," the blonde muttered. Judging by the hammer in his hands and the glass on his shirt, Emma had a feeling she knew who broke Happy's car window.
She pulled the car over and grabbed her radio. Leroy finally stopped to rest against the building behind him. Emma hopped out of the car with Violet next to her. "You wanna tell me what you're doing, Leroy?"
"Minding my own business," the man snapped. "Mm hmm. What ah, what happened here?" Emma asked, pointing to the glass and the weapon. The quick look of guilt that crossed the man's face confirmed her suspicion.
"Well, I think we both know I need to take you in."
"Are you serious? I didn't do anything wrong!" Leroy complained. "You're not supposed to be drinking. Regina specifically issued you a month of AA. Along with that, Happy's car window is smashed," Emma said. Leroy looked down at Violet who was watching the conversation closely.
"You can't prove I did anything," the man said and stubbornly crossed his arms. "You can't even prove I've been drinking."
"Alright Vi, time to pay attention. This is called a sobriety test. It's how you can tell someone has been drinking. Now, Leroy, I'm going to have you copy Violet here and we'll see how innocent you are. Violet, put your good arm out and then with the tip of your finger touch your nose."
Violet managed to do it with minimal difficulty despite the heavy cast. "Good. Now it's your turn, Leroy."
The man nearly fell over as he attempted to do so. Emma quickly steadied him. "Alright, you failed that but we have one more test. Violet, walk along this line here with your arms out."
Again, Violet did it perfectly and Leroy nearly fell over. Emma pulled a pair of handcuffs from her pocket. "Oh come on, Sheriff. Cut me a break," the man pleaded as he looked at Violet. "Turn around and put your hands on the car," the blonde instructed.
Leroy grumbled but did as he was told. Emma put his wrists in the cuffs and waved Violet over. "So the trick to this is to not make it too tight but not loose enough where the person can escape. Does that feel tight enough?"
Violet touched the metal cuffs and nodded. Leroy rolled his eyes. "I didn't realize this was career day."
Emma smirked down at her granddaughter. "Do you remember what you say as you put them in the car?"
The woman turned Leroy around to face them. "Grumpy you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law," the little girl said with a straight face. Emma fought to hide a smile. Violet might just make a good sheriff after all.
Once they had locked Leroy up and had finished patrol, Emma took Violet to her dance group. The little girl was excited to show her Nana the dance studio for the first time. By the time the class was over with, Emma's arms and legs ached from over-exertion. She didn't understand how people could do this day after day.
She would much rather be cozied up with a bearclaw watching reruns of Game of Thrones. But it made her happy to see Violet enjoying something that was solely hers.
"Bye, Violet!" Roland called as the two were leaving. The little boy ran to hug Violet goodbye. He was one of her best friends, and they made a great dancing team.
"What do you say we go to the arcade for lunch, kiddo?" Emma asked as she followed Violet down the street. "Think you can beat me at air hockey with one hand?"
Violet turned to her with a mischievous grin. "You're on, Grandma!" She teased before running ahead.
Emma and Violet waited anxiously at the town line with a large welcome home sign and balloons. Henry and Regina were due home any time now. After rain had begun to pour down around them with still no sign of Regina or Henry, Emma began to lead Violet back to the house.
"Are they okay, Nana?" Violet asked. Emma hoisted her onto her shoulders. "I'm sure they're fine, Monkey. They're probably waiting for the rain to stop."
When they finally reached the house, it was Henry and Regina waiting to surprise them instead of the other way around. "Daddy!" Violet jumped from Emma's shoulders and ran to Henry's arms. The boy squeezed her tight, making sure to be careful of her bad arm.
"I missed you!" Violet said as she held onto him. "Don't I get any love?" Regina asked with a pout. Violet giggled and ran to embrace her other grandmother.
"Check out what I got you, Monkey." Henry maneuvered a grey NFL beanie on the toddler's head. The two had come to enjoy watching football with David (Violet mostly just liked the face paint and snacks).
"So, you wanna tell us about your week? And maybe explain how babies come from fairies?" Regina asked with a grin.
Emma simply smiled and shook her head. What could she say? She was a fun Nana.