Emma had finished her shift at the station. It was almost eight o'clock, but Mary Margaret and David had invited her over to visit baby Neal. Normally she'd go back to her apartment, watch TV, and talk with Henry if he was over.
But her parents were important, and she didn't have Henry today. So, Emma hopped in her yellow bug and drove toward the loft.
Emma thought about her little brother. He was only eight months old. She thought about their age gap. What would he do when he realized how fucking messed up his family tree was?
She parked the yellow bug in the parking lot and walked to the top floor: the loft. Emma put her key in the door and turned the knob, entering.
The first thing she heard was gurgling and Mary Margaret hushing the baby repeatedly and rocking him on her hip. David was brewing coffee.
"Hey, Emma!" Mary Margaret greeted enthusiastically. "Hello, Emma," David greeted formally. "Hey," Emma said warily.
"Tough shift?" David asked. Emma nodded. "Leroy and Ruby got drunk. And then Leroy offended Granny. All three are locked up now. I was scared Leroy would need medical attention," Emma explained.
"Offending Granny is a serious offense. He's lucky he's not dead!" Mary Margaret scoffed. David and Emma nodded. They say in silence as the coffee pot filled up slowly.
The baby was gurgling. "Eh eh eh," he babbled.
"Still getting those first words out?" Emma questioned, raising an eyebrow. David sighed. "Yep," he agreed.
"Eh-ma-ma."
Everyone's jaw dropped. His first word. And it was the most confusing thing to figure out.
"Emma, he was saying your name!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.
"No way. He was saying mama," Emma disagreed.
David shifted on his feet. The two argued for a full two minutes about what he was saying.
"Eh-ma-ma! Eh-ma-ma!" the baby chanted. David bit his lip, trying to pick a side. He was leaning toward 'mama', thinking the 'eh' sound was just a side effect. But Emma would kill him. But if he said Emma, Mary Margaret would kill him. Which one would hurt less, was the question...
Finally, he made his decision. "He probably got confused and was trying to say both names at the same time. Although, I'm pretty pissed his first word wasn't papa," David amended.
Mary Margaret and Emma nodded, eyeing each other warily. The coffee machine beeped, letting David know it was done.
"Coffee?" David asked, starting to pour some in a mug. "I need it," Mary Margaret and Emma grumbled in unison.
David smiled. Problem avoided.