Snow and David crept into Emma's room, carefully avoiding closing the door too much in case it creaked and woke their princess up. Snow loved seeing Emma asleep, she just always looked so adorable, not that she didn't when she was awake. Today was a special day; it was Emma's fifth birthday. They had an extra special present for her, now that they felt she was old enough. David crept to once side of the bed, and Snow the other. Snow counted from three to one backwards on her hand before they began at the same time.

"Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday, dear Emma,

Happy birthday to you!"

Emma sat up on her bed grinning as Snow kissed her little cheek.

"Happy birthday, big girl." She whispered in her ear. Emma giggled again as her daddy picked her up out of her bed and swung her around.

"Daddy! Put me down!" She giggled. David held Emma close to his chest.

"Nope. I don't think I will put you down. I think I'm just going to carry you around like this forever and ever." Emma shook her head, grinning.

"No daddy! Put me down! You can't carry me forever! I'll get too big!" David kissed Emma's head.

"You'll never be too big for me to carry princess." He said, setting her down.

"Come on then Em; let's go get you nice and pretty so daddy and I can show you your special present from us." Emma shook her head, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Oh, so you don't want your present then?"

"Yes, but I'll get ready by myself. I'm a big girl; I can get dressed by myself." Snow and David shared a glance, and Snow bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. They both knew fine well Emma couldn't do it all by herself, but she was very stubborn.

"Ok then, honey," Snow said, as she and David fought back their laughter.

"Your dress is already in the washroom. You go in and get ready, we'll wait out here." Emma nodded her head approvingly as she marched into the washroom, shutting the door behind her.

Five minutes later, and Emma came out with her head held high…and her outfit all over the place. Her dress buttons were all wrong, her cardigan was inside out and her shoes were on the wrong feet. Snow and Charming held back their laughter, not wanting to upset Emma.

"Well, that's… very good sweetheart." Snow said. Emma beamed at them, feeling very proud. "Can momma make just a few little changes?" Emma pouted, and Charming feared a full scale tantrum, something they didn't see often from Emma.

"Now Emma, if you let momma fix your outfit, we can go and see your special present, and that's what you want to do isn't it, seeing as it's your special day and we wouldn't want any tears ruining it?" Emma thought this through; she really did want to know what her special present was.

"Ok then," She sighed. Snow smiled thankfully at her husband before fixing Emma's outfit. David strolled over and picked Emma up, putting her on his shoulders.

"Right then, pretty girl," He said. "Let's go and see your present!" Snow and David made their way through the castle with Emma, as various people gave birthday greetings to the little girl. Tomorrow, there would be a special party for her with a few close friends so as not to overwhelm her. But for today, Snow and David wanted their daughter all to themselves, wish really was a rare treat to have all three spend a whole day together. Although David and Snow tried to make sure that at least one of them was with her as often as possible, and if not Red or Granny or her seven uncles. They made their way outside. Emma scrunched up her face, confused. She tapped the side of her father's head.

"Where are we going, daddy?" She asked impatiently. David chuckled.

"You'll see soon enough princess." He replied. They kept going until they reached their destination, the stables. Emma looked around her, was there something hidden inside a pile of hay? David put her down beside a little white foal.

"Happy birthday, angel." Emma turned around and stared at her parents in wonder.

"She's mine?" She asked in wonder. David and Snow nodded. Emma just about tackled both her parents to the floor with giant hugs.

"I LOVE her! Thank you thank you thank you!" She squealed. Snow picked Emma up who cuddled into her mom, so happy with her special present.

"I'm glad you like her, baby." She said, kissing Emma's little head. "Come on then, let's get you riding her!" Emma looked totally in awe at her mom. Up until now, she was only ever allowed to ride on a horse with one of her parents, now she had her own! The foal was still small enough that once Emma was placed on her, Both Snow and David could still easily keep a firm hold of her.

By the end of the day, Emma was already a lot more comfortable on her own horse. There was still a lot of learning to do, but she was a fast learner. She'd come up with a name for her as well, Meadow. She was completely exhausted come bed time, so much so that she didn't even try and put up a fight as her parents got her ready for bed. They settled her down in her bed, tucking her in.

"Good night, my precious girl." Snow whispered, stroking her cheek as her eyelids fell and her breathing evened out.

"Love you momma… love you daddy…" She mumbled, falling asleep." Charming gently reached over and kissed her forehead.

"Love you more, precious." He whispered. Snow had tears in her eyes, watching the two people she loved the more interact. "She'd the best present I could have ever asked for." He whispered to Snow. She nodded in agreement. Emma was definitely the best thing that had happened to them. Their little princess and her having a happy birthday was a gift to them as much as Emma. They'd go to the ends of the Earth to make her happy. Snow took David's hand and gestured to the door, tomorrow would be a long day and they all needed their rest. Just before she left, Snow looked back at Emma, and again marvelled at how beautiful her sleeping daughter looked.

"Sweet dreams, baby."