Chapter Three: Forever

Emma didn't know what to think as Mary Margaret pulled the pull ups out of the plastic grocery bag. David had distracted her with being able to pick out cereal while she was buying them. It had been their first trip as a family to the store and it showed just how traumatized Emma was. She stayed by their sides, not speaking. She didn't ask for anything, not once. When they asked for her opinion on something, she seemed surprised. With Ed and Helga, she had been told to just be quiet. She was lucky that she was getting to eat.

Yet, David had let her decide on Cheerios (she loved the bee on the box) and even some other snacks for the home. After the grocery store, they had headed to one next store and she was allowed to pick out a backpack for school, she chose one with a monkey on it. She had perked up the entire way home, until she saw the package in front of her.

"Those are for babies," she told Mary Margaret before holding up a full hand. "I'm 5."

"I know sweetheart, these are for bigger girls like you, because you have accidents."

"I'll be better…I won't have more accidents…"

"Hey," Mary Margaret put a hand on top of hers. "You're not in trouble, sweetheart. These are just to help you, I promise. You only have to wear them when you go to sleep."

Emma chewed on her bottom lip. "No one will know?"

"Just me and David, plus Dr. Whale. I promise."

David nodded in agreement. "They won't be so bad, I promise."

The little girl let out a sigh. "'Kay. Can I go play now?"

"Of course. We'll have dinner in a bit."

"'Kay," she repeated before running off.

Mary Margaret sighed and started to unpack the other groceries. She hated how guarded Emma seemed to be, she was so little. How could someone so small have been through so much pain in their life?

"At least she took it well," David said.

"She just seems so scared every time we bring something up. As if we're going to be mad at her."

"You know it's going to take time. She seems to already trust you."

Mary Margaret sent him a sympathetic look. "And she will you, in time."

"I don't blame her, at all."

"I know this isn't what we pictured when we set out to have a family…"

"Mary," he walked closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I don't care about any of that. All I want is to be a father and now I am."

She softly smiled. "You really think we'll be able to adopt her?"

"I know we're going to fight for her, no matter what."

"You bet." She kissed him before returning to putting away the groceries.

They had debated on when it would be best for Emma to start school. Mary Margaret couldn't take proper maternity leave since they were fostering and she hadn't given birth, so they knew they had a couple of options. David could dip into his vacation time and stay home for her, which meant she'd start later than her classmates. The alternative was having Emma start with everyone else. While David wouldn't have minded staying home, they knew it was for the better if she started kindergarten on time. It meant that the next morning, she'd be going to school.

A little after dinner, Mary Margaret lightly knocked on Emma's open door. She looked up and partially smiled upon seeing her foster mother.

"It's getting late, sweets," Mary Margaret said. "Why don't we get into some pajamas and head to bed."

Emma nodded and scrambled up to pick out her pajamas. After allowing Mary Margaret to help change her (including the pull up), she climbed up into bed. She held her blanket and plush lamb close to her.

"So, you start school tomorrow." Mary Margaret smiled. "Are you excited?"

Emma shrugged. "I dunno. Is it going to be hard?"

"No, it's only kindergarten. You'll learn lots of new things and make new friends. Remember Lily, from the park?" Emma nodded. "She'll be in your class."

"People might not like me."

"They'd be crazy not to like you. You're an amazing little girl."

A tiny smile went across her face. "You'll take me?"

"Yup, David too. I'm one of the teachers for a higher grade, though my class doesn't start until the day after yours."

"'Kay…Mary Margaret?"

"Yeah?"

"I sort of like it here." It came out as if it was some sort of secret that she had been holding in, as if she'd get in trouble for admitting it.

Mary Margaret beamed, kissing her forehead. "Well, sweets, we love having you here. We want this to be your home for a very long time."

"Forever?"

"We certainly hope so."

Emma's eyes widened in wonder. She had spent so much time in her old home dreading the thought of being there forever. She would go to nursery school and wish she could just live there. She had a nice teacher and it was the one place she was guaranteed at least a snack. Yet she liked living with Mary Margaret and David. She even found herself wanting to talk more with David, even if she didn't feel that she could trust him yet. He was really nice and had given her the lamb. He didn't seem like Ed, she just wasn't sure yet.

"I'd wanna be here forever," she said, finally.

Mary Margaret stroked her cheek. "We're going to do all we can to make sure that you stay with us forever, I promise." She kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you."

"You…you love me?"

"Of course I do."

"No one's said that before to me."

The thought alone made Mary Margaret's heart break. She had loved Emma from the moment she laid eyes on her. How could no one have said it to her in her whole life? She took a deep breath, trying to remind herself that Emma had been in a vastly different situation. She didn't want to make her think she had said anything wrong.

"Well, I do. David does too, get some sleep, okay?"

Emma nodded. "'Kay. Night."

Mary Margaret stood up, walking out of the room. Once she had shut the door, she broke down in tears. Emma was only 5-years-old. She tried to remember back to that time in her life. Things had been so carefree, she had felt on top of the world. When she was that age, she feared make-believe monsters like the Boogeyman. For her entire life, Emma had been facing a real-life monster. She had survived it all and still managed to be able to trust someone like Mary Margaret right off the bat. She wished she could have her strength.

For so long, she had wondered why she wasn't able to get pregnant. She felt the resentment of her friends as each of them seemed to get pregnant in turn. Even Mal, who had used IVF as a single parent to conceive Lily had done it in one try. She had forced a smile and congratulated them each and every time. Yet, she had an empty guest bedroom, one just waiting to be a home to a child.

Now it was filled, as was her heart. She didn't need to get pregnant to have a baby. She already loved Emma so much and couldn't imagine giving her up. She knew it wasn't going to be easy to terminate Ed's rights, but she was determined. Emma was her child, no one was going to change that.

The next morning, David woke up to find his wife's head on his chest. He kissed her temple and stared down at her in wonder. It was hard to believe that he had known her for 10 years, it seemed like a lifetime. The two had met during their 2nd week of college. Mary Margaret had been sitting in the common area, reading a book as she munched on some M&Ms. David sat across from her, trying to study for his first test. He kept glancing up at her and smiling, which she would politely return before going back to her book.

Eventually, he had moved closer to her and commented on how delicious her candy looked.

"Sharing is caring." He had slipped in.

Mary Margaret playfully rolled her eyes and passed the bag to him, causing him to pop a few in his mouth, chomping on them as he did.

"You're a real prince charming." She told him with a smirk.

Just like that, they launched into talking about their classes and professors. They talked for so long, they were nearly late to their next classes. She had mentioned her weakness was in math and he offered his number to tutor her. He had put "Prince Charming" as the contact name, so it was awhile before she finally learned his name.

Their second tutoring session, they kissed. A few weeks later, she was fooling around in his bedroom and tried on his mother's ring. It was then he knew that one day he was going to marry her.

He did exactly that 5 years later. They married in a very small ceremony. Only Regina, Ruth, Robert and David's roommate, Lance, had been present. Lance had gotten ordained over the internet and married the two of them. When Mary Margaret got her job assignment in Storybrooke, they moved there and he had gotten a job at the station as rookie. He became one of the youngest sheriffs at 26, in the midst of them trying to have a child. They thought maybe it would be a sign, yet it wasn't.

Mary Margaret asked him once why he didn't just walk away, find someone who could give him a baby. He was almost offended by the question. When he got married, he hadn't done it to find a baby machine, he had done it because he was in love with her. If it had been just them for the rest of their days, he would've been just fine with that. David loved his wife more than words would ever be able to express.

Things were different then, though. It wasn't just them anymore. He knew that Mary Margaret had fallen in love with Emma, as had he. He knew it was dangerous. Things weren't final, Ed still had rights. However, he wouldn't be out of prison until Emma was older, that had to count for something in the court's eyes. He wasn't going to lose his daughter, she was theirs forever. Never again would it just be the two of them.

David leaned down, kissing his wife's temple. Her eyes flickered open and she smiled a bit, reaching up to touch his cheek.

"Morning," she mumbled.

"Good morning, beautiful."

"What time is it?"

"Just about 6:30. We should probably get up, it's Emma's first day of school."

A lazy grin spread across her face. "It is, isn't it. What time do you have to be at work?"

"Not 'til 10. How about I hop in the shower while you get her up? I'll make us some pancakes."

"Sounds like a plan."

They kissed before spreading out in separate directions. David showered pretty quickly and pulled on his standard work outfit. He was lucky that the station didn't really have a uniform. All employees were required to wear a badge, but outside that, most just wore flannel and jeans along with leather jackets. He could remember the stuffy uniform he had to wear when he worked as a security guard on the college campus and was grateful to not have to return to that.

He headed downstairs and started on the breakfast. He hadn't gotten too far into it when Emma walked in. She was wearing a yellow and blue Wonder Woman shirt along with a pair of jeans. Mary Margaret had taken the time to brush her hair out into braids as well, which made her look even more adorable.

"You look so cute," David said.

Emma blushed a little. "Thank you. What are you making?"

"Pancakes. Wanna help?"

"I'm not good at cooking."

"I'll teach you, come on."

Emma walked to his side and allowed David to put her on the counter. He gave her different things to put in the bowl every so often, teaching her how to crack an egg properly. Eventually, he held up a bottle, though he hid the label on it.

"This is a very special secret ingredient, even Mary Margaret doesn't know it. The only person who does is my father and brother. Can I trust you with it?"

Emma smiled and nodded. "Uh huh."

David slowly removed his hand from over it and showed her. "Nutmeg."

"Nutmeg," she repeated, so she could remember it for the future.

David showed her how to pour out just the right amount into the bowl and then started on making the pancakes. He kept a hold on Emma on his hip so she couldn't get near the hot stove.

"You have a brother?" Emma asked, that part suddenly dawning on her.

"Um, yeah. He was my twin."

"Oh. Can I meet him?"

"He um, he went to Heaven."

Emma frowned. "My first mommy went to Heaven."

"Oh?"

"She got really sick. She had a needle in her arm, Auntie Ingrid said she was just sleeping, but Daddy said she died."

David bit his lip, he hadn't realized that Emma had been there when Helga died. "That's terrible."

"She wasn't nice, like Mary Margaret is. She yelled at me, said not nice things. But I was still sad when she died."

"She was your mommy, I'm sure it was all confusing. It's okay to feel however you do about your biological parents."

"I'm mad at Daddy."

David bit his lip, tilting his head. "You are?"

"He touched me where he wasn't supposed to." It was so hard to hear those words coming out of a voice so little. "Even when I said no."

"It's okay to be mad at him, he deserves that. Just know that he will never be able to hurt you like that again," David promised. "I won't hurt you like that."

Emma studied his face curiously. She wanted to believe him, she really did. It was just that every other adult male that she came into contact with had proven her wrong. She simply rested her head on his shoulder as he cooked, an action that made his heart melt. Eventually, Mary Margaret entered the kitchen, a smile on her face. Emma looked so natural in David's arms, almost comfortable.

"Helping David make breakfast?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "I learned the secret ingredient. It's…" She remembered it wasn't meant to be told and giggled. "A secret."

"Wow, you even learned the special secret ingredient? I never did." She kissed Emma's cheek before pecking David's lips. "What kind of pancakes are you making?"

"Chocolate chip."

"Sounds yummy." Though she shot a sideway glance. It was too early in the morning for sweets. However, the glee on Emma's face couldn't make her too mad.

Eventually, they all sat around the table for breakfast. Emma ate quickly as they noticed she typically did around mealtimes. She still didn't realize that the food wasn't going anywhere. Snow pushed her special shake closer to her, which contained the formula that Whale had recommended to help her gain weight.

"Are you excited for school, Em?" David asked.

Emma shrugged. "I dunno. I get to see Lily."

"That's fun. I'm sure you'll meet other friends as well."

"If I don't like it…can I stay home?"

David chuckled. "It doesn't work like that, Princess," he said. "But I wouldn't worry about that. You're going to love your new school and make so many friends."

"Do you work at the school like Mary?"

"Nope, I'm the sheriff, remember? I go to a different job."

"Right. Can I go there too?"

"Maybe one day you can visit, you can meet all of my co-workers, too. I'm sure that Graham and Leroy would be happy to meet you."

Once breakfast was done, Mary Margaret wiped off Emma's face and they climbed into the car, heading for the school. Emma clung to Mary Margaret's hand as they walked into the large building. Despite only the kindergarten classes starting that day, there were still a lot of kids running around, parents trying to keep up with them. Emma slowly entered the room with her foster parents, greeted by a tall woman with long dark hair.

"Hello, my name is Miss Jasmine. You must be Emma."

"How do you know my name?" Emma asked.

Jasmine lightly laughed. "I know your mommy, we've been friends for a few years. She told me that you were coming to stay with her. That's a very cute backpack, why don't I show you where to put it?"

Emma hesitantly followed her teacher over to where the cubbies were and allowed her to show her how to hang it up. Mary Margaret didn't miss the top of Luke's head poking out of the top. Emma must have snuck him in. She couldn't help but smile at that, not minding that her daughter needed him to feel safe. David saw it as well and felt his heart melt. Emma may have been skeptical about him, but at least she seemed to be attached to the toy he had bought for her.

They found Lily, who had run from Mal to greet some of her other friends. Among the children was another friendly face, August Booth. He was the son of Marco, who owned a furniture store on Main Street. Mary Margaret lead Emma over to the children. Lily looked up, grinning.

"Emma! Guys, this is Emma!"

Emma shyly waved. "Hi," she whispered.

"I'm August," spoke up the little boy. "That's Baelfire." He pointed to his friend.

Baelfire waved as well, though he didn't look too happy. Belle stepped out from behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "He's a bit shy about having to repeat kindergarten."

"It's fun, because we can all be in the same class," Lily proclaimed. "Emma, come on. Let's go play with the blocks!"

Emma turned to look at Mary Margaret and David, who both knelt in front of her, each taking a hand.

"It'll be okay, Em," David promised. "Mary Margaret will come pick you up at 3."

"Promise?" Emma asked, looking over at Mary Margaret, who nodded.

"Yes. Then we'll go home and David will be back in time for dinner. It's going to be okay. You're going to have lots of fun. We promise."

Emma let out a deep breath and gave her a hug, which caught the woman off guard. She returned it for a moment before Emma turned to play with her new friends. David and Mary Margaret rose to their feet, standing with Mal, Marco, Belle and Gold, watching their children play together. Jasmine grinned at the group, placing a hand on Mary Margaret's shoulder.

"The kids will be fine, I promise."

"You have my number, don't you?"

Jasmine nodded. "I do. Now, go. It's time to let go."

David let out a deep breath, not sure if he was ready for that. Emma seemed to be doing fine, though. She was showing the boys and Lily how to build a pretty awesome tower. He figured she'd be okay, she was in good company. Slowly, the parents exited the classroom, heading their separate ways. David drove his truck his back to the house, lingering in the driveway with her.

"You'll call me if Jasmine does?"

"Of course. I have a feeling she's going to be just fine. It is just kindergarten."

David frowned. "I know, I'd just feel better if we were all together."

"As would I, but this is all normal." She kissed him. "Have a good day at work, okay? I love you."

"I love you too. What are you going to do today?"

"Get ready for tomorrow. Today was Emma's big day, that's mine."

"Twenty 4th graders…I do not envy you."

She rolled her eyes. "You're so funny. Have a good day, Charming."

"You too, my love."

The day went by quicker than Mary Margaret expected. She managed to get all of her decorations in order and consulted her class list, she had a pretty good group that year. She was the only 4th grade teacher for the school and realized it meant in a few years-time, Emma would be her student. She couldn't wait to see how that was going to go.

When it was time to pick Emma up, she drove her own car back to the school. The students were outside on the playground, running around. She was afraid she'd pull up and find Emma alone on the swings. Instead, she found Emma chasing Lily, Baelfire and August in a game of tag. She had a huge smile on her face as she did. She didn't even notice Mary Margaret at first and once she did, she ran over with August in tow.

"Mary Margaret, Mary Margaret! Can I go to August's birthday party next weekend?"

Mary Margaret grinned. "I don't see why not? August, have your papa call me, okay?"

"'Kay Miss Mary Margaret. Bye Emma! See you tomorrow!"

Emma picked up her backpack and started following her foster mother off of the playground. "So, something tells me that you had a fun day," Mary Margaret said.

"So much fun! We did a fun game to learn each other's names and Miss Jasmine read us stories. We got to go outside twice! Oh, I even got to make a picture." She dug through her backpack and pulled it out. "We had to make ones of our families…even though you're my foster mommy and daddy, Miss Jasmine said it was okay if I made one of us."

Mary Margaret took the picture and looked down at it. The drawing was absolutely adorable, featuring stick figure versions of their family. She had drawn Mary Margaret with her short hair and wearing a pink top, while she had clearly tried to make a version of David's flannel shirts. Emma, herself, was standing in the middle of them. It touched her heart to see the drawing. Even though Emma only viewed the situation as temporary, she had wanted to draw them as her family.

"It's for you," Emma continued. "You can keep it."

Mary Margaret felt the tears prickle her eyes. "Sweets, I love this. I think this is my most favorite picture that I've ever received, thank you." She kissed her cheek. "Do you mind if I hang it up on our fridge?"

Emma's eyes sparkled. "Really? Like mommies and daddies do on T.V."

"That's exactly right."

School turned out to be one of the best things for Emma. She lit up every time she saw her friends when Mary Margaret dropped her off and every day after school, she had a new art project to show off. By the end of the weekend, the fridge was already plastered with them.

The one thing that school couldn't help, was Emma's nightmares. They seemed to be happening frequently and she didn't always tell Mary Margaret and David about them. She often woke up feeling wet, scared and alone. She didn't want to bother them. The few times that they would come into her room, she claimed she was fine. She didn't want them to know about what she had been through, the fears she had. They said Ed was gone for good, but she didn't know if he could believe that.

That weekend, after a particularly stressful nightmare, David and Mary Margaret figured it was time for them to get out of Storybrooke for the day. Ruth and Robert had invited them to visit the farm and it seemed to be the perfect excuse. Mary Margaret packed a bag with a change of clothes for Emma along with a few other things, like her sippy cup. Emma was fairly quiet on the drive up, though her mood swiftly changed once she saw the farm.

"This is where you grew up?" She asked David in amazement as he lead her by hand through the grass to the front door.

"Yup."

"Where are all the animals?"

"We'll see them, we just have to go get my parents first."

Ruth was so excited to see Emma again, she swooped her up into a big hug, squeezing her tight. Emma only looked a little caught off guard, quickly distracted by the cookies that her new grandmother had out for her. After munching a bit, Robert and David gave her a tour of the entire farm. Emma petted each and every animal, inquiring about their names and making them up if they didn't have one. Both Robert and David knew better than to do so, but figured it wouldn't hurt to let Emma have her fun.

One animal in particular that Emma seemed to fall in love with, was the family's sheep dog, Wilby. He sniffed her hand when she offered it on David's gentle lead and then followed her around everywhere. He knew better than to beg for scraps, but still sat at Emma's feet as she ate lunch with the family. As it got cooler, he allowed her to curl up in his side by the fire, licking her hair. Mary Margaret didn't miss the opportunity to take lots of pictures of the two.

Emma was asleep when it was time to head back to Storybrooke, David's parents promising to visit soon. He strapped Emma into her car seat in the backseat of his pickup before getting up front with Mary Margaret. He was halfway home when he brought up his idea.

"You know, I heard that children of abuse do well with animals," he said.

Mary Margaret tilted her head. "Oh?"

"It'd be great if Emma could come to the farm every weekend, but we know logistically that's not going to work."

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?"

"What do you say that we make this family of 3, a family of 4?"

"I'd say you're insane, but I love you for it."

They did their homework that night and found a Newfoundland that was up for adoption. At 3-years-old, she was big, probably bigger than Emma and would only continue to grow. However, they had the room and the breed was known for being amazing with children. They were very family oriented and would make a good part of the family.

The moment Emma laid eyes on Nana, it was clear she was in love. The dog clearly felt the same, allowing her to hug her tight and plant kisses to her face. Mary Margaret leaned backwards into David, who wrapped his arms around her waist. It wasn't a solution to every problem, but it was a start.

As always, please let me know what you think and what you'd like to see happen! The next chapter will deal more with David and Emma's relationship, showing more of their bond. You can send me prompts, whether it be for this verse or any of them, to my Tumblrs; just-an-outlaw & justanoutlawfanfiction. I also finally got a Twitter: justanoutlawfic. Until next time friends. =)