~ New Recruits, Unexpected Encounters and Aquatic Deliveries ~

Henry was awakened the next morning feeling something lightly slapping his cheeks and over in his sister's bed someone was trying to pull the covers off of her.

"C'mon...cut it out!" Henry groaned sleepily.

"Aww come on Henry, get up! I don't wanna spend my first day alone!" he heard a voice that sounded exactly like his whining in his ear. He opened his bleary eyes to see a medium sized living stuffed bear dressed in army clothes sitting on his chest.

"Who're you?"

The bear saluted. "Major Henry, reporting for duty, sir!"

"Cool!" Henry exclaimed. "Hey Gracie, get the heck up! Got a surprise waiting for you!"

"Whaaa..." she sat up abruptly and nearly knocked her new bear off the bed. "Oh, I haven't seen you before. Where did you come from?" she asked it.

"I'm Major Gracie," she said in a voice like Grace's.

"Awesome! We got our own Happy Bears!" Grace hugged her new friend. "But how...we didn't before?"

"I asked Major Rumple if Adriana would give us one even though we're older but Bae and his gang have one so..."

"So what do you want to do today?" Major Henry inquired of his new master.

"Ummm...you do know you can't be animated all the time right? Might scare the locals. They're not used to magic."

The bears crossed their arms over their chests, pouting. "But we want to do things with you like the other bears!" Major Gracie complained.

"I know and if we were back home you guys could run around all you want but we're in Italy and not everyone knows who we are so we have to be careful. Don't want you getting taken away for science experiments."

"NOOOO! I don't wanna be cut up!" Major Gracie screamed and ran out of the room.

"Oh crap! Gracie you better catch her before someone sees her!" Henry warned.

Gracie jumped out of bed and pursued her bear down the hall. The bear was still screaming and pounding on doors as she ran past them, waking up everyone in the house. "Hide me, hide me! They're gonna come and get meeee!"

"What the hell...?" Robin mumbled.

"Who is that?" Regina asked.

"Ummm Mom, that's Gracie's new bear...we gotta catch her before they see her!" Henry answered breathlessly. "I'm trying to freeze her but it's not working!"

Regina would have tried herself but she was limiting her magic use until the baby was born and as far as she knew Rumple was the only one among them who could counter Adriana's animation spells.

"You'd better go wake Rumple or Adriana. They're the only ones who can freeze her."

"Come on Major Gracie, get back here!" Gracie ordered.

The terrified bear opened the door of the room where Ellie, Maggie and Adriana were sleeping and dived under the bed. "I'm not coming out! They're gonna cut me up!"

"Who's making all that noise!?" Ellie asked grouchily. "Shuddup! M'tryin t' get my beauty sleep!"

"Hah. Then you gotta sleep a looong time," Maggie teased. Her response was a pillow to the face.

Adriana crawled out of bed and poked her head under the mattress. "Major Gracie, why d'ya think somebody's gonna cut you up?"

"Because they are!" the bear insisted. "Gracie said I can't be alive all the time or they'll take me away."

"Because they can," said the leader of their army. "I know it's your first day but you gotta learn your lessons quickly dearie. Attention!"

The bear crawled out from under the bed and stood at attention. "Good. Now, here's your first lesson: when your mistress gives you a command, you obey it an you didn't listen to Gracie when she told you to stay put. Lesson two: when we tell ya you havta act like a normal stuffed bear, you gotta do it...but you can still see an hear things. Lesson three: your job is to chase away frownies and not make 'em. I don't wanna havta court martial you like I did the others when they went drinking. You stick to those rules an you'll be fine, kay?"

"Yes...ummm...what do I call you if Gracie's my mistress?"

"Umm...General Gold I guess."

The toddler grinned, liking the sound of it. "Yep...from now on they can all call me General Gold."

They heard Bae laughing from the doorway. "That or General Rumplette! You want us to call you Don Rumplette while we're at it?"

His sister spun around and gave him one of her father's famous Looks. "You're lucky you're not part of my army Bae or I'd be makin ya scrub toilets with a toothbrush for in...bordnation."

"Insubordnation, dearie," Rumple corrected with a chuckle.

The bear was suddenly transformed back into a stuffed toy. Grace picked her up. "Thank you for her, Adriana. I'll try to keep her out of trouble."

"I'm sorry I didn't give you and Henry one earlier but you guys chase away frownies a lot on your own."

The siblings usually had an easier time calming down their uncle and younger brothers and sisters than their parents did.

Angelo was shocked when Rumple and Archie walked into his kitchen ready to assist him with preparing breakfast for the group. It was a much more pleasant reception than the one they got from Arnaud, Maurice's chef when they returned to Avonlea after the curse was broken. The angry chef hurled pots and pans at them until Rumple challenged him to a cooking contest that he and Archie won but they still hadn't managed to win him over. He refused to be in the kitchen when they were present.

"Well, what would you like to make today?" Angelo asked his new apprentices.

"Fette biscotatte, eggs with poletta and pancetta?" Archie suggested.

"Very good choices!" the chef praised.

"I was thinking of a breakfast casserole too," Rumple spoke up and handed the chef a card from his recipe card box that he brought with him

"We can do all of it!" Angelo walked over to the closet to retrieve aprons for his apprentices and chuckled when he noticed they had their own. Rumple's had a picture of a sorcerer's hat with the saying:Not All Men Can Be Wizards In The Kitchen while Archie's was a picture of John Wayne that had been photoshopped holding a spatula with the saying A Man's Gotta Cook When a Man's Gotta Cook.

They learned quickly that the Pulcinello chef was a bit eccentric as well, demanding that both men sing with him while they cooked and he would swat at them with his spatula playfully when they stopped.

"I do sing when I cook but..." Archie said to Rumple while he was rolling out the dough for the fette biscotatte. Suddenly he felt Angelo's spatula swat him on the shoulder. Rumple giggled and then the spatula was being waved in his face.

"You're not singing!"

"All right dearie!" he laughed.

"What is going on in there?" Belle asked from the dining room.

"As long as I don't hear cookwear being thrown around I'm happy," Marie chuckled.

"He kinda reminds me of the cook in Little Mermaid," Adriana said when she poked her head into the kitchen. "Papa, can I come in and watch?"

"Ahhh, a little helper. Come in, cara. Come in!" Angelo sang gleefully.

The little girl skipped into the kitchen with her Belle apron on and hopped onto a stool beside her father. "What're we making, Papa?"

"An Italian casserole, eggs with poletta and pancetta and fette biscottate. You've helped me with them before, dearie."

"Okay!"

"Bellissimo!" the chef cheered and suddenly the silverware drawer flew open and the spoons floated out along with glasses from the cupboard above it. The spoons tapped themselves against the glasses. Rumple's eyes widened with horror.

"Adriana!" he cried.

"But I'm not doing it!" she insisted.

And neither was he.

The chef backed away from them trembling. "Oh, no no no! Not now!" he cried. "Stop!" he commanded. The glasses and spoons fell to the floor, the glasses shattering.

Adriana's eyes widened. "Papa! He's one of us! Can you feel it?"

"Aye, dearie I can. Now."

The elder chef began to smile. "Ahh at last! It has been centuries since I have encountered one of my own kind...and with the strongest auras I have ever sensed!"

"Centuries!" Archie exclaimed. "How old...are you?"

"He's a mage, dearie. Time's hand is gentle upon him," Rumple chuckled. "You know I have a few centuries under my belt myself."

The elder sorcerer bowed. "Angelo Bonaventura at your service. "At one time I was an apprentice chef for the Borgia family...nasty lot some of them were."

"Aye, poisoners." Rumple grimaced. "Like one of my own apprentices, Cora. And her daughter Zelena."

"And their father, the Pope himself wanted to use my magic for evil and when I refused, he had me torture."

"That's horrible!" Archie cried.

"Evil men do evil things," Rumple said darkly.

"Si and Roderigo's evil knew no bounds. Many of the stories told him are not exaggerated. You cannot imagine how difficult it was to try to keep people like him from using my gifts for their own dark intentions."

"Couldn't you just-make him forget you had magic?" Adriana asked.

"I did, cara, when I left his employ but at the time I was a young apprentice without a master to teach me. What I know of the art now I learned on my own."

"It's hard to learn magic on your own," Rumple acknowledged.

The chef waved his hand and a glowing blue circle appeared on the wall in front of them. "Come, I'll show you my lab."

"That's a portal!" Rumple exclaimed.

"You sound surprised. Have you ever used one?"

"Yes, quite a few times, but I cannot make them," Rumple replied. "That's a skill I don't possess."

"Oh, they can be difficult to make at first but I've had plenty of time to practice. Now join hands. We must go through together or we'll be separated."

They all did so.

Angelo's lab was underneath the Pulcinello villa. Volumes of books on magic lined the walls in various languages. There was a large cauldron in the center of the room and an old oak worktable on which sat a large crystal give the lab a modern flair there were also posters from famous operas.

Archie chuckled when he poked his head around the corner and saw that the other room was a kitchen complete with a large screen TV.

"Very nice! I like it!" Rumple approved.

Angelo summoned a volume from the top shelf and floated it over to Rumple. "This book will instruct you how to make portals and I can also teach you how to do them as well but first I have a question. Your magic is not of this world. What world is it from?"

"It is called Fairytale Land. It's a world where people and creatures known here as stories and legends are real," Rumple explained.

"And who would you be in that land?"

"Rumplestiltskin, spinner of straw into gold. And also the Beast from Beauty and the Beast."

"And you?" he inquired of Archie.

Archie chuckled. "Jiminy Cricket."

Angelo summoned a spinning wheel. "Spin something."

Rumple conjured a handful of straw and sat down and began to spin. Soon the straw was transmuted into shimmering golden strands that wound around the bobbin.

"Excellent!" Angelo praised.

The group gathered around Angelo's worktable to look through some of the books he had when they heard the frightened voices of Belle and Marie in the kitchen. Angelo waved his hand over the crystal ball and the womens' faces appeared in it.

"We're all right dearie," Rumple assured Belle.

"Where are you?"

"Take hands and walk through the glowing blue light on the wall," Angelo instructed. "It's all right. It won't hurt you."

"But..."

"It's fine Belle," Rumple insisted.

In the kitchen the sisters joined hands and stepped through the portal and appeared inside the lab. "What...what is this?" Marie gasped.

"Angelo's one of us, Auntie Marie!" Adriana announced happily.

"He is?"

"I am, my lady. I was once an apprentice chef in the Borgia house."

"Oh! And...is it true what they said about them?" Marie inquired with a grin.

"Oh come on Marie. It couldn't have been like Showtime protrayed it!" Belle protested.

"Actually cara, the show did exaggerate a bit yes but it and the books left out a few details of just how wicked the family could be."

"Do the Pulcinellos know what you are?" Belle asked him.

He shook his head. "Neither do Mariana and Egg. It has not been easy hiding my gift from them and as I told your husband, it has been difficult all these centuries not being around those of my own kind. I've had to use spells to change my appearance before anyone questioned why I do not age like other people and have changed my last name so many times I cannot always keep them straight. I can also imagine it is equally difficult for you having to hide who you are in this world."

"We don't have to hide who we are in Storybrooke. You can come live there," Adriana suggested.

"Cara, I cannot leave the Pulcinellos. They are my family. But...I can come to visit you." He tapped her nose playfully. "And once your papa learns how to make portals you can come visit me, si?"

"Then he's gotta hurry up 'cause we're only here for a month!"

Rumple chuckled. "I have a feeling I have a lot to learn."

"The most important lesson I think will be trying to access the magical sources of this world. You've encountered some barriers while trying to use magic in this land, have you not?"

"Aye."

Angelo summoned several more volumes from his shelves and packed them in a bag. "We are fortunate. Today is Thursday and Mariana and Egg take the day off. And since you've disposed of those worthless guards..."

"I'm surprised you didn't have wards on the house."

"Wards? You are speaking of protection spells?"

"Aye."

"I've tried casting them but for some reason they don't work for me."

"That will be my lesson for you."

The group returned to the villa through the portal, shocking the rest of the family when they explained who he was. Like Rumple, the other mages were as eager to learn from him as he was from them. He entertained the children during breakfast by repairing the glasses and making them and the rest of the dishes dance a la Beauty and the Beast. As the spoons floated past the babies, they all tried to reach for one, laughed and blew bubbles while Adriana and Belle sang "Be Our Guest" in a faux French accent.

"This is cool!" Henry crowed while he and Gracie filmed the show with their phones.

They had planned to spend their second day in Italy touring Rome but they changed their plans and decided to spend the day getting to know the elder mage and explore the villa grounds and neither Snow nor Regina felt comfortable enough to do that much walking. Rumple conjured wheelchairs for them that moved by themselves so that the women could rest their aching feet and backs.

"It's going to be any time now, Regina. Can you feel it?" Snow asked her.

"Yes," the former queen groaned. "Take us to the pool," she commanded the chairs and they wheeled themselves over to the pool, lowering themselves so that the women could soak their swollen feet in the cool water while their children swam. The Pulcinellos had the pool partitioned so that there was a side for small children that they could sit in it without needing floatation devices and another for the adults and older children.

Adriana summoned all of the Happy Bears, her Rumplette doll and the Minions from the house so that they all could play in the pool with them. Henry and Grace were having a marvelous time having swimming races with their new bears.

"Do you have any other family, Angelo?" Rumple asked their new friend.

He shook his head sadly. "No, but every family I have lived with has made me feel like I am one of them. "And we rarely hear the laughter of children here at Villa Pulcinello. The signor and signora's children and grandchildren rarely come here to visit. Most of the time the Pulcinellos must go to them."

"I don't think that's right," Penelope argued. "When you're getting on in years, your children should be coming to visit you."

"Oh I agree signorina but the Pulcinellos would never refuse to visit their children. They are too kind."

"I can't wait til Mommy has the baby. Better be a girl or m'sending it back!" Ellie threatened.

"I wanna have a sister too," added Maggie. "I'll be sending a brother back with ya Ellie. We got too many now."

Their brothers frowned at them. "Thanks a LOT girls," Henry grouched.

Ellie and Maggie swam over to him and hugged him. "Aww ya know we love ya, right?" Maggie asked and punched him playfully.

"Holy crap Mags!" he cried and rubbed his shoulder. "You been taking boxing lessons or what?"

"Watched some of Rocky. He's cool."

"Yo Adrian!" Henry mocked. His sister punched him again. "Owwww!"

"Don't make fun of Rocky or I'll whup your butt."

Emma laughed. "Some girls have Snow White and the other Disney princesses as their idols, mine chooses a movie boxer for hers."

"Go 'head make my day...punk!" Maggie recited.

"Jeff! When did our daughter watch Dirty Harry!" Emma screeched at her husband. He threw up his hands.

"I didn't do it!"

"Do ya feel lucky?"

David was laughing from his chair. Emma spun around and glared at her father. "Oh, so YOU'RE the guilty party, eh Dad?"

"I thought I turned it off!" he protested.

"Well apparently you didn't," his wife scolded.

"Mommy, come in and swim!" Neal cried.

"Honey..."

"It'll make ya feel better," he insisted.

"I can't swim right now."

"You can sit."

"Oh...that concrete would be killer on us," Regina groaned.

"Well can't somebody make you a pillow or something?"

"Ummm...maybe."

Rumple gestured and the two expectant mothers were now sitting in the childrens' side of the pool on cushions.

"Ahhh...thanks Rumple," Snow sighed contentedly.

"You know I saw a woman actually give birth in water once," Robin joked. "I don't remember what TV show it was we were watching."

"How the hell can you give birth in water?" Jeff demanded.

"Yeah...wouldn't the baby...drown?" David cringed.

"Because, dearie, a baby takes its first breath of air when it's born, in the womb it breathes water, its surrounded by amneotic fluid."

"I heard it's actually more comfortable for the mom too. Jeff, I might want to do it," Emma said.

"From what I read online, you're floating and it's easier on your back and other muscles." Belle said. "I wish I had known about it with the triplets."

"So do I," Marie agreed.

"I don't know about you Regina but I'm feeling great right now," Snow murmured.

"So am I..."

"You are not giving birth in water Regina!" Robin protested.

"If I want to give birth in water I...ooohhhhhhh!"

Robin nearly fell out of his chair. "Oh no! Not now!" he cried.

"Ooooo...David...I think it's time for me too..." Snow moaned.

"YES! I know!" he cried, clutching his own belly. "Damn Covade Syndrome!"

"Mommy, you're having the baby in the water-like a mermaid!" Neal blurted excitedly.

"Come on Regina, out of the pool...we're gonna find a hospital," Robin insisted.

"Oh no I'm not...we can make this like a birthing pool, can't we Rumple?"

Rumple nodded. "We can, dearies. If you think we need to."

"I want to give birth here...I'm comfortable," Snow insisted.

The Scorpions got the younger children out of the water and took them in the house.

"Hey, Bae!" Andi called to her boyfriend. "Your baby brother's an otter."

"What?"

She held up Bobby. "See?" She held a fluffy baby otter in her arms.

"What the...Papa!"

Rumple turned. "Bae, hold on a minute!" he began to increase the temperature in the pool to the same as what it would be in the womb.

"Oooh that's cool!" Jonny exclaimed.

"Okay. Now what's the problem?" Rumple asked coming up to his eldest.

"How the heck is he...that...and a cat?"

He pointed to Bobby in Andi's arms.

"Oh my God he is so cute!" Kyria squealed.

Rumple's eyebrows rose. "He was in the water . . .so the magic made him a water animal. Now, laddie, you're out of the water so let's become a person again." He gently drew a finger down the baby otter's tummy and willed the tiny shifter back into the shape he was born with. "And this time I'm magicking a ring on ye, Bobby!" he said, and did so.

The baby gave him a Look.

"Hey, don't ye give me that, lad!" Rumple scolded. "Ye behave and do what I say."

The baby wailed in protest, followed by his sisters.

Then they heard thunder in the sky.

"Maureen Jeannette Hopper don't you dare!"

Archie glanced down at his daughter's arm and her bracelet lay in the water. Marie fished it out and the storm clouds forming overhead vanished.

"Hush, ye wee imps," Rumple ordered his triplets. "If ye stop screaming I'll tell ye a story tonight."

There was nothing his youngest children loved more than Storytime with Papa.

His youngest son began cooing happily.

"Come on Regina...Snow, let's get you ready," Belle said to the expectant mothers.

"What should we do?" Jeff asked.

"YOU can go in house and watch TV!" Emma ordered.

"I'll call Dr. Jo in case we need her," Archie offered.

"Let's get you two into some different clothes," Rumple said, and waved his hand.

The two laboring women were now wearing soft V-neck tank tops and short flowing skirts that billowed slightly in the water, yet were no hindrance to them as they labored.

He also changed David and Robin's clothes into swim trunks and said, "Now, you two, get in the water and help your wives. You made this baby together, you can deliver it together."

"Hopefully it'll be easier!" Robin grouched.

He also changed his own clothes into a pair of blue and gold shorts, figuring he was going to have to play coach. "It's supposed to be a lot easier. On both mom and baby," he replied. "Now, I'm gonna put a monitoring spell on you, Regina and Snow, to make sure the baby is okay while this is going on."

Marie and Belle got in wearing their bathing suits while Archie and Emma sat on the edge of the pool, Archie holding his phone turned on speaker.

A blue circle of light surrounded the two women. Then the sound of twin heartbeats was heard.

"If you need your doctor I can bring her," Angelo offered.

"Right now, dearie, we're doing okay," Rumple said, wading into the water. "From what I've read, you don't need to worry about the baby breathing in water, as it won't do so until air touches his or her face. You should feel more relaxed and able to position yourself comfortably, ladies. Hold the side of the pool if you need to."

"I'm putting on some Enya." Emma said.

"Good idea! Music helps . . .and so does low lighting," he conjured a sort of shade over the pool so it was not so bright.

"I've read that if you do lunges it helps the contraction come easier," Belle said, putting her hands on Regina's shoulders. "And the water relaxes you so you don't tense up and there's less pain."

"We have to make sure all the chemicals are out of the water too," Archie said.

"Already done, dearie," Rumple said. "This water is as pure as magic can make it."

He gestured and the water rippled and became clear and also caressing against those in the pool. "Now all you need to do, ladies, is concentrate and let your bodies do what they were designed to do. Which is have babies."

The two women were more relaxed surrounded by their family for that was what they'd all become over the last five years.

"Hello...Doctor Jo...its Archie."

"Hello Archie. Is something wrong with one of the babies?"

"No but Regina and Snow are going to give birth...in a pool. Everything's fine but we wanted to call you in case we need anything."

She started reciting off a list of things the group needed and what they had to do and Rumple assured her they were well prepared.

"Keep me posted. I have a delivery shortly."

"Our kid is going to have duel citizenship," David joked.

"This is so much better than the last time," Regina said softly and moments later she was asleep.

Snow took a brief nap between her own contractions and had David feed her some ice chips.

Robin woke Regina up a short time later to massage her back and shoulders, his own discomfort lessened along with hers.

In the house the Hood and Nolan children peeked out the window to try to see but their view was obstructed by the shade Rumple made over the pool and Jeff and the teenagers were trying to keep them entertained.

"I wonder what you're gonna end up with-a brother or a sister, Neal?" Adriana asked.

"I don't care I just want another brother or sister." The toddler smiled. "Ya know what would be cool? If I get a sister like Ariel!"

"Hmm . . .you never know-it could happen," Adriana mused. "I mean, I got a little brother who can be a cat and an otter."

"Yeah but how's he do that?" Ellie asked

"He's got his own kind of magic," Adriana answered. "Shifter magic."

"If I could do that I'd wanna be like Maleficent... a dragon."

"You already can call fire," the small Healer said. "Maybe you can have a dragon familiar."

"Can't find one here."

"Hope Mommy hurries up and has the kid already!" Roland complained.

"Ooohhh I think it's time to push!" Regina yelled.

"I'm ready!" Snow called back.

"Okay, ladies, get into the position that's most comfortable for you," Rumple called. "Robin and David, you support them from behind." He listened to the babies heartbeats. They were nice and steady. "Belle and Marie, you get ready to catch the babies. Ready-one . . .two . . .three . . .Push!"

The two women grunted and holding each others' hands and the hands of their husbands they pushed as hard as they could.

"You're doing great ladies!" Marie encouraged.

"Now isn't this way a hell of a lot easier than normal?" Belle asked.

"YES!" they shouted.

"Come on Regina! You can do it," Robin coached. "Are you ready?"

"Are you?"

"Always."

"Come on my outlaw...we'll do this together."

"Can you see them yet?" Snow asked Belle and Marie.

"Not yet but you're almost there."

"One...two...three PUSH!" Rumple shouted.

They pushed again and felt the babies moving. "Rumple, I think I can see the head of Regina's baby!" Belle said after she took a second look.

"All right ladies...are you ready...again on three!"

"Come on Mom! Come on Gina! You can do it!" Emma cheered.

"This will be you in a few months, dear," Regina reminded her as they pushed again.

"We see them...we see the heads!" Marie cried out.

"Are they out?" Rumple demanded. "If they are, hold up! Rest and don't push till I say so."

"Yes they're out!" Belle answered.

"Okay, breathe . . .and relax. Dr. Jo says you need to give the baby time to align itself, so the cord doesn't become trapped . . .and your cervix relaxes." He flushed slightly talking about such intimate details.

"Rumple you're blushing!" Regina laughed.

"I'm not a doctor, dearie, I'm an attorney!"

"Well it's not like you haven't see some things before!" Marie teased.

"Marie!" Archie scolded.

"Oh like you haven't either?"

Now it was Archie's turn to blush.

Rumple checked his watch. "All right, on the next contraction, push!"

"Are you ready Snow?"

"When you are, Regina."

Under the water two babies emerged, a boy for Regina and a girl for Snow White. As Marie glanced down at Snow's baby, her brow furrowed with concern. "Rumple...you'd better come and look..."

"What's wrong? What's wrong with my baby?" Snow exclaimed.

Archie leaned forward from where he was sitting, wondering if he needed to have his contacts changed. "Emma do you see...?"

"Oh my God...it looks like..."

"A fin!" they exclaimed in unison.

Rumple came to cut the cords, and as he went to see Snow's baby, he whispered, "Holy God, she has a tail . . .like a mermaid." As he cut the cord and gently lifted the baby girl free of the water to take her first breath, a silver and blue tail swatted the water.

"I don't believe it!" Snow whispered.

"Have you been cheating on me with a merman?" David teased.

The baby's tail swatted the water again, splashing her father.

She had dark hair like her mother, and skin that shimmered like pearl, and the biggest set of ocean blue eyes they had ever seen. As she took her first gulp of air, she cried prettily, almost musically.

"Well it looks like Neal got his wish!" Emma laughed.

"Indeed. And I'm betting that like a true mer, once she's dry her tail will become legs," Rumple predicted. "Say hello to your mama and papa, little sea dearie." He handed her to her mother.

"And we have a handsome prince for Regina," Belle cooed.

Snow cradled her baby in her arms and kissed her small cheek. "A baby of the land and sea, just like Ariel."

"Our little pearl princess," David crooned. "She has your hair."

"Pearl...that's what I want to name her."

"Yes, Pearl Eva, for your mother," David agreed.

"It's perfect..."

"Hello my little prince..." Regina crooned to her son.

Rumple came to see Regina's boy next. "Hello, wee imp!" he greeted the child, who had a thick tuft of dark hair and very dark blue eyes. "You're a handsome lad, aren't you?"

The baby smirked.

"Yes you are aren't you Rumplestiltskin Robin Hood?" Regina asked.

Her mentor's jaw dropped. "You're naming him . . .after ME?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're a second father to me."

"I . . .thank you, dearie," the old sorcerer stammered, tears in his eyes.

"I already have Henry named after my father and Robin and I agreed that if we had another son we would name him for you."

"Because you were the one who helped us get together, you know," Robin said. "And Roland was named after my father."

"Would you like to hold him?" Regina asked.

Rumple took the baby gently in his arms. "Hello, wee Rumple."

"Now how are we gonna tell them apart?" David joked.

"The baby will be Rum," Robin laughed.

Jeff brought the rest of the kids out of the house.

"Hey Nealio...guess what...we got an Ariel!" Emma informed her brother.

"Really? Awesome! What's her name?" he came to peer at the baby, who was still wet and had her tail.

"Pearl Eva ."

"Princess Pearl," the boy declared. "I like it!"

"Aww Mommy 'nother boy!" Ellie complained.

"It's the littlest outlaw, Dad!" Roland exclaimed.

"Well can't we give him one of those sex operations to make him a girl?"

Baby Rumple began to cry.

"Ellie you quit being mean or m'dumpin ya!" Jonny said firmly.

"Yeah and least you won't have to worry about a little sister that takes your dolls and wears your clothes," Jason said. "Hey, little brother. What's his name, Mom?"

"Rumplestiltskin Robin Hood."

"Cool! Can he spin straw into gold like you, Rumple?" Jason asked.

"We'll have to wait and see on that one," Rumple said, examining the baby's aura. "But he does have some strong magic."

"You're not gonna dump me, are you Jonny?" Ellie asked worriedly.

"Nah but you gotta be nice to little Rum, kay?"

"Dearie, you're his big sister, and you have to protect him, along with your brothers," Rumple told her. "He needs you."

She smiled at the baby. "And we can really kick the butts of anyone who picks on ya."

Baby Rum cooed at her, and then reached out his hand to grab hers.

She took it gently. "I'll help Mommy take good care of you till me and Jonny have our own kids!"

"Deal struck, dearie!" the older sorcerer giggled.

Henry and Grace stood on the edge of the pool with their phones recording the blessed events. "And today we welcome my brother Rum and my aunt Pearl!" he announced

"One more to go Jeff," Emma said. He patted her belly.

Adriana waved her hand and a rainbow appeared above them.

Then she clapped her hands and two new bears appeared. One was a soft fuzzy gold bear and the other was blue like the ocean. "Major Gold and Major Aqua, reporting for duty!" They saluted their General.

"Major Aqua, you're to report to Princess Pearl, and you know the Happy Army motto-a day without frownies is a happy day."

Aqua went and marched over to her new charge.

"Major Gold, you're to report to Prince Rum, and no frownies allowed."

The golden bear walked up and stood by the newest Hood proudly.

It had been a wonderful day with the arrivals of four new Happy Army Bears...and two very special children: a daughter of the land and sea and a son named in the honor of the legendary sorcerer who helped bring a family together.