/ The books mentioned/read in this chapter are real books by real authors and I am using them for my own creative purposes. Lift-the-flap fairy tales is by Roger Priddy and Snow is by Walter de la Mare and I found them on a list of books for 4-7 year olds. No copyright intended etc.

Also, I have no idea how the British fire service works, let alone the American one, so, you know, it's probably wrong, but it's a story so.

This one is slightly longer than most, as next week's chapter will be quite short I think. We'll see.

Forgot to thank BooksinMyDreams and Mia Story in the previous chapter, so thank you, your reviews really make me smile. /

BTW - One of my people is leaving work today and I am not happy about it so cheer me up with some reviews?

Chapter 10

The rest of the week followed much the same as Monday. David would drop Emma off, spend a while at work, pick her up and take her home, spending the evening together. He would either cook or they would pick up subs on their way home, and would spend the meal with Emma telling David everything that happened that day.

On the Tuesday, there was no communication between David and Mary Margaret. On the Wednesday, they exchanged smiles but no words. On the Thursday, David thanked Mary Margaret for everything she was doing for Emma. It was already obvious how much the young girl had come out of her shell, and she talked constantly about 'Ms Snow'. On Friday drop-off, David asked Mary Margaret if she minded being called Ms Snow in school hours, to which she explained that a few others had started it and she didn't mind at all.

It was half an hour till David was meant to be heading out to pick up Emma when the station alarm rang. The week had been relatively quiet, and all shouts had been during school hours so it was an unwelcome surprise when the chief explained that the station from the next county needed their assistance tackling an industrial warehouse fire. The station sprang into action with the practiced dance of the professionals getting ready for a shout, and before he could spare another thought they were in the truck on their way. He managed to text Mary Margaret quickly and asked, if not begged her to take Emma home and look after her until he got back, with no further explanation. Without waiting for a response, merely hoping she said yes, he locked his phone away with the rest in the overhead locker and grabbed his helmet, prepared to move as soon as they arrived.

When the truck pulled up they were up and out, falling into the now-easy dance of their job. They were the second responders, and were there to help the local department with the fire, and so Killian, the captain of their team and the chief's second in command approached the other captain, returning to his team moments later with their role. It was a difficult fire, and David understood why the team had called in reinforcements. They worked in perfect synchronisation and after about an hour of the SMFD's presence, the fire had been extinguished and the few casualties that had been caught up with smoke inhalation had been taken to hospital.

Soon they were back in the truck, happy that they had got through a relatively serious job without incident, and that there had been no fatalities. They chatted amongst themselves, Killian driving with Mulan up front with him, the radio playing in the background. After a few minutes of discussing the job with his team and praising their teamwork, he checked the time, noticing it was after four, and he grabbed his phone from the overhead, checking to see if he had any response from Mary Margaret.

He noticed three texts and a missed call. The first was sent two minutes after his and just said 'of course' with a second a few minutes later asking what was going on. The missed call had come about 45 minutes later and the last text asked David to call when he was done, and to be safe. He smiled at the little 'x' that Mary Margaret had ended the final text with and tapped her name, calling her number. It was answered immediately, and he knew it was his little girl on the other end.

"Daddy! Did you fight the fires? Did you save people? Are you ok?" David laughed quietly. It was always the same questions.

"Yes baby, we fought the fires, everyone is safe. I'm on my way home. Are you being good for Ms Blanchard?" He heard a slight rustling noise, and he knew Emma was nodding her head. "That's great princess. I'll be home soon, be good."

"Ok daddy. Here's Snow." David laughed aloud this time, switching the phone to his other ear so he could hear over the chatter of his team.

"David, hi. Is everything ok?" He was confused at the obvious concern in her voice and he turned to the side so he could talk without others listening.

"Yeah, I'm fine… It was a tricky fire but there were no major injuries and only a small area of the warehouse was damaged to a significant level. I'll explain properly when I get home. I assume the missed call I got was from Emma?" He heard her laugh over the line and it bought an automatic smile to his face.

"Of course. I told her as soon as the rest of the class had gone that you had to go to work, and that I would take her home, and she waited as long as she could before she asked to ring you to check. I think the change in situation that she's at school now and doesn't see you for chunks of the day just confused her…" He heard Emma's voice in the background, calling for Snow, and chuckled as she paused, her response muffled as she spoke away from the phone. "I'll be right there sweetie!" Her next sentence was clearer as she spoke again to David. "I have to go honey, I'll speak to you later."

"Ok, I…" There was a muffled curse before the line went silent, and David had to pull it from his ear to check if the call was still connected. He frowned at the screen when he realised Mary Margaret had hung up on him. He exited the screen and then tried to call her number back, hanging up after it rang for thirty seconds. He put the phone in his pocket, only then noticing that his team were staring at him. "My daughter's… babysitter…" He stuttered, by way of explanation, staring down at his phone to avoid looking at them. He was quiet the rest of the ride, and when they got back to the station, he said goodbye to his team and rushed to his car.

Mary Margaret cursed as she realised what she had just called David, and hung up, leaving her phone in the kitchen as she moved to the main room where Emma was. "What's up sweetheart?" She cringed at the nickname to her neighbour, and student, frowning at how easy it was with both her and her father.

"Can you help me read this book Snow? I don't know the big words." Mary Margaret couldn't help but beam at the little girl. Her kindergarten class all seemed to enjoy school, at least they had done in the first week they'd been there, but Emma appeared to show more enthusiasm than most of them. She sat on the sofa and tapped the spot next to her, waiting for Emma to join her. When she did, the brunette wrapped her arm around the little girl's shoulder when she snuggled into her. Mary Margaret took the book from Emma, chuckling at her choice of Snow by Walter de la Mare. She flicked through the first few pages of poetry and frowned.

"This one might be a bit tricky for you little one, why don't I go and look upstairs and see what you might like?" Emma nodded, but her pout showed she was not happy. Mary Margaret pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she moved off the sofa, trying to remember exactly where she had stored the kids' books. She found the box hidden in the closet and shuffled through, finding a number of books that had belonged to Roland that she'd read to him while he was in the hospital. She quickly moved that box to the side and found the box of books she had from her reading corner from the school she used to teach at in Maine.

She quickly found a book she knew Emma would like. Though it may be a little childish, the lift-the-flap fairy tales book would be a good one to encourage the young girl to practise her reading. When she returned back downstairs she resumed the position they had been sat in, and held the book, opening it to the first page, allowing Emma to read in her own time.

"Li… ttle Red Rid… ding Hood…" The blonde looked up at her teacher, checking she was saying the words right. With a nod, she continued. "Find the… What's that word Snow?"

"Cottage. A cottage is a house with no stairs in it… carry on princess."

"Cot…" She mumbled the last part of the word before continuing. "In the woods" She reached over to lift the flaps, seeing images of a fox, the cottage and a woodcutter behind cartoon trees, pointing out the 'house' to Mary Margaret. When she had done with the page, Mary Margaret turned it, noticing the second page was about the story of Thumbelina. Again, Emma read, asking for help with the big words, and lifting the flaps for that one and Jack and the Beanstalk. The doorbell rang as Mary Margaret was about to turn the page, and Emma shot off the sofa, running to the door, all the while yelling "Daddy!"

Mary Margaret just sat and took a deep breath before she followed and opened the door, walking back into the main room while the father-daughter duo hugged each other. She looked up when David carried Emma in, and she stood, expecting them to say goodbye and leave. Instead, he placed Emma down on the floor and watched as she climbed back on to the sofa, tapping it like Mary Margaret had done. Mary Margaret looked between the father and daughter, sitting back next to Emma when David gestured she should. Emma picked up the book they were reading and waved David over, leaning into him as he sat on the other side of her.

The brunette watched as Emma read the whole book again to David, the sight of the pair snuggled together making warmth blossom in her chest. Once the littlest blonde had read the book and forced David to read it to her, she pushed it to the side, looking around for another book they could read together. David looked too when he realised what she was doing, and noticed a book on the table in front of him that made him grin.

"Why don't we read some poetry Emma, me and Mary Margaret can take it in turns..." Emma nodded excitedly and David reached forward to pick up the book flicking through it to find a poem he liked.

"This one is called… Snow..." He grinned at Mary Margaret as Emma snuggled closer into his lap, her excitement dwindling as tiredness overcame her.

"No breath of wind… No gleam of sun – still the white snow, whirls softly down…" Mary Margaret was listening to David but watching Emma, lifting her little feet onto her lap as she stretched out. "Twig and bough… and blade and thorn… all in an icy, quiet, forlorn. Whispering, rustling, through the air… on sill and stone, roof, - everywhere…" Emma had leaned against David's chest and was trying to keep her eyes open while she listened. The adults could see that she understood very few of the words, but was, like Mary Margaret, just enjoying the sound of David's voice. "It heaps its powdery crystal flakes, of every tree… a mountain makes; 'til pale and faint, at shut of day… stoops from the West, one wint'ry ray." With one verse to go, David looked over at Mary Margaret who had her hands resting on Emma's feet and she was watching her. A smile covered her face, it was not one that David had seen before, and looked like one of love. She felt David's gaze on her and so she looked up at him, and David's chest tightened as she looked at him the same way she had looked at his daughter. Blushing, she nodded for him to finish the poem and he smiled warmly at her before doing so. "And, feathered in fire, where ghosts the moon, a robin shrills… his lonely tune."

Careful not to move much, he handed the book over to Mary Margaret, wrapping his arms around his daughter as she dozed against his chest. Mary Margaret picked a poem at random and began to read, glancing up at the pair every so often as she read, noticing towards the end that Emma had properly fallen asleep. At the end of the poem she put the book down, lifting Emma's feet off her lap as she stood.

"Let me guess, you haven't eaten since lunch time?" David shook his head with a little grin. "I can cook something… Emma will need to eat after her nap anyway… that is, I mean, unless you just want to take her home now..?" David shook his head as he, somehow difficultly, shifted Emma off his lap so she was napping on the sofa, and stood. "That sounds lovely. Why don't I help and we can talk in the kitchen." The pair covered Emma in a blanket and made their way through to the kitchen, shutting the door behind them.

Mary Margaret began to pull ingredients from the fridge, passing them to David to put on the side. She grabbed a knife from the rack and a peeler from the drawer, offering them both to David for him to pick one. He chose the knife and began to cut the broccoli into smaller florets. Mary Margaret began to peel the carrots and they worked in companionable silence for about ten seconds, before they both spoke at once.

"So how was…"

"You were going…"

"You go."

"You go."

The pair both laughed quietly, and David nodded, letting Mary Margaret speak. "You were going to tell me about that job you went on?" Mary Margaret asked as she continued to peel and chop the carrots.

David nodded, telling her the story of how his afternoon had gone, pausing only to clean his knife to begin cutting the chicken. David asked her how Emma had been at school, and whether she set homework, and they just talked comfortably together as they cooked. Once the pasta bake was in the oven, Mary Margaret began to set the table while David went to wake his daughter, who was clearly overly grumpy from being woken too soon.

The three ate together, with Emma, fully awake and happy to be with her daddy and 'her Snow' chatting enough to fill the silence. It was only when Mary Margaret asked her what she and her daddy had planned for the weekend, did David remember the cook-out that was happening at the station.

"Actually, I meant to talk to you about this weekend." He glanced at Emma who looked bored, and then to Mary Margaret who looked confused. "Every year my department has a cook-out, just a community barbeque thing, for the staff, they bring their families… well anyone is allowed along really. There are stalls and food and, well Emma loves to go, the guys at the station all love to see her…" Emma was bouncing in her seat excitedly, as if she knew what was going on, though it was likely she was just excited about the barbeque. He looked down at his plate, spearing a piece of chicken and pasta before he tilted his head at his neighbour.

"Anyway, I was hoping you would like to come with me and Emma tomorrow, get some food, play some games..?" Mary Margaret looked from David to Emma, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Please Snow, we go and daddy buys me a bear donut and he eats so much pink candyfoss and if you come we can play the games and get hotdogs and…" Mary Margaret grinned as she stood from her chair, done with her food.

"I would love to join you guys. I'm partial to tacos, I don't suppose they serve those at the cook-out?" She knew it was a long shot, but they had had something similar at her town in Maine, and her sister always made sure they had tacos available. Emma went back to her food, already distracted knowing that Mary Margaret was going to join them. David smirked up at her, and handed over his plate when she asked for it.

Subconsciously, Mary Margaret bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of Emma's head as she walked past her, before strolling into the kitchen. It wasn't until she was rinsing the plate at the sink that she realised what she had done, and just how natural it had felt. She poured a glass of apple juice for Emma and grabbed two glasses and a bottle of wine out of the fridge before she made her way back to the blonde pair in the other room. David nodded when she offered him wine, and they sat with their drinks, both watching Emma pick at her carrots. She huffed and put her fork down, clearly not wishing to continue.

"Emma, finish your vegetables please"

"I'm not hungry daddy."

"But Mary Margaret put a lot of effort into this meal for us, you can at least try."

"I don't like carrots."

Mary Margaret glanced and David and winked, giving him a look that said 'go with it'.

"That's fine if you don't like carrots sweetheart. I myself love carrots, especially as they helped me learn to read and help me see at night time… but if you don't want to eat them that's ok."

Emma looked quickly between her father and her teacher and pierced three pieces of carrot at once, eating the whole lot in a matter of minutes. Mary Margaret smirked at the taller blonde, raising her brow as he mouthed a thank you. When she had finished, Mary Margaret cleared the table, pottering around the kitchen for a few minutes.

When she returned back into the main room, the pair were sat on the sofa, conversing quietly. Mary Margaret figured they wanted to go back home, and so handed David the Tupperware with the leftover pasta with a smile.

"What time does this thing start tomorrow?" David stood, gesturing for Emma to do the same.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about actually. I have to go early to set up, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind having Emma for a bit then coming around 11?" It only took a second for Mary Margaret to agree, seeing Emma nodding ferociously and with a quick hug to both the father and daughter, they were ready to go. As Emma went to collect her jacket and backpack from the hallway, Mary Margaret began to follow her, only stopping when David took hold of her arm as Emma left the room. She turned to face him with a frown.

"Thank you Mary Margaret, for looking after Emma this evening. For helping her with her reading. For dinner…"

"It was my pleasure David, I love having Emma around, and I am glad I made sure you got at least one hot meal this week." He grinned as she chuckled, and he looked towards the door before he bent forward and kissed the brunette. She melted momentarily, wrapping her arms around his neck and returning his kiss, before she remembered where she was and stood up straight, blushing as she looked at the ground.

She glanced back up at the blonde as his thumb and forefinger lifted her chin, and he pressed one last chaste kiss to her lips before stepping back.

"See you tomorrow… honey."

More school is coming. Some Daddy Charming. Some Emma/MM stuff and some Snowing fluff. Got a general idea where this is going, but not there yet, so any requests, let me know in the reviews. :)