Hey guys, here's another long one for you. There's some Regina (SnowQueen) in this one but it's mostly mama Snow. There should be another one up within a couple of weeks.
Thank you all for your reviews, bar the guest who I've made my feeling very clear about, if you don't like my stories don't read them. And if you think hate is appropriate to leave on fics of myself and my friends please don't read any of mine as I don't want that sort of readership.
Also the guest who sent in loads of little prompts you've actually guessed some of what I've been planning to do, I was very impressed, hopefully you will like it!
'Til next time!
Emma woke up snuggled between her parents in their bed, she stood up and looked out of the window, the sun wasn't up but she had slept twice so she figured it was morning time. She dropped back down to sit on the bed where both of her parents were peacefully sleeping after being woken by Emma, and Neal when he wanted to be fed.
Emma looked at David who was lightly snoring, then turned to her mother who was snoring even lighter. Emma gently poked her cheek. Then again as her mother's mouth tugged into an amused smile as she woke. And again. Until her mother's green eyes finally fluttered open and looked at Emma who beamed down at her.
"Hey Ems." Mary Margaret smiled, her smile widened even more when Emma immediately wrapped her arms around her in a hug making it so she was half led on her. She glanced at the alarm clock and saw that it was early morning, they had slept for about three more hours when Emma had first woke her. She looked back at her daughter who was now sitting back up. "Good morning baby." She had been able to tell from the way that Emma had poke her cheek to wake her that this was the same toddler Emma from the few hours before.
Emma looked to the dark outside back to her mom with an uncertain look. "Mommy it's dark, it's not morning time. But I had lots of sleeps."
Mary Margaret chuckled and sat up, she pulled her daughter onto her lap, and kissed her forehead. "It's morning time sweetie, but when it gets cold and winter time it's dark when we wake up and dark when we're eating our dinner."
"Daddy's not waking up, is he gonna wake up when Mr Sun wakes up?"
Mary Margaret smiled and stood up from the bed with Emma firmly in her arms. She pulled on her warm robe and wrapped it around Emma too. "Daddy will wake up soon, Emmy, he has to go to work until lunch time." She saw her daughter's face fall and thought that it was adorable that Emma and David clearly had as close of a relationship in her fake memories as she had in real life. "But me, you, Nealy, and Daddy are going to have lunch out at Granny's."
"And see Auntie Ruby?" Emma asked excitedly. She dragged out the name so it sounded like 'Roo-bee', but to her it just felt like a normal thing, it was what she had called her for almost as long as she could remember.
"Yes, baby, we can see Auntie Ruby too. She's going to be very happy to see you." Mary Margaret smiled as she grabbed herself some clothes to wear that day, Ruby (or Red as she was then known) was meant to be Emma's godmother, she had thought that Emma would grow up as royalty and be surrounded by people from that world, she and David wanted someone who wasn't some royal whatever to be Emma's godmother – and who better than Mary Margaret's (or Snow's) best friend, who had also become one of David's best friends.
~OUAT~
Mary Margaret walked to the bathroom with Emma still wrapped in her dressing gown with her. She made sure that all of the heat was on full to try and rid them of the chilly winter air.
"Okay, Emmy, let's get you into a new pull up. I think Daddy's going to have to get you different ones when two go shopping together after lunch." She told her knowing that the ones Emma had were just for accidents, but even when she wasn't the mind of a toddler she clearly had no control, she needed stronger ones. She knew that children her age were normally potty trained, but she also know that Emma had developmental delays from being premature, which weren't helped by all the abusive homes she had been in.
"But I like Dory ones." Emma pouted as Mary Margaret led her down on the changing table they had put in the bathroom for Neal.
"I'm sure that you and Daddy can find some ones with really good pictures on. Maybe you can find some new toys too?" Mary Margaret grabbed one of the Finding Dory pull ups and took the other one off of her, she wiped her and put nappy rash cream on her before changing her into the new one.
"Really?" The toddler responded excitedly. She looked confused as her mother pull her pyjama pants back up and zipped the lion onesie back up to keep her warm. "Jammies day mommy?"
"Really." Mary Margaret smiled, she knew the adult version of Emma barely had enough time to relax enough to have a pyjama day, she was glad that this Emma had been able to. "Just for a little bit of today." She picked her back up and hugged her tight to her chest, giving her a kiss to her forehead. "You, me, and Nealy are going to have a mommy and baby afternoon while Daddy goes to work and tries to find his friend. We're going to do some baking, I think we should make some cookies and some brownies, mommy has some chocolate hidden so Daddy doesn't eat them all, so you can choose which ones go into them. Then we can have bath time and Auntie Gina's going to come over to see us too, we can give her one of the cookies to eat, I'm sure she'll love them." She had never seen Regina eat cookies, but she certainly wanted to, and who could refuse Emma's adorable smile?
"Yeah!" Emma shouted as Mary Margaret placed her down on the fluffy bath mat on the ground. "Mommy?"
"Yes Emmy?" Mary Margaret said running water in the sink to wash her face with.
"Auntie Gina's your mommy?"
Mary Margaret stopped the water in the sink and crouched down. "Kind of… My mommy... she went bye byes when I was a little girl, and my daddy and Auntie Gina got married, so she's like a second mommy to me, she's my step-mommy."
"Oh... she's your mommy... she's my grandma, like Grandma Ruth?"
Mary Margaret took a deep breath, this Emma knew about David's mother, their Emma didn't unless she read the book, which Mary Margaret somewhat doubted. "I... I guess she is sweets. She's your Grandma too." She decided as she brushed a strand Emma's wild hair away from her eyes. She watched Emma's smile widened, it wasn't surprising, their Emma seemed to be always looking for family (no matter how much she claimed she wasn't), whatever Emma's fake memories were she clearly had been through a lot and she was looking for her family too. "Mommy's just going to wash her face and get dressed, you stay sat here okay? You can play with your lion, and Nealy's bath duckies."
Emma smiled taking the ducks from Mary Margaret's hand, she started to play with her lion and ducks, while leaning against the bath tub. She yawned a little from her disturbed sleep the night before, but she played happily as her mom got washed and dressed.
When Mary Margaret finished she watched her toddler daughter playing with the toys for a little while, she looked so happy and peaceful, Mary Margaret could imagine this Emma growing up with them at the normal rate, and not having to go through all that they had seen Adult Emma having to go through. She wrapped her arms around her chest as she remembered watching Emma grow up in abusive and squalid conditions, homeless, in the jail. Having to give up Henry. Then when she got out of jail she lived in some halfway house for a little while, before leaving in the dead of night to live in her car as she hadn't felt safe. She didn't want her daughter to have to go through that or even to remember it.
She came back to herself and crouched in front of her daughter. "Wow, those duckies look like they're having lots and lots of fun."
"Yup! They're teaching Leo to swim."
"Well, that is very nice of them." Mary Margaret replied. "I think you need some more bath toys. Bigger ones." She realised, being realistic to her daughter's needs, they were still making sure that they looked down every avenue to turn her back, but even adult minded Emma was becoming more childlike, and they were losing hope that they'd be able to. She knew that both toddler minded and mixed minded Emma would enjoy more bath toys so she was putting her daughter first.
Emma tilted her head to the side. "Nee Nee is too little for big toys."
Mary Margaret let out a soft sigh. "He is, but you're not, you need toys too sweetie, you don't have to share with Nee Nee until he's big enough, okay?"
Emma beamed and nodded, she was more than happy that she could have cool bath toys - all of her own!
"You can help me give your brother a bath later in his special baby bath if you like?" Mary Margaret offered thinking that she would probably like it.
Emma nodded with a serious look on her face, she was planning on taking her job of helping her mother very seriously. "I'll play with his duckies with him."
Mary Margaret giggled at her response. "Thank you very much." She said with a mock serious nod and look on her face. She picked up her daughter, who made sure to keep a tight hold of her lion toy, and headed out of the bathroom.
~OUAT~
Mary Margaret glanced at the clock and realised that Neal would be waking up soon. She headed into the kitchen and opened the fridge to get Emma one of her milkshakes with the formula in it. It was too early for Emma to have breakfast just yet, but really she could do with having a couple of the milkshakes a day to get her weight and growth up. "Do you want chocolate milk or banana?" She picked the flavours Emma would prefer, but she wasn't surprised when Emma said
"Choccy."
without hesitation.
Mary Margaret picked up the bottle of it and poured it into Emma's Finding Nemo sippy cup she had been using recently.
She headed into the lounge area with Emma on her hip and she placed her down on the couch with her sippy cup. She picked up the remote and flicked on the kids channel where a marathon of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was playing. "Do you want to do some drawing while you drink your choccy milk?" She asked already picking up the present Emma had opened the day before and getting some crayons and a Disney colouring book from it.
"Yeah mommy." She nodded cuddling her lion to her chest as her mother set her cup onto the coffee table next to her colouring book and crayons then she was placed down on the rug in front of them, she titled her head back to look at her mommy as a blanket was draped around her shoulders. "Hi."
Mary Margaret laughed as Emma said hi like Stitch did in Lilo and Stitch, apparently that was a favourite. "Hi." She leant her head down to kiss Emma's forehead again. "Mommy's just going to get Nee, then I'll feed him on the couch, okay? I'll be right over there, I'm not leaving you." She illustrated her point by pointing over towards the mast bedroom where she could hear the sounds of Neal starting to fuss.
"Okay mommy." She said before giggling at the tv. "Mickey's funny."
Mary Margaret quickly returned with Neal in her arms and she sat on the couch behind Emma who had apparently found a picture to colour and was engrossed in that and the tv show. Neal was still in his sleeping bag to keep him warm, and she wrapped a throw from the back of the couch around herself to keep the slight chill of the apartment away. Her son stopped fussing as he started being fed, unsurprisingly. With both her kids quiet and the soothing sounds of the kid's program on, and watching her daughter colour and her son feed, Mary Margaret felt her mind drifting.
She found herself remembering her first home, her parents castle as a young girl. Like Emma she enjoyed arts, and whenever her mother was free of royal duty she and Snow would go to one of the quieter libraries, there were plush couches and chairs, and a huge log burning fire which would warm the room even in the harshest of winters. There was a small table where seven year old Snow enjoyed painting, listening to her mother sing as Eva sat on one of the armchairs sewing, knitting, or crocheting. Often, she would embroider flowered cushions, most of which found their way into Snow's room when Eva died.
~OUAT~
Mary Margaret was brought out of her trance by a large hand gentle cupping her cheek, the thumb of which was gently rubbing up and down on the stretch of skin between her eyes and her hairline, the skin of the hand was mostly soft but there were a few bumps from where he had obviously worked with his hands on the fields at his mother's farm. She turned her head and tilted it back a little to look at him and she was quickly drawn into kissing his slightly chapped lips. She felt the corners of her lips tugging upwards as he drew out the kiss, feeling him nibble her bottom lip she was careful not to let out a hint of a moan.
David pulled away making her pout at him, he solved that with a softer kiss as he sat on the couch beside her, he wrapped his arm around her as he continued looking down at her - giving her his full attention. "You were miles away, I thought I had done something to really upset the ladies in my life to have them both ignore me." He grinned as his wife tilted her head to the side in confusion. He always loved it when she did that as she looked cute, but knowing that it was something Emma had got from her just made him love it even more. "I can't compete with Mickey Mouse." He said jokingly before growing serious. "What's on your mind? And don't tell me nothing, I know your face better than you do, what's wrong babe?"
Mary Margaret sighed when she realised that he was right, she couldn't hide that she was thinking about something with him. He could probably tell that the expression was one she had when she desperately wanted something, but he was too polite to say so. "I was thinking about what you said last night, before you fell asleep on me." She told him.
David's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember what he said, until it dawned on him that he had said that the loft was too small, they both knew that it hadn't just been a comment but a hint that they needed a new place.
"I don't want a castle, somewhere so big we'd have to hire staff like we had in the Enchanted forest... but it'd be nice to have an actual fireplace which warms the place up, instead of having to be chilly in the loft and hope that the people living underneath us have their heat on full so that it'll help warm our home. And a backyard where the kids could play and have a swing set and a slide, and a sandpit, and they could just run around and play, and in summer when it's hot we can have friends over and we can barbecue and entertain in the porch. "
David could picture a place in his mind, one they could move into, after all they had money from before the curse so money was no object. "A huge Christmas tree in the living room which the kids can decorate with their homemade ornaments, and more Christmas trees dotted around. A nice, spacious, place for us and the kids... a new start." He breathed out gently.
"We need a new house... well, an actual house" Mary Margaret said as though she was just realising it. Saying it out loud to David had made it suddenly very real.
"I'm sorry." David apologised quietly. "I shouldn't have said anything last night, I was just tired, I didn't have a filter."
"David, it's not your fault." She assured him as Neal finished feeding, she placed him on his play mat before returning to the couch to sit with her husband.
"I Know... but I know how special this place is to you and Emma, it was the place you lived and became a family before the curse broke, and then when you two got back and we all lived together it was our home. I'm attached to it too, but this is different." He looked over at his daughter, who despite his and her mother's talking, still hadn't noticed him. "It was Emma's first ever home, we saw what all the rest of the places she lived at, the closest she had to one was in a car with Neal, and neither of them should have lived like that, this is her first ever home. I should have talked to you about it more delicately, sat down and spoke to you, and then to Em when she's more grown up."
Mary Margaret placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down to kiss him deeply. "You didn't do anything. I've been thinking about it a lot anyway. We'll have to wait until Emma completely a toddler to look at them... well if they don't find a way for her to be an adult again."
David smiled as he saw guilt in his wife's expression. "I have that feeling too." He told her making her head tilt in confusion again. "We're not going to find a way. I know how you fell, I want both Emma's too, but... she's really happy like this, I've never seen her without her looking stressed and closed off... not completely... We need to talk to Henry about what's going to happen with Em, then we have everyone meeting with us in a couple of days to see if they've found anything... if they haven't we need to talk to Emma when she's an adult."
"Well, her current adult toddler mix."
"It's going to be really hard for her to take, we'll have to make sure she can't run away again, can you ask Regina when she's here to make sure she can't magically open it?" David asked and his wife nodded. "She's becoming more and more... Emmy. If she finds out she can't be an adult again it might speed up her becoming Emmy not Emma." He was silent for a second. "It'd be better for Emma to not be snapping between two minds... but Henry loses his mom quicker, just after he lost his dad."
They were both silent, even the sound of the hot dog song on the end of the episode, didn't take away from the sobering silence between the two as they both thought.
The silence was broken by a little girl's voice excitedly shouting "Daddy!" and running over to the couch for her father to scoop her up, which he did.
"Hey Koala." David grinned as she clung as tight as a koala to him, he responded by hugging and rocking her against his chest. "Have you only just seen me?
"I was doin' colouring for you and helping Mickey."
David pressed a kiss to her forehead. It was adorable that she thought she had actually helped Mickey on the tv. "What are you colouring my clingy little koala?"
"It's a surprise for you so you don't forget me, and Nealy, and mommy, when you go to work."
David's heart melted. "Thank you princess, I can't wait to see it, but I'd never forget about you baby. Ever. And I'd never forget about mommy or Neal either.
He watched Mary Margaret pick up Neal from his play mat and walk over with their son to sit with David and Emma. He wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her close. "Do you want to watch Mickey Mouse with me and mommy for a little while before you finish your colouring?"
"Yeah." Emma smiled and snuggled down so that she was cuddled as close as she could to her father, she was quickly distracted by the next episode of Mickey Mouse coming on. David reached into the pocket of his sweats and pulled out Mary Margaret's phone. He passed it over to her.
"I was wondering why you woke up." Mary Margaret smiled, her husband was as much of a morning person as their daughter usually was, she watched him put on a pout and giggled.
"Your evil step mother woke me up by ringing way too early."
"She's not evil."
"She is when she rings to let you know she'll be by midmorning, and reminds me that I have to leave you guys this morning, so I can't just claim that I forgot."
"You wouldn't do that." Mary Margaret said lovingly but knowingly. "For anyone, but this is Anna, you told me all about her she and Kristoff were your friends."
"I'm still blaming Regina." He told her with a smirk knowing that she understood his and Regina's relationship where they were family and would help each other, but they blamed each other and took the piss out of each other for fun. He leant his head down to kiss his wife again, first on the lips, then on her sensitive spot where her jaw met beneath her ear, then her lips again. He sighed gently as they pulled out of it. "I wish I could just stay home."
After their making out, which was tame compared to their usual but they were intently aware that they had kids cuddled with them, Mary Margaret believed that she knew the reasons why David wanted to stay home and she didn't blame him.
"I know, it's been forever since we've had," she glanced down at the kids who were distracted but she still wasn't about to use that kind of language in front of the kids, "private time. I know I had my check up to make sure everything was okay when Em was sick, and normally I would have totally been up for that, but we've had a... visitor," her eyes flickered down to Emma to show who she was talking about when she looked back up at David he looked amused but she continued talking anyway, "in our bed pretty much constantly. And even when we haven't I haven't been in the mood, with Neal only just down to sleeping more at night, and with worrying about our older baby... I'm sorry."
David couldn't help but chuckle at his wife's rambling. He leant forward and kissed her lips. "Snow, Snow," He said through a chuckle, "it's okay, I don't expect anything, nor do you owe me anything. I've not been in the mood either, everything that's been happening is tiring and stressful, in good and bad ways. I just meant that I want to stay home with you and our babies. It's been nice being able to just stay with you and our babies with only Em stuff to worry about, no big bad villain. We've had time to breathe... What? Why are you looking me like that?"
Mary Margaret had her head tilted with a small but growing smile as she looked at him. "You called me Snow." She smiled and watched him share the smile, it had been a life time since he had called her that without doing it to just get her intention, it felt just as natural as all of the time he had called about it back in their home realm.
"It's snowing?" Emma said suddenly hearing their conversation.
David and Mary Margaret both laughed.
"I don't know baby," Mary Margaret said, "but Daddy called me Snow because that's my other name."
Emma scrunched up her face. "No, it's not, your name is Mommy."
Mary Margaret 'awed' gently and kissed Emma's forehead. "My name is Mommy because I'm your mommy, but I'm also called Snow, and Mary Margaret." She saw that her daughter was still confused. "Daddy and I call you Emmy, don't we?" Emma nodded her head. "And we call you other names like Em, and Daddy calls you kiddo, and koala." She smiled at her husband's nickname he had started to call their daughter. "But your name is Emma. It's kind of like that. Daddy is called Daddy to you and Nealy, but his name is David, and I call him Charming."
"Oh... I'm hungry."
David chuckled at the anticlimactic way in which his daughter understood what they meant therefore no longer cared, and instead wanting breakfast.
Mary Margaret chuckled too. "Okay, but mommy's going to have to make it, because Daddy has to get dressed for work."
"Aww." Both David and Emma chimed.
Mary Margaret gave David a playfully chastising look before standing up with Neal, forcing David to spur into action.
"Hey babe?" David called making his wife look back at him. "Snow suits you."
Mary Margaret paused with a small smile on her face. "Soon" She said with a smile. Snow White was a beloved and respected Queen, a fierce warrior, a loving wife, and a soon to be mother. She knew that soon she would feel like being called Snow again, very soon, but she wanted to have a conclusion for who Emma would be first. It could wait.
~OUAT~
David smiled as he watched his wife and son leave. Then he looked down at his daughter, he knew they'd be spending time together that afternoon but he still hated having to leave her even for a few hours. "Hey Koala?" He was starting to like that nickname, it made sense with how cuddly and clingy she was as a toddler. "Daddy needs to get dressed, do you want to help me choose what I wear today? Then you can go finish your picture for me."
Emma grinned and nodded her head. "I wanna choose."
David gave her his charming smile as he smiled about her enthusiasm as she hopped up and held her hand out to him. He looked down at her as he towered over her, she was holding onto his hand but she was so small that she was only holding onto a couple of his fingers. She had her lion tucked under her arm held firmly in place with her casted arm. "Hey you know what? See that cast on your arm? We're going to go and see the nice doctor we saw..." He trailed off when he remembered that it was the adult version of Emma who met that doctor.
"The doctor who gave me the choccy milkshake?" Emma asked happily.
David smiled as he realised that she must have at least some of Adult Emma's memories. "Yeah, Koala, that nice doctor, she's going to make sure that your healthy, and then she's going to take your yellow cast off your arm."
Emma glanced down at the cast, then up at David. "It's goin'?... Oh, okay... Leo's arm's better like mine too."
"I'm glad." He told her as they walked over to the bedroom, he started to wonder what sort of memories baby Emma had, and if she was still the same Emma. She'd be his little girl no matter what but he was still curious. "Okay, you stay there I'll show you the things I have and you can choose." David grabbed random tops and a few random shirts and placed them on the bed.
"This one! An' this one. I like blue."
David picked up the long-sleeved top and a blue shirt Emma was pointing at. Suddenly his mind went back to standing in a house he was a stranger in, there was a welcome home party around, he remembered meeting a blonde lady and her son both of whom he immediately felt protective over. This was the outfit he wore when he first met Emma... well the first time that he wasn't wearing a hospital gown on the cold, hard ground in the middle of the forest. He smiled. She was definitely still the same Emma, the memories were buried deep, deep down, but in a good way, she seemed a whole lot happier.
"I like blue too, this looks perfect my baby Koala." He crouched down and held onto her sides to keep her still. "Thank you very much for your help. Now, how about you go back and do your drawing? Who are you colouring in?"
Emma shook her head making her whole body swing. "Nope, it's a surprise just for you, you can't know."
David chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose making her giggle. "Okay, you go finish it for me, and remember to drink your yummy milkshake, I bet you can't finish it before mommy makes breakfast."
"I can!" She shouted whilst she jumped once then she ran out of the room to go and finish colouring in and her milkshake.
~OUAT~
Emma obviously inherited her mother's slightly competitive edge as she finished her milkshake in record time, they managed to get most of her breakfast into her before she told them she had enough and went to sit and add the finishing touches to her colouring.
David finished up his toast and coffee, glanced at the clock then down at his plate and the bowl of cocopops he had been feeding Emma as she sat on his lap, he sighed. "I guess I better be heading off."
Mary Margaret watched as he stayed sat in his place. She leant forward and lips and ran her fingers through his hair. "It's just a few hours babe. You go and put together a search team and see if you can find her, then at lunch time we can all have lunch together again, then you can go and take daddy's girl to pick up some things, I'll make a list."
"Lucky us." He teased, stealing a kiss, then sighing again. He grinned as his son started loudly 'talking'. "Okay, okay, I get the hint, I'm going." He stood up and cleared the dishes from the David. When he turned there was suddenly a toddler next to him holding something behind her back, he shot a foot in the air from shock, his hand flying to his chest as he caught his breath. He crouched down next to Emma. "You surprised me." He told her with a smile which turned a little apologetic. "I've got to go to work now, koala, but I'll see you and mommy and Nealy at Granny's for lunch, okay?"
"Daddy, I made you this one for your work." She told him proudly showing him the picture Mary Margaret had carefully ripped out of the book for her. It was the outline of Snow and Prince Charming, the Disney version which David and Mary Margaret would usually hate, but Emma had clearly seen that they were a version of her parents. Her colouring was clearly that of a three year old, but she had natural artistic ability in thinking which colours to use, though it was understandably still going out of the lines.
David felt a pang of nostalgia when he remembered the last time he sketched- it was before Emma was born, a sketch of his pregnant wife... wearing incredibly little…. He quickly shook his thoughts away and held his hand out for the picture. "Woah, Emmy this is amazing, is it for me to put on my desk?"
"Yup!" Emma beamed. "That's you and mommy."
David chucked as he that Emma had tried to make his cape look like the plaid shirts he wore, his hair was yellow, and he had giant blue orbs for eyes. Even Mary Margaret's clothes were similar colours to her clothes she wore daily and like David her eyes were circled in a big circle of colour, only hers were green, and scribbled black hair which Emma had made to look short. "Wow Emmy, that's brilliant! I love how you coloured me and mommy, especially my cape."
On either side of the dancing prince and princess were two circles, both with lines going out of them, one with two green lines and a yellow scribble like David's hair, and one with two blue lines and a couple of lines of black at the top. "And I think this one is my like cheeky monkey boy, and this one is my little lion cub?" He grinned knowing full well that she had drawn herself and her brother.
Emma giggled. "Noooo! That's Nee and that's me!"
"Oh of course! Silly daddy." David said dramatically as his wife walked over to them. "You're my little lion though, see." He pulled up the hood of her onesie again so she now had the lion face and mane on her head.
Emma grinned and nodded her head. "I'm a lion koala."
David and Mary Margaret both chuckled. "Okay Emmy." David agreed. "Can I take a picture of you holding your picture?" When Emma nodded he quickly took a few snaps on his phone. "I'll take this with me to work this morning, but I'll bring it with me to lunch, then we can put it on the fridge so anyone can see it, yeah?" He pulled her into a hug to say goodbye.
"Yeah!" Emma said happily, but her face fell when she realised that David was getting ready to go to work. She clung onto his shirt. "Daddy stay." She whined.
David's heart broke. "Oh, come on baby, daddy has to go to work for a little while, you and Mommy can have a fun Mommy, Nealy, and Emmy day."
"Want a Mommy, Emmy, Nealy, and Daddy day."
"We'll have one of those days tomorrow, I promise, Daddy will be back soon you won't even notice me gone you'll be having so much fun." David could hear that she was close to bursting in to tears, he felt his heart break, then he felt Mary Margaret's hand on his back supporting him. He met eyes with hers and she gave him a comforting smile before taking Emma from his arms. He quickly kissed the top of Emma's head, then pecked his wife's lips, not as long as he usually would when saying bye to her. He kissed his son's head, and shouted "I love you all and I'll see you soon!" over his shoulder as he quickly left.
~OUAT~
Mary Margaret stood with her daughter in her arms, the toddler's head buried against her shoulder, she swayed side to side and dropped a kiss to the top of Emma's head. "Do you want to play or do you want to stay cuddling Mommy for a while baby?"
"Cuddles." Emma mumbled without moving other than to wrap her arms around Mary Margaret's neck.
"Okay baby." Mary Margaret was only too happy that she was able to carry Emma around as she cuddled her, she could tell that after only a couple of minutes that Emma just wanted to be cuddled and it was no longer her soothing her after David left.
She carried Emma as she placed Neal in his crib she had moved to next to the island in the kitchen while Emma and David were talking. And she continued to carry her as she started to get out bowls, fill them with ingredients, and turn the oven on.
Emma peaked her head out from her mother's shoulder to see Mary Margaret melting butter in the microwave. She looked over and saw the rest of the bowls and looked confused. "Are you having another breakfast?"
Mary Margaret chuckled. "No, Emmy, this isn't for breakfast, me and you are going to do some baking."
Emma's face lit up, she looked down at her clothes and then back up at her mother. "But I'm still in my jammies."
"I know you are, but I think we might end up getting a bit messy, so after we've finished baking and I've given Neal his bath I'll give you one."
"Yeah! Can I play with Nealy's bath duckies?"
Mary Margaret cuddled her closer. "Of course you can, you and Neal can share them." She got the glass bowl of melted butter out of the microwave and carried it over to the island where everything was. She place the bowl of melted butter down then placed Emma on the other side of the largest bowl. "You sit there, okay? First we're going to make some chocolate chip cookies."
"Mmm, I love chocolate. And cookies."
Mary Margaret laughed. "That doesn't surprise me. Okay my little baker, first we need to put the brown sugar and the white sugar into a bowl, can you help me tip it in?" Emma happily tipped it in with Mary Margaret. "Very good, mommy's got to do the butter by herself because the bowl is hot and I don't want you getting hurt." She poured it in making sure that her daughter's hands were safely away then let Emma help her stir the sugar and butter together. She helped Emma pour in the eggs and vanilla then they both stirred it together. "Do you like doing baking?" She asked her.
Emma thought for a moment. "I like doing it, but we've only done two times, when you and daddy didn't know you were my mommy and daddy, and when you and me and daddy made chocolate chip cupcakes."
Mary Margaret slowly nodded her head realising that she and Emma had some past during the curse in Emma's memories but she had no idea what yet. They would only find out when Emma aged up again and they watched them in the dream catcher which Regina would make later. "I know that I love baking with you, you're my best helper." She helped Emma sift flour into the mixture, getting flour all over Emma but it didn't matter. "What's your favourite movie?"
"Hmmm." Emma thought for a few moments before bouncing up and down on her knees. "I like Stitchy! And Lilo too, but Stitchy best!"
Mary Margaret grinned chuckling. "Stitch is very funny and silly, just like you." She booped her on her flour covered nose.
Emma giggled. "What's your favourite one?"
"I like The Proposal." She remembered watching that with Emma, it was one of the few romcoms Emma would watch happily with her mother, and that she actually laughed at. Mary Margaret opened up the chocolate drops to measure out as she gave her answer before realising that Emma would have no idea what that movie was. "But that's a mommy movie, I also like…." She scanned her mind but luckily had a lot of experience with kids movies between having a grandson and having been a teacher for years. "Meet the Robinsons, it's very funny, and I like that Lewis found his own family."
Emma nodded her head in approval but her eyes were on the chocolate. "That's lots and lots and lots." She said in awe.
Mary Margaret smiled and gave her a couple of the drops, she was amazed as such a simple act of kindness lit up Emma's face. "Do you want to help me put in all this chocolate to make it the most chocolately cookies we've ever made?"
Emma nodded her head enthusiastically and poured them in smiling all the while. "They make noises like rain makes when it's raining."
Mary Margaret stopped for a second to stare at her, overwhelmed with the love she felt for her, she kissed the top of her head. "You're absolutely right. I love you so much Emma, do you know that? No matter how small or big you are."
"Even if I'm small like Nee?" Emma said knowing full well what her mother, in her memories, would say.
"Even if you're small like Neal." She stirred the mixture letting Emma lick one of the spoons they had used. She saw Emma smile and she realised that it was the same one that grown up Emma would give when she told her something she had told Emma a million times. "When you were born you were even smaller than he was when he was born. You were born before you were meant to be, I think it's because you wanted to go on adventures, you were a little wiggly worm while your daddy wrapped you up in your blanket."
~OUAT~
She placed the cookies into the oven then she and Emma made brownies. By the time the cookies and brownies were out of the oven, Emma was covered in flour and mixture from the brownies and cookies. Mary Margaret giggled and snapped a picture of Emma covered in the stuff and sent it to David.
"Do you want to help me give Nealy a bath before I give you one?"
"Yeah! Is Nealy big to go in the big bath with me?"
"Not quite sweetie." Mary Margaret told her gently, she certainly wasn't planning on having them both in there when they both needed so much help. She set Emma up in the living room with her colouring book and strapped Neal into his bouncy chair beside her. She decided to give Neal his bath in the living room as it was the warmest point in the house. She filled the bath of water to the perfect temperature for her baby boy then carried it back through to the living room where she came across an adorable sight.
"That's Auntie Ella and Uncle Thomas, Uncle Thomas makes daddy laugh and mommy and Auntie Ella do this," She tipped her head back to try and imitate her mother's rolling of eyes which she hadn't quite figure out how to do properly yet. "Auntie Ella and mommy are friends and Auntie Ella really loves pink." Emma pulled a face of disgust. "You can like pink if you want to but I don't."
"Aww." Mary Margaret couldn't stop it escaping making both her kids look up at the noise. She walked closer to them and placed the bath down. "Are you colouring a picture sweetie?" She asked Emma while picking Neal out of his seat. She held her son to her chest, pressed a kiss to his forehead as she led him down on his towel she had placed down.
"Uh huh, it's Auntie Ella and Uncle Thomas, but they got drew all wrong like you an' daddy did." Emma told her, she moved her colouring book and crayons so she was led next to where her brother was on the towel, despite her interest in her colouring book when her brother reached his hand out to her Emma tenderly held it. "Nee Nee, you're too little to draw, I'll teach you in one or two weeks when you're three like me."
Mary Margaret smiled as she watched Emma talk to Neal who cooed and babbled back. She knew Emma had said the time scale wrong but she was only a toddler herself, it was to be expected. She unbuttoned Neal's baby grow and undershirt and took off his diaper. "Emmy, thank you for holding your brother's hand but can you let go of it for me so I can put him into his bath?"
"Okay mommy." Emma knelt up and watched Mary Margaret finish undressing the baby and lowered him into his bath, she walked forward on her knees until she was sat right next to the bath. She giggled as her brother kicked his legs enthusiastically splashing in the water. "He has splashy baths like me." Emma giggled holding onto her brother's hand again.
Mary Margaret was starting to feel a little jealous of the life they had in Emma's fake memories, it all seemed so happy, it seemed nice to be a normal family. "He does," her voice was soft, "and when I finished washing him we'll get you all washed and clean in the big bath."
Emma nodded her head but she was watching her brother with all the love in the world. He cooed and splashed, and Emma stared in wonder, she though that he was one of the most amazing people she had ever met… and he was only three months old. She watched Mary Margaret carefully washing his hair. "Nee used to have lots of hair when he first came, the it go-ed, now he has more again!"
Mary Margaret noted Emma's astonishment and was careful not to laugh. "He did have hair which went, and now he's getting more," she agreed, "that happens when babies are very little, I'm sure soon he'll have lots of hair like you, but I think… can you see what colour his hair is?"
Emma leant closer, smelling the powdery scent of the baby shampoo and body wash. "It's like…. Night time." She said frowning in frustration as she tried to remember what the word was.
"Black, clever girl it is like night time, like mommy's hair. Emmy and Daddy have the same, and Nealy and mommy have the same." Mary Margaret told her, lifting Neal out of the bath she wrapped him in a fluffy red towel pulling up the hood of the towel which was a little monkey, similar to the toy David had given to him. She swaddled him in the towel and cuddled him to her chest as she gently dried him off. "My cheeky little monkey." She cooed as he gave her a toothless smile and gently cooed back.
Emma looked up from her colouring to watch her mom and brother, she watched as Mary Margaret carefully dried his body, covered him in lotion, changed him into a diaper, and brushed his small amount of hair with a baby brush, all the while Mary Margaret was talking to baby Neal and replying as though having a conversation when he babbled at her. She felt a tug of envy on her heart. She was three, and therefore in her eyes a big girl… and her parents gave her extra help as she needed it… but she never had that at Neal's age, the only baths she could remembering having had had been traumatic, to say the least. She had them now, but she knew she hadn't always, it was hard.
Mary Margaret felt a pair of eyes on her and she looked over at Emma. She may now have fake memories but it was the same look that Emma had as an adult with her real memories where she was longing for something she couldn't get back. Mary Margaret sighed gently, she knew from things Emma had implied during their morning so far, Emma's fake memories hadn't even placed her with David and Mary Margaret for all her short life, they still missed out. "Emma, sweetie?" She called her out of her trance. "Mommy put two shirts on the couch for Nealy, can you choose one for him to wear for me? Then I can put him to bed and you can have a nice bath."
Emma grinned at her mother and nodded wordlessly as she stood up and turned around to look at the two options. Eventually she chose the Mike from Monsters Inc over the dinosaur one. She took it over to Mary Margaret and held it out.
Mary Margaret saw the little trepidation and gave her a warm smile back. "This one is perfect. You go finish your drawing and mommy will feed your little brother then I'll give you a nice bath okay?" She was glad when Emma nodded but she still see the effect of knowing that she had missed out on important things written on the toddler's face.
Luckily for Mary Margaret Neal was finished feeding fairly quickly and easily went down for a nap. She placed him into his crib in the master bedroom, grabbing some of the clothes Ella had given them which were tiny but sure to be a bit big on Emma. She grabbed one of the sets of baby monitors they had and placed one next to his crib and carried the other in her hand as she walked over to Emma who was concentrating so hard on her colouring that she had her tongue stuck out.
She crouched down in front of her and smiled as she watched her colour for a few seconds before running her fingers through her curls making her look up at her. "Let's get you into a nice warm bath baby, and get all this cookies and brownies mix off of you… before I eat you all up." She tickled her and pretended to eat her all up as she said the last part making her giggle before she scooped her up into her arms.
~OUAT~
The bathroom had had the heater on since Mary Margaret had been in there filling Neal's bath so it was now nice and warm. She set Emma down and started off the bath water, as the water streamed in from the faucet she pulled out her phone and added a nonslip bath mat to the growing list which included diapers, some toys, and a couple of sets of clothes which would fit Emma better than the hand-me-downs or the clothes which had grown too large for her since Mary Margaret bought them. When she looked down at Emma she was sat playing with the bath ducks on the floor. Mary Margaret knelt down beside her and brushed her hair back from her face.
"Mommy, the duckies are playin'." Emma told her mother with an easy smile as she looked at her mother who grinned back.
"Wow, they look like they're having a lot of fun. Do they want to play in the bath with you?"
Emma nodded eagerly. "They like splashing in the water, lots and lots and lots."
Mary Margaret pressed a kiss to her forehead, she couldn't believe how lucky she was to be able to know Emma at this age, just as she felt lucky to be mother to adult Emma. But knowing Emma as a toddler was beyond her wildest dreams, as soon as she started labour in the Enchanted Forest she knew she wouldn't be there for Emma, not until she was twenty-eight, but for that time she didn't care so long as her child had been safe… she hadn't been.
"Well, they'll have lots of fun splashing in the water with you." She told her. She stood up and went over to one of the boxes on the shelving, Emma had brought the box back from New York and given it to Mary Margaret as a gift, it was full of brightly coloured and glittery bath bombs, which Mary Margaret had insisted on sharing with Emma because she knew that she loved them too. She found the one she was looking for and went back over to Emma.
"Shall we put this into your bath too?"
Emma looked as the blue sphere with a white and pink swirl running through it. "A ball mommy?" She asked tilting her head to the side.
Mary Margaret giggled and shook her head. "It's a bath bomb baby, it's going to make your bath smell like peppermint and go all pretty."
"I wanna put it in." Emma said eagerly. She took it from Mary Margaret as the bath reached the required level and Mary Margaret turned off the water. Emma dropped it in and gasped as it started to fizz and turned the water glittery and blue with swirls of pink, yellow and white throughout it all. Mary Margaret turned the water back on and added some bubble bath to the mixtures.
Emma finally looked away from the bathwater and looked at Mary Margaret with wide eyes and an open mouth. "Woah! Mommy look, it's magic."
Mary Margaret smiled at Emma believing it was magic. "It is a bit like magic, isn't it, and it smell all yummy. Let's get you and your duckies into this nice warm bath, Emmy, you cast has to stay out of the water, but we're going to go to the hospital and get it taken off tomorrow and then you can have normal baths again." She said as she undressed Emma and placed her into the bath. She placed the toy ducks in, making sure that Emma's casted arm was out of the water, then watched as her baby started to play with the water and the ducks.
She tilted her head to the side, puzzled, as Emma started to put bubbles onto her face with her one hand. "What are you doing sweetie?" She asked as Emma giggled at herself in the mirrored metal of the faucet.
Emma turned and grinned proudly at Mary Margaret. "I'm daddy when he needs to shave!"
Mary Margaret burst into laughter, making Emma join in with her, causing a cycle of the two of them laughing with the other. Eventually they managed to stop laughing. "You look like Santa Clause." She told her taking a picture of Emma's 'bearded' face which she sent to David with Emma's comment that it's him when he doesn't shave.
Mary Margaret played with Emma's ducks for a little while before grabbing a cloth to wash Emma with. "Do you want mommy's pink one, or daddy's blue one?" she showed Emma the shower gels and smiled as Emma pointed straight at David's one.
"Daddy's one." Emma said despite Mary Margaret already squeezing it onto the cloth. "Is daddy coming home now?"
Mary Margaret set her a sympathetic smile. "Sorry baby, not right now, we'll see him at lunchtime." She started to wash the toddler, she thought that Emma's bruise must have been starting to heal, but when she reached Emma's back she realised that the healing might not be natural... at least not in the way she first thought. The mark on Emma's back, where she had been hit by the belt and would go on to have a scar for the rest of her life, was starting to shrink. Mary Margaret frowned, although Emma was becoming younger even when her mind was more that of an adults this was the first sign that she had actually changed. She was pulled out of her thoughts when water droplets hit her face as Emma splashed in the water. "Cheeky monster." She said tickling the child as she pushed the worry from her mind.
Soon enough Emma was washed and starting to look sleepy, Mary Margaret scooped her up out of the bath and wrapped her up in a bath towel almost identical to her brother's except her hood was a lion instead of a monkey. She carried her into the master bedroom and dried her off. She changed her into a clean diaper, undershirt, and jeans. "What top do you want to wear, sweetie, there's a Snow White one, or this really, really cool unicorn one." She held the unicorn one closer to Emma, wishing that Ella had gifted them more shirts in this size, these were the only two which would actually fit Emma, and as she remembered some of the more unflattering dresses she had been placed in as a child she decided to always give her children two options.
"That one." Emma said pointing at the shirt with the princess on.
Mary Margaret couldn't stop the small groan escaping her mouth as Emma chose the Disney version of her. "I hate Ella." She mumbled quiet enough to be sure that Emma didn't hear her. True to her morals she pulled the Snow White top over her head which she quickly added a red zip up hoodie to, it wasn't zipped up so it only hid part of the top, but it would keep Emma warmer which was what really mattered. "There you go, sweetie, very pretty."
Emma yawned as she grinned down at her top, she knew it didn't look like her mommy, but it still was. She much preferred the real story, but there was a certain amount of magic which surrounded the animated version, and she had known it before she had known her mother was the same person. She took hold of her mom's hand and looked up at her with love. "What're we doin' now mommy?"
Mary Margaret grinned, she could tell that Emma was exhausted, but she was obviously just as stubborn as her grown up version – Mary Margaret knew that if she told her it was nap time Emma would not sleep for as long as possible just because she had been told to do so. "I think me and my Emmy need to watch a movie, what do you think?"
She grinned back at her and nodded her head. "Yep, yep, yep!" She said enthusiastically before turning serious. "Can blankie and Leo watch too?"
"Of course they can. You go and pick a movie near the tv, I'm just going to make sure that Nealy's nice and warm." She watched Emma sleepily drift into the living room and over to the tv where all the dvds were. Mary Margaret finally took her eyes off of her knowing that she was safe.
She looked down at her baby boy, he was already growing so fast, she stroked her finger down his cheek watching him scrunch up his nose but he didn't stir. She could easily see David in him, his chin, his little ears where the same shape, the way his eyebrows came together in his sleep. She had listed these things to David one night, as they were just watching him sleep in amazement, she knew that David saw her in their son a lot more than he saw himself, she guess it was the way all parents saw their children. She tucked his quilt and blankets closer around him, made sure that his monkey toy was down near the bottom of his crib so it wouldn't suffocate him, she stayed staring at him for a couple of seconds before she fixed the blankets once more to fully assure he was both safe and warm, then she headed over to Emma.
Emma had found the Lilo and Stitch dvd and was now grinning down at it, she was so happy to have found it that Emma didn't even notice Mary Margaret sneaking up on her until it was gently pulled from her hands. "Mommy, I found Stitchy."
"Wow, you did didn't you, this will be a lot of fun to watch with you."
Emma grinned and somewhat reluctantly let Mary Margaret take the case from her, as soon as the dvd was in the tv she was lifted up and the two curled up on the couch, she cuddled her blankie and lion teddy close to her as Mary Margaret wrapped a quilt from on the back of the couch around the two of them.
"I love Stitchy but he's not here yet, maybe one day he'll come see us." She said as Stitch escaped to earth.
"Yeah… maybe…" Mary Margaret said much less enthusiastically, she wasn't sure how well an alien visiting their town would work out in reality, though she supposed it was rather cute.
"I watched this with Auggie and Henry. Henry's my uncle Henry but he's not old and he's my friend so I call him Henry." She said yawning halfway though her chattering.
Mary Margaret blinked a few times. She was getting used to Emma being a toddler, and even her having fake memories, but it was weird hearing her refer to Henry as her uncle. She knew he technically was her step-uncle as well as her son, but they ignored the uncle part usually, she felt a pang of hurt on behalf of Henry: she didn't think that anyone would be ready to lose a mother but gain a niece. "Yeah baby." She whispered stroking her hair.
Within ten minutes Emma was fast asleep cuddled up on her mother's lap as the movie played softly in the background. Mary Margaret looked around at the loft knowing that she could use the time to tidy up all the kids stuff which had somehow ended up… everywhere… but then she looked back down at Emma and didn't want to leave her. She made sure that Neal's monitor was by her side, despite being able to see his crib from where they sat, then begun to relax. Within a couple of minutes she dropped off too.
~OUAT~
As Mary Margaret slept her head was filled of dreams of a normal life. She was in a kitchen of a house she had never been inside but which felt like home, she was looking over a lesson plan similar to the ones she had made during the curse, she looked up to see Neal a little over a year old and eating cheerios in a high chair. She looked up as she heard a little girl call "Mommy!" and run over to her.
Mary Margaret lifted a slightly bigger version of Emma, than was with her in the real world, onto her lap. "Hiya baby, you all dressed for the day?"
"Yup daddy did it." Emma pointed at David with a proud smile as he walked into the kitchen with a charming smile on his face when he set his eyes upon his wife.
"Good morning, love." David said leaning down to kiss his wife, the same way he had for years, but it never lost its appeal.
Mary Margaret smiled against his lips. "Good morning, my Charming." She managed to restrain herself to pull away from his lips. "You both look very festive." She said noticing the Christmas sweaters upon the pair.
"Because it's nearly Christmas." David grinned down at her. "And you do too."
Mary Margaret looked down and sure enough she was wearing a red, slightly more tasteful, sweater herself. "Huh, Christmas." She said to herself. "We've not done one of those here before." She said again to herself but apparently Dream-David agreed as he nodded his head. Looking again around the kitchen she spotted the Christmas decorations around everywhere.
"I can't believe it's been a year already." David said looking down at Emma who was making pictures with Mary Margaret's toast.
Mary Margaret paused staring down at Emma, she looked like a three year old… but her Emma looked like a two year old despite being three… which would make this one four… and Neal one… "We kept her." She breathed out, meaning that they hadn't found a way to change Emma back to an adult.
"Of course," David said seriously he looked down into his wife's eyes, "we're never losing her again. I promise."
Before Mary Margaret could ask him what he meant he kissed the top of her and Emma's heads and headed out of the kitchen to the front door, tussling Neal's hair on the way. "I'll just get the newspaper."
Mary Margaret heard the door shut and she began to stir. She didn't open her eyes because she was still stuck in her dream. "Anything interesting?" She asked through a yawn as she opened her eyes, spotting Regina. She frowned when she realised she was in the loft, Emma was on her lap but suddenly much smaller and asleep with her thumb in her mouth and her blanket and lion clutched in her hand, Regina looked over at her with an eyebrow raise and an amused smile biting at the corner of her lips.
"Do you ever lock your door?" She asked by way of a greeting as she heading over to the crib where Neal was just starting to stir.
Mary Margaret yawned again and stood up with Emma cuddled close to her chest, she kissed her head before laying her down on the couch, tucking the quilt around her and she kissed her head again. Could they really keep her? She walked over to Regina and Neal rubbing her eyes. "You're the only one who's ever broken in her." She said pointedly.
"You ever going to let that whole me framing you for murder thing go?" She asked without malice, she smiled down at Neal in her arms.
"Nope, I'm planning on milking it for all it's worth." Mary Margaret told her. She looked over at Neal with a smile. "Does he need feeding?"
"He's okay for now."
"Good. Tea or coffee?" She offered, when Regina said tea she set about making two cups of tea for them to enjoy. "Have you been helping Elsa?" She said to make conversation.
"Do you not think I better things to do as mayor?"
"No wonder our tourism numbers are so bad." Mary Margaret shot back, knowing full well that she had been helping, but it was fun to fire back at each other.
"I had to take the forest." She grumbled. "I don't know why I ended up with that instead of a place without mud and slippery ice, but I blame your idiot."
"Do you believe you can see your future in dreams?" Mary Margaret asked suddenly.
Regina paused for a second. "I think sometimes it's possible, especially if magic is involved, I'm starting to believe that anything is possible in this town. Why do you ask?"
"No reason." She brushed off quickly.
There was quiet as Mary Margaret poured the tea into two mugs, one had a golden crown on it, the other with birds on it, one of those designs which seemed to only be for old ladies or fashionable women.
"It's been a long time since Henry was small enough for me to carry like this."
Mary Margaret looked back at her stepmother and smiled. "Yes, that boy is going to be bigger than very soon." Her eyes flickered to Neal in Regina's arms. "You could always have another, I know of a certain archer who loves kids as much as you do."
Regina rolled her eyes. "He has Roland."
"And you have Henry." She countered.
"Anyway, I can't..." She trailed off.
"You could adopt again, blood doesn't make a family, love does."
"I don't even know if Robin wants more kids, we've only just gotten through the whole 'his ex comes back from the past saved by your kid who then deaged so I can't properly yell at her' thing."
Mary Margaret rolled her eyes in return but she knew it was her attempt to distract her from the conversation. "But you are still together." She added with an excited smile.
Regina looked down at Neal to hide the smile on her face. "Snow White. You are worse than a child at Christmas. This is my love life, not some new toy, or a pony."
"That's not a no." Mary Margaret said in a sing song way, but her smile and excitement was genuine. She placed the mug of tea down in front of her and took Neal from her arms, not missing the slightly sad look she had when the baby left her arms. "Hiya my baby boy, mommy, and Emmy took a naptime too." She cooed.
"I think your mommy needs a lot more sleep." She took a sip of her hot tea as Mary Margaret glared at her. "I'm serious. You need a break. Why doesn't David do night du-"
Mary Margaret rolled her eyes, she and Regina now had a good relationship, to the point where she was fairly certain she was playing the over protective step mother role… if there was such a thing. "- David is up just as much as me. Emmy woke up during the night and he insisted on taking her for a drive. He's up whenever Neal wakes up needing a feed, and when Em has had bad dreams, or she's sick. He's a good guy."
Regina held her hands up in mock surrender but she held a new respect for David which shouldn't have happened as it shouldn't have surprised her that he was a good husband and father. He was just that sort of man. "Are you sure you want to spend your break away from the kids," her eyes flickered over to the couch where Emma still slept, "with a teenager, I mean Henry's great, but you and David could use a proper break where you can relax. I could talk to Henry about all this."
"You already have and I know you say he understands, he needs to hear it from us too, that no matter what we're here for him. We're his grandparents. "
Regina smiled, again it wasn't something which surprised her, but she was pleased with the ferocity in her tone. She never thought she would miss that until she spent twenty eight years seeing her so timid… it had gotten boring after a decade or so. She much preferred this version of her step daughter… so long as they were both on the same side. "Robin said he'll come with me to babysit the kids, Marian is spending time with Roland, if not I'm sure he could go with the Merry Men."
Mary Margaret's face lit up her approval but before she could say something there was a sleepy toddler's shout filling the loft, along with the patter of small feet as she ran over to the kitchen. Mary Margaret watched as Emma ran straight to Regina, shouting as she did so.
"Auntie Gina!"
Regina's eyes went wide at the name and the affection which went along with it, the love. Emma ran up to her and out of instinct she scooped her up. "Hello sweetheart, did you have a nice nap?"
Emma nodded her head yawning. "Me and mommy watched Stitch and Lilo." She told Regina pointing over at Mary Margaret who was smiling fondly at the sight in front of her.
"I like Lilo and Stitch too." Regina told her making a mental note to watch it with the toddler that night in hopes it would help with David and Mary Margaret not beign there. "Nani's my favourite."
"Mommy likes Nani too!" Emma said excitedly. "I love Stitch but he doesn't live here." She added sadly.
"What a shame." Mary Margaret commented sharing a look with Regina, neither were too fond of the idea of an alien coming to their town. "I'll get you a milkshake, some banana, and a cookie baby." She said, after seeing Emma in her dream she was aware of how small her baby was, every mothering instinct in her wanted her to grow, and to be healthy.
"Auntie Gina needs a cookie too."
Regina was about to protest but she saw Emma's face. "Sure." She said giving Mary Margaret a look before she could say anything.
"You're mommy's stairs mommy." Emma said as she watched Mary Margaret walk to the fridge.
Regina let out a puff of laughter. "I'm her stepmother- Step mommy."
Emma nodded slowly, turning her thoughts over in her head, she looked up at Regina looking at her with wide eyes which had hurt barely hidden inside. "Why can't I call you Grandma then? Me and Nee?"
"I- I…" She searched for words but found none. She could see this Emma had always wanted family, she needed it, she was so young but she hadn't even had that. She didn't want to be the one to deny her of that. "Okay." She relented through a sigh not taking her eyes off of Emma. "You and your brother can call me Grandma, but you tell your daddy that if he does it he'll be in trouble."
Emma nodded solemnly. "Naughty step."
Regina bit her lip to hold back a smile. "Naughty step." She agreed.
Mary Margaret returned with Emma's milkshake in the sippy cup (more were added to the list on her phone) and a plate with cut up banana and a chocolate chip cookie for Emma, she handed another cookie to Regina.
As Emma ate her snack and drank her shake Regina and Mary Margaret talked, Emma joined in every so often talking about random things, and Neal, not one to be left out, also cooed and babbled. Eventually she finished and Mary Margaret and Regina shared a look. Mary Margaret stood to place Neal into his crib to stare at his mobile which she made go around and play music.
She returned to where they were sat and pulled Emma into her arms before reclaiming her place. "Emma, do you want to help Re- Grandma do some magic?"
Emma nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yeah! Yeah! I wanna do some magic please."
Regina pulled out a dreamcatcher from her bag, like the one before this had been altered to see memories, but this one would pull out Emma's fake memories and store them until they were ready. "Okay, Emma, I need you to hold onto this as tight as you can, I'm going to wave my hands over you, and we'll make it change colours. Does that sounds fun?"
Emma looked at Mary Margaret with a smile, who gave her an encouraging look, then back at Regina with an even bigger smile. "Yup!"
Regina handed Mary Margaret the dreamcatcher and watched her position Emma's hands on it, as soon as Emma was holding on tight she started to wave her hands over her head.
"Pretty." Emma breathed out with wonder as she watched the dreamcatcher changing colours, slowly and soothingly.
"Wow Emmy!" Mary Margaret praised as she cuddled her close to her. "You're so good at helping Grandma do magic."
Emma leant back against Mary Margaret so she could be cuddled even closer as she stared down at the dreamcatcher.
Eventually the dreamcatcher sparked gold then went back to looking like a normal dreamcatcher, one easily bought or made, Regina took it back and tucked it safe inside her bag.
"I did it." Emma turned to her mother, one of the most important people in her life, wanting her to be proud.
"You did it." Mary Margaret kissed her forehead. "I'm so proud of you. Always."
~OUAT~
Mary Margaret carried Neal into the living room, leading Emma in by her hand, she placed Neal onto his activity mat to have some tummy time and sank to the floor with Emma who had grabbed her crayons once more. "Please can I colour in with you?"
Emma looked surprised that her mother wanted to do something as simple as colour with her, but then remembered that she did do things like that, she was a proper mom. She nodded her head. "I'm doin' Auntie Ruby one."
"That's a very, very good idea." Mary Margaret knew that her best friend would be made up with the colouring. She picked a flower to colour in and split her attention between talking to Emma, colouring, and playing with Neal.
Soon enough Emma and Mary Margaret had both finished their pictures. Mary Margaret was happy to see how much Emma seemed to love colouring, Mary Margaret enjoyed being able to do the calm activity, but it also reminded her of David who would often sit with a sketchbook in their bedchambers or out in the forest or countryside, and she knew from his stories that he had been just as interested in art as a child as he later did.
"Yours is beautiful, I'm sure that Auntie Ruby is going to love it." Mary Margaret praised.
Emma beamed at her. "Your flower is very pretty too, mommy."
Mary Margaret pulled her into a cuddle, as she always wanted to do when she heard Emma call her mom or mommy, she beamed when Emma wrapped her arms around her neck, even if the cast made it a bit uncomfortable for the two of them. She glanced at the clock and saw they had a fair bit of time before they met David at the diner, and although Emma had been perfectly behaved all morning (to the point that Mary Margaret had to tell her it was okay to make mess because she was scared to due to her childhood), she could tell she was getting a little stir crazy.
When Emma finally let go of the cuddle Mary Margaret placed either hand on her cheeks and looked into her big green eyes. "Would you like to go to the park and play on the swings?"
Emma shot up with excitement. "Yeah!" She shouted before starting to jump. "Yeah! Yeah! Park, park, park, park, park!"
Mary Margaret laughed at her chanting. "Okay, okay. Let mommy get yours and Nealy's warm coats and stuff then we'll get going."
Mary Margaret quickly dressed Neal in a snowsuit and hat, Emma in a coat, and bundled her into a hat, scarf, gloves, and the same as her daughter for herself. She took the kids downstairs to the entrance of the apartment block. She strapped Neal into his stroller and had Emma stand on the board on the back which was like a little skateboard attached to the stroller so Emma wouldn't have to walk. She snapped a picture and sent it to her husband telling him they were going to the park and would meet him at Granny's later, then the trio of Charmings set off.