I know its been a while since I've updated. School started back up, and I had the worst writer's block. But once I got going I ended up loving this chapter.

ladywolf101 is the best beta I could ask for. Thanks for motivating me, brainstorming with me, and simply being amazing. This chapter would not have happened without your help.

I want to thank you all for your reviews and responses to my story. You have no idea how much I love hearing from my amazing viewers!

Enjoy!

Emma walked down the street next to the rest of her family. They had decided to go out for a Monday night dinner as an early celebration of Emma's birthday. She still couldn't believe that she actually had people to celebrate with this year, and she was glad that they decided to keep it small. She was looking forward to spending Tuesday just with her family.

James and Henry headed inside, and Emma moved to follow them, but Snow pulled her aside.

"I wasn't supposed to ruin it, but I didn't want you to walk in there blindly."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Snow bit her lip. "Please don't hate me Emma..."

"You didn't."

"I couldn't resist!"

"You know I don't like things like this."

Snow sighed. "I know, but it's not my fault that I wanted to throw my daughter a birthday party."

Emma couldn't argue with that. She rolled her eyes. "You owe me."

"I'll make you French toast tomorrow."

"And bacon."

"Deal," Snow said with a smile. "And don't forget to act surprised."

They walked into the diner together. The lights were all turned out, and Emma could see the outlines of people trying to hide.

"Where is everyone?" Emma asked dramatically, shooting a glance at her mother.

The lights turned on and everyone jumped out of their hiding spots. "SURPRISE!"

Emma broke into a huge grin. "Wow you guys! I had no idea!" She saw Snow roll her eyes.

Henry ran up. "Are you surprised?"

"Definitely! You did a good job of hiding it," she told him, causing a smile to spread across his face.

"It wasn't easy," he stated.

"I bet." She ruffled his hair. "Hey Henry, I've got to go talk to some of the other guests okay? Why don't you go get some food and I'll join you in a bit." He nodded and bounded over to the counter.

Emma made her way over to the attractive man in the leather jacket who was standing next to his father and Jiminy. He broke away as soon as he saw her approach him.

"Happy Birthday Emma. Were you surprised?" he asked with a smirk. She could tell that he knew that she was faking it.

"My mother spilled the beans right before we came in."

"I knew that she wasn't to be trusted," he stated, causing her to laugh. "So are you at least somewhat enjoying the party?"

She shrugged. "They aren't really my thing, but it's actually not too bad. Plus it makes my son and my parents happy, so I'm happy."

"Whoa, I didn't know you were this caring."

"Ha ha very funny."

He smiled. "You know it is."

"Not really but I'll let you think that." He laughed in response, and she quickly grinned at him. She was used to their playful banter, and she genuinely enjoyed it. Despite everything that had happened between them, he was still one of her closest friends. He was easy to talk to and she always looked forward to seeing him. Although, she could tell that something had changed in him. While he still acted like his old self on the outside, it was obvious that he was deeply affected by losing his daughter. Emma wanted to help him, but she didn't know how. He was very similar to her in the sense that they both closed off their emotions to the world. She hated seeing his false smile, and she was determined to do everything possible to get the old August back. However, she wanted to be able to focus on him, so she decided that it would be best to see if he wanted to get dinner sometime so that they could talk. "Hey August," she said, feeling a bit nervous. She had rarely asked a guy out, so she didn't really know what to do. "I was thinking that sometime we should get dinner."

He raised his eyebrow. "Is Emma Swan asking me out?"

She shrugged. "If you want to put a label on it, then yes, I guess so. But I really just want to spend some time with my friend. That's all."

A small smile spread across his lips. "Okay. Well I am free anytime next week, so just let me know when you want to get together."

"Okay then. I'll have to get back to you," she told him. She heard her mother call her name from across the diner, so she regretfully had to end their conversation. "I'll have to talk to you later August."

"Sounds like a plan. Happy Birthday Emma. I'm looking forward to our date."

She rolled her eyes as she walked away. There was something about August that she liked. She didn't know how, but the puppet had definitely grown on her, and she was perfectly okay with that.

The party had been going great, but it was coming to a close. The guests had slowly started to leave, and only their closest friends remained. Henry and James were busy eating desserts while Emma talked with some of the dwarves. Snow and Red sat at the counter, engrossed in a conversation.

"Red, thanks for letting us have Emma's party here at the diner," Snow told her friend.

Red smiled. "It was my pleasure. Granny was easy to convince. She loves you guys just as much as I do."

"I'm just glad that Emma is enjoying herself. I was a little worried about how she would react to a surprise party. It not really her thing. But it was Henry's idea, and I would be lying if I said that I didn't want to throw her a party."

"This is the first birthday you've gotten to celebrate with her. Of course you want to make it special."

Snow smiled. "She's going to be twenty-nine on Tuesday. My baby is twenty-nine."

"Well you don't look a day over thirty. What's your secret?" Red teased with a smirk on her face. Snow laughed.

"Being frozen in time will do that to you."

Red chuckled, but then her face morphed into a more serious expression. "I know it's been a few months, but how are you guys adjusting to being a family?"

"It's difficult, I'm not going to lie. Emma has a lot of emotions that she has buried for so long, and so we've been trying to deal with that. She has this wall, and I've been doing my best to knock it down. It isn't easy, but I think she is slowly starting to actually trust us. I mean, she's opened up to me as a friend before, but now it's like she is finally accepting that I'm her mother and I'm not some horrible woman who didn't want her."

"You can't really expect her to jump on board right away. It's not exactly the most normal situation."

"No it's not. Sometimes I think it's a good thing that we are the same age. I feel like I can relate to her more, and I feel like she also understands where I'm coming from when I talk to her. But at the same time, we butt heads easily."

"You are stubborn and so is she. Honestly, I've never met two people more alike."

Snow laughed. "That's what James says."

Red grinned. "So at the end of the day, you guys are happy all together?"

"We really are. We love Emma and Henry and I know that they love us."

"I'm happy for you, Snow."

She smiled at her friend. "Red, I have something to tell you."

"Spill."

"James and I are expecting another baby."

"YOU'RE PREGNANT?" Red loudly exclaimed, quickly slapping her hand over her mouth. But it was too late. The room was silent and Snow could feel every pair of eyes in the room looking at her. "I'm sorry," Red mouthed.

All at once everyone in the room made their way over to Snow to congratulate her. James stood next to her as they took their friends' congratulations. Suddenly the royal couple was the new focus of the party.

Emma sat in a booth by herself as she watched all of the guests crowd around her parents. She was okay with the whole baby thing, but that didn't mean she wasn't a little jealous. Everyone was so excited about her sibling that she had been pushed to the sidelines. This was what she was afraid of. She had been one-upped her entire life, and she should have expected nothing less. She had been having such a great time too. No one had ever thrown her a birthday party before, and she had to admit that she liked the fact that her family had made such an effort to make her birthday special. But she should have guessed that it wouldn't last.

She grabbed her coat and slipped out the door before anyone noticed she was gone. She found herself at the apartment after a few minutes, and she poured herself a drink as she took a seat at the table. She wasn't angry, she was just a little hurt. It was supposed to be her party, not a baby shower for her mother. She knew that she was being immature, but she didn't care.

She heard a knock at the door but she made no move to answer it. The door cracked open and her mother stood in the entryway. She bit her lip as she slowly walked across the room to stand next to her daughter.

"Emma, I am so so sorry. I didn't know that Red was going to practically announce it to the world, or I wouldn't have said anything. It was your party, and it was not fair to have it made all about me."

Emma sipped her drink and stared straight ahead. "I wasn't even upset about that. I was just tired," she lied.

Snow looked at the ground. "I'm so sorry Emma."

"You already said that."

"I'm not talking about the party."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you talking about?"

"Everything. I'm sorry that you have to pretend to be okay with this when you aren't. I'm sorry that I've put you in such a difficult position. It's not fair to ask you embrace this situation. I just never want you to feel like you're second place, because you're not."

"It's okay. I'm a big girl, I can deal with any issues I have. And I know I'm not second place. I mean, you showed me that tonight. I've never had anyone who wanted to celebrate my birthday. Actually, I usually spend it alone, because I have no one to spend it with. It means a lot that you went to all this trouble just for me."

Snow took a seat next to Emma. "It wasn't trouble. I wanted to do it."

"I'm just glad that you decided not to go with a ball."

She laughed. "It was a tough choice, but I figured you weren't really a fan of frilly dresses."

Emma shrugged. "There is literally nothing appealing about them."

"Now if you had grown up back home, you wouldn't be saying that."

"Oh please, you know that I would have just worn leather and played with swords all the time."

"I can definitely see that." Emma smiled, and Snow returned the gesture. "Listen, the party was pretty much over anyway. How about we stay here and have a movie night instead? I'll make hot chocolate and cookies..."

"As long as we don't watch one of those cheesy romantic comedies that Mary Margaret was such a fan of."

"Those movies are the best kind!"

"I'm the birthday girl. I get to pick."

"Technically your birthday is not until tomorrow," Snow stated with a smirk.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You don't get to play that card. You have twenty-eight birthdays to make up for. It wouldn't hurt to start now."

Snow dramatically sighed. "Well I can't argue with that."

Emma awoke to the smell of French toast and the sound of the sizzling of bacon. She couldn't hide the smile on her face as she sat up and stretched. She had fallen asleep on the couch after watching movies with Snow for half of the night. She noticed that Snow had placed a blanket on her after she had passed out. She was grateful, as it was a little chilly in the apartment. She stood and headed to the kitchen.

October twenty-third had always been like every other day to her. But she knew that today was going to be extra special. She knew that her parents, especially her mother, were bubbling with excitement. She knew that they couldn't wait to celebrate, not that she was complaining. She had never really had a great birthday, and she was eager to spend the day with people that not only loved her, but she loved them. It was strange knowing that today was her special day, and that her family was going to make the day all about her. Twenty-nine wasn't even that important of a birthday, but she had a feeling that she would never forget this one.

"I'm glad to see that you're keeping up with your end of the bargain," she said as she entered the kitchen. Snow turned at the sound of her voice, and her mother's face immediately brightened.

"Well I made a promise to you, didn't I?" She finished up the piece of French toast she was working on, and set her utensils on the counter. She walked over to Emma and pulled her into a hug. "Happy Birthday Emma."

Emma smiled at her mother. "How often are you going to do that today?"

"Whenever I feel like it, which is all the time."

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's not that big of a deal."

"It's the first birthday that I get to spend with my daughter. It is a very big deal," Snow stated with a grin as she got back to work. She dished up a plate and set it in front of Emma.

She immediately dug in and marveled at how delicious all the food was. "How did you become such a good cook?" she asked in between bites.

Snow shrugged. "It just comes natural to me."

"Well you obviously didn't pass that on," she replied, causing her mother to laugh.

James and Henry walked through the front door at that moment. "Snow we got all the groceries you asked for."

"Thank you James. Just set them on the table. Henry I have some French toast for you."

Henry hopped up on the stool next to Emma. "Happy Birthday Mom," he said with a grim as he pulled his food towards him.

She ruffled his hair. "Thanks kid."

James walked over. "Happy Birthday Emma," he told her, giving her a loving smile. She returned the gesture as he grabbed his own plate. "You really should have birthdays more often Emma. Your mother never makes food this good."

Snow shot him a glare, causing him to smirk as Emma and Henry chuckled. They made light conversation and joked around as they finished up their breakfast. James collected the plates and began to wash them as Emma went upstairs to get cleaned up.

As soon as her door closed they brought out a few wrapped gifts. They had attempted not to go overboard, but it wasn't exactly easy. They both just wanted to make up for all the years that they had missed. Snow and James would have been lying if they had said that they weren't excited, yet nervous, about today. They didn't know how Emma would respond, and they just hoped that they could make this the best day for her.

She came downstairs only to find a pile of gifts in the living room and her family waiting for her. They all had smiles covering their faces, and she had to admit that she was a little caught off guard. She had never had people give her presents before. Sure she had gotten a simple gift or two from her social worker, and maybe a foster parent, but she never had people that actually wanted to give her a gift because they loved her. It was overwhelming yet wonderful at the same time.

"You didn't have to get me anything," she stated as she entered the living room.

Snow rolled her eyes. "I thought you knew us better than that Emma." As Emma sat down, her parents sat across from her while Henry took the seat next to her.

She reached forward and chose a medium sized package first. It was beautifully wrapped, no doubt Snow's handiwork. She held it up to her ear and shook it, causing Henry to giggle. She beamed as she tore at the paper, revealing a white box. She lifted the lid and pulled out a brand new gray leather jacket.

"I know that you're fond of them, and you didn't have a gray one yet," Snow told her with a small smirk.

"This is awesome," Emma excitedly said. She slipped it on and admired how it perfectly fit. She had to admit that it looked pretty good on her. "You have good taste," she mentioned to her mother as she took her jacket off and placed it back in its box.

James held a gift towards her. "I picked out this one." It was huge and heavy. Once she got the paper off, she beheld a large leather case. It looked like something that would hold a guitar or any musical instrument. She clicked open the two silver clasps and slowly raised the lid. She gasped when she saw what was inside. "Your mother doesn't approve," her father stated with a huge grin.

"You got me a sword?" she asked, her voice full of awe as she lifted the blade from the case and examined it.

"You don't really seem like the type of princess that's into balls and dresses."

She laughed. "I have no idea how to use it."

"It comes with lessons from me. You're my daughter, and I will make sure that you know how to use a sword, even though your mother thinks it's unnecessary."

"Why would she need a sword?" Snow mumbled under her breath.

"How come I just got wooden ones?" Henry questioned.

"Because you're eleven," Emma answered, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Do I have to remind you that I'm the reason you broke the curse?"

"Thank you very much Henry. But you're still not getting a sword." Emma placed the weapon back in its place and closed the case. "Thank you James. I have to say, this was a pretty cool gift."

James smiled and leaned towards Snow. "I told you that it was a good idea."

Emma continued opening her gifts. She got a new pair of combat boots and other various articles of clothing. She could tell that her parents had tried not to go overboard, then again, her father had bought her a sword. She was grateful that she received, mostly, normal gifts. She didn't want her birthday to be this huge event where her parents made up for all that they had missed. She just wanted it to be normal, and she was glad that it pretty much was.

Henry grabbed a clumsily wrapped gift and handed it to Emma. "This is from me. I wrapped it myself. Well, Grandma helped a little bit."

Emma laughed and tore opened paper. It was a wooden box, obviously homemade. Henry had painted the words 'To Mom, Love Henry' across it in big red letters. He had decorated it with little pictures of things about the two of them. There was a black cobra next to a story book. Her bug was driving through a forest, while Emma and Henry were holding swords. He had painted a small picture of their castle on the side of the box. She looked at it in wonder. It must have taken him hours to make, and she was amazed that he would put so much effort into something just for her.

"Gepetto helped me make the box and Grandma helped me paint it."

"Henry this is amazing."

"Open it," he told her. She undid the small clasp and lifted the lid. She gasped.

There was a small stack of photographs. Pictures of Henry as a baby and toddler were mixed with those of him and Emma together. She bit her lip as she flipped through, savoring each moment with a picture. She had always wondered what he looked like as a baby and little boy, and now she knew. This gift meant so much to her. She wiped at her eyes as she pulled her son into a tight hug.

"Thank you so much."

"Grandpa got them for me. I wouldn't have been able to do it without both of them," he said, gesturing to his grandparents.

"Henry, you don't understand how much this means to me."

He smiled, and then pulled out the last present. He handed it to her and she tore the paper off.

"It's from the both of us," Snow told her as she gestured to her husband and herself.

It was a box stuffed full of envelopes. Twenty-eight, to be exact. She pulled one out and opened it to reveal a simple birthday card with a big one printed across it. She opened it to find two simple messages, one from each of her parents. As she opened more envelopes, she discovered that they had gotten her a birthday card for every year that they had missed, and each one contained two unique messages from Snow and James. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she read words of love that came straight from her parents.

"Thank you both," she said as she read the card from last year. "This means a lot. All of you, thank you for everything. This has been the best birthday I have ever had. I've never had people care so much about me."

Snow crossed the room and threw her arms around Emma. James followed and copied his wife. They sat there for a few moments in a giant family hug, all of them grateful that they were together.

Emma sat in her room, rereading all of her birthday cards. She heard a soft tapping at her door, and she got up to open it. Her mother stood in the doorway, a smile on her face.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course," Emma said as she crossed back to her bed. She took a seat, and Snow followed her lead.

She held out a thick envelope to Emma. "This is for you."

Emma took it and carefully opened it. A few pages of notebook paper spilled out, and Emma observed her mother's neat handwriting covering the pages. She looked at Snow, who just gave her a small smile. She began to read.

Dear Emma,

I can't believe that my baby girl is twenty-nine. It seems like just yesterday that I first held you in my arms. You were such a beautiful little baby, that I didn't think that you could get any better. But I was wrong. You have grown into such an amazing, beautiful, strong, confident woman, and I am so proud of you. I admire everything about you. I know that you didn't have the easiest life, and while that knowledge still hurts, I am overjoyed that you didn't let it stop you from becoming the person that you want to be. You stand up for what is right, and you don't let others hold you back. That is what I wanted for you. I wanted you to become a leader who knows what she wants in life and isn't afraid of following her heart. You have showed me time and time again how dedicated you are to the people that you love, and how you will fight for them no matter the cost. Nothing else brings me such happiness.

I was cursed to be alone, but then one day you came along, and you became my best friend. You were meant to come find me. Those months we spent together were some of the best of my life. You made me happy during the times when I didn't know how to be. You comforted me when I was hurt, and you always stood by me and fought for me. You always believed in me. You helped me find myself again. You were the light in my darkness. You brought me hope and happiness.

Once you told me that you couldn't lose me, because you couldn't lose your family. I am so grateful that you chose to stay with me, and that you chose me for your family. I want you to know that I have always felt the same about you. You have always been more than just a best friend to me. You were my family too, even before I remembered who I was.

Emma I have loved you since the moment I knew that you existed. I know that I've told you this many times, but I need you to understand how loved you are, and how much I've always wanted you. Being your mother brings me such happiness. I love taking care of you and watching over you. No matter how old you grow, you will always be my darling baby girl. I will always be here for you if you ever need me. You can trust me and rely on me. I will always protect you, and I will do anything in my power to make you happy. I will never leave you. I can't imagine life without you, and I never want to be separated again. You are so special and important to me. You are my happy ending, Emma.

I love you.

Mom

Emma looked up with tears in her eyes. Snow reached forward and brushed them away with her thumb.

"I mean every word," she whispered as she pulled Emma close to her. Emma clung to her mother, not ever wanting to let go.

The clang of metal rang through the woods. Emma may have slain a dragon, but she was no match for her father. He was not going very easy on her, not that she minded. She liked how he respected her enough not to treat her like a child. But that didn't change the fact that she hated losing.

She lost her footing and fell to the ground. She laid there for a moment and groaned, causing James to laugh. He held out his hand to her and helped her up. She dusted to dirt off of her pants and then proceeded to sheath her sword. She was dripping in swear and panting, as was James.

Snow had taken Henry home ages ago, but the two of them had been having such fun that they didn't stop.

"You're a natural Emma," James told her as he slipped his own sword into the sheath at his side. "You are most definitely my daughter," he said with a smile.

She returned it. "I still am determined to beat you one day."

He shook his head. "I don't see that in the near future."

"Oh come on!"

He grinned as they began to walk towards the edge of the woods. "So did you have fun with your first lesson?"

"It was a lot of fun. I don't know why I didn't have you teach me this sooner."

"I have no idea either. Oh and make sure to tell your mother how much you love your present. She still doesn't approve," he stated with a smirk.

"She never will."

James smiled as he slipped his hands in his pockets. He traced the edge of the envelope. "Emma?"

"Yeah?" she asked, turning towards him. He stopped walking and slipped his letter out of his pocket. He held it out to her.

"This is for you."

She took it and carefully opened it. She had had a good cry with her mother that morning and had already reread that letter a dozen times. She didn't really want to deal with a wave of emotions right now, but she was eager to see what her father had written for her. There was just one sheet of paper, and her eyes went to the messy scrawl, which she began to read.

Dear Emma,

I'm so proud of you sweetheart.

I love you.

Dad

There were only twelve words on the page, but they were all that she needed to hear. Her father didn't need to pour his heart out to let her know how he felt about her. She crossed the space between them and threw her arms around him. She could tell that he was surprised, but he quickly hugged her back. She loved her father, and she was grateful that she had the chance to know how much he loved her.

The only light in the apartment was coming from the twenty-nine candles that were sticking out of the beautifully made cake. Emma sat at the table, her family surrounding her, as they sang to her.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Emma, Happy birthday to you."

They all beamed at her as they finished their song. She looked each one of them in the eyes. Her amazing son who always believed in her. Her wonderful mother and father who had so much love for her. She loved the three of them more than she had ever loved anything before. She had found her home. She had found a place where she belonged. She had found a family.

"Make a wish Emma," her mother whispered.

Emma smile and shut her eyes. Last year she had wished that she wouldn't have to be alone on her birthday. And then Henry had showed up, and her wish had come true. But she couldn't wish for that again, because she wasn't alone. Not anymore. She didn't know what she was going to wish for. She was happy.

She had everything that she ever wanted.

She blew out the candles.

That chapter was mainly fluff, but who doesn't love fluff? I love writing happy chapters, but to be honest, I think it's time for a little bit (or a lot) of drama...

All I can say is that there's always calm before the storm...

Please review!