Chapter 36

Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also, this is a sequel to the original "Thicker than Water" written by La Lisboa.

I'd like to thank Lisboa for betaing and letting me use her story as a starting point.

Red thought her relationship with Justin was going very well. They still spent time at the park with the dogs during the week. On weekends, he would sometimes take her to McDonald's and sometimes they would go for walks. He had wanted to take her to the local fair when it was in town, but unfortunately, they couldn't find a time that worked for both of them. But whenever she was with him, Red enjoyed herself.

She liked it when he held her hand, too, which he did often when they walked together. It made her feel secure and…oddly free at the same time. One time, as they set out to walk home from McDonalds, Red took his hand first. Justin squeezed his hand in response and smiled at her, showing he appreciated her initiative. Red smiled back. She felt like she'd help their relationship progress, and she loved the idea.

Kissing, on the other hand, was a different story. There were times when Red thought about kissing Justin. At night, before she went to sleep, she would often daydream about what it might feel like. But whenever she was actually with Justin, she couldn't bring herself to try it. Even when she told herself, "Try kissing him on the cheek," she'd still get scared. Not even having a dog near her could help her get over her fear of physical affection. Sometimes, when she decided to try kissing him, she'd see Peter kissing her for the last time before she killed him. Other times, she'd see Mr. Jenison grabbing her breast and her rear. It was stupid, and Red knew it. Justin certainly wasn't going to behave the way her creepy ex – boss had, even if she did kiss him. And kissing Peter wasn't what killed him either. So what was the problem?

But Justin was really nice about it. Every time she'd back away from kissing her, he'd simply say, "Don't worry about it. I know you're trying, and you like me. That's enough." Then he'd squeeze her hand again, showing he still liked her. It made Red's heart soar when he did that.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Still, Justin wanted their relationship to progress in other ways, even if they were taking their time with physical affection. One day, about a week after the fair had been in town, Justin mentioned there was a friend he'd like her to meet. "His name is Lucas, Ruby," he told her. "I went to trade school with him and he's a really nice guy. A lot of fun to be around, I promise. He's my best friend. Well besides Champ, that is," he chuckled as he looked at his dog that was walking ahead of them on his harness. "We can go out for drinks some evening; nothing big."

Ruby wasn't so certain, though. She was a lot more comfortable around strange men than she used to be, now that Mr. Jenison had been sent to prison. Riding the city bus by herself didn't bother her at all anymore. So meeting a friend of Justin's shouldn't bother her, should it? Especially considering Justin insisted he was nice. But still, she didn't normally get so close to men she didn't know these days. Besides, she remembered from her time in the Enchanted Forest what alcohol did to men. "I don't know, Justin…" she told him, as they walked.

Justin sighed. "I think this is important, Ruby. I don't pressure you about physical affection; I know you need to go at your own pace and respect that. But our relationship has to progress in other ways. I've met your friends; why can't you meet mine?"

Justin had a good point, Red admitted to herself. But still…being around two men while they were drinking didn't make her feel comfortable at all, even though Justin saw the outing as fairly innocent. Especially when one of them was someone she didn't know. Then she thought about that again. Someone she didn't know. What if she invited a couple that she did know quite well? Fredrick was still constantly asking if he should accompany her when she spent time with Justin, anyway. He'd jump at the chance to come with them if she asked! And Fredrick loved to take Abigail out, too. "What do you think about inviting my roommates to come with me?" Red asked Justin.

Justin sighed, probably thinking of how overprotective Fredrick got. It was annoying; she knew it. "Yeah, I guess that would be okay."

Ruby smiled at him. "Thank you," she told him sincerely. As they approached her apartment, Ruby commented. "I think they might be home now. Why don't we go in and talk to them?"

Justin took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay." With that, they walked up the steps and opened the door.

Fredrick was at the door immediately, as usual. He inspected them for a couple of moments, before deciding they looked innocent enough. "Hello, Ruby" (he tried to remember to call her that around Justin), he greeted her with warm brotherly affection. "Justin, Champ," he greeted them neutrally. At least he was greeting them neutrally now instead of suspiciously. That was progress.

"Hi, Fredrick," Ruby greeted him with the same platonic affection. "Justin wants me to meet a friend of his for some drinks later this week. Would you and Abigail like to join us?"

Fredrick looked deep in thought for a while. It surprised Red; she'd thought he'd agree immediately. Finally, he replied, "Of course I'd be happy to accompany you anytime you need me to go with you, Ruby. And I'm sure Abigail would be happy to go out as well. Besides, if you're going to be going out with two men, you really need a chaperone." Justin shook his head at that comment but Fredrick ignored him. "But I don't think an establishment where alcohol is served is a right place for a lady. I don't want you going there, and I certainly don't want to bring Abigail to a place like that."

Ruby nodded. She hadn't thought of that, but Fredrick's reasoning made sense. After all, in the Enchanted Forest, the only women who frequented taverns were considered harlots. She doubted that was true in this world; Justin would never have invited her there if that was the case. But trying to explain that to Fredrick would do no good. Fredrick might be willing to accept things about his world had changed, especially with Abigail's help. But there were some things he couldn't agree with, and from the look on his face, Ruby knew this was one of them.

Justin sighed. "I'm not trying to show disrespect to Ruby, Fredrick. There's just this bar that Lucas and I usually meet at, so I thought it would be a good place to go."

Fredrick still shook his head. "Unacceptable."

Red sighed. This wasn't going well at all. All she wanted was to have some people she knew come with here when she met this strange man for drinks. Instead, it looked like Justin and Fredrick were about to fight. Then she had an idea. What if they met Lucas somewhere else? Like the McDonalds where she and Justin had so many dates? "Okay what about this? Instead of going to the ta…bar, we could go to the McDonalds. And you and Abigail could still come with us this time," she added to Fredrick.

Fredrick thought for a minute. "Yes, that would be fine, Ruby. I'll have to talk to Abigail, of course, but I think she'd be okay with it."

Justin thought for a minute as well. "Lucas is used to meeting me at the bar, but he should be okay with McDonalds, too. Do you think that would be okay Champ?" he asked his dog as he petted him.

OOOOOOOOO

So they all agreed to meet at the McDonalds that Tuesday night, which they all happened to have off. Tuesday evening Red, Fredrick, and Abigail all arrived at the restaurant. Red noticed Justin right away waiting with Champ, of course, and a bigger gentleman with wavy black hair. That must be his friend Lucas.

Sure enough, as the three of them approached Justin, he greeted them. "Hello, Ruby," he told her warmly, taking her hand in greeting. "Hi, Fredrick, Abigail," he said to the other two more neutrally. Red was still pretty impressed that Justin knew it was them even though they hadn't talked yet. She never thought she'd meet someone in this world who could rely so much on smell. "This is Lucas," he told them, pointing to the man next to him. "Lucas, this is Ruby." Justin let go of her hand at this point, and Red shook the other man's hand. She wasn't as nervous as she had expected to be, being around a strange man and even shaking his hand. But she was pretty sure Fredrick and Abigail's presence helped a lot with that. (And the absence of liquor as well.)

Lucas smiled at Red and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Ruby." She was glad to see his smile looked innocent, too.

"And these are her roommates, Fredrick and Abigail," Justin continued. The other couple shook hands with Lucas as well. Fredrick looked intently at Lucas for a minute as he shook his hand, probably trying to determine if the man was, in fact, suitable company for his wife and his surrogate sister. Then he finally nodded and commented, "Nice to meet you."

Abigail smiled brightly as she shook hands with Lucas. "Nice to meet you too."

Then they all went into the building and got ready to order. It was surprising how comfortable Fredrick and Abigail were with a restaurant like this. Even though they had gotten used to this world by now, they were definitely more comfortable with formal styles. But both Abigail and Fredrick simply picked the meal they wanted and ordered it, just like the rest of them did.

There was a…slight incident when an apparent new worker saw Justin with his dog. "Is that a seeing – eye dog, sir? Would you like someone to read the menu for you?" Oh gosh, Red thought to herself. Even I can hear how patronizing his voice is. She rolled her eyes. This isn't going to be pretty.

Lucas seemed to agree with her. "Now you're in for it, buddy," he muttered.

Justin seemed to take about thirty seconds before he snapped. "No, I wouldn't like someone to read it for me. I'm capable of reading myself, as hard as it is for you to believe. All I need is a Braille menu. McDonalds has them available."

The kid (he looked about nineteen) behind the counter nodded, shocked. "Okay," he replied slowly.

Another worker (whom Red had seen here before), pulled out the menu from behind the counter. "The menus are right here, Tim," she told him. Then she handed Justin the menu and he ordered his meal.

After they all sat down with hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, and drinks, they began getting to know each other. "So Ruby, Justin tells me you work with dogs?"

Red nodded, happily. "Yes. I work at a kennel. The dogs really seem to like me, and I enjoy taking care of them."

"It's like they can really understand her, Lucas, even though she's only taking care of them temporarily," Justin commented, admiration in his voice.

Red shrugged. At least she hadn't lost all of the aspects of being a wolf, even though she couldn't change anymore. "I'm just glad I can work with them," she said out loud. "So you went to school with Justin?" she asked Lucas, trying to remember where Justin had said he knew the other man. She took a drink.

Lucas nodded. "That's right. We took a lot of the same classes, too, because we both went for plumbing." He paused and took a bite of hamburger. After swallowing, he added, "The best part about being friends with Justin when we were in school was that he never needed to borrow my books!" He laughed and slapped Justin on the shoulder.

Red, Abigail, and Fredrick looked blankly at Lucas. "Why wouldn't he need to borrow your books?" Fredrick asked. "Is that a testament to how responsible he is? That he never lost his books?" He sounded hopeful. Perhaps Fredrick was beginning to see Justin more positively? Red hoped so.

Lucas chuckled. "Not really," he replied. "I mean Justin is responsible, of course. But that's not really what I meant. Justin couldn't use my books, or anyone else's, for that matter. He had special books, written in Braille or on tape."

Red nodded. She remembered Justin had said something about his books being written in something called "Braille" and some were audio as well. It made sense.

"So what is it you two do?" Lucas asked curiously, turning to Fredrick and Abigail.

"Abigail works in a dress shop at the mall," Fredrick replied proudly. "She helps people pick out wedding dresses, attendant's dresses, and ball gowns. She perfect for it." He looked at Abigail with love in his eyes.

Lucas nodded. "That's great, I guess. And what do you do?"

Fredrick shrugged. "Nothing so glamorous. Just cleaning the mall. But at least I can stay close to her." He picked up a French fry and put in his mouth.

As they finished their meals, Red thought about Lucas's comment, that Justin's books came were written in Braille or audio. She wondered if he would show them to her. Maybe they could "read" one of them together. It might be a nice way to spend time together.

OOOOOOOOOO

The next time Red went to the park with Justin and Champ (she brought a cocker spaniel named Fido), she mentioned reading a book together.

Justin thought it was a great idea. He nodded eagerly. "I'd like that, Ruby. It would a chance to do something different together."

Red smiled. "That's what I thought, too. And I'd love to know what kind of books you like."

Justin's eyes glowed with happiness. "Great. How about this weekend, I show you my book collection, and we'll pick something out?"

"Okay," Red replied. Just then, Fido barked and handed her a stick.

"I see you want to play fetch," she told the dog as she took the stick. "Do you think Champ would want to play, too?" she asked Justin as she threw the stick for Fido to retrieve.

Justin smiled and shrugged. "Sure. Champ! Would you like to play fetch?"

OOOOOOOO

Fredrick was quite upset that Red was going to be alone with Justin in his home this weekend. He tried several times to insist that he come with them. (Abigail was working this Saturday.) But Red insisted that she was safe with Justin and Champ. And she was certain that her reputation would not be destroyed by being alone with him. In the end, it was Abigail that convinced Fredrick to let Red go by herself. "Freddie, how about you come to the mall with me today?" she offered. "We can get something to eat on my lunch break." Abigail was good at defusing the tension between her and Fredrick subtly like that, Red had noticed.

Fredrick sighed, but then smiled at his wife. "Okay. That would be nice, Abigail."

So Red headed off to Justin's home herself. Although she'd never been there before herself, he'd pointed it out to her, on some of their walks. It was one house away from the street sign and was only twenty minutes away. Justin's home was a modest two – story brown building. He had told her his door was on the left side of the house, so she made her way to that side. Then she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Suddenly Red was a little nervous. This was the first time she'd gone to his house, after all. This was going to be fun, she reminded herself. She loved spending time with Justin, and she'd been looking forward to this. And Red knew she was safe with him.

Justin came to the door a couple of minutes later. "Hi Ruby, come on in," he greeted her.

"Sure," Red replied and walked into the apartment. The living room was decorated in brown. Almost exclusively brown, actually. Brown couch, brown carpet, and brown curtains. She supposed a man who couldn't see cared less about decorating than most men did. Still, it was a comfortable room that Justin obviously enjoyed spending time in, from the wear of the carpet and the dog hair everywhere.

Speaking of dog hair, Champ ran in from the kitchen, obviously excited to see Red. "Hi Champ," she told him, giving him a pet.

Justin grinned. "He knew it was you. Otherwise he wouldn't have come to greet you unless I told him to."

Red swelled with pride. She loved that Champ could figure out who she was so quickly. She knew that she and Champ got along well; as all dogs did. But Red also knew that Champ was a special dog. Champ had an especially good relationship with her which meant a lot to Justin. "So where are your books?" she asked, reminding him why she was here that day.

"Over here," he pointed to a shelf in the corner of the living room. "There's a lot of books on dog care, but most of them are written in Braille. It would be easier to do this if we listened to a book together."

Red nodded. "Okay," she told him. That made sense, although she'd still like to learn how to read Braille some day. She thought it would be interesting.

"Here's one that might work, if you like adventure stories. The Odyssey." He pulled out one of his books on a compact disc.

Red shrugged and nodded. "Sure." So Justin put the disc in his player and they sat down together on the couch to listen. It was the story of a man who was trying return home to his family after a war. It took him quite a while to return, but he continued to try, and the wife never lost faith that he would return. The story reminded Red of Snow and David, in a way. (Although David wouldn't have had sexual relationships with other women while he was traveling, like the man in this story did.)

One of the first creatures the man and his crew encountered were one – eyed giants called Cyclopes. "Sounds more like an ogre," Red commented without thinking.

Justin looked back at her, confused. "Why would you say that?"

"I don't know," Red replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "I guess that's just the way I've always pictured ogres looked."

Justin looked at her suspiciously for a moment, but then returned to listening to the story. Red knew she'd have to be careful about making comments like that in the future. Justin noticed things more than most people did because of his blindness. And since he knew her quite well now, he would definitely pick up on comments like that, when she made reference to her life in the Enchanted Forest. When they first starting spending time together, occasionally she could say things like that without him noticing. But now…apparently he knew her too well.

But despite her minor mistake, Red had enjoyed the day. They listened to about half the compact disc, and it was quite entertaining. It was also nice that she was able to sit so closely to Justin on his couch. They agreed to meet the next weekend and listen to it again. "Oh, one more thing," he added, as he put the compact disc away. "I've been trying to decide whether to ask you this for a while. And maybe you don't want to go, and that's okay." Justin's voice was beginning to speed up, as he was obviously nervous. "Or maybe you're already busy. That's okay, too. We don't have to spend all our time together, after all. But I just thought I ask anyway – "

"Justin," Red said firmly, putting her hand on his arm, trying to steady him a little. "What is it?"

Justin took a deep breath. "In a couple of weeks, I'll be going to visit my mother in Houlton. And I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me?"

Red thought for a few minutes. Wasn't that the weekend Snow and Emma and the rest of their family had planned on going to Old Orchard Beach? She had thought she might go with them. Still, as much as she enjoyed spending time with Snow and Emma, she wasn't sure she wanted to "get in the middle" of their family time. Of course, Snow had invited her, so Red was sure Snow didn't see it that way, but that didn't mean it didn't feel that way, sometimes. Besides, Red loved to spend more time with Justin. And she wondered what his mother was like. Would she like Red?

"Do you think your mother would like me?" she asked Justin.

"Of course!" Justin replied automatically. "But if you're not comfortable coming with me, you don't have to. Although, I don't know when the next time I'll be going to see her…" Justin seemed to imply if Red wanted to meet his mother at all in the foreseeable future, now was the time.

"Okay," she told him. "I'll go with you."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOO

It was August 12. Henry's final custody hearing had arrived. At least this time, Emma and her parents were able to go to the courtroom together as a family. Emma was relatively sure they would walk out as a family, as well. After all, she'd done everything that stupid social worker had asked her to do to prove herself as fit mother for Henry. Better yet, the Collard's weren't making a counter – claim for his custody this time. Emma supposed they had plenty of new boys to use as meal tickets.

They were all still planning on a trip to Old Orchard Beach this weekend, when this was all over, to celebrate. Emma had plenty of money saved, as did her parents. Snow and David had even bought their bus tickets a couple of weeks ago, they were so certain. After all, they told Emma, the tickets were cheaper when they were bought in advance. They also reserved an excellent motel room. It was actually a small motel room with a dining area and three smaller rooms connected to it. Emma had to admit, it was perfect. They would all be together, but they could still have private rooms. Henry was at the age where he was really beginning to value his privacy, especially at night. And Emma would rather not share a room with her parents if she could avoid it. (For several reasons.). So she understood why they planned in advance. Emma just wished she had as much confidence in their trip as they did. She really tried, for Henry's sake.

As Emma walked into the courtroom, she had to admit things looked good for Henry. He'll be coming home with us, for good this time, she told herself firmly. But an image of the day she watched Henry drive away to the stupid foster home for the first time suddenly flashed through her mind. She forced the image away. That wouldn't be happening this time.

Unfortunately, although they were able to come in together, they couldn't sit together today. Henry would have to sit with the stupid social worker, and Emma would have to sit in the front, as the plaintiff. But they all gave each other a big hug before they went to sit down. "You're coming home for good this time, Henry," David whispered. "Good always wins, remember?"

Henry took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah." He went to sit down. The social worker smiled at them as he did so.

"You're a wonderful mother, Emma," Snow added, looking at her daughter. "They'll recognize that even more this time."

Emma looked at her son, who she wanted to give everything. She looked at her parents, who gave her strength to do that. "Yeah," she replied as she took her seat.

Her parents held hands and took their seats as well, next to Red, who had come to show them support again. Red smiled at Emma. She was glad Red was here. Red gave Emma inspiration, because of everything the other woman had done to get past her assault. Red had decided to go with her new boyfriend to meet his mother instead of coming to Old Orchard Beach, which was disappointing to Emma. She couldn't help feeling Red was choosing her boyfriend over her. But at least she was here today, for the final (she hoped) custody hearing.

The bailiff walked in at that time. "All rise," he instructed everyone in the courtroom. Everyone stood up. "This is the second Custody Hearing for Henry Mills. Honorable Judge Quincy will preside."

The same judge as before walked in and sat down. Emma sighed softly. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? She didn't know. Then she remembered how the social worker had smiled at her before. She remembered her parents' strength and words of encouragement. She remembered Red. And she remembered there were no Collards (or any other foster family), here today. It will be okay, she told herself.

Judge Quincy looked over the notes he had on his desk for a few minutes. "Well, everything concerning Henry appears to be in order. His school records look good, as does the mother's employment." He smiled. "Is there something you would like to add, Miss Jordan?"

Miss Jordan stood up and approached the bench. "Yes, Your Honor," she replied.

The bailiff then stood in front of her and asked, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, for the full justice of the law?"

"I do," the social worker replied, and then sat down. "I would like to add, that Henry has done remarkably well in the past year, in his birth mother's care. Not only is he doing well in school, but he has made friends, from what I've seen and heard. While he's had trouble getting over his adopted mother's death, his new family has provided a wonderful support system to help him through that, from what I've been told. Miss Swan, the boy's birth mother, has done an excellent job providing a safe and stable home for the boy, as do the boy's aunt and uncle. His aunt and uncle also have a stable relationship with each other, so I see no indication of them separating and causing the boy problems from that. I highly encourage you to play Henry Mills in his birth mother's care permanently, Your Honor. Thank you."

With that she returned to her seat next to Henry.

Emma held her breath. The judge had to agree. He just had to.

The judge smiled at the rest of the courtroom. "I see Henry has become a well – adjusted young man in his birth mother's care. I see no indication that Miss Swan will revert to her previous mistakes and run away from her responsibilities. Therefore, I am pleased to award full – custody to Miss Emma Swan."

There were cheers all around the courtroom.

Judge Quincy pounded his gavel. "Yes. As I was saying, Miss Swan will also be allowed to adopt her birth son, so his name will change to Henry Swan."

Emma smiled at that idea. It never bothered her before that Henry had a different surname than she did. She'd learned from her family that love was more important than last names. But it was nice to know that her son would now be able to use her name. It made him feel more like hers.

But the social worker protested, "Wait Your Honor. Henry would like to say something first."

Judge Quincy looked surprised but nodded. "Come forward, young man."

Henry approached the bench and sat down, looking nervous. "I'm very glad you decided to give permanent custody of me to my Mom. I mean, Emma Swan. I want to go home with her and be a part of her family for good. But…I don't want to change my name. I've been Henry Mills for thirteen years now. It's my other Mom's name. Regina Mills. She was my mother for a long time. And despite all the problems we had near the end, I don't want to pretend otherwise. Regina will always be one of my mother's, even if she can't take care of me anymore. Keeping her name…that's the best way I can honor that."

The judge nodded. "Okay. I can award Miss Emma Swan permanent custody of Henry Mills without adoption, if you wish."

"Yes. Thank you." Henry replied. Emma smiled sadly at her son. She understood what he was saying. Regina had raised him for ten years, and Henry would always love Regina. Of course he would want to honor her by keeping her surname. The fact of the matter was Emma had given up the right to call Henry her own thirteen years ago. She was just lucky he still wanted her to be the one who took care of him.

Judge Quincy pounded his gavel again. "Case dismissed." Everyone got up. Emma's family and Red all immediately ran over to hug Henry. "See," David commented. "I told you it would work out."

Emma sighed and walked over to give Henry a hug as well. She tried not to feel rejected by him just because he didn't want to share her last name. He still wanted to be a part of their family, after all.

Henry hugged her back. "I love you, Mom," he told her. Emma's heart soared. That was what was important.

Snow smiled. "Let's go home."

OOOOOOOOO

Snow made Henry's favorite dinner, hamburgers and French fries, to celebrate that night. "We're so glad you're staying with us for good, Henry," Snow told him as they all sat down. "Of course, we knew it was going to work out this way, but…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to find a way to explain what she meant.

" – It's nice for it to be official," David finished for her, smiling.

"Definitely," Emma agreed. She tried to concentrate on how good it felt to know Henry would never be taken from her again rather than how it felt know Henry didn't want her surname. Henry calls me 'Mom' she told herself. He told me he loves me. That's what's important.

They all began eating. After a few minutes, Henry looked at Emma. "You know Mom, being back in that courtroom today made me remember what it was like in the foster home last year."

Emma's smile faded as she swallowed a French fry. She didn't want him to be reminded of that. "Don't think about it too much, Henry," she told him. "We have that trip to Old Orchard Beach to think about, remember?"

Henry took a drink of milk and then shook his head. "I know, Mom. That's not really what I meant. What I meant was I remembered how it felt like to have no one care about me at all."

" – Don't worry about that, Henry," Snow said firmly, before he could say anything else.

" – We care about you. We love you," Emma added firmly, watching him closely as she drank her milk to make sure he understood.

Henry put down a French fry he'd been prepared to eat and sighed. "I know. Can you guys let me finish?" He looked from his mother to his grandmother and sighed again.

David finished chewing on his hamburger and laughed. "Patience, women," he told them.

Snow slapped her husband playfully on the arm and Emma rolled her eyes at her father. Then she sighed. "Okay, Henry. Finish." She took a big bite of hamburger this time so Henry would see Emma would be unable to interrupt him. Snow grabbed a handful of fries and stuffed them in her mouth.

"So, yes. So I remember what it was like to have no one care about me while I was living there. It made me more grateful I had Regina when I was younger. She may have had a strange way of showing it, but she cared about me. She loved me."

Emma nodded, understanding better why it was so important to him to be called "Henry Mills" now. "Then that's good, Henry," she told him. Her parents nodded as well.

"But, you Mom," Henry continued, turning to Emma. "You had to live in places like that for most of your life. And somehow…you still ended up being someone I can admire. Even though no one cared about you when you were growing up," Emma's parent's flinched at Henry's comment. "You came to Storybrooke when I asked you to. You became the sheriff and helped everyone there, not just me. And you still do it, even though we're not in Storybrooke anymore. You helped our family understand this world. And you even helped Abigail and Fredrick get on their feet, even though you barely knew them at the time. And you're a police officer, protecting people from criminals every day."

Emma's mouth dropped open at Henry's passionate speech. She wasn't really that great, was she?

Henry continued. "I can't imagine how hard that must be, to think about other people when no one ever thought about you when you were a kid. So that's why you're my hero, Mom."

Emma stared at Henry for another couple of minutes. "Ahhh…well…I don't really think I'm that big of a hero, Henry." She thought of all the things she'd stole as a teenager. She thought of how close she came to hunting down Tamara and killing her. "I'm really not that great, at all." She looked at the floor.

But Snow and David shook their heads firmly. Snow took her hand and gently picked up Emma's chin so she would be looking at them again. "No, Emma. Henry is right. You're a much bigger hero than we are. Than anyone we know. Than anyone we've ever known. Not because you broke the Curse. Because you're a wonderful woman despite all the trouble you've been through."

Emma shrugged, still uncomfortable with all this praise. "Well, Henry, if I am a 'hero' at all, it's because of you. I wanted to be a better person for you. I still do. For all of you," she added, looking at her parents as well. "But especially for you, Henry."

"And that's why we try to be heroes, too," David added, referring to him and Snow. "For all of us."

"Our family," Snow finished.

Emma shrugged. "So why doesn't this family finish this wonderful dinner?"

OOOOOOOOOOOO

After they finished dinner and cleaned up, Snow and David shared a look. It was one of those looks that meant they were having a conversation just between the two of them. Emma sighed to herself. She loved her parents; she really did. But sometimes…their relationship was a little nauseating. Having conversations with just their eyes was worse than 'goo – goo" eyes, in a way. Not to mention it made her feel out of the loop. How do you translate "eye – speak"?

"So Henry, would you like to practice sword – fighting with me at the park?" David asked.

Henry's eyes lit up. "Of course, Grandpa!" He grabbed his sword and he and David left the apartment.

"So, Emma, David and I were wondering something," Snow began after the boys left. Emma nodded, finally understanding. Snow had decided she needed to talk to Emma alone so she had David get Henry out of the house. At least that cleared up the mystery of what they were saying in "eye – speak" earlier.

"Since Henry will be staying with us permanently now… do you think I still need to take these?" Snow went into the bathroom and pulled out her birth control pills.

Emma's eyes widened at that question. She supposed she should have been expecting this. After all, Emma had been the one to tell Snow it would be okay if they had another baby after Henry's custody wasn't a problem anymore. But the fact is, she hadn't thought about it at all, and now Emma had a lot of feelings at once. First of all, she was extremely embarrassed that her mother was talking to her about birth control. It had been hard enough the first time, and she'd only done it by trying to convince herself Snow was only Mary Margaret. This time, that wasn't going to be so easy. Second of all, Emma wanted to be okay with her parents having another baby. She did want her mother to be happy, after all. But…she wasn't, really. Even though Snow had said they would love Emma and another child in the custody hearing, she wasn't sure if she could believe that. She couldn't forget how her first foster parents had promised to love her forever…until the moment they became pregnant with their own child. Then they'd decided they loved the new baby more and shipped her back to the group home. So Emma was scarred about what this might mean for her, too.

All in all, Emma did not want to have this conversation. She'd much rather be at the park with David and Henry. In fact, she went to the door, intending to try to catch up with them. But David already knew what Snow wanted to talk to her about. He may very well send her back, since they'd obviously agreed Snow should talk to her about this. And what about Henry? Henry, who'd just called her a hero. Henry, who would know she wasn't supposed to be there, especially by the way David, would react. No, Emma had to stay, as much as she hated it.

She was just about to walk back into the living room when Snow came up behind her and shut the door firmly. "No, Emma. I know you don't want to have this discussion right now, but we're going to, anyway. Deal with it."

Emma had just been ready to face her mother on her own, like a rational adult. But she didn't like being scolded or forced into anything. So now she was angry as well. Her head snapped around as she looked at Snow. "Yeah, you can throw the pills away if you want. Start your own perfect little family, to make up for all your troubles." With that, she marched off to her bedroom.

Snow followed Emma. "Emma, we don't want to 'make up for all our troubles' with a new baby! And we already have a great family! That's what we were celebrating today, remember?"

Emma's head snapped around again. "Yeah, I remember it. But it seems you don't. Because you think you need another child." She slammed her door shut behind her.

Her mother continued to talk through the door. It seems her mother wasn't that easy to get rid of this time. "Emma, you are missing my point. I was afraid of this; that's why I wanted to talk to you about our plans first. I DO NOT think everything will be perfect if we have another baby. I know we'll always struggle as a family because you had a horrible childhood, and we missed a chance to be a family when you were young. But…David and I want to have another baby to love, too, Emma. Why can't we have both of you?"

Because once you see your perfect baby, you won't want me anymore, Emma thought to herself. Out loud, she replied, "Why do you need a new baby to be happy? Can't you just be happy with me? And Henry? Aren't we enough?"

Snow sighed through the door. "Yes, Emma, you both make me very happy. David, too. But Emma…I still missed the chance to raise a child. Having another child will never take the place of your childhood, I promise. But…I think it would make it better, make me happier. Can you understand that?"

No, Emma thought through the door. "Why are you bothering to talk to me about this, anyway?" she asked. "Your mind is already made up, anyway. Have another baby if it means that much to you."

"Can I ask you a question, Emma?" Snow commented through the door. "Are you ever going to stop missing the first ten years of Henry's life?"

Emma's thought process stopped, not expecting that question. Of course not, she said to herself.

"But having the chance to see him now, and raise him during his adolescent years makes it better, right?"

"Yes," she replied, finally.

"So can't you see it's the same thing for me? For us?" Snow pressed.

Yeah, but why can't having me in your life and being my mother "make it better" for you? Emma thought to herself. Out loud, she replied. "Whatever."

Snow sighed. "Hey, Abigail asked me to ask you about something. Will you come out?"

Emma gave her pillow a firm punch but then sighed. Her mother was obviously trying change the subject, so they could get along again. Did she want to? She supposed she may as well. She got up and walked out the door. "Okay. What does Abigail want?"

Snow smiled brightly, obviously happy Emma had come out of her bedroom. "She wants to know if there's something in this world that will help her have a child. In the Enchanted Forest, sometimes the fairies would help, if the couple was good enough. But here…" Snow shrugged uncertainly.

Emma sighed. She had been hoping this new subject had nothing to do with babies. Still, it wasn't Snow's baby, so she supposed she could handle it. "Tell her there are doctors that specialize in fertility. Sometimes they can help women get pregnant who have been having trouble. There are a lot of treatments, from what I understand. Fertility drugs, invitro – fertilization, to name a couple of them. They are expensive though, so she and Fredrick would have to save some money before they saw one."

Snow nodded. "Thanks."

Emma continued, "Of course, there are some couples who prefer to adopt a new baby instead of seeing a fertility doctor. But I would recommend she and Fredrick get married in this world before they look into that. They'd need to fill out an application to adopt and show themselves to be responsible to the authorities."

Snow nodded again. "Okay, I'll tell her that, too." She paused for a second. "Adoption. Isn't that what happened to Henry? How he ended up with Regina? Is that really something our friends what to get involved in?"

Emma sighed. "Yes, but the average child who is adopted isn't taken in by an evil queen. Kids who are adopted just want nice families that love them. And despite the problems that Henry had with Regina, even he doesn't regret his time with her. He told her as much earlier, remember?"

"True," Snow replied. She smiled.

Emma gave her a small smile back. She decided she wouldn't focus on her parents' decision to have another baby. Why did she need to worry about it when her mother wasn't even pregnant, anyway? Instead, she'd focus on their family trip to Old Orchard Beach. The rest, she'd keep hidden and buried.

XXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOO

Before they left for their trip in a few days, Emma suggested they all buy something called a bathing suit. "We're going to a resort town with a beach," she explained. "Personally, I intend to do some sunbathing, at least. I'd like to have a bathing suit, and I think you guys would enjoy one, too."

Henry nodded. "Definitely. And we're going to build a sandcastle on the beach, too. Right, Mom?"

Emma smiled. "Of course, Henry."

"I'm looking forward to it," Charming added.

Snow shrugged. "Okay, Emma, if you think it's a good idea, we'll buy these 'bathing suits. Where would we find them?"

Emma smiled. "Oh, it's no big deal. They sell them at Wall – Mart."

Snow nodded. "Okay. Why don't we ask Red to come, too? She's not coming with us to Old Orchard, but she might like to get some new things for her trip."

OOOOOOOOOO

So they found a time when they would all be available, and they all set out for Wal – Mart that evening. Henry went with Charming to pick out boys' swimwear, while the others looked at the women's selections. Snow was shocked at how little skin some of these "bathing suits" covered, specifically some of them that were called "bikinis." She picked up a suit that only covered part of a woman's breasts and barely covered any of the bottom. "People actually wear these in public? Some of my nightwear covers more than that!"

Red looked uncomfortable as well but Emma just shrugged. "Women in this world like to use sex appeal to be noticed. This is just one way to do that."

"Well, I'm not wearing anything like that. And neither are you," she added to Emma, firmly. Snow rarely acted so motherly to Emma. Despite the conversation they'd had over Mother's Day, Snow knew Emma didn't really like Snow acting that way. But sometimes, Snow needed to put her foot down.

Emma looked at Snow sharply. "I believe I'm an adult, and I can wear whatever I please," she replied just as firmly.

Snow raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "That maybe true, Emma, but these suits are not acceptable to me. And I would assume your father would have an even bigger problem than I have."

Emma shook her head. "I still say I can wear what I want."

Red sighed. "Calm down, both of you. This trip was supposed to be about 'family togetherness' for all of you, remember?"

Snow sighed and looked at the floor. Red was right. This was supposed to be a happy day. She and Emma shouldn't be ruining it by fighting. She could hear Emma's voice as she continued to look at the floor. "Look, there are some one – piece bathing suits as well. Maybe you'd rather look at some of those?"

With that, Emma led Snow to the selection of bathing suits that were much more to her liking. They covered the entire torso area and the entire buttocks area. "Thanks, Emma," she told her daughter. "For the peace offering and the one – pieces."

Emma shrugged. "Sure."

Snow looked at several of them. There was dark green one she liked and thought it would look good on her. "Definitely." Red agreed as she held up the bathing suit. "It brings out your eyes."

Emma smiled and nodded as well.

But then there was another one she liked that was silver and sparkled. It made her think of the Enchanted Forest and being a princess. Being close to the sea would make her feel closer to the Enchanted Forest, anyway, especially since their kingdom was so close to the sea. In the end, that was the one she decided to get.

Emma looked at several of the one – pieces as well, but she couldn't find anything she liked. "Are you sure you don't want the pink one?" Snow asked, holding up a pink suit. "It goes well with your hair."

Emma sighed. "Maybe, but I'm not really a fan of pink. I don't like to look too girly, do you know what I mean?"

Snow thought about how uncomfortable wearing ball gowns could be after being a bandit for so long. If it wasn't for her childhood and Charming's encouragement, she might not have gotten used to them again. "Yes. I guess I do understand, Emma."

Emma's eyes wandered around the store for a few minutes. She was obviously thinking what to do. Finally, she seemed to notice something she liked. She marched back over to the "bikini" section. Horrified, Snow already began shaking her head. Still, Snow had to admit the one Emma picked out looked better than some of the others did. It was a black – and – white suit that covered the entire buttocks area, at least, and should cover all of Emma's cleavage. "See, this one isn't so bad, is it?" Emma asked her, holding it up. "It is a bikini, but it isn't as skimpy as some of the others. I like the colors. And I can get a really nice tan with it, I think. Especially if buy some new tanning lotion, too."

Snow sighed. "Alright, Emma. You can get that one, I guess." She's an adult. She's an adult. She's an adult., she continued to say to herself as Emma put it in the cart.

"Okay, I'd like to get some new clothes, too." Red commented, heading for the 'day' clothes. "Justin may be blind, but his mother isn't! I need to make a good impression on her."

Snow smiled. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Red, but go ahead." She squeezed her friend's hand. She understood Red's nervousness. She remembered how she felt when she first met Ruth.

As they turned the cart to the next section, Snow saw another section in the distance. It had bright underwear, nightgowns, and other…what was the word Emma used? Skimpy? Yeah. Other skimpy things like that. She had been appalled at the bikinis, because they were meant to wear in public. But what about some of the stuff that was meant for private company? Would Charming like to see her in one of them?

"Why don't you guys look at these for a little while," Snow suggested to Emma and Red. "I have something I want to check out myself."

Snow began looking at the different selections, smiling to herself. They were going on vacation. They had purchased a motel room which had three smaller rooms within it. And she and Charming were ready to try to conceive another baby. It was the perfect time for Snow to buy something special for their intimate time.

Snow knew Emma was had been a little uncomfortable with them having another child; she expected her to be. But Emma was her normal self again now, so obviously she didn't have any problems any more. Snow was glad. She was extremely happy the day she stopped taking those pills. She wanted another baby desperately. Besides, she'd never been entirely comfortable taking pills to stop conception in the first place, although it had gotten a little easier with time.

Suddenly Snow's eyes widened as she selected the perfect one for her to wear for Charming. She grabbed it and purchased it herself, so he wouldn't notice.

I'm not sure whether Emma would actually be able to be Henry's "permanent guardian" without adopting him in the real world. But I like the idea of Henry keeping Regina's name as a way to honor her as one of his mothers. And I think that's actually what he would do if Regina ever died.

The last two chapters were mostly fluff. But this chapter and next few chapters are going to have a lot of important conversations and things happening. So, please pay close attention. And if you have any questions, please ask, through reviews or PMs, if you prefer. (I don't mean to imply you didn't read my other chapters carefully; I just want to make sure you understand how much this story will speed up now.)

So, as always, please give me some reviews. And I really appreciate those who reviewed the last chapter. Here's your responses.

Fangirl: Yeah, the importance of Emma's birthday really depends on your perspective. The scene between Bill and David was supposed to show how much Bill values David, as you mentioned. It was also supposed to show that even though David feels "closer" to his shepherd roots with this job, he's still used to being a leader and making decisions for people. This will be important soon.

And I'm really glad you noticed the conversation between Emma and Ruby. This scene does show how close they are in my story. But it's also a "hidden exposition" scene in that chapter. That conversation is going to be quite important for Emma's future.

BanditCharming: Yes, I always love writing Snowing romance and love scenes. And the Emma/Henry moments were fun to write, too. I'm glad you noticed the scene between Emma and Ruby as well. Like I said, it's going to be quite important in the future. But thank you for mentioning Emma's attitude toward Neal as well. I wanted to make it clear that even though Emma is done "grieving" for Neal, she really does believe he was her "one true love" at this point. Since he's dead, they're no reason to pursue anyone else.

Misscam: Yeah, I love writing the Charming Family stuff for Emma's birthday. Glad you liked the "limited income" detail, too. It's important to remember. (It also gives me the chance to have them give more homemade gifts, which I prefer, anyway.) And Snowing romance and love scenes are always fun to write. (I'm sure you agree. J )