II
Chapter Fifty
II
Storybrooke, present day
II
The party at Granny's is a rather crowded affair in the end, Emma finds.
There is Regina bringing lasagne and the cookies she says Henry came to love while staying with her, there is Graham without a badge but with beer, there is Ruby beaming at Snow and Charming, there is Granny and pointed remarks, there are the seven guys that apparently make up the seven dwarfs, there is a blonde woman called Abigail who brings her husband, there is Archie Hopper and his dog that Henry seems to have a special love for, there is Belle who looks relieved enough that it qualifies as joy and every now and then someone else pops into the door to wish welcome home.
They are here for her parents, Emma is fairly sure. Her parents apparently made many friends and earned the love of many, and it makes her feel a little odd. She just found her parents. She doesn't really want to share.
Then there is the strange awe people seem to regard her with. They don't know her, so it is as if her mere existence makes her worthy of being regarded with awe. Emma isn't sure she likes that. She also isn't sure she hates it. She's not used to people treating her mere existence as something wonderful.
The food is good, though. She brought decent-tasting tacos Graham helped her fix up and Regina's cookies as are as good as Henry said. The cake Archie brought is quite nice and Graham keeps her plied with a steady supply of beers.
She needs the alcohol, after all. David started the evening with a speech thanking everyone for coming, and introducing her as their beloved daughter before making jokes about the family motto and finding each other and that made her want to hug him and tell him to shut up at the same time.
Mary Margaret has hugged her at least four times already, Henry at least six while David has looked at her in a way that says as a thousand hugs wouldn't be enough. It is disconcerting. It is also kind of wonderful.
It also reminds her the last time she felt like she might finally have found a home – Neal – she was abandoned. She can't trust something like this, but oh, how she wants to.
(There is Graham too, just looking at her the whole evening and earning fierce stares from David for it. Just looking, sure, but Graham might as well be touching her from how it makes her feel.)
As it gets later in the evening, several people start wandering home, some more drunk than others. Granny puts on some music at Belle's request, and Emma soon finds herself watching the dancing going on. Regina dances with Henry before excusing herself due to a call from the hospital about her father; Belle and Leroy attempt a jig and then there's her parents. Sure, it may be called dancing, but it could also be called 'feeling-each-other-up-while-moving-in-circles-and -gazing', she's pretty sure.
Somehow, she finds it doesn't bother her. Maybe it's the beer, maybe it's Graham looking like he wants to do the same to her or maybe it's Henry's exaggerated bow as he requests a dance – whatever it is, she is feeling good.
It can't last, she warns herself – but somehow, she wishes so very dearly that it would.
II
"Rumpel!"
He turns, seeing Belle come running out of the diner. She has color in her cheeks, stars in her eyes and a spring in her step. She's simply lovely.
"I thought I saw you," she goes on as she draws closer.
"I was just passing by. I didn't mean to intrude," he replies. Maybe his passing by wasn't all that accidental, of course, and Belle looks at him as if she knows that very well.
Maybe he just wanted to see what happiness looked like.
"Dance with me," she says, holding out her hand. He can hear the faint music from Granny's, but he still hesitates. "Please?"
Maybe even the Dark One can have a stolen moment of happiness, he thinks, and takes her hand.
II
"But he was doing better!" Regina's voice cuts through Henry Mills' pain and he gazes up to see his daughter arguing with Dr. Whale.
"I don't know what to tell you," Dr. Whale says apologetically. "It is as if..."
"Magic," Regina whispers darkly. Henry can feel her take his hand, feel something wash over him and then her agonized gasp. "I can't heal him."
"Regina," he murmurs, struggling to keep his eyes open. "It's okay."
"No!" she says fiercely. He can feel her tears as he weakly lifts a hand to touch her cheek.
"I've had my time," he says. He has. More time than he could have asked for, all things considered. "All I wanted was to see you happy again."
"Father," she gasps. "I love you."
"Then love again," he pleads. "Don't forget who you are. Please, Regina."
She draws a sharp, ragged breath. "I want to. I want to love Daniel again. All I need is a heart but I can't take someone else's. I can't do that anymore. I'm not that person anymore. I can't just take one."
"Take mine," he murmurs, putting her hand on his chest. "I'm sorry I wasn't a good enough father for you. But my heart was always yours. Take it."
"Father..." she pleads. His hand slips from hers; he doesn't have the strength to hold on. He tries to keep his eyes open, to look at her with as much love as she always should have, but it's getting darker.
"Please take it," he says again and then he sees nothing at all.
II
David carries a sleeping Henry through the streets as they head home while Snow has her hand tucked in the crook of his arm and Emma is holding Henry's hand. Anyone passing would have them pegged as a family, and the thought makes David smile. They are. They're becoming.
Snow smiles at him as if she knows what he's thinking, which she probably does. She looks happy too, and as he steals a glance at Emma, he realizes that so does their daughter.
All he could ever want for her.
A few boxes are placed just inside the door as they enter their home. They're Emma's: making it official that she's moving in. Not a lot to bring to a home, he reflects, but as far as he's concerned the only thing she'd need to bring to be perfect would be herself.
"I'll unpack tomorrow," Emma says self-consciously, but Snow just smiles and takes her hand.
"Take as long as you need," Snow says warmly. Emma nods, leaning forward and kissing Henry's forehead gently.
"Goodnight, kid," Emma says. As David heads up the stairs with a still sleeping Henry he catches the two women of his life hugging in the corner of his eye. It's quite breathtaking, and he hasn't quite regained his breath as he tucks Henry in.
Henry blinks sleepily. "Dad?"
"Just go to sleep," David says softly. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay," Henry agrees easily, closing his eyes again. "Love you, dad."
"Love you too," David whispers, kissing his son's forehead. "Thanks for finding Emma for us."
Henry sighs softly, lost to dreams again probably. David hopes they're good ones. After all, their son has brought them so much happiness that can never repaid; both by simply existing and by bringing their daughter home to them.
Henry, he thinks lovingly. Then he heads downstairs to join his wife and his daughter.
II
"I'm sorry for your loss," Dr. Whale says, but Regina is barely listening.
Her father is gone. Her father. The one who has always loved her. Not perfectly, not enough to be a better father, but he did love her. She loved him enough to turn from being the Evil Queen into being what she's still defining.
Now he is gone.
She closes her eyes briefly, then opens them again.
Her father was killed by magic. There is only one currently in Storybrooke she could think would want to hurt her like that. One who wields the magic that might be able to do this.
Rumpelstiltskin.
II
Her daughter likes cinnamon on her cocoa just like her, Snow finds out, and files it under essential facts about Emma she should have had a long time ago but at least has now.
David teases them both lightly about their taste, but does take it for his cup of cocoa as well. And so they chat about hot beverages and planned toaster shopping tomorrow and Emma walking Henry to the school bus in the morning. It's so normal and domestic and yet something they've never had before.
Charming squeezes Snow's leg under the table as if he knows and he probably does, since it the same for him.
"I better get some sleep," Emma says after the second cup of hot cocoa. She gives them a hesitant but sincere smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Emma," Snow replies. Charming echoes the sentiment and they both watch their daughter ascend the stairs until she's out of sight.
David closes his eyes for a moment after Emma has disappeared. "Our daughter is kind of wonderful."
"Yeah," Snow agrees softly. She remembers how dearly he wanted a boy and yet how he fell in love with his daughter the moment he looked at her. And now he's falling all over again, as she is.
"I've been meaning to ask you something," David says softly. He looks troubled. "What was King George talking about? He cursed you to never bear children?"
She swallows. She had somehow hoped he wouldn't bring this up, had hoped to spare him this pain, but she will not lie to him. "He captured me and put something in my drink that made me barren."
"But we had Emma," David says, sounding slightly confused.
"Yes. It was the water from Lake Nostros that did it. Ruth had Lancelot put it in the wedding chalice, the one we both drank from."
David stares at her with wide eyes, the truth sinking in. "That's why it didn't heal her. She never drank the water."
"No," Snow confirms. "I didn't know. I swear I didn't. I wanted that water for her. She was your mother."
He lowers his head as she takes his hand. "She told me. She told me she would give her life gladly for my happiness."
"She did," Snow says. She slips from her chair to move over to him, cradling his head against her chest. "I'm so sorry, David."
"Don't be," he says softly, lifting his head to look up at her. "I think I understand her now. For Emma, for Henry, I would... I understand."
So does she, Snow thinks, and kisses the father of her children with all the love and comfort she can muster. Yes, she understands.
For their children, parents can do even the unthinkable.
