Summary: Emma discovers something new about her mother's past love life, Ruby and Dorothy's big day arrives, and Emma gets to meet her new sibling.
Storybrooke Riding School – yesterday
Marian, standing alongside Robin at the top of the field, watched impatiently as her wife, sitting on the enormous thoroughbred stallion with Emma sitting tight up behind her, paced the lower field slowly, the two women seemingly in a private conversation.
"They've been down there twenty minutes; I don't see much riding going on! What the hell are they doing down there?"
Robin relieved her of the increasingly-heavy Hope Jones, popping her down on the ground beside his baby daughter in her buggy, as she lay asleep, heavily covered to protect her from the cold. "Talking, it would appear?" Marian rolled her eyes at the blindingly obvious comment. "Emma seemed worried about something, though I'm not sure what. Surely, you can wait until we get Regina home tonight and ask her yourself? After all, you were the one who got off Chester, telling her to take your place!"
"Can't you use one of your magic 'thinggummies' to hear what they're saying?"
He gave her the sort of haughty stare they always gave him. "That's rich, coming from the woman who tore a strip off me, just for looking at her through the bathroom door! Nope, I promised not to do that sort of thing unless it's in an emergency, just like you asked! We'll find out later. Come on…"
Several hundred feet away, Emma was learning more about Snow White's days in Misthaven. A lot more than she wanted to know.
"You're saying Ruby and my own mother were involved romantically? Like...with each other? A couple?"
"'Couple' might be putting it a bit far. But, they were more than close! In my darker days, when I was trying to track her down [to kill her, though that was better left unsaid], I had spies hidden in many of the palaces and inns she'd frequent. They were definitely…intimate, as it were."
"Why on earth didn't you say something before?"
"What, tell you what I knew about your parents' sex lives before you were even born? Hardly a suitable conversation now, is it? And besides, you never asked. They were my enemies after all. The biggest risk to me holding onto the throne. It hardly seemed relevant." She turned the horse around to face the school, spotting her lovers staring back. She could only guess what Marian was thinking!
"Did David know? Or was it before she knew him?"
"Not sure. Mostly before Charming's time. But the wolf hung around her, even when they were courting. Why are you asking me? It was years ago and they're all nauseatingly happy and married now!"
A fair question. Why? "I'm not sure myself. I've known dad was Ruby's donor for a while now, and mum told me it was her idea." She was starting to feel rather ashamed of her recent behaviour. "I guess I'm still not over the fact I'm about to have a half-brother. And now, you go and tell me my mother was into women?"
"Only one, as far as I'm aware. Why's that even important?"
Storybrooke Hospital – Early the following morning
It was nearly two in the morning when Snow was brought into the delivery room by one of the nurses, to find an exhausted, but happy Ruby, nuzzling her swaddled baby, while Dorothy sat in the corner chair.
"They said you've been waiting outside? Snow, do you have any idea what time it is?" she grinned at her friend. "You're quite mad!"
"Probably, but I was way too excited to sleep. Not when my best friend's gone into labour! Besides, David didn't mind. He was getting fed up of me pacing. In fact, he even baked me a bunch of snacks to bring over for the three of us, knowing I'd never settle till I got over here! Anyway, never mind all that. Congratulations!" she looked at the tiny bundle in his mother's arms, moving closer.
"Thanks. Do you want to hold him?"
"Do fish swim? Of course I do. Come on, give him here…" she carefully lifted the new-born into her arms, kissing his head. "Hello, my little darling…" she spoke softly, the baby slowly opening his eyes at the sound of her voice. "Ah. Blue, just like your mummy's! Hello, sweet one, I'm your Aunty Snow, and you are one very handsome little man…" she continued whispering and cooing to her new godson, as the tired mothers smiled at them.
"Did you say David baked something? I'm starving!"
"Only some cookies. Dorothy, dig in that blue bag over there? There's a box inside..."
"Doesn't matter - if he made 'em, they'll still be good! They haven't fed us anything yet. Snow, I'd like David to be the first to know, but I don't want to wake him. After you've had a cuddle, perhaps you could text him?"
"Sure. What's this little one's name?"
Ten minutes later, Snow sent Charming a short text, letting him know that they'd given birth, everything went as planned and that mother and baby were doing well. However, even she was surprised to get a quick reply, so he was clearly awake, asking if he could call. Perhaps even a video call? A minute later, they connected on Snow's cell phone, her dressing gown-clad husband appearing to be sitting on their sofa.
"Hi guys, congratulations! How'd it go?" he beamed at them. Snow and Dorothy clambering either side of Ruby on the bed, so he could see them all.
"Hi David. Painful, but we got there! You couldn't sleep either, by the look of it?"
"Not with everything going on over there. Neal's sleeping like a log, but I was just waiting for the news. So, come on, let me see your little wolf-cub then?"
Snow turned the camera around, climbing over them for him to get a better look at the baby. "Here you go. Behold, one very beautiful baby!"
Ruby opened the little linen blanket so the camera could show his face close up. "Here he is. I'd like you to meet our son, Nathaniel," she said proudly. "Nathaniel David Lucas."
Charming smiled down on the happy result of his 'services' all those months ago. "I'm honoured. Thank you, both of you. Nathaniel?"
"After Dot's father. He died just before she was born."
"Ah. Well, I'd love to come over and see the little fella, but I'm a little stuck here at the moment…"
"No need. The nurses told me we can leave here in a few hours, so we'll head home and get cleaned up. But come over as soon as you can, yeah?"
He couldn't see Snow's face, to gauge her reaction to Ruby's words, but no doubt she'd be feeling a little weird right now, despite everything. He and his true love had their own son, and a daughter, and he didn't want her feeling as though anything's changed.
"I'd love that, but you three need a little time alone, don't you? Call me when you're ready…"
Seeing Ruby's frown, and knowing him all too well, Snow guessed what he was worried about. So she turned the lens would show herself once again. "David, they asked you to go over! I'm fine about it."
Now Dorothy realised his concern. "David, you're not just any old donor, you're his father! Rubes and I meant what we said – we want you both in this one's life!"
The Diner
It was past nine when the new mothers arrived back at the café, Granny immediately rushing outside to greet them. After hugs and kisses, as soon as they all got back inside the warm room, she wrapped her new great-grandson in her arms as soon as she could. Ruby used the break to get off to her room for a much-needed shower, while Dorothy stayed with her mother-in-law, the old wolf not wanting to let go of the baby, even if her life depended on it!
Leroy was, as usual, one of the first diners to arrive, his usual grouchy features instantly changing the moment he saw them. Cooing over the baby, the dwarf beamed with happiness when Dorothy offered to let him hold him. After a brief lecture from Granny on how best to hold him to protect his head, she reluctantly handed the baby over; after which a succession of dwarves and other townsfolk arrived, giving the former Grumpy a chance to show him off to all.
"I hope Nova gets here soon. I want him to meet this little fella before you take him off again," Ruby now appeared back after her clean up. "Hi Rubes - your little fella is a handsome devil!"
"Thanks Leroy – yeah, takes after his dad…" she realised the moment she'd said it, and Dorothy's look, that it may have been premature.
"His dad? I thought you said he was one of those…what was it you called it again…donors?"
"He is. But we already knew him…" Dorothy added, knowing it was going to come up. But the moment this particular dwarf knew, it'd be all over town!
The dwarf's bow rose. "Oh. Can I ask who?"
"You can, but we're not telling just yet..." Ruby gave him a smirk. "It least, not until Natty's met all of his godparents. Oddly enough, I'm looking at one of them right now…"
It took him a moment to realise what she'd said. His jaw dropped in stunned shock. "Me?"
"Yeah, you! You may be a curmudgeonly old sod from time to time, but we've always been friends, haven't we? Ever since you and the guys broke me out of the royal jail! Dot and I got thinking and…we sorta wanted to ask you and Nova if you'd be two of his godparents?"
Despite having faithfully served the Misthaven royals, Snow in particular, for decades, the dwarves were generally regarded by most of the townsfolk as simple labourers, second-class citizens even. Expected to serve others, they were rarely given the respect they deserved, nor did they expect it.
"I, I don't know what to say Rubes! I'm stunned…"
"Just say yes? We've already asked Vic Whale to be his other godfather. So…"
"Yes, of course! Rubes I'm honoured! I know Nova will be too. You said Whale? But surely…"
"What?"
"Well…I just thought you'd be askin' Snow and Charming? You being best buddies, and all…"
"Leroy, we've already asked Snow, and she's going to be one of his godmothers, along with Nova."
"Oh right. And Charming?"
"No, just Victor and yourself. Don't worry about David, he's got a different role…"
As the new mothers continued showing off their new son, the bell above the front door clanged as another figure stepped into the café. Seeing everyone gathered around the Lucas family, he held back, moving quietly to the counter, waiting for service. Granny was the first to spot him, stepping away from her family before greeting him with a beaming smile.
"Good morning! Not coming over to see my new great grandson?"
"Good morning, my love!" Marco kissed her cheek. "I will in a moment, once the crowd clears and I can get to them. Congratulations. Have you told them our bit of news?"
"Not yet, I thought I'd let them have the limelight today!" The old wolf gave the carpenter a light peck on the lips, unnoticed by any of the diners. "Come meet my Nathaniel."
Granny took his arm, moving towards the group. "Come on you lot, give us some space!" Ruby glanced up at her grandmother, smiling as she saw her arm-in-arm with the old carpenter. "There's other's want to see him too you know?" They elbowed in past Sleepy.
"You want to hold him again, granny?" said Dorothy, whose arms were starting to tire.
"Silly question, dear!" she stooped over, collecting Nathaniel into her arms, before turning to show him off to the carpenter. "Ere we go, one great-grandson!" Without offering, she passed him straight over to Marco, who cautiously took the baby safely into his arms.
"Ooh, my goodness. Big lad, isn't he?" The old man's eyes twinkled, as he stroked the baby's cheek. "Handsome too. I heard Eugenia say Nathaniel?" As he spoke, he wrested his free hand protectively over the baby's shoulder, Granny then wresting her hand over his.
"Yes, Nathaniel Dav-" but Ruby stopped herself from saying too much, too soon. "After Dot's father." Fortunately, she was interrupted when Dorothy spotted something which distracted her.
"Granny, is that a new ring on your finger?" she drew closer to the elder wolf.
"Hmph," she grunted, giving Marco a sly grin, noticed by the others. But he spoke first.
"Ruby, yesterday I asked your grandmother for the honour of her hand in marriage. I'm delighted to say, she said yes!"
A loud whoop and cheer went around the entire room, just as David Nolan walked in with Neal, Snow deciding to sleep after her all-night vigil. "What's going on? Have we missed something?"
"Granny's marrying Marco!" yelled Dopey.
"Really? That's fantastic!" The pair sauntered over to the rest of them. "Granny, Marco, congratulations to both of you." He hugged the newly-betrothed couple. "Snow's going to be thrilled. When's the big day?"
"Oh, we haven't planned that yet. Let's just get moved in first!" She gave her granddaughter a cautious look, realising the significance of the next moment. "Never mind all that, come meet the real star of today, my new great-grandson!"
David had already been told by Snow they'd be here. As Leroy and some of the dwarves stepped back to allow him to see the baby, he found the new mothers staring right back at him to see his first reaction as Granny and Marco tried to coo and settle the now slightly grizzly baby.
"Hi mummies! You got some sleep then?"
"Not enough. Would you want to hold him?"
"Of course I do. If that's alright with you?" Dorothy nodded, as Marco drew closer, placing the baby carefully into his arms. As he kissed the little pink cheek and spoke softly to him, the baby's griping stopped, and his eyes opened as father and son looked at each other for the very first time. Charming couldn't speak for a moment, as his other son came close.
"Dad, I think he's got your shape head?" said Neal, who'd already been told by his own mother about the new baby's link to his father. "His eyes are blue, like yours too, but he's got Ruby's eye shape!"
You moment the boy said it, you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone there knew that Ruby and Dorothy desperately wanted a baby, and most realised the wolf had got pregnant by a sperm donor. Nonetheless at Neal's words, most of the dwarves stiffened, several stepping back from David in surprise. Leroy's expression turning serious at the implication.
An awkward silence followed; Charming now feeling uncomfortable until Ruby broke it.
"He does, doesn't he?" she agreed, giving him a warm smile. "And like you, Neal! I can see the likeness between you." She smiled up at the leader of the dwarves. "Yes Leroy, I can see what you're thinking. David was our donor. It was Snow's idea originally, and she managed to convince David. They've just given us the greatest gift of our lives! We'll forever be grateful to them."
"And just so you know, his full name's Nathaniel David Lucas!" added Dorothy, for good measure.
"Leroy glared back at her, still suspicious. "Snow's idea?"
"It's true..." David gave him a firm eye, silently daring him to challenge them.
"I knew..." Neal added. "Mum told me and Emma months ago, when dad was in hospital in the coma. I think it's great. They'll be brilliant mums!" That earned loving smiles from the pair.
"So, he's a royal then, if you're his father?"
"Leroy, you know yourself that I was a shepherd and only married into royalty. Snow's the real deal! But this one's whoever Ruby and Dorothy decide he is. He's a Lucas after all, and they're his mums. They have all the rights, legal or otherwise, and hopefully not too many sleepless nights ahead! Snow and I'll just support then whenever they ask."
"Okay everyone," Granny clapped, waving her arms. "Show's over! Let my girls rest up now, while we get 'em some breakfast. David, you join them?"
"Of course he is!" Ruby insisted. "You too Neal. Would you like to hold your little brother?"
The Nolan Farm
Around the time David and Neal met the new mothers, Emma and Hope arrived at her parents' farmhouse for breakfast, with baby Elizabeth asleep in her car seat. After Regina had told her yesterday about the rumours surrounding her mother and Ruby, Emma was keen to find out whether they were true or not. However, after mother and daughter had fallen out last year, partially over Regina and Marian's wedding in New York, she'd been trying so very hard not to take Snow willingness to childcare Hope for granted. So, she decided to tread cautiously with her questions, waiting till Hope was happily playing with the Jenga bricks.
"You were in the hospital all night?"
"Most of it…" Snow yawned loudly. "I got back here just after seven this morning. Your dad's taken Neal to the diner to meet the new baby. His name Nathaniel. Natty. He's lovely, Emma! I can see a bit of Neal in him. And you too. You should go over there and meet him…"
She still felt uncomfortable about the situation. "I will. But I think I'll wait, and let them get him settled in first, you know?"
"Emma…" Snow tilted her head, eyeing her cautiously and knowing there was still an issue. "This is Ruby and Dot's baby. Your dad merely helped make it happen. Talk to me?"
"I'm fine."
"Clearly, you're not fine! As it seems you still have a problem opening up to me, perhaps you should go talk to him again?"
"Honestly, I'm fine mum!" She gave her a resigned look. "It's just - I'm still finding this a bit weird, that's all. I know you both did it for the right reasons; it's just…when you've spent most of your life on your own, without a family, any change takes a while for me, okay? I was a bit weirded when I found out you wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest, remember? And then in Neverland, when you said you wanted another baby? I didn't take that too well. At first. I'll get over it."
"I know. But we've spoken about it many times before, any no matter what I say, it always seems to come up, doesn't it? But you surely don't think your father will treat you any differently now, do you?"
"No, of course not." She took a long time sipping her tea to avoid any further discussion. Finally, she couldn't resist:
"So…how long have you known Ruby?"
"Ruby?" Snow's concerned look changed to a smile as she considered her oldest friend. "Oh, ages. We go way back to when Regina ordered one of her guards to take me out into the woods and murder me." Emma winced at the thought her best friend tried to kill her mother on numerous occasions. "You remember Graham, our sheriff? Well, Graham decided to let me go instead, and killed a boar to take it's heart back and pretend it was mine. I was completely lost out there! That's when I first discovered the dwarves. They took me in and protected me, and I met Ruby shortly after that. She didn't know she was part werewolf at the time! Not until poor Peter was killed…"
"Peter?"
"Her boyfriend. He was protecting her from a werewolf attack, and unfortunately there was a full moon. Neither of them realised at the time, and once she changed, he didn't stand a chance! Ruby was so broken after that."
"This Peter was her boyfriend? I'd always imagined she was, you know, gay?"
"Oh, she had boyfriends, although she was always more confident around women, I guess. She tended to flirt with everyone…"
"You're telling me! She's always flirting around Belle, and Mulan." Oh well, here goes… "I even heard a rumour that you two were more than close, once upon a time? Romantically, I mean." She studied her mother's face for the reaction.
Snow knew from long experience she was being played for information. "It's true."
"You were?"
"Yes. It wasn't a full-blown relationship, like your father and I, but we were 'more than close' to use your expression. Even more so than you and Regina. I guess this rumour came from her?"
Now she felt awkward. "Why would you say that?"
"Because she used to spy on us…" She said it so simply and matter-of-fact. "At the time, we already knew who her spies were, and often turned them. Unless, like poor Graham, she had hold of their hearts. It got a tip-off from her own father, Prince Henry, as to what she was doing. It saved my life!"
"Go on…"
"Henry was a good soul, and kept trying to turn her back from the darkness. But he found me and warned me she'd enchanted mirrors all over the place. In some of the inns where we used to hide. She'd used them to spy on us. Once we realised what she was doing, we played out roles in front of them, and used them to pass fake information. Your father covered and swapped two of them once, and we had most of our generals gather together to plan a fake strategy to attack her main castle. In response, she and her own royal guard tried to storm the wrong place and we were waiting for them. Thanks to the Dark One we neutralised her magic and took her prisoner. Worked a treat!"
Emma listened, fascinated. Henry knew most of these tales but to her it was all new.
"I know she's not the same woman now, but the biggest weakness of the Evil Queen was her own arrogance. She always believed people who didn't have magic were stupid. Oddly enough, when she sent half her entire royal guard to the wrong place, to capture us, a certain clever thief used it to his advantage, and his team stormed her castle and robbed half her treasury! She was livid! Funny how decades later she married him!"
"Robin? Really? How funny is that?"
"That's probably how she found out about me and Ruby. Same-sex relationships were frowned on, so we had to be discrete."
"You said this was before you and dad got together? Did you tell him?"
"Of course I did! I'd never hide anything from him; he's my true love, after all!"
"Did it bother him? You and Ruby once being so close?"
"Not at all. In fact, they were very close themselves, at one time…"
Emma's eyes bulged in shock. "Bloody hell! Are there any other skeletons in the closet you didn't think to tell me about?"
"Not really, but you did ask! I'm not ashamed of our pasts, Emma. We were all so young back then. In fact, it was because we were both so close to Ruby, and I knew how much she and Dorothy so desperately want children, that I asked your father to consider being a donor, to help them."
Emma's superpower detected that her mother was telling the truth, but there was something she was hiding. But she decided not to pursue it. "But you didn't…coerce him, or pressure him?"
"Of course not! He was a little reluctant at first, then he went away and thought about it. After that, he was fully on board. To be honest, his biggest worry about being a donor, was the effect it would have on you and Neal. Especially you, oddly enough!"
The Diner
It was around six that evening that Emma, having collected Killian from the dockyard and dropping off the children with him at home, trooped into the diner for a brief stop before heading to the sheriff station to get an update from her father on his day shift. He'd instead suggested meeting her at the diner.
She walked in to find Marian and Regina already taking coffee at a nearby table.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Swan," said Regina, trying to spoon yoghurt, unsuccessfully, into her wailing baby daughter's mouth, while a frustrated Marian wiped up an earlier spill. "It's a pity you didn't bring Elizabeth. This one's being a right handful and we could do with some calm!"
Everyone knew how their two four-month-old girls instantly calmed when they were in each other's company. How Elizabeth and Honour would automatically react to each other's moods, in sympathy, whether they were tired, excited or just needing to be changed. So much so, that they'd regularly sat for each other, knowing the nights, apart from feeding time, would be easier.
"Sorry, I dropped her off with Killian just now. Dad should be here in a minute, then I'm heading back home. You could both come over Friday night and we'll take her for the evening then?"
"Thanks for the offer," Marian wiped the baby's caked face, "but we're tied up. Perhaps next week?"
"I guess you're also here to meet your new little brother?" At that, Emma gave her best friend an irritated glare, Regina instantly glaring right back.
"What? It wasn't exactly a secret, was it? I'm sure you told Guyliner! Besides, I gather the new mothers made a public announcement here about Charming being the donor this morning!"
"What – they did?" That was a surprise.
"They did…" Marian confirmed. "According to Belle, it was rather sweet. They announced that as far as they were concerned, your mother and father gave them the best present of their lives and they regarded David, and Snow, as honorary co-parents. I spoke to Dorothy, and she said Ruby'll be out with Nathaniel once he's been fed and changed…"
"So…everyone knows?"
"Well Leroy knows!" Regina's rolled her eyes. "So, with him and Snow, it's only a matter of time before the entire town does."
As she spoke, a door opened at the back as Granny came out, holding her new great-grandson in her arms, followed by a yawning Dorothy. The Hero of Oz gave them a tired smile.
"Hiya. Ruby's sound asleep out the back, so we're letting her rest up."
Marian was the first on her feet. "Eugenia, he's gorgeous! May I hold him?
"Gladly…" The old wolf nodded, handing him over carefully, draping the shawl around him. "He's a tiring little cub. Surprisingly heavy too! Never seems to stop feeding, either. Reminds me of his grandfather, god rest his soul. His mother's shattered." As she patted him, Marian saw the ring.
"Nice sparkler you got there! Oh, and I hear congratulations are in order? We heard about you and Marco."
During all the fussing, they'd hardly noticed Emma's staring hard at the tiny bundle currently in Marian's arms, until her last comment. "Marco?"
"Have you been living under a rock today, Swan?" Regina smirked. "It appears our town carpenter finally got around to proposing to Granny yesterday."
"Oh…that's great news! Congratulations. Marco's a lovely guy. Does August know?" Even as she asked, Emma's eyes never left the baby. Marian picked up on it as she hugged him.
"He does. He spoke to August last week and told him when he bought the ring. His flight gets in tomorrow, and he's planning to come straight here."
"Emma…" Marian moved across and in front of the now seemingly-awkward Saviour, so she could see his face properly. "Would you like to hold him?" Although it was a question, the way she leaned across her, offering him, gave Emma no real choice but to take him into her own arms.
"Please hold him, Emma," said Dorothy, studying her. "He is your little brother, after all…"
"Oh well, I guess…" as she rested him against her chest, the baby's eyes slowly opened. Dark-blue irises looking up at her for the first time. The effect on Emma was instant.
"Hello there, Natty. I'm Emma. And I'm…I'm…"
"Your big sister…" Dorothy emphasised. "That is, if you want to be? We'd certainly like it if you were..."
As the nearly-one-day-old gave the tiniest smirk (probably wind, but she didn't care), Emma's heart melted. "Yeah. I think I'd like that."
None of them had noticed a tall figure who'd entered the diner a minute earlier, watching silently as he stood by the counter, a relieved smile on his face, as his son and daughter connected for the first time.
