(Belated) Day 12 of Femslash February: Plain

Their children don't have favorites, but it's no secret that with four kids and four parents, they each have one they drift to more often than not. Henry and Regina have a bond, deeper than any of them will ever understand. Killian gets Alice the most. Neal follows Snow around.

Emma has been attached to David since day one. He was the first to hold her. And given how tiny she was, she benefited from a lot of skin to skin. Given he had the lesser duties versus Regina and Killian, she practically lived on his chest when she wasn't feeding from Snow's. David loves all of his children, but he's most protective of Emma. She's smaller than Neal, despite him being younger. She gets sick easily. Everyone can see the most of him in that little girl.

Which is why when he's on a good will mission with Killian and Emma comes down with the flu, Snow feels at a loss of what to do.

She knows her daughter. Emma is brave, strong, stubborn. She's hated vegetables from even inside the womb. Instead of tea parties, she'd rather wrestle in the mud with her brothers.

And yet, she doesn't know how to get her to take her medicine.

"Please, Emmy, it'll help you feel better," Snow pleads. Emma shakes her head, keeping her mouth clamped shut. "I know it doesn't taste that great, but it'll be over in two seconds." Blonde curls flurry around Emma's face. "Okay, if you take it, I'll get you a piece of chocolate."

"Emma." The two heads turn to find Regina standing in the doorway. She's holding a wooden bowl. "It's okay, darling. You don't have to take your medicine."

"Regina!"

"Snow, she doesn't want to take it, she doesn't have to take it."

Emma's pale face lights up, just a little. "Thank you, Mama."

"Now, you need to eat, so you can keep your strength up."

Emma nods. Regina walks closer and Snow gets a peek in the bowl. It's just a plain broth, no veggies but also nothing appealing to their 4-year-old. Regina holds up a spoon and holds it to Emma's lips, she eats it and then expectantly opens her mouth for more. Snow regards her wife carefully. Their daughter is the pickiest eater. How the hell did the chefs make this appetizing?

Emma eats the entire bowl before grabbing hold of her baby blanket and softly drifting off to sleep. Snow runs her fingers through Emma's tangled curls, tilting her head.

"What did you do?"

"Slipped the medicine in the broth."

Snow smiles partially. "But wouldn't she taste it? And the broth was still clear."

"One of the first spells I ever learned was how to make even the most unappetizing foods taste good. To Emma, that tasted like chocolate cake with none of the sugar."

"You're an evil genius."

Regina shrugs, placing the bowl on the nightstand. "I don't use it often. I want the kids to actually learn their preferences and know it's okay to not like something." She pauses, a pained look taking over her eyes. Snow squeezes her hand, trying to gravitate her back to the present.

"You're not with her, Regina," Snow whispers. "And you're nothing like her."

"I know that." Regina's smile isn't convincing, but she carries on. "Anyway, this seemed like a desperate measure."

"I'd say so." Snow sighs, shaking her head. "I feel guilty, you know? If David were here, he would've figured this out sooner."

"David isn't a miracle worker. He just…gets Emma."

"Sometimes I wonder…is it because of what happened when she was born?" Regina's mouth drops open. "I mean, I didn't hold her for hours. With Neal, they put him on my chest right away and we bonded. Same with Alice and Henry. I didn't give birth with them, but I felt we connected from the start. With Emma, I was so sick and all I could be those first few weeks was a source for milk. It took so long before we really had that pull. Maybe she somehow remembers…"

"That's not what this is, Snow."

Regina cups her face, gently rubbing her thumb from Snow's temple down to her chin. Snow melts into her touch, feeling the exhaustion for the first time all day. Between meetings, helping an ill Emma and keeping up with their other children, she's barely slept these past few days.

"Emma loves you, and she knows how much you love her. The fact that she gives you a hard time proves that."

"How do you figure?"

"When I was younger, I was always afraid to talk back to my mother or express I was unhappy. I had to force a smile on my face or deal with her wrath. But my father? I could get mad, rant, rave…and he'd still be there. He never got mad at me for being a kid. I knew he was safe. That's Emma with all of us. She knows she can be feisty, disagree and we're still going to love her in the end."

Snow gazes down at her daughter, pushing a lock of hair from her face. On the outside, she's a mix of both her and David. His blonde curls and charming smile. Her green eyes and pointed chin. Beneath the surface, she gets the stubbornness and determination from them both.

"I can just tell…she's going to be our most challenging child. And that's not a bad thing. I like a challenge." Snow shrugs. "I just hope she always knows I love her. That I'm in her corner. Even when it doesn't look like it."

"She may not always know. At some point when she's a teenager, she'll hate us all." Snow gives her a Look and Regina chuckles. "Look at our beloved Alice. On the brink of puberty and you know there are days even Killian gets on her nerves."

Snow groans. "Can we just freeze them in time? Keep them little forever?"

"You know that's not possible." Snow leans back against her and Regina wraps her arms around Snow's torso. "But at the very least, we'll have each other to get us through these trying times."

"I think we need to reinstate the rule that no more than two of us can leave at the time. I know it's not always practical, but even with both Johanna and Stace, I feel one would drown between duties and the kids."

"That can definitely be arranged. We'll talk about it with David and Killian when they get back." She kisses her temple. "In the meantime, how about I get you some food? The chef made everyone else soup that's actually tasty."

"Mmm. I don't think I've had a bite to eat all day."

"You'd have my a-s-s if that were me."

"Well luckily for you, who's the dominate of this relationship?"

Regina rolls her eyes. "That still seems unfair."

"Uh huh. Soup, please."

"Of course, my spoiled alpha queen."