For Day 5 of Swanfire Appreciation Week: Family Time

The waves crash in between Emma's bare toes as the salty air flows through her nose. She tilts her face upwards and allows the sun to bathe her, soaking up every ray. Her green eyes are clamped shut as she lets out a deep breath. She always loved the beach, though until Maine never found much of an excuse to go. There were a few field trips in Boston when she was living in a group home. When she realized Neal had been wrong about beaches in Tallahassee, she had driven a few hours to find one. Until she made it to Storybrooke, all of these trips felt pretty lonely.

She's spent lots of time with Henry on this beach since she first came to town. It's where Neal apologized for everything and Emma realized that she could truly give him a second chance, if not for Tamara.

Six months after they return to Storybrooke, the weather is nice enough to return. Everyone tags along, from Regina, Robin, Roland and Henry to Snow, David and baby Jacob. Even Rumpelstiltskin and Belle are in attendance. Big blankets spread out with towering umbrellas. Robin, David, Henry and Roland play a game of beach volleyball with a few other residents. Regina and Snow sit below the umbrella with Jacob, all parties lathered in sunscreen. Her father-in-law and his fiancé read books nearby.

Emma looks down beside her and finds Neal crouched down, standing Tallie up on the shore. Her daughter lets out a shriek of glee every time the water splashes against her ankles. Neal's smile matches his daughter's, keeping a tight grip on her. Decked out in a Minnie Mouse swimsuit from Grandma Snow, black and white polka dot sunglasses from Regina and her growing blonde hair in pig-tails that Emma is getting progressively better at with the help of her mother, Tallie looks like a typical beach bunny.

She crouches down beside them and puts her hand on her daughter's back. Tallie looks up at her, smiling to reveal the two teeth that have come in on the bottom. She's getting bigger with every passing day and in just a few months, she'll be a year old. Not long after that will mark a year since they've made it home.

Storybrooke is home. It's where her family is. Not just Neal, Henry and Tallie but her parents, little brother, Rumpelstiltskin, Belle and even Regina. These birds have found their permanent place to land, no matter what the storm brings.

Neal moves to sit in the wet sand, pulling Tallie into his arms. Emma joins him, looking out into the distance. The waves are soaking the bottom of her black bodysuit but she doesn't care right now. It's relaxing and far away from the madness.

"You know, I saw something on our way here," Neal says.

Emma strokes one of Tallie's pig-tails. "Oh?"

"There's a plot of land for sale. Probably only two minutes from the shore."

She pauses, meeting his eye. "Is it one of your dad's properties?"

"No. Someone had a house on it during the curse but there were some bad memories, so they demolished and moved closer to the square."

"So…hypothetically, someone could build a new home."

Neal nods. "Their dream home." A sly grin goes across his face. "And maybe they could finally move out of a certain loft."

Emma chuckles. When they first returned to Storybrooke, they stayed in the inn so Henry wouldn't get weirded out. Once the curse broke and he got his memories back, he moved back in with Regina while Emma, Neal and Tallie took the upstairs of the Snow and David's loft. It's been great living as a family, especially so Emma and her parents can connect. When Jacob was born only a month after they returned, everyone worked together to care for both babies. Now, everyone's getting bigger and slowly outgrowing the loft. Soon, Jacob and Tallie are going to need their own rooms, paired with a home that doesn't have death trap stairs. No one's wanted to make the first move and break up the team they've created but it's time.

"Henry could finally spend the night if he wanted to," she says, breaking the hypothetical of it all. "We could build a room for him."

"One for our parents too, if they ever needed to watch Tallie overnight," Neal adds.

Emma snuggles up against him and he wraps an arm tightly around her. "An office." With Regina's help, Neal has remained a social worker and revamped the foster care system in Storybrooke. More people are certified to foster and a new group home was made for those still waiting on homes.

"That'll just enable us to bring work home."

"We're going to whether we have the office or not," she points out. Emma and David have expanded the station a bit, hiring on more staff so they can spend time with the family. They still end up with more paperwork as co-sheriffs.

"True." He nuzzles his face against hers. "You wanna do it? Build a house with me? Just minutes from the beach, like I promised you all those years ago."

Emma considers. It'd be a lot of time, work and money. They'd still have to live in the loft while it was complete. But it'd be something that was all theirs. Something they could design together and love every part of, instead of making compromises with buying.

"Let's build a house."