Thirty years later

FanOfMostasked for a oneshot of the whole family watching the news and it being mentioned that it had been 30 years since a baby girl was found on the side of the road wrapped in a homemade blanket. Don't worry, the chapter isn't really about her birthday so that rule doesn't apply here :).

It had been a brilliant day. There had been fun, there had been laughter, there had been love. Snow and Charming especially loved being able to celebrate Emma's birthday with her. They tried to pack so many birthdays into one to make up for all the ones they missed. Henry loved being able to flex his creative muscles to create his mom some pretty awesome presents. Emma, of course, had just been happy to be surrounded by her loved ones. Now the day was drawing to a close and they were just flicking through the channels before bed. They decided to quickly catch the headlines before calling it a night.

Nothing eventful. It was a night of filler news. They were about to give up on it completely when the newsreader started a new segment that began with a very familiar picture.

"And finally for tonight folks. It's been thirty years since baby Emma was found on the side of the road and captured our hearts with her little homemade blanket. We were unable to find Emma for an interview, but should she be watching tonight, we hope she is well. Neither parent came forward to collect Emma before she was placed into foster care." The newsreader then closed off and the channel changed to commercials. The family just stared at the screen.

"Well that was unexpected." Emma said. "It's not every night you find yourself on the news. Think I should ring them up and say that I found my parents? Tell the world they're fairytale characters and we're living happily ever after?" Emma joked.

"Don't forget to tell them your boyfriend's Captain Hook. They'll love that before you're sent away in a white van." Henry added.

"Well, we could always ring them up ourselves and say we did come forward…slightly later than hoped." Charming piped up. "I hate the way this world thinks we just abandoned you at the side of a road." Charming grimaced.

"Agreed." Snow sighed. "It makes us seem so cold."

"Well, who cares what they all think? What do any of them know?" Emma said, defending her parents. "We know the truth, and that's what matters. We know this family sticks together. So they can still that in their little where are they now section and be grateful I'm not suing them for using my picture without my permission." Emma didn't care if the world still thought she was still poor little orphan Emma. She knew she had a family who loved her, and that was all that mattered to her. That was the best birthday present she could have asked for.