Favourite story

A guest asked for a oneshot of so very politely of Snow reading Neal a well-known bedtime story every night. One night, Emma wants to cuddle up and hear the story too. I've chosen my favourite children's book "Guess how much I love you",

As I've already written similar chapters with an adult Emma, I've lowered the age gap to 5 years for this chapter.

Emma was still adjusting to being a big sister. She had only broken the curse about eighteen months ago, and she had been put back into the system before that because the Swans were going to have a baby. So it was understandable that throughout the pregnancy, Emma had been worried her mommy and daddy would send her away again when the baby came. Of course, that was never going to happen. Snow and Charming loved Emma just as much as her new baby brother. But still, Emma was still warming up to the whole idea. So when she woke up one night needing to pee, she got a little upset when she heard her mommy reading Neal their bedtime book. For months, it was the only book Emma wanted read to her at bedtime, it was an important part of her routine. As she got older, she enjoyed having a variety of books read to her, but she still had a special place in her heart for Guess how much I love you. Emma stood at the doorway of the living room and just listened to her mommy as she read the book to Neal.

"Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare's very long ears." Emma stuck her thumb in her mouth as her mommy turned the page. She wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep now. Not without their story. So she tottered into the room and clambered up onto the couch beside her mommy and Neal.

"Well hello there." Snow greeted her daughter. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Emma nodded.

"Had to pee." She said quietly. "I heard you reading to Neal. I want to be read the story." Emma pouted. Snow smiled. She understood Emma's jealousy. If it made her feel more at ease, she would of course allow Emma to share this story time with her baby brother. It might actually be a great way for them to bond going forward. Snow made Neal secure in one arm and brought Emma onto her knee so she could still turn the pages in the book.

"Ok princess." She said, kissing her forehead. "Let's keep reading then."

Snow continued to read the story to her children. Although she didn't really need the book in front of her to do so. She had read the story so many times to Emma, as had Charming, that they both knew it off by heart.

About halfway through the book, Neal drifted off. As if then content that she had stayed up later than her brother, just a couple of pages before the end, Emma also fell asleep. Snow smiled down at her sleeping babes as she turned over to the last page.

"Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, "I love you right up to the moon- and back." The end". She said, kissing each sleeping child's head.

"I love you both to the moon and back." She told them, carefully dropping the book and picking up each child with one arm to bring them both to bed, since Charming was already asleep. She had a sneaking suspicion "Guess how much I love you" was going to be back to number one on Emma's bedtime reading chart.