Meeting Charming's friends
Petrobella asked for a oneshot of Charming introducing his friends from the EF to his family.
Lads, I said on the last chapter that I'm not taking any new request.
Life had been so crazy in the Enchanted Forest before the curse hit. Charming and Snow had enjoyed a whirlwind romance before their marriage. They found out they were pregnant with Emma not long after that. Then, of course, they had Regina's curse to contend with. In between all that, Charming didn't really have many opportunities to return to his village and meet with his childhood friends. Not since his mother's death. It was only a few years after the curse broke in Storybrooke he found some of them again. He was elated. These people had known him since he was a boy! He had to introduce them to his family. So he organised a meal at Granny's to allow them all to meet up.
As soon as they arrived in the door, Charming jumped out of the booth to greet them. Snow loved seeing her husband so happy. She could almost see a childlike glint in his eye. It was almost like he was ten years old again. But to Charming, it was better than that. He beckoned his friends over to the large booth near the back.
"Guys, meet my family. Family meet Edward, Rufus and Nathen. These three were the ones who got me into so much trouble as a child."
"Yeah, sure, we were the ones getting you into trouble." One of the men grinned back. Charming laughed.
"Guys, this is my beautiful wife, Snow White. Our amazing daughter, Emma. Our awesome grandson, Henry. Last but not least, our cute little boy Neal." Charming said, proudly introducing each member of his family in turn. Emma smiled awkwardly. She could see the three men's questioning gaze. Everyone did when they found out their situation. Charming smiled.
"Emma wasn't affected by the first curse. She grew up in this world." Charming explained, answering their unspoken question. They nodded, clearly slightly uncomfortable.
"Come and sit down." Snow said, breaking the tension. The three men slid in and Snow began some small talk to ease everyone in. Charming subtly patted Emma's back, knowing meeting new people was hard for her, especially when her childhood came up.
Within an hour or so, the group were laughing and joking in equal measure. There were many plans in the pipeline for future meetups. Nathen, in particular, had taken to baby Neal. Rufus enjoyed Henry's enthusiasm and both Edward and Emma had a love of the Rocky movies. Snow was just delighted to see Charming with his friends again, and to be part of it. Charming was so pleased it was going so well. He had hoped it would. Now he had found his friends, they could be involved with his family, in ways, creating a new branch to their (already complicated) family tree.
