CH.19
Emma had a whirlwind of emotions when she moved into their home but after a while she found a comfortable balance. She still saw her parents almost daily but now her adult life had moved to her home town.
Things were going great at the new house. Their family and friends helped them move in and get their place into livable condition. It only took a few weeks for her father to get the list of issues fixed that he'd found during his initial walk through of the house.
They'd found a dining table and dining chairs at an estate sale and her parents gave them a pair of comfortable recliners for their cozy living room. They decided to keep their little couch but had it reupholstered at Gepetto's in town to match with the recliners.
She'd also been working tirelessly to keep up with her school work, helping in the café and helping Killian with their business. She was so happy that school would be over in just a few short weeks so she could catch her breath. Time also seemed to be moving faster since she met Killian.
It was no more apparent than when she saw Elsa. The new baby Jones was fast approaching and everyone was excited. Killian couldn't wait to be an uncle, Liam couldn't wait to be a father and don't even get her started on Elsa. She was often caught hugging her belly when she thought no one was looking.
Her father finally went back to work at the café once the doctor gave him clearance. It was nice to have everything go back to normal. Her parents were so happy together and they seemed to have a renewed spark since the incident. The adoring looks they would share across the diner were so sweet that she couldn't help but smile when she caught them. She only hoped her relationship would as strong as theirs after so many years.
She'd also been helping at the Snowflake cafe to give Elsa a little break. They were in the process of looking for someone to work there temporarily until after she'd had the baby but Elsa seemed to be very picky. She thought maybe Elsa was delaying the hire so she'd be able to keep working. She could tell Elsa was anxious to have the baby.
She was happy to work with Killian whenever she could so the time she spent at the Snowflake was a perk. They were a great team and they had a lot of fun cooking together. They also put Elsa's amazing scones to work every Thursday AM as a morning special. They were almost as popular as her mother's cinnamon buns. The first morning they served them Elsa stood in back, tears in her eyes and smiling. She blamed it on the pregnancy hormones but she could see the pride written all over her face.
Liam's business at the docks was taking off and he was also looking to hire some people to help. He and Elsa were having great success in Storybrooke, more than they'd hoped for when they settled into the small town. As much as they wanted success, neither of them planned to have it happen so fast.
Elsa's sister Anna and brother in law Kristoff were coming to town soon. The plan was for Anna to help Elsa with the baby and café while Kristoff planned to help Liam with the business since he claimed he wasn't too good with babies. Elsa mentioned Kristoff was great with animals but scared of babies. The more she heard about Elsa's family the more she wanted to meet them.
Along with everything else she'd been doing she still had time to secretly plan a baby shower for Elsa with her mother. They were trying to time the shower to coincide with Anna's arrival so that Elsa could have her family there too. Now that she and Killian had their own place, they decided it was the perfect venue for the party.
Elsa would never suspect that they would have the party there, if she suspected a party at all. They just had to keep her away for a few days so that they could do the insane amount of decorating that was needed to fulfill the vision that her mother designed. The theme she came up with was a baby jungle animal theme. The decorations were adorable. She and her mother spent hours making party favors that included animal shaped chocolates and candies.
They had an elaborate scheme setup to get her to the party that involved several family members. They arranged for Anna to come in 2 days early, one day to recover from jet lag and another for her to meet everyone.
Killian picked up the quirky couple at the airport and brought them directly to their house. They were so tired from the flight and time change that they barely had time for a meet and greet before they went to bed.
Her mother made it just in time to say hello before the pair was out for the night. They had a long night of decorating planned. She enjoyed spending the time with her, since she'd moved out they hadn't seen each other in the off hours quite as much. While they were decorating that night, they came up with an amazing idea for Elsa's cake. Her mother would begin the work the next morning.
The day of the party finally arrived and began very early, too early considering the late night before but it would be worth it. During a hearty breakfast, she got to know both Anna and Kristoff better. Kristoff was quite the eater and Anna was a very enthusiastic story teller. She learned early on to just let her go and enjoy because there was no way she was getting a word in.
Liam arrived early to pick up Kristoff and head to the docks. Liam was hoping to woo Kristoff into coming to live in Storybrooke for two reasons, his wife would have her family close and Kristoff was a great captain. The men knew to stay away until later that evening when the party was winding down. Killian planned to join them after he assisted in getting Elsa to the party. They were going to have a boy's night out, which meant dinner and pints at Doc's ale house.
Killian was cleaning up in the kitchen as she sat and finished her breakfast. He'd made his amazing pancakes and included a shot of expresso in her coffee that morning, knowing how tired she was. She smiled as she watched him buzz around their little kitchen. "You remember the plan right?"
"Aye Love. I'll tell Elsa that you've got to finish a paper so you couldn't make it this morning. Liam will call later and tell her he can't bring her home. I'll offer to drive her home and suggest she have dinner with us."
She pressed a kiss into the back of his shoulder as he continued drying the dishes." Yes, that's perfect."
He grinned. "Are you ready? This will be the first big party we'll have in our home."
She smiled at the way he said our home. "Yes, I'll be ready. Mom's coming over to help me when she finishes up the lunch shift. My Dad will pick it up from there, he'll meet you guys later at Doc's."
Killian turned to face her caressing the side of her face. "I can't thank you both enough for doing this for Elsa and Liam. It means the world to me."
She looked into his beautiful blue eyes and smiled. "I love them like they are my family. I'm happy to do this for them and for you."
He kissed her gently. "They love you too. "
Emma looked at the time. "Oh, Killian you better get going or you will be late!"
He kissed her quickly before turning to grab his keys. "Alright, see you later."
She waved as he disappeared out the door and turned to find Anna smiling. "Oh, Hi Anna."
"Don't mind me but you two are just adorable love birds. I'm so happy that Killian found you. He really is just so happy. I can see it written all over his face." Babbled Anna.
She let out a soft breath and felt the warmth bubble within her. "I'm happy too."
"So what should we do now? Should we get started? I can't wait to see my sister. She's going to be so surprised and the baby, I can't believe the baby will be here soon. I'm going to be an Aunt!" beamed Anna.
"Um, how about we get ourselves ready first and then we get things ready for the party. My mother will be by to help us later too. She will also be bringing the cake."
Anna nodded. "Good idea, I know if I get started I'll just look like a wreck in front of everyone."
"Ok, you can take the bathroom upstairs and I'll use the one down here."
Anna rushed forward and hugged her. "Thank you Emma. You don't know how much I appreciate this. I love my sister and miss her so much. It makes me feel better knowing she has you all as family too. Ooh, I can't wait to see Elsa! Yeah!"
Emma hugged her tight. "Of course. I think of Elsa and Liam as my family too. I'm happy to do it. Now go on and get ready or we will both look a wreck."
"Ok, be back soon!"
She was right. The day flew by with every task and there would have been no time to prepare themselves if they'd waited.
They had all the food ready by the time her mother arrived with the beautiful cake. She had done her best work, the colors were vibrant and each tiny animal that she sculpted had a little smile on its face. The top tier had a stork holding a patchwork blue and pink bundle. The secretive pair still didn't let on what the gender of the baby would be. They'd all know soon enough.
Snow looked around at the room. "Emma, the place looks great. It's just like I pictured it."
After placing the cake in its special spot she turned to face her. "Now it's perfect."
Snow nodded with a satisfied look on his face.
Anna rushed forward. "Mrs. Nolan this is just so wonderful. Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into this. I don't think I could have dreamed of a better cake for her."
Snow smiled. "I'm so happy I could do this for Elsa. We are all so excited to meet the new baby."
Emma smoothed over one of the throw pillows and looked at the clock. "The guests will be arriving soon."
"Is there anything else we need to do?" asked Snow.
Emma stood and folded her arms as she looked around at the beautiful room. "No, now we wait."
The guests began arriving right on time. She ushered in the guests and quickly introduced them to Anna. Her mother soaked in the expressions of aw that each guest had when they saw the cake and the room.
As the room filled her anxiety eased and she the realization dawned on her that for the first time since they'd moved in the rooms were full of life. She loved seeing all the smiling faces. Her home reminded her of her parents' home, that special, comfortable, open feel that made their guests feel welcome. That was all she could have hoped for.
Her mother was in her element, talking to all the guests. Anna was busy greeting everyone and telling them little stories about her childhood with Elsa back home.
Killian called right on time to give her the signal they were leaving. She knew they would be arriving soon and she couldn't wait to see Elsa's reaction. She clinked her spoon against her glass to get their guests attention. "Attention everyone, they are going to be here any minute!" she called out.
Anna came running towards the door. "I'm here, I'm ready! Yeah!"
She felt a gentle press of her mother's hand on her shoulder. She looked over and smiled. "It's time."
Snow smiled. "You know one day this could be a party for you."
She felt her stomach flip at the thought of having a baby herself. "Mom, don't get ahead of yourself. We aren't even engaged."
"Don't tell me you hadn't thought about it."
She smiled. "Maybe but for right now, I'm just looking to graduate. I promise, one day you'll be a grandmother."
She saw tears begin to fill the corners of her mother's eyes. "I hope so."
She hugged her tight but was quickly brought back to reality by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.
The room went quiet as they waited for her to come through the door.
They heard the doorknob turn. "Killian are you sure that Emma won't mind me coming for dinner?"
As soon as the door opened everyone yelled." Surprise!"
Elsa stepped back in shock and a smile immediately grew on her face. "Oh my goodness."
Anna rushed forward and hugged her sister. "Elsa! I'm so happy to see you."
"Anna! You're here!"
She felt Killian's warm hand wrap around hers. She looked up to see him smiling down on her. "This place looks amazing."
She smiled. "Look how happy she is."
Killian laughed as he watched Anna rubbing circles on Elsa's belly. "Come on let's get her to a seat."
"Elsa, come this way. We have a special chair for you." Said Emma.
Elsa stepped forward and hugged her tight. "Emma, I can't believe you did this. It's amazing."
"Oh, I had a lot of help. My mother was the mastermind. I just followed orders." Said Emma.
Elsa reached forward to hug Snow. "Oh Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Oh, Dear. We were so happy to do this for you. Now, come on and let's get you a seat."
Elsa rubbed her hand over her belly and smiled.
Anna grabbed her hand. "Right this way."
Killian grabbed hold of her hand before she could follow the happy sisters. "Love, I'm going to go meet up with the guys."
She jumped into him and he happily wrapped his arms around her pressing a soft kiss to her head. " I love you." She whispered into his chest.
"I love you too. I'll see you soon."
The sound of oohs and ahs brought them out of their little love bubble. " Ok, go on. I want to see her open the gifts."
He nodded and quickly ducked out towards the door.
She walked over and stood next to her mother. "We did it."
Snow smiled. "Look how happy she is."
"I can't wait to see her face when she sees the cake. You really outdid yourself."
"I had so much fun making that. I have to admit though, I had a little help."
"What? You left so late. Dad?"
Snow smiled. "Yep, he helped sculpt the monkeys and the lions."
"Wow, I didn't know he could do that."
Snow nodded. "Your father is a man of many talents."
"Good to know. "
"Honey, I'm going to get Elsa a plate. She must be hungry."
"Good idea. I'm going to start grabbing the open gifts and bringing them to the side room so that it will be easy for Liam to take out and load in the car."
Anna took notes while Elsa opened each of the gifts. By the time Elsa had reached the last of the gifts her cheeks were flushed rosy and the side room was full. She watched as Elsa took a deep breath and smoothed her hand over her baby bump.
"Elsa, are you ok?"
Elsa took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm ok. I've been feeling contractions here and there."
Her eyebrows raised." What? Are you in labor?"
The women around them all turned their heads towards them. Elsa adjusted her position in the chair. "No, I'm sure it's just false labor. I have two more weeks til this wee one comes."
Anna piped up. "Can I get you something? Drink? Pillow? Footstool? It's no trouble, just let me know what you need."
Elsa laughed. "I've missed you Anna."
Anna smiled. "I've missed you too."
"When did you get here?" asked Elsa.
"Oh, two nights ago. Emma and Killian let us stay with them."
"Thank you Emma. I can't believe they were here and you kept it secret!"
Anna nodded. "Oh, believe me it was hard. I really really wanted to come see you right away but I wanted to surprise you more. We also crashed out the first night we were here. I'm afraid we were not good company but we couldn't help it. That flight was long and you know Kristoff."
Elsa laughed again. "I can't wait for you to see the Snowflake in person. The video doesn't do the place justice."
"Oh me too!"
"Will you be coming back with me tonight or staying here?" asked Elsa.
Anna looked to Emma and then back to Elsa. "That depends. Emma, do you need us to stay and help?"
Emma shook her head. "Anna, no. You should go and be with Elsa. Don't worry about the cleaning. Killian and I will take care of everything. It is our pleasure."
Anna hugged her. "Thank you."
"Good, then it's settled. You come home with me. Besides, I'm going to need your help getting all these adorable little things setup for baby Jones."
"Oh Elsa, you're going to be a mom."
Elsa laughed." I know, I can't believe it."
Emma watched the two sisters interacting. It was sweet how they cared for each other.
"Emma, do you know where we put the rest of the spinach dip?" called her mother.
She pat Anna on the shoulder. "Duty calls."
She quickly walked to the kitchen to help her mom with the food. "I believe it's in the back of the fridge, in that cool whip container."
Snow grabbed the container from the back of the refrigerator and it was much heavier than it appeared. "Oh ok. This is your storage?"
Emma smiled. "Yep, well I don't have a lot of kitchenware yet so we recycle."
Snow refilled the dip bowl. "Nothing wrong with that. I didn't really get a lot of my household things until we got married."
Emma nodded as she grabbed a few other containers from the refrigerator so that she could fill up the other bowls too.
"Mom, did you see the bassinet that Anna gave Elsa?"
"Yes, it's beautiful. I can't believe that Kristoff carved those beautiful animal designs."
"I know, it's amazing. Everyone was commenting on how amazing it was. Anna was so proud."
"Honey she loved your gift too, that handmade quilt is so sweet. The little animals are adorable."
"I was relieved to see that she liked it. I ordered it from Granny when she told us she was doing an animal theme room for the baby."
Snow closed the last container and smiled. "I've also heard a number of people comment about your home."
Emma looked around at everyone mingling. "I know. I just wanted my home to be a warm open place, just like your house."
Snow touched her hand to her heart. "Aw, Emma. That's so nice. I've always tried to make people feel welcome when they come to our home."
"They do Mom, they always do."
"I think it's time to play the games. What do you think?"
Emma grabbed the bag of baby shower games. "You just read my mind."
"Let's gather everyone up."
Emma grabbed the spoon and clinked it against her glass. "Ok everyone, time for games."
The crowd of people moved towards Elsa.
"Yeah, baby games!" called Anna.
Elsa moved around in her chair and propped her foot up on the pillow on top of the stool that Anna brought over. "Ah, that feels better."
"My little niece or nephew is giving you a hard time huh?" asked Anna.
"I'm ready to get this baby out. I hate to complain but I really want to hold him or her." Said Elsa.
"Not too much longer." Said Snow.
Elsa took a deep breath. " I know. Ok, let's play some games!"
Emma handed out the game cards to everyone along with pens. "The person who gets the most answers correct wins the prize."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~E&K~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Killian arrived to find Kristoff and Liam sitting at the bar. Mr. Nolan wasn't there yet.
"Hey! Killian over here!" called Liam.
He walked over and slid onto the stool next to Liam. "I'll have a pint of what they're drinking." Said Killian to the waiting bartender.
"Everything ok?" asked Liam.
"Oh yes, Elsa was so surprised and happy to see everyone. Especially Anna."
Liam smiled. "Oh, I'm so happy to hear that."
Killian felt a clap on his back. " Hey guys."
"Hey David. Grab a stool. Get this man a pint!" said Liam.
"How did everything go? Was Elsa surprised?" asked David.
Killian took a sip of his fresh pint of beer. "Yes, Snow and Emma outdid themselves. Their decorations were amazing and the cake. Wow that cake was beautiful."
David smiled. "I helped with the cake a little."
Killian cocked his head to the side." Oh yeah? I didn't know you baked."
David sipped his beer. " I didn't bake, that was all Snow. I helped make a few of the animals."
"Wow, really? They looked great."
"Thanks! That I can take credit for." Said David.
"I hope Elsa liked our gift." Said Kristoff.
"I guess we'll find out but I'm sure she loved it." Said Liam.
Kristoff smiled proudly and took as sip of his beer.
"You guys want a table?" asked the bartender.
"Yeah, thanks mate."
"They have a great roast beef sandwich here." Said David.
"Great, let's eat. I'm starving." Said Kristoff.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~E&K~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the guests started leaving Emma began straightening up. She figured she would get a jump on things. She also packed up some of the food for Elsa to take home with her. Her mother tried to help but she ushered her back into the room with the remaining guests and told her to sit back and relax.
As the last guest left she looked back to see her mother sitting with Anna and Elsa. They were laughing and admiring all the little clothing that was given to her. She couldn't help but think about being in that seat one day and smiling. She would love to have a family with Killian. She knew he would be a great father.
She turned to put the containers back in the refrigerator and when she looked back her mother was walking towards her frantically. "What's up?"
"Honey, we need to take Elsa to the hospital. Her water just broke!" said Snow.
"Oh my gosh! Ok, Let's go. Um call Liam and tell him to meet us." Said Emma.
She grabbed her keys, Anna was already walking Elsa towards the door. "You ready?" asked Emma.
Elsa breathed. " Oh yeah, let's get this baby out!"
"Yeah! I'm going to be an Aunt." Said Anna.
Snow called David. "Honey, It's time. Get the guys and meet us at the hospital."
Emma helped Elsa into the front seat while Snow and Anna slid into the back. "Buckle up!"
Elsa smiled and did as she was told. Emma closed the door and ran around to the driver's side. "Ok everyone, It's baby time!"
"Dad is going to bring everyone over. They'd had a couple of pints already before he got there." Said Snow.
Elsa breathed. "We're having a baby."
Snow put her hand on her shoulder and smiled." You're having a baby."
~~~~~~~~~~~~E&K~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Guys, that was Snow. We need to go to the hospital." Said David.
The men stopped eating all at once. "What's wrong?" asked Killian.
"Elsa's having the baby." Said David.
Liam popped up immediately. " I gotta go."
"Hold on, calm down. I'll drive us over." Said David.
Liam nodded.
"Brother, are you ready?" asked Killian.
"Elsa's going to do all the work. I'm just worried."
David put the money on the table to cover their bill. "Ok guys, let's go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~E&K~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma got them to the hospital in record time. They pulled right up to the emergency room entrance and had Elsa ushered in with a wheel chair. Her contractions had gotten stronger and her usually dignified demeaner was cracking.
"Don't worry Elsa, it's going to be alright." Said Anna.
Elsa breathed through the pain. " I know, I'm just thinking about the baby."
Liam came rushing in the door and up to his wife." I'm here, I'm here."
"You're the father?" asked the nurse.
He squeezed Elsa's shoulder." Yes."
She pushed a clipboard towards him. "Ok, fill this out please. We are going to take her back."
The rest of the guys came strolling in towards them just as Anna and Elsa were being guided back with the orderly towards her room.
"Good Luck Elsa." Said Emma.
Elsa rubbed her hand over her belly and nodded.
Killian grabbed her hand. "Is she ok?"
Emma realized she'd been holding her breath. "Yes, she's excited, anxious and in some pain. Her water broke at the house so it won't be too long."
Killian nodded. He looked over to his brother frantically filling out the paperwork. "Liam, can I help?"
Liam looked up. "Do you think you could help with this? I really want to be with Elsa?"
He took the clipboard and Liam's wallet. "Go to your wife."
Liam hugged him. "Thanks brother."
~~~~~~E&K~~~~~~~~
Two hours later and Ingrid Alice Jones was born. The little princess would carry both of their mother's names.