a/n: some scenes attempted to run away again but i managed to rein them in. david here is full of bright ideas i think. lol. last chapter, but more charming family goodness up ahead. enjoy!


"Emmaemmaemmaemmaemmaemma!" Neal yelled when Emma and David came home. He jumped in Emma's outstretched arms.

"Hey, what's up, kid?" Emma asked, giving Neal a kiss on both cheeks.

"I have a surprise for you! Come on!" Neal excitedly pulled his sister into the living room.

"Oh-kay..." Emma shared a look with Snow and David.

Snow smiled. "You heard your brother. Just go."

Neal led Emma to the couch and made her sit down. "Wait here, Em," he instructed her and then skipped to the kitchen.

Emma was now bursting with curiosity. But she didn't have to wait long as Neal ran back in almost immediately. He brandished the shirt he made for Emma near her face. The yellow t-shirt in his hands was decorated with colourful hand prints shaped into a square with the words "Best Sister In The World" in it.

"Do you like it?" Neal asked hopefully. "Mommy helped me!"

Surprised and touched, Emma had to swallow the lump in her throat. "I love it, Neal. Thank you!" she wrapped Neal in a bear hug. Then she eased back, grinning at him as mysteriously as she could through glistening eyes.

"You know what little guy, I also have a surprise for you. One of my own would be too big for you, but here... " Emma took out the shirt she made for Neal and unfolded it. "I made this for the world's best little brother." She pointed to each word inside the heart hand prints so Neal would know what they said.

Neal's eyes grew big as saucers. "Wow! This is for me?"

"Yup! Let's see how it looks on you." Emma helped her brother put on the shirt. "Wow. Who's the handsome boy?"

"Me!" Neal shouted gleefully. "Thank you, Emma! This is awesome!" He and his sister shared another hug.

Snow wiped her eyes as she and David gazed lovingly at their children. "Well, I love the shirts they made for us too. Don't we have the sweetest kids, David?"

"That we do, Snow." David slung an arm around his wife. He then cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone. "Okay, now that we all have shirts that look the practically the same, how about we wear them and go on a picnic tomorrow?" he asked enthusiastically. He was met with cheers of approval from his wife and son. His daughter was another matter however. She was gawking at him like he suggested they eat spider pies for dinner.

"Oh hell, no!" Emma griped.

"Language!" Snow and David scolded at the same time.

"Sorry. But no way! That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." Emma shook her head vigorously. "Nuh-uh! I'm not going outside wearing the same thing as you guys!"

"Oh come on, Em, it'll be fun!" Snow coaxed. "I can't wait to wear my "World's Best Mom" shirt!"

"And I want everyone to know that I'm the greatest dad in the world!" David added.

"You've got to be kidding me." Emma muttered.

"Please?" This came from Neal, who turned on his puppy-dog eyes.

Cornered, Emma could only stare aghast at her eager family. "Ohh, boy."

Good thing she has an assortment of jackets to choose from. And luckily for her, Snow and David just raised their eyebrows the next day when she came down the stairs wearing her favourite red leather jacket all zipped up. She just shrugged nonchalantly and raced Neal out the door. After all, she's still wearing the shirt underneath. There was no rule that she couldn't hide it.

But of course the day got warmer and Emma had no choice but to remove her jacket. She felt self-conscious at first but as the picnic went on, she forgot all about appearances and began to really let loose. She ran around playing tag with Neal, laughing wildly as she jumped out of trees scaring him and then chasing her brother around again.

Snow watched her children warmly as the game unfolded before her. She turned to David. "It's really nice to see Emma relax like that, like she has no care in the world."

David nodded in agreement. "She's lost a lot growing up. It's important that she gets to be like a kid sometimes even if she's in her thirties now."

"Which is why it's kind of hard to see the huge age gap between her and Neal when she's like this, carefree and having fun." Snow said. "I think it's cute."

"True. Almost as cute as I think you are." David grinned mischievously.

Snow looked at him with heavy lidded eyes. "You think?"

"I know." David kissed Snow passionately. They broke off the kiss when cries of "Eww!" and "Gross!" filled the air.

"Get a room, you guys!" Emma called out.


Back home, when everyone had settled in for the night, Emma laid back in her bed still in high spirits. The day had turned out to be one of the best she'd ever had with her family. She was actually glad that they made her wear the t-shirt. Emma never felt more connected with her brother and especially her parents than that time. And even if the circumstances that brought it about was less than satisfactory, she was grateful it happened.

Emma smiled as she thumbed the corner of her baby blanket with the colourful hand prints beside her name. Yup, she thought sleepily. Her beloved baby blanket looks real different now. But the history and the love behind it-from Granny knitting it to her being wrapped in it lovingly by her parents; to how her father valiantly fought off the Black Knights to get her through the wardrobe, and to how the blanket gave her comfort time and again before finally meeting her parents-they cannot ever be taken away.

And now? Neal's little hand prints shone brightly against the moonlight. Another reminder that she will never be alone ever again, that she is loved more than she will ever know.

With that comforting thought, Emma held the baby blanket closer to her chest and fell asleep.

fin.