8
~ The Best Kind of Magic ~
"Ahhh...Belle you better tell Rumple to haul ass because Aria is NOT waiting much longer!" Emma was yelling while they were helping her out of the cab and into a wheelchair.
"I called him, honey. He's on his way," Belle assured her daughter-in-law.
"It's gonna be okay Em," Bae soothed. She glared at him.
"You trying to be funny Gold? Should ask your father if there is some kind of spell to make YOU feel this and then tell me everything's gonna be okay!"
The only upside was that this time she wasn't handcuffed to the bed and wouldn't be giving her baby up for adoption as soon as it was born, believing she couldn't be a mother. Thanks to her father-in-law and his friends, she had all the proof she needed that she would make a good one.
Bae looked sick for a moment. "I thought . . .it'd be easier the second time around . . ." He wished his father were there already, he felt like he was going to explode from the anxiety he was feeling and he could just imagine that Emma felt ten times worse than he did and he was now feeling guilty.
"Ummm...NO...whatever gave you THAT idea!" Emma groaned.
"Uh . . .I heard some women talking when you went for your last checkup . . they said after the first one's born the second one and third ones are like a cakewalk." Then he waited for her to slug him one. "And THEY said it, I didn't!"
"They...must've...gotten lucky..." she panted. "Or our daughter...is...ooooh...trying to prove she's...augghhh...not...gonna be...a pushover!"
Bae winced and wonder why the hell it took forever for people to move their ass around here. He wanted to apologize but feared that would just irritate his wife and besides, they had both wanted this baby. "She's a Gold, hon. And despite what people used to think about my papa, none of us are."
"We'll be in the waiting room," Archie called out and he and Selene took Henry and Killian to the waiting room.
"I'd like to be in there with you too Emma but they'll probably only let Bae in," Belle said and kissed Emma's forehead.
"Not if I said you were my stepmother . . ." she gasped. She poked Bae. "Gold, I will KILL you if you pass out or throw up or do anything except help me out here."
"All right honey...I'll go in if I'm allowed."
The truth was Belle wanted to see the miracle of childbirth to prepare herself for the time when she and Rumple would have their own baby. She knew it was going to be painful but she didn't care. She'd endure to have a child of her own.
And after all this was once considered a woman's mystery and a battle they fought in like any man called to war.
"Em . . .just breathe, okay . . .?" Bae said as they wheeled her into the ER temporary room and called an OB stat. He blotted her forehead with some tissues. "Kid, why couldn't you have waited?" he groaned.
"Because she's stubborn...like all of us..."
Bae checked his watch. "Papa, where the fuck are you?" he growled. "What'd you do, take the snail bus?"
"Better watch it...Gold...or he'll smack you..."
As if his words had summoned him, Rumple walked into the room at precisely that instant. "What'd he do, dearie, that I need to beat him for?"
Emma smirked. "Okay Aria...you...can settle down a bit...Grandpa's here. Oh and your son needs some Ivory..."
"Emma! All I said was-"
"All you said was where the...fill in the blank are you and something about taking the snail bus, was it?" Belle was grinning.
"Excuse me? I got here as quick as I could considering where I was and what I was doing!" Rumple huffed. "Otherwise you'd be in serious trouble for that smartass comment."
Emma laughed through her pain. "Oh...I am enjoying this..."
Rumple walked over to her and took her hand. "I can't do much, since this is the price you pay, dearie, but I can take the edge off." He sent a warm wave of magical energy through her that muted the pains somewhat.
She sighed contentedly. "Ahhhh...that feels a lot better..."
"And you will too once my granddaughter is born," he soothed.
"All right, Mrs. Gold, let's get you into delivery," a nurse said softly. "You can only have two family members in there," she reminded them. "That includes your husband."
"Rumple...do you mind if I take Belle...she...she wants to see.."
"Mind? It's not up to me to tell her what to do," he chuckled. He looked at his wife. "You sure you want to see this, dearie?"
She smiled. "I need to know what to expect when we have our baby, don't I darling?"
"I'm not sure I want to," his son muttered, then jumped and glared at his father, who had just smacked him on the behind. "Papa!"
"Never mind what you want, Bae. You just be there for Emma and remember this took two of you to make happen and two of you will see it through to its conclusion-as it should be." Rumple scolded. "Besides, this isn't a betrothal, you're not allowed to get cold feet now."
"Yeah or I'll shoot you!" Emma threatened.
"Between you and him you're gonna leave poor Aria fatherless before she even gets here," Bae groused. He gave his backside a token rub, and muttered, "Dammit, when do your parents quit thinking of you as their kid?"
"Never," Rumple said.
The nurse smirked. "Reminds me of my kids...I keep telling them they're never too old for me to whomp them good if I need to."
"Exactly," the attorney nodded.
Emma hugged her father-in-law. "As soon as...she's born...I'll have them come get you...so you can see her..."
"Okay, dearie . . .I'll be waiting . . .and remember . . .this is the best kind of magic-the magic of life," he whispered that last in her ear as he hugged her back.
Emma reached for Bae's hand while they were taking her back to the delivery room.
He gripped her hand and whispered, "Sorry I freaked out like that back there. I just . . .I guess this is what soldiers must feel like going into battle . . .and I wish you could just pop her out like a cat with kittens." Then he blushed again. "Oh God, I'm really batting a thousand here, aren't I?"
"Yeah, real smooth Gold. But...I'll forgive you...later..."
"Thanks, hon. You know what I'm like when I'm nervous . . .my mouth just runs away with me." He looked at the nurse. "When can you give her some pain meds?"
"That depends on how far along she is. The doctor needs to examine her first."
"How long will that take?" Belle inquired. The last thing she wanted was for Emma to be lying in a bed for hours waiting for a doctor to see her as many hospitals were doing these days. At least the bad ones she read about.
"The doctor is on her way now," said the nurse. "And if she's as far along as she seems, it won't take long at all."
"Oh I hope so...this kid is really impatient," Emma joked. She looked up at Belle. "This is the worst pain you're ever gonna feel so I hope you're ready for it."
"I will be...Rumple is ready to be a papa again."
Bae was quiet, thinking how much he wanted to be a papa again but he was nervous as hell about this delivery. What if something went wrong? He could feel himself break out into a sweat and scolded himself. You can do this, Bae! You've fought dark witches and everything. Yet all of that paled compared to this.
Emma wasn't worried at all. She knew she had enough support if things started to go wrong and she was no weakling herself though she couldn't use magic at the moment.
The doctor arrived, a young woman in her mid thirties. "Hello, Mrs. Gold, I'm Dr. Pagano. Let's see how everything's going."
"Gonna tell ya doc, this kid is ready to come out whether we're ready or not...anxious to meet everybody I guess..."
"The baby always knows when the time is right," said the doctor pulling on gloves.
While that was going on, a nurse helped Bae and Belle into sterle gowns and caps and showed them how to scrub up and also put gloves on.
"Do I have to do this when I have a baby?" Belle asked.
"No, dear. This is basically so you don't get germs on the mom. The more sterile things are the less chance of infection. When you deliver, your job is to have the baby, the rest of us worry about stuff like this."
She imagined Rumple would drive them all insane with his ideas of what was considered sterile. If he had his way, they'd all be in Haz Mat suits and the place under quarantine.
"Can we see her now?"
"She should be ready now," the nurse said.
They filed back into the delivery room. Emma was now wearing a pink gown and had sheets draped over her lower half. A fetal heart monitor had been attached as well as some IV's and she was kind of loopy from the pain meds given through it.
Emma laughed when she saw them in their scrubs. "Doctor Bae, Doctor Belle," she teased.
"Emma are you...stoned?" Belle exclaimed.
"Me...no...not at all..." she insisted.
"You're kinda out of it, hon," Bae chuckled.
"But Bae . . .I feel pretty . . so pretty . . .ahahaha . . ." she began giggling in a fit reminsicent of her former Dark One father-in-law.
The labor room staff was trying not to laugh. They'd seen some funny things from mothers under the he influence in their lives and hearing them sing was a favorite.
"Umm . . .Em . . .don't quit your day job . . ." Bae snickered. "I think I'd better sing lullabys to the baby, Belle."
Emma glared at him. "Oh like YOU can sing!"
"I'm not Elvis, but I can carry a tune," Bae remarked. "Cause I know you didn't marry me for my looks, babe."
She groaned. "Oooohh... Aria not YET!"
The baby however was getting tired of waiting and wanted to see her family.
Bae rubbed her neck. "I think she's saying let me out, Mom, been cooking long enough." He massaged her shoulders. "They gonna give you an epidural, or what?"
"What is that?" Belle asked.
"It's a spinal block. A pain med so she won't feel the worst of the delivery," Bae answered.
"Heaven," Emma whimpered.
From what she was seeing, Belle knew she would want one for herself when her time came.
The anesthesiologist came in and said, "Okay, Mrs. Gold, let's get you set to bring this baby home." His assistant wheeled in a tray with this huge needle on it.
"Please, stick it in me!" Emma begged.
Belle gaped at her. "Are you insane? That needle is huge!"
"Oh hell no!" Bae cried. "Looks like a torture device!"
"Shut up!" Emma cried. "I don't care just put it in me. And next time, Gold YOU'RE having the kid!"
Belle looked away, horrified. That needle was worse than the ones that were used for their immunizations.
"Emma, I'm kind of not equipped for it," Bae quipped.
"So you can have some implants! Then we'll see if men really are the stronger sex!"
The delivery staff was snickering. The anesthesiologist and his assistant prepped Emma and then he said, "Okay, Mrs. Gold, you'll feel like a giant Texas bee sting and that's it."
Bae went white. "No, you're not sticking that in my wife!" he muttered.
She grabbed his hand and almost crushed all his fingers. "Look at me, Baelfire . . at me and if you pass out God and all his angels better take you because I'll beat you with your father's cane, I swear it!"
Bae looked away then, into Emma's eyes and the sudden dizziness and queasines passed as he stared into her face, that had captivated him since the day they'd met in a stolen car.
Emma didn't even flinch when the shot was given, and soon the lines of pain on her face smoothed out.
Belle turned back, noticing that her daughter in law seemed more comfortable but she still wouldn't have one of those monstrosities in her.
Dr. Pagano came back and said, "I think you're almost ready, Emma."
She directed her staff to position the TV monitor and said, "Mr. Gold and . . .err you're Mrs. Gold too, right? Umm . . . well . . look up at the screen and you can see the baby get born on it. It's called Baby Cam."
"Oh my goodness! I can see her! I can see my granddaughter!" Belle said happily.
"Wow! Emma look, there's our baby girl!" Bae cried emotionally.
"Hey Aria, time to come out and say hello." Emma smiled.
"Oh I wish your papa could see this, Bae." Belle said, blinking back happy tears.
"Yeah he'd be all over the moon about it," Bae said, for that was how he was feeling.
Meanwhile, the others were all clustered in the waiting room, watching the clock tick.
"When are we gonna see Aria? Why's it taking so long?" Killian asked impatiently.
Regina was trying to pass the time reading a book, Henry was playing a game on his phone and Archie and Selene were talking with an inspector in England.
Rumple glanced over at the coffee machine, thinking a cup was what he needed to keep himself awake.
He approached the coffee machine, unimpressed with the choices it offered. He pressed the appropriate button and waited a minute or two only nothing came out of the machine.
"What the...are ye joking...gimme the damned coffee ye stupid machine!" he grouched.
He pressed the button again, nothing happened.
Muttering under his breath he shook the machine slightly. "Idiotic thing! I paid for the damn cup o' coffee and I'm gonna have it."
When that didn't get results, he progressed to whacking the machine with his cane and snarling, "Nobody breaks deals wi' me, you hunk of junk!"
Regina looked up from her book. "Assaulting machines now, Rumple?" she teased.
"Rumple, you're gonna get us thrown out of here, now calm down!" Archie said gently.
"Grandpa, what's the matter?" asked Killian, coming over to see what had his relative so steamed.
The frustrated pawnbroker looked down at his small grandson. "It's this dumb machine. It took my money and won't gimme my coffee."
"Maybe they're outta that kind?" mused the small boy.
Selene laughed. "That would be me." Archie shook his head.
Rumple frowned. "It doesna say that, lad."
"Maybe you need to push ALL the buttons?" Killian suggested.
"All the-NO!"
Too late. The intrepid toddler hit all five buttons . . .and suddenly the "broken" machine began working again-and five kinds of coffee poured all over the floor.
"Cool! Look ya hit the jackpot!" the child cried.
"It's the Orlando Coffee Party!" Henry exclaimed.
A horrified Rumple beckoned to his grandson. "C'mere, ye scamp! B'fore ye get burnt and we have another reason to be here!"
"Uh oh! Don't wanna get burned!"
Killian ran to Rumple's arms.
The pawnbroker picked up his grandson and sighed. "'Tis always somethin' with us, isn't it?"
Now coffee was running in a huge stain all over the floor and Rumple's Gucci loafers.
Regina closed her book and looked around. "We better take care of this before someone comes by."
Together the two mages gestured and the floor and Rumple's shoes were fixed.
Henry had conjured another cup of coffee for his grandfather. "Hope I got it right."
He'd even put it in one of the machine's cups so that it looked like it came out of the machine.
Rumple sipped it. It was a dark roast with some cream and some sugar. "Perfect. Thank you, Henry."
Killian half jumped up and down. "Umm . . .I gotta go potty."
"I got it...c'mon buddy." Henry took Killian's hand and led him down the hall to the restroom.
Rumple sighed and sipped his coffee. "I feel so stressed it's not even ME who's becoming a father today."
"Look at what we just got done doing," Regina reminded him. "I feel like I can sleep a week."
"Aye, that's why I needed this," the elder sorcerer sighed. He held the cup up. "I think I need more than this though. Maybe an entire gallon."
"Me too," she agreed.
"Maybe with a shot of whiskey," he chuckled.
"Not yet, if you're drunk when Aria is born Emma will kill you."
"She would and I would never hear the end of it from my son either. Though I'd bet all my antiques he's wishing he had some good old Johnny Walker by now."
"Probably."
"Ah well . . .we can celebrate after the blessed event." Rumple sighed.
Just then Killian emerged from the restroom and raced down the hallway. "Is she borned yet?" he shrieked. "Is she?!"
"Good God, Killian, you could scream down the walls!" Regina scolded.
The hyper child let out a shriek like an Indian scalping someone and jumped onto the little sofa. "I'm Shaman Shake Your Booty and I'm gonna do a dance to make Aria get born faster cause this is takin' FOR-EV-ER!"
He began jumping up and down all over the sofa.
"Killian, ye get down from there or you'll have a sore backside and time in the corner!" Rumple gave him a Look.
"Aww but . . ." the child protested. He stuck out his lower lip in a classic pout.
"One!"
Rumple continued to Look at him as he started counting.
"Don't make me get to three, lad! Two!"
Sulking, the boy climbed down off the couch. "You're no fun!" He was bored and out of sorts and cranky. He stamped his foot on the floor.
"Do ye want to be put down for a nap?" Rumple queried gently.
The little boy scowled. "No! M' not tired!"
"How about we play a game on my phone?" Henry offered.
Killian shook his head stubbornly. He actually was tired, and he wanted Bae to snuggle with but Bae was with Emma watching Aria get born and suddenly he felt very left out. "I wish I was home!" he whined. "Had 'nough vacation!" Abruptly he burst into tears.
Henry hugged him. "Hey don't cry, buddy. I'm sleepy so why don't we take a nap and then we can see everybody when we wake up?"
Henry remembered having similar tantrums when he felt alone and he could always coax Regina to nap with him.
The former queen smiled, knowing exactly what her son was trying to do.
Killian put his arms around his brother. "M' not tired!" he sniffled rebelliously.
"Yes you are..." He waved his hand and Jack appeared. "You can even hold Jack while you sleep."
Kilian took the crocodile in his arm. "'Kay. Guess m' kinda sleepy." He yawned, laying his head down on Henry's shoulder.
The two of them made an adorable sight that the others captured on their phones.
Rumple smiled. "There's one for the family album." He tousled his grandsons' hair. "I knew the wee imp was overtired but he wouldn't admit it."
"They never do," Regina said.
"No. Bae was like that too. I always knew when he was overtired because he'd get cranky and whiny . . .and usually make a mess somewhere and try and pretend he didn't do it. He was a lovable scamp. Like these two."
"What can I say...it runs in the family."
Rumple nodded, then he settled back against the sofa and put his arm about his now sleeping grandchildren, humming an old Scottish lullaby.
Regina and Selene recorded it on their phones, thinking it was the sweetest thing they'd ever seen.
Rumple's eyes closed too for despite the jolt of caffeine he was running on adrenaline now.
Regina yawned. "Wake me up when someone comes, will you?" she asked Archie.
"Of course."
Meanwhile back in the delivery room, Emma was concentrating hard, summoning all her strength to push her baby out into the world. "Ahh . . .Bae . . .don't know . . .if I can do this . . ."
"You can . . .I know you can . . ." he encouraged. "You've done it before . . .your body remembers . . ." he kept his voice to a low hum, almost hypnotic.
"Push, Emma!" Dr. Pagano coached.
Emma bore down, and she felt some of the pressure ease.
"Okay, relax!" the doctor said. " Baby's almost halfway down."
"Come on Emma!" Belle encouraged.
Bae fed her some ice chips. "See? You're doing good."
Emma panted. "Just glad . . .I can't feel anything except . . .pressure . . ." She sucked the ice chips greedily, her mouth was dry.
"And ice helps? How?" Belle inquired.
"M' thirsty . . .but if I drink water . . .it'll come back up again . . ." Emma replied. She could feel contractions rippling throug her as she spoke.
She shut her eyes briefly, resting and marshalling her strength.
Bae stared at her. "Em . . .you going to sleep?"
"That's normal," Dr. Pagano informed him. "She knows to rest between contractions. It's work having a baby."
Belle was remembering as many details as she could so that she would be well prepared for her own experience with childbirth.
"But is she gonna wake up when it's time to push again?" Bae asked, concerned.
"Yup. Trust me, she will," the doctor snickered. "Your body tells you when. And she's doing great. Some women are built to have kids . . .she's one of them."
"And how do you know a woman isn't?" Belle asked worriedly.
"Umm . . .it's all about body structure. Some women are narrow hipped and when it comes to having kids . . .that's a problem because when you're in childbirth your pelvis doesn't spread as much and it's a lot harder for the baby to fit down the birth canal and through the cervix. It's usually also those women who tend to have babies with large heads and that makes it even more tough and usually ends up resulting in a C-section. But Emma's got the right structure for this. And she's young and healthy. That helps a lot."
"Oh...I see..."
The doctor looked at Belle inquiringly. "In case you were wondering, Mrs. Gold . . .you have the right build also. You're small, but your hips are well set apart. And it's the smaller women who oddly enough tend to have easier births as long as the baby's not too big."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Well...I do want to add to the family..."
"Is your husband a big guy? Because that's usually where problems come in-small women marrying six to six and a half foot tall men with linebacker structures . . .and they end up having 8 and 10 lb kids."
"My papa's on the small side," Bae replied. "Smaller than I am."
"He's five feet seven," Belle informed her.
"Then you should have no problem. Any baby of yours will be on average 6-8lbs at most," the doctor predicted. She checked her watch. "Hmm . . .I'd say we're due for another contraction pretty soon."
Emma woke up as the pressure in her lower back and pelvis built to a crescendo. "Oh . . .I need to . . ." she half stood in the stirrups and began to push again.
"Good job, Emma!" Pagano called. "Head's almost out."
Belle looked up at the camera in tears.
Sweat streamed down Emma's face. "She's almost here . . .Bae . . ." She was exhausted but she knew her work wasn't done.
Just a little bit longer Rumple and our granddaughter will be here, Belle thought.
"C'mon, wild swan . . .you can do it . . ." Bae urged, not even caring if his hand was mangled for life.
"One more big push, and the head's out," the OB urged. "Ready?"
They all counted.
Emma pushed on three . . .and the baby's head emerged.
"She's almost here!"
Emma gripped Bae's hand. "God . . .m' so tired, Bae . . ."
"Just a bit more Emma and you can rest..." Belle said softly.
"It's almost over, hon." The doctor called. She had her hands ready to catch the baby. "One more will do it."
"I can handle it," the sheriff assured her.
"Of course you can honey."
Once again she felt a tremendous pressure and she half-crouched. "Bae . . .help me . . .up . . ." she groaned.
Her husband put his arms about her and helped raise her up till she was sitting. "Push, sweetheart!"
"Okay...Aria...time to come out now!" she cried and pushed with all her strength.
And with one last contraction Aria slipped into the doctor's arms.
There was silence for about two seconds, then the strident howl of their newborn daughter filled the room.
"Hello, everyone! I'm here!" she seemed to be saying.
"There she is Bae...there's our little girl!" Emma sobbed.
Dr. Pagano placed the baby on Emma's tummy. "There you go, darlin'. Say hi to your mama and papa!" She held out surgical scissors to Bae. "You want to do the honors, Dad?"
Bae took the scissors. "Umm . . .you sure I'm not gonna hurt her?"
"No . . .we've tied off the cord . . .just cut between the sutures," said the nurse.
Bae carefully cut the cord.
"There you go! She's all yours!"
"I'll go tell your father and the boys she's here," Belle whispered to Bae, wanting to give the parents time alone with their daughter first.
"Thanks, Ma," Bae said, his eyes all misty as he looked at his baby in Emma's arms. "Look, Em! She's got hair that sticks up! Like mine in the morning!"
The baby had tufts of light brown hair sticking up all over her head.
Emma was cooing to her. "Oh . . .you're such a beautiful baby! Bae, she has my eyes and your nose!"
Then Emma Swan Gold looked into her daughter's eyes and allowed herself to do something she never had with her son-fall in love with her the moment she was born-because this baby was hers to keep and never give up.
Mine. Mine forever.
And like her mother, someday this child would do great things.
Bae leaned over to kiss his wife. "She's just perfect, Emma. Our little cygnet." A cygnet was a baby swan.
Baby Aria cooed at him in agreement, her eyes tracking on him.
No one will ever call you the ugly duckling baby, Emma vowed.
"Okay, Mama and Papa, we need to get this little peanut weighed and cleaned up," said the head OB nurse.
"And you still have a little more work to do, Emma," said Dr. Pagano.
"Bae...you uhhh might want to look away..." she warned her husband.
"Huh? Why?" he asked, puzzled. "You've had the baby so . . ."
"Umm I have to deliver the afterbirth..."
"Oh . . .err . . ." He grimaced. Then he helped her sit up again. "I've seen it before, Em. When our goat had twins . . .Papa didn't know I sneaked out into the barn to watch at three in the morning . . . "
"Good then you're not gonna pass out."
"No . . .did that already . . .s'how Papa found me . . .I knocked over the milk stool," Bae giggled.
She could only imagine the expression on Rumple's face.
"When I came to I thought Papa was gonna wallop me into next week for scaring him to death." Her husband admitted.
"Let me finish this up and then you can tell me all about it."
"Okay." He supported her while she delivered the afterbirth.
Then the nurses set about cleaning her up and helped her onto a clean gurney to wheel her into the private room they had made for her.
"Where's my baby?" she asked, feeling alarm shoot through her.
"She's just being weighed and measured and all that," soothed the doctor. "Nurse Kelly will bring her in as soon as she's done."
Bae walked beside her as they wheeled her into a nicely appointed room and said, "So . . .I thought Papa was gonna wallop my butt . . .I mean I was all of eight years old and had come out without a jacket on or shoes . . .in my pajamas . . .and I had hay all over me and everything . . ."
"Did he?"
"No . . .he picked me up, brushed me off, and asked if I was okay. I said I was and he made me stand in the corner for five minutes for scaring him out of ten years of his life. Then he sat me on his lap and said, "Son, if ye wanted to see the goat birthin' all ye had to do was ask me."
Emma laughed.
"At least it prepared you a bit for this."
By then the nurse had returned with Aria, who weighed 7lbs 2 oz and was 20 inches long. She put Aria in Emma's arms and said, "Here's your mama, sweet thing. She was very good, except she complained about being away from you."
"She's part Charming...we can't be apart long," Emma quipped.
"Yeah i think she's always gonna be able to find us," Bae snickered. "Right, babydoll?"
Aria burbled at him happily, waving a tiny fist.
Emma kissed her daughter's head. "Here, Papa. It's your turn."
Bae took Aria in his arms. She fit in the crook of his arm. "She's so tiny! Like a . . .loaf of bread! I can't believe she's really here . . .and she's all ours."
"A loaf of bread!" Emma cuffed him. "Our daughter is not a loaf of bread!"
"Oww!" her husband yelped. "Well, she's little . . ." he said defensively.
"So what? You're crusin for a bruising Gold!"
"Your mama's a little overprotective," he said to their daughter. "Like a grizzly bear."
Aria squalled at him.
"You bet I am. She's my cub and I'll tear apart anyone who tries to hurt her."
"Yeah and I wouldn't have it any other way. Right, princess?" he kissed Aria's cheek.
The baby let out another loud cooing noise.
"Sounds like the wee lass has a good set of lungs on her. Like her papa," Rumple said, entering the room, followed by the rest of the family. He was grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh she does. And she's ready to see you aren't you, sweetheart?"
Killian laughed "She's got bed head!" He pointed to the strands of hair sticking up. "An why's she all red? She cook too long?"
Regina started giggling. "She just got born, Killian!"
"All babies look like that when they get born," Bae said, and he handed his daughter to her grandfather.
Rumple took the tiny miracle in his arms and said, "Hello, my itty bitty imp! Are ye happy to see us?"
Aria made a burbling sound up at him, and one small hand closed over his nose.
Rumple smiled down at her, his eyes wet. "Ahh . . .you're a Gold all right. Your papa did the very same thing to me as a bairn. The very same thing!"
Belle was crying too and was all the more determined to give him another child he could raise to adulthood this time without a curse coming between them.
The master sorcerer blinked hard and muttered, "'Tis a waterfall you've made o' me, baby girl. But no matter. Now there's something I must do, dearie. As the Namer I must seal your Name to me . . .an' this way none shall ever be able to take ye without me knowing."
As he cradled the baby in one arm, he held his star pendant in his other hand and traced certain symbols in the air above the baby's head. "By the Law of the Balance, as Keeper, Namer, and Master of All Magic, I, Rumplestiltskin Gold, do Name thee Aria Irene Gold-daughter of two magical bloodlines, bringer of peace and light aspiring. May you be thrice blessed for all your days and follow your heart home. I Seal thee to me with True Love's kiss!"
Then he kissed the baby three times-once on the forehead, once on the mouth and once over her heart.
The star glowed and a wash of white and purple light shone down upon the baby and her grandfather, binding them together in a magical link that nothing short of death would break . . .and even then he would be able to seek her spirit in the afterworld.
When the star's light dimmed, Rumple set the pendant back underneath his shirt and rocked Aria who was wailing softly, as the light hurt her eyes. "Shh . . shh . .. my bonny lass . . .I know . . 'tis a bit of a shock . . .but it's done now, dearie."
Rumple patted Aria's back as he held her on his shoulder and said in a high squeaky voice, "Now I bet you're saying, what the hell's wrong wit ye, ye daft idiot! Right?" He giggled softly.
"Oh I doubt that. She's probably going to be just like you...and her parents," joked Archie.
His granddaughter made a sound remarkably like a laugh.
"She even has the giggle!" the former cricket pointed out.
"Can I see her, Grandpa?" Henry asked.
"Of course. Aria, meet your elder brother, Henry. He's the one who's gonna try and keep you from mischief and prevent you from being in serious trouble with us grown-ups."
He let Henry hold his sister.
"Whoa! She's tiny! Like a button!"
Aria seemed to frown. Emma laughed. "She's a bit sensitive about her size."
She wrapped her hand around Henry's finger and squeezed tightly.
"Okay, you' re not tiny!" Henry chuckled and she relaxed her grip.
"Yes, lad, watch how you tease her about being little. We Stiltskins don't like being reminded of it," Rumple grinned.
"Good things come in small packages," Belle said.
"Yeah now let me see her," said Killian, standing on tiptoe.. "Hey, Aria! I'm your OTHER big brother . . .and we're gonna have lots of fun together."
Bae groaned. "Now why does that sound like the knell of doom?"
"If you don't keep an eye on them, it will be," Rumple advised.
"I'm gonna need eyes in the back of my head!" his son sighed.
"You'll develop them. I did," said Regina with a laugh.
"Well she's a new Nevenger so's she's gotta have some 'ventures!" Killian insisted.
"And mishaps!" Archie added with a laugh.
"I'm sure she will," Emma laughed.
Regina took Aria in her arms next. "Such a pretty princess . . .royal on both sides . . .by blood and by magic. And heaven help the man who dares to claim your heart."
She smiled down at the tiny girl, almost like a fae child, and thought it had been too long since she had held a baby in her arms. Perhaps she could have her own once she was married. Perhaps . . .and then her child and this Gold daughter could grow up together—Nevengers forever.
"Yes because that man will have to go through both brothers, her dad, and her grandpa, not to mention her mum, grandma, and aunt!" Selene said, her eyes sparkling. "If there's anything left of him by the time he gets to her, he'll be a lucky bloke!"
"And that's saying something!" hooted Archie.
Belle was the next to hold her granddaughter, snuggling the baby to her, delighting in the feel of the baby in her arms, her heart bursting with love for this child, who she had watched come into the world. "Hello, sweetling. You will be loved and cherished always, because you are our hope for the future." She kissed the baby on the forehead.
Rumple smiled as he took a picture of his wife and granddaughter on his phone. Belle looked so natural with Aria. He resolved to attempt to give her a child of her own to love as soon as possible. He no longer saw himself as a failure as a father. All parents made mistakes, but nobody was perfect. And he wanted to know the joy again of holding a new life in his arms.
Last but not least was Archie, who was a bit nervous when Belle placed Aria in his arms. She was so small he feared he would drop her. But when he smiled at her and she gurgled up at him he felt as though he held a tiny portion of the miracle that was the creation of the universe. As her hand closed over his thumb, he looked at the proud parents and said, "She truly is a wonder and a marvel."
"That she is," agreed Rumple. "A child is the best kind of magic, dearie."
A/N: Only one more chapter to go, dearies. Next up . . .the Golds meet Roger and Anita!