SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO GET THIS UP. I CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! THIS CHAPTER TAKES PLACE A WEEK AFTER THE LAST ONE.

I DO NOT OWN ONCE UPON A TIME. PLEASE TELL ME WHEN THAT CHANGES. n

Emma stumbles through the door, grocery bags in hand. She drops them onto the kitchen floor. She winces.

"You okay?" Snow looks over from the couch, an amused smile plastered on her face.

"Well, uh…" The blonde shifts from foot to foot, jamming her hands inside her pockets. "The eggs were in there."

"I'm sure not all of them are broken. We only need two." Snow calmly walks over to the bags, laughing. She pulls out the carton and smiles. "See? You only broke five."

"Lucky. I think I remembered everything else –the baking powder, vanilla, eggs, flour, sugar… yeah, I think that was it… I hope."

"It was."

"Hey guys!" Henry throws the door open, smiling broadly. "What are you making?" He examines the contents of the bags.

"Your Grandma is making a cake for James. It's his birthday today."

"Speaking of the Birthday Boy, here he is!" Snow rushes over to place a big kiss on his lips before embracing him. "You two got up so early I didn't get to see you this morning. Happy Birthday, Charming."

"Ew, guys, I'm here." Henry buries his face in his mother's stomach.

"Yeah, seriously." Emma agrees, the boy's hair. "What kind is it anyway?"

"The cake? Vanilla, his favorite." Snow replies, leaning into her husband's embrace. "With chocolate frosting."

"That's my favorite, too." Emma looks deep in thought, so Snow and James let her be. She snaps out of her reverie. "Did your horse let you ride yet?"

"Nope." Henry pouts.

"I'm sure it'll let you soon." The blonde assures him. "Why don't you wash your hands and have a poptart."

"I already ate breakfast."

"No, I mean for a snack." Emma rolls her eyes. With a goofy grin, Henry takes off for the bathroom. "The poor kid was sugar deprived…" She then looks between her parents and grows uncomfortable. The whole 'family thing' is still hard. "I'll um, I'll just give you two a couple minutes." She disappears up into the loft.

"Hey, Charming," Snow guides him to the couch, "I was talking to Emma last week and you should ask her to go riding with you. Just you."

"But… oh." James forces the David persona away.

"She's too proud to ask, and she's scared. She's not really into initiating bonding time. You know, cause she's still adjusting. But if you ask, she feels less like she's putting herself out there to get hurt." The brunette explains.

"Should I ask her today?"

"She's your daughter, too." Snow smiles encouragingly. "You've known her for a month. I have a cake to bake." With that, Snow heads to the kitchen. Emma then jogs down the stairs, sporting a hoodie and boots that take less than ten minutes to put on.

"Hey, Emma." He smiles, desperately wanting to drop the 'a'.

"Yeah?" Finally the blonde can address him without suspicion.

"I was wondering if you'd want to come riding with me. Maybe today?" Now it's James' turn to shift his weight.

"Wait, wait, wait! That's not fair!" Henry looks shocked as he finishes drying his hands on his jeans. "You're going to let her ride now. You won't even let me."

"Henry, she'll be on mine. Whitey already trusts me."

"Whitey? Seriously?" Emma raises an eyebrow.

"I thought Snow or White would be just a little too creepy." He throws a glance towards his wife, who snorts.

"Just a little, though I'm flattered."

"So, what do you say?"

"Sure, I guess. Only cause it's your birthday." Inwardly, though, Emma's heart and stomach are fluttering. She's been waiting for him to ask since her chat with Snow. Of course, she can't let anyone know that.

"Great. Are you, are you ready now?" He feigns shock to make it believable that he had simply asked out of the blue. From the kitchen, Snow stifles her giggles, watching her husband and daughter acting to try to convince the other of something when in reality, they both know exactly what's going on, and what the other is doing.

"Yup." Emma smiles a little. "Crappy sweatshirt and sweatpants and the boots I reserve only for getting dirty."

"Gramps, can I ride Whitey tomorrow?"

"He's too big, Henry. Your mom will kill me if you get hurt. I promise as soon as–"

"I know." The boy sighs, returning his attention to his poptart. Emma knows she should say something about his attitude, but doesn't have the heart to break this semi–normal family moment.

"We should probably get going." She says instead, but shoots Henry a warning look. He sinks down into his chair further. "And after you're done your homework, you should help Snow make dinner."

"Grandma, do I really have homework?" He whines.

"What makes you think you're any different than all the other kids?" Snow replies. Way to go!, Emma thinks. She's still getting used to Snow White's persona, but she likes her better now.

"Be good, Henry. I mean it." The blonde follows her father to his truck.

"I'm glad you decided to come." James says casually as he turns the radio station to one that isn't the oldies.

"Yeah." Be open, trust him, he isn't going to hurt me. "It'll be fun. Happy birthday, by the way."

"Thanks." He flashes her such a wide, joyous smile that she can't help but reciprocate it. Did he really just get that happy cause I'm being nice? "Emma, I–" He cuts himself off, not sure if he should go as deep as he wants. In his peripheral, he sees his daughter stiffen. "I wanted to teach you so much." She resists the urge to interrupt, to say that Snow had already had this conversation with her. "I wanted to teach you how to wield a sword, but I guess you don't really need any help with that. Your mom already demonstrated arrows. So I get stuck with horses. Not that it's a bad thing. I love horses. Sorry, I'm rambling and digressing and… My point is is that I want to get to know you. You and Snow are pretty close. Your flaws, your mistakes… I don't care about them. They're what makes you, you. I want to know you; all of you." James pulls into a parking spot, the dust settling around them from the dirt road.

"I um…" Emma opens and closes her mouth a couple of times, trying to come up with something to say.

"Sorry, that was probably too deep and you're not ready for it." James hides a frown as he exits the vehicle. Emma chases after him.

"No, James! It's not that, it's just… please wait." She stops in front of the stable door, her voice softening as the last two words leave her mouth. James walks out and moves in front of her, arm's length away. "I know I'm screwing up your birthday, and I'm really trying here." Emma dips her head, her hair creating a curtain, masking her face as she fights tears. James wants nothing more than to embrace his baby girl, but understands that she's much like Snow. With a shaky breath, she continues, occasionally looking up to meet his gaze. "I want you to be in my life. And don't take it personally, please. I don't let anyone in. Until I met Graham, I hadn't had an actual relationship, I hadn't actually loved someone, for 10 years."

"Since Henry's father." James nods in understanding.

"I'm trying to let you in cause I've wanted my dad my whole life. Don't give up on me." She whispers, finally giving in to the tears and allowing her father to hold her as she fell apart for the first time in her entire 28 years.

"I will never give up on you Emma. Ever." The hug is short lived, however, when a horse whinnies, ruining the moment.

"God…" The blonde laughs self–consciously, pulling back and swiping at her eyes. "Let's ride the horse."

SO I MEANT FOR THIS TO BE A TWO–SHOT, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT'S GOING TO BE LONGER. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS AND FAVORITES/FOLLOWS/ETC.