"Liam, say 'Mama,'" Emma coaxes.
Liam grins up at his mother and babbles incoherently. Mary Margaret laughs from the kitchen. "He's not due to start talking yet, Emma," she says.
"I know," Emma says, appearing in the kitchen with the wiggling seventeen-month-old. "Trying to convince him he should say my name first."
"They have a bet," Henry says from his slouching position on the couch. Liam laughs and reaches for his brother, who rolls his eyes and nods at their mother.
"What?"
Emma smiles quickly, hands Liam to Henry, and starts slicing the potatoes without replying.
"Say 'Papa,'" Killian says, holding his child at eye level.
David glances at his son-in-law. "Hook, he's probably not going to start talking for another month. No point trying. Neal didn't say a word until he was nineteen months old."
"My child will say something when he bloody well wants to, Dave," Killian replies glibly. "And he's going to say 'Papa' or 'Dad' or 'Killian,' I don't care, first."
David takes the baby and tosses Leroy's latest drunken disturbance file at Killian. "Are you and my daughter having a bet on your son's first word?"
"No?"
They're all sitting around the table at Emma and Killian's house a few weeks later. Liam's in his highchair between his parents, babbling away at Neal, who's only recently mastered the art of splattering only half of his food everywhere.
"Has he said any coherent words yet?" David asks innocently.
Emma rescues Liam's cup of apple sauce. "No, not yet," she replies, darting a stare at her husband.
"Not my fault," Killian says, rescuing Liam's spoon.
"He can't decide what word to say," Henry says with a look at Emma, then at Killian.
"Henwy," Liam says.
"I know I can't control what word my son would say first, but he's been hearing 'Papa' since before birth!" Killian says to his mother-in-law, directing his words to his son in her lap.
Liam laughs and calls, "Henwy!" Henry just grins at his brother and goes back to the dishes.
"Who wins, then?" David asks his daughter.
"Henry wins, I suppose," Emma says begrudgingly.
"I'm not sure I want to know what the prize was going to be," David says. Emma darts an evil grin at Killian, whose ears turn slightly pink.
"Nope, I don't."
"Why do the children love Henry so much?" Mary Margaret asks later that night as they're making sure that Neal isn't going to run out to see his nephew in the middle of the night again.
David sighs. "Probably because he's still a child, really. I hope he never really grows up, Henry."
"I know," Mary Margaret agrees happily.
They're watching TV, Mary Margaret nestled against David's chest, when David thinks of something. He laughs and Mary Margaret glances confusedly up at him.
"Did we tell Emma and Killian that 'Henry' was Neal's first word too?"