A/N: Ok, I just had to write a second part to this with Emma and David. I didn't really have an outline for this one like I did part one but when I sat down to write, this is what came out. I hope you all enjoy and thank you to anyone who has reviewed so far!
If anyone had told Emma a few years ago that she'd be searching with her father for baby items for her unborn brother or sister, she'd have told them they were crazy…then would have had them committed…definitely committed.
Nevertheless here she was, standing uncomfortably in the middle of Storybrooke's lone baby store with an anxious yet excited father at her side. It had been David's idea to surprise Snow with a few things for the baby since she'd had a rather miserable week of mood swings and aches and Emma had found herself volunteering to join him the minute he made the suggestion. It had been an impulsive decision but the touched happiness on David's face when she'd blurted out that she'd like to go with him made it worth it.
Their relationship had only truly begun to blossom in the last month before they'd been separated and with all that had happened since, they hadn't really had a chance to regain the closeness that had started to form. But after the talk with her mother a few weeks ago had brought that relationship even closer, Emma found herself wanting to share the same with her father.
"What do you think of this one?"
David's question brought her mind back to the present and she looked up to see him holding a tiny white onesie embroidered with flitting bluebirds. It looked so small in his hands and for a brief second she imagined herself as a newborn, when she'd been that little and wrapped protectively in his embrace. A small pang of sadness hit her when she realized that he'd only held her the once but she shook it off and focused on the present joy within their family.
"Bluebirds? Really? Isn't that a little…"
"What?"
David's eyebrow raised questioningly but she could see the amusement tugging at his lips.
"You know, with the mom being Snow White and all…"
A true grin broke out across his face at Emma's attempt at tact and he placed the onesie back on the shelf.
"Well, what do you suggest?"
She looked past him at the array of choices. She was determined that her baby sibling would have the best of everything, everything circumstances had prevented her from having and that included their clothes. And if that meant combing through every onesie in the store, then that's what she'd do.
So immersed in searching for the right one, she almost missed the quiet words spoken next to her.
"We had all yours made specially."
Emma glanced sideways to see David looking uncertainly at her out of the corner of his eye. A little unsure of where the conversation was going, the curiosity and openness on her face must've convinced him to continue as he blew out a sigh and explained further.
"We didn't have stores like this in the Enchanted Forest but there was a seamstress who lived in a nearby village who was renowned for her work. When we found out Snow was pregnant, we commissioned her to create some clothes for you to wear in your first days of life. The first time I saw one of them, I remember thinking how…small and delicate it was. It was a little scary to be honest. I'd been around lambs and baby horses all my life but a baby child?"
He stopped for a moment, reaching his hand out to run gently across the sleeve of the onesie closest to him.
"I suppose that was the day it truly hit me…that I was going to be responsible for protecting and guiding and loving a little person so they could grow up to be an amazing adult. I should've known though…"
"Known what?"
David turned to her and with a loving yet determined glint in his eyes, cupped her cheek in his hand.
"Known that even without me, my daughter would grow up to be a wonderful person."
Before coming to Storybrooke, Emma had never been one to cry very much. But between her mother and father, they seemed determined to bring her to tears with their words more often than not and this time was no exception. The hand cupping her cheek moved slightly to brush away the wetness trailing down her cheeks and before she knew it, Emma was wrapped in a warm hug.
She knew they must've made quite the sight but at that moment she didn't care. For someone who'd grown up without a lot of physical affection shown her way, every time David or Snow pulled her into a hug without hesitation healed a tiny hurt inside.
After a while Emma pulled back, swiping at the last few tears on her cheeks. Her father just smiled softly, never one to push. Taking in a deep breath to get herself under control, her eyes slid sideways and caught on something. A slow grin spread across her face, the sudden change in her demeanor leaving David staring at her nonplussed.
"What is it?"
She quickly snatched up what she'd been looking at and hid it behind her back.
"Emma?"
"Don't worry about it, it's something for later. Now let's find what we came here for then pick up some cocoa for Mom and Henry on the way home."
David pursed his lips for a moment but seeing Emma's resolve, he let it go and turned back to the display.
Behind her back, Emma ran her fingers over the cloth. This wasn't for her sibling but the writing on it conveyed something she didn't think she'd ever have the courage to say…and hopefully when she gave it to him, David would understand the meaning.
I Found My Prince…I Call Him Daddy.
