Author's Note: I still don't own OUAT.
"Absolutely not." Emma was not often the disciplinarian, but with Killian out of town for work she had no choice but to put her foot down with Sophie.
"Please Momma," Sophie begged through her tears.
"Sophie Ann Jones, I said no. Those crocodile tears won't make me change my mind. Now, go do your homework. Then you can watch Frozen. You know the rules on Fridays. Finish your homework, and then you get to stay up late. So get moving." Sophie huffed and Emma chuckled to herself as she watched her daughter stomped away. She was getting more and more like her father everyday, just as stubborn and goal oriented as him. And a damn good negotiator like him, too.
"Liam, you're going to always do your homework, right?" she asked the two-year-old on her hip, moving his black hair out of his eyes. Killian kept saying he needed a haircut, but Emma couldn't bring herself to do it yet. He was her little baby; he wasn't ready for his first big boy haircut (okay, maybe Emma wasn't ready, but really, what difference did that make?).
"I good boy, Mama," he said happily, clapping and nodding his head. She placed him on the floor and watched him hobble over to his toy blocks, trying to run.
"That's right, you're Mama's good boy." Just as she was settling into the sofa, the doorbell rang. Expecting the pizza delivery, Emma rushed to the door with money in hand. When she opened the door, however, the person standing there was definitely not a pizza boy. She was a beautiful, tall, black haired woman. She looked to be in her late forties or early fifties, judging by the slight wrinkling and grey in her hair. She was dressed in a pantsuit, with a Chanel bag on her arm. Her Mercedes was parked in the driveway. She hadn't even said anything yet and Emma had already gotten the "I'm better than you" message loud and clear.
"Emma Swan?" the woman asked with a British accent. Emma was sure now that the woman was looking at her with disdain.
"Yes, and you are?" Emma subtly stepped outside, closing the door behind her. Something was off about this woman, though Emma didn't know what it was. She didn't want her kids exposed.
"My name is Jill Stevens. I am Milah's sister. I am here to claim my niece." Emma was shocked.
"I'm sorry, what?" Emma nearly yelled. It had been nearly three years since Sophie had moved in with Killian and two years since the DNA had gone through the court system and her birth certificate had been changed, naming Killian as her father. Emma had filled out all of the paperwork for the adoption, which was going to take place after the wedding.
"My niece, Ms. Swan. Sophie." The woman looked frustrated, staring at her nails with disdain.
"My daughter isn't going anywhere. You have no rights to her. Killian is her legal father. We have the papers to prove it," Emma nearly growled. Don't mess with a mama bear and her cub. Emma was seething, grinding her teeth together to restrain her anger.
"That may be so, for now. But that is about to change. Milah did not want Killian to have anything to do with Sophie. I am here to ensure that her wishes are followed."
"So you waited three years? I'm assuming you knew she was here? Why'd you wait?" Emma asked angrily.
"That is none of your concern. I will only discuss this further with Mr. Jones. Here is my card," the woman fished a business card out of her purse and handed it to Emma. "Expect my lawyer to contact Mr. Jones within the week if I do not hear from him." Then she turned and walked back to her car. Emma curled her fists, her fingers turning white with the pressure. She resisted the urge to chase after the woman, possibly with a baseball bat, instead choosing to go back into the house and call Killian.
"Sophie!" she called. The little girl came running, probably just excited to not have to do her homework.
"Yeah?"
"You can finish your homework tomorrow," she said to the little girl, trying not to cry. This girl was her life. She couldn't imagine losing her. She was Sophie's mother and always would be. She took a deep breath. "Liam's already in the family room, you go ahead and watch the movie. Keep an eye on your brother, please. I have to call Daddy about something important, ok?" Sophie nodded before rushing forward and hugging Emma quickly and scurrying over the family room.
Emma practically ran to her bedroom, grabbing her phone off the bed and dialing Killian. He was in London, so it was almost midnight there. She felt guilty for waking him out of possible sleep, but this was an emergency.
"Emma," he answered on the fifth ring, half asleep. "What's wrong?" As soon as she heard his concerned, calm voice, Emma broke down. The tears started rolling down her cheeks as she breathed quickly, beginning to hyperventilate. She heaved and sobbed for several minutes while Killian repeatedly asked her what was wrong, getting more frantic with each second. Finally, she calmed enough to talk to him.
"T-tonight, a w-wom-woman c-came h-he-here. S-said sh-she w-was Mi-Mi-Milah's si-sister. S-she c-c-came fo-for S-Sophie," she stuttered out, trying to calm herself down.
"Jill came to our home?" Killian growled into the phone. Emma didn't think she'd ever heard him this angry. She sniffled, trying to collect herself.
"Yes," she said, happy that she had stopped crying enough to communicate. "She left her card and said she'd only talk to you about it. She said her lawyer would be calling." Killian sighed.
"Bloody bitch. I'll book a flight home right now and leave Tink here to handle the meeting. I'll be there tomorrow evening and we will handle this. Don't worry. My custody of Sophie is 100% legal," he said frantically.
"If I shouldn't worry, why do you sound so panicked?" Emma asked.
"Jill. Jill is not person to be messed with. And the fact that she is here after years makes me want to know why. She doesn't do anything without a reason. She has a reason."
"She… she can't take Sophie away, can she?" Emma mumbled, on the verge of tears again.
"Love, I promise she will not take our daughter away. She'll do it over my dead body."
"Killian, we need to get married. Like, now," Emma replied. She heard a gasp on the other side of the phone. "What if you die? I have no rights to Sophie. That woman would take her away." A sigh came through the phone.
"Emma, love, you wanted a dream wedding," he reminded her. And he was right. The woman who had never so much thought of her wedding had been dreaming of it ever since their engagement. But none of that was important now.
"Don't care. We can do it again later. We can just go to city hall. I need to adopt her, Killian." Emma knew she was desperate, but she didn't care. The thought of losing Sophie literally made her heart split in half.
"Aye, love. We'll plan it tomorrow when I get home. Please call Neal in the morning, ask him if he knows anything…
"Of course. I was so panicked, I didn't even think of that."
"It's alright, you're upset. And I love you, Emma. You and the kids. I just booked my flight while we were on the phone – I texted Tink, she'll be staying. I'll be arriving in Boston at 5 pm your time, so I should be home around 7 pm." Killian added.
"We love you too. Okay, call me when you're leaving and when you land. And Killian, be careful. Tell Tink thank you for letting you come home."
"Aye, love. Goodbye."
"Bye." Emma hung up and made her way to the master bedroom en suite, hoping to make herself presentable before the pizza arrived and she had to rejoin the children. She splashed her face with water, dried it off, and brushed her hair. Just then, the doorbell rang. Emma ran to retrieve the pizza, then to the kitchen to divvy it up for the kids and cut Liam's. By the time she made her way to family room, Sophie had Liam sprawled out on her lap. She was playing with his dark curls absentmindedly as they watched the movie. At the sight, Emma had to fight the tears from returning, taking a deep breath.
"Pizza!" she announced, forcing a smile. The kids both popped up quickly, taking their pieces. She knew they were excited – Killian never allowed pizza except for special occasions. But secretly, Emma knew he just wanted the kids to value the little things, like getting pizza or a new movie, and not feel entitled even though they had anything they could ever dream of wanting.
Emma sat next to her children silently, just enjoying them as they watched Olaf singing (again – she was sure they would never get sick of Frozen). She picked up her phone, shooting off a quick text message before she settled in for the rest of the movie. At the end of the film, Emma shook Sophie awake gently. "Time for bed, Soph," she whispered to the sleepy girl, taking her hand and leading her to her bedroom. She tucked Sophie into bed and kissed her head, lingering a few seconds longer, savoring the moment. "I love you," she whispered.
"Love you too," Sophie mumbled sleepily. Emma closed the door behind her and sighed, relieved that her daughter was happy and safe for at least another night. She went back to the family room, retrieved a sleeping Liam, and brought him to his nursery, placing him in his new toddler bed and tucking his blankets around him gently. She kissed his head and turned on his nightlight before leaving the room.
Just as Emma got back to the sofa, her phone beeped. She ran to the door, relieved to see Regina standing there in her flannel pajamas and slippers.
"Regina, you're a lawyer right?"