HEY GUYS! THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS AND IDEAS! ALL OF THEM WERE GREAT. I'M GOING TO TRY TO INCORPERATE EACH OF THEM INTO THE STORY, BUT IT MAY TAKE TIME. THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.
DON'T OWN IT.
Back in the warmth of the castle, Snow, Henry, and Emma nursed hot chocolates (with cinnamon on the whipped cream).
"So, anything new from you guys?" Snow looked at Graham and Emma, who had been particularly quiet.
"Well," Emma sighed, "we're starting to plan the wedding."
"Awesome!" Henry beamed, launching himself at his parents.
"That's certainly good news." James smiled.
"That's great." Snow said.
"Yeah. Thanks." Emma offered a small smile, suddenly uncomfortable that all of the attention was focused on her.
"Oh, Darling, this is going to be so much fun." Snow gushed.
"The kingdom is going to be overjoyed."
"The kingdom." Emma gulped.
"Well yeah." Graham said. "You're a princess. It's a royal wedding."
"Oh God." She slumped over the table.
"I want chocolate cake." Graham rubbed soothing circles into her back. "Unless you like vanilla."
Emma sat up, her hair disheveled. "I like chocolate, too." She smiled at him, silently giving her thanks for the change of topic.
"Give me a timeline." James said. Graham was about to say something, but Snow cut her off.
"Soon." She said firmly, placing a hand over Emma's. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun."
"Red!" Snow called, slowly walking up to their meeting place. She glanced around the meadow, looking for a glimpse of red cutting through the greenness.
"Snow?" A weary voice questioned. Red stepped forward. "I was wondering when you'd get here. I sent that howl quite a while ago."
"Sorry. I've been a little busy with Emma." Snow smiled. "Henry has a proposition for you."
"Oh?"
"He –we- want you and Granny to move into the Castle with us."
"Thank you, and I would, but…" Red shrugged shyly. "Jiminy and I are doing good."
"You- you're dating a cricket?"
"No." Red let out a laugh that sounded a bit like a howl. "When the curse was broken, and we were returned here, it was in his human form. He was given the choice to turn back, but he realized that I needed some guidance."
"What about Peter?" Snow asked quietly.
"I don't think he was my true love. If he was, I wouldn't have eaten him." Red spoke in an emotionless voice, her eyes fixed on a tree to the right of her friend's head.
"I suppose you wouldn't have." Snow agreed. Red seemed to have snapped out of her trance. She put a hand on her stomach, and that was when Snow first took note of the slightly bulging stomach. "You're pregnant!" She blurted.
"Yeah." Red blushed.
"And you learned to control the Wolf."
"That too." She continued to look down, and kicked at a pebble.
"That's great!" Snow beamed.
"I see you're as excited as Jiminy. He always wanted a child, and now he's getting one." Red smiled. She looked over to the setting sun. "With my hormones being as they are, I don't want to risk accidently wolfing-out on you."
"That would be bad." Snow nodded. "The offer will always stand." She said as she walked back into the woods.
"Thank you!" Red called after her.
Emma grumbled as Snow directed her and Graham how to put an extension on the table.
"It's hard to listen for the click when you're yelling!" Emma snapped. "Sorry." She blew out a breath, sweeping a lock of sweaty hair from her forehead. "Stress of the impending wedding and demanding mother."
"I am not demanding!" Snow defended, mock hurt plastered on her face. "You'll be happy to know that Red and her Granny will not be living with us."
"I told you I was fine with it." Emma shoved one end of the table hard, snapping it into place.
"A mother knows her daughter's tells. You only agreed for Henry."
"That may be so, but- wait, why did she say no?"
"She's dating Jiminy."
"Archie? Isn't he a cricket?"
"Not anymore."
"Wow." Emma sighed.
"They're expecting." Snow said.
"What!"
"I know, isn't it exciting?" Snow smiled.
"People in this land are so goddamn fertile." Emma said.
"Or there's no birth control." Graham said.
"Only you could make that sound like a good idea." Emma said.
"Well," Graham smiled, finally getting his half of the table in place. "What can I say?"
"A lot." Emma purred, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Okay you two, play time's only. Thomas has sent a pigeon, and they will be here in a half hour's time." James strutted in.
"Alexandra's coming, right?" Snow asked, giving James a quick peck on the cheek.
"Yes."
"Emma, go get cleaned up." Snow ordered.
"They might get confused. We're all used to seeing her disheveled." Graham commented, earning himself a punch to the shoulder.
"As you wish, Mom." Emma grinned at Snow and walked upstairs with what Graham could swear was a bounce in her step.
"That's the second time she's referred to me as her mother in ten minutes." She stared at the top of the stone stairs where her daughter had disappeared.
"Definite progress." Graham agreed.
"You should get ready, too." Snow said. "This is the first time you'll be meeting Ella and Thomas, and I think you'd like to make a good impression."
"That I would." Graham said. "Anything else I can help you with before I take a shower?"
"No…" Snow took a quick glance around. "But I think Emma's in… oh." She smiled coyly.
"If we're not out before they get here, please say something good about me." He smiled.
"I will." Snow assured him.
"Hey." Graham slipped into the shower behind Emma.
"Jesus!" Her hand flew up to her chest, and she spun around, wet hair smacking him in the face.
"Hi." He repeated, smiling like a goofy schoolboy.
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She fixed him with a glare that only widened her fiancé's grin.
"You're very sexy when you're angry." He shifted, their bodies now touching. He looked her up and down, then licked a water droplet off his lips.
"Not now." Emma groaned. She wanted it badly, though.
"We have 20 minutes." Graham said.
"That's not nearly enough time!" She hissed, then leaned out of the curtain to look at the door. "Besides, we don't know who's outside." Well that was a pretty weak argument for not having sex.
"Fine." Graham sighed dramatically, picking up a bottle of shampoo. Then he squirted some at her.
"Hey!" She recoiled, but laughed. She wrestled the bottle out of his hands and squirted some at him, the scented liquid colliding with his chest.
"Give it back! I need it for my perfect hair!" He couldn't suppress a grin.
"I always wondered what you did with it. Blow dry, then curl?" Her face mirrored his.
"Nope, it's all natural."
"Really?" She gave him an incredulous look.
"I'm hurt that you don't believe me." He said playfully, twisting a strand of her hair.
"They're just so beautiful. Not that they're curly now." Suddenly the water got frigid.
"I think James knows where we are." Graham whispered.
NEXT CHAPTER IS THE GET TOGETHER!