Author's Note:

1.) I apologize for the long wait in updating. School has been kicking my ass with a bunch of book reports and reading but now I've finally found the time to upload.

2.) I've never liked the apartment complex Mary Margaret lives in so for the sake of the story I have extended the area where the stairs are and it goes several feet to the right and there's an adjacent apartment to it.

Chapter 7: This is Home

The town of Storybrooke, after what seemed like over a decade finally seemed more alive. Gone was the grayish yellow tint that seemed to signal the banality and repetition of the days even though the town was essentially like every other small town in America.

"You know I don't like surprises," Emma said as Neal walked behind her, his hands covering her eyes.

"You'll like this one I promise," said Neal. "Okay last step and then we're going to walk to the right."

They walked a few feet and came to a stop. Emma could hear Neal fidget with what sounded like keys and then the sound of a doorknob. The number on the door read '3B'. Neal helped Emma step inside.

"Okay open," said Neal.

Emma did so and to her surprise she saw a kitchen to the left of door, a living room in the center, a bedroom to the right and a bathroom in between the living room and kitchen to the left. In the corner right between the living room and bedroom was a set of stairs which led to a second bedroom and bathroom.

"Now I know we haven't talked about finding our own place yet," said Neal, "and I haven't signed the lease so if you want to keep looking we can. I saw this place in the paper during my walk so I thought I'd check it out."

"What's upstairs."

"A second bedroom and bathroom."

"It's bigger than our apartment in New York."

"That's the idea. With little David we'll need the space." Neal turned and looked at Emma. "You never did tell me why you chose that name. I'm curious."

"I looked up the name Henry. It's Greek for leader." Emma wrapped her arms around Neal's waist. "We may not be anything special but I'd like to believe our kid will be."

"And David?"

"That one I don't know. Guess that's just a name that's been in the back of my head." She reached up and kissed Neal. "Sign the lease."

Neal smiled, "Welcome home. There is one other thing. There's a hospital in town. I made an appointment for you for today."

"Neal-,"

"I want to make sure you and the baby are taken care of."

"We don't even have jobs yet, no medical insurance."

"I've all ready talked to the hospital. It's covered."

"How?"

"The hospital gets a stipend for every pro bono case they take and since we're new in town and just getting on our feet they've offered to help."

"Wow guess I shouldn't worry about those restless nights you've been having if it gets you this productive." Neal let out a small laugh. "So you want to check out our new bed," Emma asked.

Neal didn't have to answer. Emma took the lead to their new bedroom. She didn't care if it was early in the day, the way Neal was taking care of her was suddenly a huge turn on and she was more than happy to take full advantage of the urge she had and Neal was more than ready to pleasure her and give her anything she needed.

By the time Emma woke up it was 3:30 PM. She walked into the kitchen and found a cup of hot chocolate, some crackers, and a note underneath it that read:

Lease signed. Off to search for a job. Doctor's appt. at 4. I'll meet you there.

Emma smiled at the note and placed a cracker in her mouth. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast so the salt was a more than satisfying feeling. She took a sip of the chocolate which was still warm indicating that Neal hadn't been gone long. She was grateful to have the next fifteen minutes to herself before her appointment.

By 3:45 Emma made her way out and as she was locking up the apartment she was a bit startled.

"Emma?"

Emma turned to the sound of the voice.

"Mary Margaret," Emma said in surprise. "You live here?"

"I do. I take it you do now too?"

Emma smiled, "Yeah Neal just signed the lease. What are the odds?"

Mary Margaret smiled, "Well it is a small town." Emma nodded. "You seem nervous."

"First doctor's appointment. Here in Storybrooke anyways."

"So you're going to the hospital?" Emma nodded again. "Mind if I walk with you? I usually volunteer there after school."

Emma let out a sigh of relief, appreciative that she wouldn't have to be going alone. Emma was used to the loneliness and though she had Neal in some odd way she was glad for having another woman to be with her.

"That would be great," Emma said.

Mary Margaret smiled glad to have the company for the first time since she could remember.

"Oh that reminds me, I have something for you."

Emma looked at her quizzically, "Me?"

Mary Margaret stepped into the apartment and then returned in less than a minute. She handed the book to Emma and on the title it read 'Once Upon a Time.'

"Fairytales," asked Emma.

The two women began making their way downstairs.

"I was cleaning out my closet yesterday when I found it. I guess I'd always overlooked it before but when I saw it something told me that you should have it for the baby."

"Thanks but aren't these a bit scary for the kid? I mean you've got evil queens, flying monkeys and frightening trolls."

Mary Margaret nodded. "So you're familiar with the stories."

"What kid isn't? At nearly every foster home I was at I sometimes had dreams that my parents were royalty and would take me back to their castle."

"I'm sorry I didn't know."

Emma shook her head. She hadn't expected Mary Margaret to know and much less she hadn't expected herself to be so open with her. The only person she had let know right off the bat was Neal.

Mary Margaret didn't want to push the subject so she changed it. "I'm sure you can always skip over the scary parts until your baby gets older. It's not just about the scary stories though. It's about good overcoming evil and having hope even when it feels like there is none."

"You sound pretty optimistic about that."

Mary Margaret smiled, "I guess I am."

"So you believe in that stuff, good beating evil, having hope?"

The two walked into the hospital as Mary Margaret answered and Emma signed in. "Absolutely: believing in even the possibility of hope is a very powerful thing."

The two walked toward the area where Mary Margaret was volunteering. At the end of the hallway was a single room with a patient lying on the bed.

"What happened to him?"

"Don't know. He's been there for as long as anyone can remember."

Emma looked at her watch. She had five minutes till her appointment so her idea would have to be held off till later.

"Emma," Mary Margaret said nodding. Emma turned around to see Neal walking their way.

"Hey," Emma said to him, "You showed."

"Of course I did. You didn't think I'd miss this did you?"

Neal nodded to Mary Margaret.

"Right," said Emma, "you two haven't officially met. Mary Margaret this is my boyfriend Neal Cassidy."

"Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet yesterday," said Neal.

"It's okay," Mary Margaret said. "You seemed pretty occupied."

Neal only nodded. He wasn't ready to get into anything that had occurred between him and his father last night.

"Turns out," said Emma, "Our apartment is right across the hall from hers."

"You're kidding," said Neal, "Well it is a small town I guess."

"Swan, Emma," an elderly nurse called out.

Mary Margaret smiled at the young couple. "Good luck," she said to them as they made their way to the appointment.

"Emma Swan," said the doctor. "I'm Dr. Whale. I'll be your doctor for your ongoing pregnancy and you must be the baby's father."

"Neal Cassidy," said Neal.

"Well it's a pleasure meeting you both. So Emma I understand you saw a doctor in New York." He checked over his paperwork. "I see here there's no indication of family history."

"No family to speak of," said Emma, "For either of us."

"Sorry to hear that. So is this your first?" The couple nodded. "Well congratulations. Since you're a new patient but are close to what I'm guessing is thirteen weeks is that right?"

Emma nodded. This was going on thirteen weeks now.

"We'll get you in a gown, do a routine workup and then we'll let you see your baby sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," said Emma.

"Great then I'll go get the nurse and she'll be in to draw up some blood and a couple other lab tests and then we'll bring in the ultrasound."

The appointment went as Dr. Whale said it would and brought the ultrasound in like he mentioned. Emma was laid back on the doctor's table, her legs bent.

"Now this might be a bit cold," said Dr. Whale as he raised Emma's gown to reveal her small but growing bump and lightly placed some jelly on her belly. He maneuvered the machine with such expertise and brought the screen within the parents view. He maneuvered the probe a little more and then everyone in the room heard the sound.

"That's your baby's heartbeat and there it is: that's your baby."

"I'll be damned," said Neal. "That's really inside you. It's amazing and you're beautiful."

Emma smiled as tears streamed down her face unable to speak.

"Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl yet," Neal asked having no experience with this sort of thing despite his three hundred plus years of existence.

"That's too early to tell. We'll find that out by the eighteenth or twentieth week. I'll make three copies of this for you," Dr. Whale said taking a screencap of the image, "One for each of you and a third to give to a friend or something." Whale cleaned off Emma's stomach. "We'll make your next appointment fifteen weeks from when you're twenty-eight weeks along."

"Sounds good," Emma said her voice somewhat cracked.

Once Dr. Whale was out of the room Neal and Emma looked at each other and Neal leaned down to kiss his beautiful girlfriend.