Chapter 15: Diaper Parties

"You're thinking about Emma again aren't you," David asked a week later as he and Mary Margaret lay in their bed at the apartment.

"And you're not? The things she said last week don't bother you?"

"Sure they do but we can't take her words at face value. Emma's pregnant, her hormones are all over the place and she didn't have her own parents growing up. It's understandable that she'd be nostalgic for things she never had and why she'd try to look for facial recognition in other people."

"No I know."

"Mary Margaret, we're not her parents."

"That's what we keep telling ourselves, David, but what if it's only half true? Ever since Emma got here she's felt like family. I can't explain why."

David sighed, "I know I've felt it too."

Mary Margaret sat up, "Then why haven't you said anything?"

David sat up too, "Because you've all ready been mothering her and while I've unintentionally been acting like a father I haven't wanted too because I figured if that started happening then we'd just be pretending that we're this happy family: you, me, Emma, Neal and the baby. Can you imagine us as grandparents at this age? The truth is we're not family."

"Maybe not but maybe this is how things are meant to be."

David kissed his girlfriend. "Ever the hopeful optimist," he said to her.

Mary Margaret smiled, "I know. I also know that Emma needs us right now because other than Neal she has no one else. Emma's no older than Ashley was when she had her baby. It can't easy being a teenage mom so the least we can do is be there for her."

"I guess you're right. I just want this to work out, for all of us."

"It will, somehow. We should probably get the day rolling."

"That's right; it's a big day for Emma and Neal."

At twenty-nine weeks Emma sat naked in the bathtub. Bubbles with a relaxing lavender aroma filled the room and candles lit the counter tops and anywhere else there was room for them to be placed, a little something Neal had put together for her.

The evening would be the night of her baby shower and he wanted her to be somewhat calm, not easy when Emma didn't want the attention on her. Emma had protested all day about it but Neal wasn't letting her back out and neither was Mary Margaret.

The water didn't fill the tub as high as Emma would have liked; her balloon of a belly protruding and visible, the bubbles surrounding the sides while the rest of her body was submerged, her breasts covered with more bubbles, all except for her shoulders.

Neal gently washed Emma's hair and feet since she couldn't reach them much anymore while she focused on the rest of her body, gently rubbing the mesh pouf over her belly. She oddly liked the feel of it and it appeared so did Henry as he kicked every time she circled. Emma winced a little. His movement was getting stronger. She still had roughly eleven weeks to go on her pregnancy but from everything she had seen and the television shows she watched it seemed like the kid inside was at its most active during the eighth month. Neal placed a hand where Henry kicked and could feel his son move. It never ceased to amaze him that there was a living being inside the woman he loved; how science seemed to go beyond science and create a life force; that was the greatest gift in this realm and all the others.

Neal looked into Emma's eyes, "You're beautiful."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Shut up. I'm eight months pregnant, no I'm not."

"You are. You just don't see it."

"Well as much as you love seeing me this way and as interesting as this all has been for me I'm looking forward to actually seeing him."

"So am I. Just less than two months to go. Do you think he'll be like his grandpa?"

"Which one?"

Neal let out a small laugh. "God help us if he's like my father."

"Neal, you ever consider giving him a break?"

"Emma-,"

"No I know you have your reasons but you've also been running from him for three hundred years, which is weird enough as it is but don't you think it's been long enough? Maybe if you just talk to him, tell him how you feel then you two can get a fresh start."

"Why does it matter?"

Emma reached for his hand and held it, "Because I've been there. I know what it's like to hate your parents when they've let you down."

"It's not the same."

"It kind of is Neal. Sure I may not have known mine but my hate, anger, and disappointment were just as real. It's because of you that I'm even getting this chance at all. Can you imagine what our lives would be like had you not convinced me to come here? I wouldn't have known David or Mary Margaret at all. I'm just saying give it some thought."

Neal looked at Emma. The way she looked at him had a way of melting his insides. Neal leaned in close and kissed her on the lips. "You're very persuasive you know that?"

"Mm, persuasive enough to skip out on the baby shower?"

"Sorry Em, not that persuasive. Persuasive enough that I'll promise to think about it if we can get back to our subject on who our kid will be like."

Emma pouted some, "Fine I'll take it."

"I' hoping he'll be like the grandfather of his namesake."

Emma ran her hands over her belly again. "No neither," she said looking down at the spot, "I'm hoping he's like you. I want him to have your humor and your smile."

"Okay but has to have your and your mother's chin as well as your eyes."

"Okay," Emma said looking up at him with a smile.

"Good now let's get you out of this tub."

Emma bit her finger and looked at him, "Or you could come in," she said with a coy smile."

"Nice try but you're going."

"Fine, I had to try."

Neal leaned over and nibbled on Emma's ear, "I promise I'll make it up to you in other ways."

"I'm holding you too that."

Neal laughed, "We should get you pregnant more often. You're horny when you're pregnant, it's pretty sexy."

Emma laughed and splashed some bubbles Neal's way.

In the evening Granny's Diner was closed for a private party. It was Ruby's idea to have the baby shower there. The gathering was small, for which Emma was grateful. She wasn't sure how she would have handled herself with a larger crowd. Next to Mary Margaret, Ruby, and Granny, some of the other guests included Ashley, who had her daughter Alexandra six months ago, Lacy whom Neal had discovered a while back in an abandoned asylum, and Katherine who had somehow been an old friend of David's before he had gone off the grid.

It was what you would expect of a typical baby shower with games such as guessing how large the baby belly was using toilet paper.

The whole town knew Emma was having a boy so streamers hung above the counter that read 'Congratulations it's a boy!' and the other decorations were white and blue.

When the time came for the gifts, items ranged from the embarrassing breast pump to a hand knitted blanket from Granny with David Henry's name on it in red. It was a gift that meant a lot to Emma since she had come to know that it was Granny who had knitted hers. The gift from David and Mary Margaret was also special, it was the unicorn mobile from Gold's shop which Emma had seen both there and in the story book that had once been placed over her crib and would now hang over the crib that Marco had built for them. The town it seemed was starting to subconsciously remember who they were even though consciously they didn't know it.

With the festivities winding down Mary Margaret made her way to where Emma was sitting.

"Quite a night hu," said Mary Margaret.

Emma smiled but winced at the same time. She had placed her hands on her belly trying to sooth Henry but it wasn't working.

"I take it he's not ready to settle down?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Just getting started it seems," said Emma. As if to reply to her comment Henry kicked with more force. "Ow," Emma said to him.

Mary Margaret smiled and placed a hand on Emma's belly. "Hi Henry, I'm Mary Margaret. I'm a friend of your mom's."

"Your voice is helping," said Emma, "keep talking to him."

"About what?"

"I don't know anything. You seem to be the baby whisperer right now since he's not really listening to me."

"Okay. Um… I bet your anxious to come out of there aren't you? Do us all a favor though and don't rush it otherwise your mom and dad and the rest of us will really start to worry."

"That's the best you've got, stay in there a while longer?"

"What I've never done this before," Mary Margaret said meeting Emma's eyes. Emma laughed a bit to herself. "What?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"No tell me."

"Sometimes I feel like you have done this before. I guess because in the time that I've known you, you've acted more like a mom to me than any of the other foster families I've had. It's different, it's kind of nice."

The two women smiled at each other.

Across the way at the same time as Emma's baby shower, David was hosting a father shower for Neal at the Rabbit Hole. A few of the guests there included Leroy, Archie, Jim the gym teacher and Katherine's boyfriend, Sean Ashley's boyfriend, and Marco.

Next to playing pool and enjoying beers the guys had brought packs of diapers and wipes as their gift of choice. There were even a few joke items such as a "Man behind the bump" t-shirts, and tool belts and boxes that contained goggles, masks, gloves, ear plugs, ponchos, toy rattles, more diapers, lotions, baby powder, bibs, and one-zees for the baby.

Neal and David were sitting at the bar while the others were playing darts at a nearby wall.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk," said David.

"You saying that as a friend or a father," asked Neal.

"I don't have any kids."

"You sure about that?"

David looked at Neal, unsure of where the conversation was going so Neal continued. "The way you act with Emma, I'd think otherwise. You try not to because according to you and Mary Margaret, you're not related but your actions say otherwise."

"You've noticed that hu?"

"It's hard not to. It's cool though, she hasn't exactly had a good man in her life."

"You mean besides you?"

Neal laughed some but said nothing.

"So what about your parents," David asked. "I know Emma's history but I don't know much about yours. Given the fatherly role I seem to have in Emma's life don't you think I should know about you since you're the father after the newest David?"

Neal nodded as he looked at his beer. "Fair enough," he said. "My father is around but we're not exactly close. My mother died when I was a kid and my father abandoned me when I was fourteen so I pretty much raised myself."

"So is that how you and Emma met? You were in the system too?"

"Not exactly. She stole the stolen car I was living in."

"You were thieves?"

"Is it really any surprise? A lost boy falls in love with a lost girl."

"I suppose. I just can't help but wish that Emma's life had been different."

"I know you do."

"That probably doesn't even make any sense considering I just met her months ago."

"It makes perfect sense trust me."

Before the two could talk any further Neal saw Gold passing by on the street. He could feel his heart racing.

"Excuse me," Neal said to David getting up and walking out of the bar.

"I'm not spying on you I promise," said Gold.

Neal placed his hands in his pockets. "No I know, it's a small town. We can't exactly avoid each other forever."

"Right. You look good, Bae."

"It's Neal," he corrected.

"Of course, it's gonna take me some time to get used to the name. Well I guess I'll be on my way then."

Neal bit his lip, "Wait."

The two rounded the corner so they wouldn't be seen by the guests inside.

Gold turned to look at his son, "Bae, Neal, you have to-,"

"Shut up I need to talk. For so long I was angry at you. When you broke our deal I prayed to God that you would never find me or that I would die so that it would be too late for you. That's how much I hated you. That's how badly I wanted to get away from you."

"Bae, you have to know that every day I have regretted that decision. I love you son but I was a coward and I let that overshadow that love and I am truly sorry."

"I am too but I'm still angry."

"I know but let me make it up to you."

"I'm not gonna let you turn back the clock. You can't erase the past. And I won't abandon my son the way you abandoned me."

"Fair enough. I don't want to force anything on you, Bae. I've done what you've asked: I've stayed away from Emma and you."

"And I appreciate that but here's the thing: I've spent over three hundred years of my life hating you, being angry. I don't know maybe we could start over or something."

"I'd like that very much."

"But I still don't trust you."

"I know but at least this is a start. Hopefully that will change."

"Yeah, whatever. So do you want to come in for a beer or something or do you have a new curse to prepare or whatever it is you do?"

"I could come in for a spell," said Gold.

The two nodded at each other, Gold smiled, and they went inside the Rabbit Hole.