Chapter 15 Birthday Boy and Girl

Snow and Charming stood outside the gate that separated Jefferson's palatial mansion from the rest of Storybrooke.

"He seems to have been living a comfortable life, in spite of the curse." Charming stated with composure.

"Looks can be deceiving; his curse was to be separated from his daughter, Grace." Snow remarked causally to her husband.

"We should form a club." Charming replied dryly.

"The catch was that he remembered her!" She replied.

Understanding dawned on the face of her husband.

"Even for Regina that is pretty harsh. I wonder what he did to piss off her off to that extent."

"I have no idea, but they are not friends." Snow replied.

"Is he dangerous?" Charming asked.

"Emma doesn't think so, but he did kidnap me and tie me up and hold me prisoner in order to lure Emma here. Then he drugged her and forced her into manual labor." Snow shrugged.

"At the very least he seems unstable." Her husband sighed.

"There is more, Emma and I ran into him this morning while we were at a tea shop. It might have been a chance encounter, but somehow I doubt he was there by accident."

Anger surged through Charming.

"There is a good chance that he had something to do with the accident that you and Emma had. He has kidnaped my wife and daughter and threatened my unborn child, twice. Once when he kidnapped you, because you were already pregnant, and again today when he drugged you and Emma. I am going to walk up to his door, knock and when he opens the door, I am going to kick his ass into another realm!"

"I already did that," Snow countered, "He came back!" he said wearily.

Her husband gave her a puzzled look.

"He threatened Emma, so I kicked him out of a second story window." She stated under her breath.

Her husband gave her a look of loving adoration.

"Snow White, you are my Queen!" he smiled.

"Not anymore." She sighed.

"You will always be my Queen! Now let's go and take back our grandson!" He started for the door just as Emma and Red arrived. The four of them approached the front door and knock.

Jefferson opens the door with a flourish and looks each of the four visitors over. A puzzled look crossed his face when he saw Snow.

He raised an eyebrow, "Have you lost another dog?" He sarcastically asked Emma.

Charming grabbed Jefferson by the collar and shook him.

"Where is Henry?"

Jefferson gasped for air and tried to form the words to answer the question put forth by the prince.

"I think you need to let go so he can answer." Emma informed her father.

Charming let go of Jefferson, but the man still refused to say a word.

"Do you have my son?" Emma asked impatiently.

"I do not know what you are talking about." He answered innocently.

It was more than the prince could take. Charming lunged at him and knocked the hatter to the floor.

"What is your problem?" Jefferson asked with a strained voice.

"As if repeatedly kidnapping and holding my family hostage is not enough, you have endangered my unborn child twice. Most recently, with whatever drug you gave my wife." He angrily replied.

Red and Emma had pulled the two men apart and Red helped Jefferson to his feet.

He was rubbing his neck. "I didn't drug them, this time," He qualified, "It was hypnosis. I would like to know, how did you break though it?" He asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"He kissed her." Emma pointed between her parents.

"That should not have worked. It wasn't a curse!" Jefferson admitted with an equally bewildered look on his face.

"You clearly don't know them very well." Emma answered sarcastically.

"I had no idea that she was pregnant." He stated repentantly, as he continued to rub his soar neck.

"All of that is neither here nor there," Emma stated as she looked at her watch, "Regina is going to file papers to have Henry taken away from me unless we show up with him in tow at Granny's in 20 minutes!" She stated with agitation in her voice.

Jefferson looked up the stairs, "Regina is going to take Henry away from you?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"She is ready to file the papers as we speak." Snow informed him.

Jefferson ran a hand through his already tousled hair and looked slightly panicked. "Do you hear that kid? Get down here, the jig is up!" He called up the stairs

Henry cautiously walked down the stairs. Emma ran to him and enveloped him in a massive hug.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" She asked.

Snow stood there with her mouth agape in shock. "So, you did have him? Did Regina ask you to take Henry? She asked with suspicion in her voice.

"No, I asked him to help me hide so that you would have to look for me and it would bring us all together as a family." Henry insisted with his head hung low. Shame and regret were written on his face.

"Why didn't you come and talk to us?" Charming asked sternly.

"He tried to talk to me this morning, but I was preoccupied." Snow admitted with a look of guilt in her eyes.

"This is not your fault," Emma told her mother, "Henry you are in so much trouble. Something could have happen to you and you could have been seriously hurt. Regina was ready to file papers to get permanent custody of you." Emma was trying to control her anger.

"Here, you can have the ring back." Jefferson handed a gold ring to Henry.

"Is that what you were doing at the cave?" Emma asked, disappointed, "Raiding the family treasure in order to hire someone to kidnap you was a bad idea." She scolded.

"It was payment for his part in the plan." Henry admitted shrugging his shoulders.

"Why did you leave a note telling us you were going to Boston?" Snow asked.

"It was the first place that came to mind. Are you really having another baby?" He asked.

"We sure are." Charming smiled.

"Cool! I will be older than my uncle or aunt!" He exclaimed.

"So, stop worrying about us not being a family." Charming warned.

"You are going to be grounded until your aunt or uncle is twice your age." Emma warned. Then she turned to Jefferson, "I am still the sheriff, give me one good reason why I shouldn't haul your butt down to the jail and charge you with kidnapping?" She glared at him.

"Please don't arrest him!" Henry pleaded. "He knows what it is like to want to be with his family. He just wants his daughter back. If you arrest him for kidnaping he will never get to see Grace again!"

Emma looked as if she wasn't sure.

"Emma, you don't have time for this right now," Her father reminded her, "You need to get Henry back to the diner. We will handle Jefferson. As long as his daughter is in Storybrooke, he isn't going anywhere. " Her father assured her.

Emma took one last look at Jefferson before she escorted Henry towards the door.

"Are you hungry kid? I can call ahead and order you a burger?" Emma asked.

"Can you order me one too?" Snow asked.

"What about the sack lunches we brought with us?" Her husband asked.

"Oh I ate those while you stopped to fill the truck up with gas." She admitted.

He gave her a look of surprise, followed by resignation.

"I think I know why the ultrasound tech thought you were 4 extra weeks along in the pregnancy." He stated reluctantly. "Emma, order one for me as well, with Swiss cheese and no pickles!"

Henry stopped in front of his grandfather. "Gramps, please help him get his daughter back! He pleaded.

"I don't know what I can do." His grandfather said softly.

"You are Prince Charming, people listen to what you have to say and they trust your judgment." He insisted as Emma pulled him out the door. Red glanced back at her friends and followed Emma and Henry.

Charming turned to Jefferson "We will help you get Grace back from her adoptive parents." He informed the hatter.

"We will?" Snow asked giving her husband a concerned look.

"Snow, we are not leaders by birth, at least I was not born to greatness. I got where I am by earning the trust and allegiance of my people. I owe it to them to serve and protect them as to the best of my ability."

"Maybe that was true in the Enchanted Forest, but there are laws here that we must follow." She reminded him.

"I am not thinking about the written law, I am thinking of natural law. If I was in his place, I would want a champion to help me reunite with Emma." There was conviction in his voice and it moved Snow White greatly. She had not looked at the situation in those terms. Right now Jefferson was no longer a kidnaper, he was a man who needed help being reunited with his family. That was what made Charming a great leader. He could see past his own personal feelings and put the needs of others first. He was correct when he stated that he had not been born a leader or a prince. Both were roles he had grown into and it was a big reason why she fell deeply in love with him over and over.

"Plus I strongly suspect that it is the quickest way to put an end to his run-ins with Emma!" He added under his breath.

"We will help in any way possible!" Snow added her promise to the word of her husband.

When they arrived back at the diner Henry was sitting at the counter eating a burger. Emma was sitting in a booth. Regina was nowhere to be seen, but King George was sulking in a corner.

Snow went to check on their order. Charming slid into the booth seat across from Emma. She still refused to sit at a certain table, which amused him to no end.

"How did it go with Regina?" He asked anxiously.

"Fine, she was surprised that we found Henry in the length of time she allotted, but she seemed glad that he was safe." Emma told him. "What happen with Jefferson?"

Charming swiped a fry off of her plate and gave her a serious look before answering in a serious tone, "I clobbered him over the head and your mother and I buried his body behind his mansion." He slowly chewed the fry, swallowed and waited for her reaction.

Calmly she replied, "You do know that as sheriff, I am going to have to arrest you for that."

"We agreed to help him get his daughter back." He added honestly. "We are going to set up a meeting between him and the couple who is raising Grace."

"Do you think talking will help?" Emma asked.

"If they were subjects of Snow and my kingdom, we may have some influence over their decisions, otherwise, I might have to beat them into submission." He watched her reaction carefully.

"What?" She asked suspiciously.

"I am just wondering how far you are willing to let me go to help him." He father answered.

"I thought that you had already decided to help him. What does any of it have to do with me?"

"He likes you." Her father answered simply.

"Really, what makes you think that he has any interest in me?" Emma tried to pretend that she had no idea what her father was talking about.

"He could have used Henry as leverage to make us help him get his daughter back. Instead, he ended the ruse when he realized that it might cost you're your son. I recognize blind devotion when I see it. I am trying to figure out how I feel about his devotion being directed at you." Charming told her.

"I don't know that it is your call." She causally informed him.

"I'm your father; it gives me license to be concerned. However there is something else we need to discuss.

"You mean, besides my lack of a love life?" She sighed heavily. "What is on your mind?"

"Emma, I have a favor to ask. I want to marry your mother." He stated with confidence

Emma looked at him as if he had grown two heads.

"A little late for that, don't you think?" She smirked.

"I know we already married in our kingdom, but I want to be married to her here so that no one can ever ban me from her hospital room or challenge me as her husband. She reminded me today that we have to live by the laws of this world and marriage is one of those laws" He gave her an earnest look.

"Are you asking for my blessing?" Emma asked, confused.

"Of course we want your blessing. I also was wondering if you could check around and see if there is any record of the marriage between David and Kathryn. I want to marry your mother as soon as possible."

Emma gave titled her head and looked at him closely. Sincerity was written on his face. He wanted to do right by her mother and that impressed her a great deal.

"Sure, I will see what I can find out. Right now, I need to go make sure that Henry does not order that hot fudge sundae he has been eyeing." She slipped out of the booth.

Charming looked up to see King George looming over him like an albatross.

"You lost again your majesty. Good won out today and Henry is staying with Emma." He said with confidence in his voice.

"You will slip up sooner or later and your whole world is going to collapse and I plan on being front and center when that happens." He actually glared.

"I am not worried." Charming insisted.

I hear that congratulations are in order, you are having another child." George smirked.

"Stay away from my family!" Charming warned him angrily.

George walked off without saying another word. He looked towards Snow.

"I have no interest in your family, except for that child she is carrying. That child will be mine!" He stated to no one in particular.

He and Gold had a plan, one that might take a month or two to come to into play. But once the plan was set in motion, there would be no way to stop it. By the time that Charming realized what they were up to, he would have lost his wife, his family and his precious reputation. Most important, that little life currently being sustained on a steady diet of burgers and milk shakes would belong to King George. His revenge would be sweet.

Snow spent the rest of the week obsessing about the party for Henry and Emma. She wanted to make sure that every detail was perfect. The one thing that she could not control though was the fact that Regina was on the guest list. Henry had practically begged to have his adopted mother included in the celebration. After all, the woman had been present for all ten of his other birthdays. Snow had reluctantly agreed to allow her to be present. Regina in turn had agreed to ignore the restraining order for a couple of hours. However, as Regina crossed the diner floor, complete with a wrapped gift in hand, Snow wondered if she had made a big mistake.

"Henry, Happy Birthday!" Regina placed the wrapped gift in front of the boy. His eyes lit up and that made it all worth it as far as Snow was concerned.

"Thank you!" He replied as he tore into the wrapping covering the gift.

"It is a magic book." Regina announced.

Snow and Emma exchanged nervous glances.

"I would prefer that Henry not have a book of spells." Emma informed the boy's co-parent. There was a chill in her voice.

Henry seemed to be afraid to touch the book.

"It is not a book of spells," Regina corrected, "It is a book that is animated through magic."

She opened the book to the first page and showed them.

Snow smiled "That is when Charming and I first met." Snow watched mesmerized as the epic story of their first meeting played out before her eyes with life-like realism. The banter was there, as was the respect and love that had been nurtured for nearly three decades.

"The book tells the story of your love." Regina nearly choked on the words.

"I love it!" Henry hugged his adoptive mother.

Snow gave the queen a puzzled look. "It is a lovely book, but it must have been difficult for you to make?"

"You have no idea!" Regina snorted. "I used some of that left over love potion that Gold had, the one that he made with a piece of hair from each of you. There was a drop or two left in the bottle after he used most of it to bring magic to this land. I had to use hazmat gloves to make sure I didn't get any of the vial stuff on my hands."

"Oh!" Emma said.

"I thought Henry would like it though." She shrugged.

Snow frowned in contemplation." I thought Gold dropped the bottle of true love down the well in order to bring magic to this land?"

"That bottle contained the most powerful magic ever created. He saved some in reserve for a rainy day." Regina addressed Snow in the same way that the teacher would address a slow student. Then she turned to the other woman. "Emma I have two gifts for you."

"You don't have to give me anything." Emma stated cautiously.

"Nonsense, it is your birthday too after all. The first gift is that I am not staying for the party." She gave them a smile. Henry was the only one who looked disappointed.

"My second gift is a piece of advice. See that woman who came with Leroy? Keep an eye on her. I have crossed paths with her before in another land. Her name is Jasmine and she is a confirmed man eater."

Regina gave henry a hug and told him that she would see him the next day for their scheduled visitation time and she left.

Snow looked over at the woman whom Regina had just warned them about. She was petite, had long dark hair that she wore loose down her back. She had very pale skin and a face that was somewhat exotic. She was standing beside Grumpy, who was introducing her to Charming. Was she flirting with Charming or had Regina made her paranoid? The woman was smiling at him, but that was being polite. Snow's jaw dropped open when the woman reached up and put her hand on the arm of the prince. When she saw the woman start to caress the arm of her husband, she quickly ran across the room and possessively pulled Charming away from the woman's grasp. Her husband seemed not to have noticed the attempted seduction because he was too busy looking at the clock above the counter.

"Dear, you really will not believe what Regina gave Henry." She told her husband with enthusiasm. "It is a book that tells our love story."

"That's nice." He replied stoically.

She gave him a perturbed look and elbowed him in the ribs. Through gritted teeth she asked, "You do remember our love story? An epic tale filled with memorable moments where you always find me and our love endures a 28 year curse?"

Grumpy and Jasmine exchanged a strange look.

"Snow, I am glad you are here. You should probably hear the plan Jasmine and I have devised." Grumpy informed her.

Snow gave him an insincere smile. "Nothing would make me happier." She possessively looped her arm through the arm of her husband.

"As you well know, Regina has always been mayor because she has always run unopposed. We think it is time that changed. We want you to run against her!" Grumpy pointed at Charming who seemed shocked by the whole idea.

"I think Snow would be a much better choice!" Charming insisted.

Grumpy scowled at him, "What kind of man would thrust his pregnant wife into the political arena with Regina as an opponent!" His voice rang with disappointment and disgust.

Charming had to admit that Grumpy had a valid point.

Charming looked down at his beautiful wife by his side.

"Right now, my family is my number one priority. I want to spend as much time with them as possible. I am not sure I have the time to spare on a political campaign." He stated confidently.

"That is the beauty of it! Jasmine will run the whole thing for you. All you have to do is show up and take the keys to the city from Regina. It is past time this town was rescued from the tyranny of that woman!" Grumpy informed him firmly.

"I'll think about it." Charming sighed.

Jasmine held out her hand to the Prince and he took it reluctantly.

"I have to run right now and write up some press releases. It was good to meet you though. I hope we will be working very closely together soon." She turned to leave and Snow realized that Jasmine was very petite. In fact, she was wearing 4 inch heels. Snow found herself wishing that the young woman would fall and break her neck.

"Where on earth did you find Jasmine?" Snow asked her friend through gritted teeth.

"I met her at a bar, a couple of nights ago." He stated with pride.

"Whose idea was it to have Charming run for mayor?" She asked.

"Well, Jasmine suggested it, but a lot of us have been thinking about it ever since the curse was broken. She has been mayor for 28 years. It is time that this town had a change in regime!"

Charming was still glancing at the clock.

He pulled Snow aside. "We need to go!" He insisted franticly.

"Charming, we can't just leave the party. What would Emma and henry think?" Snow gave him a concerned look.

"We are taking them with us!" He informed his wife.

She looked around the room and failed to see any kind of threat.

"What is this about?" She asked him with a note of concern in her voice.

"It's about their presents." He finally admitted. "They were too big to wrap and they would not have stood still anyway."

A smile crossed the face of his wife and she asked excitedly, "Did you get them horses?"

He nodded his head in the affirmative.

"I thought we could all go out ridding, we can take the horses out anytime we want, but the stable owner insists that they be back by 8:00 pm every night." He glanced at the clock again.

"That is why you have had your eye on the clock all afternoon?" She asked, tiling her head and giving him a loving look.

"Yes, I thought we would have plenty of time, but this party is acting as if it is going to go on all night." He groaned.

"Wait a minute; you are going to let me ride a horse?" Snow gave him an amused look.

"Of course you can ride a horse." He answered in a mater-of-fact tone. I smile lit up his eyes. "I love watching you on a horse."

"You forbid me from riding the last time I was pregnant." She teased.

"I am much more enlightened now!" He insisted.

"Charming, do you remember the first time we ever rode a horse together?" She asked him shyly as her eyes sparkled.

"Of course I do," He smiled at the memory, "It was on the way to the Troll Bridge."

"That is the day I fell in love with you while I stared at the back of your neck." Snow laughed.

"I thought it was my wicked swordsmanship, bravery and heroic stance against the Queen's guards that made you fall in love?" He gave her a teasing look.

"No, I fell in love with you on the way to the Troll Bridge." She smiled at him and his heart melted. He wondered if that was what made him fall in love with her? No, it was the fact that she possessed a look before you leap bravery that he admired and to a certain extent even envied.

"What did I do on that legendary journey that rendered your heart mine?"

"You talked to the horse. You encouraged it and complemented it all the way to the bridge." She grinned at the memory.

"I am so glad that I was too flustered to carry on a conversation with the drop dead gorgeous woman riding with me with whom I had fallen madly in love. I had to talk to the horse in order to distract you otherwise you might have noticed that we took the long way that day. " He laughed.

"You can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his horse." Snow stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. "I right about you that day, but I have a confession to make about that day as well. After the Troll Bridge, I took the long way back to the castle I could spend as much time as possible with the man with whom I was falling deeply in love."

They both sighed and smiled at the memory.

Snow looked at the clock. "We should get Henry and Emma and go for that ride."

"Right, you convince them to leave and I will go get the car." He husband told her.

As he walked out the door of the diner and she went to go get their daughter and grandson, the thought occurred to Charming that the two of them made a nearly unbeatable team.