This chapter is a little smutty, however it is Emma instead of her parents who sees a little mattress action with Jefferson. I think she deserves it. Charming does try to get a little action from his wife, but it doesn't work out the way he plans. I would say it is somewhere in the neighborhood of PG13 for his attempts and Emma's success.
It has been so long since I updated this story that some of my readers may need to go back and revisit past chapters which would probably be fun anyway.
As usual, I claim to own nothing except the words written here. The characters belong to someone else.
Chapter 23: Heavy is the head that wear the crown.
Charming couldn't have slept late if he had tried. The sun was not even up and he was wide awake. The evening had been warm and the room he shared with his wife felt stifling. He had already tried the one sure fire cure he knew of for insomnia which was to wake up his and engage her in nocturnal activities. When he had softly asked her if she was awake, she had mumbled something that ended in the words, something, something, sleeping." Setting aside his own needs, he had decided to let sleeping Snow lay instead of Prince Charming getting laid. She needed her sleep now more than ever. The pregnancy seemed to be taking a lot more of her energy compared to when they had been expecting Emma.
Nocturnal activities had been few and far between even though he found her more desirable than ever before. He always wanted his wife, but once she had started to show he found her sexier and sexier with every day that passed. Any man who claimed that his wife was more beautiful when she was pregnant was lying. It was not so much that he found her more beautiful since the pregnancy, everyday her body seemed to change and he found new things to admire, new layers of beauty to discover and boy did he love to discover.
She had been through a tough evening though. Regina had tired to incite a riot and force her to give up her job as a teacher, which was a job she loved. Then he had come home from a fund raising dinner and Snow had discovered lipstick on the collar of his shirt. For one brief horror filled moment his wife had actually believed that he had cheated on her. Of course her suspicions had been unfounded, but the very notion had upset her and that was unbearable to him. He would do anything to protect her physically, but her emotional wellbeing was just as important.
He kissed her forehead and slid out of bed. She turned on her side and mumbled something. He walked to the window and opened it to let in the cool night air. He had a lot on his mind; protecting his family was always first and foremost in his thoughts. He also had the mayoral election to think about. The only reason he had agreed to run was to protect Snow from Regina by deflecting some of the Evil Queen's attention onto him. Yet, while he had been trying to raise money for his cadency she had been targeting his wife.
He also was going to have to fire his manager. He believed in giving people extra chances, but Jasmine had crossed the line the pervious night when she had tried openly to seduce him. He had turned her down flatly, however the damage had been done. The cool breeze had brought the temperature in the room down considerable. He closed the window and slid back into bed. Snow turned back from her side and placed her head on his shoulder. He pulled her into his arms and placed his hands on her stomach where he could feel their child moving and growing. It was quickly becoming his favorite way of sleeping. When it was still at night he would almost swear he could hear the child's heart beating. He loved the feel of the child kicking and moving around. He was afraid he would miss it after she had the baby. He fell back asleep minutes later with a content smile on his face.
Emma was never sure what was the worse? The mornings where her parents were fighting or the morning's like that particular one where they were being extra loving and could barely keep their hands to themselves.
"Pass the salt?" She asked wearily.
Both of her parents reached for it as the same time and their hands touched. They smiled at each other lovingly. Emma rolled her eyes. Henry always seemed unaware of their overly amorous displays. He probably believed that was how all couples behaved.
Emma refused to look under the table because she knew from experience that if they were not holding hands openly on top of the table, they were doing it covertly under the table. When they were not holding hands they were touching in other ways. David would have a hand on Mary Margaret's back or neck or she would be leaning on his shoulder. Some days Emma missed how things had been under the Curse. At least then they had been able to keep their hands off of each other. Most of the time at least, after all, the child that her mother was carrying had been conceived during the Curse. Mary Margaret and David had supposedly been broken up. The woman he thought he was married to had gone missing and he was the main suspect. Any sane woman would have stayed as far away from him as possible. Yet, they had secretly met in a room above Granny's and her future sibling had been conceived. Sometimes Emma wondered if True Love ran in her family or if it was insanity?
Not that Emma had ever understood what cursed Mary Margaret had seen in cursed David Nolan. Maybe there was something in nature that prevented one from being even remotely attracted to one's own biological father. Even when he was cursed and was about the same age as her? He was not nearly as attractive as say Henry's father.;
"Crap!" Emma muttered under her breath. Where the hell had that thought come from?
Her parents looked up, distracted for a moment form their love feast. They both gave her a look as if to ask if she was okay. It quickly passed and they went back to mooning over each other.
Emma sighed. She needed a man, but it wasn't as if she had many romantic prospects. Henry's father had left her 12 years ago and had never bothered to look her up. She had no idea what she would say to him if she ever saw him again. Actually she could think of a few choice words she would say. She just hoped Henry was not in the room at the time to hear her say them. Men left her. That was a fact of her life. For instance, where had August disappeared? Sure he was more like an older brother.
"He was more like an older brother with privileges!" She thought to herself. Where had that idea come from? She had never thought of August in that way or had she?" He was hot in his own way. Then there was Jefferson. Sure he was mad and all, but there was an intensity about him that sucked her right in and made her want to be a part of his mad, mad world. Plus, he truly seemed to love his daughter. Maybe she was speeding too much time around her sex maniac parents.
"Emma can you walk Henry to school today?" Her mother asked, breaking into her thoughts.
Emma gave her a puzzled look, "Are you taking the morning off?" She asked her mother casually. Henry always walked to school with Mary Margaret.
Surely Mary Margaret was not planning on playing hooky to spend the morning with David? She was pretty sure she had nearly caught them doing it in the loft the day before? She was almost certain that is what they had been doing.
"Your mother and I have an ultra sound appointment. We are finally going to find out if you are getting a baby brother or a baby sister." Charming beamed proudly.
Emma was about to point out that they would have learned the sex of the baby months ago if he had bothered to show up for the other appointments. Then she thought better of it and decided that if her mother could forgive him for all the appointments he had missed then she might as well let it go as well.
"Henry, go get your backpack." Emma instructed.
"I hope you are having a boy." Henry beamed at his grandparents. He hurried up the stairs to his room.
Emma watched her father for his reaction. It was not a secret that he wanted a boy. There was a 50/50 chance that he would get his wish. Emma secretly hoped it was a boy as well. If they had another girl it would almost be like they were getting to live the life that she missed out on. She wasn't sure how she felt about the idea of watching a sister grow up having the life that she was cheated from having by the Curse.
Henry ran out the door.
"I will be at school after lunch. We will walk home together." Snow called out.
She had been watching her daughter and she had gotten pretty good at reading her face.
"Emma," She called out, "I love you more than any mother has the right to love her child. We both do," She looked to her husband for confirmation.
"You are our baby girl and always will be." Her father added.
Emma nodded her head in understanding and followed her son out the door.
Charming turned to his wife with a playful look in his eyes.
"We have some time before our appointment…" He glanced up the stairs towards their bedroom.
She gave him a teasing look.
"Not that much time." She replied. "You are insatiable!" She scolded.
He gave her an innocent look. "Is it against the law for a man to find his wife beautiful, sexy and impossible to resist?" He kissed her neck and she grinned.
"We are going to be late for our appointment." She scolded.
His face fell. Snow rolled her eyes. But he had not become the ruler of a kingdom by giving up easily. Snow had put on a wrap dress that morning. She had quickly realized that they were easy to put on, comfortable and worked well with her ever changing body.
The first time she had worn one her husband had realized that the design of the dresses offered some interesting opportunities to satisfy his amorous desires. Up until that moment he had not had a chance to test this hypnosis. He figured he would never get a better opportunity. In the name of scientific research he pulled his wife to him and snaked one arm around her stomach so that she would not lose her balance. His other hand he slipped into the front part of her dress. His fingers quickly slid beneath the fabric of her bra and he gently messaged her breast. He felt her heartbeat quicken and she let out an involuntary moan.
Snow had to fight to keep control as Charming ran his thumb across her breast. No matter how many burning feelings he was igniting in her there was no way she was going to give in. They were not going to miss their appointment and she knew that if her husband had his way that is exactly what would happen. She looked at his face and saw the wicked grin and the gleam in his eyes and she knew that she was fighting a difficult battle. It took every ounce of resolve she could muster, but she pulled away from him.
"After I walk Henry home this afternoon, we can spend some quality time alone at the cabin." She promised.
Of course he was disappointed, but he had promised they would make it to the appointment and it was a promise he was determined to keep.
"Now do you need to go take a cold shower?" She teased.
"No, I am good." He promised. They last time they had spent quality alone time at the cabin had been pretty memorable.
She gave him a quick kiss, but he pulled her back to him and turned it into a much longer and passionate kiss.
"Let's go find out if we are painting the nursery blue or pink?" He teased as her linked the finger of his hand with her fingers.
Snow made a face. "No child of mine is going to sleep in a pink nursery!" She replied with finality as she followed him out the door.
Emma sat on the bench outside of the school and watched Henry until he went into the school. He was talking to Grace, they were laughing and joking. There was innocence about the way that they interacted.
She did not notice that Jefferson was standing behind her and watching her.
"We would do anything for our children." He casually informed her. "Including share them with someone else that that is what is in their best interest."
She turned and looked at him. His love for his daughter was the one clear thing about a very mixed up man. He was in a similar situation as her. He had agreed to let the family who had raised his daughter for 28 years under the Curse remain a part of her life. He understood the daily battle of sharing your child with another person not because of biology, but because of circumstances beyond their control.
He gave Emma an mysterious smile. He was magnetic and she was drawn to him. He was broken and she understood what that felt like. For most people she knew the past 28 years had been a blur. Time had stood still and they had been trapped in a different reality, but for her and Jefferson every agonizing day had been real and intense.
"You want to go somewhere?" He asked.
She nodded her head in the affirmative and took his hand as she followed him to his car.
Snow had changed into the examination gown and was sitting on the edge of the table waiting for the technician to come back into the room and star the ultrasound. Charming was pacing back and forth in the small waiting area like a caged animal.
"Sit down." She instructed, "You are making me nervous." She added.
He kept pacing.
"Are you sure this does not present any harm to you or our child?" He asked anxiously. His brows furrowed.
"It is perfectly safe and it does not hurt one bit." She assured him. "You are acting like an expectant father." She teased.
He relaxed a touch and a grin spread across his face. He sat down on the rolling stool that was on one side of the exam table. He reached for her hand and held it tightly. Then he leaned over and gave her a loving kiss. They broke the kiss when they heard the door open.
"I did knock." The technician informed them. "You must not have heard." He gave Charming an exasperated look as if to say, "You are sitting on my seat."
He pulled a chair around to the other side of the bed and turned on the machine. The technician applied the warm gel to Snow's stomach and started the exam.
"I do not expect to see much of a change from yesterday, but I understand that you are finally interesting in finding out if you are having a girl or a boy."
"Absolutely!" Charming replied with almost too much enthusiasm.
The tech moved the wand around on her stomach trying to sharpen the picture appearing on the screen.
Snow was starting to get nervous as well. They were finally going to find out it was a girl or a boy. It did not matter one way or the other to her, but she knew that it would mean a lot to both her husband and Emma if it were a boy. She felt like biting her finger nails, but Charming now held both of her hands tightly in his own hands.
The technician finally got the image he wanted to appear on the screen.
"Congratulations, you are having a girl!" He proudly proclaimed.
Snow gasped in surprise and looked to her husband. The look of disappointment she expected to see did not appear on his face. Instead, he was staring in wonderment at the image on the screen.
Charming leaned over and kissed his wife on the forehead.
"She is beautiful, just like her mother and big sister. You will finally have that little gril to dress in ball gowns and teach to dance." He told her.
"Not to mention teaching her how to shoot a bow and arrow!" Snow laughed.
"And I can teach her how to wield a sword!" Her husband added with a grin.
The technician was still looking at the screen.
"You might want to hold off on buying any ball gowns. I was wrong. It is a boy!" He exclaimed.
A shocked look crossed Charming's face. "Are you sure?" He asked.
"Positive!" The technician explained. "I'll have these pictures printed up for you. How many copies do you need?" He asked.
"A hundred should be adequate!" Charming replied enthusiastically.
His wife gave him a shocked look.
"One for everyone we know." He replied proudly. "I would asked for two hundred if we had been having a girl!" He insisted shyly.
The technician laughed. "Go ahead and get redressed. You can pick up your copies of the pictures at the front desk on your way out."
As soon as the technician was out the door Charming handed Snow her dress.
"Are you in a hurry?" She asked.
"The sooner you get dressed and get back to school, the sooner you can leave school and we can go to the cabin." He beamed.
She gave him a teasing smile.
"I should have known that you were thinking about sex." She smirked.
"Always!" He answered truthfully. All he had to do was look at her and he wanted her 24/7. "I just want to spend some time alone with my wife." He gave her an innocent look.
Snow looked at the clock. "There is no point in going back to school before lunch. Do you want me to go with you to talk to Jasmine and then we can get something to eat at Granny's?" She asked.
In all the excitement of the morning he had forgotten all about Jasmine.
He sighed, "No, you go on to Granny's where you will be more comfortable. I should not be long."
He helped her get dressed and gave her a loving kiss. They picked up the copies of the ultrasound pictures. Charming carried an envelope stuffed with 99 copies and Snow held on to one copy that she wanted to show to red and Granny. They tightly held hands and walked together until they had to Part Company. Snow would walk through an alley to the diner and he would go to the loft to fire Jasmine. Charming gave his wife a smoldering kiss and watched her start through the alley. It was the same alley where they had made love moments after the Curse had broken. A smile crossed his face at the memory. It made him even more anxious to get to the cabin.
"See you soon!" He promised.
She turned and smiled at him. It was similar to the smile she had given him the first day they had met. After she had saved him from the trolls and they were both going their separate ways to what they thought were separate fates. How wrong they had been. The moment they had met their fates had become intertwined. Her smile gave him the same warm feeling it had given him that first day. The sun hit her face and he felt like she had never been more beautiful.
Jefferson had taken Emma to his house. They had kissed for a while and he had led her up to his bedroom.
She sat on the edge of his bed.
"Are you sure?" He asked. The intensity of his look made her tingle.
"Yes." She replied with feeling.
He sat on the edge of the bed and gazed at her.
"But," she added.
His face fell.
"I don't expect it to mean anything because men also leave me or stuff me in a wardrobe and send me away." She added sadly.
He leaned in and kissed her neck. Her pulse quickened.
"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered.
This made her laugh. "Says the man with a magic hat that allows him to realm jump?" She teased.
He pulled back and gave her a serious look. "I am not going anywhere soon." He promised.
"Wouldn't it be easy now that magic in here to just take Grace and leave?" She asked.
"Yes," He replied, "But there are not that many places I could go and it would not be what was best for Grace." He admitted.
It was what she needed to hear. So often Emma felt like it would be easier to take Henry and leave and go to another realm or just out in the world but she knew in her heart that it would not be what was best for her son. She needed to hear someone else say it though.
Her and Jefferson started to unbutton each other's shirts. It was clumsy and awkward.
"It has been a while." Emma admitted.
"You have no idea!" He laughed. "28 years, plus some." He admitted.
This was what Emma needed to hear in order to relax. They finally worked all of their clothes off and he gently lowered her on the bed. He looked at her naked body admiringly.
"You are beautiful." He exclaimed.
He kissed her lips softly and ran one hand down the length of her body, between the valley of her breasts and down to her stomach, across her hips and around to her behind and then finally to the area between her legs. He gently stroked her, causing her to whimper. He kissed her as he entered her gently. Emma closed her eyes tightly. He might not have been her true love, then again she did not know who her tree love might be. He was what she needed at the moment. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and went along for the ride.
Charming walked through the alley towards the diner. The talk with Jasmine had been unpleasant to say the least. Now he wanted to see his wife desperately. He had finally come right out and asked Jasmine what she had against True Love? She had told him a sad story about how she had accidently killed the enemy of her true love. Jafar was a powerful sorcerer and Jasmine had killed him in self-defense. Aladdin, the man she thought was her true love., had turned his back on her and believed that she had killed out of anger. When the Curse had hit the two of them had been estranged and even after the Curse had been broken she had not been able to find her lost love. The story reminded him of how he had failed to support Mary Margaret when she was accused of murder. He felt bad for Jasmine, but not bad enough to let her continue being a part of his life.
Something caught his eye as he walked through the alley. It was an ultrasound picture. He grinned when he realized that it matched the 99 that he carried in the envelope under his arm. He opened the door to the diner and was prepared to tease his wife about how she could not keep track of one copy.
He scanned the booths, tables and counter stools expecting to see Snow eating her and the baby's weight in burgers and fries. He was surprised to see that she was not there. It had not taken him that long at the loft, but maybe his wife had decided not to wait for him.
Granny was wiping a table.
'Did Snow eat and leave?" He asked Granny.
"I haven't seen her." The diner owner admitted.
"Maybe I misunderstood her?" Charming questioned. But he was starting to get a bad feeling about the situation.
"Do you want something to eat?" Granny asked.
Charming ordered a cheeseburger to go. He was not that hungry when he found Snow, and he would find her, she would probably take it off his hands.
He tried to calmly walk to the school, but every intuition he possessed was screaming that something was wrong. He became even more alarmed when he saw Henry sitting on the bench alone.
Before he could open his mouth to ask about Snow, tropical storm Emma blew in.
"Where is Mary Margaret?" She demanded anxiously. "I did something I probably shouldn't have done and now I have to talk to her about it." She had a panicked look on her face and she was out of breath. She needed her roommate. She needed her mother! Jefferson had been gentle and attentive to her, but he was still the mad hatter and she was no longer sure that being with him was a wise choice. In fact she was pretty sure that it ranked high on her list of colossal mistakes.
Charming looked at Henry.
"Where is Snow?" He tried to keep the panic out of his own voice.
Henry shrugged. "She never came to school." He admitted. Charming started for the door to the school to look for his wife even though something told him she was not there.
"Why aren't you in class?" Emma asked.
"Early dismissal so they can set up for the election." Henry stated.
Charming stopped in his tracks. "What election?" He asked.
"The one for Mayor is in two days." Henry reminded him.
How was that impossible? Charming wondered where the time had gone.
"Could Snow have gone home?" He asked.
"She would not have left Henry." Emma replied.
"King George took her." They heard a voice and turned around to see Belle standing there with a forlorn look on her face.
"Where did he take her?" Charming demanded.
"He took her somewhere across the town line. Gold helped him by supplying him with some type of devices so they would not revert to their cursed selves when they left the city limits." She admitted.
"Is that what happens if you try and leave?" Henry asked.
"Yes," Belle admitted, "But Gold designed bracelets that allow us to leave and still keep our enchanted forest memories."
"What if it doesn't work?' Emma asked, forgetting her own problems. "What if Mary Margret is out there was a mad man and doesn't even know who she is?" Emma panicked.
"I'll find her." Charming vowed.
Emma gave him a look of disbelief. "What difference will it make if she no longer remembers that she loves you?" She asked.
"I will make her remember," He vowed. "I did it once before, I can do it again. Even if she has reverted to her cursed state I am no longer David Nolan. Even Mary Margret won't be able to resist Prince Charming."
Belle handed him a dagger.
"You will need this. It controls the Dark One. With this you can control him."
Emma looked at her. She knew that Belle loved Gold and yet she was willing to go behind his back and help them. The cost would be high for Belle.
"Why are you doing this?" Emma asked with concern in her voice.
"Because this is my fault," Belle admitted, "I told him I wanted a child. But not like this." She stated.
Charming carefully held the dagger. "Let's go talk to the Dark One and see if he can help us find your mother and brother." He stated firmly.
A smiled crossed Emma's face. "You're having a boy?" She asked.
Her father nodded and a look passed between them. It was a look of unspoken understanding.
Snow woke up in a dark room. She could see light filtering through the curtains covering a window. She opened the curtains and looked out. There were bars on the window but she could clearly see that she was not in Storybrooke. She recognized the scene though because she had seen it in pictures that Emma had brought with her to Storybrooke. She was in Boston!
Her hand went instantly to her stomach and she felt the baby move, it was kicking up a storm in fact. She realized that she had not had a chance to eat lunch before King George had grabbed her in the alley. She noticed that her ring was missing. It must have come off in the fight. She had put up a fight. King George probably had a few cuts and bruises. In the end she had only given up because she feared for the safety of her child. He had slapped a white plastic bracelet on her wrist and warned her that it might not work. He was taking her across the town line and she might not remember who she was once they crossed the boundary.
She did remember who she was though so it had worked. She was Snow White and she was married to Prince Charming and they were going to have a son! She also knew something else for sure. She patted her stomach where her unborn child was performing tumbling tricks.
"Hang on kid, your father is out there is he is going to find us!" She stated with certainty.
Authors Note: I am not in any way endorsing Emma with any man in particular. I think she should play the field. Jefferson just happen to be handy and they do have some things in common.