Chapter 26

Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also, this is a sequel to the original "Thicker than Water" written by La Lisboa.

Emma was really enjoying spending time with Henry lately. He had the week off for Christmas, so she had a lot of extra time available. All the things that Emma hadn't been able to feel a month ago, she felt twice as strongly now. She thought she could just sit there and stare at her son's wonderful grin all day. His laughter was beautiful music she could listen to forever.

They often spent their time reading stories from his new fairytale book, which Henry was enjoying as much as Emma had hoped he would. The fact was, she was enjoying it almost as much as he did. Emma had spent a lot of time last fall wishing she'd paid more attention to her parents' stories in the book. Now, she could learn her family history while spending time with Henry at the same time.

Henry particularly liked the story where Snow met Regina as a ten – year old girl. In fact, that was the story they were reading this morning before Emma went to work. "So Grandma was riding her horse while she was on a trip with her father," Henry read again. (They'd read this story last night already, but Henry enjoyed it so much she didn't mind hearing it again.) "Then suddenly the horse seemed to run wild. There was nothing Grandma could do to stop him. But she kept calling out for help, hoping for someone to rescue her." Henry's grin went from ear – to – ear as he said this next sentence, and Emma drank in the expression. "A young woman heard her and ran after the horse. She was able to stop the horse, and Grandma never forgot how kind strangers could be. That woman turned out to be Regina."

Henry obviously loved reading how Snow and Regina had started out as friends. He liked to think that's where they ended, too, Emma knew. "Do you think Grandma still sees my other mom this way? I mean, even after all the bad stuff? She wasn't just writing good things about Regina for my benefit, was she?" He flipped to the story where Regina forced Snow to eat the cursed apple.

Emma nodded, remembering how Snow had reacted when Regina died. "Yes, I do, Henry. I think when Regina died, that Snow was able to see the woman she once was, the woman she met as a girl. She did the eulogy, remember."

Henry nodded. "So the next day, Grandma's father came back to the house where Regina lived and –" He stopped as he heard a knock at the door. He carefully laid the book open to the page they were on and went to answer the door. "Hey, Mom! Teddy's here. He says he got a new video game system for Christmas. Can I go over to his house and play with it with him?"

Emma paused for a minute. She wanted to say "yes," since she loved that Henry finally had friends his own age to do things with. But she was worried about them being alone. Usually there wasn't anyone at Teddy's house during the day. Emma had accepted that Henry would have to stay by himself for about an hour and a half this week, after she went to work but before Snow came home. But two twelve – year old boys alone together spelled disaster as far as she was concerned. Even if they were only supposed to be playing video games. She carefully walked over to Teddy. "Will there be someone else there, Teddy?" she asked, trying to sound causal.

Teddy nodded, to Emma's surprise. "Yeah, my uncle is visiting this week. He's nice, don't worry."

Well, Emma supposed it would be okay, then. "Is it okay with him that Henry comes over? Can I talk to him first?"

Teddy nodded. So she, Henry, and Teddy walked over to Teddy's house to see his uncle. "Hi," greeted a friendly man at the door. "I'm Kyle. I'm Teddy's uncle. I understand Teddy would like Henry to play his new video game system with him. It's okay with me." Emma nodded, after meeting the uncle and realizing he did seem like a nice man.

So Henry stayed there and Emma walked back to their apartment. She closed the fairytale book with the marker so they could finish the story that night. Then she returned to her room to get ready for work. She smiled as she surveyed her room. It may not be as nice as the one she'd shared with Henry in Storybrooke, considering it didn't yet have a real bed or a dresser, but it was still pretty nice. She had plenty of clothes now. She also had a dream catcher which she proudly displayed in her window, just as Neal had done in New York. She had police uniform, which made her proud of her job. And a wonderful picture of her and her son. She hoped to get a frame for it soon.

Emma also had a new gold coin, which Ruby had given her as Christmas present. Ruby told her it was a survivor's coin, because she'd survived Neal's death. She had, Emma realized. She still missed Neal a lot, and it hurt that she'd never see him again. But she wasn't angry about his death anymore. And she could even feel happiness again.

Hidden under some clothes, Emma kept her new baby blanket. Of course, everyone she lived with knew she had it, so it wasn't like it was something she really needed to hide. But Emma wasn't comfortable with displaying such a personal item to others. Still, she was beyond overjoyed that it was with her again. She picked up her new hat and mittens as well after getting her uniform on. They were really nice to wear in such chilly weather, especially since she had to walk to the bus stops.

Before she left, she made sure she wrote a note for Snow to let her know where Henry was, knowing her mother would be concerned otherwise.

XXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOO

Snow couldn't get over the change in Emma and Henry in the past couple of weeks. Henry enjoyed the book they had made for them just as much as Emma said he would. He spent hours reading it, sometimes even making comments about the story to her and Charming. But more than that, Henry seemed to find hope in the book. The other day, Henry mentioned the social worker had been to his school when he returned. "But I don't worry about her anymore," he added shrugging. "She says I'm doing well in school. Even if I wasn't, I know I'll be staying here. I read the book and I remember all the trouble you and Grandpa had. But you're together again. And so are we. So this is where I'll stay."

Snow leaned over and hugged Henry. "I'm glad," she told him.

Emma also changed. She talked to Henry. She laughed with Snow. She listened while Charming told everyone how the cows were doing at dinner. Occasionally, Emma even joined Snow for cinnamon hot chocolate, after Henry went to bed. One night as they sipped their drink, Snow mentioned what Henry had told her earlier. "Henry told me the social worker came to his school yesterday," she began.

"I see," Emma replied. "Did she upset him in anyway?" Emma's voice sounded a little angry on her son's behalf. "He didn't mention anything to me."

Snow shook her head. "No, he actually told me she said he was doing well. But he also told me he doesn't worry about her anymore, Emma. He said the book made him believe he'd stay here. Just like you said it would." Snow smiled again as she sipped her chocolate.

Emma's smile lit up her whole face. "Great. I thought it would. Thank you again for helping me make it. I could have never done it without help, especially yours and David's."

Snow smiled. "It wasn't a problem, Emma. We were just glad to something to help him, and you, too. Because I know helping Henry helps you, too."

Emma shrugged. "Yeah."

"Besides, it was still your idea, Emma. You knew what Henry needed to have hope again. And you found a way to give it to him. I knew you were a good mother, Emma. But that shows wonderful judgment."

Emma shrugged again. "I guess." That was one that hadn't changed, unfortunately. Emma still couldn't take a compliment.

But yes, Emma seemed much happier lately, Snow thought to herself as she went to sleep with Charming arms around her. Snow's heart still broke for Emma, that she'd lost the man she hoped to marry some day. Henry's father. But at least Emma had found other reasons to be happy.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Snow had begun to notice another change in Charming in the next few days as well. He seemed tired all the time. He would yawn at random, and he often fell asleep before she even entered their bedroom. The worst was the day she woke up before he did. Snow and Charming always got up earlier than the other members of their family. But Charming, having been raised on a farm, always woke up the earliest. But that day, Snow was up, showered, and dressed while her Charming still slept. There had to be something wrong with him. Was he sick with the flu? Or was it something even worse? Should she take him to her hospital?

As she pondered what to do, Charming finally woke up. "Oh, hi Snow," he commented causally as he stretched. "Why are you dressed so early?"

"Because it isn't early, Charming. In fact, I think Henry and even Emma will be looking for breakfast any minute now. Are you okay?"

"Of course," he replied getting up and dressing as quickly as he could. "Why wouldn't I be? Let's eat breakfast."

Snow ran her hands over his face, trying to see if he felt hot or clammy. "Because I've never known you to sleep this late. You usually get out of bed before any of us, because of your farmer upbringing. Do you feel sick, Charming? Do you need to stay home today?"

Charming shook his head as he went into the kitchen. "I'm not sick, Snow. I'm fine. I'm all ready to go to work."

Snow shook her head. She knew her husband liked to pretend he was stronger than was physically possible, but it wasn't healthy. "Charming, I know how hard it is for you to admit you're sick, but this isn't good for you. It's bad enough for a normal person to go to work. But some of your job is outside. You're going to make yourself worse if you go."

Charming shook his head as he picked out the box of cornflakes. "Most of it actually isn't outside at this time of year, Snow. All the cows are inside the barn. I'll be fine."

Snow felt like beating her head against the wall. How could she convince this stubborn man he was sick and couldn't go to work today?

Fortunately, in the next few minutes, she had reinforcements. "Hi Grandma, Grandpa," Henry greeted them as he came out dressed and ready for breakfast. "Are you okay, Grandpa?" You've yawned three times since I've come out here."

Snow smiled a thank you at Henry and said to Charming, "See? Even Henry notices you're acting sick."

Charming shook his head again. "I appreciate you two looking out for me. But, really, all I need is a good breakfast. Can you get the milk please, Snow?"

Snow sighed. Maybe he was right. Maybe all he needed was a good breakfast. She'd also felt better after eating, after all. She got out the milk and handed it to Henry and Charming, then poured some on her own cornflakes.

A few minutes later, Emma wandered out, ready for her first pot of coffee. As she began brewing it, she paused and looked at Charming. "David, are you okay? You look kind of pale."

Snow's eyebrows shot up. If Emma, who usually wandered around mindlessly first thing in the morning, especially before she'd had a cup of coffee, noticed there was something wrong with her father, there definitely was. Snow looked at Charming's face again ash he took a bite of cornflakes. Emma was right. He looked paler than usual. "Charming, you have to stay home today. You're sick. If you go to work, you'll only get worse."

Charming shook his head again. "No! Like I said, all I need is a good – yawn – breakfast."

Snow and Emma looked each other and burst out laughing. "That argument would be more convincing if you hadn't yawned in the middle of it," Snow told him. "Finish your breakfast and then go back and lay down."

Charming swallowed a bite of cornflakes. "But I need to work," he tried protesting again, shaking his head.

"Yes," Snow replied. "And in order for you to continue to work, you need to be healthy. That means today, you need to stay home." Snow sighed as she took a bite of cornflakes. They had arguments like this back in the Enchanted Forest, too, when he was sick or injured. He never wanted to admit he wasn't capable of working or fighting. But Snow was determined that his health must come first.

Emma swallowed a few gulps of coffee. "David, you're tired, and you're pale. Does your body feel weak, too? Do you feel dizzy? It sounds like you might have the flu. You need to stay home, if you don't want other people to catch it." Snow was grateful Emma was helping explain to Charming why he needed to stay home, especially this early in the morning. Usually Emma didn't talk that much until later in the day. It showed Snow how much she cared about her father's wellbeing.

Charming looked back and forth from Snow to Emma for a minute. "This isn't fair," he complained, yawning again. "How I am I supposed to argue against both of you?"

Snow smiled at Emma in thanks. Then she looked at Charming firmly. "You don't." She told him firmly. You finish the rest of your breakfast; you use your communication device to call your boss and tell him you're sick with the flu. Then you go back to bed."

Charming yawned again. "All right. I guess."

Snow smiled. That was easier than usual. Having Emma to back her up really helped.

They all finished breakfast and Charming did end up returning to the bedroom to lie down. Henry got on his bus as Emma finished another cup of coffee. "I have to go to work, Emma," Snow told her daughter as she put on her jacket and the hat and mittens Granny had made for her. "I know you usually take your time getting ready before you have to go to the university. But would you do me a favor and make sure your father stays in bed unless he's using the bathroom. He's been known to try to get up when he's supposed to be lying down."

Emma sighed and nodded. "I am going to leave earlier than you'll get home though. Will he be okay while no one is here?"

Snow thought for a few minutes. She'd like to say, "He'll be fine; it will only be a few hours." And maybe he would be. He was obviously tired, considering he slept as long as he did this morning. But Snow also knew of times where Charming had tried to get up when he was supposed to be lying down when she'd been gone for less time. "Don't worry about it," Snow told Emma. "I'll think of something." Maybe she'd call him on her communication device periodically.

In the end, that's exactly what Snow did. Wendy and Cindy were willing to cover for her for a few minutes after she explained the situation to them. "So he actually does have flaws, huh?" Wendy joked after Snow explained why she needed to call Charming a few times today.

Snow smiled. "Yeah. I guess."

OOOOOOOOOO

Fortunately for Charming, he had obviously been sleeping all the times she'd called him. (She heard it in his voice.) So when she arrived home, he didn't get any lectures. He did, in fact, sleep most of the day.

OOOOOOOOOOO

The next day, Charming wasn't as tired as he'd been before. So he tried to convince Snow and Emma he should be able to go to work. "Look, I got up at the same time as you did, Snow. Obviously, I'm better." Unfortunately, he also had a terrible cough. In fact, he'd coughed twice in that sentence alone.

Emma drank a few swallows of coffee before she replied, "But you look paler than you did yesterday, David. And your voice sounds horrible."

Henry nodded as well. "You don't sound good, Grandpa."

Snow nodded. "The main reason why you woke up at the same time as I did was because you were coughing so much. You still need rest, Charming. And you definitely can't be spreading the illness around."

Between the three of them, especially Snow and Emma, they managed to convince Charming to stay home again. Snow also made sure Emma kept an eye on her father until he left, and she called him periodically after that.

When she called him at 11:30, she caught him this time. He sounded as if he was walking outside. Outside? Was the man out of his mind? Walking outside while he had the flu? "But I'm – cough – bored – cough, Snow!" he protested.

"I don't care," she told him firmly. "If you don't go home right away, you're going to make yourself sicker than you already are. Lie down and rest. Or read the newspaper if necessary. I want you to get well, Charming."

Charming grumbled a bit, but agreed to return to the apartment. Fortunately for him, he was still there when she got home, although he was trying to lie on their very small couch instead of on their air mattress. Snow shook her head at her husband. "Charming, that really isn't made for lying down, especially not for someone as tall as you are. Lie down in the bedroom, please," she told him firmly, pointing at their bedroom door.

Charming shook his head and mumbled something.

"Say that, again. I didn't hear you. What is your excuse this time?"

Charming sighed and looked at the floor. "The air mattress – cough makes my throat – cough – hurt more. And cough more. I was trying to find somewhere – cough – to lie down that wasn't so close to the ground."

Snow sighed and looked at the floor herself. It hadn't even occurred to her how badly sleeping so close to the ground would be for his flu. In the Enchanted Forest, they had a large, two – mattress bed. Even when she was living in the forest on the run, she had a bed above the ground. She reached over and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him. "I'm sorry, Charming. I wish we'd gotten a real bed."

Charming shook his head. "No, we can't afford that, Snow," he croaked. "We're still paying off the bill for Henry's lawyer, remember. This is why I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to feel guilty about something you couldn't do anything about. I'll be fine."

Snow sighed. "No, there must be something I can do. I don't want you to make your flu worse, Charming. You did that enough by going outside today," she added glaring at him.

Charming yawned and fell asleep again, proving how tired he still was, especially since he was curled up like a pretzel on their couch. Snow looked at him again. It may be better for his throat to be lying out here, but it was going to give him incredibly sore joints when he woke up. "I'm going to find a way to help you," she whispered to him as he slept.

How could she fix their mattress so it he would be off the ground? She looked at the air mattress in their bedroom again for several minutes. Maybe if she folded their blanket on his side of the mattress, it would make him able to lie a little higher? She tried it. No, not really. What about pillows? She put hers lengthwise, on his side of the mattress. Not nearly long enough. Still, it looked liked pillows were the right idea.

Maybe if Snow took a trip to the Wal – Mart, she could pick up a few cheep pillows for Charming to sleep on top of. She'd have to be really quick about it though. Otherwise, he could wake up and decide to go outside again. Outside! With the flu! Seriously.

Snow was able to find some very big, fluffy pillows. Perfect. She could put them on his side of the mattress, and he could sleep on top of them. He wouldn't be able to sleep as high as if they had a bed, but at least Charming wouldn't be so close to the ground this way. She also picked up some peppermint tea, remembering her mother used to have the servants make that for her when she had a bad cough as a girl. When she got home, she set them up and added her pillow for extra head support. Then she forced him to lie down on the air mattress she'd set up. To Snow's relief, he looked much more comfortable now that he could stretch out, instead of turning himself into a Charming pretzel.

At supper time, Snow made Charming a cup of the peppermint tea. However, Emma arrived just before dinner was served and brought something even better. "I bought David some medicine," she told Snow showing her some bottles with caplets in them. "I thought since he had a cough today, he might want some medicine for it."

Snow looked at the caplets in fascination. "Do you mean this medicine will get rid of his illness all together?" Was this world really that advanced?

Emma shook her head. "No, I'm afraid it we're not quite that far yet. But it will keep him from coughing all the time. He should take it at night. That way, he won't be up all night coughing, and he'll be able to sleep more."

Snow nodded. "Thank you, Emma," she said as she smiled at her daughter. "I bought him some peppermint tea. It's what my mother would give me when I had a bad cough. But this might be even better. Thank you for helping me take care of your father. Now here," she added serving the dinner. "Have some macaroni."

"Sure," Emma replied, sitting down.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The medicine Emma suggested and the peppermint tea seemed to work, because Charming didn't spend much time coughing that night. But the next morning, Snow noticed his skin was extremely hot. Much too hot. After dressing, Snow picked up a wash cloth and began running the cool cloth all over her husband's skin, hoping to make him more comfortable. Unfortunately, from the groans he was trying to conceal from her, she didn't think it was working. Why was that? He was obviously way too hot and he needed to cool down. But why would running a cool cloth on him cause him pain?

Then suddenly, Snow remembered the way he had been lying down on the couch yesterday. Curled up like a Charming pretzel. Didn't she say to herself he would get sore lying like that? That's what the problem was. As Snow picked up his arms and legs to run the cloth over him, she was causing him more pain. What could she do that would bring his fever down without causing him more pain?

She thought about that as she read the morning paper. She thought about that as she fixed breakfast for Henry and Emma. (It was Saturday, so she decided to try making pancakes.) When Henry and, finally, Emma came into the kitchen, breakfast was already.

"How's David doing?" Emma asked, yawning as she sat down to a fresh pot of coffee.

Snow sighed. "He's got a fever. He's also got some really sore joints because of the way he was laying yesterday. I'm trying to figure out the best way to help him. At least today is Saturday, so I don't have to worry about him trying to get up, or worse, leave the apartment."

"Sometimes Mom would give me a cool bath when I had a fever," Henry suggested, as he swallowed a bite of pancake. "Do you think Grandpa would like that?"

Snow thought about that for a second. If he was in the tub, she wouldn't have to worry about picking up his limbs, and moving them the wrong way by mistake. And their tub may not be as big as the bed, but it was a good size for Charming to relax in. "Yeah, maybe I'll try that, Henry. Thank you."

"There's medicine for fevers and aches and pains in this world, too," Emma added. "I'll pick some up later today."

Snow smiled, loving that Emma and Henry were concerned about Charming and wanted to help him, too. "Sure, Emma," she agreed.

After breakfast was finished and dishes were taking care of, Snow set up a cool bath for Charming. Then she carefully led him into the bathroom and helped him into the tub. "Does that feel better, Charming?" she asked him when he was settled in.

"Yeah," Charming replied. "But I wish – cough – you didn't spend so much time around me, Snow. You're going to get yourself sick, too, you know."

Snow shrugged. He had a point, but the only thing that mattered to Snow right now was helping him feel more comfortable until he got better. "Don't worry about me," she told him.

Charming shook his head. "I always worry about you," he croaked. His voice sounded hoarse again. Maybe she'd make him some more peppermint tea.

XXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOO

Sunday afternoon, Henry noticed Grandpa seemed to be getting restless and bored. He wasn't as tired as he used to be, so he kept talking about going outside. Grandma told him he wouldn't be going outside any time soon. Then he talked about taking care of the dishes. "I need to do something useful!" he tried to explain.

But Grandma wasn't letting him try anything like that. "The most useful thing you can do right now is get better, Charming. I mean it," she told him firmly. Grandpa grumbled and laid back down in the elevated bed Grandma had made for him. It was kind of funny, to see Grandpa trying to do something he shouldn't do. Usually, Henry figured Grandpa always did everything right. He was a hero, after all. He was even willing to help him save Regina, when he only saw her as the Evil Queen. But now, Grandpa was complaining how he wanted to get up and trying to sneak out when Grandma wasn't looking.

Still, Henry knew what it was like to be bored. So he decided to try to help Grandpa. (And help Grandma keep him lying down at the same time.) He picked up his new fairytale book and began reading what he assumed was one of Grandpa's favorite stories. The time when he met Grandma.

OOOOOOOOOOO

The next day was Monday, so it would a lot harder for Grandma to keep Grandpa inside the house where he was supposed to be. Especially considering he wasn't nearly as tired as he'd been last week. But Grandma still insisted he stay home, since he still had a nasty cough and a fever. "Make sure he stays inside, while you're here, please Emma," Grandma instructed Mom. "And I'll call you ever hour after she leaves," Grandma warned Grandpa.

"But – cough – Snow!" Grandpa protested.

But Grandma stood firm. Henry wondered how much luck she would have, keeping him inside, especially off his feet when there was no one to watch him. But Henry figured he'd still read to Grandpa when he got home, anyway.

OOOOOOOOO

Henry did read to Grandpa when he got home. After Grandma got done lecturing Grandpa about doing the dishes while everyone was gone, that is.

But the next day after that, there was a complication. They had started a "family life" unit in health class. The day before, the teacher taught them about…male and female parts. That had been bad enough, but Henry and the rest of the class simply laughed about it once health class was done. But on Tuesday, the teacher started talking about what men and women did with those parts.

Sex. That's what the teacher called it. She talked about how it was done. She talked about the importance of using "safe sex." She talked about how it should be done in private. Henry suddenly remembered the time when he and Emma had come home to find Grandma and Grandpa in bed in the middle of the afternoon, back when they lived in Storybrooke. So that's what they had been doing. He had been a little suspicious when they had said they were only "resting." Especially considering how embarrassed Mom seemed to be. But, since he couldn't think of what else could be going on, he'd let it go.

Now, he knew. Grandma and Grandpa had been having sex. And he and Mom had walked in on it. Henry wasn't sure what to do with that information. He had been planning on reading to Grandpa when he got home again. It kept him entertained and kept Grandma from worrying about him so much. Besides, it was kind of fun to spend time with Grandpa. But in light of this new information…Henry wasn't so sure he could do that. Talking to Grandpa would be awkward now. Especially if Henry read one of the stories about him and Grandma.

OOOOOOOOOO

By Wednesday, Henry still wasn't comfortable talking to Grandma and Grandpa. He just couldn't seem to stop picturing them in bed together, like they were when he and Mom saw them. Finally, Mom sat down in his room to talk to him. "Henry, your grandparents are worried you're angry at them for some reason. You don't talk to them that much anymore. You haven't read to David out of the book in a couple of days. Can you tell me what the problem is? Is it something they said or did? "

Henry looked at the floor. He really didn't want to talk about this.

"It's okay, Henry. There are a lot of things your grandparents don't understand. But sometimes I do. Try me. What is it?"

Henry sighed. "We're…ah…learning about…sex in health class."

Mom nodded. "Yeah, I remember reading the note you brought home about that. It's a little awkward to learn about, but you'll get through it. What does that have to do with…oh," she finally said, her eyes widening as she finally realized what Henry's problem with Grandma and Grandpa was.

"Yeah," Henry nodded, glad that Mom understood. "Now that I know what happened that day, I just keep thinking about them…when we saw them…"

Mom nodded again. "I can see why that would be difficult. This is partially my fault. I should have talked to you about sex a long time ago. Then you wouldn't be so blindsided by it now. But there was so much going on…Actually, that's an excuse. I didn't want to bother with it. No one does, because it's so awkward. So I put it off. But Henry, you know they weren't doing anything wrong that day, right?"

Henry shrugged. "I guess not."

"They weren't. And they did expect us to be back later, remember. Your grandparents aren't exhibitionists, Henry. They may kiss in front of people, but that's as far as it goes. And now that they have a door, we shouldn't have to worry about it any longer."

Henry sighed. "Okay." What his mother said made sense, but it was still going to be a while before he stopped thinking of Grandma and Grandpa in bed together.

XXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOO

By the weekend Snow declared that David was over his flu and he was "fit for duty" for dishes, grocery shopping, and laundry. Thank goodness. Doing nothing for the past week had been torture.

"You realize you would have recovered quicker if you hadn't tried to get up so much last week, right?" Snow asked him, with her eyebrows raised when he told her how much better he felt Sunday afternoon. "The times you decided to go outside were particularly bad for your flu, Charming."

David shrugged. She had a point, and he knew it. But it was simply too difficult for him to sit around and do nothing. He liked to be working. If he couldn't work on a job, then he enjoyed working around the house, to take care of his family. If there was nothing to do in the apartment, then he liked to at least walk around outside. Of course, having no one in the house for a few hours made it easier get up, as well.

OOOOOOOOOO

The next morning, David got up before everyone else, as usual. He stretched, he showered, and he dressed. It felt good to be getting up near sunrise again, like he always had. He was a little disappointed Snow didn't get up early as well. (When they both got up quite a bit earlier than Henry, they often used the time to make love.) But it wasn't really that big of a deal. There would be plenty of other opportunities, after all.

When he went out to the kitchen to get breakfast, Snow still wasn't up, though. That concerned David. Snow liked to make sure she was up earlier than Henry and Emma as well, so she could get their breakfast started. All Henry ate during the week was cold cereal. And Emma only wanted coffee this early in the morning. But Snow still wanted to get it ready for them. The kitchen was her domain after all, and it was one of the ways she took care of her family.

Still, it wasn't as if David couldn't get Henry's cereal ready. He was pretty sure he could even figure out how to brew the coffee for Emma. David had the cornflakes poured into bowls by the time Henry came out, dressed. "You going to work today, Grandpa?" Henry asked him.

"Yes, Henry. I am. I'm completely recovered." Jokingly, he flexed his arm, showing Henry how well his muscles moved again.

Henry laughed. It was good to see. Henry had been avoiding him and Snow for a while last week. They'd even asked Emma to talk to him, to see if he was angry at them for some reason. Emma had assured them Henry wasn't angry and that he would get over his problem, soon. David had trusted Emma's judgment, but it was still nice to see Henry talking and laughing with him again.

Then suddenly Henry stopped laughing. "But where's Grandma? Shouldn't she be up by now? Did she catch the flu, too?"

David's smile faded. It was quite possible. After all, the first symptom he had had been incredible fatigue. He tried to tell Snow she shouldn't have spent so much time around him last week. He knew she'd make herself sick. But his wife had insisted on taking care of him, anyway. "Eat your cornflakes, Henry," he told his grandson as he poured some milk over his cereal. "I'm going to see how your grandma is doing."

Henry nodded.

David carefully stepped back into their bedroom and turned on the light to get a good look at Snow. She did look pretty pale, he thought to himself, frowning. Paler than normal, that is. As he continued looking at her pale face, she woke up, groaning and complained, "Why did you turn on the light in the middle of the night, Charming? If you had to turn on a light, why couldn't you at least use a candle?"

David immediately turned the light off, not wanting it to bother his wife. Still, he felt the need to explain, "It isn't the middle of the night, Snow," he told her gently. "It's almost 7:00AM. Henry is in the kitchen, eating breakfast."

Snow jumped right out of bed at that. "I have to get ready for work!" she exclaimed. Or at least, she tried to jump right out of bed. When she did so, she fell right back on the bed again. "Oops," she laughed and tried to get out of bed again.

But David stopped her. "No, Snow. You're sick. You're tired and you're obviously dizzy and light – headed, or you wouldn't have fallen down like that. You'll have to stay home today."

"No, I'm fine. I just got up too fast. I need to go to work." Once again, Snow tried to get off the bed.

"No!" he told her firmly, holding her down. "You need to stay in bed today. You talk about me wanting to get out of bed when I'm sick, but you're just as bad, Snow. Now, I'm going to let you go, but only if you promise to stay here."

Snow groaned, and fell back asleep. That settled that. Still, David was going to call her on his communication device during the day, just like she'd done with him. Just to make sure. It was funny that he and Snow had such different backgrounds, but they both had a common trait: they hated to lie around doing nothing. For David, it was because he'd grown up on a farm where there were so many things to do, neither he or his mother really had time to relax. (Although his mother tried as hard as Snow did to convince David to lie down when he was ill.) For Snow, it was because she'd spent so much of her young adulthood hiding in the forest, where if she'd stayed in one place for too long, she would have been caught. "I couldn't stop to lay down for more than a few hours, even when I was sick," she'd told him once.

David made sure Henry got on his school bus, and then he walked to the city bus himself. It was kind of strange Emma never got up to drink her first morning coffee. Usually she liked to see Henry before he left for school in the morning. Still, Emma had never been a morning person, so she wasn't always able to get up on time. It wasn't really that big of a deal.

OOOOOOOOOO

David loved to be back at work again, taking care of those cows. He even tolerated Tina's attention. (David was quite disappointed the girl still had a massive crush on him. He wasn't sure what to do about it, though.) He also made sure he called Snow several times during the day. Most of the time, she appeared to be sleeping, like she was supposed to. Once, he caught her doing what it sounded like the breakfast dishes. "No!" he told her firmly. "Get back in bed, Snow. I mean it. This is not the time for doing chores!"

"But I – "she tried to protest.

"Snowwww," he warned.

Snow sighed, and David heard the sound of the water being turned off and Snow returning to bed. Good. Then David went back to collecting milk pails.

OOOOOOOOOO

That night, David made a can of soup for supper. He wasn't nearly as good of a cook as Snow was, but he'd seen Emma cook soup out of these cans before. He should be able to do the same. And David knew soup was good for illnesses. Emma didn't come home as soon as she usually did, but David told himself not to worry. Sometimes, she had work to do at the university after all. He was sure she would call them on her communication device soon.

They had finished their supper, and David was beginning to be concerned when Emma came home. Or rather, she dragged her body into the apartment, sneezing as she went. "Emma," he asked looking at her pale face, drippy nose, and general body fatigue. "Did you go to work like this? Sick?" He put his hands on his hips as he asked.

"I'm not – achoo! – sick!" she protested.

David shook his head. "You can barely stand up, Emma. You're sick. And you had to walk all the way back from Hampden to the bus stop in Bangor, because the bus doesn't go to Hampden this late. I don't know how you could possibly do that in this condition. No wonder you got home so late," he shook his head at his daughter. "I thought when you didn't get up this morning that you just overslept. But you caught the flu, too, didn't you?"

Emma shrugged.

Henry picked up something for Emma to wipe her nose.

David sighed. Looks like he had two women to take care of that didn't want to admit they were sick. He only hoped Henry was better at admitting a problem when it came to illness than the rest of their family. "Let me heat up some more soup for you, Emma," he told her. "It should make you feel a little better."

In the meantime, you should go lie down."

Emma sighed and nodded. Then she began to try to drag herself to the bedroom. David looked at the way she was walking and picked her up cradle – style. After walking home in the cold with the flu, she shouldn't be pushing herself anymore.

"David! Achoo! You don't need to do this. I can walk!" Emma protested.

"Just barely," David replied as he made his way to her room. "And you don't need to. What you need to do is rest." Emma rolled her eyes as he placed her on her air mattress, but David couldn't help feeling some satisfaction that he was able to carry his daughter again. The last time he remembered doing that, Emma was only minutes old.

OOOOOOOOOOO

David got up the next morning to the sound of Snow coughing, just as he had been last week. He sighed and shook his head. He really wished Snow hadn't spent so much time around him when he had been sick. Still, maybe he'd make some of that peppermint tea she'd made for him this morning. He was pretty sure there was some left. David also set up the elevated sleeping space on her side of the bed and gently slid her on to it. He then went out to the kitchen and began boiling the water for the tea. At the same time, David also got out the cereal for him and Henry to have breakfast.

Henry came out within ten minutes, all ready for breakfast again. "Is Grandma still sick, Grandpa?" he asked.

David nodded. "Unfortunately." He sighed. "And your mom is sick, too."

Henry nodded. "Yeah, I thought she might be."

David squeezed Henry's shoulder. "They'll be okay eventually, Henry. But I need you to understand I'm going to have my hands full, taking care of both of them, so I won't be able to spend that much time with you. Okay?"

"That's okay, Grandpa. Maybe I can help keep them entertained with my book, like I did when you were sick."

David smiled at Henry. "Sounds like a good idea Henry. But right now, you go wait for your bus." After Henry got on the bus, David made Snow call her employer to tell her she was sick, much to her protests. Then, he tried to wake Emma up so she could call her employer as well. But Emma wasn't easy to wake up when she was well. When she was sick…well David didn't know what to do. Emma needed to call her employer herself; he didn't think they knew him at the police station. But he was out of ideas on how to wake her up. He didn't want to have to pour water on her head when she was sick. And that was about the only thing he hadn't tried. He gave her arm one more tug. "Emma," he said to her. "Wake up for a minute."

Finally Emma yawned and stretched. "Who's there?" she grumbled. "Why do I have to get up this early? You better make it a good – achoo! – reason!"

David sighed. "Emma you need to call your police station and tell them you won't be in because you have the flu." He handed her the communication device.

Emma rubbed her eyes and sat up. "No, I'll get up," she grumbled again. "Just give me some coffee, and I'll be fine."

Here we go again, David thought to himself. He gently pushed her back onto her air mattress. "Emma you're not going to get up and you're not going to work. You're going to stay right here. Your mother is home with the flu as well." He handed her the communication device again.

Emma pushed it away and tried to get up again. "Then you already have to take care of her, David. You don't need to take care of me, too. I'll be fine – achoo! As long as I have – achoo! Coffee."

David shook his head. "If you're both sick, then I'll be happy to take care of both of you. You can't stop sneezing, Emma, and I'll be willing to bet walking isn't any easier for you than it was yesterday. You have to stay in bed."

Emma looked at David like she couldn't believe he was willing to take care of her when she was sick, much less when Snow was sick as well. But, she finally agreed to call her employer, anyway. David sighed as he put Emma back in bed. All three of them didn't like to admit they were sick, it was true. But for him and Snow, at least it came from not liking to sit or lay and do nothing for an extended period of time. For Emma, it seemed she couldn't believe anyone wanted to take care of her when she was ill. Emma's demons from her past just got worse and worse, as far as David was concerned. But David was going to prove to her that he was happy to take care of both of his women, one way or another.

Before he left for work, he gave Snow the peppermint tea. He also asked her to keep an eye on Emma, to make sure she wasn't getting up when she shouldn't. "She's definitely got fatigue. And I think she might be suffering from dizziness, although she wouldn't tell me."

Snow nodded as she sipped the tea. "Of course. You could buy her some ginger tea while you're out, too. My mother gave me that for dizziness."

David smiled at her. "I'll do that. But Snow, after you're done drinking the tea, go back and lie down. I'll call you and Emma to make sure you're both lying down."

He chuckled to himself. Snow was so stubborn about not resting. Of course, maybe he was, too, David admitted. Should it really surprise him that Emma was as well?

OOOOOOOOOOOO

David did call both of them on their communication devices several times that day. He found Emma was good at making sure Snow stayed in bed. And Snow was just as good at making sure Emma stayed in bed as well. Between the two of them watching each other, they apparently managed to spend most of the day in bed. Before he returned home, he made sure to stop at the Wal – Mart and buy ginger tea for Emma and Snow. (Snow wouldn't admit it, but David knew she was suffering from dizziness as well. After all, he'd watched what happened when she tried to get out of bed yesterday.) He also stocked up on those cans of soup. It would be an easy meal to make when Snow was unable to cook, after all. And it would be good for Emma and Snow to eat as well.

For the next few days, David heated up the soup for dinner. He made Emma and Snow ginger and peppermint tea, depending on which aliment they were suffering from at the time. He fixed breakfast in the morning for himself and Henry. He forced them to call their employers in the morning, to say they were still sick. When they developed fevers, he helped them take turns soaking in the tub. He also continued calling them on their communication devices, while he was at work. It was exhausting, caring for two stubborn women who didn't want to admit they needed care and still kept trying to get out of bed whenever they could. But David didn't mind. He was taking care of his two favorite women in the world, and there was no place he'd rather be if they weren't well.

Henry helped as well. True to his word, he stayed out of David's way, and sometimes even helped him with dinner or breakfast. Henry also read to Snow or Emma whenever he had time as a way to make sure they would stay in bed.

By the weekend, everyone was fine again.

Thank you very much for the reviews. Please continue to give them. (You are guaranteed a response in the next chapter.) I'm glad I have so many people still reading and enjoying this story.

Here are some responses to the last reviews.

Guest # 1: I'm glad you love this story and agree with me about David in regards to emotions. I do admit that David can be impulsive sometimes (particularly when it comes to protecting people). But between the two of them I do think Snow is more impatient/impulsive. An example of this is Snow's decisions to take the forgetting potion instead of "waiting for things to get better" (which is what Charming was doing). Another example is how Snow wanted to talk to Emma right away and "jump right into the mother – daughter relationship," when Emma wasn't ready. David/Charming told her "don't push it, Snow." There's also Snow wondering why Emma doesn't call her "Mom" in Neverland. David never asked Emma why she doesn't call him "Dad." I don't think that's because he doesn't care whether she does or not. I think it's because he wants it to be her decision, not his, and he's waiting for that to happen. Actually the idea that Snow is more impulsive than David is mentioned by Josh and Ginny in one of their earliest joint interviews.

Guest # 2: I'm glad to hear from you again and that you explained a little more why you think Snow is "better than him at everything" in this story. Let me try to explain the reasons for those scenes/decisions, etc. Snow did get her job before David did, but it was a job that, with all due respect, could be done by almost anyone. David's boss wanted someone who would be suited for working outside with livestock, and was willing to work 40 hours a week. He was having a lot of trouble finding it. I had David take longer to find a job because it was perfectly suited for him right now. (As I have illustrated with the way he takes care of the cows.) I also wanted to make sure he got the job after Emma got hers, because I wanted it to be about Emma really helping her father. And Emma couldn't get her job right away because it was a skilled job.

David's behavior in court was based, in part on making sure he was "less than perfect" (because he hadn't made any mistakes at that point). It was also based on the idea that, like I said, a very protective guy.

Furthermore, (don't take this the wrong way because I do think Snow is a wonderful mother to Emma under the circumstances), I've always thought David was the better parent to Emma. It's because he's more patient, I think. I've illustrated this in chapter one when Snow was so determined to take care of Emma that she didn't support/trust Emma's decisions, even though Emma understood this world. David supported her in all those decisions. David also helped Emma just as much as Snow did when Henry was gone. As far as Snow's idea about the memorial, that was true. It made a deference in helping Emma get over Neal, and Emma told her as much. But, it was not the only thing that helped. Emma's running helped just as much (which she figured out and did herself). Furthermore, I also think having Ruby to talk to really helped Emma. David was the one who allowed Emma to do that.

Also, the memorial may helped Emma get rid of her anger, but it didn't help her get rid of her "numbness." And if you remember, Snow didn't know what to do about that at all. She had to ask David for help. And in the end it was David who helped her, by telling her she didn't have to feel guilty for the way she was feeling and saying he would "be patient" for her.

Also, in this chapter David was taking care of Emma and Snow while they were sick, and that's not an easy task.

With Henry, I admit there is more Snow/Henry in this story than in canon. Part of that is on purpose, because they have almost no "screen time" together on the show. Part of that is because, if you remember Snow gets out of work at 1:30, so she's home when Henry returns from school, while David and Emma are not. But I still believe David helps Henry more than Snow, because he looks up to him more (since David is a man). David was the one who told Henry it was okay to cry about Regina, even though Snow has comforted him since then, after all.

As far as Emma's similarities to her parents, as I've said before, it's easier for me to see Emma's similarities with Snow. And as far as their physical appearances, I do admit Emma and David have the same builds, and similar coloring (although I don't think it's nearly as close as some people try to imply). But I think, that given the comments people make about Emma and Snow's facial expressions, we're supposed to assume Jen and Ginny's face are more similar to each other than they are. That's part of my reasoning for passing them off as sisters. (That and I did want Emma to be able to say they were her family, even if she couldn't say they were her parents.)

I also think that it's easier for David to see similarities between Emma and Snow, because those are things he loves about both of them. Conversely, I think it would be easier for Snow to see similarities between Emma and David.

But I also realize that these are your opinions and I cannot force you to change them, so I'm going to stop arguing with you about this. I assume you're going to continue to reading because you say the story is well – written? I hope so. There will be a scene in chapter 28 where Snow talks about some similarities between Emma and David, because I do admit, Snow hasn't been noticing those as much as she could. Thank you for the idea, and I hope you enjoy that scene.