Thicker than Water Part II

by Sara K M

Sequel to the original Thicker than Water. The Charmings' have found each other (again), after Storybrooke was destroyed. Now they face even more challenges as they adjust to life in the real world. Pairings: Mostly Snowing and also minor Abirick. Eventual Captain Swan and Red/OC

35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

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

I'd like to thank Lisboa for betaing and letting me use her story as a starting point.

I'm sorry to say it will probably be a little while before this story is updated. (Although hopefully it won't take two months!) My computer is being wonky, so I can't send any chapters to my beta. The next chapter has a lot of drama in it, so it's particularly important for me to have Lisboa look at it first.

In the meantime, I'm writing a Carlisle/Esme AU story for Twilight if you're interested in that. And don't worry; I'm not giving up on OUAT! I'm also planning on some more "Voices," and another Snowing and Abirick story, if I can get my muse to cooperate. Look for OUAT stuff updated on Sundays, whether it's TTWP2 or not.

Shortly after the Fourth of July, it was time for Emma's birthday. Her family was determined to give her a nice celebration, just like she had done for Henry.Emma had a bit of mixed feelings about the idea. On one hand, she was used to people not paying much attention to her birthday (if they noticed it at all). Last year, her family had acknowledged her birthday, of course. But it occurred at the same time as her parents were preparing to return to the Enchanted Forest, so Emma had been worried about Tamara, and Henry had been worried about Regina. They all bought her birthday cards and some sort of gift, but there was no birthday party. The idea that her family wanted to through Emma a full birthday party (complete with friends, one of her mother's homemade cakes, and presents) was overwhelming. She was used to her family, for the most part, but there were times where she still felt like running away and hiding. Just for one afternoon, of course.

On the other hand, Emma remembered how much fun Henry's birthday party had been. And when she thought about how important it had been to her that Henry have a nice birthday party, she knew her birthday party would be just as important to her parents. So she couldn't run away. She didn't do that anymore. Instead, Emma forced herself to smile as she watched her mother mix ingredients for her cake and Henry bounced around the apartment. "It's your birthday, Mom!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, it is, Henry," Emma agreed.

Emma began to warm up to the party as the day continued, anyway. The cake her mother was baking did smell wonderful. Snow was making a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting again, just like the one she'd made when Emma passed all her exams.

Emma ate a sandwich for lunch and made sure Henry did as well, just as she'd done for Henry's party. Snow frosted the cake (Emma's mouth watered as she watched her). Ruby arrived, with a present in her hand. "Hi, Emma. Happy Birthday!" she told her cheerfully.

"Hi, Ruby," Emma replied. I was nice to see her best friend again. It really was.

Then David came back in the house, holding something behind his back. He'd been gone all morning. Emma wondered where he was, but she figured he had his reasons for leaving. It looked like he'd been getting her a birthday present. She supposed that was a pretty good reason.

"Happy Birthday, Emma," he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She gave him a small smile.

"Okay, are we all set?" Snow asked, making sure everyone was ready. She put the cake in the center of the table and David lit the candles. (Fortunately Emma had convinced them not to have candles that told everyone what her age was. She didn't need that.) Then everyone launched in "Happy Birthday." It was…okay.

When the song was over, Snow began cutting the cake. "I want some!" Henry called eagerly, reaching for a piece.

Snow chuckled. "Okay, but your mother gets the first piece this time. It is her birthday, after all."

"Of course," Henry replied, pulling his hand away. "Sorry, Grandma." Then he grinned at Emma. "I'm glad you get a party this year, Mom."

Emma grinned at Henry as she watched her mother place a mouth – watering slice of chocolate cake on her plate. "You know what? I think…I am, too."

After Snow served Emma, she placed a slice on everyone else's plate as well, and they all dug in. It was just as good as the last chocolate cake her mother had made, Emma thought to herself as she munched. There were…worse ways to spend a birthday.

After they all finished the cake, Snow announced, "I think there's some presents for you in the living room, Emma."

Oh. That's right. The party had more than just cake. Emma had to be the center of attention as she opened all of her presents, too. But as she looked at all their eager faces, she forced herself to smile again. There was nothing wrong with her family wanting to celebrate her birthday with her.

"Open mine first!" Henry said eagerly, handing her a small package. It looked like Henry had just packaged up a piece of paper, actually.

What could it be? She carefully unwrapped the gift. In it was the family picture they'd taken on Henry's birthday. So that's why he'd insisted on a picture that day. She examined the faces of everyone. Their happy grins. Their arms wrapped around each other. Yeah, they were a wonderful family, and she was glad to have a picture with all of them in it. "Thank you, Henry," she told him sincerely as she looked at her son.

"You're welcome, Mom," Henry told her, just as sincerely. Then she gave him a hug.

David and Snow were chuckling from the background. "Well, it's funny that you would get another picture from Henry, Emma," Snow began.

" – Because ours goes great with a picture," David finished. With that, he reached behind a pillow and pulled out a picture frame. Not just any picture frame, either. From the look of it, it was hand – crafted, out of wood. Her father had made something for her with his own hands, just like her mother had said he'd done back in the Enchanted Forest. Just like he'd done when he'd made Henry's sword.

"Thank you," she whispered, still staring at the picture frame, not knowing what else to say.

David smiled sheepishly. "Your mother," he paused to give Snow one of those gooey – eyed looks. "Told me how impressed you were that I made Henry's sword by myself. She thought you'd probably like me to make something for you, too."

"Yeah," Emma finally replied. "I love it, David. And I think this picture," she picked up the one Henry had given her of the whole family. "Would look perfect in it." She smiled as she fastened it inside the frame. "There." She held it up for everyone to admire.

They all smiled and nodded.

"Here's my gift," Ruby added, handing Emma another package. "I'm afraid it's not as…meaningful as your other gifts, but I hope you'll like it anyway."

Emma nodded and opened the gift. It turned out to be a nice sleeveless summer shirt in a teal green. "I like it, Ruby," she told her friend, holding the shirt against her chest to see how it would look on her. "It's nice, especially for the hot weather."

"That's good," Ruby replied. "I'm glad you like it."

"Well," Snow commented. "Let's clean up."

Everybody groaned, but agreed to get to work. They all took care of the trash and put the dishes in the sink. Emma put her presents in their proper places. "Mom, can I play on my game boy now?" Henry asked when they were all done.

"Sure, Henry," Emma replied shrugging. Meanwhile, her parents were getting started on the dishes, giggling and laughing as they did so. Honestly, she could never understand why something as simple as doing dishes could turn into one big flirt – session for them.

"Hey, Emma, do you want to go outside with me for a while?" Ruby asked.

Emma shrugged. She usually wasn't an "outdoors person," but it would probably be better than staying here and listening to her parents flirt again. Besides, it had been a little while since she'd really talked to Ruby. "Okay," she told her.

So they both left the apartment and began walking around the block. "I really like the new shirt," Emma told Ruby, trying to think of something to say. "Like I said before, it's always good to have another shirt for this kind of weather." She fanned herself, indicating the heat they were experiencing that day.

Ruby shrugged. "That's good. I didn't really know what to get you, but I thought that would look nice with your hair."

"Yeah, sure," Emma agreed. They both walked silently for another couple of minutes.

"Emma, are you okay with me and Justin?" Ruby suddenly blurted. "That's what I actually wanted to talk to you about."

Emma shrugged. She hadn't really thought about that until now. Honestly, she didn't pay much attention to them when they all went to the Fourth of July last week. "He's fine, I guess. I mean, I don't see anything wrong with him, but then, I didn't…really pay much attention to him when I met him, either. Sorry."

Ruby smiled. "That's okay, Emma. And I'm glad you didn't see anything wrong with Justin so far. But that's not really what I was asking. I meant…are you okay with me being in a relationship? I mean…with what we talked about last fall?"

Oh. Emma hadn't really thought about that. At least not consciously, anyway. But maybe that was one reason why she hadn't spent much time getting to know Justin or talking to Ruby last week? It was true that she and Ruby had bonded because both of their boyfriends had died. She had assumed they would both be alone and without romantic love for the rest of their lives. Now it seemed Ruby might have found someone to change that. And where would Emma be after that? Of course, Emma would always have Henry and the rest of her family as well. And she was incredibly grateful for that. But…that didn't mean she wouldn't like to have more than that, sometimes. Before, at least she had Ruby to share in her feelings. Now what did she have?

Still, Emma didn't want to stand in her friend's way. And she certainly didn't want pity. So she replied, "It's a little weird, Ruby, but I'll get over it. Don't worry about me. Besides, you deserve someone who will make you happy, considering what you went through with your scum – ball ex – boss." That last line was certainly true as well, Emma thought to herself. Ruby needed someone to give her happiness after what she went through. And Ruby didn't even have a Henry. She should have a Justin.

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Thanks. But you know what, Emma? You deserve happiness, too, after everything you went through."

Emma shrugged. "I have that. With Henry. And…my parents, too."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. They're all great for you. But…I know that you'd like more than that, too, as much as you try to pretend otherwise. You told me so, remember?"

Emma shrugged. "Some things just aren't meant to be, Ruby. Neal was meant to die. Henry was meant to grow up without a father. And I'm meant to live without hm."

Ruby nodded sadly. "Yeah, unfortunately Neal was meant to die. And I guess…maybe Peter was, too, although it will always be hard for me to see it that way, because I killed him. But now…I'm learning I can have someone else, even though Peter's gone, Emma. You could have someone else, even though Neal is gone, too."

Emma shrugged. She knew Ruby meant well, and it was easy for her to believe that Emma could have what Ruby was beginning to have. But…Emma didn't think that would happen to her. Neal had been her chance at romantic love. Now he was gone, and that was that. "I don't know," she told Ruby.

Ruby smiled. "Just remember what I said, okay? I think I'll walk home now, if that's okay."

Emma shrugged. "There's still a bus that goes by here, but if you want to walk, that's up to you. I'll head home myself now, then." She just hoped her parents were done the dishes by the time she got back.

XXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOO

David loved the way Emma reacted to his gift. Snow told him that Emma was quite impressed with the sword he'd made for Henry, so Emma would appreciate something hand – made as well. But the way she stared at the picture frame after he gave it to her, it so was wonderful. Later that day, she'd even shown David and Henry how she proudly displaced the picture and the frame in her room. He decided to try to make something out of wood for Christmas as well, if they meant this much to her.

In the meantime, David spent the next few days getting a couple of the cows ready for the local fair. Bill told him he tried to bring at least one of his cows every year. But it wasn't always possible, because he kept losing farm hands. "Sometimes, my help would quit right before the fair began, and couldn't find a replacement until afterwards. I'm really glad I have you now, David," Bill told him seriously. "It's great to have someone I can depend on."

David shrugged. "Thank you. I'm really enjoying working with livestock again."

Bill nodded again. "So, I was thinking, since things are working out so well between us that I'd bring two this year. A mother cow and a calf. Will you help me get them ready?"

"Of course," David replied.

"And then I'll need you to watch over this place while I'm at the fair with the animals," Bill continued.

David nodded again.

"So the first thing we need to do is look over all the cows and find the one that's in best shape."

"Okay." So in addition to all the other chores David normally did, he and Bill looked over the cows carefully. Of course, they only had a third of the herd to choose from, since Bill wanted to pick a mother cow and a calf, rather than a pregnant or milking cow.

Finally, they had it narrowed down to two cows. Bill wanted one cow that was quite large. He thought she was the most impressive. But David preferred the cow with the cutest calf. Just looking at those little eyes as the cow looked at him and its mother, it was adorable. "Come on, Bill, everyone's going to love this calf," David told his boss, gesturing to the cow and calf he preferred.

Bill shrugged. "I don't know, David. People like to see big animals with livestock. They want to know they're going to get their money's worth. They assume the big cows produce the most milk. If they see I have big cows, they'll be more likely to buy from me."

David looked at the ground. He supposed that argument made sense, from a marketing perspective. But was it the right one? "What's the purpose of the fair?" he asked Bill.

"What?" Bill asked. David supposed his boss wasn't expecting that question.

"What is the purpose of this fair?" David asked again. "Is it to sell your milk or is to show off your animals and let people see them?"

"Well…I like to try to get new customers when I put the cows in the fair,...but I suppose that's not really the purpose of it…I mean, most people don't have livestock anymore, so I think they use this fair as way for people to interact with them. Especially kids."

David nodded. "And which animal would appeal the most to kids?" He gestured to their two choices.

Bill chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. We should go with your choice." He shook his head. "Aren't I supposed to be the boss?"

"You are, Bill," David promised him. "I'm just giving you friendly advice. That's all." David hoped that's all he was doing, anyway. He and Bill got along well and Bill was usually receptive to his ideas. But sometimes David wondered if he was still too used to being a king to take instruction from someone else.

So David washed both the cow and the calf in addition to feeding them and taking care of their wastes. It was kind of strange and kind of bittersweet for him. There were a lot of things that he did with the cows that he had done with the sheep as well. But washing the animals wasn't one of them. Having clean wool was very important before it was spun. But they always removed it from the sheep before washing it. Scrubbing the cow directly, while she mooed, grunted and wiggled wasn't something David was used to. Still, he managed anyway.

Yet, while he was doing it, especially with the calf, David couldn't stop thinking about someone else he should have washed. Emma. He pictured himself scrubbing his daughter in the palace bath chamber while she giggled and played in the water. Maybe he would have played with her, sometimes. Maybe he and Snow would have washed her and played with her together. David tried not to let these thoughts get to him. He firmly believed in staying positive and focusing on what they had now, not what they had lost. But now and then, especially when he was alone, moments like this would happen.

As David continued to wash the two animals, he switched his thoughts to washing someone else. Someone he could wash when he arrived home tonight. Snow. Yes, David would wash her beautiful arms and legs, and her wonderful neck, and her sexy breasts. As he finished with the cow, he noticed certain…parts of his body were reacting to his thoughts. And unfortunately, Snow wasn't available right now to help. He had to finish work first. David attempted to splash cold water on himself and concentrated on the cow manure.

Still, by the end of the day, he was quite eager to see his wife. He'd like to pick her up and put her in the bathtub the minute he arrived home. But Snow was almost finished preparing dinner, as usual. Preparing dinner for their family was important to her; David knew that. It was one of the ways she could show her love for all of them. So he supposed their "bath time for two" would have to wait until after dinner. He just hoped everyone ate quickly tonight.

In fact…maybe David would inform Snow of his plans now, so she'd try to eat quickly, too. He wrapped his arms around her from behind as she set the table and whispered, "What do you think of using the bathtub tonight? Just you and me?"

David startled his wife, he was sure of that, considering she dropped all the silverware she was holding. "Charming!" she exclaimed. "I'd love to but Emma and Henry…" They hadn't taken a bath together since the night they got married in this world. There was only one bathroom in this apartment, after all. And it was quite close to Emma and Henry's rooms.

David shrugged as he leaned down to pick up the silverware she'd dropped. "Yeah, but couldn't we find a way for them to leave, just for one night? It gets dark pretty late this time of year. Maybe they could spend an hour at the park after dinner or something."

Snow smiled at him as she took the silverware and put it on the table. "I suppose that might work, but we'll have to ask."

"I'm sure they'll agree," David replied, kissing her neck as she finished with the silverware.

Snow chuckled. "You're pretty eager, aren't you?"

David nodded. "I washed some of the cows today, and it got me thinking about how much fun it would be to wash you. I haven't thought about much else all day."

Snow gave him a kiss on the cheek. "While, wait until after dinner, and we'll see. It does sound like fun."

The family sat down for dinner, and David and Snow asked Emma and Henry about spending the evening at the park. Henry nodded immediately. "Sure! I'll take my new sword with me. Will you help me with it, Grandpa?"

Oh. David looked at Henry's eager face. Then he looked back at his wife and thought about bubbles and wet skin and Snow… "I think maybe you can just go with your mom this time, Henry," he told him finally. "You haven't spent much time, just the two of you lately."

Henry shrugged and nodded. "Okay. Sure."

"Maybe you can teach mehow to use the sword, Henry," Emma suggested. "I'm sure you've had enough lessons by now."

Henry brightened at that idea. "You think so, Mom?"

"I do," Emma replied, smiling.

Well, it looked like Emma and Henry would be fine spending the evening together at the park. Good. Now everyone just needed to finish dinner. Quickly.

Eventually, everyone was done and Emma and Henry left. Ordinarily David and Snow would do the dishes right after dinner. It was kind of enjoyable for them to do together, especially considering there weren't many things they did do together in this world. But doing dishes was something that could be done with Emma and Henry in the apartment. They had decided that taking a bath together should be done when they were completely alone.

So David made a beeline for the bathroom as soon as they were out the door and began filling up the tub as he took off his clothes. Snow came in and took off her clothes as well. Then they both climbed in. David immediately began fulfilling his fantasy of washing all of her parts, slowly and sensually. "How does water and soap make you look sexier, anyway?" he asked her as he washed. Snow was always sexy, especially when she was naked. But somehow…this was more than usual.

Snow shrugged. "I don't…mmmmm," she moaned as he scrubbed a particular sensitive part and then leaned over and kissed it as well. "Know, but I could say the same for you, Charming," she finally replied. Then she splashed soapy water in his direction.

When he was finished, Snow did the same with him. It was wonderful, although with all the noises they were making, it was definitely good they had Emma and Henry leave. They finished with joining themselves together, and then finally climbed out of the tub and dried each other off (which also felt wonderful). Then they put on some clothes so they could look presentable when Emma and Henry came back.

XXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOO

Henry ran almost all the way to the park, much to his mother's protests. "Henry, be careful!" She called after him. "You shouldn't run so fast on a busy street, even if you are on a sidewalk. What if you fell when a car was coming?"

Henry rolled his eyes. Mom tried to understand he was growing up. After all, he was thirteen now. But sometimes, she got overprotective again. Like right now, for example. "If I fell when a car was coming, I'd be fine, Mom," he explained as he slowed down enough to talk to his mother. "Because like you said, I'm still on a sidewalk. And if I was crossing a street, I'd know better than to run. Give me a little credit, please. I'm just excited that I can be the teacher this time!" With that, Henry took off running to the park again.

Henry arrived at the park and went straight for the baseball field where they'd practiced sword fighting last time. Fortunately, the field was empty again. A couple of minutes later, Mom appeared. "Okay, Henry, maybe I over reacted a little bit, worrying about cars when you were on a sidewalk."

Henry rolled his eyes again. Definitely.

"And I know you know how to cross a street. But you have to understand, the rules for street safety are different here than they were in Storybrooke. There are a lot more cars and the streets are often bigger, for one thing. And with you being so excited…I was afraid you might not think about stopping for a moment."

Henry shrugged. He supposed that made sense, although it was still a little annoying. "I'll always stop and look before I cross the street, Mom," he promised her, anyway.

"And even more importantly, Henry," Mom continued, sounding very serious. "You need to make sure you stay with me, or whoever you're with at the moment. It can be me, or Grandma, Grandpa, Ruby, or even Teddy and Eddie in some circumstances. But you have to travel in a group. It's easier for people to see you that way."

Henry hung his head. Mom was right about that. "Sorry, Mom. I should know better."

"Yes, you should," Mom replied firmly. But then she smiled. "So do you want to show me how to use the sword now?"

Henry grinned, grateful Mom was still going to let him do this. It was going to be so much fun! "Of course," he told her. He handed her the wooded sword.

Mom held it…exactly the way Grandpa would. It made sense that Mom already inherited a lot of Grandpa's sword fighting techniques, but Henry still looking forward to teaching her what he could. After all he'd had real lessons from Grandpa. That had to count for something, didn't it?

Henry smiled at Mom. "Yep, that's how you hold it. And this is how you stand." He demonstrated, just like Grandpa had done for him.

Mom imitated him…very well, actually. Henry nodded. "That's good, Mom." He paused for a second, remembering something Grandpa said was really important when you were practicing sword fighting by yourself. "Grandpa also said you had to stand back a few feet, when you were the only one with a sword. He said it was the best way to make sure you didn't hit anyone."

Mom smiled at that and stepped back a few feet. "That's good advice, Henry. I'm glad you remembered that."

Henry nodded, proud of himself for remembering that as well. "Now you wave it in the air, usually around the upper – body region," he continued. He waved his hands around the region he was talking about.

Mom nodded, and waved the sword around, in exactly the region he had told her to. She wasn't quite as fast as Grandpa , but she was still pretty good. "Yeah, just like that, Mom," he told her, smiling. "I think you've inherited a lot of skills from Grandpa."

Mom shrugged. "Maybe, but I think I had a good teacher, too." She smiled right at Henry.

Henry smiled back at her.

OOOOOOOOOOO

A week later, the fair was in town. Teddy and Eddie suggested Henry come with them the next day. Henry thought it was a great idea, but he wasn't sure if his family would agree. What if they had planned on going together? But apparently, none of them were that interested in going to the fair. "I have to work extra during the fair, Henry," Grandpa explained. "Because Bill is bringing a couple of the cows there, so he wants me to watch over the farm during the day."

"I don't know if I'm really interested in the fair, Henry," Mom told him. "Besides, we need to save our money if we still want to go to Old Orchard Beach next month. You can go with your friends, if you want."

"I wouldn't mind going, but I don't really care if no one else wants to," Grandma added, shrugging. "I think it's great you have friends to do things with."

"Great!" Henry grinned and nodded. This was going to be so cool. A real fair, with Ferris Wheels, monster slides, and fun houses. Henry had read about fairs, and seen them on television, but he'd never been to a real one! Mom wouldn't let happy things like that in Storybrooke during the Curse, of course, he thought bitterly. Then he shook his head and looked at the floor. He shouldn't think so negatively about his other mom. Especially considering she regretted what she did before she died and gave her life to save the rest of his family. He still missed Regina, after all, even though he didn't think about her all the time anymore. Besides, it wasn't all her fault that he'd never been to a fair. After the Curse was broken, Regina wasn't in power anymore, but there were still no fairs in Storybrooke. They were all too busy getting Mom and Grandma home, and then planning on returning to the Enchanted Forest to worry about activities like fairs for the town.

Anyway, he was really excited to be going to the fair. And as much as Henry loved his family, in some ways going to the fair with his friends was better. It made him feel more grown – up. He was thirteen now. Henry held his head up high and strutted around for a little while, at that thought.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Okay, Henry," Mom told him the next day on Saturday afternoon. "Here's some money for the fair. It should cover your admissions fee, and enough to go on a few rides. Don't lose it, and remember, when you run out, you can't get anymore okay?" She handed him two five dollar bills and a couple of quarters.

Henry nodded as he took the money from her. "Sure, Mom," he said nonchalantly. He couldn't wait to go to this fair!

"I mean it, Henry," Mom said firmly. "I'm trusting you with this money, because I know you're a good kid, but you need to understand how serious it is to handle money by yourself."

Henry sighed. "Yes, Mom," he told her seriously.

"And make sure you keep checking in with Teddy's Mom, okay? She said she would be going on the rides, but she's going to sit down and have some sodas and stuff, so she can keep an eye on you guys."

Henry nodded. He didn't really like being reminded that he and his friends would have some supervision. But Mom was using her "no nonsense" voice again, so he just added, "Okay, Mom."

"And Henry?" Mom looked him right in the eye when she said this one. "Stay with Teddy and Eddie. I don't care if you get into a fight with them; I don't care if you're so excited you want to run to the next ride before they do. You need to stay together, even if Teddy's mom is there. I don't want a repeat of what happened with us on the way to the park, or I'll never let you do this again. Got it?"

Mom looked pretty scary this time, not just firm. He couldn't help but be reminded of the way his other mom looked at most of the citizens of Storybrooke. "Yes, Mom," he told her. "I'll stay with my friends the whole time."

With that, Mom finally smiled. "Good. Now have fun, too."

"I think you'll do fine, Henry," Grandma added. She had been sitting on the couch the whole time, reading a book. Grandpa was working, because like he said, he had extra hours for the fair week. "You're a very responsible boy."

Henry grinned, glad for Grandma's confidence in him. "Thanks," he told her.

Just then, Henry heard Teddy's mother's car drive in, and he ran out the door. He was on his way!

OOOOOOOOOO

Teddy's mom sat down at a table with a soda and some fries. "Okay, so I'll stay out of your hair, just like I promised," she told them. "But you guys make sure check back with me after every ride. Okay?"

All three boys nodded.

"So what do you want to try first?" Henry asked as the three of them took off. "The Ferris Wheel?" The Ferris Wheel was the most famous of rides, after all. He'd like to try that first.

But Teddy shook his head. "Nah. Let's go on the monster slide first!"

Henry shrugged. He'd really rather ride on the Ferris Wheel. Besides being the most famous of rides, it sounded more exciting than a slide. Come on, Henry had been on a slide before! But Eddie nodded eagerly at Teddy's idea, and they both got in line for the monster slide. For a second, Henry thought about going on the Ferris Wheel himself. But then he remembered Mom's warning about staying with his friends at all times. He reluctantly joined the other two boys in the line for the slide.

A half hour later, they finally arrived at the top of the slide. The long lines at the fair was definitely something they overlooked when he saw them on television and in books. It was annoying, but at least they were finally here. At the top. Henry looked at the slide again. It was a really big slide. They called it "monster" slide for a reason. Was it like, half a mile long? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, after all.

The three of them were each instructed to pick out a towel to sit on as they slid down. And then one by one, they were off! Henry had to admit sliding down that huge slide was quite a rush. "That was…pretty cool, actually" he admitted to his friends after they got off the slide.

Teddy grinned smugly. "Told ya it was worth it, Henry," he commented, as he slapped him on the back.

Next, they decided to try the dart board game. Henry was pretty sure he'd inherited Grandpa's talent for swords, but the hoped he inherited Grandma's talent for arrows, too. After all, Henry was pretty sure arrows and darts were similar enough.

Eddie threw the darts first and barely managed to hit the board at all, never mind the bull's – eye.

Teddy shook his head and sighed. "I don't think you have a talent for darts, friend." He laughed.

"Probably not," Eddie agreed, laughing as well.

Henry laughed, too. It was nice that they always laughed with instead of at each other. But Henry still hoped he did well on the dart board. He managed to hit close to the bull – eye a few times. Not bad, he supposed, although he still thought Grandma would be better. Maybe he should ask her to teach him sometime.

Teddy nodded. "Not bad, Henry. Not bad at all." Then he grinned. "But I bet I can do better," he bragged. With that, he through all the darts. Teddy was right; he was pretty good at darts. All of them hit close to the bull – eye and one of them even hit dead center. "Yes!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down. "What did I tell you? Who's the king of darts around here?"

"That's great, Teddy," Eddie commented, nodding.

Henry nodded as well but still planned to talk to Grandma when he got a chance.

Teddy got to pick a prize. He chose a light stick that glowed in the dark. It was so cool! They all immediately ran back to his mom to show it off. "Isn't this great, Mom?" he asked her. "It's supposed to glow in the dark, you know."

Teddy's Mom nodded. "Yes, it's nice. I hope you're not thinking of trying it out at the fair tonight, though."

From the look on Teddy's face, that was exactly what he had in mind. "But, Mom – " he protested.

But she shook her head. "No. I don't mind sitting here for a couple of hours while you boys have fun. But I'm not staying all day just so you can try out a light stick at the fair. Now, I'm happy you got your prize, Teddy, but it will work at our house just as easily."

Teddy nodded, looking at the floor.

"Do you want me to hold it while you go on some more rides?"

"Sure, Mom." He handed it to her.

Then they took off, and Henry finally got the chance to ride the Ferris Wheel. It was just as wonderful as he hoped it would be. At the top, you could see for miles around! It was so cool. And then you came down, and it made your stomach drop, and it gave you such a rush!. The Ferris Wheel was definitely the best part of the day.

I'm pretty sure Emma's birthday is supposed to be in the fall in canon, since it was her birthday on the pilot, and Henry was already in school at that point. But unfortunately, I didn't think about that when I was writing this story for the "fall timeline" in the earlier chapters. And there's NO way I could have not mentioned Emma's birthday if it had passed. (Even if Snow and David didn't understand the calendar and Emma didn't want them to celebrate her birthday, she would have thought about it, at least. And I think Henry would have mentioned Emma's birthday, as well.)

So for the sake of this story, her birthday is in the summer, and Henry was going to a summer school program of some sort in the pilot.

Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter. Please keep them coming. They really do help me write this story, believe it or not.

Here's some responses.

BanditCharming: Glad you like the Rustin stuff. And I'm glad you like the positive Kathryn/Abigail as well. As I have said in previous notes, I like Abirick second to Snowing on OUAT, so I love having both couples interact and dislike stories that paint Abigail/Kathryn as a shrew. I guess there are several people who would like to see a "missing scene" between Snowing and Abirick from season two? If I can get my muse to cooperate, I'll try to come up with something in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you'd like to see more interaction between these couples, check out my story "A Royal Wedding."

Fangirl: Glad you liked Henry's birthday. That was fun to write. My idea for David's insecurities come from canon David's insecurities about fatherhood. I figured he'd be a little insecure about relating to Henry as well, especially considering my Henry is excited about "modern stuff." Glad you like my explanation about OCs being too perfect as well. And I'm glad you like the interaction between Snowing and Abirick, too. (That's not really a surprise, though.) I definitely want them to be friends in this story, now that they've made their peace with each other.

And the Fourth of July. It's kind of odd that they had fireworks in the Enchanted Forest, I agree, but it's canon they had them. They used them at Ella and Thomas's wedding in "The Price of Gold." Some kind of fairy magic, maybe? The song I was referring to was "Puff the Magic Dragon." The point I was trying to make was that they sang patriotic songs and folk songs at the concert. This is what Bangor actually does (or did) on the Fourth of July. I lived in the Bangor area when I was young, and I draw on some of my memories to write this. Everything the Charming's and their friends did for the Fourth of July were things I remember participating in.

Misscam: Seriously, I love all my reviews but getting them from you…it just gives me such a thrill! Glad you liked the family moments with Henry's birthday party, and Charming's present to Henry. I really love handmade gifts, and I think the Charming's would too, coming from a culture like the Enchanted Forest. So I like to use them whenever I can. And yes, the people from the Enchanted Forest would feel isolated in this world sometimes, even though they're getting used to it. I like to have them all together sometimes. (Really love having Snowing and Abirick together, too.)