Hello everyone. about a week and a half ago, before my birthday I posted a oneshot called "One night only" Then I suddenly thought of this and I just had to write it, then I had to write it now and not do something stupid like wait until my birthday next year. Anyway, this one is a sequel to one night only.

This too is told from Charming's point of view.

"Oh my…" Snow was going through a basket we were going to give to Emma on her birthday. "We forgot one piece… one very important piece."

"What?"

"The card… It needs a happy birthday-card!"

Snow riffled through the things of a birthday gift for Emma as if to make sure she was right.

"That's okay." She sighed. "There's flower and chocolate and…"

"It needs a card!"

Snow looked at me too sternly for me to want to protest anything, I just couldn't help but laugh just a little- covered it in faking to cough and patted my son on the shoulder.

"We'll just go and buy a card then… There's plenty to choose from at the store, it will just take twenty extra minutes or so and then we can go and see Emma… What do you say Neal? We just have to pick a card at the store and then go…"

"I want to help out choose a card."

"Settled then." I took my jacket. "Let's go."

That one didn't quite work out like I had planned it to. Then of course, it seldom did when a child as young as our son was included.

"No, not you." I had to bite my lip and turned away not to show my son and wife I was about to break down laughing. "Only mum."

"Okay then." I forced myself to pretend to be hurt. "If that's the way you'd like it…" I took the basket we had filled with things for Emma. "I'll take this. Or do you want to take it so you can get a card that matches?" I held onto it and Neal only looked back on me. "Okay! I'll go to Emma's then. We'll both be there so you just come when you're finished."

I had almost expected Neal to protest. That he didn't want me to go to Emma's until he could come with, but he just happily took his mother's hand and walked in front of me out the door.

"Here, you take the basket and then come…" I handed it to Snow, then- without hesitating more we turned in each direction.

"Hello?" when I came to Emma's door I knocked but there was no answer so I opened the door and let myself inside. "Is there a birthday girl in here? It's dad… Emma?..." No answer. "Killian? is there anyone ho… oh." I was interrupted in the middle of a word when I heard noises from the bathroom. Noises of somebody getting sick and I followed the noise to the bathroom door that was opened.

"Hey" Emma didn't make any sign that she had heard me, I hurried across the floor, kneeled behind her and rubbed her back. She didn't get the time to say anything at all before she heaved again and I rubbed her back again. "It's alright… Try and relax and you'll feel better in a minute."

I did have very limited knowledge of how to take care of someone who was sick…

Suddenly I got the feeling there was something I'd forgotten, that I'd taken care of her before. But how could I have?

At last my daughter was left panting, several times, at last she reached up and flushed the toilet, then sat down on the floor with her back against the wall. And when I sat next to her and put my arm around her shoulders she came leaning against my shoulder.

"It's okay…" I tried and rubbed her arm. "You'll be okay,,"

"All I can say…" Emma started at last, her voice a bit shaky. "Is it's at least not contagious."

I hadn't even thought about that. All that mattered to me right now was that I needed to take care of my daughter like any parent should.

"I wasn't worrying… have you eaten something? Bad prawns or meat? Cheese or anything else that didn't agree with your stomach?" Emma shook her head but leaned her chin against her knees and had her arms wrapped around her stomach. I ran my hand over her forehead and head. A parent's move to secretly feel for a temperature. "You don't feel warm."

"I'm not sick."

Of course that relieved me, but her voice just sounded so insecure and like there was something she didn't tell me about, like she was worried I might react in a bad way.

"Has something happened?" Was the only thing I could ask. "You know you can talk to me about anything if there's something bothering you." Emma nodded but didn't say anything for several seconds and something stopped me from doing either.

"I'm pregnant."

At first I wasn't ready for her to say anything at all, then I didn't hear what she said, then I just kind of didn't understand the meaning of what she said.

Then I saw the worried look in Emma's eyes as she looked me in the eyes for just a second, then she laid her hands towards her belly- not until now I did realize that it was very much visible she was pregnant.

"What's wrong?"

I couldn't help but wonder, as I felt a smile on my own lips. But it quickly died down when I saw the way Emma was frowning. And this time I didn't have to remind her of anything more before she spoke again.

And how much it hurt me…

"I saw so many… in orphanages, in foster homes… I guess not everyone's stories turned out as complicated as mine though. But…. So many things had happened to my friends, those I lived with. So much terrible… so what if I, when I have a baby…" she rubbed her belly again and looked down as if she could see what was growing in there. "What if I can't do it… right?"

Emma stopped, and there were several minutes before I at last decided that I must speak from the heart…

"I'm not sure what you mean by parenting right sweetie. But I do know, that if- against all odds there's something that goes wrong, there's a whole world of ours out here willing to help. Not that you'll need it. Because I know, for certain, you and Killian will make the best of parents… does Killian know by the way?"

"Yes." Emma nodded. "I had some cravings this morning for pickles… he went to buy some…" She finally smiled just a little bit, but there were tears in her eyes. "You'd never believe how much I can boss him around… my Gosh. These stupid hormones, I cry over something new every day."

At last, I stood up from the bathroom floor and held out my hand to Emma to help her up and then lead her towards the kitchen.

"You can sit down by the table if you want. I'll get you some water… and meanwhile. I will get used to the fact that I'm going to be a grandpa. And everything that comes with it, have you put together the pieces of a crib yet? If not, I'm helping out…." I couldn't help the big smile that had formed on my lips before I realized what I had said. "Well, become a grandpa again of course- don't tell Henry I said that first. This time, with your little girl or boy then I can be here each and every day. And watch him or her grow up. From a little one that I'll be able to hold in my hands into… someone like you. Beautiful and strong and loved beyond words."

Emma smiled, and the fear and tears from before seemed lightyears ago. Then, as on a given signal suddenly, Killian came half running into the flat and handed Emma a jar of pickles.

"Are these the ones you wanted?" He asked. "Please say yes. I had to go to three different stores…"

"Hey!" Emma laughed. "These are my favorites. However, I'm not in charge of anything she wants." Killian suddenly acknowledged I was there. "It's okay, he knows." Killian breathed out but seemed out of breath. Then he suddenly seemed surprised.

"Wait…. She?"

Emma bit her lip and seemed a bit insecure, but there was no denying on the look in her eyes.

"We're going to have a daughter?"

"I only found out a few days ago… I was trying to find some way to tell you… I hope you're not disappointed. I know you really wanted a boy."

Killian seemed far from anything called disappointed, he had a smile bigger than I had ever seen it before and tears had been rising in his eyes. He kneeled by Emma and carefully, as if he was afraid to break her if he moved too fast, he laid his palm against Emma's belly.

"Hi…" He said carefully, he really did seem afraid of breaking Emma or their baby in there. "It's dada… Listen, I don't know if you can hear me just yet. But if you can then I just want you to know that… it's a scary world out here… but I'll be here. And dada will be right there to protect you from anything dark and scary and croc's."

I could tell already now that this little girl was going to have her dad wrapped around her little finger…

And speaking about wrapped around a little finger…

Little Neal came skipping, he was holding onto a stuffed animal that looked like one I had seen at the store only a few days ago…

"He has a thousand stuffed animals already, doesn't he?" I asked, once Snow came after him. At least she was holding onto a happy birthday card for Emma. "And this one will probably…"

"You know I can't tell him no."

I laughed, but there must have been something in my expression once Snow handed me a pencil and I signed the car.

"What? You look so happy."

"Well…" I hesitated. "I'm just so happy that after everything we've gone through we're here. We're meeting our daughter every single day, this is just a day like any other and I get to hear her call me dad... Now, before we start a birthday celebration. You should probably talk to her yourself. There's something important she should be able to tell you."

Random fact

I can't remember if there was a point in the series when Emma told her parents she was pregnant. Anyway, if there is this is still this way I would have liked it to happen.