Chapter 6: Emma's Family

Three weeks had passed and Emma was still a little girl. Regina has made some progress with the antidote to the potion, but still did not have it completed.

"How do you know if the antidote is working?" Emma asked. She was visiting Regina's house. Emma, Regina and Henry were in her basement while Regina mixed. Emma sat on a stool, and Regina and Henry stood next to the table that held her magical chemistry set.

"This is the potion," Regina used an eye dropper to extract some of the left over potion from the flask that held it. She swift squeezed a small drop of the potion into a petri dish, "You see how it's an opaque, pink, glowing liquid? If the antidote works, it should turn clear and colorless like pure water." Regina explained.

Henry and Emma watched her as used a new eyedropper and extracted the antidote she had been working on. Regina carefully squeezed a drop onto the pink liquid. The liquid lost it's glow and turned into a translucent pink.

"This means, that I have been successful and undoing some of the properties, but not all," Henry and Emma nodded and Regina explained.

Regina moved to look at her spell books again. She needed to figure out which properties she was missing.

Emma took the time to scoot over to Henry. She placed her small hand on his cast, "How's your arm?"

"It's fine. The cast is a little annoying, but it will be off in a few weeks," Henry explained as Emma ran her hand over the cast.

"Can't Regina fix you?" Emma asked. It hurt her heart to see Henry's arm wrapped in that cast.

"No I cannot!" Regina snapped, "He will wear that cast until his arm heals. Hopefully he will remember that he could have broken his neck!"

Emma sighed. She knew Regina was right, but didn't want to see Henry's arm in the cast. She supposed that Regina didn't want to see it either, but was more focused on the lesson she was trying to teach. It would kill both of them, if something worse had happened to Henry.

"It's nearly noon," Regina looked up at the clock, "Snow will be here to get you soon."

Emma nodded and hopped off her stool. She went to give Henry a hug, he had to bend down so she could hug him. Henry bending down to hug her was something that would have made her wince in the beginning, now she was used to it, and accepted it.

She was pleased that Regina was getting closer to finding an antidote, because she did so want to be herself again. She missed her life as an adult, and mom, and missed her job as sheriff.

Snow showed up at 12 pm sharp to pick up Emma. Neal had a Doctor's appointment earlier and Emma asked if she could drop her at Regina's during the appointment and Snow agreed. She knew that Emma missed Henry.

Emma was now her in room looking at the pretty dresses her mother had picked out for her. As much as she hated being transformed into a kid again, Emma was starting to take advantage of it. She always wanted pretty dresses when she was a kid, and wanted to be treated as a princess. She didn't get that.

In the foster system, she got hand-me-downs and Salvation Army finds. It didn't matter what the clothes liked like, she wore what ever fit and what ever was warm. One year, during "coats for kids" season, Emma dug through a pile of winter coats that was donated to her orphanage. She found the ugliest, brown and orange one that was 2 sizes too big, and picked it to be her coat, because it was the warmest coat she could find. She 13 at the time. This was the age that most young girls became interested in fashion, at the least it was for the girls she went to school with, she was too poor for that.

Emma blinked away the memory, and focused on how much Snow loved her. She looked at her room and her clothes and loved how beautiful everything was, and it was all for her. She wondered what her life would have been had seen grown up in the enchanted forest, and guessed she was getting a taste of that now.

"Emma?" Snow interrupted her thoughts, "I have something to ask you." Snow sat on the bed and put her hands in her lap.

Emma followed and sat down.

"You have a birthday coming up, I was wondering if I could through you a party?" Snow asked, hoping that Emma would say yes.

"What kind of birthday party?" Emma asked, very intrigued. No one had ever thrown a birthday party for her before.

"I was thinking it could be princess party. Listen," Snow smiled and nodded, "We would all dress up, in our ball gowns that we wore in the enchanted forest. I am sure Regina could help us with that. You would get a very special dress, and cake." Snow studied her daughter's face to see if she liked the idea.

"Who would we invite?" Emma questioned, still unsure if she wanted a party.

"Our friends and family, of course. Henry, Regina, Belle, Rumpelstiltskin, Ruby, Aurora, Philip... Hook?" The mother went on, "I think it would be fun if we had this get together, dressed up and just enjoyed each others company." Snow was very earnest. She felt with all of her heart that they would have a great time all together, just having fun.

"I like that," Emma nodded. She did like it a lot. She had never had a party, a special dress and cake, just for her. At the orphanage, she got a sticker and a cupcake on her birthday. If she was placed in a foster home, which was rare and usually temporary, her birthday wasn't even acknowledged. She loved that she was being treated so special.

David, Mary Margaret, Emma and Neal were all at the dinner table. Neal was in his bassinet, sleeping, but he was still near. The four had a nice family dinner. Mary Margaret even baked a cake for dessert.

Their dinner consisted of roasted chicken, steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes, a green salad, and cheesy bread.

"You sure went all out," Emma said as she reached for a knife to cut herself a piece of chicken. It was almost a Thanksgiving feast on the table.

"Let me help you with that," David said as he took the knife from Emma's hand. He cut off a chicken leg, then proceeded to take the chicken off the bone and cut it into small pieces on Emma's plate. He continued the gesture by serving her a little bit of everything, and even took the liberty of pouring her a glass of milk to drink.

It was a very sweet gesture Emma thought, but still wasn't used to gestures like that. He was treating her special, was what she concluded. Special. Just like the pretty dresses that were growing on her, and the party. Her parents really did love her. This is what it's like to have parents who love you, Emma thought to herself.

"What did you do today, Charming?" Snow asked, eating her dinner. She was always so interested in her husband.

"Mmm, Paperwork mostly. Nothing much. How was your day?" He asked, then put a loving hand on her shoulder, before he went back to eating.

"Neal's check-up was perfect. He's a healthy, happy baby!" Snow giggled and looked to the bassinet where her baby boy slept, "Emma and I starting planning her birthday party!" Snow went into details about her plans for the party. Even talked about a three tiered birthday cake.

Emma watched in awe of her parents. She was right, smack dab, in the middle of her very own nuclear family. This was what she dreamed of having as a child. It was what every kid she knew in the system wanted. She couldn't believe it was happening to her. She watched as her parents laughed, ate, enjoyed each others company, as they gushed over their children. They gushed over the plans for birthday.

As Emma watched, her mind went on overload. It was like she was getting closure from the loneliness she felt as a child, It was all too much to take in at once. She got up from the table, abruptly, and ran upstairs. She got into bed and through the covers over herself. She just had to leave the room so she could breathe.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Snow was two seconds behind her.

"Nothing," Emma whimpered into her pillow.

"Are you sick? Was the chicken bad?" Snow looked at Emma tentatively and decided to sit on the foot of her bed, the mother laid a hand on her daughter's blanket covered leg.

"Everything is perfect," Emma dried her tears and sat up.

Snow opened her arms, and Emma gladly accepted her mother's embrace. She held on to Snow for a long time.

"Is everything okay up there?" The mother and daughter heard David yell.

"Yes, Charming, we'll be down in a minute," The wife said to her husband, and then looked back to her daughter, "Let's go down stairs, finish dinner, but we're going to talk about this later," the mother said.

Snow got up from the bed with Emma in her arms are carried her down the stairs with her.

"Everything's fine," Snow said as she put Emma in her chair, then turned to quickly peck her husband on the lips.

They would discuss it later, Snow though, Emma needed her time the adjust.

Emma felt better the rest of the night. She really needed that hug from Snow.

After dinner, Snow and Charming cleared the table and did the dishes like they did every night. Emma, held Neal on the sofa, now that he was awake.

He would be a month old in few days, he still didn't do much. Emma just held him on her lap and talked to him. She found that holding Neal was very soothing to her soul.

"You're name is Neal, that is name of one of the bravest men I know, "Emma told her brother. She caressed his soft cheek with her finger, "The man you were named after is one of the most important people that I have ever had in my life. If it wasn't for him, my son wouldn't be here."

Emma kissed the baby on the forehead. She touched his nose and his little fingers. He just gazed up at her, soothed by the sound of her voice.

"I loved him, for more than just being the father of my child. I loved him because he made me laugh when I didn't have too much to laugh about." Emma began to rock him the best she could, "I promise to tell you more about him when you are old enough to understand."

This was the first time Emma thought about Neal, her former lover, in long time. She blocked him out after his death because she didn't want to think of him that way. She wondered if he was somewhere near by looking over her and Henry.

Emma felt her brother stir, so she focused her attention back on him with a sweet smile.

Charming and Snow finished cleaning up and went to join their children on the couch.

"No hand-less wonder today?" David asked with a small bit of sarcasm in his voice, and big toothy grin.

"David," Snow warned and shook her head.

"He visited me at Regina's house this morning, He left to check out more books about magic from the library. Regina is close to finding the antidote," Emma explained to her parents, and placed a hand on her brother's chest to feel his heart beat.

Charming and Snow shared a worried look, "She hasn't found it yet, had she?" Snow questioned. When Emma shook her head, no, Snow was able to relax. She wasn't ready for Emma to be grown up again.

"How about a family movie?" David offered, trying to keep the mood light, "The story of us, perhaps?"

Snow scooted closer next to Emma and Neal on the couch, David popped a movie in the DVD player then dimmed the lights, and sat down on the other side of his children, opposite of Snow.

They family of four looked at the screen. Emma started giggling the second she saw what movie he was playing. The Disney logo appeared on the screen, followed by the opening credits of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

There they sat, as a family, and watched the movie together.

Author's Note:

I hope you loved the Charming family fun! Angst is around the corner! Don't worry, the Charmings always get through it!

Don't forget to check out pics that go along with the story. Go to my profile for the link.

Next up: Belle! Are they ready for a baby? Will Elsa show her face?