Author's note: *waves awkwardly* So I have been away forever, and this is a short bit to restart with... Apologies. I do intend to finish this fic, and I figure the best way to do it is just push on. So, here we go.
The next morning at breakfast, Emma stared thoughtfully across the table., absent-mindedly eating her cheerios.
"Daddy," she broke her silence suddenly, "You, know, if I'm a princess, you're a prince."
"I'm not a king?"
"No, you're Prince Charming!" Emma corrected him matter-of-factly.
A snort of laughter sounded from the other end of the table, and David shot a pretend hurt look at Mary Margaret.
"What was that for?"
"Nothing… Prince Charming," Mary Margaret snickered behind a forkful of pancakes.
"I'll have you know I am very charming, Miss Blanchard."
"I'm sure."
"I am!"
"She doesn't believe me! Emma, tell her I'm charming." David nudged Emma.
"Daddy's charming." Emma confirmed, to David's delight. "And I'm a princess."
Mary Margaret looked to David for explanation.
"There's a Princess Emma in Emma's book," David explained to her.
"Ohhh," Mary Margaret nodded. "Wow, that's very special, I wish I was a princess."
"You are!"
"I am?"
"Yes. You're Snow White. She's a princess too."
Mary Margaret's expression showed her bemusement at the implication. She glanced at David
"I'm Snow White? Does that make me Princess Emma's Mommy? "
Emma nodded emphatically. She looked up at Mary Margaret, eyes bright and wide. Mary Margaret felt something catch in her throat. There was something about the way the child responded to her. She was so open and genuine, giving her her full attention, as though nothing else interested her more than what Mary Margaret might think. Her mind fluttered briefly over the idea of Snow White and Princess Emma, mother and daughter in the fairytale world of a children's book. A world, perhaps, where little girls all had mothers who loved them and foster fathers didn't put their arms in little blue casts.
Mary Margaret coughed briefly and blinked her eyes to clear them.
"I didn't know Snow White had a daughter. Must be a different version to the ones I've read."
David looked at her with a little concern over the table. Mary Margaret forced a quick smile and shook her head slightly.
"It is. Those stories all seem to have a unique spin to them," David responded, eyes still on Mary Margaret, concern still lingering.
"The story isn't finished either," Emma interjected.
"It's not?"
"It stops just after Prince Charming puts Princess Emma in an enchanted wardrobe and she disappears."
"Wow, that is different! I think the author must have meant for you to imagine your own ending. What do you think happens next Emma?"
"I think Princess Emma finds her mummy and daddy," Emma answered, glancing at David.
"And they live happily ever after?"
"I hope so."
"If you're imagining the ending you can make it however you like. You don't have to hope." Margaret grinned at her.
Emma looked up from her cereal and mirrored Mary Margaret's smile.