Once Upon a Candy Apple
Written by BLACKxDOVE

The thrum of loud knocking reverberated throughout a small apartment and echoed into the sleeping ears of Emma Swan. Groaning in agitation, the blonde yanked the thin sheets over her head as a way to filter out the annoying sound, but it was to no avail. As the knocking grew more frantic, Emma untangled herself, and wobbled out of bed, mumbling all the way to the front door. When she had finally reached her destination, the blonde slumped against the wall as she turned the door knob and opened the door a jar. Before she could let her eyes adjust to see who it was, a little boy pushed open the door and ducked beneath her arm as he entered the apartment. Stumbling backward from the force, the blonde rubbed her drooping eyes as her brows knit in confusion.

"Where were you?" Henry asked from the kitchen as he poured himself a glass of juice. "I was waiting at Granny's for like…an hour."

"WH—what?" Emma retorted as she closed the door and wandered into the dining room and sat down at the small table. "What are you talking about, kid?"

"It's Saturday, Emma…" the boy said, taking a large gulp of his juice as he sat across from her, "you know…breakfast at Granny's, spend the day together?"

"It's Saturday?"

Henry cocked his head to the side as he eyed the woman in confusion; how could the blonde not be aware that it was the weekend? Sighing, he took another drink of his juice and sat a sealed paper bag atop the table. Wiping the orange stain from his lips, he watched as Emma counted the days on her fingers, and he laughed to himself as he saw the glimmer of realization spark within her green eyes. The blonde looked over to him, mortified, as she ran an errant hand through her pale, tangled locks.

"Oh, Henry…" Emma began as she scrubbed her face roughly, "I'm so sorry…I completely forgot."

"It's alright…change of plans, anyway…"

Peeking between her fingers, the blonde watched as her son's face contorted into a look of utter frustration. Slowly, taking her hands away from her face, Emma leaned closer to Henry and could basically see the gears winding within his tiny head. It was the same look that pressed against his cherubic features every time their plans went a miss; every time Regina interfered. Grumbling, the blonde leaned back in her chair and folded her arms—even when she was nowhere to be seen the mayor always found a way to grate on Emma's nerves.

"What'd she do, Kid?"

"I have a surprise session with Archie in half an hour…" Henry started, strumming his fingers against the table as a way of redirecting his anger, "…she knows Saturdays are the ones I see you. She did it on purpose! She never lets me do anything!"

"Henry, this doesn't have anything to do with you…"

"But, Emma—"

"Look, I'll go talk to her while you're with Archie" Emma interrupted as she pushed away from the table and into the kitchen, "I have some stuff I have to talk to her about anyway."

"Emma…I really don't think—"

"Just trust me, alright, Kid?"

The boy merely nodded glumly as he finished off the last of his orange juice. As the last few drops of the tart liquid rushed over his tongue, Henry rose and placed his empty cup in the sink. Emma smiled at him as he gave her a quick hug goodbye and then darted for the door. But something pulled at him, and as he fingered the door knob, the boy turned his head to the side and called towards the blonde.

"Emma?"

"Yeah?" Emma responded, craning her neck through the archway of the kitchen so she could look at Henry.

"Just don't make her mad, okay?"

Emma simply smirked and waved Henry off as he left her in the apartment alone. Shaking her head, the blonde walked back into the dining room and her gaze fell upon the same neatly folded paper bag that the boy had brought. Lifting the bag from the table, Emma raced over to the door, opened it, and then frantically looked down both directions of the hallway: Henry was gone. Shrugging, she kicked the door closed as she slowly opened the paper bag, trying her hardest not to tear the thin material.

After a few seconds of fumbling, the blonde reached inside and let her fingers brush across an oddly shaped object that was wrapped—in what felt like—cellophane. Raising a pale, sculpted eyebrow, Emma pulled the contents out of the bag and into the morning light that wafted in through the large, dusty windows. Narrowing her eyes, the blonde looked over the object in her hand and smiled as she instantly recognized that it was a perfectly crafted candy apple. She hadn't had one since she was a kid and the very thought of biting into the sweetly, sticky fruit made her green eyes gleam in childish delight. But, this was Henry's; she couldn't possibly eat it…could she?

No, of course not! Shaking her head, she set the candy apple on table and walked back into the kitchen. But, for some strange, unknown reason, Emma kept noticing her gaze fall upon the wrapped up treat and her attention couldn't seem to fathom anything else but the presence of the deliciously coated apple. Finally, after several tortuous moments, the blonde found herself walking to it, as if she had been put under a spell. Emma wanted to stop herself, wanted to prove that she could overcome this unusually abrupt temptation, but she couldn't seem to grasp the energy or conviction; it was all too much for the blonde to bear.

Then, her fingers fell upon the apple, and frantically ripped away the sealing as she raised the gleaming, red apple to her lips. Hesitating for only a moment, Emma opened her mouth and took a large bite from the candied apple. A loud moan hummed in her chest as her tongue tingled with taste; the fruit's juices exploded into her mouth and down her chin as she chewed gently, savoring the provocative flavors. The sticky coating melted against her taste buds and she let her eyes flutter closed as an almost bittersweet flavor lapped at her tongue. It was an overbearing type of pleasure, the type that seeps into your flesh makes every single part of your body shiver and tremble.

And just as the blonde was about to take another anticipated bite from the apple, her hands grew limp and the candy covered fruit fell from her fingers and rolled along the floor. Emma's eyes flew open then, and flashed with the intensity of lightning. Everything around her seemed to spin and glow, as her heart pounded incredibly fast within her chest. But just as quickly as it started, everything abruptly went back to normal; the blonde's eyes went back to their natural color, and her body slowly started to calm down. Lifting a hand to her chest, Emma's eyes grew hazy as if she were lost in thought; a luminous smile stretched across her lips as one word banged around inside her skull.

"Regina…"

A/N: As is says in the description, this story could not have been possible without the wonderful tumblr prompt that I received. Although I wish I could give recognition to the person who sent me this specific idea, they sent it anonymously so I can't. But, if I receive their information I will certainly share it with you all. Now, moving on...I'm not very good at fluff, and this short multi-chapter fic is going to be seriously fluffy, so I hope that you'll all bear with me! Aside from that don't forget to REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, as it makes me a very happy writer! :)