"Mrs Snow! Mrs Snow! Miss Emma just said a bad word", blurted out Regina somewhere between a squeal and a giggle as she scampered into the living room excitedly putting her grubby hands on Snow's knees.

"Did she now?", smiled back Snow as she put down the story book, Rumpelstiltskin nestled in the crook of her arm, sucking his thumb enthralled by the tale of The Gruffalo as they sat on the couch.

"What do you expect?", grunted Emma as she came in to the room limping, "She kicked me in the damn shin"

"See Mrs Snow, she said it again!", said Regina with a wide and heart melting smile showing off her missing front teeth. Her delightful formality always amusing the school teacher.

"Emma, how hard can it be to give Regina a bath?", Snow chuckled watching the blonde woman cross the room with a towel in one hand and a squelching sound from her shoe.

"I don't wanna bath", huffed Regina as she folded her arms across her chest.

"But honey, you've been playing all day in the garden and you're very dirty", said Snow gently as she pointed out the muddy stains all over the young girls dress.

"Me and Wumpy were playing Knights an' Damsels", Regina said proudly with the faint whisper of a lisp.

"S-she made me be the damsel", said Rumpelstiltskin shyly from his comfortable embrace by Snow's side.

"Did she? Why am I not surprised?", Emma said with a shake of the head, "Now come on 'Gina, you need to have a bath"

"But Miss Emma", whined Regina jutting out her lower lip in an adorable pout.

"You can call me Emma you know"

"Nuh-uh", Regina said shaking her head, "Mama told me to always be polite and call gwown ups by their pwoper names, 'cos it shows 'spect"

"You mean re-spect", said Snow trying not to fall for the charms of the happy young child who couldn't yet say her 'r's very well, which meant saying her own name was a problem. Not that Rumpelstiltkin was any better as being so young he couldn't say his own name properly so they used the nickname of 'Rumpy'.

"See, Rumpy was a good boy and had his bath and now he gets to hear a story", said Snow squeezing the young boy warmly.

"Can I have a stowy too? Pwease?", said Regina with those rich chocolatey eyes.

"Yes, but only if you have your bath. Then we can all have ice cream and read a lovely story together", smiled Snow watching the young girls eyes light up.

"Can it be about ponies?", Regina said as she picked up her stuffed toy. It was a bright pink pony which Snow couldn't resist buying for the little girl two days earlier when they went out shopping.

"Yeah, sure", Emma grinned, "You like ponies then?"

"Uh-huh, when I gwow up I wanna ride ponies all the time"

"Come on then 'Gina, let's get you all cleaned up and into your jammies. Then you can have all the pony stories you like"

Emma felt her heart flutter a little as the toddler slipped her hand into hers and was lead up the stairs, Regina struggling to raise her little legs enough to clamber up them in her scuffed white sneakers as she babbled on about ponies in her small voice.

As Emma bathed the little girl who giggled with innocent joy as she splashed around in all the bubbles, the dampening Sheriff couldn't help but wonder how in the hell she ended up in this situation.

Flashback – One Week Earlier

Emma kicked the door of the Mayor's mansion down, her rage brimming in her eyes and her sword glinting in the light as she scanned the living room for the Queen. The townspeople were just beginning to realise what happened to them as the mystical fog ebbed away signalling the end of the curse, and Emma feared what bloody reprisals they would demand. Though she felt no love towards the Mayor she knew how badly it would scar Henry to see his mother dragged from her home and beheaded by an angry and unforgiving mob.

"Regina!", she screamed, wondering if she would put up a fight.

But nothing. No sarcastic put-downs floated through the air, no cries of war echoed throughout the large house.

As Emma began to creep up the stairs she heard a faint mewl growing louder, she followed the pitiful sound towards the master bedroom wondering what other poor soul had fallen foul of the Queen's wickedness.

As she slowly pushed the door open she stopped in her tracks when she saw no well-dressed Mayor, but a whimpering child drowning in the over-sized clothes now draping from her frame.

"Hey kid, who are….oh my god!", coughed Emma for as she approached the child her head lifted up and the Sheriff could see those deep rich eyes, raven tresses and perfect cheekbones. There was no doubt who she was.

"R-Regina? Are you Regina?", asked Emma as she saw the tears roll down the child's face who nodded in silent reply.

"Er….how old are you Regina?"

"F-four", came the soft voice full of fear and sorrow, "W-where's my Daddy?"

"I…er…I don't know", said Emma as she put down her sword and knelt down by the little girl.

"I-I want my Daddy", sobbed Regina as she burst into sad salty tears once more.

Before Emma even knew what she was doing she had swept the child up into her arms and rocked her gently.

"Shhhh, it's ok…..it'll all be ok"

End flashback

"I think it's time we got these two up to bed", said Snow with a smile as she watched the two young children dozing in the cradles of their arms before they could finish Emma's improvised story about a pony who did kung-fu and juggled spoons.

"I guess so", replied Emma as she gently lifted up Regina who snuggled into her neck a little more. The footsie Hello Kitty pyjamas looked adorable on the toddler and Snow had a hard time keeping her overtly motherly side in check as the stuffed pony toy swung lazily from Regina's hand.

"I think Rumpy's getting used to us now, he didn't wet the bed last night", Snow whispered running her fingers through his floppy hair.

"That's 'cos Regina heard Rumpy crying in his sleep and went into his room and cuddled him as he slept. I found them there this morning"

"Really? Wow, she getting really protective of him, like some kind of big sister syndrome or something. Maybe we should just put them in the same bed for now"

"Good idea", replied Emma as she slipped into the spare room which still looked a little Spartan, but the dinosaur shaped night-light made it seem a little less daunting.

Since the curse broke and the two children now found themselves lost and alone in a world they didn't know, Snow, James and Emma had moved into the Mayor's mansion. It had more than enough room for them all and it seemed the only real option whilst they tried to figure it all out.

"So any news on what happened?", said Emma as lay Regina down and pulled the duvet up over her until it tucked under her chin still weighed by the puppy fat most toddlers have.

"Emma, you know the only people who know about true magic and the power of the curse are Regina and Rumpelstiltskin. How on earth am I supposed to know why the magic that swept through town turned them both into four year olds?", said Snow as she pressed her lips to the crown of messed up hair from the softly slumbering boy in her arms before laying him down too.

"So they're stuck like this?"

"For the time being, I mean James is out talking to everyone he can about some kind of reversal spell or something but….."

"You don't want them to turn back do you?", Emma said as she brushed a stray strand of hair away from Regina's face as the little girl hugged her pony tightly.

"Well…..what good will come of that? They'd both be the wicked people they were before, a threat to us all. Like this they have a chance of growing up happy, but I think everything's so messed up at the moment we can't make any plans until we know what went wrong. After all, the four year old girl you're currently fussing over is technically your grandmother", Snow said with a sly grin.

"Heh, can you imagine trying to write out our family tree?", Emma shook her head.

"Well considering Henry is now six years older than his mom, well it's only going to get more confusing isn't it? Come on, let them get some sleep. I promised to take them to the park tomorrow"

"Oh crap, is 'Gina going to be all hyper again?", sighed Emma as she pulled away from the bed and turned the night light on bathing the room in a dim glow.

"Probably, just try and keep her away from the soda. You know how spazzy she gets", smiled Snow trying not to go all gooey watching how adorable and innocent the two children looked snuggled up to each other. "Nighty-night kids"

"Mrruughhhh….night, Mama", drawled Rumpelstiltskin before falling back into a heavy slumber. For he never had known the kindness and comfort of having parents before, though he was intensely shy and introverted he was starting to creep out of his shell. It hadn't been long after the curse broke before Ruby stumbled upon the simpering shy boy crying in the corner of the park before bringing him to Emma and Snow.

"D-did he just?", Snow said with wide owlish eyes.

"I-I think he did"

"That's so...", said Snow with a tear in her eye, "Oh, is that the car pulling up?"

"Sounds like it. I hope James and Henry have found something", replied Snow as she gently shut the bedroom door and tip-toed down the stairs.

"Yeah…let's hope", Emma said half-heartedly for though she wouldn't admit it, the two toddlers had, in the space of a few days, burrowed deep within her heart and now she wasn't sure if she could ever evict the growing love she felt for them.