Title: The Last to Know
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG-13
Characters: August, Emma, Snow, Henry, Geppetto, Charming, & a surprise guest; Emma/August
Summary: When it comes to Emma's news, August is the last person to be clued in to the big surprise.
Warnings: Adorableness and August's dirty thoughts. Seriously, you will start screaming from how cute this is and then cry when you realize how much this show sucks.
Disclaimer: Screw canon.
Author's Notes: This is just some stupid thing I wanted to write and which made me bitter because this show sucks and this will never happen.
It had been going on for weeks; the whispers, conversations stopping when he entered the room, and the guilty stares. It seemed that everyone in his life was in on a secret that only he wasn't privy to. He did his best to ignore it, to tell himself that it was nothing, but there was only so much ignorance a man could feign. When he could no longer take it he snapped at the one person it was safe to do so with.
"So, what is it? Are you leaving me, is that it? Because, I have to tell you, Emma, the anticipation is killing me-"
"What?" Emma stared at him for a moment, flabbergasted. "Of course not, why would I-you know what, don't even answer that. You're just being paranoid. Nothing is going on." She kissed his cheek and moved into the kitchen to start dinner. He watched her, unconvinced, but let the matter drop until it happened again.
"What are you two talking about?" August asked a week later as he entered the loft. Snow stood making tea while Emma gazed over her shoulder to give him a small smile. When he didn't return it she sighed loudly.
"Fine, you caught us," Emma replied with a small shrug.
"Emma-" Snow began.
"No, mom, it's fine," she assured as she approached him to give him a small kiss. She toyed with his collar before gazing up into his eyes with a wicked grin on her lips. "Your birthday is on Friday."
"Yes, I know."
She gave him a 'look' and when he didn't catch on, she rolled her eyes.
"We've been planning a party for you." He furrowed his brow and she exhaled loudly. "A surprise party and I've been thinking that before the party you and I could have a picnic at the well and you know…spend some time together, alone."
He stared down at her for a long moment as he processed her words.
"Wait…so you're saying you've all been behaving strangely because you've been planning a surprise party for me?"
"Well, it's not a 'surprise' now, but yes."
She continued to toy with his shirt and everything started slowly coming together. Of course, they didn't want him to know so they'd been hiding it and Emma knew it was getting to him so…
"Oh…well…" He cleared his throat, embarrassed that he'd been so suspicious. Not that anyone could blame him, Emma was far too good for him and he always expected her to wise up and leave him.
Emma smirked and he leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose before pulling her against him.
"Does this mean I get to do things to you while we're alone?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Booth," she replied innocently.
"There's only one thing I want for my birthday," he whispered before nipping at her lower lip playfully. "And that is you," he said barely loud enough for her to hear him as he moved his mouth to her ear, "naked and-"
"Okay, I get it-" Emma replied as she pushed him away and motioned towards her mother. Snow gave them a 'look' and he smirked before kissing the top of Emma's head. He gave her a small wink and left them to it while mentally counting down the days to his birthday.
"Well, here we are," August teased as he slowly snaked his arms around Emma's waist and drew her against him. He kissed her neck and she smiled for a moment before squirming away from him.
"Wait-"
"Emma, come on," he whined. They never had any time alone together. Storybrooke wasn't exactly big on the real estate market, so they had no place to live but the loft, or their parents which was a big 'no', so it wasn't as if they got much time alone with Henry sleeping right above them in the open loft space. Unless they found time to sneak away to Granny's, which was awkward since the old woman knew exactly what they were up to, or Henry was off with a grandparent, they didn't have sex. If it was up to August, he'd have her at least five times a day. He was a man who was sexually starved and she was taunting him at this point.
"Just-"
He kissed her jawline and she sighed before shoving him off of her.
"It's been like a month, Emma, you're killing me."
"Actually, it's been about seven weeks, if you want to be technical about it," she teased as she sauntered back towards hi, slowly backing him up until his body hit the hard stone of the well.
"That's even worse," he muttered, throat dry. She looked more gorgeous than usual and he wanted to spend his entire birthday tasting every single inch of her and making her come in ways she'd forgotten she was capable of.
Emma gazed up at him in a peculiar manner with a large grin on her face.
"What?"
She was up to something and it made him nervous. Hell, she made him nervous. He'd never asked to fall in love with a stubborn, maddening, and enticing Princess but she'd lured him in and ruined him for life. She and Henry were his entire world and it was terrifying to know his fate, his happiness depended on two other people.
"I have to give you your birthday present first," she teased.
"I thought you were my present," he growled. Was this her idea of foreplay? To drive him to the point of madness? Because if so, it was working. His jeans were so tight it was painful and he was itching to touch her in all the right places.
She shook her head as she reached for his hand.
"No, but the way you're crawling out of your own skin right now is why you're getting this present," she quipped as she pressed his hand against her middle.
"Goddammit, Emma, stop being so cryptic and just tell me what it is alre-how do you know it's been seven weeks?" He whispered desperately as he pressed his palm against her skin gently. He stared down at their hands as his mind raced and his heart pumped away so quickly he thought it would fly out of his chest.
She bit her lip and chewed on it for a long moment before giving him a small shrug. He felt tears prick his eyes and he stepped closer to her and used his free hand to tilt her chin up.
"Emma?"
"You're finally getting what you want," she said quietly. He could hear the nervousness in her voice and he held his breath as he processed everything.
"How?" He croaked. They'd tried for over a year. It hadn't been easy to convince Emma but once she realized it was what she wanted she'd agreed. But Emma, being Emma, could only handle so much failure and heartbreak. When it became clear it would never happen, he suspected because he wasn't really human, they'd given up. He couldn't bear to see her in pain because of his own selfish desires and she didn't have the heart for it when she already had Henry to focus on.
"I don't know," she choked out. "Sometimes when you stop trying…"
"No, I mean, how."
He was too jaded to believe this could be his life. He didn't deserve any of it; Emma, his father, Henry, and now…
"I'm not even a real-"
"Yes, you are," Emma said sternly as she took his face in his hands. "You're just as real as I am. It doesn't matter how you-The Blue Fairy says when she turned you into a boy she made you human in every single way and when we brought you back…" She shook her head and tried to smile but her face was covered in tears. "I don't know why it's finally happening but…its happening."
He pulled her against him without a word and held her tightly as he buried his tear-stained face in her soft blond curls. His ability to speak was gone and he kept her in his arms as he tried to find the words to convey the joy he felt.
"Thank you," he finally said. "You…thank you." He brushed his lips over hers and tangled his fingers into her hair. "I love you."
Emma pulled his face down to hers and kissed him deeply. He slipped his hands under her shirt and brought her flush against him as he kissed the salt off of her lips. He moved to pick her up and find a place to carry her to when a thought struck him.
"Ems," he muttered in between kisses.
"Hmm?"
"Does everyone else already know?"
She reluctantly broke the kiss and stared up at him guiltily.
"I wanted to tell you first but I didn't just want to blurt it out and I told my mom and…well…" she shrugged. "No one knows how to keep a damn secret in this family."
He supposed he should be upset but he only smiled and kissed her again; too happy to care that he was the last one to know that he was going to be a father.
"Dad!"
"Not now, kid."
August took a moment to ruffle Henry's hair before he rushed through the halls of the hospital. Of course Emma would go into the labor on the one night she'd convinced him to go out with the boys. If he missed this, he'd never forgive himself. Sure, Henry wasn't his biological son, but he still felt guilty over missing most of his life, because blood or not, the kid was his. He refused to screw anything up with their daughter; God knew August Wayne Booth had screwed up enough in his life.
"But dad, she's-" Henry called but August nearly slammed into his father-in-law.
"Sorry, where is she-"
"In there, but August-" Charming called. August ignored him.
"My boy, you cannot-"
"Father!"
"Look!"
Geppetto grabbed him by the arm and motioned to the delivery room where a crying Snow stood watching Emma. August stopped dead in his tracks and watched in amazement as Emma rocked a small, bloody bundle in her arms. His father released his hold on him as August stepped into the room, dumbstruck.
"You're late," Emma whispered as she glanced up with a small smile on her lips.
"I rushed right-"
"It's okay; someone's an impatient little girl, just like her mother. It's not your fault," Snow whispered as she patted him on the back and left them alone. August watched, entranced, as the nurse took the baby from Emma.
"She's a she?" He asked numbly as he slowly made his way to Emma, his eyes never leaving the tiny, squirming baby. He reached down to take Emma's hand and forced himself to look down at her. Even though her hair was a mess, she was pale, and covered in sweat she was still beautiful. He leaned down and kissed her.
"I'm sorry I'm-"
"Don't be, I should have known the moment you weren't hovering over me would be when she decided it was time to grace us with her presence. Besides, you didn't miss much, she came really fast," Emma assured as she clutched his hand.
He kissed her forehead and wrapped an arm around her with a sigh.
"But I wanted to be here," he complained.
"Next time," Emma replied with a smirk.
His face lit up.
"Next time?"
"I'll think about it. Look."
The nurse carried their daughter over and Emma gave him a small nod to go ahead and take her. With trepidation, he carefully took her and settled her into his arms. He traced her tiny fist with his finger and grinned down at her like an idiot.
"She's perfect," he whispered. A small mass of blond hair sat on the top of her head and she already had Emma's chin. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen and he couldn't believe she was his and that he'd help make her. This was like a wonderful dream he never wanted to wake from. Their little life was a miracle and it was all possible because of his Princess.
He leaned down and kissed Emma once more before pressing a small kiss to their daughter's forehead.
"Hello gorgeous, I'm your daddy and I hate to break this to you, but you're going to be stuck with me forever," he whispered. He hadn't done much in his life, but he'd done this and for once he was determined to do things right.