The Mayor's Mansion.
"So, he's technically your step-nephew?" Hook asked, watching Dream change baby Neal's diaper.
"Technically... I mean, my mom is Mary Margaret's stepmother, which makes her my step-sister... So, Emma and baby Neal are my step-niece and step-nephew." Dream shrugged, buttoning Neal's onesie before moving to put him in the playpen with the twins.
"Your family tree is far too confusing." Hook chuckled, shaking his head as he tried to help pick up the bottles from feeding all three babies.
"Yeah, I've gathered that much from the past few years..." Dream chuckled a bit, moving to sit back on the couch.
"You alright, love?" Hook stopped as he watched her take a long, deep breath.
"Yeah... Just a little tired." She gave him a small smile.
"Why don't you go get some rest? I'm sure I can manage to watch them..."
"No, I'm fine." Dream smiled, placing a hand on her baby bump while she tried to get up from the couch to help Hook.
Meanwhile, at Regina's office.
Marco stood behind young Pinocchio, who looked through his story in Henry's book.
"Is anything coming back to you, Pinocchio?" Regina asked as young Pinocchio looked at her sadly, shaking his head. "Maybe if you look at the pages again," Regina suggested, trying to keep her calm.
Emma walked into the office, furrowing her brows at the scene. Regina turned to look at Emma, hearing her bootheels clicking on the floor.
"Where have you been?" Regina asked, walking over to meet Emma halfway.
"On witch watch... I was on the way to the station when I got your call." Emma sighed, sounding a little frustrated. "How's it going here?" She asked her as Regina sighed, looking back at Marco and Pinocchio.
"It's not." Regina sighed out in frustration. "He can't remember anything. But since you and August spent so much time together, I thought seeing you would... jog his memory." Regina said as Emma sighed a bit, seeing the young Pinocchio, who felt weird to see since she knew him as August.
"Yeah... I guess I could give it a shot." Emma nodded, walking over to Pinocchio.
"I think we'll need to get another stroller when Liam comes," Hook said as he walked with Dream down to her studio because she had left the babies' pacifiers there.
"Yeah, I guess we'll have." Dream smiled slightly while Hook pushed the stroller as she carried Neal. "I just wish I could be around a little longer to see them all grow up." Dream sighed when Hook looked at her.
"We're figuring out a way, love." Hook said, reaching his hand out and placing it on the small of Dream's back, which pulled her close to him. "I promise you." He smiled, kissing the top of her head.
"I know you're trying, Captain," Dream smirked, leaning forward to kiss his lips as he smirked into the kiss.
"Love... We have company. Don't start all that." Hook smirked with a chuckle, trying to keep himself from kissing in a heated kiss.
"Mmm..." Dream smirked, looking up through her eyelashes at Hook, knowing what she was doing.
"Hey. Come here." Emma smiled, guiding Pinocchio over to the side to sit on the couch with her. "You remember me, right?" She asked the young boy.
"You're Emma... the sheriff."
"But you know that back when you were... o-older..." Emma stuttered a bit, unsure how even to bring the topic up when she looked up at Henry, Regina, and Marco. "We were friends. You were a really smart grown-up. So smart... you knew how to take that entire thing apart and add a story to it." She smiled, making everyone look over to Henry's book. "And then you put it all back together. Do you remember doing that? Or anything else about the book?" Emma continued to ask him in a soft voice.
"I know everybody wants me to remember, but... I just don't." He sighed, looking at Marco and Regina.
"You went to Phuket. You rode a motorcycle. You wore leather and didn't shave!" Regina exclaimed, getting louder toward the end.
"Regina," Emma said, turning to look at her.
"No, he's not trying hard enough." Regina scoffed out of pure frustration. "All you need to do is concentrate and think! Or is that head of yours still made out of wood?" She spat at young Pinocchio.
"Whoa, stop!" Marco immediately spoke up.
"Mom..." Henry tried to say.
"I won't have you speak that way to my boy." Marco defended, stepping in between Pinocchio and Regina.
"Maybe what your boy needs is some motivation." Regina said with her "evil queen" eyes.
"Okay, Regina, that's enough..." Emma sighed, seeing the look in Regina's eyes. "Let's go down to the vending machine and get a snack. Henry, come on." Emma said, standing up with Pinocchio.
Pinocchio walked toward the door with Emma and Henry, but Marco stopped, looking at Regina, who was pacing out of her own frustration. She did not mean it. But she wanted answers. And sometimes, that old part of her always returned, especially when she did not want it to.
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe this, uh, quest of yours is ill-fated? After ruining everyone else's happy ending... What makes you think you deserve one of your own?" Marco spat at her.
"Oh, I can ask you the same question, Toy Maker, considering you lied about the wardrobe so you could send Pinocchio to this world." Regina spat back at him.
"I wouldn't have needed to if it wasn't for your curse! I had to save him!" Marco raised his voice at her. "You stay away from my boy." He scoffed before shutting the door and leaving Regina to sigh to herself.
~season 4, episode 14: "Unforgiven"~
~929 words~
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Villain or Hero? Part 2: Dark or Light:
Fanfiction***Fifth book in the Dream series*** ****Part 2 to Villain or Hero?**** Mr. Gold has been banished from Storybrooke by his precious wife, Belle. The last time we saw him, he was threatening the life of his daughter, Dream, and Captain Hook. He had H...
