Once Upon A Child

Hear, Far, Wherever You Are

Ellion woke in a different place to where he remembered falling asleep. After rubbing the sleep away, he left the bedroom in search of the sweet, yet unfamiliar, smell wafting from downstairs. Tentatively, he stepped into the kitchen. David was hovering over the stove; mixing, cooking, mixing, and cooking again. The dozen stacks of pancakes behind him evident of his morning productivity. Not only were there multitudes of the breakfast food, there were also a ton of variations; blueberry, chocolate chip, lemon, sugared, plain, the list continued.

"Good morning!" Snow greeted, entering the kitchen from the living room with a drooling toddler at her hip. She placed Neal in his highchair then gestured for Ellion to take a seat at the table. A quizzical expression took hold of her face as she noticed the hoard of pancakes.

"Um, Honey," She said, "We've discussed this before, we're not Romanian powerlifters."

Unblinking, David replied, "I didn't know if there'd be enough."

"David, there's enough to feed the whole of Storybrooke. Sit down and eat some."

Breakfast went down well with Ellion trying each pancake and the two adults fussing over what sauce was best to accompany each. Neal was happier to use his as a canvas for finger painting than actually eating anything. Mellow tunes played from the radio and at no point did Ellion stop glowing.

After breakfast and a quick clean up, it was back to the hospital. Though Doctor Whale had expressed uncertainty as to the success of the hearing aids, Snow and Charming were quietly hopeful.

The aids were fitted. The little boy, his glow vanished over the unknown, looked up at the adults, neither understanding what it was he should do, or what was about to happen.

He turned curiously to the man with oddly coloured hair; white blonde but, it didn't quite seem natural. Ellion was unsure as to whether this man could truly be trusted. He was also weary of the fact that the last few minutes had revolved around his ears being prodded by said man. There came a bizarre tickling as something made itself at home.

Utterly confused, Ellion looked to Snow and David for comfort; for a sign of approval. His frown made Snow's optimistic smile descend into apprehension. David on the other hand, encouraged his wife, telepathically of course, in the way only this couple could attain. Dr Whale also gave Snow a prompting hand gesture.

Wondering what on Earth she might say to a boy who was to hear, presumably, his first words; Snow mentally prepared herself for, in her eyes, this monumental occasion. Her mind went back to the discussion that morning.

*****

"This is a major thing David!" Snow protested, letting the volume of her voice rise as much as she dare, keeping in mind the boys sleeping in the nearby bedrooms. The couple lay in bed, their backs against the headboard, contemplating the day.

"I know Honey, but I think you're putting too much pressure on yourself-"

"Pressure? David, this is the first word he's going to hear! What if I say it wrong? What if I croak? What if I don't say it loud enough? What if-"

"There are a lot of 'what ifs' Snow." He cut in, rubbing his thumb along her hand, making sure not to press too hard and risk spilling her tea. "Worrying is only making you suffer more than needed, calm down and let's talk it through."

Snow hated her husband sometimes, in a loving way of course. How could he be so calm? How could he think so rationally when there was a little boy in the other room who was going to have a totally new experience that day?