Peter Pan OUAT One-Shots/Imagines

Too Late (Part 2)

Crying woke me up in the middle of the night. I pried my eyes open groggily and looked at the clock. Two o'clock in the morning.

Emma's wails got louder and more hysterical. I loved her, but I hated getting up to take care of her in the night. I needed sleep.

I started to get up but Bashful rolled over and looped an arm around my waist, pressing a kiss to my hair. "It's okay," he murmured, "You've done enough. I'll take care of her. Go back to sleep."

Relief flooded through me and I sunk back into the covers. My fiance was amazing. "Thank you."

"Of course."

I felt the bed dip and grow cold when he left, and not long after I heard him gently humming to our daughter and her teary howling stopped. A few moments later, Bashful was back and he fell into bed beside me. I turned over to hug him, and he cuddled me back, our breathing slowing as we went back to sleep.

~+~

The next morning, the alarm went off. I hated that thing. It was loud and blared like a car horn, and whenever it played Emma started crying.

Cue the bawling.

I dragged myself up to go get her, picking her up and cradling her to my chest. "Shhh," I hushed. The alarm turned off in the bedroom as Bashful got up. He smiled sleepily at me as he passed the door to the nursery and went to the bathroom. Emma calmed down, hiccuping once, and I used a cloth to wipe the tears and snot from her face. Slobber covered her fingers, and I had to wipe that off too. She was a gross baby, but I loved her anyway.

I lay her back down in the crib and handed her a stuffed lamb that she loved and went back to the bedroom to make the bed, then got dressed. Bashful was rushing through his routine, running late to work, and I smiled as he tied his tie just a bit crooked.

"Bye honey!" Bashful called as he left.

I didn't reply, too busy changing diapers. I'd just text him later. Bashful worked a hard job, providing for us both. I needed a job, but with Emma so young, someone had to take care of her and daycare around here was crazy expensive. So, I stayed home and took care of her and anything else I could. Bashful and I had moved after we met Peter Pan on the street that one day. Now, we had a property in Storybrooke on one of the back roads where no one ever went. It was hard to find and small, but it was hidden from him, even though we never saw him again after that day. But better safe than sorry. Besides, the rent was cheaper.

They say you should never leave a baby unattended. And I live by that rule, even at home. But I smelt something weird down the hall. I gave Emma a kiss on the head and put her back in her crib. She's safe in her crib. I went down the hall to the bedroom, finding nothing but some weird green powder on the floor. God, I needed to sweep up here.

Shaking my head, I went back to the nursery.

She's supposed to be safe in her crib.

But when I went over to it, she was gone. Panic surged through me. Where was she? What had happened?

"EMMA!" I called. I knew she wouldn't reply, but she didn't like loud noise. Maybe she'd cry and I'd hear her.

I looked over the crib in a frenzy, desperate for a clue. All that was there was more green dust. I scooped it up on a finger and examined it. Suddenly I realized what it was. My blood went cold.

Pixie dust.

"EMMA!" I screamed, running through the house. Nothing. "PAN! GIVE HER BACK! GIVE HER BACK NOW, SHE'S MY BABY!"