The Life You've Always Wanted

The Glass Unicorns

X

Author's Note: this one is going to be a little different in comparison to the others, but I think you'll enjoy just as much. :)

X

She remembers them. Of course she does.

Seeing them, touching them, marveling at the way the light catches them, everything.

It just feels like a lifetime ago.

X

She sweeps through the bedroom one final time before sprinting to the complex's main floor. Everything had to be perfect.

And it is, to say the least. She had to make sure she was settled and on stable ground before stepping into this brave new world, and boy was she ready.

She can see him before she makes it to the bottom of the stairs and it is like he had doubled in size since she last saw him. How is that possible? She wonders, is it really him?

But from the minute he is lifted from the car seat, placed into her open arms, and eye contact is made, she knows it with all of her heart. This is most definitely him.

"Hi, Henry," she says softly, "I've missed you so much." The baby coos and snuggles closer.

The woman explains his routine she's kept while he has been in her care. Emma's listening, of course, but has yet to take her eyes off her son.

Her son, the child she originally planned on never seeing again. The little bundle that changed everything the moment she saw him. And most importantly, the newfound hope brought upon her that kept her going until she was released.

The woman carries the things she brought with her without asking for assistance, not wanting to break the tender moment. She follows Emma to her apartment where they discuss this big step more in depth, while the new mother doesn't set the child down once. Whether she's rocking him, smoothing out his small amount of hair, kissing his head, or simply unconsciously swaying side to side with Henry in her arms as she gives her a tour, she can't seem to let him go. It's almost as if she needs a constant reminder that he's really there.

Before her dismissal, she carefully lifts a small box from one of her bags. "I took him with me to a novelty shop and he fell in love," she explains, pulling out the crinkled newspaper to reveal an extravagantly made glass mobile.

"He likes the unicorns," she grins.

Emma, eyes locked on the unicorns, manages out, "I..I can't accept this."

"Trust me, you'll need them. Consider it a late baby shower gift."

She flashes a teary grin.

The only baby shower gift she received.

X

It's a late hour in the night and she's still awake, holding her sweet son in her arms. Her sweet, restless son she might add. Emma waltzes around their shared bedroom, bouncing him ever so slightly, inhaling his clean scent as he fusses against her shoulder.

"C'mon, Henry, settle down, I'm here," she murmurs. She cradles his head in her hand and holds him close, wishing she could take away whatever was making him so upset. Everything she did felt natural, what was she doing wrong?

Suddenly, he stops. She freezes and glances down to find him peering over her shoulder, completely captivated by the mobile laying across her bed. She had contemplated putting them up since unicorns aren't very gender neutral, but given Henry's current state of memorization, she knows they are definitely a go.

She places him in his bouncer and quickly hangs it up, swinging them a few times for a safety test.

"Okay, kid, is this better?" She asks as she cradles him again, this time directing his attention towards the mobile. Sure enough, his crying fit is quickly replaced with sounds of delight. The baby watches the unicorns bob and swing with grace until his eyelids flutter and his tiny mouth forms an O and he shifts over, burying his face in her soft pajama shirt.

That's when she learns the key to raising her child: simplicity. As much as she tried to make herself think so before, he doesn't need a perfect life in some far off place for his best chance; this one will do just fine, in a safe home where mistakes can be made as well as they can be learned from, love is easy, and the littlest things matter the most.

"So, Henry, I'll go right out and say it," she begins, "I'm not perfect. I didn't have the best life. I haven't made the best choices. But I do know one thing: you will never have to grow up the way I did." She presses her lips to his head before gently lowering him to his bassinet.

She wipes away the single tear rolling down her cheek and kisses his fingers that are sleepily gripping her pinkie. "You will never be alone," she whispers. "I pinkie promise."

X

It's a hazy memory, and to her disappointment, the beautiful mobile was somehow lost over the years, but Emma Swan remembers the unicorns. Without a doubt.