Socially Bound Challenge #5: Team Work Makes The Dream Work
Title: Adventures In Babysitting
Word Count: 1,098
Rating: PG
Summary: Emma needs some help babysitting. Who's she gonna call?
Notes: Shamelessly stealing the title of this from an 80s movie, although they are vastly different. Please don't sue.
It shouldn’t be a difficult thing, which is why she agrees when Ashley calls her, sounding almost on the verge of tears because her usual babysitter has fallen through and if she doesn’t get to go out with Sean tonight, she doesn’t know what she’ll do. It’s not like Emma’s a stranger to babies - she had one, although she never actually looked at him, let alone raised him, but she’s been in enough group homes to have been around children of various ages. In fact, more often than not, she had been a de facto babysitter when her foster parents wanted to go out.
So Emma agrees that of course she’ll watch Alexandra for a couple of hours so Ashley and Sean can get out of the house. How difficult can it be?
**
The answer, at least for the first hour, is not very. Alexandra is a happy baby, who coos at Emma from her bouncy seat and giggles when Emma makes funny faces or plays peek a boo.
Emma manages to change a messy diaper without any problems and even gets the baby to take her bottle with no fuss. She burps easily and then lays her head sleepily on Emma’s shoulder.
This is, Emma thinks, as she moves to lay the baby down in the bassinet that Ashley brought over, a piece of cake.
Except that as soon as Emma moves away from the bassinet, it goes from a piece of cake to a nightmare.
**
Mary Margaret can hear the sounds of Alexandra’s cries before she even makes it up the stairs to the door of her apartment. She comes inside quickly to find Emma holding the baby who is now red-faced and screaming.
“What happened?” She asks, moving to quickly take the baby from Emma’s arms as though Emma herself did something to the little girl.
“I don’t know! She was fine - happy even - and then I laid her down in her bassinet and she just freaked. I haven’t been able to calm her down since.” Emma cries.
“Oh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Mary Margaret coos to the baby as she rocks her back and forth, but it does nothing to calm her. “Shh. Shhh.”
“I don’t know what happened.” Emma sounds on the verge of tears herself.
“Maybe she needs a diaper change?”
“No, I just changed her half an hour ago and I checked her right before you came in. She’s dry.”
“Maybe she’s hungry?”
“She had a bottle right before she went down. And she burped just fine for me.”
Mary Margaret frowns then as she continues to try and rock Alexandra, who is still screaming. “Is she teething maybe? She doesn’t seem to have a fever but -“
“I don’t think so. I don’t know. God.” Emma runs her hands over her face before sighing. “That’s it. I’ve gotta call her. I don’t know what else to do.”
“What? Who? Who are you calling?” Mary Margaret asks, but she doesn’t hear the answer over Alexandra’s cries.
**
“My god,” Regina says as she pulls the baby from Mary Margaret’s arms, “what have you done to this poor child?”
“Nothing. I swear. She was fine. And then I laid her down and boom. She went off.” Emma tells her.
Regina begins to carefully bounce the baby in her arms as she leans close, cooing softly at her. And it’s so unusual to see Regina this way - soft and caring and so motherly - that it takes Emma’s breath away for a second. This is what it was like with Henry. This is the mom her son got. Wow.
“Have you checked her diaper?” Regina questions.
“Yes, she’s dry. And she just had a bottle and burped before I put her down. She was almost asleep when I laid her down, totally content, and then she just freaked out. I don’t think she’s teething, Ashley didn’t tell me if she is and - I don’t know what to do, Regina. You’re a mom. Help?”
Regina blinks for a moment, surprised by Emma’s words, before she focuses her attention back on the crying baby. “What’s the matter, little one? Hmm?” She hums softly and the cries lessen just a bit.
Regina and Mary Margaret don’t seem to notice, but Emma, who has been listening to them the longest, picks up on it right away, as well as the fact that when Regina stops making the humming noise, the cries go back to their original volume.
“Regina. Do that again!”
“Do what?” Regina frowns.
“Hum.”
So Regina hums again and the cries lessen again.
“Maybe we need to sing to her.” Mary Margaret suggests.
“Yes. Yes. Regina, sing to her.”
Regina’s eyes widen. “I will not-“
“Regina. Come on.”
“If she won’t, I will.” Mary Margaret replies, beginning to sing ‘Hush Little Baby’. Alexandra doesn’t react, except to keep crying.
Regina huffs in exasperation, before she begins to sing Brahms’ Lullaby, although Emma’s not sure why, because she’s got a great voice. At her voice, Alexandra calms a bit, but still continues to cry.
Regina shoots her a look as Emma tries frantically to think of a song before it comes to her suddenly.
“A dream,” she begins, her voice shaking as all eyes, even the baby’s, turn to her, “is a wish your heart makes.”
“No.” Regina says, shaking her head at the song.
“When you’re fast asleep.” Mary Margaret joins in.
Emma glances at the baby in Regina’s arms - the one who has almost stopped crying and is now just whimpering - before shooting her a look.
“In dreams you will lose your heartaches.”
“Whatever you wish for, you keep.” Regina finally joins in.
“Have faith in your dreams, and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through.” They all sing together, their voices blending. Alexandra’s eyes begin to slide back shut, her crying completely ceased. “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.”
They finish the song and look at the sleeping child in Regina’s arms.
“It worked.” Mary Margaret grins.
“Yeah, well, just in case, how do you feel about holding her until Ashley and Sean get back, Regina?” Emma asks, eying the bassinet with distrust.
Regina moves to the couch and takes a seat, careful not to jostle the baby in her arms. “I suppose I can manage that.”
Emma grins, sitting down next to her and gently bumping their shoulders. “Thanks, Regina.”
“I suppose we all helped.” Regina says, but Emma doesn’t miss the slight upturn of her lips.
“Yeah. We did.”
Word Count: 1,098
Rating: PG
Summary: Emma needs some help babysitting. Who's she gonna call?
Notes: Shamelessly stealing the title of this from an 80s movie, although they are vastly different. Please don't sue.
It shouldn’t be a difficult thing, which is why she agrees when Ashley calls her, sounding almost on the verge of tears because her usual babysitter has fallen through and if she doesn’t get to go out with Sean tonight, she doesn’t know what she’ll do. It’s not like Emma’s a stranger to babies - she had one, although she never actually looked at him, let alone raised him, but she’s been in enough group homes to have been around children of various ages. In fact, more often than not, she had been a de facto babysitter when her foster parents wanted to go out.
So Emma agrees that of course she’ll watch Alexandra for a couple of hours so Ashley and Sean can get out of the house. How difficult can it be?
**
The answer, at least for the first hour, is not very. Alexandra is a happy baby, who coos at Emma from her bouncy seat and giggles when Emma makes funny faces or plays peek a boo.
Emma manages to change a messy diaper without any problems and even gets the baby to take her bottle with no fuss. She burps easily and then lays her head sleepily on Emma’s shoulder.
This is, Emma thinks, as she moves to lay the baby down in the bassinet that Ashley brought over, a piece of cake.
Except that as soon as Emma moves away from the bassinet, it goes from a piece of cake to a nightmare.
**
Mary Margaret can hear the sounds of Alexandra’s cries before she even makes it up the stairs to the door of her apartment. She comes inside quickly to find Emma holding the baby who is now red-faced and screaming.
“What happened?” She asks, moving to quickly take the baby from Emma’s arms as though Emma herself did something to the little girl.
“I don’t know! She was fine - happy even - and then I laid her down in her bassinet and she just freaked. I haven’t been able to calm her down since.” Emma cries.
“Oh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Mary Margaret coos to the baby as she rocks her back and forth, but it does nothing to calm her. “Shh. Shhh.”
“I don’t know what happened.” Emma sounds on the verge of tears herself.
“Maybe she needs a diaper change?”
“No, I just changed her half an hour ago and I checked her right before you came in. She’s dry.”
“Maybe she’s hungry?”
“She had a bottle right before she went down. And she burped just fine for me.”
Mary Margaret frowns then as she continues to try and rock Alexandra, who is still screaming. “Is she teething maybe? She doesn’t seem to have a fever but -“
“I don’t think so. I don’t know. God.” Emma runs her hands over her face before sighing. “That’s it. I’ve gotta call her. I don’t know what else to do.”
“What? Who? Who are you calling?” Mary Margaret asks, but she doesn’t hear the answer over Alexandra’s cries.
**
“My god,” Regina says as she pulls the baby from Mary Margaret’s arms, “what have you done to this poor child?”
“Nothing. I swear. She was fine. And then I laid her down and boom. She went off.” Emma tells her.
Regina begins to carefully bounce the baby in her arms as she leans close, cooing softly at her. And it’s so unusual to see Regina this way - soft and caring and so motherly - that it takes Emma’s breath away for a second. This is what it was like with Henry. This is the mom her son got. Wow.
“Have you checked her diaper?” Regina questions.
“Yes, she’s dry. And she just had a bottle and burped before I put her down. She was almost asleep when I laid her down, totally content, and then she just freaked out. I don’t think she’s teething, Ashley didn’t tell me if she is and - I don’t know what to do, Regina. You’re a mom. Help?”
Regina blinks for a moment, surprised by Emma’s words, before she focuses her attention back on the crying baby. “What’s the matter, little one? Hmm?” She hums softly and the cries lessen just a bit.
Regina and Mary Margaret don’t seem to notice, but Emma, who has been listening to them the longest, picks up on it right away, as well as the fact that when Regina stops making the humming noise, the cries go back to their original volume.
“Regina. Do that again!”
“Do what?” Regina frowns.
“Hum.”
So Regina hums again and the cries lessen again.
“Maybe we need to sing to her.” Mary Margaret suggests.
“Yes. Yes. Regina, sing to her.”
Regina’s eyes widen. “I will not-“
“Regina. Come on.”
“If she won’t, I will.” Mary Margaret replies, beginning to sing ‘Hush Little Baby’. Alexandra doesn’t react, except to keep crying.
Regina huffs in exasperation, before she begins to sing Brahms’ Lullaby, although Emma’s not sure why, because she’s got a great voice. At her voice, Alexandra calms a bit, but still continues to cry.
Regina shoots her a look as Emma tries frantically to think of a song before it comes to her suddenly.
“A dream,” she begins, her voice shaking as all eyes, even the baby’s, turn to her, “is a wish your heart makes.”
“No.” Regina says, shaking her head at the song.
“When you’re fast asleep.” Mary Margaret joins in.
Emma glances at the baby in Regina’s arms - the one who has almost stopped crying and is now just whimpering - before shooting her a look.
“In dreams you will lose your heartaches.”
“Whatever you wish for, you keep.” Regina finally joins in.
“Have faith in your dreams, and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through.” They all sing together, their voices blending. Alexandra’s eyes begin to slide back shut, her crying completely ceased. “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.”
They finish the song and look at the sleeping child in Regina’s arms.
“It worked.” Mary Margaret grins.
“Yeah, well, just in case, how do you feel about holding her until Ashley and Sean get back, Regina?” Emma asks, eying the bassinet with distrust.
Regina moves to the couch and takes a seat, careful not to jostle the baby in her arms. “I suppose I can manage that.”
Emma grins, sitting down next to her and gently bumping their shoulders. “Thanks, Regina.”
“I suppose we all helped.” Regina says, but Emma doesn’t miss the slight upturn of her lips.
“Yeah. We did.”