The Monster Within

Chapter 22

"I really think we should actually own the house before we go shopping for baby things," Emma sighs.

"Emma, this stuff takes much longer than you think. You need to plan ahead."

Mary Margret had dragged her baby son, Emma, Regina, Elsa, Lacey, and Ruby along for a "baby" shopping trip. The snowstorm finally ended after a few days and the streets were finally clear enough for life to resume as normal. This gave the teacher the idea to take the expectant mother on a shopping trip to look for baby supplies.

"Why can't I just get Henry's baby stuff out of storage? It'll definitely save the cost a little bit," she says as the group walks into the third baby store that they'd been dragged to.

"Because half of that stuff you gave to me and the other half is outdated."

"It's a kid Mary Margret, not a car. Besides, she won't care if her rattle isn't the latest model. She won't even know what a rattle is," Regina huffs.

"Why does everything have to be so high-tech now?" Elsa adds, looking at a light-up teddy bear. "We all grew up with the simplest of things and we're all okay. I still have my old stuffed bear that was dressed like a snowman."

"I'm not saying it has to be 'fancy,' but you need functional pieces," the new mother of the group says, pushing her infant son down one of the first aisles.

Emma follows begrudgingly. She looks at the shelves and shelves of stuffed toys, all seemed to stare back at her, mocking her it felt like. Also, all the playthings either lit up, talked to the baby, moved, vibrated, or could even be hooked up to a phone. Her childhood was so much simpler... then again, she didn't have much of a childhood as she was passed around in the foster system so much. She vaguely remembers she was given simple toys to play with, ones that weren't so fancy and expensive. The only thing she ever kept from her youth was her baby blanket, one with her name knitted on the front. She'd been found in the blanket and it was the only connection she had to her birth parents.

There are cribs at the back of the store. Most of them are carved into elaborate shapes, have frilly looking bedding, and elaborate looking mobiles overhanging each of them.

"Do you have any idea of what kind of theme you want to go with?" Mary Margret asks.

"No. Killian and I haven't even touched on stuff like that. There are more important things right now, like making sure the bid for our house goes through."

"Well, your chances of getting the house are pretty good," Regina says. "I haven't had any other offers, except yours. So, I say the odds are definitely in your favour."

"At least it's an offer we can afford," Emma mutters as she heaves her baby bump upwards. She looks at a crib that is white and has tiny unicorn mobile hanging above it. The creatures look like they're made of glass, but when she feels them, they are plastic. The piece seems to glow in the light and when she touches the object, it makes a soft melodious tune.

Mary Margret was looking at cribs with Disney Princess themed bedding or mobiles with fairies, but none of them are to Emma's taste.

She likes the white crib that she has her hand on. It's simple, sturdy and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. She looks at the hanging fixtures until she finds one with starfish, seahorses, and dolphins. They look like they are made of crystal (although it really was plastic) and shone different colours. It looked very pretty and reminds Emma about Killian's love of the sea. Since they might be moving closer to the harbour again, she thought he'd like to capture it in their daughter's room.

"At least you know it's a girl," Ruby says, going through the clothing section. She was eyeing all the cute little dresses and accessories this new baby could wear. She picks up a tiny hair bow that was bedazzled in rhinestones. "Isn't this cute?"