A little blonde headed girl ran through the mud chasing a frog her perfect white skirts were covered in mud and her tiara was nearly falling off her head except it was tangled in her knotted blonde curls but she didn't care. Grabbing the wiggling green creature the little princess giggled
"Emma" she turned smiling when she saw her father
"DADDY!" She cried running into her father's waiting arms
"Hey princess what you got there?" Prince James laughed spotting the poor frog
"A fwog I'm gonna kiss him and he's gonna to turn into a pwince!" Emma said James laughed
"I see you got all dirty chasing down your prince here" James said looking at the ruined dress Emma sighed
"Momma's going to be upset you ruined your pretty dress" James said
"But maybe we can fix it without Momma finding out." James said he smiled when he saw Emma's face light up before carrying her inside, once in Emma's room James quickly found a copy of the dress Emma was wearing they had double of every outfit Emma wore because she liked to get dirty. James was about to help her change when she pushed him away
"No Daddy I big girl I can dress myself!" Emma said
"Alright" James said Emma changed into the new dress but had trouble with the buttons on her dress
"Here baby let me help." James said as Emma sighed in frustration.
Carefully buttoning each button James ran his thumb over the Swan shaped birthmark on Emma's shoulder the little girl giggled
"Daddy tickles." James chuckled tickling Emma's side the little girl squirmed away giggling James finished buttoning Emma up and fixed her tiara
"There a pretty princess" James said when he was done Emma huffed
"I don't like dressing like a princess" she grumbled
"I know baby" James said kissing her blonde curls they sat like that for awhile in silence until James got an idea.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"I think it's that kind of time again" James said holding Emma on his lap
"Time for what Daddy?" Emma looked up at him innocently the only way a little girl could.
"Time... FOR THE TICKLE MONSTER!" James cried tickling Emma's tummy the little girl screamed from laughter and tried squirming away but James held her fast
"Daddy stop!" The little girl laughed suddenly a loud noise tore into the room.
!
Emma sat up and shut off her alarm wiping the tears from her eyes Emma got dressed and headed into the kitchen where Mary Margaret was
"You were talking in you sleep again" Mary Margaret said buttering some toast
"What was I raving about this time?" Emma asked remembering Mary Margaret waking up to Emma's screams the night before.
"No raving just... repeating yourself." Mary Margaret said
"What was I saying?"
"Daddy, you dreaming about your folks Emma?" Emma sighed
"Just my dad"
"Well it's better than the nightmare you had the other night we got more sleep with this dream." Emma nodded suddenly there was a wild banging on the door Mary Margaret answered it
"EMMA, EMMA, EMMA!" Henry came racing in at top speed.
"Henry what the-?"
"It's coming! The curse it's breaking!"
"What!" Emma flew to the window sure enough a ominous mist was swallowing the town
"Holy-"
"Emma!" Mary Margaret snapped she hated cursing. Suddenly the walls of the apartment deteriorated
"Holy shit!" Mary Margaret screamed grabbing onto Mary Margaret and Henry Emma got down low a plank of wood struck her in the head and Emma blacked out...
"Emma? Can you hear me? Emma?" Emma heard her name being called
"Charming stop, she can't hear you" was that Mary Margaret talking who was this Charming guy? She heard something shatter
"James!" Mary Margaret cried so James was this guy's name
"Oh Gods James you've got cut up!" Dang this guy was dramatic.
"I'll go get Doc." Emma slipped back under before she heard James's response. Emma came to awhile later someone was talking to her
"I'm so sorry Emma this is my fault" that James guy again.
"I should have been there to protect you but I wasn't I was hiding in my closet I didn't even think about you." Ok who was this guy?
"I'm sorry baby girl, please wake up" someone was stroking her hair this was getting weird Emma opened her eyes
"Emma?" Everything was out of focus for an instant.
"Emma look at me ok?" She felt him take her hand she stared at the blurry person trying to figure out who it was, then as if someone had hit the auto focus on her vision it cleared David Nolan stood over her
"David? What the hell get out of here!" Emma yelled ripping her hand from his and pushing him away
"Emma, Emma please listen to me!" He begged
"Get out!" She screamed
"Emma baby please-"
"Get out! Your sick if you think I'm going to let you touch me like that! You hear me David Nolan sick!" Emma spat hurt filled David's eyes
"Emma please-"
"Get out!" And with that he fled Mary Margaret came running in followed by Henry
"Emma is everything alright? We heard screaming." Mary Margaret asked Emma gasped when she saw how Mary Margaret was dressed. In a fairyland-like white dress with long dark hair
"I think I'm going to be sick" Emma stated holding her stomach Mary Margaret helped her lay down
"Just lay still it'll be alright." Mary Margaret soothed
"Mary Margaret I'm so sorry" Emma said
"What for?" Mary Margaret frowned
"David, he was in here-"
"I told you that was grandpa running out of the room!" Henry cried
"Grandpa?" Emma sat up but Mary Margaret pushed her back down
"Oh God what did I do?" Emma moaned.
James wandered around the gardens for a while hurt his sweet baby girl had found them after twenty-eight years only to call him sick. It mostly hurt that she didn't know him if only he had stopped the witch in time, if only Emma had grown up here, he kept thinking of what could have been. Emma's first steps, Emma's first words, Emma's first tooth, Emma's first horse, every skinned knee, and every giggle it angered him that he hadn't been there for that.
"James!" James turned to see Doc approaching
"Emma wants to talk." James nodded before heading back to Emma's room as he walked he wondered if he was ready for Emma's rejection everything in him screamed no. When he arrived he just watched her stare out the window before speaking
"You should really be in bed." Emma jumped and turned to face him she looked like she'd been crying
"I know I'm an idiot, a screw up, and a major disappointment so I have no excuse for what I did." She said this caught James off guard
"You are not any of those things Emma you got hit in the head, you were disoriented I understand." Emma shook her head
"Can we just start over please?"
"I don't know Emma last time you and I were on speaking terms I was putting you in the wardrobe." James joked Emma sank down on her bed
"Please just... am I anything like you expected?"
"Well I imagined you younger"
"Hey, blame the freaking imp for that he could have said a lot earlier than twenty-eight!" James sat next to his daughter.
"You got your mother's temper." Emma rolled her eyes
"So what? I'm more like mom?" James smiled
"Nah, you got my forehead" James said before placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Now, go to bed" he said getting up
"I'm not a child" Emma argued
"No but your hurt and annoying as it my be you're not leaving this bed." James said
"I got whacked in the head with a board big deal."
"It is a big deal, bed now" James said Emma sighed as he left James thought of one more thing.
"Oh and Emma? No sneaking out I will find you if you do." He chuckled when he heard Emma groan as he left.
Hope you like it!