Emma sat at the island in the kitchen late at night or early in the morning depending on how you looked at it. Her mug of hot chocolate was half gone and she just stared at the brown liquid. She snapped her head up when she heard someone enter. She saw her father, David, standing in the doorway.
"Hey." He said to her giving her a smile.
"Hey." She whispered back. He went over to the stove and got a mug out. He held up the pot to her silently asking her if she wanted more. She shook her head and he poured himself a cup and topped it off with whipped cream and cinnamon. He sat down across from her. They sat in silence for a while before Emma took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Do you love me?" David chocked on his sip of hot chocolate. He recovered before staring at Emma.
"What?"
"Do you love me?"
"Of course I love you. Why would you ask me something like that?" David asked obviously hurt by the question. Emma started to play with her fingers.
"It's just, Mom has tried to get to know me since the curse broke but you haven't. At first I was grateful for not being bombarded with questions from both my parents, I always just thought you were giving me my space but it's been months since the curse broke and you never once tried to get to know me. I've gone over every possible reason in my head as to why you don't want to know me but I just…"
"Emma, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were feeling that way. I haven't asked you questions because I know about those walls around your heart, those walls that your mother is constantly bringing a sledge hammer to trying to knock them down. I knew that if I started with the questions then you would completely back down from both us and that's the last thing I wanted. I knew that when you were ready, you would come to me. I wasn't going to push you. I also know that I'm not your most favorite person in your book because of what David Nolan did to Mary Margret. Emma, never ever think that I don't love you. I never stopped. When you put you in that wardrobe, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do. However, I did it because I didn't want you to be cursed to be a baby for twenty eight years, be raised by people who you didn't know and didn't know you, or worse, be killed my Regina. Regina made it very clear that she would kill you if she got the chance. Your mother and I couldn't let that happen. I know don't trust me and that's partially my fault, but I want you try to trust me. I know you haven't had the best father figures in your life, let me be the first and last. I never meant to hurt you. Please believe me. I do love you Emma, with all my heart." David asked sincerely looked into her eyes the whole time. Tears were running down his face during his speech and he made no effort to wipe them away. Emma sniffed back her tears and grabbed a napkin. She leaned over and wiped her father's tears away and then did something the surprised them both. She pressed her lips to his cheek leaving a feather light kiss to it. She got up and put her mug in the sink. She started to go up the stairs but turned around at the last minute.
"I love you too, Dad." She said so quietly but David heard it.