I don't know, this moment between Snow and Emma just came to me this evening.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

At the same time I wanna hug you,
I wanna wrap my hands around your neck,
You're an asshole but I love you...
-P!NK's True Love;

"Emma," her mother growled her name, exasperated with her fully grown daughter throwing a childish tantrum. "I'm going to burst your bubble, baby. Happy endings are bullshit and fairy tales are just that – tales. Just because your father and I have true love doesn't mean that there aren't days I don't want to put a bolt through him or that he never dreams about running me through with his swords it just means we rise above those moments. And we do not runaway when things get hard. You have to anchor in and you have to fight because true love is special and fleeting so it must be fought for!"

The twenty-nine year old gaped at her mother, trying to reconcile her mother's ferocity with the tamed spirit she still remembered of her best friend and roommate. "Mama-"
"It must be fought for, Emma Ruth," Snow repeated herself and pulled her daughter off the couch with a solid yank. "So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go fight for your pirate. You don't give up on true love just because he pisses you off."

"But-"

"Nope." She guided her to the front door by her arm and nudged her out into the hall. "Go. Fight. Maybe chuck something breakable near him but not at him. And then apologize because you're both being brats right now and realize that all couples fight like this sooner or later."

"Fine."

She smiled. "Go get him, honey. And, ya know, if you want to spend some time really making up, your father and I have a babysitter, reservations, and Henry's at Regina's for the night so we wouldn't exactly say 'no' to having the place to ourselves."

"God," Emma cried and rolled her eyes. "You two are worse than rabbits."

Snow glared playfully in return, a shove to her daughter's shoulder. "Go, Emma."

"Fine, fine, I'll go throw something breakable at my boyfriend and when he asks why I'm telling him it's because my mother, who he thinks is a saint, told me to so she can get laid."

"I'm okay with that." The brunette grinned as her daughter slowly trudged down the stairs. "We'll make sure to hang a tie on the door this time."

Emma growled and lifted a vulgar gesture in her mother's direction as she pulled open the front door to the apartment building. "I just love these family bonding moments!"