Just a small drabble that popped into my head. Featuring Ariel, Eric, the Charming's and Emma and Killian.
Taking place somewhere in 4B.
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She doesn't know how this went south so fast—but it did, and it leaves her wanting to punch the whole lot of them, because really?
Who knew a bunch of fairy tale characters could be so damn hypocritical?
She and Killian had been having dinner with her parents—thank God Henry wasn't there—in a thankfully quiet moment (the Queens of Darkness had retreated for the time being, hiding somewhere to lick their wounds—Emma really did want to hunt them down and kick them while they were down, but her parents and Killian pointed out that, now that Gold had his dagger back, it would be pretty much impossible to find them) when Ariel and Eric had walked into the Diner.
Ariel had lasted for about thirty seconds before recognizing Killian and going off on him—and though Emma can sympathize with the woman, she has to admit that the whole speech sounds a bit naïve and self-righteous.
And that's all it takes for the others in the Diner—including her goddamn parents—to decide that Killian is no more than a filthy pirate who should be hanged at the first opportunity, and it wants to make Emma punch them so hard their ears will be ringing for weeks. Killian had told her about the whole Ariel-thing right after Zelena had been defeated, in the night they had spent together.
He had filled her in on many things that had happened in the missing year, and though she can see he's not proud of any of them, she doesn't blame him at all.
God knows she's done far worse after Neal had broken her heart.
Ariel is finally quiet, and Emma can see a bit of smug satisfaction on the mermaid's face as everyone obviously turns on Killian, muttering angrily—some of them (Grumpy, of course) demanding that he leave town—, expressions disgusted and angry. Killian is pale and looks like he's been punched in the face multiple times and it hurts, because he doesn't deserve this.
"Okay," Emma slams her hands on the table decidedly as she stands, the lights overhead flickering as her anger sparks her magic, "That is it."
Everyone in the Diner immediately falls silent, staring at her with wide eyes, because this has to be the first time the Savior has decided to make her opinion publicly known, and no one is sure what to expect.
She glares at everyone in turn, and she has to admit that a part of her enjoys the small flinch that goes through the entire crowd as she makes eye contact with them.
"You're all really quick to judge him," she begins slowly, angrily, "but I don't think any of you would have done what she asked of him." When a small storm of protest starts up again, she purposely sends all of her magic to one large lightbulb, making it explode violently, raining down small glass shards onto the patrons, who all shut up again.
"Think about it," she orders, "This woman, a complete stranger to you, comes up to you and asks you to give up your home on the off chance that a known, deceitful pirate could help her find her True Love—which would leave you alone, homeless, with nothing more than a broken heart. How many of you would have done that?"
She glances towards Ariel and Eric, smiling apologetically and shakes her head. "I wouldn't have done it—I would have said sorry, and I would've felt bad about it, but I wouldn't have given up the only thing I had left in the world so someone else could have their happy end—especially if it left me with absolutely nothing."
Eric looks like he understands—and he probably does, used to the utter selfishness of human nature—but Ariel looks devastated, and she cries, "But you are the Savior! It's your duty to help others find their Happy End!"
"Yes," Emma nods, "Yes, it is—but it is not his," she reaches down to take Killian's hand in hers, temporarily ignoring the awed, humbled look in his eyes, "and you had no right to demand that he give up the ship that he has had for 300 years—his only link to his brother—for your Happy Ending. It was, and is not, his responsibility to make sure you find it. And though you can be angry at him, you have no right to say that he's a monster for wanting to hold on to his home."
There's a tense silence, and Emma takes a deep breath before glaring at the other patrons, "And the rest of you—you would do well to remember that without him, none of us would be sitting here. If he hadn't come back for us to take us to Neverland, we wouldn't have defeated Peter Pan—had he not come back for me in New York, Zelena would have won—and had he not been by my side the entire time, I would have left all of you to your own devices and gone back to New York. He's saved all of us on more than one occasion, and you better remember that, or you can take on the next villain without your precious Savior."
The threat clearly does what she intended, and everyone scrambles to apologize to Killian before scurrying back to their own seats, leaving Emma, Killian and her parents sitting in an uncomfortable silence—taking her anger out on the other patrons has significantly improved Emma's mood, but she's still fuming at her parents, furious that they'd be so quick to believe the worst of Killian when they're the ones who keep preaching about hope and second chances.
Ariel and Eric quickly leave the Diner, and Snow and Charming both look somewhat ashamed of their earlier outbursts, but Emma's not satisfied—not even a little bit.
"Well?" She raises an eyebrow at her parents, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're waiting."
"Love," Killian shifts in his seat uncomfortably, "this is not—"
"It is," she turns to him, their eyes meeting—her heart does not skip a beat. It does not—, and takes his hand again, "It is necessary. You've done everything for us, and they have no right to treat you like shit for making one mistake—especially one that is perfectly understandable."
She holds his gaze until he nods, a small, slightly disbelieving smile touching his lips, before turning back to her parents.
Charming breaks first and stutters an apology to Killian, who just nods and shakes her father's hand across the table, before slipping into a sincere conversation—she nearly rolls her eyes (would have too), but she is too busy glaring at her mother, whose lips are drawn into a tight line, her nose wrinkled in anger or disgust or admiration—Emma's not sure which it is.
Finally, Snow relents and sighs, glancing towards Killian. "I'm sorry," she says primly, "I shouldn't have assumed—I realize that you didn't have much left when we returned to the Enchanted Forest, but I never truly thought about it. I'm sorry."
And though she's clearly far from ready to approve of her daughter being in love with a pirate—Emma bitterly considers telling her mother exactly how abusive her relationship with Neal had been, just to see if her mother realizes that True Love does not always mean first love, but decides against it… Again.
All that matters right now is that she's happy.
She snuggles into Killian's side and steals his fries off his plate, grinning every time he catches her doing it, ignoring the fact that she'll have to start hunting the Queens of Darkness later—she's having a quiet moment.
She's deserved one.