Precious items

"What?" Emma asked, sure she'd heard her wrong. Surely her mother wasn't suggested she face that monster.

"If you want me to go back into the nightmare room with you, we have to find your old foster dad in real life as well." Emma shook her head, scooting away from Snow. "Emma," Snow sighed. She reached over and cupped Emma's face in her hands. "Sweetie, I'm not doing this to hurt you. I'm doing this to help you. If you can face him in real life you can face him in the nightmare room. Besides, I'm not expecting you to go alone. Your father and I will go with you, and trust me, we will have a few words to say to him." Snow said, just imagining what she would do to this man when she got her hands on him. Nobody hurt her baby.

"How?" Emma questioned, becoming defensive. "You and dad can't cross the town line. As soon as you do you forget everything and become Mary Margaret and David Nolan again!" Emma said, becoming hysterical.

"Emma," Snow said, lowering her voice, trying to get Emma to calm down. "If Rumplestiltskin can leave so can we. He owes us a lot after creating the curse. All we need are our items to allow us to leave."

"Oh that's all?" Emma said sarcastically. "Such an easy thing to find, an item so precious from your homeland…"

"Our homeland." Snow corrected her.

"Our homeland," Emma continued with a sigh "That it can allow you to leave without forgetting who you are. I'm sure they're easy to come by…" Emma was surprised by how calm her parents looked, but then she realised why. "You've already planned your objects haven't you?" She grumbled. Snow gave a small smile. She really did have quite a clever daughter.

"Ever since Rumple took you to New York. We didn't know what you'd be going to face, we had to be prepared." Snow explained. "Your father's item is in the pawn shop, mines is actually in this house." Snow said calmly. Emma raised her eyebrows in confusion. "May I borrow your blanket, Emma?" Snow asked. Emma's eyebrows knitted closer together.

"My blanket?" She asked. "What's so special about it?" Emma was even more confused by the weird look her mom was giving her.

"What's so special about it? Oh Emma, what isn't special about it? It was precious enough for me to wrap the most precious person in my world in, the only thing I could give her growing up. So I'd imagine if anything can get me out of here, that's it." Snow finished with a smile. Emma couldn't deny that she was touched, but wasn't sure how to show it, so decided to divert the subject.

"And your object dad?" Emma asked. David gave her a similar weird look to Snow.

"It's in the same ballpark as your mom's." He told her. "A unicorn from your mobile. I spent months putting that together for you. I wanted it to be perfect, just like I knew you would be." Emma was blushing, unable to cope with the love.

"Even so," Emma said, looking at the floor. "Just because you feel that Rumple owes you a favour, doesn't mean he feels the same way. How do you plan on getting the potions out of him?" Emma asked, hoping they'd see the flaw in the plan and drop the whole idea. She really didn't want to see her old foster father. No such luck.

"Trust me," David said, getting up and grabbing his sword. "I can be very persuasive." Emma raised an eyebrow, in a way remarkably similar to her mother.

"Dad, that might work with most people, but are you forgetting who you're dealing with? He could turn you into a fly with a wave of his hand."

"Trust me Emma," David said, feeling determined. "Because of that man I missed your entire childhood. It's only right he places his part in putting things right." David said leaving. Emma watched him leave, speechless. She slumped back on the bed with a groan. Snow smiled slightly and came over to join her. She lay beside Emma and smiled at how speechless Emma still was.

"He's right you know." Snow told her. "He'll get the potions. He's quite protective when it comes to his family."

"That's an understatement." Emma grumbled, making Snow chuckle.

"It's not a bad thing really, it's just because he loves you. He wants a chance to make things right, we both do." Emma sighed, pushing herself up on her elbows.

"He can't do that if Rumple turns him into a fly now can he?" Emma pointed out, looking down at her mom. Snow reached up and cupped Emma's cheek.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. He'll be back before you know it." Snow assured her. "And then later today, we find this man and we show him what happens when you mess with my little girl." Snow told her. Emma scoffed lightly.

"Little girl, really?" Emma asked. Snow blinked at her.

"Really." She said calmly. "Problem?"

"Even if I did would you stop saying it?" Emma asked, Snow shook her head.

"Nope. I'm afraid it will always be true." Snow looked at Emma seriously. "Can you still remember where your old foster dad lives?" The less digging we have to do the better." Snow said. Emma looked away from her mother.

"I remember exactly where he lives." She whispered. "I'll never forget." Snow sat up and pulled Emma into her arms.

"It's ok." Snow said soothingly. "We're going to take care of him. He's going to regret every time he laid a finger on you." Emma didn't respond, still not sure this was the right idea.

Snow sat with Emma like that for an hour, until they heard the front door open. Both their heads looked up as Charming came into the room. He held up a small bottle in one hand and a glass unicorn in the other.

"We have a monster to slay."

To the Charmers amongst you, tomorrow will be the first of a couple of daddy Charming chapters .