Be prepared…lots of Daddy Charming feels ahead! I do want to write more Mama Snow, as well but since Mary's currently away, David's gotta save the day. Ignore the cheesy rhyme haha.

Chapter Twenty-One: Daddy's Here

David hung up the phone after speaking to Ralph Gold. He wasn't sure if he had made the right choice there, he just wanted to make his standards clear. Luckily, Ralph wasn't keen on the two teens being alone either and said he would talk to his son about it.

A sigh escaped his lips as he thought about Emma. There were times when he forgot that she was 13. In many ways, she did seem like a little girl, from the way she clung to him and the movies they watched. And a part of him knew he and Mary did baby her a bit, due to her past. But the reality was she was a teen. She was still his little girl, but these problems would pop up.

He hoped dating was off her mind for a long, long time. She just wasn't ready in his head. The day she did date would put all the boy sin Storybrooke in danger. That was his baby and he didn't want her to get hurt or grow up too fast.

Seeing Baelfire walk out was hard for him. He knew Emma was still so young and not completely jaded, that of course she didn't think of Bae as a boy to keep out. It just reminded him of her innocence despite what she had been through. Plus, even if she was ready, anything could set off her PTSD. All it would take is one touch, seemingly innocent to the boy, and she could have a panic attack. She just wasn't ready and to him this wasn't even him being overly protective.

He pushed all the thoughts away and began to make dinner. His wife was right, he could barely cook outside breakfast foods, but it was nearly impossible to screw up mac and cheese, so he got started. Halfway through, his cell rang. When he answered it, Mary's voice flowed into his ear.

"Hey babe," she said.

"Hi. Emma talk to you?"

"Yeah, she told me everything and I'm assuming there's something she left out with you."

David let out a frustrated sigh. "What now?"

"Baelfire spilt something on his shirt so Emma washed it while he was here. Which means…"

"That not only was he up there but he was shirtless?!" David exploded. He was starting to think that this boy wasn't so innocent.

"Shhh, David. I believe it was an accident, really. But I think Emma didn't tell you because the whole thing made her uncomfortable."

"Did she tell him that?"

"No. Because in her mind, it's her fault and that she was stupid for feeling that way."

The blonde's anger slowly melted away ad he frowned. "You told her that she was wrong, right?"

"Of course I did, but she's still upset."

"So she didn't tell me because she thought it was her fault?"

"That plus I think she thought you would say the same thing."

"I would never do something like that."

"I know that, you know that. Look, from what she told me, it did slip her mind that Bae would fall under the "no boys" rule."

"We're not being unreasonable about that are we?"

"No, she's thirteen. If we had a son, I'd feel the same way about girls. Plus, I do think he has a crush on her."

"Great, so now I do have to kill him," David grumbled.

Mary giggled slightly. "Anyway, she made a mistake and she should've rectified it when she realized what was going on. I'm honestly more upset about the lying than anything, so I don't think her punishment should be anything to severe."

"I had told her she had to go to the station with me until you got back."

"Seems fair. I don't think anything else needs to be taken away, she feels guilty enough."

"I know." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I yelled at her. I apologized right after, but I lost my temper."

"It happens."

"I just never wanted to yell at her."

"David, you were frustrated, it's fine."

"I feel like I'm failing you here."

"Oh baby," Mary sighed. "You're not failing."

David leaned against the counter, shutting his eyes. "You've been gone 36 hours and during that time, our 13-year-old has lied to us and had a boy in her room, who was shirtless. She also thinks that I'd blame her for having a normal reaction given what she's going through, plus I yelled at her. I'm so going to win Father of the Year."

"David, you're an amazing father. All of this stuff could've easily happened to me. Would you really be upset with me if it did?"

"Of course not."

"Then don't beat yourself up. In 10 years, this will be something you and Emma laugh at."

"I sure hope you're right."

"Of course I am."

"I just wish you were here."

"I wish I was too, but I will be soon. In the meantime, you and Emma will be just fine."

"You were doubting that before you left."

"That was me being an overprotective mother, but I do trust you. You can handle this."

They talked for a little more, just about Mary's grandmother before telling each other that they loved the other and hanging up the phone. David finished up the mac and cheese and set it out on the table.

"Emma," he called out, upstairs. "Dinner's ready!"

The door creaked open and he heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs, before she entered the kitchen. David saw her face, it was tear stained and she was still very pale, looking both anxious and tired. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling guilt.

"Maybe we should talk before you eat."

"Did Mom tell you?"

"Yeah, she did. But why didn't I hear it from you?"

Emma bit her lip. "I thought you'd flip out or think it was my fault."

"Emma, look at me." She stayed staring at the floor. "Please, baby?" She sighed and looked up at him. "You should never feel wrong for wanting to be comfortable and given all you've been through, it's normal to not want to be around that."

"Alright. Can we eat now?"

"No, baby, I really need to tell you this. No matter what I say about you and boys, my main goal is that you feel safe. You shouldn't ever feel differently and if you do, you do what you need to in order to get there. I promise, Mama and I will always support you and be there for you. And I will never blame you for feeling the way that you did."

"But I lied to you…"

"Yeah, you did. But that doesn't matter, that's not how you're punished. I don't ever want you to feel like you can't come to me and if I did something to put that in you, then I am so, so sorry," he told her, his voice filled with love and sorrow.

Emma bit her lip. "I just didn't want you to flip out."

David nodded, frowning a bit. "I know, I can overreact sometimes. I'm trying to work on it, but no matter what I'm always going to try to protect you. It's my main goal to make sure you feel safe and loved. There isn't anything you could tell me that would make me feel differently."

"I know," she whispered. "I'm just not used to all of it, still."

David lightly smiled when she saw her lips turning up. "Well, then we'll both work on it." She nodded. "Now come here, because your face is breaking my heart." She threw her arms around him so quickly, that he nearly fell over. He chuckled and hugged her tighter, cradling her head with his hand as he did. "Oh Princess."

"I'm sorry."

"I know, I'm sorry too."

She stayed clinging to him for a bit, not wanting to let go. All she had wanted since it all went down, was a hug and this was definitely helping. To know she was loved, to feel safe and protected in her father's arms. David didn't mind, he knew how she was feeling and didn't want to let go either, he wanted his daughter to trust him and to feel secure and loved. Eventually, he could her voice muffled into his shirt.

"How bad did you poison us with your cooking?"

David faked a gasp of hurt and gently pulled her face away to see her smirking. "Little girl, I can cook."

"Yeah, breakfast. Mama says you nearly gave her food poisoning once."

"One, that was an accident. Two, your mother and I are going to get a divorce if she keeps telling you stuff," he teased. He then worried Emma wouldn't find that funny, but she still stayed smirking.

"Like anyone else would put up with you," she said, sitting down.

"I made mac and cheese. It is impossible to screw that up." He took his seat beside her.

"I dunno. At my group home, there were quite a few culinary disasters." Emma picked up a fork and took a long dramatic bite, which caused David to roll his eyes. "It's good."

"Good," the blonde started eating his as well. "You never really talk about it…what it was like living in a group home."

"It was sort of different than a regular placement. There were more kids, sometimes more than the person could handle. There were lots of chores, the kitchen was the biggest thing. Whoever had stayed out of trouble the most got to decide what we ate and who had to clean up and stuff."

"And I'm guessing that was you?" David replied with a playful smile.

"Uh, no. I wouldn't really get into a lot of trouble but there was always at least one person more behaved."

"Were you supervised?"

"Depended on the home. The one before here, not really. We were supposed to have a curfew and stuff, but if we came home late, she didn't really care." Emma thought of the concert she had snuck out to the night before she was told she'd have to come to Maine. She hadn't really wanted to go; the band wasn't one she had heard of before. But she knew that maybe if she was caught, that the owner of the group home would want to send her back, which would mean maybe she could run away.

She wasn't sure if she could ever tell her parents of her plan. That if they hadn't agreed to foster her, she'd probably be halfway to Florida by then. Though in all reality, she knew that a 13-year-old probably couldn't make it very far. At the time, though, it seemed ideal. Emma had already felt like she was on her own, she didn't need the system holding her back.

"I can't imagine what it was like," David's words broke her train of thought. "To live like that."

She shrugged. "You get used to it." She didn't like talking about her foster and group homes around her parents. Not all of the memories were bad, they just weren't what a parent would want for their child. She hated the look they got in their eyes, like they wished she had a different story to tell. But at the end of the day, if she hadn't gone through what she had, she wouldn't be their daughter, she wouldn't be who she was. She didn't want them to be sad for her, they already were about so many other things.

He gave her a sad smile. "You're strong for dealing with all of it."

"What choice did I have?" She replied with a small smile of her own.

Emma didn't feel strong. Even though she had survived all of it, she felt weak. There were kids that were in the system from birth and never got adopted and never dealt with the issues she had. She wanted to be normal, like her friends. She wanted to have the same reactions to stuff as they did. Even Baelfire, who had been through a lot himself, seemed pretty well adjusted. Barring feeling uncomfortable with his scar showing, he found no issue being shirtless in front of a girl.

She knew it was okay for her to feel the way she did, but nothing about it screamed strength to her. She just wondered how her father saw what she couldn't.

She decided to change the subject, because she really didn't feel up to crying again. "So, what time do you have to work tomorrow?"

"Another afternoon shift, so we'll probably leave here around 9:45."

"Don't you think that me being bored inside the station is going to be more a punishment for you?"

David laughed. "What do you mean?"

"The last time I was there and grounded, I nearly drove you crazy."

"I'll find something for you to do."

"Like what?"

"You'll see," he replied with a playful smirk.

Emma groaned. "You really suck."

"I'm the dad, it's my job."

They finished eating and cleared the table, they watched a little T.V. This time, it was David who fell asleep in the middle of it though. Emma decided to go upstairs half-way through, though she noticed her father was a little restless in his sleep. She shrugged it off as to the couch being uncomfortable and headed up to bed.

David was standing in the middle of the house; everything was the same but something felt different. He just couldn't place it. Suddenly, he heard a little voice behind him.

"Daddy."

He turned around and saw Emma standing there, but she wasn't the Emma he knew. The only reason he knew this was his daughter was from the pictures he had shown her. She must have been five or six. A big smile was across her face, her blonde curls bouncing on her shoulders as she jumped up and down.

"Emma," he breathed.

"We're going to be late, Daddy!" She squealed, grabbing a hold of his hand.

"Late for what?"

"Our tea party!"

He allowed the tiny girl to drag him off to the living room. The furniture was the same, but there were now toys everywhere. Dolls, Legos, toy trains along with a dress up area which was filled with princess dresses. In the corner was a small white table with a plastic pink tea set on top. The table had five chairs, three of which were occupied by stuffed animals. He could see Emma's baby blanket being used as a tablecloth.

"Sit down," Emma instructed. He smiled and sat down and watched as she pretended to pour tea out for him. She then slid into the chair beside him, giggling. "I'm the princess, Daddy."

"Yes, you are," he whispered. He watched as she pretended to give tea to her plush toys, a smile forming on his face. She was so angelic, so adorable. On the walls, he could see pictures of him, Mary and this Emma. They all looked so happy. "This everything you were supposed to have."

"I know," she told him. "But it's not real."

His smile slowly faded. "What?"

"I wasn't here, I wasn't with you," she explained. Then, there was a bright flash.

David was suddenly walking with Mary, hand in hand through the park. He could tell it was supposed to be them from years ago, but it wasn't a flashback. The area didn't look at all familiar. Suddenly he spotted a little girl wandering around. It was Emma, but for some reason his dream self couldn't tell. Mary pulled away from him to approach the little girl.

"Sweetie, are you lost?" She asked, her voice going into a loving tone.

"I can't find my daddy," Emma whispered.

"I'm sure I can help you. My name's Mary and that's David." She pointed back to her husband, who grinned. "What's your name?"

"Emma."

It occurred to him what was going on at that moment, like he was finally allowed to remember just who that little girl was. He bent down and picked her up. She looked at him, confused, as did his wife.

"David, what are you doing?" Mary asked gently.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered to Emma. "I'll protect you."

Her big green eyes locked on his baby blues. "You know?"

"I do. And he can't hurt you ever again. I promise." David stroked her cheek and gave her a warm smile, which the little girl matched.

"Sweetheart," his wife said. "You're scaring me, what's wrong?"

"We have to protect her, Mary."

"Protect her from what?"

Before David could respond, a tall man who reeked of beer walked over.

"Emma, where the hell were you? I told you to wait by the bench," the man demanded. It was Ed, David had never seen a picture of the man, but he could just tell.

"I'm sorry Daddy," the little girl said softly, her smile fading.

"You will be." He turned to the blonde man. "Thank you for finding my brat, I can take it from here."

"No, I'm not letting her go with you," David responded, firmly.

"David," Mary breathed, her eyes going wide.

"He's going to hurt her," he insisted.

"What are you telling these people, Emma?" Ed demanded, causing his daughter to bury his head in David's shoulder.

"She didn't have to say a word." David tried to tighten his grip on the little girl, but Ed tore her away, walking off. "Hey, wait!" He went to follow but his wife grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing? She's not ours," she tried to tell him. Her voice was light, but she was clearly scared by her husband's actions.

"She's supposed to be!" Tears sprang to his eyes. "I have to protect her!"

"We don't even know her."

The tears fell down his face as he watched Ed put his baby in a car and speed off. He wanted to chase after them, but it was like his feet were glued to the ground, so he stood there, feeling absolutely helpless.

David's eyes shot open and he looked around. The living room was back to normal, an infomercial for zit cream played on the T.V. He slowly got up and headed up the stairs, opening the door to his daughter's room. There she lay, asleep, her light snores filling the area. He knelt beside her and watched her sleep, the pain from his dreams filling him. He wanted to save his little girl from anything and yet, he hadn't been able to. He hadn't known she existed, but it still bothered him. Every day he tried to just be happy he had her now, but he wanted to turn back time and bring her home. Let that little girl know that she was loved, wanted. Give her the father that she deserved.

"Mmm…Daddy?" Emma's tired voice broke him out of his thoughts and he realized she was awake.

"Shhh baby girl," he cooed, pushing back curls from her face.

"Is it morning?"

"No Princess, you go back to sleep."

"'Kay Daddy," she mumbled, grabbing hold of her baby blanket, which melted his heart. "Love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her temple before standing up and slowly walking out. The rest of his sleep remained dreamless.

Come morning, he omitted his dream s when Mary called, knowing what she'd say. He made Emma cereal and just tried to focus on his daughter now and the time they had together.

"Alright my little convict," he said as she came down the stairs with her backpack. "Ready for Bring Your Daughter To Work Day?"

"That's not what this is," she told him.

He smirked. "Kinda is."

"Normally kids aren't being punished."

'I wouldn't know how this all works," David admitted, handing her a jacket. "I grew up on a farm. Every day was Bring Your Kid To Work Day."

Emma giggled, sliding on her coat and followed him to his truck.

That giggle didn't last. David decided Emma needed to be kept busy, so he made her sweep up around the station.

"This is child labor," she complained.

"Consider it part of your punishment," he told her.

"You're just making me do this so you won't have to."

"Completely false," he said in a teasing tone.

"You, Graham and Leroy are pigs," she mumbled to herself. "You, I get though. You were practically raised in a barn."

David gasped in mock offense. "Take that back."

"Mama says I'm not allowed to lie anymore," she replied with a smirk.

"That's it." He stood up, grabbing her by the waist and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Daddy!" She squealed with delight.

"You're under arrest for sass," he told her, setting her in one of the holding cells and shutting the door.

A laugh escaped Emma's lips. "Sassing isn't illegal."

"It is around here," he said, pulling out his phone to take a picture before letting her out. "I guess I could release you on bail."

"What do I owe you?"

"Hmmm…" He thought about it and then pointed to his cheek, which she kissed.

"If only the town knew you gave special treatment."

"Well no one else is my baby girl."

He returned to his paperwork and she finished sweeping. Soon a call came in about a possible robbery.

"Alright, stay here," he instructed.

Emma frowned. "I can't come?"

"Too dangerous Princess, I'll be back in a bit. Seriously, do not leave the station," he said, sternly. I shouldn't be too long." He quickly hugged her before leaving.

Emma sighed and plopped down on the couch. She hated being alone, which was a weird feeling. She was often by herself growing up, but after being with her parents, she found herself getting separation anxiety at times. She was feeling a little tired, so she let her eyes rest for a bit, soon drifting to sleep.

Emma awoke a little late, panting. She had just had a nightmare, not as bad as they normally were, but still pretty scary. She looked around to discover that David was still gone.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Subconsciously, she knew it wasn't his fault. He was on duty and had to go help. But she wanted him, she wanted her mom. She played with the ring Mary had given her for Christmas, which hung on a chain around her neck, and spotted David's spare jacket, throwing it around herself. She curled up in his chair, trying to calm down, feeling incredibly stupid.

"You're thirteen," she mumbled. "You shouldn't need your dad after a nightmare."

Twenty minutes later, David returned. He saw his daughter curled up in his chair, lightly crying, and ran over, kneeling in front of her.

"Princess, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she muttered.

"Something. Talk to me, baby," he whispered.

"It's stupid. I'm not a baby."

"You're my baby," he gave her a small smile. "Tell me what's wrong."

She sniffled. "I told you, it's…"

"Emma, you're crying. I know whatever it is can't be stupid. Talk to me, please. I can't help you feel better unless I know what's wrong," David cut her off, trying to be gentle yet firm.

Emma sniffled, biting her lip. "I had a bad dream, when I woke up you weren't here."

David's face fell. He hadn't been there for her, something he promised he always would do. It wasn't his fault, he knew that deep down, but his heart was breaking.

"Oh Princess," he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "I am so sorry."

"It's stupid," Emma repeated. "I shouldn't need you to make me feel better. I used to handle them on my own. But now…"

"Now you're not alone." He gave her a full smile. "It's okay to need me, Emma. I'm your dad." She sniffled and held his jacket closer. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, I am now, Princess." He wasn't sure whether he was referencing her childhood or the past hour, he supposed it could apply to both and she knew that too. Her eyes stayed on the necklace, so he carefully tipped his chin up with his index finger. "I'm here, okay?" She nodded, wrapping her arms around him. He cradled the back of her head, holding her close. "Daddy's here."

So, there we go, I promised you guys Daddy Charming feels! Mary will return soon and the family will be back together! And soon Emma will be officially a Nolan, of course with more drama to come. Stay tuned and as always, please review. If you guys have anything you want to see, let me know.