AN- Okay, first I have to say, I am sorry I messed up the traveling out of Story Brook spell from Gold, I misunderstood and forgot how it worked. Never once did I say Snow loved her daughter more then her husband. Never would I say that! She clearly loves her husband very much. I never thought she loved Emma more. I got several nasty PM's over this, and I thought about taking this story down all together. Then I remembered I write for fun, and I was writing this for myself and I share it with you because that's fun too! This is a FICTION about a Fiction show. If there is something in it you don't like or it bothers you, please just stop reading. It's not worth getting mad over. Now to the constructive criticism I got, thank you I do appreciate when you catch something and are kind about how you tell me. I also am thankful that people are still reading this and reviewing it and liking it. It means a lot to me!

I've had fun writing this story, and I love sharing it with you! It brings me a lot of joy to see the feed back good and negative. (As long as isn't mean like the PMs.. You know who you are ;) )

A few more chapters to go.

It wasn't long before Regina and David returned to the small loft after leaving Zelena locked up for the night. The five of them talked for awhile played a game of Henry's choice before Regina convinced him that she was exhausted and needed to sleep after her adventures and fighting, she could also tell that Emma might have been equally exhausted if not more so, she convinced them all that Henry going home with her for the night would be the best choice.

Emma put up a little fight wanting her son close, but then realized that Regina was right. She was processing a lot, and her body was exhausted and her brain literally hurt. Sometime to her self wasn't a bad idea.

She had bid her parents a quick goodnight right after Regina left and made a quick escape.

Now it was four am, and her body and mind was wide awake. She tossed and turned for over an hour before quietly coming down the stairs to get a glass of water and some Tylenol for the headache she couldn't kick. Probably because her body had just gone through magic hell, she wasn't even sure Tylenol could touch it. There probably wasn't a pain killers for magic that stopped powerful witches, and grew a body to adult size as well as reverting the mind back to adulthood.

"Can't sleep?"

She heard the voice behind her and closed her eyes. She should have gone to Granny's for the night. She wasn't up for any heart to heart chats, especially not with her parents. She couldn't face them right now. Not with out Henry and Regina around.

"I am fine" She said with out turning around. "Go back to bed David"

"Oh, I am David again?" He asked with a sigh "I got used to Dad, even daddy"

"I wasn't me" Emma argued

"You were before, Zelena changed your mind set, when your body was just small and your mind set was normal. You were calling me Dad."

"A little, but I was dependent on you because I couldn't do anything on my own!"

"Emma, why do you think your magic turned your body into the size of a child?" He asked.

"To torture me" Emma shrugged "I like self torture, I am good at it" She mumbled "I am not in the mood for a conversation!"

"You can't ignore that it happened Emma, and you can't ignore there was a reason, and you can't ignore there was a reason your magic fixed everything again."

"My magic took over, to protect Henry and your unborn child from Zelena's magic! That is all!"

"That isn't all Emma" David shook his head, "Sweetheart, you've got to face what is scaring you, what you don't want to admit, what is hurting you. You can't keep running."

"I am not running" Emma shook her head. "I am getting some Tylenol and a drink of water and going back to bed."

"You know, we love you" David "Right?"

Emma's features softened as she stole a glance at him. "I know"

"The last few weeks, weren't for nothing Emma. You know that right?"

She sat down at the table and put her face in her hands "I know that"

"There was a reason for them" He said sitting down next to her.

"I know" She said again.

"Your magic, probably grew with in those few weeks."

"I know" She groaned "It was a trust exercise" She grumbled "I get it, but it doesn't make it any less embarrassing!"

David pushed his fingers through his hair as he studied his daughter. Her cheeks had turned her red and she was avoiding eye contact.

"Do you think we think of you as weak now? Less independent?" He asked "Because you needed us to take care of you for a few weeks?" He reached out and touched her arm "Do you think, that we think less of you as an adult? As a woman?"

She shrugged slightly keeping her eyes down.

"Sometimes, times taking help from the people that love you, makes you stronger. We know how hard it was for you. We're proud of you Emma" He said standing up and walking behind her. He bent down and kissed the top of her head. "The last few weeks were a gift us. We got to know our daughter better. We couldn't ask for anything more, and we couldn't be prouder to be your parents."

Emma didn't say anything as David kissed the top of her head one more time before he left her be to her thoughts.

Suddenly she found the apartment too small, too quiet. She grabbed her car keys and her coat and left the apartment quietly. On her own, something she hadn't been able to do in a long time.

"She's angry" David said slipping bed next to his wife "Really angry"

"I know" Snow nodded "I heard her up, I left her be on purpose. She's got to process"

David rolled to his side "How do you know this?"

"I am her mother" She said with a smile "I know her."

David sighed "Should I have left her alone?"

Snow shook her head "No, you did good talking to her. David you're her father. You get to make the call on when you talk to your daughter. There is no road map to Emma, to parenting. It's trusting your gut. What works for me, may not work for you. It's what makes up mother daughter, father daughter relationships. She loves us both! No doubt in my mind. She's just going to respond to us differently."

David put his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. "You're wise"

"It would be like this even if we had raised her from birth, we're two different people. Yes we parent as a team, but individually we interact with her different. She's going to interact differently with us too."

"So, me going out there was okay?" He asked again.

"Yeah, you got her thinking" Snow assured him.

"She's not ready to talk to me yet" Snow looked at him. "She's harbors different levels of anger towards us."

"The last few weeks didn't fix that?" He asked with a defeated sigh.

Snow rolled to her side and put her head on his chest "Oh, David oh it did. I promise. She's just processing everything. I promise you. She's okay, we're okay. She's just got to make sure she feels like she's got her independence back. She survived growing up being able to take care of herself. It rattled her that her own magic took that away."

"But it did that, to teach her to trust others right?"

"To trust those who love her the most yes, but it's also teaching her to believe that she is worth something. The orphan part of her, the lost little girl never believed she was worth anything to anyone. That people only used her to better themselves. She just learned that isn't true. That people can love her, with out wanting anything in return. Her world was literally just rocked. So she's being attacked right now"

"And we're just leaving her?" David asked sitting up "While she mentally attacks herself?"

Snow nodded "She'll be back, when she's ready to talk"

"If she's not?"

"Then I will go and get her" Snow promised "But giving her some space right now, isn't a bad thing."

"You're sure she's coming back when she's ready?"

Snow nodded "She'll be back, and David, my love. Don't ever second guess yourself on your parenting. You're an amazing father! Emma and this baby are lucky to have you"

"And I" She said leaning over and kissing his cheek "AM the luckiest of them all to have you as my personal Charming husband."

Emma let herself back in the tiny apartment a few short hours later knowing both her parents would be awake.

"I brought coffee" She announced as she headed to the kitchen to find her mother making oatmeal and her father no where in sight.

"Uh?"

"He got called this morning" Snow explained "Doc's car got stuck in a ditch"

Emma crinkled her forehead "Wow, is he okay?"

Snow nodded "Yes, he's fine not even a scratch. I am not sure exactly what happened something about Leroy and him trying to switch seats while driving? I don't know. I don't really want to know"

Emma handed her mother a coffee and took a seat on stool

"Are you hungry Emma?"

"Um" She shrugged "I don't know, maybe a little"

Snow handed Emma a bowl of oatmeal and passed her the brown sugar raisins and some bacon.

"Thank you" Emma nodded as Snow got a bowl for herself and went and sat down next to Emma.

"Are you okay?" She asked after a few minutes of quiet.

Emma dumped in several spoons of brown sugar into her bowl much to her mothers shock and dismay. "Um" She fumbled "You, now know where my biggest scars are, you held me while I had asthma treatments, um.. you just.."

"Emma, had the curse not happened, I would know your body"

Emma blushed and looked uncomfortable "Well."

"I would have changed your diapers, dressed you, bathed you, let you run around naked on hot summer days. I would have cleaned up scrapes, nursed fevers."

"You wouldn't be embarrassed knowing I did all those things, it would have just been life."

Emma sighed "Are you mad at me?"

Snow's eyes got wide "What?! Why? Emma why on earth would I be mad at you?"

"Because, I didn't stay a little child?" She said looking down "Because I stole your chance to be my mother again?"

Snow froze momentarily before she pulled herself together. "Zelena, turned you into a child, and your magic righted it. Emma, I loved those moments I had with you when you were small and I was your mommy. Where you trusted me with everything you had, and thought I was world. I loved seeing your eyes light up when you saw me. I loved snuggling you and kissing you. Those moments are precious gifts. Something I didn't think I'd ever have with you. I can't express to you how I look onto that as a gift, but Emma there is something you have to understand. I missed you!"

Emma looked confused for a moment "What?"

"I missed this version of you, my big strong wonderful, talented, feisty, sometimes snarky grown daughter. I am so proud of the woman you've grown to be. I fell in love with you. You're you and you're my daughter" She shrugged "Emma, I love you for you!"

Emma pushed her spoon around her bowl.

"Emma, think about it" Snow said after a minute "If magic turned Henry back into a toddler how would you feel?"

Emma dropped her spoon "I'd be scared as hell! I don't know how to deal with toddlers! I'd feel blessed to hold him on my hip and read him stories, but I'd miss…" She paused and looked at her mother "I'd miss my running jokes with him our deep conversations and who he is right now…" She gave Snow a bashful smile "So, do you ever want to make me a PB&J again?"

Snow laughed and shook her head "It's a good thing you were cute, and your father was around to help you out. I would have just made you eat as."

"What can I say" Emma blinked "I would have been a daddy's girl"

Snow nodded as she leaned over and ran her fingers through Emma's hair "You are, and that's what I always wanted for you. He's proud of you Emma. We both are." She said softly. "Do you believe that? Honestly?"

Emma looked over at her mother and nodded "I know. I do know honest."

Snow ate a piece of bacon and chewed it thoughtfully "Emma, have you figured out why your magic made you small?"

Emma was quiet for a few minutes her eyes locked on her oatmeal. "Yes…"