David had his flaws. He knew he did. He was sometimes too brash, a bit aloof in his desire to do the right, good thing. Emma had once compared him to Steve Rogers when they had been having a family movie night. Henry had found it hilarious.
But he also had his good points, not just the flaws. He was proud to say that one of his best traits was being able to read is family members. He was always able to feel when someone was upset, happy, and so forth. He was the one that Emma got her 'human lie detector' ability from after all.
Which made it that much easier to see when Emma started to get affected by the influx of work they had received recently.
There had been a major storm surge all around the coastal Maine area that had caused quite a lot of damage and flooding in areas.
Fortunately Storybrooke hadn't been hit as hard as other towns. But even then, there was enough damage and costs caused by the surge that they'd been caught up at the station for the better part of two weeks.
Spending so many hours at the station as well as the constant calls about another property damage from grumpy town members had worn down both of them greatly.
Finally, when the townspeople had calmed down in their attempts to report every tiny damage and report the supposed misdeeds of their neighbours, David had suggested that they leave work earlier.
Emma had agreed wholeheartedly, even saying that she was surprised she hadn't gotten a migraine from the stress.
It wasn't the first thing that tipped David off to the actual level of tiredness and stress that Emma was feeling, but it was the most open she'd been about it.
As close as they had become, Emma still had trouble with admitting when she was hurt or upset. She still had a need to be independent and strong in the eyes of others which often conflicted with her inner need to be looked after and cared about in the ways she had missed out on during her childhood.
Which is why he came up with a plan to help her relax when they got back to the apartment for a well deserved weekend of rest.
He decided he'd start on the plan as soon as they got home.
The second that they stepped through the door to the empty apartment, Emma kicked off her boots and leather jacket. David watched in amusement as she flopped face down onto the couch and pressed her face into one of the many pillows that sat on it. He chuckled to himself when she screamed into the pillow.
Emma lifted her face, her hair falling across her face as she scowled at him. "Don't laugh at my misery! I'm this close to asking Regina to teach me a silencing spell so that I can finally shut the dwarves' arguments up." She held a hand up and pinched her thumb and pointer fingers together. She shifted her arm back onto the couch and her head dropped, smushing it back into the soft cushions.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I would never laugh at you!" David smirked at her as he walked over to her and knelt in front of the couch. "It's Regina's weekend with Henry, right?" He asked her.
Emma grunted into the pillow. "And mom is with Ruby and Granny. She told me they wanted to see Neal since they hadn't had much quality time with him." She said as she turned her head towards him.
He nodded almost more to himself than her. "Okay, how about you go have a warm shower, get changed into pajamas, and I'll make the special popcorn that you like and we can put on a movie?"
Emma hummed her agreement and flung her arm out dramatically towards David, a silent order for him to help her up.
He grasped her hand and pulled her up, steadying her when she stumbled in her tiredness.
"Go get cleaned up. I'll have the popcorn finished by the time you're done." He smiled at her.
She gave him a tired grin in return before she trudged off towards the bathroom.
David turned to go to the kitchen before Emma's jacket and boots caught his eye. He picked up the discarded leather and hung it next to the door before he straightened her boots underneath it.
He shook his head with a smile as he turned back to the kitchen.
He had a daughter that he promised popcorn to.
Later when they were both wrapped in a blanket with the popcorn bowl propped between them, David couldn't help but notice the tension radiating off of Emma. She'd draped herself next to him on the couch looking much more relaxed than earlier but her body was still drawn tight like a coil.
He looked down when he felt the weight of her head on his shoulder get a bit heavier and saw that she had fallen asleep. He brushed some hair from her face and carefully shifted his head to drop a kiss on her own head.
He hoped she was less wound up in the morning after a good night's rest. And if she wasn't, then he'd deal with it tomorrow.
He let his head fall back against the couch and shifted into a slightly more comfortable position. He was going to take advantage of his girl's cuddles as long as he could.
A while later, Snow would come home to find the two of them fast asleep, the light of the tv casting gentle shadows across the room. She would turn the tv off and straighten the blanket before heading off the bed with Neal herself.
It was during breakfast the next day that David noticed something that made him think it wasn't just too much work paired with not enough sleep and stress that was affecting Emma.
He was passing Emma her favourite coffee mug when he saw that her hand trembled as she grasped the handle of the mug. It brought up memories of instances where he had noticed similar things during the last weeks of work.
He would pass her a case file, paperwork, or a mug of coffee and her hand would shake slightly or she would flinch lightly as her hands made contact with something.
He had brushed the incidents aside, putting them down to her being cold since winter was approaching as well as the storm that had passed since he knew that she had trouble keeping her hands warm because of poor blood circulation, but now he wasn't so sure.
He just had to figure out what it was.
It was after lunch when the realisation finally hit David.
The little actions and ticks that Emma had displayed more and more frequently, the moments that she would tense up out of nowhere or flinch as if she had shocked herself somehow. It all added up to one now blaring obvious answer.
Emma hadn't been exercising her magic, had barely even used it at all, because of all the work they had been doing at the station. She had more than likely been procrastinating on letting her excess magic out and so it had built up until it started affecting her physically. It's why she constantly looked tense and strained. Because she was trying to keep her powers for lashing out.
Well, David wouldn't stand for it. He could understand her letting it go a bit longer because of them being so busy recently, but when it started affecting her and hurting her in the way it was now, he knew he needed to do something.
That something was to try and help his daughter.
And he knew exactly what he needed to do.
"Why are we out in the middle of nowhere in the forest?" Emma asked as she climbed out of David's truck. She was a little confused as to why he had brought her all the way out here. One second she had been helping him pack away the freshly washed breakfasts dishes and the next he was ushering her out the door and into the car.
"Because you've been stressed and tense. I can practically feel it radiating off of you so don't try and deny it." He answered as he walked around to stand next to her. He rested a hand on the back of her neck and led her towards a path that she only noticed now as they walked over it.
She looked at him curiously. "You still didn't answer my question, Dad." She raised a brow at him and he couldn't stop the smile that graced his face when she called him that.
David slowed to a stop and turned to look at her. "Okay, okay. I know that you have been neglecting exercising your magic and, because of that, it's started becoming harder to contain and is affecting you physically." David said. "And I also know that you're going to try and deny it or say it's not that bad, but I know you'll be lying so don't even try, Em." He carried on when she went to protest.
Emma sighed. She should have known he would see right through her. "Let's say that I have neglected it a little." She was interrupted by David scoffing. "Okay, fine. Neglected it a lot. That still doesn't explain why we're out here." She finished.
"We are out here," David answered as he started leading her down the path again, "Because you need to let that excess magic out."
Emma was conflicted. She knew she had to do it, but she also knew that her magic could easily overpower her and cause her to lose control.
David saw the conflict and spoke again. "I'm taking you to a clearing up ahead so you don't have to worry about backlash, causing damage to property, or hurting anyone. He explained, hoping to reassure her.
She smiled at him but he knew she was still concerned. They walked the rest of the way in silence and David could practically feel Emma's increasing anxiety.
He was relieved when they finally walked out into the open grassy area of the clearing.
It was beautiful. The branches and leaves from the surrounding trees were still broad enough that it scattered the sunlight shining through in stunning golden rays. The grass was soft and there was a fresh, crisp smell in the air that was leftover from the recent storms.
Emma frowned to herself. She knew that the backlash from letting go of her magic would destroy it. She didn't want that.
"What's wrong?" David asked her softly.
"It's beautiful. I don't want to ruin it." She answered him as her eyes danced across the clearing again.
"You won't. You just need to let it go slowly. Don't make it all rush out at once." He said gently before he walked to a fallen log at the edge of the clearing. He sat down quietly and picked a few of the long stemmed flowers that were growing next to the log.
Emma sighed to herself and moved more into the middle of the clearing. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she tried to calm her senses and let her magic rise closer to the surface. Her finger twitched as she felt the power surge in her core. She let her control slip some more only to flinch and shut off the magic flow when she felt it grow too strong too quickly.
She looked towards David despondently but he only gave her a small smile before he dropped his eyes down to whatever he was doing as he twisted his fingers through the flowers he had picked.
Emma shook her hands before closing her eyes and trying again. Once again she felt her magic surge too powerfully and shut it off.
She didn't know what she was doing wrong. Why couldn't she just control it, keep it from overwhelming her?
A growl escaped from her throat and she kicked a stray rock near her boot. She startled slightly when a hand landed on her shoulder.
She turned her head and saw that David had moved from the log and was now standing next to her. He was holding a crown of flowers that he had braided together.
"Here." David said, holding it out to her. "Take it. I think I have an idea of how to help you."
Emma took it, doubtful as to how a bunch of flowers would help her with her magic. She took the crown from him anyway when he motioned it towards her again.
Once she took it, David spoke. "I'm guessing that it was feeling overwhelming to let go of your magic after holding it in for so long?" He asked but it sounded more like a statement than a question.
When Emma nodded he continued. "Okay. I want you to try and make the flower's petals spread more than they are now."
Emma looked at the crown, only now noticing that the flowers he had woven together were in early stages of blooming. She looked at him again. "Right, but how is that going to help?" She asked.
"Think of it this way. You know how you got your migraine problem from me? Well I know that with both of us, it's easier to slowly get used to more light as the sensitivity fades after we get a migraine. Why not try something similar with your magic?" He proposed. "Maybe focusing on something specific might help to control it." He stepped back a few steps but stayed near her to see if she could do it.
Emma nodded. "Makes sense. Might as well try."
She took a breath and held the flower crown in both hands. Instead of letting her magic flow out in any direction, she focused it to her arms and hands. As she watched, the flowers shifted slightly, their petals curling out more. Suddenly the flow was too strong again and the flowers started wilting. She cut it off again and huffed. She was getting annoyed now.
"Hey." David murmured, apparently sensing her mood shifting. "Take a breath and try again. You're fine."
So Emma did. She let it spread again, this time focusing her magic into her fingertips and the flower stems. As she did, she was surprised to find that she could feel the flowers through her magic.
She knew from Regina's lessons that some people were able to push their magic into their surroundings, that they were able to feel the very essence of the life around them, but she never knew that she might be able to.
She opened the petals and when they stayed that way, she looked up at David with a grin. "I did it!"
"Good job, Em!" He cheered her on. "Wanna try something else?"
She nodded at him and thought about what else she could try.
She grinned again and looked back to the flowers. She closed her eyes and concentrated on what she wanted. She opened them when she felt the familiar rush. "Tadda!" She laughed as she moved forward and dumped the crown on David's head, the once pale flowers now neon pink with yellow spots.
She bounced on her toes. She'd never actually had fun doing magic.
She suddenly thought of something that she felt when she first used her magic on the flowers. It reminded her of something that Regina had told her before. Well, if it doesn't work it isn't like it will change anything she thought.
Once again, she closed her eyes and let her magic flow. This time up her arms, down her torso to her legs. When it touched the ground she was flooded with the forest around her
She could feel so much.
She could feel the grass and the trees, the individual leaves and petals on each flower, tree, and plant.
She felt the shifts as beetles, ants, worms, and mice all clambered through the brush.
She felt the vibrations from a butterfly's wings, and a bird's feathers as they flew.
She felt the warmth of the sun and the cool of the breeze.
She opened her eyes, only then realising she had closed them. A wide smile crossed her face when she found that she could see the life around her. Her magic had enhanced everything.
Emma turned in a slow circle, taking everything in. For once her magic was calm beneath her skin. It was amazing.
David watched as Emma's entire body relaxed into her magic. The tension he'd seen finally disappearing. He couldn't stop his own smile at the almost childlike wonder she displayed as she let her magic out. She almost looked like she was glowing.
Emma turned to him with a soft look on her face. "Thank you."
David frowned slightly. He hadn't really done anything. Why was she thanking him?
Emma saw the confusion on his face.
"Because you helped me relax." She explained. "You helped me control it by making it easier to focus on. I wouldn't have thought of it that way. So thank you."
She yelped when he pulled her into a hug suddenly. "It's my pleasure, Em. I'm glad I could help."
"How are you feeling? Ready to head back?" He asked her, still holding her in a hug.
Emma nodded against him. "Yeah I think so. I feel tired now." She murmured. It seems that pent up magic was tiring once it was released. Who knew?
David pulled away but kept an arm around her as he led them back towards the truck. He laughed when he heard her grumble about walking back. There was the normal Emma he knew.
He stopped in front of her and leant down slightly. "Piggy back?" He asked her.
She rolled her eyes slightly and tried to hide her smile. "I'm too old for piggy backs." She protested but still hopped up onto his back.
He laughed outright at her this time. "Hey! Princesses deserve piggy backs no matter how old they are!" He ducked his head away as much as she could when she butted her head against his gently. She straightened the flower crown still sitting on his head.
"Are you ever gonna drop that nickname?" She groaned at him.
"Never! You're literal royalty, Princess." He tipped her from side to side but was careful to keep his grip in her. "Accept it or I drop you."
"Nooo wait! I'm sorry!" She giggled as she wrapped her arms tighter over his shoulders.
"Good. Now let us be off! Your carriage awaits!"
Her laughter echoed through the trees. The sound made him smile again.
They had come a long way, the two of them. From the tension between them during the curse those years ago so different to now. They had bonded and grown together. All of them had. They had missed so many moments together, so many milestones, but they were still a family in the end. They found moments like this, moments they would cherish forever.
They were chaotic. The relationships and ties are confusing and complicated. But they were family.
And that would never change.