Baby weight problems

Glasses asked for a oneshot of Snow feeling like she's being left out of physical missions after having Neal because of the baby weight. Emma reassures her by telling her that after she had Henry she lost her baby weight and got ripped in prison. I have been advised this is based on Jen Morrison being ripped lol.

Guest: Gap rule.

Whenever Snow accidentally caught her reflection she felt like a shadow of her former self. She felt like she was missing out on so much. Yes, she wouldn't trade her son for the world, but she couldn't deny that the extra mass she had gained since his birth had somewhat diminished her confidence. Plus, she wasn't stupid, she knew Neal wasn't the only reason she was being left out of so many missions. She was slower than she used to be…heavier.

Of course, Snow's family had noticed how withdrawn she had become. At first it was a mystery to them what was going on in Snow's head, but soon Emma began to notice. After all, she'd felt the same way once.

Emma waited for her opportunity. She had explained to Charming what she thought was wrong with Snow and Charming agreed to give the pair some space to talk before he too had a quiet word with Snow. To him she would never be anything less than beautiful and her weight had nothing to do with her not being actively involved in many of the recent missions. He felt awful she would ever think that.

Now here Emma was, some time alone with her mom. Neal was down for a nap, so there were no distractions.

"Can we talk?" Emma asked, cutting straight to the point. Snow nodded glumly. She was having a pretty lousy day. Emma came and sat down beside her. "You know, prison was a pretty catty place. It's no surprise really, so many women gathered together in the one place." Snow turned to face Emma, curious, it wasn't often Emma opened up about that time in her life. "It was never a good idea to show any form of weakness or frailty. Including any signs that you had just given birth." Snow shifted uncomfortably. "That's right, I know what's going on in your head." Emma said calmly. "I've been there, remember? I know what it's like to gain a few pounds after the baby is born and think people look at you differently. That's why I made it my mission during prison to become a tank." Emma said with a slight laugh. She smiled at her mom, squeezing her hand. "You don't need to do that though. You're Snow White. The bandit princess. Nobody's looking at you differently, I promise." Emma assured her. Snow gave a slight laugh.

"I suppose that was one thing about Regina's curse. No baby weight." Snow joked darkly. To her side she saw Emma flinch.

"Oh no…I didn't mean…" Snow sighed. It was a tactless thing to say. "I would give anything to go back and be able to keep you Emma. Even if I turned into a human balloon. I wouldn't trade being able to raise your brother for some adventures either, but it would be nice for people to remember who I was before I became a mo…full time mother." Snow corrected herself. "I can still kick ass, you know." Emma grinned.

"Everyone knows that. We honestly haven't deliberately left you on the side lines. I think everyone just figured you'd want to be here with Neal. Just in case something went wrong one time." Emma explained. Snow raised an eyebrow at her.

"Of course I want to look after Neal, but that doesn't mean I think it's ok for me to sit back in case something goes wrong. If anything that makes me feel worse. Imagine how I'd feel if something happened to you or your dad and I wasn't even there to try and help you? I'm not saying I want to be out there every time you are, but at least some of the time." Snow explained.

"Nobody's stopping you mom." Emma pointed out. "You just need to talk to us." Snow smiled. She kissed the side of Emma's head.

"You're right." She sighed. "As long as you promise I don't need to become a tank." She teased her daughter. Emma laughed.

"I promise."