Old before her time
Jade Star asked for a oneshot of... a read and see story.
Guest: As I said, if this matter offends you that much then feel free to log in and PM me and I will happily discuss the matter with you.
As usual, if you have requests from tonight's episode, great! Please just give me a spoiler warning. I'm working through these requests as quickly as my schedule will allow. I promise I haven't forgotten about them or this story.
There are no books to prepare you for your child being the same age as you. No books to prepare you for them growing old alongside you. What was even worse: Emma seemed to growing old at a much faster rate than either of us. Not like Benjamin Button, more like an athlete who had to get knee replacements in their forties because of the damage put on the bones and ligaments through years of abuse. Emma was a year younger than Charming and me (AN: are we happy guest reviewer? Must I sit a grammar test this time?) physically, but a random onlooker would think she was much older.
Charming had given up on field work for the station about five years ago. He focused on a desk role, and urged Emma to do the same. He saw the toll it was beginning to take on his body and didn't want to put it through any more strain. Emma refused. She felt that as the Saviour she had to make sure her presence was still felt. Along with the added overuse of her magic whilst chasing down villains, Emma could easily pass for fifty rather than her actual age of forty. It worried me of what the future might hold for her if she kept on going down this path. I didn't want to outlive my child, but each day seeing her like this was a reminder that it was very much a possibility. I couldn't let her go on like this. I couldn't let her destroy herself as some kind of martyr. Emma would always be our daughter over and above being the Saviour or sheriff. So I waited until she was home for the weekend, when I knew she would be the least stressed. Then I decided we had to discuss the elephant in the room.
"Fancy a hot chocolate?" I offered her. Emma might be a forty-year-old woman with a house and children of her own, but I knew she could never refuse one of her mother's hot chocolates with cinnamon. Nobody else could quite get the ratio right for her. Emma smiled wearily, highlighting the wrinkles developing on her pretty face. She struggled to get down off the high stool of the island counter.
"Here," I said, rushing over and helping her down. I was very much aware of the painful groans that she made. The way her joints must ache. Arthritis was an ever present danger, I feared. I watched as she almost limped over to the couch before collapsing down on top of it. I frowned. She was definitely getting stiffer.
When the drinks were ready, I brought them over and handed Emma hers. She took it gratefully, clasping it in her frail looking hands.
"Long week?" I asked her. Emma nodded.
"Wasn't half." She sighed. "I'm getting old." I half smiled, not wanting to alarm her.
"Well…those new recruits you and your dad have been training up are more than capable of running the field assignments by themselves." I pointed out. "Your dad could use some company in the office." Emma didn't seem to like this one bit. I feared she'd seen right through my thinly disguised attempt to discuss her wellbeing.
"Don't start, mom." She said gently. "We've been through this. I'm the Saviour. Kaitlyn and Noah are good at the job, but Storybrooke has villains out there who need more than good cops to stop them…"
"Which is where Henry comes in." I interrupted. "He has magic too, and he's been a great help to you in the past. He knows any villain who dares disrupt this town inside out before they can even begin to plot an evil scheme." Emma looked down at her mug.
"Henry has his own life to lead." She said quietly. "I won't have it disrupted so he can put his life at risk. Not when I can do the job." I reached out and placed my hand over Emma's.
"You want to protect him as his mother, I get that." I said gently. "As your mother, I need to protect you too. Emma, you must be noticing the toll all this physical effort is putting on your body. I'm worried about you; your father is too. I'd put any money on Henry being worried about you as well." Emma was clearly uncomfortable with me yanking her head out of the sand. Right now, I didn't care. Her safety would come above her comfort. Always.
"I'm fine." I scoffed.
"Emma, I don't need your superpower to know you're lying to me. I know you're not fine, and you know it too. Please, at least consider stepping back from active work. For the good of your own health. You can't keep Henry safe if you're not around or are riddled with arthritis." I pointed out. Emma sighed. I knew she was beginning to accept I had a point.
"If I say that I'll think about it, can we drop it for now?" She asked me. I nodded. "Then I'll think about it." She promised me. I relaxed slightly, at least knowing Emma was prepared to move in the right direction.
