Conflicting worlds

Reading Pixie asked for a oneshot of *mid-season finale spoilers!* after everything is back to how it should be, Emma admits that she had liked her life as a princess. Her parents console her.

When Killian had given Emma the memory potion in New York, it had only taken a couple of weeks for the fake memories Regina had given her to fade away into the background. Almost like a dream. This time was different though. These weren't fake memories, per say. These were memories from an alternate timeline. They weren't fading so quickly. Every morning when Emma woke up and saw her parents. Saw her little brother. Saw her son. She was given flashbacks to how things were there, in a world where the Evil Queen had not cast her dark curse. In a world where she'd had a happy childhood.

Snow and Charming weren't blind. They could see how Emma seemed to be pretty deflated since she'd been rescued from her accidental wish. They saw the strange ways she was looking at her loved ones, and knew the matter had to be discussed.

"It's so nice to be awake at the same time as your father again." Snow pointed out, smiling at her husband across the room. "Now things can go back to how they should be." Emma smiled half-heartedly.

"But they're not really how you're thinking they should be right now, are they Em?" Charming pointed out. Emma looked at her dad. How had he worked that out? Charming smiled at her.

"Regina spoke to us about how being in an alternate world like you were in is different from being cursed. She explained it might all still be pretty vivid to you." Emma nodded glumly. She should have known Regina would have ratted her out.

"It's just hard, you know? It's like having my little dream bubble burst." Emma tried her best to explain. "In that world, things were how they should have been…well, to a point, anyway. Neal wasn't in that other world, and I had never met Killian. I'm not sure how I'm meant to feel." Emma admitted, dropping her face into her hands. Charming got up and crouched beside Emma, placing a comforting hand on her knee. Snow slid along the couch so she was sitting beside her, placing a reassuring hand on her back.

"Nobody expects you to have all your emotions in check just now." Snow pointed out. "We wouldn't either, if we were just back from a world where we got to raise you. It's emotional whiplash." Emma nodded. That's exactly how it felt.

"Both worlds have their drawbacks. You're in a place right now where you're feeling guilty about enjoying the benefits of the other world. It's understandable that you were happy there, Emma. You were meant to be. That was the Evil Queen's plan. You are happy here too, though. It's important that you try and remember that. Yes, the beginning of your life wasn't what any of us had hoped for, but the present it pretty much there. You have an amazing man in your life, as much as I hate to admit it. You have us now, and you have a little brother who loves you to pieces that you love right back."

"Your dad's right Emma. Yes, you got the fairytale beginning in that other world, but would you have had the fairytale ending?" Snow reminded her. Emma sighed, resting her head against her mom's shoulder. Charming kissed the top of Emma's head. Both parents hated how conflicted she was clearly feeling, but this was something she was just going to have to work out for herself.