Forgetting Emma
A guest asked for a oneshot of Snowing being cursed to forget that Emma ever existed. Emma tries to make them remember by revealing stuff she wouldn't otherwise. Like, her dad being overprotective, but she secretly loves it because nobody else ever cared that much. It still doesn't work, leading to Emma breaking down in tears. This snaps Snowing out of it and they remember, leading to family fluff. Will contain minor season 6 spoilers! Could I please have an Aussie update on the situation there? :)
neongenesisevan: If, as I think you're meaning, you gave that request before and I already explained why I won't write it, I'm afraid I won't change my mind. If you mean can you request something else after getting a story written, then of course you can. All I ask is that you wait until three more batches of stories have been posted since yours was uploaded.
Emma had been so delighted after finding her parents after the Evil Queen's curse. Emma felt no different. After quickly checking over Henry, it appeared neither did he. Nobody else they saw on their way to Snow and Charming's house seemed any different, just a little shaken. They were still in Storybrooke, everyone was still themselves. Had the Evil Queen's curse simply not worked? Emma should have known better than to think the Evil Queen's dark magic had failed her. It was when she arrived at her parents' house that things went wrong. She knocked rapidly on the door, her mom answered. Emma didn't notice the polite passiveness in her smile. She was too quick in hugging her.
"Oh." Snow said, stunned.
"I'm so glad you're ok." Emma said, gently squeezing her mom. Snow didn't respond. "Are dad and Neal ok?" Emma asked.
"Uh, I'm sorry, but I don't know who your father is, so I don't know if he's ok or not. The only Neal I know is my three-month old son." Emma felt like someone had tipped a bucket of ice water over her. She pulled back and looked her mom in the eye. She wasn't joking; she really didn't know her. This had been the Evil Queen's plan all along. Just then, Charming arrived at the door beside Snow.
"Is everything ok here?" He asked, placing a protective hand on Snow's shoulder. That cut Emma deeply. Not only did her own father not recognise her, but he thought she was a threat to her mother.
"Dad." Emma pleaded, hoping against all odds that he would snap out of this. Charming looked perplexed.
"Dad?" He asked. "Do you think your dad lives here?" Emma felt like her heart had shattered inside her chest.
"Please, you both have to snap out of this. This is all the Evil Queen's doing. I'm your daughter!" Snow and Charming looked at each other. Emma knew instantly what they were thinking. They felt sorry for her. They thought she was crazy.
"I'm sorry, but you've got this wrong. We're not your parents. We only have one child, and he's upstairs asleep." Charming told Emma gently. "We can help you find them though? We're good at that."
"I know you're good at it, it's a family trait." Emma snapped. She sighed. She had to try and calm down. But how could she be calm when her own parents couldn't remember her? Maybe she could convince them. "Mom, I might have my own house now, but you call at least once every two days to make sure I'm eating properly, even though we see each other daily. You worry about what I eat because you feel guilty that you weren't there when I was younger to teach me family recipes. That's why you bring round a pot roast so often. You're hoping I'll ask you to teach me how to make it because it's been in your family for generations. I wish I had asked ages ago, now." Emma told her. She could see that something was definitely resonating with her mom, but Emma suspected it was more that she was creeped out because someone who she saw to be a complete stranger knew her family had a pot roast recipe. Emma moved to her dad. "Dad, you're crazily overprotective. It's the same as mom, you feel guilty that you weren't there to protect me when I was little so you're going to the extremes with it now. I've always pretended like it's the bane of my life…but deep down, I love it. I love that I finally have someone who cares enough that they don't care if I'm embarrassed that they're keeping me safe. I wish I'd not put up such a fuss about it now." Emma looked at her parents, hoping at least one of them would show some sort of sign that they knew her. Nothing. Emma simply couldn't take it. Tears began to pour down her cheeks.
"Please!" She begged. "Wake up!" Snow and Charming looked at each other, alarmed. What did they do? Neal was upstairs. What if this stranger hurt him? Snow reached out, feeling for the poor woman.
"Please, try to calm down…" As Snow reached out, one of Emma's tears fell on the back of her hand. Snow gasped. A warmth radiated through her. Emma. This was Emma. Her Emma. How could she have forgotten her?
"Snow, what's wrong?" Charming asked her. Snow didn't say anything. She grabbed Charming's hand and held it under Emma's chin. A moment later, another tear made its way down Emma's cheek and fell, making contact with Charming's skin. He too gasped. The same warmth surrounding his body. As soon as he realised who she was, Charming pulled Emma into his arms, cradling the back of her head.
"It's ok." He promised her. "We remember."
"You do?" Emma murmured into his shoulder as Snow joined the hug. Snow nodded.
"We do." She promised Emma. Emma just continued to weep into her dad's shoulder, still getting over the shock. Snow and Charming did their best to comfort their daughter as they tried to shield her from their rage towards the Evil Queen. What if Emma's tears hadn't cured them? Would they simply have forgotten their baby girl ever existed? It was a thought just not worth thinking about.
