The consequences

A guest asked for a oneshot of *6x17 spoilers!* Snowing feeling guilty about not taking Emma and debating whether to tell her or not. Set during season 2. Snow feels guilty knowing just how much she's been through.

Guest: *6x17 spoilers!* (luckily, I stopped at the episode title in your request, please remember the spoiler warning!) I'm not sure I understand your wording?

I just wanted to thank everyone for their support after my note in the Easter chapter. I must say, it's also lovely to have a full request list again! Also lovely to see my JMAMK being used for requests! See what a Snowing ep can do! (On that note, I have now seen the latest ep, the feels!) As for continuing after season 6, well, I'm still in two minds over it, there's a lot to consider. Here's what I'll do in the meantime (yes, I realise this means going over season 6). I'm thinking of doing something I'd call May Muses. This means, I will do my best to give at least 1 chapter for every day of May. Whether it be requests or my own, that's what I will try. What do you guys think?

Whenever Snow or Charming looked at Emma, they couldn't help but see that little girl. The little girl they had once seen, reading her book on a plain, un-personalised bed. The guilt was eating them both up inside. They had a chance to prevent her life going down the path that it did. They could have raised her from that moment onwards, but they chose not to. Yes, it was the right thing to do in terms of everyone else. But could they really say it was the right thing to do in terms of their daughter? Could they ever justify their decision to Emma? Neither Snow nor Charming believed that they could. But having said that, was it right to keep it from her? Didn't she deserve to know the truth? They didn't keep secrets from each other, so should they keep secrets from their daughter. They just didn't know what to do.

"She went through so much, David." Snow sighed as she and Charming spent another night tossing and turning, debating what to do. "We could have prevented that."

"Yes, we could have." Charming agreed. "But at the expense of our friends. If we hadn't…Geppetto would never have been reunited with Pinocchio." Snow scoffed at that one. She may have been wrong to hit him, but Snow was still fuming with the carpenter for his treachery. "Ok, bad example." Charming admitted. He wasn't exactly on speaking terms with Geppetto yet either. "Well…we wouldn't have Henry." Charming told her. Snow's expression softened at this. That was true, and they loved their grandson dearly. "Ella would still be pregnant and separated from Thomas." Charming added. Snow knew that he was right, that none of these things would be possible had they taken Emma there and then, but it didn't make Snow feel much better.

"She still suffered though." Snow said, tears filling her eyes. "I let her suffer."

"No." Charming said, pulling Snow into his arms. Snow didn't feel like she deserved his comfort.

"Yes." She countered. "I did. I'm her mother and I let her suffer. I had a chance to save our baby girl and I didn't take it. Emma deserved better."

"We had to do the right thing, Snow. You know that. Maybe not right now, but a time will come when we tell Emma and she will understand. We couldn't be selfish. We weren't the only parents suffering under that curse."

"Then why does it feel like we were?" Snow breathed. Unable to hold back the tears any longer, Snow began to cry. Charming did his best to comfort her, but when he felt as guilty and unhappy as she did, what could he honestly say to help?