Emma's poem

Katie asked for a oneshot of Emma reading out a poem at poetry night at Granny's about finding her parents.

"Don't say a word." Snow whispered. Charming nodded. He wasn't planning to. The pair of them had been pounding the streets of Storybrooke for nearly an hour with a grizzly Neal. He was teething and finding it difficult to sleep. He had finally drifted off, and the sleepy parents were now heading home to their own beds as well. That was until Charming spotted something unusual at Granny's. Everyone knew that Granny's was booked up by the poetry group on Wednesday evenings. So why was Emma standing up in front of them all with a piece of paper? Charming put his hand on Snow's shoulder, indicating she should stop. She did, and Charming gestured into the shop window. Snow too was surprised to see Emma there. Praying Neal didn't wake, the pair quietly slipped into the diner and the booth closest to the door to listen in.

"Ok, so, I've been coming here for a couple of months now, but this is the first time I've actually read anything out loud that I've written." Emma said, clearly nervous. "I just…I wanted to write something about finding my way to Storybrooke. About finding my way home." Emma took a few deeps breaths, clutching the paper so tightly her knuckles began to turn white. Snow and Charming hardly dared breath as they waited for Emma to read her poem.

"I built my life on objects,

How much my soul was worth.

Electronics, gizmos, gadgets,

They defined my time on Earth.

Until I came to Storybrooke,

A town behind the times.

I found something more valuable,

Yet unbought by nickels and dimes.

I found the two who love me,

More than anyone on Earth.

Now I truly understand,

My parents give me worth. "

Emma finished and gave the group an awkward smile. They broke out into polite applause. All except Charming and Snow, who rose from their seats to give Emma a standing ovation. Emma looked shocked to see them both. She tried to bolt out the diner, mortified, but they followed after her.

"Emma, wait!" Charming called. He ran forward and gently grabbed Emma's arm. "Stop. Sweetheart, that was so beautiful…"

"You weren't meant to hear that." Emma mumbled as Snow caught up with the stroller. "It's cheesy…" Snow cupped Emma's cheek.

"It's not." She said kindly. "It's beautiful."

"We will always love you, Emma. More than you will ever know." Charming promised her, kissing the top of her head. Emma didn't respond, she was still mortified that they had heard, but in a way, she was glad they had to. They deserved to know the impact they'd made on her life.