Seeking help

Etty 123 asked for a oneshot of Emma being in an abusive relationship and her parents find out by hearing a commotion out front. So trigger warning for domestic abuse. I've made the partner deliberately ambiguous.

Watch out for the signs, folks. Anybody can be trapped in an abusive relationship.

Snow and Charming thought it was just an extended honeymoon period. Most grown children didn't see their parents for days, weeks, some even months at a time. So the fact that they hadn't seen Emma for a few weeks since her marriage took place, that couldn't be that odd, could it? But no matter how hard they tried to convince themselves that this was a normal situation, they couldn't quite make themselves believe it. Emma hadn't answered any of their calls, returned their texts. She never seemed to be home when they went round to her house. Something just wasn't sitting right. They just didn't want to come across as overprotective. A decision they would both regret one day as soon as they heard the noise outside.

A car door slammed outside their house one morning as they ate breakfast. They both looked at each other, confused. Then they heard the voice.

"Don't you walk away from me! I told you, they don't want to see you! Stop being such a selfish bitch!" Snow and Charming suddenly had a horrible feeling that they had been right to worry. Was that him? Was he yelling at who they thought he was yelling at? Making sure Neal was safe in his highchair, they ran outside to have their worst nightmares confirmed. He had his hand tightly around Emma's arm as she struggled. He yanked her back, making her back slam painfully into the yellow bug. Snow and Charming were horrified at the sight of her. She looked like a shell of their daughter. Her hair hung limp around her face. Her skin was dotted with blotches of yellowing bruises, as well as fresh blue and purple ones. There was a painful cut running from her earlobe to her chin. He was so wrapped up in pulling Emma away from the door that he hadn't noticed Snow and Charming come out. No wonder he didn't want Emma to see them. He must know the reaction he would get once they found out what he had done to their daughter.

Charming saw red.

"HEY!" He bellowed. He let go of Emma's arm and looked up. His lips formed a snarl. There was no point in pretending now. His cover was blown. He wasn't the charming man they thought he was. As soon as Emma was clear of him, Charming ran forward, spearing him into his own car. Nobody, nobody laid a finger on his little princess.

"Dad, no…" Emma said feebly, still feeling a weak sense of loyalty to her husband. Snow came out, she placed her hands on Emma's shoulders.

"You don't need to see this." She said gently. "Come inside." Emma still seemed reluctant. Her dad was really laying into him. "Come on Em." Snow said. She tugged at Emma very gently. She just looked so delicate, she was worried if she tugged too hard her daughter might break. "We'll look after you. It's over." Emma gave him one last look. She truly had loved him, some part of her still did. But she let her mom lead her back into the house.

Meanwhile, Charming pulled the vile beast up by the throat.

"You," he snarled "are a piece of shit. I should have never have trusted you. You're never getting near Emma ever again." He then had the audacity to smirk.

"She'll come crawling back to me, you wait and see." Charming fought hard not to slam his head off the car.

"She's not going anywhere near you ever again." Charming growled. "She won't have the chance." He pulled out the cuffs that he kept on him at all times. He slammed them on his technical son-in-law and shoved him in the back of the cruiser to get him taken away. Charming would keep to his word. He and Snow had failed to protect Emma from this monster until now, they would not fail her again.