Different treatment- part 3
Rollin deep asked for a oneshot of a third and final instalment to Ch2748 "Different treatment" where...read and see.
SnowingsMagic: Sorry, first come, first served.
JRocks: No, not 6 chapters, 6 batches. A batch is however many chapters I post at once in that day.
Michael tried to be brave. He tried to follow his parents' advice and just ignore his siblings when they started being silly like this, but he couldn't help that they were getting to him. They weren't really playing with him anymore. Only Rosie would, and she liked doing lots of quiet things. Michael liked to be loud. He liked to run around. He appreciated Rosie not abandoning him and being mean like the others, but she couldn't play with him the way he wanted. The rest were just being nasty. Whenever he asked for something, they acted all silly. They would bow and call him "Your Highness" as they gave him whatever he wanted. He learned pretty quickly to not ask. He tried to keep it hidden, he thought if they got into trouble again it would only make things worse. But Snow and Charming weren't blind. They noticed the treatment Emma, Neal and Christopher were giving little Michael, so they told them to cut it out. Michael stayed behind the playroom door as he heard Emma pitch a fit.
"It's not fair!" Michael heard her scream. "You treat him differently from us. He gets to do whatever he wants. Heck, he doesn't go to his lessons half the time. He gets to hang around your study with you! None of us ever got to do that at seven! He's your favourite, and you couldn't make that any more obvious if you tried!"
"Emma, lower your voice." Charming warned her. "That is simply not true…" Emma scoffed.
"Don't lie." She hissed. "Don't blame us for getting mad. You made Michael your favourite. Now you can deal with the consequences." Emma then stormed out. She didn't even notice Michael as she went past. Michael, not wanting his parents (or brothers) to see him, ran into his room in tears. Rosie had been in her own room, minding her own business. She heard Michael crying and went in to try and help. She just wished everyone would stop being so silly.
"It's ok." She said quietly, giving her baby brother a hug. "They'll stop shouting soon."
"Emma hates me!" He wailed. "I don't mean to get treated different!"
"It's not your fault." Rosie soothed him. "Although, maybe you could try tidying up your toys and stuff. Then Emma and the other boys won't get so mad." She suggested. Neal nodded, using his sleeve to wipe away his tears.
Meanwhile, Snow and Charming were looking everywhere for their eldest. She seemed to have vanished off the face of the Earth. The longer she was missing, the more worried they got. Eventually, they called in the reinforcements of Red. With her wolf senses, she was quickly able to hunt Emma down and tell her parents where she was hiding out: the roof. Alarmed, Snow and Charming made their way up there.
"Leave me alone!" Emma demanded. "I don't want to talk to either of you."
"Well we're sorry to hear that Em, but we can't leave you up here alone." Charming said calmly.
"Well I'm not coming down." Emma responded huffily. Snow and Charming sighed.
"Then we'll talk here." Snow told her, as she and Charming sat either side of their daughter. Emma folded her arms across her chest, staring moodily in front of her.
"Emma, did it ever occur to you that, if you felt Michael was treated differently, it might be an idea to talk to us rather than torment your little brother?" Charming suggested. "He's just a little boy…" Emma groaned in frustration.
"That's the problem! Because you both see him as the youngest, he'll always be treated differently." Emma pointed out. Snow and Charming took that in.
"Ok…maybe we have been a little looser with his rules." Charming admitted.
"A little?!" Emma squeaked. Her parents both gave her a look.
"Don't push it." Her dad warned her. "The point is, that's on us, not Michael. Do you have any idea how upset he's been recently because you three won't play with him? Rosie's been great, but Michael needs some rough and tumble as well you know." Emma now felt dreadful for excluding him.
"You're right." She admitted quietly. "I'll talk to Neal and Christopher. And to Michael." She promised. Snow and Charming each kissed the top of her head.
"You'll make it right." Charming said, he had every faith in her.
And sure enough, by the very next day, things were back to the way they should be. Emma, Neal and Christopher had apologised to their little brother, and all were playing again happily together. Snow and Charming made a conscious effort to be fairer with Michael, and everyone seemed happy. Which was all Snow and Charming ever wanted.
