Still haunting me

KatCS15 asked for a oneshot of Emma writing a journal entry just after her time as the Dark One that comes from a song by Grace Vanderwaal. She and Snow talk about it.

"Every now and then
The darkness tries to find me
And my legs are getting tired of running
Oh, Please don't
Please don't let it get to me
Oh, I don't want to give up that easily
But the darkness keeps chasing me"

Snow read the words on the page over and over again, trying desperately not to show her deeply concerned look to her daughter beside her. She knew Emma was agitated enough as it was. Snow pressed her lips together, looking to Emma beside her. Emma was nervously bouncing the balls of her feet up and down, her hands clasped tightly together on her lap. She gazed back helplessly at her mother, desperate to know whether her mom was going to help her, or give up on her. Of course Snow would never give up on her daughter. She hadn't when she was the Dark One to begin with, so she certainly wouldn't now that the darkness had been removed from her. But given Emma's turbulent life, it was understandable she still thought her parents capable of giving up on her.

"I didn't realise you were still struggling this much." Snow said quietly. She reached out and placed her hand over Emma's tightly clasped hands, feeling them relax slightly at her touch, her legs bouncing just a bit less vigorously. Emma nodded, biting her lip.

"I can't keep the thoughts out my head." She croaked. "I keep having awful nightmares. Ones where I go back to being the Dark One. I…I hurt people." Emma looked away, unable to tell her mom the unspeakable things she did to her and the rest of their family in her nightmares. Snow felt her daughter's pain, and it disturbed her. She hadn't realised Emma was still feeling like this. If she had, she would have acted a lot sooner. Snow reached over and pulled Emma into her arms.

"I'm so sorry you're still feeling like this." She said gently. "Emma, these nightmares, they're just dreams, sweetheart. You don't need to feel guilty about them. You can't control them. They're not real. You would never hurt any of us. The darkness is gone. It can't control you ever again. Even if it did come back, we would fight to get you back all over again." Snow assured her. She knew that deep down, part of this was Emma worrying she would be abandoned for her actions during her time as the Dark One. It was her and Charming's job to reassure her until she didn't need it anymore. Nobody was ever leaving her again. The darkness from within her was banished, and she and Charming would fight for it to stay that way. They'd lost their daughter far too many times to give up now.