Not everyone likes Santa
prayformamaswift13 asked for a oneshot of Snowing being out with Emma and Neal to see Santa, but Emma doesn't know that's where they're going. When they get there, she has a panic attack because it reminds her of a bad situation as a child.
"I still don't get why we have to go to the mall in the middle of December." Emma mumbled moodily. She didn't like crowds, and malls in December were full of them. Too many lowlifes hanging around, waiting for an opportunity.
"We didn't think you'd want to miss this." Snow chirped merrily as Charming folded up Neal's buggy and put it in the boot.
"Miss what?" Emma asked. What could she be missing in the mall? Surely they wouldn't want her seeing what she was meant to be getting for Christmas?
"We thought we'd keep it a surprise for you too, since we can't actually do this for you." Charming said, just a hint of sadness in his voice. Emma was very curious. What were they here to do?
Emma walked with her parents and little brother through the mall, keeping an eye as best she could on the crowds either side of her family. They were still in the middle of the mall went her parents stopped her.
"Ok, we're here!" Snow said excitedly. Emma was about to ask what exactly she meant, when she saw what her parents met. Her eyes widened. Her pulse began to race. They were outside Storybrooke's Santa's Grotto.
"Surprise!" Charming said, kissing the side of Emma's head, mistaking her reaction for surprise. "We thought you'd want to be here when we took Neal to see the big man for the first time." He explained. Emma still wasn't speaking. Only now did Charming notice how pale she was becoming. "Emma?" He asked, becoming concerned.
"Emma, what's wrong?" Snow added.
"I-I need to get out of here." Emma said quickly. "You both…you stay here with Neal. I'll see you at home."
"Emma, wait-"
"Please, I just need space. I hope Neal enjoys himself." Emma said, breaking away from her family and leaving the mall as quickly as she could.
To give Emma the space she clearly needed, Snow and Charming followed through with taking Neal to see Santa, although worried about Emma the whole time. She wasn't answering their calls or texts. Even when they sent a picture of Neal with Santa so she didn't miss out on the moment completely. She wasn't at their home when they got back, so they drove round to her house. There, they found Emma, sitting alone in her living room.
"Emma?" Charming asked her quietly. "Emma, what's wrong, honey? Please, talk to us." He pleaded.
"I'm just not a Santa fan." Emma said quietly, not looking at either of them. "Unlike most kids, I've not got fond memories of the big man in red. I had a foster dad who dressed up as him one year. He was blind drunk. He thought it would be funny to show me that he wasn't really Santa. That nobody was. At four years old, Santa was ruined for me. As was a lot of my hope in adults." Emma admitted. Snow and Charming didn't say anything. They couldn't really fix what happened to Emma. They had just hoped they had known beforehand so that they hadn't exposed her to her fears that day. They would find other ways to celebrate the holidays with both of their children without traumatising Emma. They couldn't take away years of bad memories, but they could begin to build new ones with her now.
