Reading with sissy
Torie714 asked for a oneshot of Emma teaching Neal how to read as he's becoming frustrated by his parents.
"Ok buddy, sound it out." Emma encouraged her little brother. She waited patiently for him to blend the sounds together until he got the word he was stuck on.
"D-u-c-k. D-u-ck. Du-ck. Duck!" Neal announced proudly. Emma high fived him.
"Yeah you did. Go Neal!" She encouraged him. Neal was finding reading difficult. His teacher had told his parents he was struggling with it in class, and was reluctant to read either independently or as part of a group. Snow and David had both tried different methods at home to support Neal with his reading, but in the end, only one thing worked: Emma. The only thing that motivated Neal enough to read was his big sister. Fortunately, Emma was rather touched that her brother wanted her so much, and didn't mind devoting so much of her free time to supporting him. Snow and David both enjoyed seeing the siblings bonding together, and were relieved that Neal was no longer throwing tantrums any time someone brought out his reading book. They weren't exactly sure what Emma's secret with him was, frankly, they didn't really care. Whatever it was, it was working.
"Do you think we could have her go into his class a few times a week?" Snow whispered to David. He thought the idea through.
"I mean, if Emma was willing, might be worth a shot." He agreed.
As it turned out, Emma was willing. David handled the station solo two mornings a week to free Emma up so she could go into school and work with Neal. The conditions of this being that Neal tried his best when Emma wasn't around. Neal kept to his end of the bargain, and his reading improved dramatically. Much to everyone's relief.
