A/N: I forgot how much David and Rumple squabble especially in the earlier seasons, Rumple loves the drama and getting under people especially David's skin, so rumple's de-stressing about his own life, hopefully the next chapter will be up soon - I had to split this chapter in two cause this was getting so long.

Snow was sat on one of the odd chairs at their wobbly kitchen table, there was a once steaming, now tepid, mug of earl gray in front of her, but her eyes were firmly on the door, her fingers laced together and resting on her bump.

As soon as the door opened Snow shot up, or at least she stood as fast as an eight months pregnant lady could. It wasn't a surprise that it was David and Emma entering, the rest of the town was asleep, and she had been waiting for them.

Ordinarily she would have rushed over in seconds, less than seconds, but the sight forced her to stay still and take it in. She had prepared herself, tried to prepare herself, she had not been able to prepare herself.

David was looking exhausted and wide awake, more awake than he could have become from the coffee he had been drinking that night, only shock could have woke him up so much.

In his arms was a toddler, too small, being held on his hip, his chest against hers. She looked more tired than David, with her messy curls, her tired eyes numbed by the events of the night. One of her hands was holding onto David's jacket but Snow was fairly certain that she hadn't realised she was doing so. David's plaid shirt he had been wearing that day was now wrapped around her, trying to keep her warm against the chilly night. Her other hand was balled into a fist as it came up to rub at her eyes.

That stirred Snow into action, she had seen Emma try and wake herself up like that many times, both cursed and uncursed, the familiarity forced her brain to be able to accept the fact that this was very much still her Emma. And her daughter needed her now more than ever.

She got to David's side just in time to hear Emma mumbled something about the stairs.

David's voice sounded as tired as he looked, but he was still trying to be calm and understanding, which made Snow fall even more in love with her husband.

"The stairs are almost as big as you are right now, and there's no way you could make it up all three flights, at least not in the next twenty four hours."

Snow reached for Emma and took her into her arms before David could place Emma down or could even voluntarily hand her over. She felt so small in Snow's arms, and she had that baby smell still, the one she had been looking forward to smelling on her second baby. Her blonde hair was curled the same as adult Emma's was, it fell in ringlets the same as Snow's did whenever she bothered to allow it to grow out. Snow always loved Emma's golden locks, it made her think of a fairy tale book princess, but it was better because Emma was better.

She was surprised to find Emma's tiny hands holding onto her robe, it broke her heart knowing that Emma was distressed enough to seek comfort, the fact that she had to be very distressed was even more upsetting. Snow moved back to her seat, Emma didn't move her head from hiding against Snow, so Snow automatically began to rock ever so slightly in order to try and comfort her more. Part of her hoped that Emma would fall asleep, even if she was desperate for answers.

She looked up at David's sigh as he dropped into the chair beside her own. It wasn't out of anger, or annoyance, it was an accidental sigh which escaped his mouth from the movement of sitting down. "Did you drive home?" She asked, she could feel a crease stitch itself between her brows.

"Yeah." He stole a sip of her tea and winced at the cold taste where it did not belong. "She fit in the baby's carseat, just about, don't worry."

Snow was suddenly relieved that she had ordered one for each of their cars, though if Emma was going to be spending any time in their cars she would definitely need one which was the correct size for her. She almost shook her head at her own thought process, the facts that her daughter might be like this, it was a mixture of emotions, fear over losing the daughter and friend she had known during and since the curse, and the feeling that this was what she had expected her life to be like when she had first found out about Emma, just in a twisted way.

When Emma's hold on her loosened ever so slightly Snow forced herself to pull back to look Emma over, Thomas had filled her in on everything the doctor had said, but despite the fact that Thomas was her cousin and she wasn't going to believe the information until she could confirm it herself.

There were a few cuts and scrapes, some discolourations under her skin which Snow knew meant that bruises would be in their place within a day or two. She gently placed her hand on the back of Emma's head, feeling the bump at the same time Emma winced and let out a whine at the action without meaning to. "Sorry." She told her automatically, all in all Emma seemed to be okay, other than the fact she had lost a quarter of a century's worth of years.

"The doctor said she should be okay, they said to keep an eye on her overnight just to be sure, I figured it would be best for her to share our bed with you, just for tonight," he added for Emma but was surprised when she didn't protest, she was wiggling a little though, "I'll take the armchair."

Snow nodded slowly, she didn't want her husband having to sleep in an armchair but knew why he was saying that he would, there was no way he was about to let Emma out of his sight after this, but he knew that Emma didn't accept them fully as her parents.
Mary could ignore this on grounds of having shared a bed with Emma during their roommates days when both had fallen asleep mid movie, but she didn't know David that well, even less since she had come back from New York and had pushed them both away. She had been so distant recently, they had been giving her time, if they hadn't perhaps this would not have happened.

"What happened?" She asked finally, her eyes on her daughter, an iron stare.

"Snow," David's voice was full of warning, "why don't we leave this until the sun's up."

"Dav-"

"Please?"

Snow stopped her rebuttal when she heard Emma's tiny and desperate voice. She let out a sigh but nodded her head.

"I need to pee."

Snow's eyes opened wider hearing Emma sounding a little surprised, she didn't understand why until she realised she wasn't sure she'd be able to make it down from Snow's lap. "Oh, of course." She placed her daughter down onto the floor, David's shirt slipped into a heap at her feet, but she frowned before Emma could move. "Do you need help?"

Emma's face scrunched up to a grumpy half glare. "No! I'm not five!" She stomped over to the bathroom and shut the door before either of her parents could say a word.

"No, you're three." David mumbled as he heard the slam of the bathroom door. He held his head in his hands, slowly wiping his own eyes awake too.

"She needs to figure that out herself." Snow said but was finding it hard to not go and help Emma despite her insistence. She reached out and squeezed David's hand, forcing him to look at her. "Has she been like this the whole time?"

"The arguing or the whole clingy toddler thing?"

"Either. Both."

"She was mostly angry, but I think she got the worst of it out of her before I got there, at Gold. She's been pretty clingy, understandably upset, once she seemed to accept what Gold told her."

"Tom said that he thinks Gold's telling the truth." She watched David nod slowly. "There must be a way, we'll talk to Regina, we'll ask Gold nicely-."

"Snow," David squeezed his wife's hand, quietening her, "Robin talked to Regina, I talked to Gold, there isn't a way to turn her back, I want to ask them both to look, to search for a way, but…" He shook his head. "I'm not magical, I grew up away from any hints of magic, but it seemed, I don't know, right? Her body changed in order to save her life. I want the other her back too, but I think we have to prepare for the possibility we might not be able to.

Snow was perfectly still for a minute as she digested his words. Finally she nodded, once, twice. "Perhaps Regina will explain it more to all of us tomorrow, Thomas said that Gold seemed to find fun in winding Emma up." David's grunt of agreement came out too much like a growl and Snow smiled despite herself at his protective father instinct.

There was a beat of silence, both straining to listen to Emma in the bathroom, there was no noise but they weren't sure whether that was good or bad.

"What the hell was she doing in a fight club?" His voice came out raw. "They may have been using magic instead of fists, but that only makes it worse. I know she wasn't happy with everything with Henry and with, with everything, but..." He shook his head hoping to dislodge the lump which was forming in his throat.

"She's been through a lot." Snow's voice was low but it was laced with hurt. "We kept expecting her to run, we didn't, we couldn't predict she would do this, she, I should have talked to her about it, should have made her after she broke the toaster. I don't know." She ended with a sigh.

They sat there for another minute before Snow stood up, her hand took from David and rested on her stomach without even thinking about it. "I'm going to check on her."

The second Emma's bare feet touched the frozen tile of the bathroom she had regretted leaving it until the last minute to pee.

Only seven seconds after that she regretted not accepting Snow's help.

It was easy enough to pull down the pyjama pants, getting onto the toilet was a hell of a lot harder, she had to pull herself up until she was kneeling precariously on the toilet seat, her gifted childish pyjama pants had dropped to the ground out of her reach, she managed to turn so she was sat properly just in time.

She held onto the sides of the toilet seat so tight that her white knuckles were almost jumping out of her skin. She was filled with an irrational fear of falling into the toilet and being sucked down into the sewers, deep into an underground city from which she would be forced to escape. She knew it was irrational. But the fear did not care, so she clung on regardless.

When she was done she twisted to reach for the toilet paper, the holder had long since broken like most things in the loft so it was on the lid of the toilet, but as soon as it was in her hand it slipped, she tried to reach for it but her fingers closed around the last square of paper, the rest of the roll went flying until Emma was holding one end of a toilet bunting which ended underneath the claw footed bathtub.

"Shit." She squeezed her eyes shut as she let slip the swear. She let the square of paper fall to the floor, it was useless holding it one handed, and the fear of her one arm giving way and her falling down the toilet was stronger than her stubbornness.

There was a small rap on the clouded glass window of the bathroom door closest to the kitchen and before she could do anything other than open her eyes Snow White entered the room, closing the door behind her.

Snow took in the room in a second then moved to the stand, took a roll of toilet paper from the back then moved to Emma, she carefully lifted her off of the toilet, swiftly wiped her, then flushed the toilet.

As she was flushing it Emma pulled her pyjama pants back up, her cheeks were slightly flushed but this wasn't her real body, didn't feel like her real body, so she didn't care as much as she might. And at least she hadn't had to call her mother and ask for help.

Snow looked down at her daughter before crouching and twisting the pants so they weren't facing the wrong way, and pulled them up so they wouldn't trip her up or fall down. She then looked towards the paper leading to underneath the bath. "We'll leave that for your daddy to pick up."

"He's not my daddy."

Snow looked back at Emma, her arms were now crossed over her chest and she was pouting, she was meant to look a little intimidating or angry, but it had little to no effect. Snow blinked, a frown flickering on then off of her face, taking in Emma's words.
"I meant to say your father, I'm used to talking to the bump, it was just a slip, Emma."

She moved slowly to pick Emma up, allowing her to protest if she wanted to, when she didn't Snow picked her up, stood up with her in her arms, wobbling a little, then walked to the sink, she turned on the faucet so that Emma could wash her hands. "Emma, I know that this is all new and we are going to do our best to turn you back, but while you're like this, however long it is, you need to accept help from us, from me and David, any of our friends or family."

"I'm not used to getting help." She admitted, drying her hands on the towel Snow had passed her. She also wasn't used to having a family but she didn't say that out loud.

As though Snow had heard her unsaid words she told her "Well get used to it, you get your stubbornness from us, so get used to the fact that we're not going anywhere."

Emma bit her lip then gave a small nod. "I annoyed David."

"You didn't baby, you've worried him a lot though, we're going to have a talk tomorrow though." She leveled her with a look which Emma knew not to argue with. "How's your head feeling?"

"Fine." She lied easily. "I'm just tired."

"Okay." Snow hesitated before pressing a kiss onto Emma's forehead, she could have sworn that her daughter leaned into it, so she carried her close as they left the bathroom.

David met them outside of the bathroom and took Emma without word from Snow's arms, he had already tried and failed to convince his wife it would be better for her, at least while pregnant, to keep their bedroom downstairs, but Snow had insisted on the upstairs bedroom, he wasn't about to have both of his girls fall because his very pregnant very stubborn wife insisted on carrying the toddler upstairs.

Emma was silent as she was carried upstairs, she was too tired to protest or even to think about the fact her dad was carrying her up to bed for the first time in her life, she was so tired that she ached from every bone. She felt numb as she was placed down onto the bed she could tell it was David's side when her face turned into the pillow and could smell him there, a mix of his aftershave and the mint gum he would chew, and just him.

Snow climbed in on her other side and she waited for David to nudge her more into the middle but when a little too much time passed she looked for him in the dim light of the room. He had pulled over the old style arm chair to the side of the bed, nearest to her, he had grabbed a quilt and was settling down, she opened her mouth to ask why he wasn't sleeping in the bed with them, but then she remembered herself, she remembered her vow to keep them at a distance. But he was watching her, he had seen her open her mouth, she had to say something before he asked her. "Night." She mumbled, letting her head drop onto the pillow again.

"Night Emma." Snow flicked the light off leaving them in darkness.

"Good night, Em, sleep well."

David's words echoed around her head as Emma drifted off to sleep, he was always so sincere yet never wanted to overstep and make her uncomfortable, even now he was like a knight guarding her, Snow's words echoed around her head too: she had worried him a lot. She wondered if they would have been closer had she gotten to know him more during the first curse, or if he had raised her, or if they were destined to be like this.

David shot out of his chair even before his eyes had opened, he searched around with his eyes trying to see in the darkness, he searched the bed for signs of Emma as Snow switched on the light, Emma was not there. He let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding when he saw Emma in a lump at his feet, he crouched down as she was pushing herself to her sleep.

"'S'okay, Em, you must have just fallen out, let's get you back in." He went to pick her up but she moved back before he could.

"I didn't fall."

David wasn't sure that he would get used to Emma's words coming out in the toddler's voice; a flick of his eyes to his wife made him certain that she wasn't sure she would either. He looked back at Emma, he was eye to eye with her even though he was crouched down, perhaps he was a little taller, she really was very short.
"What do you mean?" He asked her patiently, though he was very aware that they had gotten maybe an hour of sleep, and he at least was desperate for more.

"I was climbing down, but the stupid bed's too high up, I was trying to get down, I need to pee."

David realised she was fidgeting again like she had when she was desperate before.

"Emma there's no way you can get up and down those stairs, especially at night." Snow began to lecture as she climbed out of bed.

"Neither should you." David told his wife pointedly. He scooped Emma up into his arms. "The last thing we want is for you to fall, one hospital trip a night for me is enough, thank you."

He carried Emma down the stairs letting his muscle memory tell him where the stairs were as his eyes got used to the lack of light downstairs. He flicked the lights on only when they made it to the bathroom.

He placed Emma down and was certain she was wincing a little at the light ahead, though it could possibly be in reaction to him crouching down to help her. "Emma I know this isn't ideal but you're going to need help, as much as you need. And that's okay, you're safe here with us, you know that, right?" His question was hesitant.

And Emma knew that she was. Which was very different from many of the foster families she had spent time with. "I'm not good at accepting help."

The toddler voice forced Emma to sound 'accepting' out very carefully, he tried to focus on her actual words so he didn't smile at that and cause her to get mad at him. "I didn't used to be either, I guess I'm still not but I'm trying, can you try? For me?"

A tentative and hopeful smile appeared on his face bringing a spark of light to his bagged blue eyes. She bit her lip but nodded her head. "I guess." She paused for a second unable to look away from her father's beaming smile then she realised she was fidgeting more, that she was looking like a child dancing because they needed to pee, which she decided was miles more embarrassing than asking him for help. "Can you…"

"Sure." Once she was ready David placed her onto the toilet, he was about to let go of her so he could fish the abandoned roll from under the tub when her shout froze him.

"No!" She swallowed with embarrassment as he looked at her with fear. The early hours loosened her tongue. "I don't want to fall in."

It struck David as a very childish fear, and kind of impossible, well the going all the way down and disappearing was impossibly, falling so she was stuck inside was not so impossible considering how small she was. But he didn't say any of that, instead he kept his hands on either of her sides, feeling her skinny ribs through her shirt, keeping her upright.

He didn't blink an eye at helping her with the rest of it, as he was helping her wash her hands he watched her carefully. It was easy to see his Emma on this Emma's face, but there mixed in with the tiredness was something childish, something which could have been innocence, or naivety about the world, or perhaps just something which was still scared of monsters. He swallowed trying to rid himself of a lump in his throat. He needed to talk to Gold, to Regina, to a fairy, anyone who could have some understanding of this, someone who could tell him what the child's expression hidden amongst the child's face meant.

Emma looked up at the mirror to see why David seemed to have frozen, but when she looked at it she caught sight of her unfamiliar face, and how it matched David's in ways she had never noticed before, she had always assumed she looked more like Snow, but she could see both of them now. Undeniable proof that he was her father.

"How's your head."

"'S fine." Emma managed through a yawn.

David carried her through to the kitchen, instead of heading up the stairs he flicked on a night light in the kitchen and headed to the cupboard above the fridge. He brought down three boxes: the first he discovered was a decades old cough medicine, he threw that into the trashcan, the second was a newer cough medicine, the third was the one he had been hoping for, a children's medicine Snow had bought for Henry.

"David." Emma dragged his name out with a whine.

"Emma." He copied exaggerating her whine ever so slight, he let out a chuckle when she hid her face into his shoulder. He read the back of the box for the correct dosage. "Come on. You need some medicine."

"I said my head was fine." Emma realised she was whining again but was too tired to think about stopping doing so.

"You may have said that but you keep wincining when you think I'm not looking." He sat her on the kitchen counter as he poured the spoonful.

"It's going to taste gross though."

David rolled his eyes good naturedly. "I'm sure it'll be fine." He stared at her until she opened her mouth and allowed him to give it to her, it took her a few seconds to swallow it, only when she had did he throw the spoon in the sink, not bothering to wash it up.

Emma pulled a face at the taste, in second David was holding a glass tumbler of juice up to her mouth, she gulped down the taste of the cranberry and raspberry mix, allowing it to rid her mouth of the gross medicine. Before she knew it she was back in David's arms, held on his hip as he started up the stairs once again. She would have to argue about it tomorrow, when she was less tired and raw.

"'M never having the medicine again." She mumbled as she was placed back into the bed. David fussed around her making sure she was warm enough but not stuck under the covers.

"Uh huh." David smirked, knowing that it would be a battle to get her to accept things when she wasn't so tired, he was already tired just thinking about it. "Get some sleep, Sunshine." He froze as though he was about to bend and kiss her forehead like Snow had the first time she had tucked Emma in, instead he just stroked his thumb over her cheek in lew of wiping something off of it.

Emma wanted to stay awake suddenly, she wanted to spend more time with David, she barely knew him really, between the first curse, Neverland, and the Wicked Witch they hadn't gotten to really know each other. She thought, in these twilight hours that she might want to get to know him, that she might want to stick around in Storybrooke, that she might have no choice over either of them.

She watched David settle back into the chair, watching her with tired eyes, fighting to stay awake as long as she was, then she felt her mother's arm slip over her stomach, firm but not too heavy.

She closed her eyes, and if she moved closer to her mother before she fell asleep, no one could prove it.

Another bump woke David several hours later, he shot up yet again, this time though all of his muscles protested, really he was getting too old to fall asleep sitting up. His eyes went to the bed where his wife and daughter had slept.

They were gone.

He glanced at the floor to make sure Emma hadn't fallen again, she hadn't.

He ran towards the stairs and took them down two at a time. It became obvious what, who, had woken him. Emma was at the bottom of the stairs, face down before she turned and sat herself up, wincing as she did so, then cringing when she caught sight of him.

He slowed his feet in order not to kick her, instead when he got to the bottom step he stepped over her scanning her with his eyes to check for any obvious injuries.

He heard the bathroom door open, when he looked he saw Snow hurrying out of the steamy bathroom, there was still shampoo in her hair, the bath towel was held tightly around her, she was holding tight onto it so it would stretch over her bump.
"What happened!?" She asked, her voice loud as she looked between them expecting an answer.

"That's what I would like to know." David's hands went to his hips as he looked down at his daughter.

"I was just hungry, so I was coming to get some breakfast. I tripped down the last couple of stairs, I'm fine."

Snow let out a loud sigh which had hints of tiredness already. When she spoke her voice was soft yet disappointed. "We had this conversation last night, Emma."

"I can use the stairs on my own!" Emma shouted her voice fiery, Snow's disappointment stung for reasons she was not willing to examine just yet.

"Obviously not." David's calm tone was like a fire extinguisher for her words.

His intent had the opposite effect, Emma pushed herself to her feet, her face starting to become pink as she tried desperately to keep hold of the last ropes of her temper.

"Emma, we went over this." Snow's normal teacher voice had mixed with her still forming 'mom' voice as she scolded her daughter. "We aren't telling you you need help because we find it fun, it's because you need it, because right now you cannot do certain things. If you can't listen to our words then maybe we'll have to take action ourselves."

"I can do whatever the hell I want!" Emma bellowed, her face was now red and her brows were furrowed. "You don't get to come into my life and start telling me what to do! You're not my-."

She stopped herself just in time but the damage was done, she should tell Snow she didn't mean to hurt her, that she had mostly shouted out of habit, but she couldn't. She was not adverse to lies but she had been thinking so much about her parents not really being parents, about them getting a do over, them not being the ones to bring back her memories and bring her home.

"Emma." David's eyes were lasers looking down at his daughter, burning a hole into her. "Never speak to your mother like that again. Ever. Are you hurt?" He waited for her to shake her head, she was looking down at the ground refusing to meet his eyes. "Then go sit on the couch, go cool down, I'll make some breakfast."

"A time out?" Emma demanded her voice high with disbelief. "What the fu-"

"Emma!." Snow cut her off. "Do not speak to your father like that."

"If you want to call it a time out, you can." David told her evenly. "But whatever you call it you clearly need one. Go. Now." He watched her glare at him and got ready for yet another fight but she turned on her heels and stomped over to the living area. He carried on watching her until she reached the couch and began to climb up it. He wanted to go over and help her but she was angry enough.

Instead he turned back to his wife, wrapping her in a hug despite the fact that her skin was wet and her hair was still full of shampoo, he tried his best not to inhale it. "She didn't mean it. She's just tired and overwhelmed. She didn't mean it." He mumbled.

"She did." Snow sighed. "She's right. We're… She still doesn't see us as her parents." Her voice was quiet and full of pain, speaking allowed the words which had been hidden in her head since the curse had broken.

David wanted to console his wife, wanted to tell her of course Emma did, that everything was going to be okay, but he didn't lie to his wife, not if he could help it. "She'll get used to it. She'll get used to us being a family without a curse or a villain running around. I promise, Snow, she knows you're her mom, somewhere in there, it's just harder for her." He kissed her lips as tenderly as he could. Comforting and reassuring. "Why don't you go finish your shower and I'll make us some breakfast." He glanced at the clock in the kitchen. "I guess it's more brunch now though."

Snow hesitated. "Are you sure, maybe I should talk to her?" She glanced to where Emma had finally made it up on the couch and was pointedly not looking at them.

"Snow, she'll be okay, she needs a minute both to calm down and to think about her, act-" he cut himself off with a quiet laugh and a shake of the head, "gods, I just realised I sound like my mother."

That made the concern on Snow's face fade into a laugh. She tipped up onto her tiptoes so she could kiss David's soft, chapstick-raspberry-tasting, lips. She then walked to the bathroom without protest, ignoring David's call to her back to let him know if she needed anything, her head was full of thoughts and all of them were about her children, alive and not yet living.

Emma was having to blink away tears from her eyes by the time she made it up onto the couch, she didn't know why she was teary eyed, other than the fact she was in this child's body. Her body. Or if it was because she was so over-exhausted. Or because she had disappointed her parents yet again, she should be used to that feeling, it stung. She could hear the murmur of them talking, sure they were analysing her actions even if she was unable to make out the words they were saying.

She scrubbed at her eyes but as soon as those tears had been absorbed into her skin another set was in her eyes. Had she been alone she would have given into the impulse, but the very last thing she could handle right now was David or Snow seeing her crying and comforting her.

She listened as Snow moved to the bathroom and the shower started up, she stared at the clock on the shelf, she tried her best to read it but it was hard to see through her tears, and her mind was racing so fast that it was impossible to interpret it.

She curled up on the couch in a ball as the smell of toast, egg, and bacon filled the loft.

She heard footsteps, her mom's feet heading away from the bathroom, the steam from the bathroom spreading a wave of heat through the downstairs like the tide coming in.

She felt a hand on her back and she slowly sat up, she was surprised to come face to face with David, at least her tears had dried. She watched him perch on the coffee table in front of the couch, she knew Snow didn't like that, Emma kind of liked that about him. She sat perfectly still waiting for him to continue the lecture, or to shout at her some more.

David smiled a rueful smile and held up the small bottle from the night before in his hand. "I would say I brought a peace offering, but…" He trailed off looking at her with a careful and loving smile, ready to have her shout more at him.

Emma's face scrunched up in confusion. "How'd you know my head was hurting?" She asked, having only just noticed herself, when he had said it.

David's smile stayed just as loving as he gave a shrug and quietly told her. "I'm your dad." He bit his lip as he carefully watched her. "How about we put this morning behind us? We got up pretty late but I made some brunch, I figured we could eat together before Regina and everyone else comes to talk to us?" He tried his best not to sound too hopeful, not to put too much pressure on her.

Emma hesitated but nodded her head, wincing when it pounded in response. As David poured medicine onto the spoon, she rubbed her cheeks with the heel of her palm, trying to rid her face of any signs she had cried. She was feeling empty after crying, she was ready to put it behind her, she was glad that David wasn't insisting on a full emotional conversation in order to allow them to carry on.

David laughed as Emma swallowed the medicine, he couldn't help but laugh, she looked so cute doing pulling her face at the taste. She looked at him betrayed he held up his hands in surrender and pulled a glass of juice from behind his back. "I came prepared."

And just like that they carried on, it seemed so bizarre to Emma, that people, adults, didn't hold grudges, but then they had always been like that. She didn't get it, she didn't get how they could, how she couldn't forgive them, even for moving on.

She had barely finished her breakfast when there was a knock at the door, since Zelena had been running around they had actually been locking the door, despite her being locked up safe and secure they had continued to do so, finally taking into account the need for safety, especially in their town.

David walked out of the shower, freshly clothed, and opened the door letting in the group before Snow could even move Emma off of her lap where Emma had sat to eat, not being tall enough to reach the table on her own.

Emma slipped down to the ground as they walked in, she tried her best not to focus on their faces, none of them looked excited or on the brink of discovery. Instead she focused on the clothes Robin was carrying, her clothes, before she had shrunk and had only been able to wear her t-shirt as a dress. She took them off of him and carried them to the ground trying her best not to trip as she carried them to the living area.

"I brought these, they should be about Emma's size," Thomas told his cousin holding out a plastic bag of clothes, "they're Alexandra's but she had plenty."

Snow punched Thomas's arm as hard as she could.

"Ow what the fuck Snow!?"

"Why the hell didn't you call me when my child was part of a magical fight club?"

"I didn't want to bother you, you're very pregnant right now, and as time as of the essence and I wasn't fully sure of what the hell was happening right I wanted you here fast which isn't exactly your speed right now, and you can't necessarily defend yourself right now."

Snow glared at him and raised her fist up ready to punch him in the face, not just his arm, this time. "You want a bet?"

"Hey!"

Thomas and Snow's heads snapped towards Regina who was glaring at both of them intensely.

"Will the two of you behave? You are both adults and parents now, you're not twelve anymore, so quit squabbling."

The two ducked their heads and moved away, both of them mumbling that it wasn't their fault, but they at least stopped overtly squabbling.

Emma hunted for her phone in the pocket of the leather jacket. She pulled it out dropping the clothes, there were messages on the phone from Henry, she could make his name out but the content were all nonsense.

She felt a hand on her back and this time she could tell it was David.

"You ready?"

Emma put the phone on the coffee table and looked at him, she glanced at the people gathered - Regina, Robin, Thomas, Tink, Gold, and Belle. She audibly swallowed. Then nodded her head.

Everyone gathered around the table, partially because Snow had already been forced to sit down, and the table had been closest. Thomas sat across from her; both of the cousins were looking annoyed at having been scolded by Snow's step mother. Gold was leaning against the kitchen island but his wife had taken a seat at the table with a leather bound book almost as big as her. Tink and Robin took seats as David walked over with Emma.

David took a seat between Snow and Thomas he, pulled Emma onto his lap, knowing she wouldn't ask him to lift her.

"So, did you find anything?" Snow asked after they had sat in silence for a moment too long.

"I looked, but…" Regina shook her head as she trailed off.

"What? You clearly didn't look hard enough! You just-"

"-Emma, honey." Snow took Emma's hand, and squeezed it, trying her best to quieten and comforting her. "I'm sure they-."

"I did try to tell you, Ms Swan, there is no chance of you being turned back, perhaps if you hadn't pushed yourself so far you wouldn't be in this situation." Mr Gold told her, staring her down. "There would have been signs, you ignored them because you inherited your father's brains, clearly."

"Shut up Rumple." David growled, coming to his daughter's defence. "Quit trying to piss Emma off because your son's not talking to you, again."

"Don't take your misplaced anger out on me, 'Charming', when really you're angry that your daughter decided to become part of a idiotic group and now you're stuck with trying to raise her right this time."

David got to his feet and placed Emma on the ground in one fluid motion before rounding on the Dark One.

Emma ran as fast as she could away from everyone.