Painful memories

Particularly hard to write oneshot this one. Louie asked for Snow and Charming finding out Emma was sexually abused as a child and trying to comfort her. Hard for obvious reasons to write. Remember to keep your eye on any children you know for any signs of unexplained changes in behaviour. Any little clue could be important. Again, obvious trigger warnings in this one. I'll be as vague as possible.

It was the screaming that woke Snow first. She'd slept incredibly lightly since having Neal. But for once, it was not her son that was waking her with screaming in the night- it was her daughter.

"Charming," She said, quickly shaking her husband awake. "Something's wrong with Emma." Charming stirred quickly, hearing the urgency in his wife's voice. They both got to their feet, running up to Emma's room. Charming reached her first. She was sitting up in her bed, clearly still asleep.

"Emma," He said, gently shaking her. "Emma, wake up sweetheart…"

"No no NO!" Emma yelled, her eyes flying open. She scooted into the corner of the bed, curling up into a ball. "Please don't hurt me. Not you too…please just don't…"

"Emma, it's us." Snow said, crawling up the bed to her daughter. Emma was shivering violently. "It was just a nightmare. It's alright. Nobody's going to hurt you." Snow tried to assure her. She went to rub gently circles on Emma's back, but as soon as her hand touched her Emma flinched. Snow withdrew immediately, feeling her heart break.

"Emma, do you want to talk about it?" Charming asked, keeping his distance as he could see Emma was very distressed. Emma shook her head, trying to curl up even tighter.

"I think it might help." Snow prompted her. "Might let up help you."

"I thought you were going to be just like him for a second." Emma said quietly, not uncurling.

"Like who?" Charming asked her.

"Like him." Emma answered, shuddering. "He…he used to come up in the night. I'd pretend to be asleep but that never stopped him." Emma started to shake again, and Snow could hear her sobbing. Snow looked over to her husband and could see the same look of horror echoed in his eyes. They both knew what Emma was describing.

"Sweetheart…I'm so sorry." Snow said, unsure how to help. Charming was starting to feel very sick. Emma had thought that he was going to… it made him want to vomit. His hands curled into fists. Someone had made his daughter think that. Some sicko had done that to his baby girl. He wanted to leave right now and find them, but the urge to stay and protect Emma now was stronger. Emma was now allowed Snow to rub small circles on her back without flinching. "You're safe now." Snow told her. "It's alright. Nobody's going to hurt you. Never again." Snow moved up so she was occupying what was normally Henry's side of the bed, but he was staying with Regina tonight. "I'll stay right here all night. I won't let anyone hurt you Emma, ever." Snow told her. The pain that she hadn't stopped Emma being hurt as a child stabbing painfully in her chest.

"I'll…guard outside the door." Charming said. He wanted to help, but he knew Emma was terrified just now and it was easier for her if he wasn't in the room. So he would sit outside and keep watch over her room and look after Neal so Snow didn't have to leave her.

Snow gently stroked through Emma's hair, trying to soothe her. "Emma…there are no words to describe how sorry I am that we weren't there to stop things like that from happening. I would never have let anything like that happen if I had a choice. If I knew…I would have never put you through the wardrobe. But I can promise this. I can promise that you now have two parents who will crawl through Hell backwards if it means keeping you safe. So you never have to worry again. I don't think your father will allow any men outside of himself, Henry and Neal within fifty feet of you for a very long time…

"Damn straight!" He shouted from outside the room. Snow could hear Emma's breathing start to even out. She wasn't shaking any more either.

"Go to sleep." Snow whispered. "Your father and I are right here. It's alright." Snow settled down herself as Charming did the same outside of the room. Both with an intense feeling of sickness and guilt. But they would follow through on their promise. Emma would never experience that pain ever again.