Testing dad
Just04Fun asked for a oneshot of a sequel to 334 where Emma tries to push Charming's buttons.
Snow had warned him it would happen. Emma had to push so she knew if her parents were going to give up on her. It was the last stage before she would let her walls down and Charming was determined to show her he would never leave her again. No matter how irritating she was. She was showing up late for work, taking longer breaks and leaving early. Of course, Charming was no pushover, and just because he wasn't going to leave didn't mean she could be so disrespectful. He had a quiet word with her about how she was acting as the station and she dropped that tactic and adopted a new one. One he hated even more. Charming always insisted that he was the one to go running into any potentially dangerous situations first. He didn't ever want Emma getting hurt when she was with him. Now Emma was completely ignoring that and storming ahead of him. He had the last straw when she nearly got shot one day at one of the rarer more serious incidents in the quiet town.
"Emma, you can't do that." Charming said, fighting to keep his voice calm.
"I can. I was the sheriff before you came along." Emma panted. She wouldn't admit to him that she nearly crapped herself there.
"No Emma, you can't. You were alone before the curse came, but that time has passed now. You have a whole family now. If you're not going to think about your mother and I think about Henry who still needs him mom. Or Neal who would grow up never knowing his sister." Charming tried to explain.
"Look, if you don't like the way I do my job then maybe us working together isn't a good idea and you should go do something else." Emma snapped. This was his moment. This was her giving him a final push. Well she could push as hard as she wanted, he would stand firm.
"I am not leaving you at the station by yourself to go running into situations like this. Whether you like it or not Emma I am your father and if the choice comes between me and you I will always pick you." He said. Emma couldn't look him in the eye. She had been being a bit wreckless lately, she had wanted to see if he would quit. She felt guilty. Emma knew if it had come down to it he would have taken a bullet for her and she would have lost him. Snow would have lost him. Neal would have lost him. She had to buck up, and fast. No more of these stupid games. She nodded briskly, not wanting to get too emotional.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly. Charming reached out and squeezed her shoulder.
"It's ok." He said gently. He linked his arm through hers. "Come on, lets go home. There's chocolate ice cream in the freezer." Emma smiled as the tasty prospect. Charming had hidden it in there waiting for this moment. He was glad it had finally past and they could move forward- a family.