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Emma had gone from her whole life always being alone, to never being alone.
Literally.
After she returned from fixing the past, to assure that her parents would meet and be together, she was never far apart from either of them.
She worked with David, so to most it wouldn’t seem that odd. But he always seemed to be by her side at the station, if they went out on a call, he was never far behind. He was ten times more protective of her, insisting that he went after the perp.
At home, Snow would find a way to keep her by her side. In the beginning, she’d use the excuse that she needed help with Neal, but Emma knew the truth. Eventually, the façade stopped and she just became so used to going home and being by her mother’s side.
Emma wasn’t allowed to go out without either of them and she wasn’t allowed to be alone in the apartment alone. She didn’t even bother to fight it. When Snow would insist that she hold onto the stroller or the shopping cart, there were no protests.
Because as anxious as they were to be away from her, she was equally as much.
Every night, she somehow found herself crawling between them. They were so used to it, they’d even leave a space for her. Snow would then pull her close and stroke her hair. Most nights, she couldn’t sleep until Emma would be next to her.
For so long to her, they would be “Mary Margaret” and “David”. That changed to “Mom” and “Dad” to quickly “Mommy” and “Daddy”. There were more hugs and snuggles, she found her face constantly being showered with kisses. She didn’t need to be 30 around them, she could be any age she wanted.
Neal wasn’t an issue. He was a baby, he was mobile. If anything, the baby just seemed to enjoy having his big sister close by at all times.
She was always Adult Emma outside the loft, but still their closeness caught some stares. Ruby tried to broach the subject with Snow after watching her wipe Emma’s face after she ate, after practically being glued by her side in their booth at Granny’s.
“You need to let the girl breathe,” Ruby said, slowly, as Snow paid. David was back in the booth with Emma and Neal. “I never see her about without one of you.”
“And you never will again,” Snow replied. Her voice was cheerier than ever, though she was ready to snap if pushed.
“But don’t you think it’s a little unhealthy?”
“Ruby,” the queen smiled. “Do you have children?”
“Well, no…”
“So, you never had to send your baby girl through a wardrobe, finally get her back 28 years later and then lose her again for another year?”
“Snow…”
“You haven’t. So, you will not question what I choose to do with my little girl.” And with that, she headed back to the booth. “Who’s ready to go home?” The entire time, her smile hadn’t dropped and her voice stayed chipper.
“I am, I’m beat,” Emma responded as she got out of the booth. Snow took Neal from David and once they were outside, the prince charming took his daughter’s hand. The walk back to the loft was short, but he wasn’t going to lose her again.
Once home, David took over Neal’s bedtime while Snow gave Emma a bath, wrapping her up in a towel as soon as she was done.
“Let’s get you into jammies,” she told her. Emma allowed her mother to dress her in her nightgown. “Come on, you can come to Mommy and Daddy’s bed.”
Emma was lead down to her parents’ bedroom and laid in the middle of the bed. Her blanket was placed into her arms and David walked over, holding a bottle. It wasn’t even that late, but they knew she had a long day. This was the one way to get their little girl to unwind. He sat beside her, sticking it into her mouth. He held it up right for her while also rubbing her tummy.
“There we go,” he whispered. He noticed her eyelids starting to droop and he smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t worry, Daddy’s right here, you can go to sleep.”
They would all fall asleep soon enough, feeling safe and secure. Their family would never be torn apart again.