My Favorite Imagines and One Shots

Daddies fight nightmares (Once Upon A Time)

All credit goes to justmeandmykeyboard they write on fanfiction.net

David comforting Emma after a nightmare

You can take the boy out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy. Even after years of living the royal lifestyle, some old farming habits lingered with David. One of which being an early riser. He set a routine for himself when he woke up at around five am each morning. He'd visit the bathroom, check on Emma and Neal, and return to bed. Sometimes he'd fall back asleep for a couple of hours sometimes not. But that morning he didn't get that far. He peaked his head into Emma's room. And what he saw made him frown. Normally, she had her head lolling to the side, peacefully snoring away. But not that morning. Instead, she was curled in a ball. Her face creased with worry. David could hear faint mumbling, so carefully tip toed into the room by her side. "Always wanted a boy." Emma muttered in her sleep. "He always wanted a boy." David's heart froze, she was talking about him. He'd seen Emma reading the book earlier that day. She must have been reading his and Snow's story. What his mother had told Snow when she gave her the gypsy's necklace, what he'd said when they visited Rumpelstiltskin's cell. "He has a baby boy now." Emma continued, her hands clenching the duvet tightly. "Doesn't want me...just like the rest..." "Oh sweetheart no." David whispered. He reached out and gently massaged the back of her hand until her grip on the duvet loosened. "I was wrong back then to think like that. You mean just as much to me as Neal does. Nothing can change that, nothing. Just because he's a boy, or because I get to raise him means I love you any less. David reached out and stroked her cheek. He smiled, knowing he wouldn't be able to say what he was about to if she was conscious. "You're my girl. My beautiful baby girl." David couldn't help but feel a little shocked as Emma suddenly turned over and grabbed onto his arm both of her own in her sleep. She settled quickly like that. Feeling touched, David used his free arm to stroke through her hair. "There." He whispered. "You're ok now, aren't you?" He said. He took Emma's peaceful state as a yes. He tried to gently take his arm away, but chuckled at her stubborn little grunt, and how it just made her tighten her grip. "Alright, I'll stay then. But I'm telling you, you won't like it when you wake up." He said gently. He just settled down and occasionally allowed himself a glance at Emma's sleeping face. She looked happy now, it warmed his heart to know he could do that for her. Eventually, David could hear Neal's cries start up. He was just about to try and detangle himself from Emma (who never seemed to wake when Neal cried in the morning) when he heard Snow get up. A few minutes later, he heard Snow coming up the stairs. She saw that Emma's door was ajar and popped her head through the gap. She could have cried at the sweetness of the sight. She came fully into the room, rocking a now content Neal as David smiled at her. His eyes were sparkling with pride. "She was having a nightmare." He explained. "I came in to help, and she decided I wasn't leaving." He added with a soft chuckle. "I'll need to find a way before she wakes up, I don't want her feeling embarrassed." Snow nodded. She went to the free side of the bed. "Psst, Emma, bacon." She whispered. "Mmm." Emma murmured in her sleep, before releasing her dad and turning to face Snow, smiling." Snow just looked at  David. He got up from where he'd been sitting. "Can't believe I didn't think of that." He whispered. "What a rooky error." He said with his charming grin. Snow smiled back. "That's why I'm here, sweetie. We're a team." David wrapped an arm around her, leading her out. "Indeed we are my dear. Come on, she'll be wanting bacon when she wakes up now..."