Daddy's Little Princess

Charming paced the floor of Emma's hospital room. His daughter had been unconscious since jumping off Hook's ship and into the storm churned waters. When they had all realized that Emma wasn't going to be waking up the ship had been turned around and sailed back to Storybrooke to get more help.

That had been two weeks ago and still Emma was unresponsive. They had all taken turns to stay with her. Snow was here and then Henry, Even Killian and Regina had sat with her for a time. David sighed to himself and took his daughter's hand. "If you wake up I'll get you a pony " he bribed though it sounded ridiculous as he said it. "A pony Charming?...Our daughter is thirty not five" Snow spoke as she came into the room. "She's never had one and its only right that I be the one to gift her the first" David retorted looking over at his wife.

His attention was pulled back to Emma when he felt pressure, enclose his hand and then he watched as his daughter's body convulsed into a fit of coughs. Monitors started going off all around them and soon enough Dr.Whale and all the nurses were in the room and shooing the frightened parents out. "She'll be alright" Snow soothed laying a hand on her husband's shoulder.David just stood there frozen with his hand pressed against the door's little glass window.

"Emma is waking up you can go back to her now''Dr.Whale annouced as he stepped into the waiting room an hour later. The worried parents wasted no time in rushing back to their daughter's side. David sat back down and took hold of Emma's hand. Her breathing had evened out now thankfully and her eyes were fluttering open. "Hello there Princess" David greeted gently when he noticed hi hiss daughter's eyes open. "Hi Daddy" Emma muttered sleepily.

They were allowed to bring Emma home a few days later as soon as the woman had stopped vomiting up pockets of sea water. Emma soaked up the attention from her parents never having experienced anything like it before. She baked with Snow...mom and David...dad had promised her sword-fighting and horse-back riding lessons just as soon as she was feeling better.

Daivd smiled as he walked into the loft and found the two women laughing over something. This is how it should have always been he, thought with a pang of guilt. Then suddenly that guilt was replaced with anger, they had almost lost their little girl all over again because of Emma's reckless decision making. No more David decided as he threw the truck keys into the bowl by the door. If Emma had grown up in the enchanted forest this type of behavior would have been nipped bud a long time ago and she probably would have thought twice before jumping into the sea. "We need to have a talk after dinner tonight" he announced walking into the kitchen.

"A talk about what?" Emma asked, confused as she plopped the last of the cookie dough on the baking sheet . "About what happened on Hook's ship" David said seriously looking over at his daughter. Why? you found me daddy you saved me" Emma pointed out innocently. David hesitated, but the memory of his lifeless daughter in his arms gave him the resolve to continue. "I did Emma and I always will but, that doesn't change the fact that you were reckless and needlessly put yourself in danger and for that my little princess you need to be punished" he explained calmly.

"Punished?" Emma asked humorlessly. "No you can't I'm an adult, you can't just-" she argued with narrowed eyes. "Oh I assure you I can and I will, I don't care how old you are Emma Ruth Swan you're still my daughter and I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe even if that means taking you across my knee every once and again, do I make myself clear?" He asked sternly as he matched his daughter's narrowed eyes. Emma swallowed and nodded. "Good then you can go upstairs and wait for me" he instructed. David watched as Emma slipped up the stairs and then a few seconds later heard the telltale sound of a door being slammed closed.

Snow looked over and took in her husband's face. "You started this Charming and now you have to finish it" she told him seriously as she cleaned up the kitchen. "Can't I just give a warning instead?" He asked hopefully. "You think a warning is going to work? Emma is our daughter in case you forgot" Snow said, kissing her husband's cheek. "She's going to look at me and it'll be all over" he complained getting up from the table. Giving his wife a kiss, David turned and walked up the stairs to deal with their wayward daughter.

Emma shot up from her bed when the door opened. "You can't punish me" she said crossing her arms. "I'm a princess and you can't hit a princess...i'm sure that's in the rules somewhere" she added trying to make herself sound sure. "No you can't but the "Princess Card" doesn't apply here sweetheart" David told her with a bemused smile. "I don't want you to" Emma said petulantly not caring how young she sounded. "I know, I don't want to either but I have to" he answered as he sat down on the bed. "No" Emma said, shaking her head as she took a step backward.

"Emma Swan come over here now" David told her sternly and waited a second for his daughter to obey. "Do I need to start counting?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Emma swallowed and walked over to her father as tears burned in the corners of her eyes. She didn't even know why she was upset it was ridculous and she felt extremely childish "I'm sorry daddy I won't do it again" she promised quietly.

"Yes you will but that's okay" David affirmed as he took Emma's arm and pulled her across his lap in one smooth motion. "This reckless behavior of yours will no longer be tolerated" he lectured laying down a handful of swats. "You scared your mother and I half to death...you almost died so you have any idea the terror we felt?" He asked spanking harder now as all the feelings came rushing back. "You have a town full of people who love you....a kingdom full of people who sacrificed and died so that you could live and throwing your life around like that is a poor way to repay them" David continued, finishing the punishment with a round or two of full strength swats before pulling Emma up and into his arms.

"Sorry...so sorry" Emma managed between her cries as she instinctively curled into her father's arms. "Shh it's alright all's forgiven now, daddy's here I've got you" David promised gently to soothe his daughter's cries.

Once the cries had slowed and returned to even breathing David scooped Emma up and tucked her into bed. "Rest now baby girl, I love you" he reminded before placing a kiss on her forehead and leaving the room.