A/N:

Ask and you shall receive! I've been getting a lot of requests for some Emma/David fluff, so here it is guys! I agree with everyone; we need more of this! So here's a little something centered on a prompt given to me by, Nahbois68. Thanks for the idea!

Hope everyone enjoys! I'd really appreciate your thoughts before you go. Also, keep the prompts coming! I'm always on the hunt for new story ideas.

A Dark Matter

Everyone kept telling her that she needed to get some rest. Even Rumpelstiltskin wasn't sure exactly where Tamara and Greg landed, but Hook predicated another few hours until landfall. That was enough ammo for Snow to insist that Emma try and sleep. Of course Emma argued, but even she could hear that her own words were weak.

Eventually, Emma gave in to her parents' pleas. She knew she wouldn't sleep with worries of her son's well-being plaguing her thoughts, but maybe she could manage to rest a little. With that in mind, Emma wandered below deck, to a cabin with a few cots. On one of them, she found the black backpack that her mother brought along. Emma didn't know what Mary Margaret decided to bring, but she thought looking was worth a shot.

After searching through the bag, Emma found a first aid kid, a compass, a box of matches, some food, and a change of clothes for herself and Mary Margaret. Emma made sure to grab Henry's backpack that was left behind when he was taken. Moving to the green bag, Emma looked inside to see Henry's fairytale book, some candy, a bag of medicine- put in by Mary Margaret, Emma guessed- and a change of clothes for Henry and David.

Emma sighed. She tossed the book on a cot, grabbed the shirt her mother packed for her, and then stuffed everything else back to where they were. Then Emma took her coat off. She didn't care about changing into the sweatpants that were there; her leggings were comfortable enough and she couldn't think to muster the energy to do so.

"Hey, is your mom's bag-" David turned the corner to walk in just as Emma was pulling the shirt from her head, her back facing him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I should've knocked."

"It's okay," Emma brushed away while fixing her shirt. She turned to show her father a smile but he was standing in the doorway, his head hung and his back to her. Emma's smile furthered. "You can turn around. I'm decent now."

David spun around. He was about to apologize again and say why he came down: Hook needed a compass, but his mind did a double take. His brows furrowed in thought as he realized he caught a glimpse of something, a red streak across Emma's back. The man frowned.

"David?"

"Did you get hurt earlier? When you were fighting off Tamara?"

"No. Why?" Emma asked in confusion.

"I thought I saw something on your back."

"You didn't," Emma answered quickly.

David held her eyes. Emma was too tired. She sighed in relent.

"It's just a scar."

"How did it happen?"

"It's really no big deal."

"It is to me."

"Why?" Emma shot back, her harsh tone shocking David. Emma frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Emma, I'm your dad," David started while approaching her. "You don't think I care if something bad happened to you?"

"It was accident," Emma said while putting her blue turtleneck in her mother's backpack.

The words were robotic, like she said them a thousand times.

"Did someone do that to you?" David asked, his eyes glued to her face, waiting for her reaction.

"It doesn't matter. It was decades ago. It's just a scar. Nothing to worry about."

"Emma," David said, his voice gentle as he found her eyes. "I know I wasn't around to be with you as you grew up, but that doesn't mean that the things that happened to you don't matter. Anything you went through, it matters… your past is my past. It's your mother's past… We want to know about your life, Emma. Your mom's been wanting to talk to you. I've had to stop her countless times because I don't want you to push her away and you every right to, but it would crush her… we've been awake, night after night, worried about what you went through growing up. I have to keep your mom from running up to your bedroom and waking you up… if no one's been around to listen to you, that isn't the case anymore. You have a family now. You have a mom and a dad who want to know everything."

Emma could see that Mary Margaret wanted to talk. But she always managed to dodge the bullet. She didn't know things were weighing so heavily on her mother. She didn't know it mattered that much.

"Okay," Emma agreed, her words above a whisper.

David gave a small smile of thanks. "Can I see it?"

Emma turned around. She pulled her shirt to the middle of her back to reveal a long pink scar etched into her skin. David couldn't stop a deep frown.

"What happened?" he asked in disbelief as he put his fingers to the skin around the scar.

Emma lowered her shirt. She sat down. David joined her.

"I was Henry's age. The people I was living with... the guy was nice when he wanted to be, but he spent most of time drunk off his ass. I stayed away from him when I could. But one day I got home late from school. His wife told me he got fired, to just do what I need to do and go to bed. But he saw that my chores weren't done when they should've been. He started yelling and stomping around and breaking things. His face was so red, I thought he was going to explode. I was scared so I started running and he went after me. When I went to open the door to go outside, he pushed me and I fell down the stairs, against the railing. The edge was sharp…"

Emma dared to look at David. His face was filled with so much sadness that it broke her heart.

"It's okay. I don't think about it anymore. I left there after that. They sent me away," Emma explained, trying to change his expression.

"Did anyone else hurt you?" David demanded.

Yes. But Emma didn't say that. Instead, she shook her head.

David put his arm around his daughter and pulled her head to his chest. "Nothing like that was ever supposed to happen to you."

"Hey?"

The pair looked up at Mary Margaret's voice, but David couldn't let go. He closed his eyes and held Emma tight as he put a kiss to the top of her head.

Mary Margaret looked between the two. "Did something happen? Something else?" she quickly clarified.

David looked to Emma to see her eyes pleading for him to keep quiet. He gave Emma a last squeeze before standing up and leaving the room, giving his wife a kiss as he past her.

Mary Margaret's forehead was wrinkled in confusion as she looked to Emma.

"He's just… worried about everyone. You know, back in Storybrooke."

Mary Margaret didn't buy that. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"We had a talk," Emma explained. "He's an emotional guy, isn't he?"

"Yes, he can be."

Emma nodded.

"Not gonna tell me, huh?"

"You don't wanna know."

"Emma-"

"No, trust me, you don't," she said.

Mary Margaret didn't want to argue. Normally, she'd press the issue, but not today, not after everything that's happened.

"I'll let you sleep. Just need to grab the compass. Hook keeps complaining that a mermaid stole his."

Emma smiled, but Mary Margaret didn't do the same. As she reached in the backpack for the compass, she wished Emma goodnight.

"I won't sleep. I'm too wired."

"You should try."

"Or we could talk," Emma offered.

"But I thought-"

"There are some things I don't want you to know, okay? Some things that have hurt me and I don't want them to hurt you… but I'll tell you about the good things… if you want to hear them."

"Really?" Mary Margaret asked, her tone hopeful.

Emma nodded, a smile on her face.

Mary Margaret couldn't help a large grin. "I'll be right back!"

An amused smile took Emma's lips. "Okay."

The End

Thoughts before you go? Please and thank you! Hope you liked! Remember, send those story prompts my way!