Author’s Note: This takes place during Season 2 Episode 20 ‘The Evil Queen’, so potential spoilers for everything up to that point. This little ficlet came about from the prompt: ‘Can you spank your boss? Can your kid fire you?’
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters, and I’m not making any money from this story.
Warning: Verbal threat of spanking only – no actual spanking.
Magic Interrupted
Emma sat at her desk in the Sheriff’s office completely frustrated. She knew deep in her bones that something was off about Tamara. She’d tried proving it to Neal, but that had backfired, and he’d ended up believing that Emma was jealous.
Emma groaned and tried to convince herself that she wasn’t jealous, she was right. Tamara was up to something, and she was going to find out what it was, before it was too late. None of her usual methods had worked, so maybe it was time to try something else.
Mr. Gold had shown her how to do a few little things with magic, and it always seemed to work the same way. She just had to believe in herself and concentrate on what she wanted to have happen.
She focused on the white coffee mug on her desk, and concentrated on figuring out Tamara’s secret. She muttered, “Show me what Tamara is trying to hide.”
Nothing happened.
Emma focused again, and held both her hands up close to the cup, and said with more conviction, “Show me what Tamara is trying to hide.”
She could feel power flowing through her, and an image started to form on the cup. Before the image became clear, a hand snatched the cup up off the desk, disrupting Emma’s energy flow.
Emma scowled up at the person who’d cut her off, and found David scowling right back at her.
“What the heck?” she said.
He raised a displeased eyebrow, and said, “What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
She stood up to face him. “Me? What do you think you’re doing? I was just about to find out what Tamara is hiding, and now that you’ve interrupted me, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it again!”
David put the cup on his own desk, put his hands on his hips, and said, “Well, you won’t be able to do it again, because I’m not going to let you. You can’t just go around using magic like that, Emma, you could get hurt!”
“You won’t let me?” Emma said with disbelief. “Last time I checked, I was the Sheriff, not you, so I don’t think you have any say in it.”
“Last time I checked, I was your father, so I do have a say in it, and you’re not doing it.”
Emma crossed her arms. “I could fire you.”
David crossed his arms, too. “Yeah, and I could spank you.”
Shock registered on Emma’s face for a split second, before she schooled her features into a scowl. “That’s ridiculous,” she muttered, sounding unsure.
David sighed, and put a hand on Emma’s shoulder. Speaking calmly, he said, “Magic always comes with a price, you should know that better than anyone. Finding out if Tamara is up to something isn’t worth the risk.”
She let her arms drop to her sides, and said, “Don’t you think magic should owe me one by now.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Sweetheart.” He squeezed her shoulder gently.
Her eyes opened wide at the endearment, and there was an awkward silence between the two of them. David cleared his throat, and let his hand drop.
“What would your next step be without magic?” David asked. When he saw Emma’s confusion, he said, “What would you do if you were trying to track her down?”
“That’s it!” Emma said with a grin. She headed to her computer, and said, “Start with the past to find them in the present. We’ll start with a background check, and see where it takes us.”
David smiled at his daughter’s enthusiasm, put the cup back on her desk, and went to look over her shoulder at the computer screen.
The End.
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