In Granny's Diner Emma found herself squeezed tight by Mary Margaret, she had her arms around David and Emma, while Henry was sat on David's knee. All three of them held so uncomfortably tight together Emma could barley breathe.
All of them back together, Snow and Emma had come back from the Enchanted Forest while David and Henry had got along fine without either Emma or Snow. It was a time to celebrate, but all Emma wanted was a moment for it all to sink in.
Henry caught his mothers feigned look of disinterest, sat on David's knee he had the perfect view. It felt like it had been so long since he had seen his mothers face he wanted nothing more but to look at her again and make sure she was real before a millisecond later she would vanish. It seemed to be her trait, whether she knew it or not.
Taking Emma's hand, he spoke, interrupting Snow's excited chatter. "I'm tired you think we could go home?"
Emma looked back at Henry, delighted inside, a quick flash on her face made it obvious, but with a yawn not quite so subtle she realized she had two sets of eyes on her "Yeah, you know I'm tired too, portal jumping just really takes it out of me, besides, me and you have to stop cramping their sty.."
"Oh no, don't think you need to go, me and David don't want either of you to think that we need alone time" Emma raised her eyebrows sharp to Mary Margaret's retort, jumping from the chair taking Henry's hand and pulling him along with her.
"We've just got home, everyone's here celebrating, please don't leave" Mary Margaret seemed to plead while Emma pointed to Henry and signaled that it was her who wanted some time with Henry, just the two of them. The mothers shared a look that only they understood, leaving Henry and David puzzled trying to guess the secret words which were never said.
Snow realized that her alone time was up with her daughter, for now she had to let her baby spend time with her child. A smile replaced confusion and both Mary Margaret and David waved goodbye to Emma and Henry as they left Granny's Diner hand in hand.
The street was deserted and the only noise which was heard was that which was coming from the diner. Holding Henry's hand Emma swung it back and forth, he looked up and smiled. Emma caught his eye and whispered "Hey" it was one word that signaled the first real acknowledgement that it was just them two together, Emma put both hands on his shoulders, looking at her son "you've grown, already, you've grown so much, please try to stop it kid".
"Hey, how can I stop growing, I'm not Peter Pan"
"Thank god, take it from me that Captain Hooks a real SOB" Emma smiled down at Henry, so relieved to be back in the land of Henry's wittiness. Henry remarked that she would have to fill him about Hook as they continued walking along to the apartment which all of them shared.
Once inside, it was warm and cosy, Emma and Henry continued lighthearted chatter about the every day goings on in the town while making a hot chocolate. Henry sat on the sofa and put a soft blanket over his legs, his head resting on the pillow. Emma put the drink down in front of him before joining Henry moving the blanket to cover her feet.
He wasn't lying when he said he was tired, but then the nightmares had seen to that. Henry's eyes were closed and every now and then he would open them but he was starting to give up. It was quiet. All Emma could hear was the light breathing of her child, her beautiful little boy. How had she made someone so untouched by all the horrible things around him, so bright, full of life and spirit, so unlike her.
Seeing Henry asleep transported her back to that moment he was laying on the bed at the hospital, pale and cold. Everything had been zapped out of him like his tiny body couldn't take anymore, it was a memory forever imprinted in her mind, a memory that cracked the heart only recently repaired.
She had never felt so agonizingly broken, she had realized all of the upset in her life was nothing, it didn't even touch the surface. Here was her precious boy, the one person who loved her without expecting anything in return, loved her regardless of her faults, her temper, her past, who forgave her for doing the one thing she cannot forgive herself and believed in her so much he was willing to pay the ultimate price, and he was gone, her life with him in it seemed over and Emma wanted to die along with him.
In the Enchanted Forest she had asked herself why she hadn't said all the things she had wanted to say, wondered why she had held back on showing her feelings or letting Henry in. There were so many regrets and so much unsaid. Getting back home was her focus, but her second thought was always to show Henry how much she loved him. Prove to him she could be a hero and a mother.
Emma lifted her necklace and pulled it along the chain left to right, picking up her hot chocolate to take a sip, today Henry had called her "Mom". She had not really acknowledged it, stuck in sheer adrenalin and clambering over a well grabbing her little boy in a hug so tight he could of ended up back in the hospital. But still it was there, it was said. He felt comfortable with the title, what was the problem? The pang of jealousy that surfaced its head whenever Regina referred to Henry as hers was always said to remind Emma that she signed him away, but months on Regina had all but admitted defeat.
Besides, she was his mother. Nobody could take that away from her, she carried him, she gave birth to him and she was here now. Henry understood and forgave her and she was beginning to forgive herself.
Right at that moment Henry shuffled, he was completely laid out on the couch, legs sprawled out across her. This child was getting too long. His eyes opened and Emma's smiled warmly. "you should go to bed"
Henry yawned, shaking his head "No, its only early, I haven't seen you in forever, can't we watch a movie instead, can't we just lay here"
"ok, well how about I make a deal, you get changed into your pajamas's, I get changed into mine, I get us some snacks from the fridge and you pick the movie ?"
Henry darted from the sofa to run up the stairs to get changed, throwing his clothes off before he made it to the bedroom. Emma smiled as she got up to go to the fridge to find whatever snacks she could put together, she couldn't find any pajamas's so she stole one of Davids large t-shirts which would have to do.
Henry came down the stairs to the kitchen, "you're wearing Gramp's shirt?"
"Yeah well, I figured my stuff was still upstairs, I just borrowed his shirt while we're down here, I doubt he'll mind. Anyways, whats this movie i'm excited to know."
"Well, I was thinking the Lion King. It's none fairytaley, figured you could do with a night off, besides it's my favorite film"
Emma chuckled while carrying snacks to the table and setting them down while Henry put the movie on. Lion King could be just the trick. Although she did wonder if she would ever encounter a Pumba and Timone.
"It was one of my favorites too, although I haven't seen it in years."
After the crescendo of the famous opening sequence to the Lion King had ended and they both had their fill of snacks, Emma laid down behind Henry, his head just under her neck, arms wrapped around him cocooned in all the love she could muster. The sad part of the movie was over and she had cried. The tears weren't just for the film, but were for the realization that finally the pair of them had done something normal, that she was back with him. That her beautiful little boy was alive and well, because in such a short time, he had changed her and she knew it was for the better. He was the best thing in her life, the only thing she got right.
Emma put her hand under Henry's chin to lift his face up a bit, his eyes were just about still open, not yet asleep but not far from it either. She gave him a kiss on his forehead and whispered "I love you so much Henry, thank you for finding me"
Henry squeezed her hand while gazing up at his mother "I love you too Mom"