Emma watch with an amused smile as Henry bounced on the tips of his toes while they waited in line.

"Do you think that we'll be able to see him? Do you think they will ask good questions? I wonder if we'll be able to talk to him? I hope-"

"Easy kid," she said with a laugh, cutting off what she was sure was going to be a full lungful of questions. It happened when he got excited about something. And to say that Henry was excited would be like calling the Napoleonic invasion of Russia "probably not the best idea."

He was, simply put, having one of his longest held dreams come true. Henry had been a fan of the TV Show Underland, a show based on the book Peter Pan. When he had first told her about it a few years ago, she had been skeptical. Having read the book years before, she could only recall the creepiness of the characters, and took no enjoyment in the many film adaptations that had been produced.

She had always had a personal theory that Peter Pan was actually death, which was why he would only visit when the window was open. If someone left the window open of a Victorian London nursery in the middle of winter, the likelihood of the child inside surviving had to have been pretty small. It would also explain the sort of imagination creationism that Barrie described on the island. All things are possible in death and all that. When the three Darling children are absconded with to Neverland, they are all actually becoming ill to the point of death, which was why Mrs. Darling got into such a state.

So when Henry had talked her into watching an episode with him, she was skeptical at best. But her son had wanted to share something he was passionate about with her so she had settled herself in as Henry had bounced excitedly on his side of the couch.

"They are going to introduce Hook this episode! I've never seen a show that introduces the hero so late. God its gonna be so good! And Wendy was falling at the end of the last episode and that was just before the hiatus so it's been soooooooo long and ohmygodican'twaititsgonnabesogood."

She couldn't help but smile as his mouth tried to keep up with his excitement. But as soon as the opening song started, it was as if someone had muted her son. She had never seen him go still so quickly. After watching him for a moment longer, still smiling at his impressionable excitement, she turned to watch as lightning flashed across the sky on screen. What appeared to be a storm on the ocean dramatically flickered between blinding flashes and a green hued darkness before a ship could be seen. She rolled her eyes as it sailed ever more closely to the camera, until it sailed right passed.

The camera then panned back to follow the ship from behind, the words Jolly Roger on the stern of the ship clearly visible. Then the camera zoomed in on a figure standing at the helm, drenched with water, in a billowing black leather coat, his feet spread apart and hand braced on the wheel. For a moment, the man stayed facing away from the camera, before a horn could be heard echoing across the water.

His back stiffened even further, though she didn't know how that was possible, then "Bloody hell." The gravelly oath was the only warning she had before the man turned to look over his shoulder and directly into the camera.

When she promptly began choking on her spit from her sudden inhale.

"Mom ssssshhhh I can't hear it! Go die in the other room!"

She shot her son a look as she got up off the couch to go get some water, still trying to clear her airway of the spit she had inhaled. As she poured herself a glass, she returned to the living room to watch the man in leather, twirling dizzyingly about the deck of his ship, fighting off what looked like shadow people, before a young man was heard cackling.

"PAN YOU BLOODY DEMON!" the black clad man roared, taking a wild swing at the sky with his hand, until she registered that it wasn't a hand, but a hook. His eyes were wide with fury and passion, water dripping from his face and his eyes the color of the swirling sea he was sailing on.

Perhaps this wasn't such a bad show after all.

So for his thirteenth birthday, Christmas, and New Year's, all Henry had asked for was to be able to attend a special convention in Boston that had been announced by the studio about three years after the show had started. And while she had not been keeping track of the show, because she couldn't justify wasting that much time just to enjoy a pretty face, Henry had followed it religiously. He had started dressing in darker colors, his vocabulary changed, and most astonishing of all, his confidence in himself grew.

While he had always been a friendly kid, he was also very shy, especially with kids his own age, exacerbated by an incident when he was in first grade where the other kids had teased him so ruthlessly for not having a father that she had been called to pick him up from school because he was so distraught. And then he didn't speak to her for a week, refusing to come out of his room, until she was forced to just leave food out on the table and retreat, hoping he would come out and eat if she wasn't there. And while they had eventually sat down and she had told him everything and they had fallen asleep in tears on the couch together, the damage to his confidence had been done.

But she could see the changes wrought in him over the course of the few years he followed the show. "Bad form" became his bane. "Good form" became his ideal. He started opening doors and pulling out chairs for her. She caught him helping fellow classmates into their jackets. Watched him allow people in front of him in line, and stand up for older people when they took public transportation. And while Henry had never been a particularly rude child, since his worship for Underland really got into motion, he seemed to take his idol's mannerisms as a challenge. And with the sudden jump in courtesy, Henry also seemed to gain an intrinsic internal strength, and his inherited eye roll was more often than not accompanied by an eyebrow raise the she knew he had never learned from her.

So when his fourteenth birthday had rolled around and she had managed to snag a particularly nasty skip and a large paycheck for her effort, she set to work acquiring a couple of prime tickets for the upcoming special convention.

The morning of his birthday, when he awoke to a single small box from his mother, she watched the light dim in his eyes. Trying to act casually, she had just put in on his lap as she woke him up with a "Happy Birthday Kid, I have a special breakfast for you, then you have to get ready for school." Then she had left.

His room was quiet for a moment or two, then she heard the paper ripping and the box being opened. And then for a long moment longer the room fell into silence again.

"OHMYGODMOMYOUARETHEBESTMOMEVERTHISISTHEBESTDAYOFMYLIFEOHMYGODYOUAREACTUALLYTAKINGMEIAMTHEHAPPIESTKIDINTHEWORLD!"

And so here they were, wandering around the hotel lobby, mingling with a mind boggling array of people from all walks of life. She had had no idea just how popular the show was. But as Henry vibrated his way across the room, she had too appreciate just what a special thing Henry had found himself a part of. So many people, all together to express their appreciation for the same thing, was almost humbling in a way.

She watched as Henry flitted up to a woman dressed up as Wendy, and strike up an enthusiastic conversation. Her lips lifted in a smile as she was able to assess just how much her son had grown up in the last few years, and it made her heart ache slightly to know time would only pass even more quickly. So she decided to appreciate whatever she could get while she still had it.

She continued to trail her son as he made his way around the lobby, until she heard the announcer state that the talks would begin in ten minutes.

"Hey kid, hold up," she called. Henry paused mid stride as he turned to look at her. "I'm going to run to the bathroom, and I'll meet you at our seats ok?"

He bobbed his head, "Yeah sure mom!" and then he was gone.

With a wry shake of her head, she turned and made her way towards the bathroom hallway, which was shockingly empty. And as she walked, her ever present self-awareness picked up the tread of heavy footfalls following behind her. She shifted her jacket slightly adn sped up, and a moment late the feet behind her did as well, but much more rapidly. Before she had time to think out a plan, the steps were right behind her, a hand grabbed her left arm and a low voice growled out, "Lass."

Without hesitation, she used the momentum of the tu on her shoulder to pivot on her heal, right arm cocked back and swinging forward even as she registered a face with dark stubble and blue eyes. And then her hand became even more familiar with it as it collided solidly with his cheek. HIs head snapped back and he staggered. Quickly, she used his distraction to rush forward, tackling him to the ground and yanking his arm forcefully behind his back, her knee solidly pressed between his shoulders.

"I don't know who you are buddy, you you just decided to mess with the wrong chick."

"Mr. Jones! Mr. Jones!" she heard shouting and heavy steps and suddenly several security guards were rushing at her. Suddenly her brain clicked together the pieces. Mr. Jones. Blue eyes and scruff. A stranger who's face she recognized.

She had just punched Killian Jones, star of Underland, in the face then tackled him to the ground.

She quickly jumped back off him and backpedaled to the wall, hands up in surrender. There was chaos as the security tried to assess the damage and ascertain what had happened. One of the security guards tried to start frisking her, but with a fir grab of his wrist, a patented death glare, and a hissed, "I don't think so buddy," she was left alone while Killian Jones got to his feet, a bit unsteadily.

As he turned to look at her, she could see beneath the already forming bruise on his cheek, his cheeks were flush scarlet, but it was his cloudy eyes that held her attention. He was drunk.

"Well lass, I've been hit on before, but never quit so literally." His accent was different from what she remembered in the show, and she couldn't help but think it was such a shame that he had to ruin his brough with a drunken slur.

"Yeah, sorry, I work in law enforcement for a living and you surprised me," she muttered, feeling her previous anxiety and embarrassment give way to anger at his callous and open appraisal of her body. She noticed that with her words, the security that had been milling around seemed to immediately relax.

"No worries, lass, you can hit on me anytime you like." He accompanied the line with a smirk she had seen on screen several times and had to admit to herself that it was even more effective in person. But she didn't let it sway her mood.

"Yeah, right, I won't be making that mistake again." She scoffed. "Disgustingly lecherous an drunk off your ass at a convention for children."

She had been watching his face, otherwise she would have missed the flicker of emotion that had his eyelids fluttering, before it disappeared into a sneer.

"Oh it's for children is it lass? The pray tell what brings you here?"

Her temper flared and that was what she blamed for what slipped through her lips. "I am here because it has been my son's only wish for the last three years, was to meet you. And Lord knows, I couldn't help but want that too, because of how much your character has helped him, I figured that meeting you would give him an even better role model than your character. But I should have known that the only decent men are fictional ones."

Her little tirade seemed to have silenced the whole entourage, his face going completely blank. Then she was approached by the man who appeared to be head of security.

"Excuse me ma'am," he said tentatively, and she turned her scowl on him. He swallowed audibly. "We understand that it was a bit of a misunderstanding, but we are going to have to ask you to leave."

Her back went rigid and she was going to try and argue, but then Killian Jones cleared his throat, clearly trying to get the attention of both of them and her temper flared again.

"Yeah of course. Please just allow me to let my son know. He probably won't hear his phone and I don't want to leave without him knowing."

The security guard nodded and asked for her ticket, which she gave and he headed through a backdoor into the assembly hall to retrieve Henry. She heard Killian try to get her attention again, but she was having none of it. Without a thought, she turned away from him, pulling her phone out of her back pocket, and quickly, she dialed the office.

"Emma?"

"Yeah, hey Graham. I suddenly found my schedule freed up for the day so I'll take the date."

"Really? Ruby was happy to do it."

"No, no, it's ok. I have a perfect dress for it."

"If you say so. I'll see you at the station when you bring him in."

She snorted, "Yeah, see you tonight then."

The line disconnected right as she heard, "Mom?"

She turned to see Henry just inside the open doorway, the door blocking the mass of people and his hero from his vision. "Hey kid. I just got a call from Graham, and wanted to let you know you'll be on your own. You text me every hour, and always stay in sight of one of the security guards ok? They are going to watch you while I'm gone, alright. Behave yourself. Ok Kid?"

He stared at her with wide eyes while she finished. Then he nodded. "Yeah sure Mom! I'm always a gentleman. It's bad form not to be." She nodded, a smile on her lips against her will, at his glittering eyes. "God luck and be safe ok Mom?"

He heart swelled with love for her son as she pulled him into a hug, pressing a kiss to his hair as he folded himself around her.

"I promise I'll come back kid," she whispered the same promise ever time she went out for a skip, and it was the one promise she refused to ever break. He nodded against his stomach, before stepping back.

"I'll keep you posted!" he said with a cheeky grin, before turning back inside, followed by the security guard, who caught her eye and nodded to her as the door closed, letting her know that the security team would keep an eye on him.

She watched the door swing shut with guilt settling in her belly. But it vanished in a blink as she heard Jones start to slur at her again.

"Listen, lassss-"

She whirled around in a second wind of fury, her indignation at the whole situation making her blood roar, softly whispering her threat so only he could hear the venom in her words.

"No, YOU listen, lad . My son has been dreaming about this day for over a year. SO if you ruin this day for him, if you break his heart, I swear to God, I will find you and make sure that the bruise on your face is the least of your problems. Do you understand me?"

His eyes were wide with shock and his mouth gaped open like a fish, wafting the smell of rum on his breath into her face. He nodded dumbly as his eyes roved over her face, before she turned and marched off down the hall, making her way to head home and ready herself to meet her skip for lunch and bring the cheating bastard in.

And as she left the building she could only bring herself to think one thing.

She absolutely hated Killian Jones.