It was very early on a spring morning when Emma finally pulled into her parents' driveway. She had been driving for almost twenty-four hours in her trusty little yellow bug. The drive from Tampa had been a long and grueling one and needless to say, as much as she hated storybrooke, she was happy to be back. She did love her car but driving for long periods of time in such an old vehicle was definitely not one of her favorite activities. A few years ago, Emma decided she had had enough of her life in Storybrooke. She packed her bags and took her entire life on the road with her. Travelling had always been something she wanted to do but she never had the chance to. Her parents refused to leave Storybrooke when she was younger. They always told her that "they had a bad feeling about leaving their home." Since she was finally able to do things on her own, she decided to leave and trek across parts of America for as long as she could. She spent a year in Georgia, in a small apartment that was barely big enough for one person and then she moved on to Mississippi where she found a gorgeous studio apartment for way too much money. From there, she went to Arkansas where she lived in her car for most of the time and finally she ended up in Florida. By the end of her little freedom escapade, she thought it would be best to move back home thinking things would be different when she got back. Unfortunately, she had thought wrong. In her eyes, nothing had changed, or so she thought. Since Emma hadn't been home in quite some time she was not up-to-date with the changes in her hometown, for example; she did not know that Regina Mills was now the mayor nor did she think about how grown up all of her friends and family would now be.

After parking her car out of the view of the street, Emma grabbed the bag with her most important belongings, including her baby blanket, her red leather jacket, her favorite pair of slippers, her cellphone and laptop as well as some changes of clothing, and she strode right up the stairs to her parents' door. She tentatively knocked on the door and quietly took a step back, awaiting her parent's reactions when they opened the door to see who had woken them up at such an early hour. Mary Margaret was the first to get up and out of bed. She made sure that David was up just incase something was wrong when she opened the door. Emma had been avoiding contact with anyone and everyone from Storybrooke for the past few weeks so her family would have no idea that it could be her at the door. When Mary Margaret opened the door, she let out a high-pitched squeal and lunged to hug Emma. Emma had been expecting a reaction like that but she was surprised that her mother hadn't seemed to age one bit. She decided to store that thought in the back of her mind for the time being. As soon as David heard Mary Margaret yell, he jumped out of bed and scurried down the stairs to the door where he was met with the sight of Mary Margaret clinging to Emma and tears rolling down both of their cheeks. Not a word was said until David joined the group hug.

"Emma, where have you been these past few weeks? We were worried sick" said David.

"I wanted my return home to be a surprise to everyone and I just needed some time to think and get myself together. I'm sorry I worried you so much."

"Please please please don't ever do that again sweetheart, we are your family and we want to protect you even if you aren't near."

"I'm sorry mom, I just needed time, ya know?"

Both David and Mary Margaret shook their heads as they separated from the tight embrace they had all just been sharing. "Why don't you and your father head down and get all of your things. We can put them in your bedroom and I'll make some coffee for all of us." Mary Margaret offered.

"That's alright mom, I actually wasn't planning on staying here too long. A few weeks ago I secured a place in the apartment complex down the street. It will be move-in ready this afternoon. That's why I drove in this morning so I wouldn't have to take up too much space here and take time away from you and dad."

"Are you sure? It would be a pleasure to have our baby girl back in our home! We've missed you so much."

"Nah, but thanks mom. I've got it all handled… but I may need some help with payment for the next few weeks. The only apartment I could get was meant for a couple and the rent is on the higher side. It's the complexes down on the end of Main Street, the ones that Mr. Gold owns" Emma said with a slight hint of guilt. She never liked to rely on anyone for anything in her life. She was independent and she liked to handle things on her own but this was one thing she could not do by herself. Unfortunately, the constant travelling had taken a toll on her bank account even though she had steady jobs wherever she was. Renting apartments was a lot more expensive then Emma had thought they would be. She hated the fact that she had to ask her parents for help, it just wasn't in her nature. Suddenly, Mary Margaret interrupted her reverie, "Then why don't you come in and put your bag down. I'll start on some coffee and you can catch us up on all of the amazing things you've been doing these past few years. I would love to hear about the beautiful sights and amazing things you've done. Unless you're too tired? How long have you been driving for? You took breaks right?"

"Yes mom, of course I took breaks. I am perfectly fine." Although Emma was the best at detecting when people were lying to her, she wasn't the best at lying herself. Her mother could see right through her but Mary Margaret dismissed what Emma said and headed to the kitchen to start making some coffee.

"You do know that your mother and I can see right through you, right?"

"Yeah, it was more believable in my head." Emma smiled and hugged her father. "It's great to see you two again." Both Emma and David followed Mary Margaret to the kitchen and sat down at the island, waiting for the coffee to be finished.

"So tell us all about your little adventure."