Chapter 1

Regina knocked on the door. She was biting her lip nervously; too afraid of what might happen in the next few minutes. She looked at her right, noticing that Henry was also wearing a weary expression.

Only Emma Swan can elicit this kind of reaction from both of them.

The door opened, making Regina's heart thud more frantically. It eased a bit, though, when she was met by a stranger's face. Right in front of her was certainly not Emma Swan. One, the girl was a brunette. Two, unless the curse made Emma lose a few inches off her height, then this is certainly not Emma Swan. Three, Emma couldn't have gone to the doctors to change her face.

"Uh… may I help you?" That is definitely not Emma Swan's voice.

Regina couldn't find any words to say. She was certain this is where Emma was supposed to stay. This was where she imagined… this was where she pictured Emma and Henry to stay when she was… constructing their supposed happy ending. Was everything completely altered? The moment she saw Henry beside her when they first came to the Enchanted Forest, she should have known her attempt to salvage Emma and Henry's life from chaos had gone wrong.

"We're looking for Emma Swan?" Regina almost jumped when she heard Henry's voice. She still couldn't believe even after a year and a half that her son's voice had changed so much. There's a slight squeak in it, with puberty completely to blame, but even so, a lot deeper compared before.

"Oh… uh… who are you? Emma didn't tell me there'd be visitors…" Regina watched as the girl eyed both Henry and her warily. Regina's mind was running a hundred miles per hour over what to say. So Emma does live here. Does she remember? No. Emma surely doesn't remember. If she does, she wouldn't have waited a year and a half living alone. Isn't it encoded in Emma's DNA to be always good at finding lost loved ones?

But, what if Emma felt as if they abandoned her… again?

Emma must despise her now.

Unless she doesn't remember them… which Regina isn't sure would be better or worse.

"I really can't let you in… Emma told me to not let in people I don't know unless she tells me before she leaves… I'm sorry. Though, maybe you can come back a little while later? Emma should be here by then… then, you can talk to her," the girl was rambling, and her eyes were darting nervously from Regina to Henry then back.

Regina couldn't blame the girl. They were both strangers, they are in New York City, and the girl was outnumbered. Though the girl could be about 18 (assuming from the girl's features, but her clothing and style says otherwise), Regina is still older and Henry's practically by Regina's ear already… so the girl stood no chance against both of them.

"Hailey? What's going on?" When Regina turned to look at the new comer, she gasped audibly. Standing in front of them was Emma Swan. Yet, she doesn't look like the Emma they left—she doesn't look like the Emma that broke the dark curse, or the Emma that pushed her and went through the portal instead, or the Emma who did magic with her in Neverland.

"Emma!" There was an obvious relief in the girl's—Hailey's—voice. Regina saw Emma look at Hailey then back at her again. When Emma's eyes landed on Henry, they went comically wide with horror.

"He… Henry," whispered Emma.


Sure, she misses the rush being a bounty hunter brings. But right now, Emma Swan finds just sitting behind desks and analyzing social works suiting her better.

Right when Henry went missing three years ago, on her birthday, she felt as if every last bit of hope left her body. The one person she holds on to—the one she can call hers, the one she fought tooth and nail not to lose—was gone.

She can't remember how exactly, but she knew she woke up in a hospital in Maine. The doctor said that she was in an accident somewhere in a secluded part of Maine. When the police asked her why she was there, she couldn't remember. It was as if everything was wiped out. All she knew was she had her son with her. Hazy memories directed her to them going for a camping trip for her birthday.

Good enough present for her: Henry went missing. Though, the police didn't found any trace of life with her. She was a bounty hunter; she's been searching for people as her job, and come to think of it, all her life.

When the police declared Henry's missing case "closed"because they just appeased a delusional woman's pleas of finding her "son" when, by the records, a woman named Emma Swan lives alone: an orphan who managed to succeed in life with no son, no family—Emma continued to search everywhere she can and found nothing. It was as if having a son was created by her lonely mind to cope for… what exactly?

Deep down, she knows she can't just ignore those memories. She knows they are memories. Memories of raising a child, witnessing all his firsts: his first smile, first laugh, first step… him first uttering the words "mama," which also counts for his first word.

She can't ignore the ten years of feeling content with her little Henry by her side right after she got out of prison. It was hard to start over, but she managed… and she did it damn well.

When she lost all hope about finding just Henry's records, she dropped her job and forced herself to move on: getting a job far away from hunting people. But, it seems as if there's something within her that just craves to make everything go right: now, she's behind a desk, sorting paper works and analyzing cases about terrorism and war victims. A simple yet moving work to help victims—people, really.

The job pays well (more now that she got promoted) and the hours were much more bearable for her. Especially when she decided (more like had been forced, though "forced" is actually a strong word) to adopt a child.

Emma walked up the stairs leading to her apartment (she hates the elevators, it feels as if she's going to another dimension when that door opens), and searched for apartment keys. She always tells Hailey—the one who forced her to adopt the child—to lock the door when it gets dark and Emma's still not home.

Apparently, she didn't need it. When she walked down the hallways, she immediately saw two figures standing by her door, Hailey talking to them. Stubborn teenager.

"Hailey? What's going on?" Emma asked cautiously, her gaze immediately landing on the obvious adult in the group. She seems familiar… was she one of my clients back then? Emma asked herself. That could be the only possible reason. That's why she always tells Hailey to lock the door, because the people she had pissed off from her past might come knocking on their life and proceed on taking revenge.

"Emma!" Emma cringed at the high-pitched voice of Hailey. The girl was 19, yet, she dresses up like the most innocent person in the whole wide world. Emma's content with that, though.

Hailey had been with her since she was just a baby—they had been in the same group home and Emma took the initiative to take care of Hailey. Then, she became almost 18 (Hailey was five and treats Emma like a mother, oh God) and Neal happened. Their paths crossed after what happened to her in Maine (Emma can't believe Hailey was a grown up already). Angry and sad tears were shed then they were both okay. Emma asked Hailey to stay with her. Then Hailey proceeded to talk about Eliza and how she couldn't just leave her. Now, Emma's precious Eliza.

Emma looked once again at the woman and then, finally, to the boy beside her.

Right when Emma saw those brown eyes, so much like Neal's, it felt as if all air was squeezed out of her. Standing in front of her was an older version of her son, Henry. The one whom she last saw was a 10-year old. Henry was right in front of her, alive, well-fed, taken care of.

"He… Henry…" Emma whispered, still in disbelief about what she's seeing. As if with a mind of their own, Emma's legs moved closer to Henry. She almost crumbled when she heard Henry speak, more about what he said.

"Mom."

Emma was engulfed in a hug. It made her sob so hard when she heard Henry call her "mom." He didn't forget. See? She had a son—has a son. He's right in front of her. If it weren't for Henry hugging her, Emma would have been on the floor already, sobbing her heart out. Her son was right in front of her, and by the looks of it, had grown a lot from when she last saw him.

"Oh, God, Henry," Emma whispered, burying her face on the child's hair as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I missed you, mom," Henry said, his voice muffled by Emma's shirt. Emma didn't know whether to laugh or to continue crying. She pulled back a little then showered her son's face with kisses.

"I missed you too, kid," Emma said affectionately. She stared at Henry, now holding both of his cheeks, trying to memorize, or identify every single detail of Henry's face. She was still crying, now silently, and she wiped Henry's tears with both her thumbs.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for losing you," Emma sobbed, feeling as if her chest was gonna break from all the pain, from all the wounds reopened just be seeing her son's face, just by his presence.

"Don't be sorry, mom. You didn't lose me. You didn't." The smile on Henry's face caused Emma to give a pained one back, staring at her son as if he was the most precious thing in the world… which he is. She leaned and pressed a kiss on his forehead.

Right when Emma's lips landed on her son's forehead, she felt a piercing headache sprout all of a sudden, then, she completely pulled back from Henry. It was as if something was pressing on her head almost too painfully. When she opened her then shut eyes, everything swam and blurred before it refocused.

"You okay, mom?" Emma looked at Henry and smiled.

"I'm alright." The headache eased to something more bearable yet, still piercing. She knows enough that Henry didn't get her superpower, and lying was something she had gotten better over the years. Though "alright" doesn't really account for the incredibly huge pressure in her head right now.

Then, she remembered that besides her and Henry, there are still two people with them.

Emma looked at the stranger with Henry, her eyes widening suspiciously. Who was this lady with her son? A voice at the back of her head tells her that she knows… she knows who this lady could be.

Henry noticed Emma staring at his other mom. "Who…?" Emma trailed off, her questioning gaze landing back on Henry.

"You don't remember?" Henry asked, surprised. He assumed that since Emma knows him, she remembers everything... apparently not. How come his birth mother remembers him?

"Remember what?" Emma asked. Emma's heart raced, her mind reeling over what she's supposed to remember. Was it about the accident? Was there something she's supposed to know?

Before either one of the three of them could say anything, Hailey intervened.

"Why don't we take this inside?" Hailey awkwardly piped up. Despite the onslaught of questions in mind, she nodded then gestured for Henry and his companion to enter.

Emma and Hailey led the two visitors inside. The atmosphere made Emma at least relax a little, the place's familiarity giving her some comfort.

"Liz… still asleep?" Emma asked, her voice still hoarse. Hailey nodded, waving the baby monitor in Emma's view. "Oh God, it'll be a trouble getting her to sleep tonight." Hailey laughed.

"So, that's Henry?" Emma just smiled and nodded, her chest still twisting in pain. Emma had told Hailey about Henry one late night, when she was slightly intoxicated. It had been Henry's birthday, and Emma felt the unbearable loss practically dripping from her. It didn't help that Eliza was teething that time, Emma's pain mixed with her stress and exhaustion caused everything to just burst out.

"It seems so sudden… well, whatever happens, Liz and I are here for you, alright?" Emma felt Hailey's grip on her shoulders, enough reassurance for Emma. Emma nodded and smiled at Hailey. The girl kissed her on the cheek and told her she would go to her room.

Emma took a deep breath and led the two to the couch. They were having hushed conversation and Emma caught just a few of it before they went silent.

"—just know bits. Maybe if I think harder—"

"No, Henry, it's alright. That's not important right now—"

When both brunettes sat down, Emma did too and silence befalls the three of them.

"Mom. You have to go with us," Henry said suddenly, breaking the silence. Emma looked at him, only to find him staring intensely at her, as if his determination would immediately make Emma say yes. Emma frowned, completely confused.

"Go with you? Where…" Emma turned to look at the brunette. "Who are you?"

"Emma—"

"She's my mom… mom," Henry said.

There it is. The very thing Emma feared the most. Ten years of taking care of her child and it only took three years for him to replace her. It hurt that her own flesh and blood could do that to her, but why was she even surprised?

Her real parents left her on the side of a road. Foster parents gave her away in the blink of an eye. It only makes sense that her own son replaced her. After all, didn't she lose him? Wasn't she the one who gave up looking, who doubted his existence? So how should this surprise her?

Emma felt as if her head and chest were about to burst any moment. She managed to keep the tears at bay (it surprises her that she had more tears left) and managed to choke out, "Give me a second." Then, she rushed to the bathroom and locked herself inside.