She was an orphan. Even with the presence of her parents in their home back in the Enchanted Forest, she was alone, and nothing reminded her of this more than when they tried to control her every move. They just wanted to be parents. But they had long since lost their chance. David and Mary Margaret, as hard as they tried, could not break their daughter's will. Emma was a free spirit, an independent woman with a mind of her own, and something about that just didn't sit right with her parents. Their efforts to influence her choices were futile. Emma mostly ignored them, usually content to simply blow off their comments, but eventually, they pushed too hard.

"That's enough," Emma said. "I'm out. I'm going to get Henry, and I'm doing it my way. Live your own fucking lives and stay out of mine."

She slammed the door to her bedroom and immediately grabbed a bag, packing only the essentials (toothbrush, toothpaste, extra clothing, a sword, her knife, a map of the forest, and a picture of her son). Once everything was in place, she tossed the bag over her shoulder and kicked the door open. Mary Margaret appeared from the kitchen and stepped out in front of her.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get my son back!"

Before her mother could say another word, she was out the door. Fairy Tale Land was far from what she'd expected, as was her new life. Without Henry, she felt out of place. After they'd all returned to the enchanted forest, Regina had managed to take their son, and he was currently with her in the queen's palace. Though they had plotted a rescue to bring their family back together, they disagreed on how to go about the mission. Charming felt they should take the castle by force, and Mary Margaret felt it was best to use a stealthier attack. Emma, on the other hand, believed in negotiation.

She spent days traveling the forest on her own, eating whatever she could find - mostly berries and nuts - and drinking from streams. The path to the queen's palace was well established and easy to find, since it was well traveled by her army patrol. After days of hiking, she reached the gates of the castle. Feeling a wave of uncertainty, she hesitated at the door in front of two guards.

"I need to see the queen."

"That won't be a problem," they laughed, instantly taking her by the arms and shoving her inside. "The queen has ordered you captured."

"That's great," Emma said. "Perfect. Because she's exactly the woman I need to talk to. I'm taking back my son."

"I'd like to see that," one of the guards joked.

Their armor clanged as they stomped up the stairs, dragging Emma between them. In the main hall, they threw her before the queen.

"Emma Swan has come to speak with you," a guard sneered.

The queen looked the blond over from head to toe. She was dirty and weary from traveling, and it showed in her face.

"Leave us," she ordered, causing the guards to turn on their heels and quickly exit the room to wait outside the heavy doors.

The majority of the noise would be blocked out by the thickness of the wood, so their conversation was a private one.

"I assume you've come for Henry," Regina mused, watching as Emma scrambled to her feet.

"Of course I have. Did you think for a second I wouldn't?"

"Why, yes, actually. I was beginning to think for a moment that you had quite forgotten about him. It has certainly taken you long enough to get here. In fact, Henry thinks you've forgotten about him, too."

"You bitch," Emma spat, charging at the queen with her knife drawn.

Magic flowed from Regina's fingertips and stopped Emma in her tracks, making the blonde's face grow red with fury.

"What took you so long?" Regina asked, sincerely curious.

"My pathetic parents."

"Ah, I see. That makes sense. I'm sure they disagreed on how to approach the situation. After all, they've never really been able to get the best of me, have they? I've always been stronger than the both of them; they simply can't face it. But you... You, Emma... You're something special."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well," Regina said. "You left your parents to go after what you love. You abandoned your family."

"I didn't abandon them!"

"You did. You're here. You and I both know they didn't send you here on your own."

Emma went quiet, unable to argue with the truth of her words. There was nothing she could say. Regina was right. But she wouldn't abandon Henry. He was the only real family she had. Snow and Charming were the ones that had abandoned her, and she would never forget that. They could never make up for the 28 years she'd been alone.