A/N: So this is my first ever OuaT fanfic. I've been out of the writing game for a while so please bear with me while I rediscover how to write. Thanks!

Emma slammed the door to her yellow beetle and quickly made a beeline for the house at 108 Mifflin Street. She was beyond concerned and it had tested all her patience just to drive the few blocks from her house.

It all started when she received a call at 4AM on her emergency cell phone. She and David were required to carry it when no one was at the station. It was her week to carry it and things had been quiet thus far in the small town of Storybrooke.

"Hello." The blonde answered drearily. She looked at the clock to confirm what time it was before shifting in bed to get up. No one ever called the emergency phone unless there was a problem. Swinging her feet over the bed she winced at the cold floor that greeted her. November's in Storybrooke were brutally cold.

"Mom?" Came the voice on the other end. The blonde immediately was alert when she heard a familiar accent. She shifted from the bed, grabbing her gun and badge as she rushed towards the closet.

"Henry? What is it? Is everything okay? Why aren't you sleeping?" Emma spoke a mile a minute. She was at a loss on why Henry would be calling her emergency phone at four in the morning. She didn't even know that he knew the number.

"I just wanted to hear your voice." Henry's voice cracked as he held the phone tightly in his grasp. "I miss you."

Emma could hear the dejection in the boy's speech and instantly became worried.

"Henry what's wrong? Where are you?" Emma threw the first shirt on that was in her closet. She didn't care that it said 'Support local music, sleep with a musician'. At this point she was too worried to care about proper work attire.

"I'm at home." The boy sighed into the phone. "I can't sleep."

Emma gave a sigh of relief as she heard that Henry was safe and at home.

"I'm sorry, kid. Is your mother home? Is she up?" Emma asked as she grabbed the keys off of her dresser. She rushed downstairs noting her mother and father were still sound asleep in their bed. At least the call hadn't woken the whole household.

"No. She isn't here." Came the reply that broke Emma's heart. Where was Regina and why wasn't she home? Had she left Henry home alone? He's only nine! She thought as she opened the door to her car waiting outside.

"Hey Henry, it'll be okay." Emma tried to reassure the boy. "I'm on my way over, okay?"

"I had a scary dream." The child started to tear up and sniffled on the other end. "I woke up and my mom wasn't here. I tried calling for her but she isn't here. I don't know where she went."

Emma gripped the steering wheel tighter. She couldn't wait to see Regina and give her a piece of her mind. What kind of person leaves their kid alone in the middle of the night? The blonde pressed the gas petal harder as she blew through the town's only red light.

"I'm on my way Henry. Just hold tight, okay? Everything will be okay." The blonde said into the phone. She had only known Henry for a little over a year now but that boy had become her life. He had grounded her when she thought no one else could.

"Okay." The boy sounded deflated. "Emma?"

"Yes, Henry?" Emma asked as she turned onto Mifflin Street. She saw the house straight ahead on the left and gave a sigh of relief once she saw it wasn't on fire and nothing looked amiss.

"Thanks." And with that he hung up the phone.

Emma sat for a second looking at the phone as the screen went from white to black. Okay that was weird. Emma thought as she slammed the door to her car. She needed to get to the bottom of why Regina was absent and why Henry had woken up terrified and alone.

XXX

The door opened almost immediately once Emma got to the landing. Henry came rushing out; arms outstretched, and clung to the blonde fiercely. The force of which was enough to knock the sheriff slightly backwards but she recovered quickly and placed her arms around the boy.

"Hey Henry." She leant down and ran her fingers soothingly through the boys brown hair. "Everything is okay now, I'm here."

The boy clung tighter as he felt the blonde shift to a kneeling position.

"Want to tell me what your dream was about?" Emma looked into Henry's eye as she rubbed his arm for comfort. "Maybe inside though. It's quite cold out here."

Henry shivered subconsciously at the mention of the weather. He nodded his head and took Emma's hand as she led him through the archway.

The blonde looked around the house, trying to gauge if Regina really was there and Henry had just been fibbing on the phone to get her over. She didn't see any sight of the once evil queen. Once inside she bent down to carry the small boy in her arms. He was still light enough she could carry him very easily.

Henry didn't mind being treating this way. He needed the comfort and was grateful that someone was there to provide it. He yawned tiredly as they reached the door to his bedroom.

"Will you lay with me?" Henry asked with puppy dog eyes. Emma sighed. She had seen that look before and it definitely was not inherited from her. No, this look he had gotten from Neal.

"Of course, kid." She smiled as she placed the boy upon his blue comforter and sheets. She climbed in next to him as Henry reached over and slung an arm around her midsection.

"I dreamt that the curse was never broken and that you never came to Storybrooke. My mom was still evil and she was doing all these things." Henry sniffled as he recounted the dream that had awoken him so early in the morning.

"Hey, I'm here now and that was just a dream." She tried to reassure the scared little boy. She stroked his hair and noted that his eyes began to flutter with each passing stroke of her hand. "I may not know where your mom is right now but I'm sure she has a very good reason." She encouraged him as he slipped back into sleep. Before too long she heard his breathing even out meaning he had finally fallen back to sleep.

Emma sighed as she took in the sight of what looked to be a scared little child in need of a mother's comfort. Where the hell are you Regina? She thought as she too closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

XXX

Emma awoke to the sound of a door being slammed. Thankfully she stayed still enough that Henry remained a sleep. She was unsure of how long the two of them had been slumbering. Looking over to the nightstand she found her discarded cell phone from the night before and looking at the time. 8AM. She groaned, as she knew that she was late for work and that Henry had surely missed the school bus.

She was about to wake up the small boy when the door to his room opened and none other than Regina stumbled in looking rough around the edges. The former queen looked upon her sleeping son and then at the blonde who seemed to be cradling him.

"What the hell?" Regina slurred as she tried to take a few steps forward but faltered.

"I should be asking you the same question." Emma raised an eyebrow before looking down at Henry. She slowly slipped her arm away from her son, careful not to wake him up. "Let's talk outside." She motioned to the hallway.

Regina didn't really have a choice as Emma dragged her form with her.

"Are you drunk?" Emma asked although she already knew the answer. The brunette reeked of alcohol and she had that look about her. "What the hell Regina?"

"First off, why the hell are you in my house?" Regina drunkenly spouted as she poked her index finger into Emma's chest. She burped slightly as she tried to remain upright.

"Regina," Emma almost yelled. "You left Henry alone to go out drinking all night?" She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The woman in front of her was completely wasted. "He called me at 4am crying because he woke up alone and scared."

Regina frowned and sobered almost immediately. "He did?" She meekly asked as she looked back towards her son's room.

"Regina I need an explanation. You can't just run off all night to party and leave our son alone." Emma fumed. "He's nine! What if something bad happened? What if there was an intruder or the house caught on fire?" She began to pace as she thought about everything that could have possibly gone wrong without the presence of an adult there.

Regina looked guilty for a moment but wasn't going to give Emma the satisfaction of being right.

"I don't need to explain anything to you Miss Swan." There was ice in her tone. "Last I checked Henry was still my son and living with me. I appreciate you coming over but I can handle it from here." She waved a hand of dismissal towards the blonde.

"Are you serious? You are still drunk Regina. I may not always like you but I like what is best for our son. I am going to go back in there and wake him up for school. I suggest you take a shower and use some mouthwash." Emma left before Regina could form a rebuttal. How dare the blonde think she knew what was best for everyone. She was just so infuriating sometimes. She hated her and wished she would be gone from her life. She wished that Emma Swan had never come to Storybrooke. She wished that she could just forget about her. She wished…and then that's when Regina finally admitted it to herself. It may have taken a few shots of tequila followed up by some Jack Daniels but Regina finally understood why she hated the blonde so much.

She hated the fact that she was in love with her.