I do not own any characters, plots, or anything else pertaining to "Once Upon a Time". OUAT is one of my favorite shows on television and I'm a big Swanfire shipper. This story will take place in the future, during the upcoming season 7 arc. I'm not sure where the writers are taking Emma's character, but this is my version of the events coming up. Thanks for reading.

The Only One

Chapter 1

Lost Love

Emma stands next to the grave she's been visiting for the last several years. With each year that passes, it doesn't get any easier to come here, to know that he's here six feet under. This wasn't supposed to happen, yet fate had dealt them one bad hand after another. The two brought together, only to be torn apart over and over. Emma tries to hold back her tears, as she places a rose on top of his grave. She wishes Henry were here to visit his father, but he left years ago to live in the Enchanted Forest. He had promised that he'd come back one day, but she hasn't seen him in nearly ten years. The pain of losing her son and Neal grips her heart. She takes a deep breath to try to calm herself. Emma attempts to clear her mind by thinking about how much she still has in her life. She has her parents, brother, and Hook, who have filled some of the void in her life left by Neal and Henry.

Emma grabs her Swan necklace that he had given her so long ago and finally lets the tears fall down her cheeks. After his death, she used to wear the necklace everyday around her neck and took comfort in it like he was still there with her. Neal had promised that he'd watch over her and Henry before he died in her arms and she knew that he'd keep that promise. After being with Hook for a while, she had decided to put the necklace in the box she keeps all her meaningful mementos in because it was her way of moving on with her life. Even though, deep down, she knew that she'd never be able to completely move on from him.

Now, she wears the necklace every year when she comes to visit his grave and tries to picture him standing next to her. Neal being the gentle wind carrying her through, just like he had when he was alive. "Grandma." Emma's heart stops and she turns to see a little girl about ten years old standing there. There's something familiar about the girl that she can't quite put her finger on. "You don't know me, but my name is Lucy. I'm your granddaughter and I need your help." Emma stares at the little girl like she's got one eye, but despite how ridiculous all this is, she can see she's telling the truth.

Her superpower is still very well intact, even after all these years. "I believe you, kid." Lucy breaks out into a smile and it reminds her so much of Henry and Neal's' smile, that it takes her breath. She walks up to her and stares at the grave. "So, this is grandpa?" Emma nods at her granddaughter, not knowing what to say in this situation. "Dad talks about him a lot." She stares at Lucy's sad features for a moment, afraid of the answer to her next question. "Where is your dad?" Lucy shakes her head and looks up at her with teary eyes. "A curse made him forget everything and sent him here to this world. He told me to protect the Storybook at all costs and find him." She feels a pang in her heart and tries to wrap her head around what she just said. Emma's eyes fall on the storybook in her granddaughter's arms and she gives her a small smile. "Come on kid, it's time for me to tell you about Operation Cobra." Lucy gives her a grin in return and the two walk out of the cemetery, a piece of Henry suddenly coming back to her.

Emma walks down the main street of Storybrooke with Lucy by her side. She sees a lot of Henry in the little girl and it makes her smile. Emma always loved Henry's optimism in all things and she's happy that the trait was passed onto his daughter. She walks past Gold's abandoned shop. Him and Belle had moved to Neal's apartment in New York to live years ago. After they left, her and Hook moved to Chicago for a fresh start. Only a few people still live in Storybrooke, the rest have moved on with their lives somewhere else. "Is that the bug grandma?" She's knocked out of her thoughts and her heart drops, when she sees her old bug shining in the sunlight. Emma knows this is impossible, yet here it is, exactly where she used to park it. When she had moved to Chicago, she had taken the car with her, but it had been stolen one night. The incident had happened a year after they had moved there and it had hit her hard to lose another thing that represented Neal in her mind. In a way, it was like losing him all over.

As they reach the bug, Emma peers in, expecting the car to be completely trashed. Her heart nearly jumps out of her chest, when she sees a familiar person pop up in the backseat. At first, Emma thinks that she's hallucinating him here. Maybe the day has finally gotten to her and she's conjured him up in her mind somehow. She finds herself frozen, staring into the eyes of the man that still has a piece of her heart. "Who's that grandma?" She looks at Lucy, who's now standing beside her, staring at Neal in confusion. Emma's heart stops at her granddaughter's words and she now knows that she hasn't gone crazy after all. She barely registers from the corner of her eye, Lucy opening the side door. "Emma." That voice makes her heart skip a beat, as Neal comes face to face with her. "How…?" He shakes his head at her. "No time to explain, let's just say, I'm here to help our boy." All Emma can do is nod her head, hoping that this isn't a dream and her lost love has actually come back to her.