Over the recent weeks, things between "Snow White" and her "Prince Charming" had come to a standstill. No more marital conflict for David and no new bursts of true love-induced courage for Mary Margaret. No secret meetings or recollections of past fairytale lives. And no dwarves.
Thus, with a heavy sigh, Henry decided that the next stage of Operation Cobra had to commence. Apparently, the first part of this stage involves Henry dragging Emma around town on a rainy Sunday morning, looking for Ruby, whom they now know is most conveniently not at the diner nor the inn. All Emma knows is that Henry believes Ruby is Little Red Riding Hood, and that finding her is now imperative.
"I really don't think I should be hanging out with you right in the middle of town, kid; there are people everywhere, and word gets around," Emma says, avoiding a particularly large puddle on the sidewalk. "Shouldn't I at least make an effort to conceal my defiance from your mother?"
Henry walks a few steps ahead of her, his little blue umbrella bobbing up and down over his head. He looks up at her over his shoulder, his scrunched expression just visible under the umbrella's nylon brim.
"What? I just don't want her to file a restraining order," Emma shrugs, twirling her own umbrella in one hand.
Henry turns back around and says, "Wouldn't you rather be defiant that irresponsible? If you weren't here, I'd be wandering the streets all by myself."
Emma weighs the pros and cons of defiance and irresponsibility as they continue down the sidewalk, coming to a conclusion that doesn't quite assuage her concern.
Suddenly, Henry shouts, "Look!" He points to the opposite corner of the intersection they've just come upon, where Ruby (who must be freezing her ass off in those shorts) is chatting up Mr. Gold.
And then he's running across the street. Doesn't even look. There are cars. And he just runs right through damn the intersection. Emma drops her umbrella, running after him, shouting "kid!" and "hey!" and "stop!"
And then there's a grocery truck barreling right toward him and it happens both very fast and very slow at the same time.
Cartoon fruits and vegetables on the side of the truck. Three different car horns. Incapable brakes.
Step, pivot, jump, shove, step, and Henry's lying on his side on the wet sidewalk, looking back at her. His hair is stuck to his head. In Emma's head, she sees them both out of the way, but the impact. It's there and it's loud and strong and hard and it feels like everything that has ever existed is in that impact, and the next, and the next.
And finally she stops.
Everything stops.