A/N: Just something new I'm trying out, set sometime around mid season 2 after Emma/MM return from the Enchanted Forest. Plz dont hesitate to leave a review!

Disclaimer: don't own OUAT.

Chapter 1

"I'm sorry." Emma said flatly. "You want us to what?"

When she and David had come home from a long, boring day at the station dealing with all of the curse-breaking mayhem, all she'd anticipated was a relaxing night on the couch in front of the TV, maybe with a drink or two.

She had not imagined this.

Her tone did nothing to sway the cheeky grin on David's face. "Go on a road trip!" He replied brightly.

Emma shook her head in disbelief. "In...that tacky thing."

David nodded. "In that tacky thing. Which, by the way, is called an RV."

"Oh, no." Emma backed up, holding her hands out in protest. "No. There is no way. You can't be serious."

"I'm quite serious."

"No."

"Yes." He said, amused.

"Yes what?" Mary Margaret asked as she walked in, her arms full of groceries. Now that there were four people who lived in the apartment the amount of food needed had tripled, given that Henry was a growing boy and Emma and David tended to eat like one.

"Oh, good." Emma turned to her mother. "Tell your husband no."

"I can't tell him no if I don't know what I'm refusing to." Mary Margaret said with a wry grin as she handed several bags off to David. "Somebody want to fill me in?"

"You don't need to know." Emma insisted. "Just say no and spare us the humiliation. Please."

Mary Margaret blinked and turned to David. "What's going on?"

"Know what I was thinking would be perfect?" He started.

"Oh, no." Emma interrupted. "Don't you start spewing out your propaganda on her. She's gonna say yes."

"I know." David said cheekily before turning back to his wife. "We haven't had much time together since the curse broke."

"We freaking live together!" Emma cut in. "In this postage stamp sized apartment. That's not close enough for you?"

David waved a dismissive hand in her direction. "So anyways, as I was saying, I had the perfect idea. We take a couple weeks off for…" He walked over to the window and shoved the curtain aside, revealing it in all it's horrible glory. "A road trip." He brandished the ugly vehicle as if it was something to be proud of.

Mary Margaret frowned. "So that's what that was doing there. I thought someone parked their RV in the wrong place."

"Nope!" David grinned. "I called Michael Tillman and set everything up. He agreed to loan it to us, free of charge, in thanks for Emma breaking the curse."

"This is a bad idea." Emma stepped in front of her mother. "There's no way you could agree to this."

But the brunette was silent as she perused the vehicle, a finger tapping her chin. "Hmm. It has potential."

Emma's eyes widened in horror. "You're shitting me, right?"

"Language." Mary Margaret scolded immediately. "And no, I'm not."

"But of course we'll have to ask Henry." David said. "Though it's pretty sure what he's gonna say." He teased.

In response, Emma threw her hands up and slammed the door to the bathroom. "I'm gonna go take a shower."


All throughout dinner her parents were uncharacteristically quiet. As Emma shoveled back second helpings of Mary Margaret's spaghetti, one of the best things she'd ever tasted, she thought vaguely to herself that maybe, just maybe they'd forgotten all about David's stupid idea to go on a stupid family road trip. Dinner was over; she was almost home free.

She yawned widely; she could already feel her soft bed upstairs in the loft enveloping her tired muscles. Maybe she'd have a long bath first, despite having already showered. Although with four people and one bathroom she wouldn't be able to spend too much time in there.

Meanwhile, Henry chattered happily away about his day at school, followed by hanging out with his friend Grace at the park.

"Just a friend?" Emma teased, raising an eyebrow.

Henry nodded. "Yeah."

"Ha. Sure."

Henry didn't seem to pick up on her meaning. "Now that the curse has broken school is so much fun. Everyone has so many stories about their past lives in the Enchanted Forest. Kind of makes me wish I was from there too."

"Oh, no." Emma waved her fork in the air. "I've been there. Done that. Trust me. Life without indoor plumbing? So not fun. I don't even get why people go camping for fun. What's so amazing about sleeping on the cold, hard ground?"

"That's what sleeping bags are for." Henry pointed out.

"But they didn't have those in the Enchanted Forest." Emma argued.

"Know what's more fun than camping?" David cut in suddenly.

Oh, no. She could see the playful glint in his eyes. "Hey, Henry." Emma said loudly, hoping to deflect her son's attention. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure." He replied. But then he turned back to David. "What's more fun than camping?"

Emma groaned and rested her head on her hand. "Don't. Please don't."

"But we haven't had a chance to ask Henry yet." Mary Margaret said with doe eyed innocence. "He's part of the family too. He deserves a vote."

"Wait. What's going on?" Henry asked, confused.

"What do you say to a road trip?" David proposed. "I borrowed the RV downstairs from Michael Tillman and I was thinking we could go away for a couple weeks."

"Are you kidding?" Henry's voice rose in pitch. "Yes! An adventure with Snow White, Prince Charming, and Mom? Yes!"

"I told you." David said triumphantly as he turned to Emma. "He's game."

"Do you not want to go, Mom?" Henry asked.

"Um." She stalled, not wanting to be a party pooper but honestly. A road trip in an RV? No thanks. "Not really, no."

"Oh, but it'll be so fun!" Henry insisted. "We can eat tons of junk food and sing songs."

Emma looked horrified. "Singing? Count me out."

"Please?" He begged.

"Henry, I've been on plenty of road trips and they were anything but fun. Trust me."

"But Mom." He started. "I've never really been anywhere. You know...thanks to the curse."

Damnit. He was definitely her son. Smart as a whip, playing the curse card. Just as she was about to refuse yet again, she caught sight of a tiny pout making its way onto his face. Next step was what all parents feared: the puppy dog eyes.

She sighed heavily. "All right. Fine. I guess we can so on a silly road trip."

"YES!" Henry cheered as he reached over the table and high-fived David. "I knew she'd say yes once I asked. I knew it!"

"Wait a minute." Emma said. "You...knew?"

Mary Margaret and David looked as though they were attempting to swallow back laughter. They had been in on this from the start.

"I might've called Mary Margaret during lunch and mentioned it to her." David replied. "Who may or may not have told Henry."

"Great." Emma flopped back in her seat. "You all played me like a freaking card game."

"And it worked." Henry whooped. "Road trip! Road trip! Road trip! This is gonna be so much fun!" He began dancing around the room like a crazed maniac. A crazed maniac high on sugar.

Emma glared at Mary Margaret and David who were still laughing. "Oh yeah, real funny. We'll see just how amusing you two think it is when he's high off sugar for the next two weeks."

A road trip. With her family. There were about a million other unpleasant things she'd much rather do.

A/N: So, who wants to know why Emma hates road trip so much?