A/N: So…my first Once Upon A Time fic. I only watched this show about two weeks ago – though I instantly fell in love with it – so I'm a little nervous about writing something for a fandom I'm so new to. This story is just something short that once I'd imagined refused to leave me alone, but I'd really appreciate any comments you have and I'd especially like to know how in character you think the characters are, so leave a review if you've got time. Other than that, I'd just like to point out that, of course, neither the show nor its characters belong to me. So…happy reading.

Emma Swan groaned and burrowed her head deeper into her pillow. She hated winter – it was the worst season, she always said. In the past the coming of winter had always reminded her of how she'd been abandoned at the side of a road in the middle of the coldest season. It was cold again, colder than she could remember it ever being in Storybrooke, and just the thought of getting out of bed was like torture, especially as she was suffering with a cold.

As it was she was running late. She could hear her mother and father – God, it felt weird to call them that – moving about the kitchen as they got breakfast. She was sure Henry would be down there too considering he was usually an early riser.

Gathering all her will, she pushed the duvet off her, instantly regretting the action as the cold air met her body and chilled her despite the thick fleecy pyjamas she was wearing. Luckily her slippers were nearby and she slid her feet into them before grabbing her dressing gown from the back of her bedroom door and pulling that on.

The minute she got to the top of the stairs she knew she'd been right to assume that Henry was also in the kitchen. She could hear him talking with her mother, his grandmother about the homework she'd set. Emma had to admit that she felt slightly sorry for Henry sometimes. Having his grandmother for his teacher had to be tough sometimes, didn't it? The poor kid would never be able to not do his homework because Snow would always know if the excuse he gave her was a lie. Not that Henry usually lied, of course.

Sniffling, Emma entered the kitchen, shooting her family an approximation of a smile.

"Emma, are you okay?" Snow asked in concern.

James and Henry looked at her also, seeming to focus on her face.

"I'm fine," Emma replied, noticing that her voice was distorted by her blocked nose and feeling slightly disconcerted by the multiple looks she was being given. "I've just got a cold."

"You're so pale though," Snow said, moving towards her daughter and taking her temperature with the back of her hand. "Emma, you're burning up. I think you've got flu."

"I'll be fine," Emma insisted, soldiering on. "It's not like I can take the day off anyway-"

"-Why not?" Henry asked, interrupting with his childhood innocence.

"I'm the Sheriff, Henry. I don't have a deputy who can cover for me today."

"Nonsense, you can hardly police the town when you're ill," Snow told her. "Tell her Charming."

James looked at Emma and gave her a wry grin. "Sorry, Emma, I've got to agree with your mother on this one. Besides, this is Storybrooke – hardly anything ever happens here."

"That's not true," Henry argued. "With magic in the town, it's like a full on war between Regina and Rumplestiltskin."

"Emma, you need to relax for a day; you'll only feel worse if you go to work today."

"I can cover for you," James offered.

"See, Charming can be Acting Sheriff for a day. It'll be fine," Snow asserted.

"Yeah, granddad will be awesome at being the Sheriff. He kicked butt every day in the enchanted forest," Henry added.

"Fine," Emma said, finally caving in as the three of them ganged up on her. She shuffled to the couch and reclined on it, half-lying and half-sitting on it with her feet up.

Snow, James and Henry went back to their breakfast, trying to entice Emma with some pancakes but she had no appetite. Whilst Henry gathered his coat and school things, Snow brought down Emma's duvet and laid it over the back of the couch in case she got cold and gave her the flu medicine from the bathroom cabinet.

Henry raced back into the living room with his coat half on and went to kiss his mother goodbye.

"Kid," Emma protested. "I don't want to make you sick too."

"I don't care," Henry insisted, diving under her arms and kissing her cheek. "I'll see you later, Mom!"

Snow and James smiled at the scene and then they left, James driving Snow and Henry to the elementary school before going to the Sheriff's station.

Emma felt rotten. Her throat was as dry as a desert but her muscles had begun to ache so much that she couldn't even contemplate standing and getting a glass of water from the sink. She grabbed the remote from the coffee table and switched on the TV, trying to find something to distract her from her running nose and the slight decrease in temperature she was feeling. Eventually, she succumbed to the desire to wrap herself in her duvet and pulled it down from the back of the couch.

When Henry, Snow and James got back later that afternoon that was how they found her: fast asleep wrapped in the duvet with the TV playing quietly.

James ducked back out the door after kissing Snow goodbye and returned to the Sheriff's station before locking up for the night. Just as he'd predicted, nothing had happened. He'd been sat in the station all day just waiting for Snow to call and say she and Henry were ready to be picked up.

Whilst Snow began making some dinner, Henry dumped his school stuff on one of the dining chairs and sat down just in front of the couch.

Emma surprised him by running her hand through his hair.

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

Emma shook her head.

"So how was school?" she asked with a yawn, her eyes momentarily flitting from Henry to the TV screen. Why was she watching Bargain Hunt?

"We made Christmas crackers!" Henry replied.

"That's nice. Can I see yours?"

"No, you've got to wait till Christmas," Henry told her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Feeling any better?" Snow called from where she was chopping vegetables at the kitchen counter.

"A bit," Emma admitted, grateful that her parents had managed to convince her to stay home for the day.

Yawning and trying to stretch, Emma sat up slightly, creating room for Henry to sit down which he swiftly did. The next thing Emma knew, he was sitting inside the duvet with her and leaning against her with the TV remote in his hand. He flicked through the channels before finding a movie channel and checking what movie was on.

"You'll get sick," Emma complained weakly.

"Then we'll just have to have another duvet day," Henry said before sneezing.

"Looks like it's too late," Snow commented as Emma pressed a kiss to the top of Henry's head and wrapped her arms around him.

A/N: Just a short Henry/Emma oneshot set after the season one finale sometime. I'd love to know what you thought, so leave a review if you've got time. I hope you liked this story.

Much love, SabreDae

xxxxx