Something had been bugging Emma Swan ever since her first official date with Killian Jones otherwise known as Captain Hook. Though it must be said that night he had his hand back and though she longed to ask how she suspected Hook had made a deal with the crocodile! Of course that bothered her, but that was not the problem that seemed to niggle at the back of her mind no matter what she was doing.
No the thing that bothered her was that she was living with her parents, and sure at first she had moved in thinking her mother was her best friend, but still! She was a grown woman and had been independent her whole life because she had grown up in foster care.
It was the date that had made up her mind, that night she had wanted to invite him in for coffee and to be alone with him. She had felt like a teenager however when she remembered that the other side of her door was both her parents, their son, her son and an ice queen!
Emma loved bonding with her son and her parents, but now they had a baby and she had met Killian the small apartment that had once only had one person living in it felt fit to burst! As Emma stood in the room of the house Regina and Henry were sure the writer of the book they were all in lived, she made a decision. Emma was going to move out, to where she was not sure but she kind of wanted to live out of town a little and have some peace and quiet and get some independence back.
The next day without telling anyone she headed to the realtor, not that many homes ever came up for sale because nobody could leave the town but still he was there! She browsed the pictures and descriptions that lined the walls while the balding, skinny man with thick glasses tried to sell her on every one. He seemed to be excited at the thought of selling a home, but to Emma he felt more like a mosquito buzzing round her driving her crazy.
Turning slowly and trying to keep her cool Emma forced a smile, "I want somewhere with land, where I can grow things and there is space for Henry to play and run without the noise and bussle of the town? Do you have anything that would suit a..." she coughed "...hopefully growing family in my price range?"
The man rubbed the back of his neck and looked down "well there is one place, but it has been for sale a while and nobody will even look round!" He wandered off to a filing cabinet and thumbed through several filed before making a "ah ha" sound and walking back to Emma nervously handing her the leaflet.
Shaken a little by his reaction she raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath wondering if it was haunted or something. However, the moment she looked at the picture she realised the whole reason for his reaction, "this is Zelena's place...where she kept Mr. Gold imprisoned..."
He nodded and folded his arms over his chest nervously, "w-well yes that is true Miss Swan but if you look passed that you will see the price, it has five bedrooms, a large kitchen, a spacious master bedroom and plenty of land...it was a farm you know?"
Emma took a deep breath and sat down before going through the description and thinking about everything that had happened there. Could she really live somewhere like that, it looked an amazing place but it needed a lot of work doing to get it how she would want. Then again she had plenty of people who would be willing to help her because of her position in the town and who her parents were.
With every change of thought from positive to negative her head tilted one way and then the other, but the whole time the realtor stood patiently and watched her. He seemed to have got the message she didn't want him offering ideas or thoughts and had fallen silent thankfully.
Finally Emma took a deep breath and nodded "I'll take it..." she paused and raised a hand as if changing her mind then shook her head "...no, yes I will take it!" She swallowed hard all too aware of what a big step this was and that setting down roots in Storybrooke was something she never thought she would do! But her and Hook were getting serious and though they had their problems she knew that like her parents they would always find one another no matter what.
As the realtor wandered off to get the paperwork Emma pulled off her hat and scarf suddenly feeling very warm. She was buying a farm that was perfect for her and Hook in every way, but there were many unpleasant memories that remained from Zelena's time in the town and she wondered if Henry and Hook would even want to live there? Or would she be stuck owning a farm nobody wanted to live in and was impossible to sell?
By the time he came back and started to fill everything in Emma was in some kind of shock, she watched him work silently and felt completely numb. She knew she should call her mother or Hook for advice, but her stubborn side wanted to show she was able to make this sort of decision for herself so she stood her ground.
She signed everything placed under her nose and finally with a big beaming smile she was handed a set of keys. He looked into her eyes kindly, "I know I should wait until everything goes through but I trust you, you have kept this town safe! Now you have a home of your own where family can visit and you can make perfect!"
Emma took a deep breath and numbly nodded an uncertain smile on her face as she looked at the keys in her hand. Now she had four people who would be shocked to tell and no idea how it would go. Checking her wristwatch she bit her lower lip and noted that Mary Margaret would be making dinner and Henry would be on his way home. She thanked the realtor and pushed the keys into her pocket and headed off determined to catch Henry before he got to the apartment and tell him first.