Chapter 1

It had just been a couple of months since Emma and Henry left New York. When she found Henry so deep in thought, looking out the window of their apartment on the eighth floor, she knew there was something wrong. She asked, and all he said was, "I think it's time we move again, Mom."

"Where will we go Henry?"

"I don't know but I think we should explore the west."

She had thought of moving again since she woke up a few days ago but she did not bring it up because for her it seemed crazy to get up and leave for an unknown destination. Plus, they had just left Maine. However, from that morning on, there remained the constant niggling thought in her mind that was echoed by his son later on:

Go west.

Mother and son packed their bags and drove away on their trusty yellow bug. They donned their adventure cap and let their feelings decide. They spent a night in several states like Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho, but every morning Emma woke up hearing the same voice in her head:

Go west.

And Henry, during breakfast will look at her and say the same:

"I think we should continue to drive west, Mom."

And Emma just nodded in agreement.

Then they reached a state with a sign welcoming them to "Oregon". Emma sighed and murmured "Finally" without thought. Any confusion she might have felt was forgotten when she turned to her son and saw him smiling at her with that familiar twinkle in his eyes. Then she knew that this was where they should be.

Emma took out her phone and opened Google Maps.

"Henry, search for Oregon. Close your eyes and point to any place in this state and that's where we'll go."

Henry did as instructed.

"Portland," he announced a beat later.

So that was where the duo went.

Upon entering the town, the first thing she saw was a House for Rent sign posted outside a diner. They inquired inside and it turns out that the owner of the diner also owned the house. The owner agreed to show them the place after lunch.

Henry fell in love with the house. Henry grew up in buildings so he has always dreamed of finally living in a house. It has two floors and all three bedrooms were upstairs. Downstairs was the dining area, kitchen, and living room.

Emma chose the room facing the street. Henry was already asleep. She wanted to crawl into bed too but years of being a bounty hunter made her cautious of her environment. She looked out the window to study the neighborhood. She saw a few people earlier in afternoon while they were getting their things from the car. Some were cleaning their driveways, jogging down the street, walking their dog, or arriving from work or school. She also saw an old woman driving a car with a trailer in tow. She stopped in the house across the street.

Her first thought was that she hoped the woman did not live in the trailer. She knew about moving from one place to another, never staying for long but when she had Henry, she knew that she cannot sleep in her car or a cheap motel anymore. She was going to check on the woman when the latter did not leave the car after a weird amount of time but another car arrived. A younger woman got out and she was surprised in seeing a visitor. Then she smiled after exchanging a few words and they both went inside. It was a few hours later when another car pulled up and a man got out. Must be the husband, Emma thought.

She was about to finally crawl into bed when she saw another man walking in the street. He had something in his hand but it was dark so she cannot see what it is. It was clear though that the man is up to no good as she felt her skin crawl as the man neared. Then she realized that the man was looking at her neighbors - the man and the older woman who apparently had gone out of the house. She took out her Arnis stick and went down.

Emma had just reached the bottom of the stairs when she heard the commotion. She flung open the door and what she saw made her stop.

The old woman was fighting the stranger. She had a weapon in her hand and it caught the bad guy causing him to fall. The younger man also helped.

Emma was so engrossed in what happened that it took a shout from her neighbor to catch her attention. She saw him cradling the older woman in his arms while the stranger lay a few feet away.

"Call an ambulance!"

She got her phone and dialled 911.

Emma waited by the curb in front of her house as instructed. She has yet to give her statement to the police. She learned the identity of her neighbors from listening to the respondents to the scene. The owners of the house were Nick and Juliette while their guest is Aunt Marie. The latter was immediately rushed to the hospital by the ambulance.

She saw a police walk towards her. From his look, she knew he is a detective. She stood up.

"You're a martial arts teacher?" The police asked motioning to the stick still in her hand.

"No I'm not but I'm a mom and this is the closest thing to a weapon that I'm willing to have in my house with my son."

The man nodded before continuing with his interrogation. Emma discussed in detail what she saw. She must have been so thorough in her description that the detective asked her if she's done this before.

"Yeah, it's kind of part of my job. I'm a bounty-hunter. Well, I don't have a job right now since we only transferred here today."

Again, the detective only nodded then handed her a calling card. "If you remember anything else, we'd appreciate it if you will give us a call."

"Sure." Emma turned to go home when she heard someone call out for her. She looked back towards the street and saw her neighbor approaching.

"Emma, right? I'm Juliette."

"Hi Juliette." Emma reached out a hand for a handshake. The woman clasped it with both hands before letting go.

"Nick and I would like to thank you for calling 911 immediately."

"You're welcome. I hope I was able to do more then maybe your aunt didn't get hurt so much."

"You've done something great already. Aunt Marie wasn't that hurt from the fight but she's sick that's why she collapsed."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I wish I met you and your husband in a happier scenario."

"I wish for that too but we couldn't change the past. Anyway, why don't you and that young man over there join us for dinner tomorrow? I'm sure Nick would like to thank you properly."

Emma looked behind her and saw Henry peeking out the window.

"That's my son and sure, that would be lovely."

"Ok, good night Emma."

Emma turned and went inside. She knew that Henry has plenty of questions but for now she would like to get some sleep. She tucked him in bed and kissed his forehead.

"Good night Henry."

"Good night Mom."

"Our neighbors invited us to dinner later."

Henry swallowed his breakfast. "Ok. So will you tell me what happened last night?"

Emma thought of where to start then decided to just go straight to seeing the suspect walking. She recounted what she told the detective plus her own thoughts in the matter.

Henry was silent the whole time and when he spoke, Emma can't help but smile. Henry has always been thoughtful.

"Will Aunt Marie be OK?"

"I hope so Henry. Juliette said that she's sick. Anyway, why don't you clean up and we'll drive around town? We'll look for a school for you and see what kind of jobs is available for me."

Author's Notes:

Ho hey! Ever since I realized that I was watching a whole bunch of fairy tale shows, I thought "what if the Grimm met Emma?" Then with the mid-season finale of OUAT I saw that it may be the good starting point of the story. I have a rough idea of how I want the story to go but whether I continue or not will depend on the feedback. If feedback is good then I'll assume that my concept is good. If feedback is bad then hopefully I'll come up with a better idea.

So if you're moved to put in a comment, review, or suggestion, I would love to hear from you. No pressure.

Lastly, for those reading my first story "I will never forget", I will finish it but I'm having difficulty writing the next chapter. If you stick around and wait for it, I will give you a virtual kiss and a hug afterwards. :-)