Emma is nervous. She isn't sure what exactly they are getting themselves into and she hates surprises. Is the town really back? Do the residents still remember who they are? By the time the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign pops up, she is prepared for the worst.
The second they cross the town line, she feels a strange sensation, like something tugging at her brain, scrambling through her memories. She panics and stops the car. She looks over at Hook who also seems to be fighting with some invisible force. She reaches out to him, the moment her fingertips touch his arm, she feels her magic flare up. There is a blinding white light and then there's nothing.
When Emma wakes up again, she is disoriented and her head is pounding painfully. She hears a groan from beside her and turns to see Hook slowly coming to his senses, holding his head as if in pain.
She quickly turns her head, ignoring the sudden stab of pain that pools behind her temples, and checks the back seat. Henry is still sleeping peacefully, just as he was before they entered the town limits. She's still feeling uneasy though, because she has no idea what just happened to them. She needs to make sure he's okay.
"Henry?", she calls out softly.
The boy opens his eyes dazedly, then smiles up at her. He yawns. "Are we there?"
Emma smiles back at him, relieved. "Almost."
She turns back to Hook, who is still rubbing his forehead with his right hand, his face a mask of pain. Apparently Henry follows her line of sight, focussing his attention on Hook as well.
"What's wrong, dad?"
"Nothing, it's just a headache ... " Hook stops short and turns around, a look of surprise on his face. "What did you say, lad?"
Henry grins at him. "What, you didn't get that? Aren't you the one who keeps telling me about the importance of listening properly?" He says the last couple of words in an eerily flawless imitation of Hook's accent, which sends a cold shiver down Emma's spine. Something is definitely wrong here.
Hook is utterly confused at this point. He looks back at Emma with such a helpless expression that it would be funny, under different circumstances.
She turns back to Henry, a worried look on her face.
"Henry, do you remember why we came here?"
He looks at her as if she's lost her mind. Maybe she has, who knows. "Um, because we're going home? Seriously, what's wrong with you guys?"
Emma and Hook exchange a look. Henry narrows his eyes. "What's going on here?"
Emma gives him a reassuring smile. "Nothing. Just messing with you, kiddo."
She starts the car again and continues the drive into town. She spares a glance to the side and meets Hook's eyes. He still looks completely confused. She gives him a silent warning. Not now. She doesn't want to worry Henry unnecessarily. Something messed with his memories when they crossed the town line. For some reason, she and Hook appear to be unaffected. A scary thought strikes her. Is Hook unaffected?. She quickly looks over again. He's lost in thought, his brows narrowed. It gives her hope. If he were affected like Henry, he'd probably think everything is normal.
"Um, where are we going?"
Henry's questions draws her out of her thoughts.
"Huh?"
"You just missed the left turn into Regent street."
"Huh?"
Henry rolls his eyes. "I thought we were going straight home?"
Shit. Emma doesn't have the faintest clue where that could possibly be. Maybe her parent's place? She decides to stall for more time.
"I thought we could go to Granny's first. I'm starving."
Henry makes a non-committal sound and turns his attention back to his phone. Emma swallows. Crisis averted. For now.
She pulls up in front of Granny's with a bad feeling. Something is not right in Storybrooke. She can feel it. They get out of the car slowly, stretching their limbs. Henry immediately walks into the diner, his attention still on his phone. The moment he's inside, Hook turns to her, a worried expression on his face.
"What the hell just happened?"
Emma just shrugs helplessly. "It seems this curse influences people entering the town as well."
"Why did it affect the lad while we remained our same old dashing selves?"
"I have no idea, Hook. Look, I think for now it's best to just play along. I don't want to scare Henry. We'll find some way to get his memories back."
Hook nods. "Would be helpful to know what, exactly, we are playing along with."
"Well, he seems to think we live in Storybrooke and you're his father. Let's just go with that."
A strange expression crosses Hook's face, but it's gone too quickly for Emma to identify. He nods again and they enter the diner together.