Author's note: Emma's thoughts on leaving Storybrooke when Pan's curse hit. Post 3x11.

Author's Note Update: thank you to the guest reviewer who pointed out something was wrong with the lay out of the story before! I had no idea. Hope it's fixed now!

I do not own Once Upon a Time.


You have to go.

Those words echoed in Emma's mind. After all this time. After finding her family. She had to leave with Henry. Pan's curse was slowly engulfing the town and everyone was at the town line to say goodbye. She would never get to see them again. Jimmy Cricket, Granny and Red, Tinkerbell, The blue fairy, Belle, The Dwarfs, Rumplestiltskin's son, Captain Hook, The Evil Queen, and her parents Snow White and Prince Charming. She just realised how crazy her life had gotten, and wouldn't want it any other way.

After saying goodbye to everyone, it was time to say some personal goodbyes. Emma and Henry had a family hug with her parents. She had just found them, now they have to go. She wished she could go with them but Henry couldn't grow up like she did. She felt Henry pull away front the hug and go to Regina. She wish she could stop Pan's curse or bring Henry with them to the Enchanted Forest. After a long and emotional hug with her parents, Emma went over to Neal. She wondered how Neal took his father's, and his grandfather's (it's not like he liked pan at all) death.

"Neal, I'm sorry. "

"Don't be. You gotta get our boy the hell out of here."

"And you have to go back there."

"Yeah. But hey this isn't over. I'll see both of you again."

They hugged. She still had feeling for both Neal and Hook, but she did know that she may never see either of them again. The hug ended and Emma went over to Hook. She never thought she would have feelings for Captain Hook. But he was more Charming with less feathers than the movie.

"That's quite a vessel you captain there Swan." Emma was going to miss his charming character.

"Not a day will go by that I won't think of you." Emma knew exactly what to say.

"Good." A smile grew on his face as a small smile on hers. Emma then walked over to Regina, well actually more of Regina walking over to her.

"There's something I haven't told you." Those words were never good.

"What now?" She already had her walls down and all these emotions were coming at all different speeds. She felt tears threatening to come out.

"When the curse washes over us, it will send us all back, nothing will be left behind. Including your memories." Those last words struck Emma. Her memories!? She wouldn't remember her family, friends. Anything.

"It's just what the curse does. Storybrooke will no longer exist, or would have ever existed. So these last years will be gone from both your memories, and will just go back to being stories again."

"What will happen to us?

"I don't know."

"That doesn't sound much like a happy ending."

"It's not. But I can give you one."

"You can preserve our memories?"

"No. I can do what I did to everyone else in this town, and give you new ones." Wait didn't she curse them?

"You cursed them and they were miserable."

"They didn't have to be." Was this really happening? Was Regina giving her a happy ending? Tears started slowly flowing out. Regina took her hands and looked at her.

"My gift to you is good memories. A good life for you," Regina reached out to Henry who came next to her. Both of them were in tears. "And Henry. You would have never given him up. You would've always been together." Emma could tell this was hard for Regina. Henry was her only family, and she was giving him to her.

"You'd do that?"

"When I stop Pan's curse and you cross that town line. You will have the life you've always wanted." Both Emma and Regina looked like they were going to brake down.

"But it won't be real."

"Your pasts won't. But your future will. Now go, there isn't much time left, the curse will be here any minute."

Regina had let go of Emma and was looking at Henry. Emma could see how much Regina was going to miss Henry. Regina and Henry hugged. Emma looked up to everyone she was going to forget. And will just go back to being stories again. No Emma didn't want to forget. She couldn't forget. She had just found them and they were being ripped away from her. It seems like everything that Emma ever loved was ripped away from her.

Emma was about to brake down as her mother came up to her and held her cheeks. Emma took a long look at the one she thought didn't love her and abandoned her on the side of a highway. But she did love her, and did it for her best chance. She gave Emma a kiss on the forehead then slowly walked away.

She felt the urge to go after her and be in her mum and dad's comfort. But Emma had to go. The green smoke was quickly swallowing up the town. Emma jumped in the driver's seat of her yellow bug. Henry was in the passenger seat. As she looked through her rear view mirror. Regina had torn the curse and Emma started driving, and kept driving. Things started to become blurry in her head. No she couldn't forget. She tried to fight it. But she gave in.

Wait what was happening? Emma was driving with Henry in the passenger seat. Suddenly everything became clear. Of course how could she forget. They were moving to New York. She smiled over at Henry who smiled back. Emma felt her wet cheeks. Why were they wet? It didn't matter. She felt happy with her son and continued driving.