Missing Signals

When Emma helps two orphaned children find their father she starts to wonder about her own, even more after an interesting conversation with Mary Margaret.

NOTE: THIS STORY STARTS FROM EPISODE 9! I DON'T OWN THE SHOW.

Chapter 3:

Henry was determined to figure out what Emma's dream meant. It was clear it couldn't be real as James and Snow had only one child. Maybe it was a desire deep inside in Emma's mind and she longed for it to be true. He was going straight to the first person he could think of.

"Mrs. Blanchard?" Henry said casually after school. He waited for all the kids to be out of the classroom.

"Yes Henry" Mary Margaret was collecting her things to go home "Is something wrong?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?" The boy rested his elbows on her desk. Mary Margaret nodded amused by the caution in the boy's voice. "Do you ever think about having kids?"

Mary Margaret blinked. That was way too personal. She started playing with the ring on her finger. Henry had noticed she did that when she was nervous. "I guess I do sometimes, everybody does I suppose at one point or another"

"Have you ever considered it yourself?" Henry asked. He knew she wasn't enjoying this little chat.

"I guess" She said as they made their way outside school "But I haven't found the right person, it just takes time"

"I think you have" Henry said. Maybe it had been to bold, but if he wanted to break the curse he needed someone else on his side "I think you like David, I mean you were meant to find him. He went looking for you that night in the woods"

"I am not sure about me and David" Mary Margaret said "He's married Henry and he loves his wife. He is supposed to be with her"

"He just thinks he loves his wife, those are fake memories, he is supposed to be with you, you belong together"

"Henry" Mary Margaret kneeled at his level "I know you want to believe it, but David seems okay with the life he has now and I…"

"You are not" Henry concluded "I just want to help"

"I know you do sweetie" Mary Margaret said looking deeply into his eyes "But life is a little bit more complicated than that"

"I guess" Henry said giving up "But let's just say if you had a baby and it was a boy"

"And he had blue eyes like David's" Mary concluded playing along. That would be a beautiful baby. Mary thought.

"Yeah" Henry said smiling "What would you name him?"

"Well I always liked the name James" Mary said "Don't ask me why, I just…"

"It has a ring to it?" Henry said "what about Michael? Do you like that one Mrs. Blanchard?"

"That is also pretty, yes" Mary stared at the ring on her finger. She had always had that ring. As far as she could remember. She didn't understand where Henry was going with all this baby talking. She certainly thought it seemed a bit strange that a 10 year old would be asking that to his teacher but, then again, Henry was a very bright boy.

***Once Upon A Time***

Emma continued to have the same dream for a whole week. Except for the fact that bits of it changed. She was losing her mind.

"It just won't stop" She told Henry "I must be crazy"

"We already said that it can't be a memory because you were just a baby when your dad put you inside the wardrobe, right?" Emma nodded. "Okay, so maybe it means, that we are closer to breaking the curse so you can have that kind of life with them"

"Let's just say we break the curse" Emma said playing with her cocoa "And Operation Cobra succeeds, then you think time will go back to the moment it was cast?"

Henry shrugged "I don't know, I guess if that happens then I wouldn't even be born" He rested his chin on the table "That's kind of sad, I was getting used to the idea of being Snow and Charming's grandson"

"Right" Emma said "Well, I don't know kid" Emma said "What do you say we call it a night on operation Cobra, I have to get up early in the morning"

"Okay" Henry said "But maybe, you can go back to Fairytale land at your age and that means, I can go too"

"Maybe" Emma smiled "Come on, I'll walk you home" They weren't so far and it was a nice night so maybe the walk would do the trick tonight and those dreams would go away.

"David" Emma heard Henry said. Emma raised her head to see David next to her son.

"Hello there Henry" He said cheerfully "Emma"

"Hey" Emma said coolly "How are you?"

"Much better thanks" David could sense the coldness on her voice; he knew she was Mary Margaret's friend as she would never really forgive him.

"Say David" Henry said "What do you think of the name Michael?" David had the same reaction Mary had had.

"It's a nice name" David said "You got a pet?"

"No, I just, figured you liked the name" Henry said grinning at him. David turned to Emma who simply shrugged.

"And why did you figure?" David asked. In that moment, Emma felt as if the world was spinning. There it was that smell again.

"Whoa, Emma are you okay?" Henry asked sharing a glare with David.

"Yeah, I am fine, I guess I´m just tired" Emma smiled. Then for some strange reason she saw some similarity between her son and David she hadn't noticed before.

"Maybe you should sit down for a moment and catch your breath" David offered his hand, Emma accepted it reluctantly and she and Henry sat on a bench nearby, while David stood there.

"Thanks" She told him gratefully "I'm fine, you can go home, I'm sure your wife is worried" David could see she had emphasized the word he didn't want to hear right now. He had been so frustrated since he had been back home. Awake. The only person he ever felt in peace around was Mary Margaret and he had closed that door. He had hurt her.

"I don't mind waiting with you" David sat next to Henry "it's nice"

"Don't think you'll earn some point with me so I talk highly of you to Mary, you really hurt her, you know?"

"I do" David said with regret in his voice "And I don't expect you to do anything, I know you don't like me much"

"You are right" Emma said "I don't"

Henry gave his mother an inquiring look so she would drop the subject "Maybe we should keep walking, you feel okay now don't you?"

But Emma didn't feel okay, something in her heart told her that David was a good man, he was just so messed up and Mary had been nice to him. Then he looked straight into her eyes.

He was wounded and there wasn't much time. He held his beautiful daughter in his arms, guarding her from all evil. But she couldn't really be safe if he didn't make it to the wardrobe. He busted the door with one kick and kneeled opening the wooden door the best he could. Then he placed her gently inside "Find us" He said almost crying and in pain and closed it. Then he turned around to keep fighting, but he choked in pain when the blade crossed his back. He collapsed on the ground and he was barely awake. He couldn't die before he was sure Emma was safe. He saw him open the door. She was gone. He could die in peace.

"David?" He hadn't heard Henry call his name. What's just happened?