Thank you to those who reviewed last chapter. It makes me smile when I get an email alert with a new review or follower. I hope you enjoy this one.

CHAPTER 4

Mary Margaret

Mary Margaret watched as her daughter wandered around the loft, in an almost zombie like state. She heard crying up stairs and ran up to find Emma and David in an embrace. It hurt a bit to see her leaning on David that way and not her but knew that her daughter yet to have father/daughter bonding. She was used to all the bonding time. She snuck out of the room and waited for them to come down. And there she was, watching her zombie daughter wandering.

"She's confused." David wrapped his arms around her.

"I think we all are." Mary Margaret leaned back in his embrace. "Is she ok?"

"She will be." He smiled. "She looked so happy and proud when she made the mobile look new. It was amazing really."

Mary Margaret slowly pulled away from her husband and looked him the eye. There was pride in his eyes. She feared however that his urge to go home was deeper now. She figured that they'd grow the beans that Tiny had the stalk for and then decide what to do with them. She was scared to go home. But now Emma and Henry and Charming all wanted to go there. She was outnumbered and it was her home too.

Emma

Emma finally felt refreshed the next day after her little adventure. She vaguely remembered wandering around the loft like Snow said she did. She remembered a dream however. Her father and Neal were talking. He said he still loved her. It was just a dream. Besides, she hated him. She felt sad knowing Henry was with him right now at Granny's. Neal probably didn't expect David to be trailing behind but with the Evil Family and Hook lurking around Emma wasn't taking chances.

"Want me to make you some lunch?"

"I'm not hungry." Emma sat down next to Mary Margaret on the couch. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"Going back there. Taking him with me. I didn't know it was going to happen." Emma leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "It hasn't been easy for him, has it?" She now looked at her mother. "You and I had a year of bonding. I mostly disliked him for hurting you."

"He understands, Emma." Mary Margaret put her arm around Emma and pulled her close. "He just wants to protect you."

"If the curse hadn't happened when it did, he would be dead. He was in the coma because he fought for me. To get me to the wardrobe." Emma didn't say anything for a minute or two. "I always wanted…," she paused again. "A daddy who would protect me like he does. Who called me his Princess."

"Oh, Emma." Mary Margaret held her tighter. "You are his Princess. You will always be and he will never stop fighting for you or trying to protect you. Same goes for me." She placed a kiss on the top of her head.

She pulled away from her mother. The mushy talk getting to her. It was too much of an emotional roller-coaster. She hated this feeling. She wished she had never owed Gold a favor and that she never found Neal. While Henry was happy it was creating problems. The magic she had in her hadn't been an issue until she saw Neal. Now it was going haywire. She needed to try to get it under control. She looked at a glass vase on the table and willed it move. It exploded.

"Ah!" Mary Margaret screamed.

"Sorry." Emma frowned. She got up and went to change. "When do you think Henry will be home?" She asked coming down from her room. Mary Margaret was cleaning the mess. "I think I need to talk to him."

"David should be bringing him back anytime now. David said they lost track of time talking. He was getting bored nursing his cup of coffee," she laughed.

Emma just nodded and waited. She didn't get a chance to talk to him yet. They came home and she fell asleep crying on her father then when she woke up she got drunk off her butt and somehow wished herself back to the Enchanted Forest. She really needed to make sure they were ok. It was obvious her lying had upset him but her whisking him away from New York just compounded the problem.

"MOM!" Henry yelled as he flung himself at her breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Hey kid." She hugged him back and watched as her parents moved to their room.

"What was it like? To jump worlds? It's so cool." Henry started to ramble.

"Slow down there." She smiled. It was like she never lied to him but sadly she did and once the awesomeness of her new power wore off Henry would be back to being mad at her. "We can talk about that later. I need to know how you feel about your dad. And me. You are still mad me, aren't you?"

"Maybe," he whispered.

"It's ok to be upset with me. I lied to you about your father."

"Neal told me not to be mad at you. He told me what happened. I guess I can see why you lied. I'm trying not to be mad."

"I know." She smoothed his hair. "I lied to protect myself but it was to protect you too. I didn't think you needed to know your father was the reason I gave birth to you in jail. I was wrong. And I'm very sorry."

"Ok." Henry jumped a bit on the couch. "I can't believe he was like that. He's soooo cool."

Emma laughed. She thought Neal was sooo cool at one point in time. She could see how he had won Henry over so quickly and he did win points for coming clean to the kid about what he did to her. She let Henry ramble on and on about his morning with his dad. His excitement was overflowing. If one good thing came out of finding Neal, this was it. She could hear her parents discussing a plan of action against Cora and crew but it was hard to plan an offensive when the enemy was staying hidden.

"What do you say you and I just hang out in the apartment the rest of the day?" Emma suggested. "We haven't had any real chance to just hang out."

"Can I pick the card game?" Henry didn't for an answer and ran up to their room for what Emma assumed was a deck of cards.

Emma

Yesterday with Henry had been amazing. Just playing cards and forgetting about the world was something she wished they could do more. But, now it was back to the real world. Her desk looked like a filing cabinet threw up. How in the world was there this much paperwork and why hadn't her acting Sheriff, aka dad, taken care of it? Oh, easy. He was busy trying to keep the town safe from a giant and other big bads.

These papers were the last thing she cared about. Cora and Hook were plotting and who knew what Regina was really up to. At least Hook couldn't get hook-happy as his "prosthetic" hand was locked safely away in her desk. Casting a quick glance down at the drawer she smiled. Emma then grabbed a box and slid the papers in it deciding they would be there for later.

"I like that method of record keeping." She hadn't heard that voice since before the she broke the curse. He was no longer wood.

"You little…." Emma swiftly got out of her chair and moved towards him.

"Good to see you too." August's voice held signs of nervousness.

"Just where do you get off?" Emma poked him in the chest. "Playing God?" She pushed him hard catching him off guard and making him stumble backwards. "You had no right!"

Oh, just keep calm. She didn't want a repeat of the other night. No blown up street lamps. No wishing herself back to the Enchanted Forest. Calm was the way to go. Yet, looking at the face of the man she once considered a friend but who had ruined her life made her want to wish him back to wood.

"Listen, Emma. I know you are angry. But, just hear me out." He cursed when she pushed him yet again in to the wall.

"Angry? Me?" She raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be angry? You just ruined my life." She felt her hands tingle. "I could have raised my son with Neal. We could have come here as a family, August."

August side-stepped her in an attempt to get out of her way. Emma followed him towards the door.

"I did what I had to do."

"Did you really? Have to?" She hissed.

"Ok, well I can see this is getting us nowhere. How about we discuss this another day." August now had the front door to the station open. He was half in, half out.

"Or I wish you in to wood and the conversation is over for ever." She crossed her arms over her chest. It was an idle threat. She would never do that even if it was something her magical powers let her do. She laughed a bit when he stumbled back as the door opened further. And the hits kept on coming.

"I really need to talk to you about Hook." Neal barged past August and straight to Emma. It was only when her arm whipped behind to him to grab a retreating figure did he seem to notice him. No words were spoken, unless you called Neal's fist connecting with August's nose.

"Tag. You're it." She nodded to Neal and headed back in.

They could duke it out. She didn't hear any yelling or fighting. It made her sad in a way. She wanted Neal to be just as angry as she was. Maybe he was really over it, them. Which she was too. Of course. She just didn't want to be the only one with anger issues over August and his role in the destruction of their relationship. Of course Neal was over it all. He was engaged.

Emma grabbed her jacket and keys and headed back out. She found Neal and August in a heated yet whispered conversation a little ways away. She locked the doors and hoped neither of them saw her.

"And you keep 20 thousand for yourself? That's really taking care of her, man." Neal's voice grew louder. "I don't care if you thought she needed to struggle. She had a kid. Our kid. Did you once…just once check on her after she got locked up?"

Emma didn't want to hear the answer. August had been tasked with taking care of her and repeatedly he failed her. She could blame him when he was a child but grown up August…he was a crap "Guardian Angel". He was worse than Neal. The only man who was ever truthful to her was Graham, well after she found him having an affair with the Mayor. And he was dead. In another life she could have truly loved him. If only stupid Neal Cassidy hadn't ruined her expectations of love.

She found herself at Granny's. Needing to satisfy her sweet tooth she ordered a slice of blueberry pie to go. The rest of her family was home still strategizing. She thought about grabbing a pie but remembered Mary Margaret had baked cookies with Henry in another attempt at normalcy. She ate as she walked.

"Can you believe his nerve?" Neal came walking up behind her.

"I enjoyed the possible broken nose you gave him." She bit down on her fork.

"He had it coming." He fell in step with her. "I really do need to talk to you about Hook. I wanted to do it yesterday but figured you needed a day."

Emma stopped in the middle of the empty road. Now what did he need to know that Gold didn't already fill him in on.

"Look, he has his own agenda. He'll play whichever side that will help him get your father. That means siding with Cora." Emma starting walking again.

"No, I know all that. I mean with you and him." Neal flinched at the look she gave him. "I know he came back when you did and that you dealt with him over there. He's a womanizer and will do and say anything…"

"You think I didn't catch on to that during the 10 or so hours I spent with him climbing up giant bean stalk and stealing from a giant?" She took another bit of the pie. It was giving her something else to focus on. "He's a flirt. It's amusing. That's all. And I don't need to justify anything." She came to a sudden halt when he pulled on her arm.

"Once he knows I am here he will try to lure you away Emma. It's not just my dad he hates, ok?"

"Lure me? To where? The Jolly Roger where will fall in love and sail away to Neverland?" She busted up laughing then calmed down. "I've outsmarted him before. I can handle him. It's Cora that we really need to worry about." She took a minute then it finally hit her. "Wait a minute, you know Hook?"