Part 6 : Everything I still have.

Since Emma came back to Boston, she didn't sleep at any moment. To say the truth, it wasn't entirely the case, but her nights weren't really calm, and without any real rest.

(And it was not because of something pleasant.)

The Savior was having nightmares, every nights, and it never stopped, and she had no rest. Every morning, she woke up with shadows under her eyes, completely tired, and despite the great use of sleeping pills, she didn't succeed to rest.

In her "dreams", there were people that were screaming, and she didn't understand why, she didn't realize who they were. They were calling her, they were screaming her name, again and again, as if they wanted to prevent her of something important, vital.

But she heard nothing else than her name, the rest of the words were lost in a terrible noise, or in the screaming of despair of these people.

Emma finally saw after some nights their faces, there was a woman with dark hair, and another one with the same color of hair, but who was crying…

A man that she almost recognized, and a man lying on the ground and seeming dead, and a woman with green skin (?), who all seemed to be plunged into a deep despair.

Who they could be, that, she didn't know.

The only thing she took from it, it was a profound feeling of discomfort, just as if… as if she lost or forgot something. Which brought her back immediately to Henry, and to his story of fairy tales and curse, that was entirely absurd, at least, for the criteria of a normal human.

(But Emma Swan wasn't a normal human, not completely, so it should not apply to her.

And then, seeing how these people were dressed, it could almost have seemed to be credible.

And, that, despite Emma's efforts to stay in the rationality.)

Fifteen days passed that way, before her boss, seeing her tired and absolutely not efficient, decided to let her have some holidays for a time, so she could be again herself.

And just after that, Emma learned a new that made her become profoundly angry.

§§§§

Just after he tried to attack his "mother", and that this one made him her discourse of I-am-the-villain-and-I-won, Henry was taken without really understanding what was happening to him.

Well, that, that was before he realized who took his arm, and that he saw Archie's worried look. He sighted.

It just missed him...

And, turning into the direction of his adoptive mother, theadolescent saw that she was crying, an expression of pure pain on her face. The Author sniffed with disdain.

Even me, I know better how to play.

But he had to admit that yes, for anyone else, she was really good at that, someone who wouldn't have known the truth could have believed to it. The thing that, in fact, Archie did.

"Madam Mayor… what happened ? Is that what I think it is ?"

The scene that the psychiatrist had under his eyes was in fact really surrealist; Fiona, their dear mayor was hurt on her arm (wound provoked by magic, as Henry understood it fast) and Henry who was on the ground, his arm again in a bad way, and with the sword on his hand.

When he saw Fiona go despite it in her son's direction, Archie immediately stopped her :

"Fiona… don't do it, he could hurt you again. The look the former cricket gave to Henry was both full of fear and disapproval. Fiona falsely tried to justify him.

- No Archie… let me. This is my son, and he is just a child, he doesn't know what he is doing.

- Fiona, listen to me, your son tried to kill you. Don't tell me it doesn't count. The fairy nodded her head, and stopped to falsely try to struggle.

- You may be right, she finally said, almost seeming to be relieved."

Henry gave a look full of disgust to his mother, and this one smiled to him; it's at this instant that Archie decided to act and, taking a syringe he took after the Mayor's call, he jabbed Henry with. This last one fell down in the arms of the psychiatrist, not before he gave him a look full of reproaches.

If he hadn't know that what he was doing was good, Archie Hooper would have probably felt even worse than he did at that moment. And he would have been more ashamed of himself and of what he just did.

This is just when he saw the relieved look of Fiona that he understood he did the good choice.

§§§§

Henry immediately understood what happened at the instant where he woke up from his artificial sleep (the second, made by Whale), and horror took him. Slowly, all his body began to tremble, as he understood what it must imply.

They were dead, all the people he loved, his family was dead. His grands-parents, his mother, Zelena, and the pirate. Henry saw them, in a terrible and horrifying nightmare, a little as if he was back in the Netherworld.

He needed some seconds to understand where he was, and he almost screamed as he saw that he was tied to the bed with handcuffs. His sword also disappeared, so he had no way to fight, nor even to defend himself.

He was entirely powerless, and his feeling of despair became worse, as he saw who was on this side in this ordeal.

Archie.

Archie who forgot and had no idea about what just happened, and who would of course interpret his tears as being a form of regret.

This is what Henry didn't cry, not in front of him, despite his despair, and his distress.

Archie rapidly realized that something was wrong, and then he sighed again, as he did some seconds ago. The cry of the adolescent woke up him, and the psychiatrist told to himself that it was just a nightmare. But it was about Henry, and with him, nothing was simple by the way.

They needed to talk, and it really hurt the adult to be forced to do it, as he really much appreciated Henry, even though when he began to talk about fairy tales, some years ago.

He, who thought that everything would end rapidly, he had been wrong. The worst was coming, explain to Henry what they had to do now, because this situation couldn't last, not any more. But despite all the efforts of Fiona to stop this, Archie finally won.

"Henry, you need to listen to me, what I will tell you is really important.

Henry, still hurt by the certitude that he had no family now, waited a time before answering.

- What there is Archie ?

- What I will tell you is not easy to do, but… we must intern you. In the same place where your mother was. Henry started, panicked.

- But… are you crazy ?

- No Henry, I'm not, but… you are

- It's not true ! Exclaimed Henry.

- You think ? But Henry, you don't understand… you did something terrible, you tried to kill your mother !

- She is not my mother !

- Even though she adopted you, Fiona is really your mother, my boy. No matter that she is not the one who gave birth to you, she stays your mother, the one who loves you and who raised you.

- This is not her my mother, my adoptive mother, it's Regina."

Archie frowned his eyebrows :

"Who is Regina ?"

Henry didn't insist, and, discouraged, lied again on the bed. He sighed, saying to himself with irony how much his attitude was different from the one he had the first time toward his mother.

I am sorry mom, I really am.

He hadn't been able to save her, and Henry knew he would always blame himself for that.

§§§§

So, this is just fifteen days after Henry was interned in the same asylum as she was, that the former Savior learned what they did to her son. It was almost by chance, in fact, through a call from Ruby Lucas, waitress in the Granny's, who decided to tell her that, worried as Dorothy of what would happen.

"Emma ? It's Ruby… are you alright ?

- Yes Ruby, I am okay. Everything is okay there, in fact. Even if it's weird to re-adapt at the life here, everything is fine."

It was a lie, Ruby knew it, Emma knew it, and this conversation was more a fool's game than something else, during which the Savior tried to persuade her friend that nothing was wrong. This one, of course, didn't believe to it.

"You would want to come back, right ? I think that you will have the occasion… Henry… he tried to kill Fiona.

- WHAT ? Emma literally screamed, squeezing her phone in her fingers.

Ruby grimaced facing the assault her poor eardrums just suffered, and talked again.

"He attacked her… with a sword, according to Archie. She is fine, but he did hurt her; but I don't think that it's the worse, Emma.

- What could be, Ruby ?

- Archie and Fiona… took a decision that I don't approve. I don't know what you will think about it, but, well… They decided to send him in the asylum where you were before, they said that Henry was crazy.

- Henry isn't crazy, he is completely sane, Emma rebelled. I know that from an exterior look, he can seem… weird or particular, but he is okay ! When he will understand that all this story of fairy tales is insane, he will be okay, just as I am.

- I have doubts about it Emma, it risks to take much more time than for you, but you're right about Henry. I just think that he is just exhausted, and your leaving maybe incited him to do something terrible… For me, he saw himself as the knight saving the princess in distress, added Ruby with a light laugh.

Emma couldn't help, but laugh.

- Except that I am not a princess in distress, and that, you perfectly know it.

- Right, you look more as a Savior than as a victim, said Ruby with a light tone."

Emma's breath blocked for a time.

"What did you say ? She asked with a pale voice.

Ruby frowned.

- Nothing… the young woman answered, carefully, just that I didn't see you in an inactive role, at least, if you talk about fairy tales.

- Did you ever talk about it with Henry ? Did he… tell you something ?

- No, why ?

- For nothing, Emma whispered, more troubled than she showed it to Ruby.

- You have to come back, Em', the Mayor and Archie are really doing insane things. You have to stop them."

You have to save us. It was what was saying in sub-text the desperate asking of Ruby, and the former sheriff tried not to take it into account, despite the surprise to know that the other woman counted on her and no one else to fix things.

"Why don't you ask to someone else ?

- Because this is your son, but also because you know as I do that no one in this damn town will ever dare to fight against her. You need to stop her from doing this to Henry, in fact, I'm a little afraid that it's too late… "

Emma nodded her head, convinced.

"I'm coming there Ruby, don't worry."

She was coming back to Storybrooke, where she belonged, and where she would save Henry.

If there was still someone to save…

§§§§

Emma didn't need much hours to come again in this town she already missed, and she felt so much better when she crossed the line that she almost asked to herself why she left at the beginning. She felt good, just as if, just as if…

Almost as if she was at home…

But it wasn't Storybrooke her home, but Boston, it always was before.

(But Boston was such a cold town, compared to Storybrooke, which was the town where was what was the most close to a family.)

She had been right to leave, her spirit was now more clear, without all these medicines, and she realized that she wouldn't have wanted to leave if Fiona didn't manipulate her. The attitude of the Mayor scared her, and she started to think that Henry may be right to be suspicious toward her.

(Even though she wasn't that maleficent, either.)

There was something evil in her, buried under layers of false politeness and honeyed hypocrisy.

(During an instant, she saw a dark hair, as a feminine face, other than Fiona, that strangely reminded her of the Mayor of the town. It made her feel strangely good, as if it was someone she used to appreciate, and love, as a lost friend.)

And if Emma wasn't afraid for her now, she was afraid about what would happen to Henry, if he stayed with this woman.

Wanting not to be seen, she didn't show herself to the other, and put her car not far from the frontier, in the forest. No one saw her, in fact, no one paid attention to her, and she saw bitterly that apparently they all forgot her as she was in the asylum.

(And it hurt her, without knowing really why.)

Without really realizing it, more guided by her instinct than by her reason, she opened a door that she didn't think she ever opened, she walked on the stairs, and opened another door that wasn't locked.

The apartment was entirely empty, and she looked around her with curiosity, with almost a sensation of déjà-vu. As if she already came here, that she knew the place.

But it was absurd, right ?

(Except that there are some things you don't forget, you never forget.

Because there were people there, a family for her, and that even if she forgot it, she felt it, in the deep of herself, that there was something.

A mix of joy and suffering, mixed also with many regrets began to invade her.)

In reality, it was false, the room wasn't empty.

At least, not at all.

There was still a particular object, that wasn't from the furniture, and that was on the main table.

An object that shouldn't have been there, and that was Emma's, and that she forgot, as everything, and that came there with the curse.

A simple object for many people, but a treasury for her.

And a symbol, from what she used to have, what she could have had, but also what she would never have, not any more.

Something that representing what she lost, and what she still had.

That is to say nothing.

A ring, that representing her love for a man she forgot, as an engagement that wouldn't matter in this world.

Until death separate us, after all.

Well, now, it was done…

§§§§

Emma didn't understand at that moment what was happening to her; all she took from it then, is that she again felt something, and that she wanted to take the object in her hand.

When she took the ring, Emma felt a great shock, and the impression to be crossed by a kind of an electrical power.

Before that a hundred of pictures just came to her eyes, and that she fell on the ground, afraid by what she just discovered.

Oh, that can't be true !

She would have almost wanted to die right now, in fact…