Trigger warning: This chapter contains mentions of child abuse and rape.


Chapter 8: Red Light

Emma was doing her best to keep her pregnancy a secret from the town, until the last possible second. She didn't feel that any of them needed to know quite yet. After all, what if something she happened? She couldn't bare the looks she'd get from the well-meaning town. It was easier for the small group who knew to keep it under wraps until it was time. She knew she'd have to tell Ralph and Belle, she doubted Baelfire was going to. They had a right to know their grandchild. Even so, she wanted to wait. Every time she thought of him, she wanted to break down and she couldn't handle it.

Weeks passed by and Emma had another appointment. Before she knew it, she was starting to get a tiny bump. It was covered by sweatshirts or whatever else she could use to cover it up, but it was there. She stood in front of her mirror one morning, standing to the side with her hand on her stomach, examining it. Mary watched from the doorway with a smile.

"He or she is definitely in there," she said.

Emma nodded, rubbing her tank top covered bump. "My clothes barely fit anymore. I didn't think I'd need new stuff so soon."

"Well to be fair, you've always been a twig," Mary teased, stepping forward. "I know you hate shopping, but why don't we go and pick out some new stuff?"

Emma sighed. "Do I have to?"

"It's that or walk around in those skinny jeans that you can barely button up in the morning."

Emma's mouth dropped open. "I…they so fit."

"I saw you on the bed this morning, struggling to button them."

She pulled her tongue at her mother, which just made Mary laugh.

"Alright, alright," Emma relented, pulling David's sweatshirt over her. Hers no longer fit anymore. "But no pink and nothing cutesy."

"I'd expect nothing less. Come on, we have some time before I have to pick up Neal from that birthday party."

Emma grabbed her purse and followed her mom down to the car. She wasn't surprised when Mary started driving out of town. Ashley's shop sold maternity clothes, but they tended to match her style which was pretty girly. Mary had already looked into some hip stores that sold blacks and reds, they weren't a far ride.

"So, promise me you won't shoot this down," Mary said as she turned onto the highway.

Emma sighed. "I told you, I'm not doing a gender reveal. They're so lame."

Mary laughed. "I know. But, what about a baby shower?"

"Mom…"

"Come on, it'd be fun. We won't do any corny games. There will just be lots of food and hanging out. It doesn't even have to be that big."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Once the town finds out, they're all going to expect an invite."

"Well, the more the merrier."

"I don't want them to feel bad for me…I…I don't really need anything. I can buy all the stuff on my own."

That had been a sore subject in their household. David and Mary had offered to buy furniture for the nursery, but Emma wasn't exactly on board with that. She had only been out of college for under a year, but she didn't want anyone to think she couldn't hack it. Since she lived at home, she was able to save up some money. This was her baby, her responsibility, not her parents'. Yet, they were insisting on helping as much as possible. She was grateful, knowing not many would have the offers she did, but it was still weird for her.

"Em," Mary pulled to a red light and gave her a soft look. "It's common for pregnant women to have baby showers. No one is going to think less of you for having one. If you really don't want one, that's fine. I just think it'd be nice for you to celebrate this baby. It is a good thing, planned or otherwise."

Emma chewed on her lip. She knew her mother was right. She was so young and had been expecting her parents to finally get angry with her for being so irresponsible. It wasn't her fault that the condom had been faulty, but if she had just been on the pill…

Then she wouldn't be having her baby and she wouldn't trade him or her for the world. She already loved them so much.

"If it's a girl, no pink," Emma decided.

Mary snorted. "Deal. You can pick the color."

She sighed, rubbing her small bump. "I had a dream the other night, it was a boy."

"Oh?"

"But I read online that sometimes dreams mean the opposite."

"Don't listen to that stuff. I remember when I was trying to get pregnant, they said that if you didn't take folic acid, the baby would have three heads."

Emma snorted. "And you believed it?"

"We were young when we started trying!" Mary defended herself. "I was freaked out of my mind. Your dad ended up promising me that if our baby did have three heads, he'd just cut holes in all their shirts."

"Good ol' Dad." Emma was once again silent for a minute. "Do you wish…I mean, I know you wouldn't trade me and Neal for anything…but do you ever wish you had gotten pregnant after adopting him?"

Mary didn't even have to think about it. "No. I mean, your father and I talked about it, even after we had just gotten you. What we would do if I was hit by a miracle and got pregnant. We'd of course love the baby, it wouldn't change how much we loved you. Yet, I didn't need that, I still don't. I have you and your brother, I love you both so much."

"And you never thought about having more children?"

She shrugged. "We talked about it, adopting again. We were just happy with you two. Now, we're going to be grandparents…before we turn 40."

Emma couldn't help but laugh at that. "Sorry."

"Don't be, I'm excited." She rubbed Emma's arm. "This baby is going to be so loved, don't doubt that."

Emma didn't. She knew she was going to love the hell out of her baby, there was no way she was going to let him or her feel how she did, ever.

Soon, they were at the shop Mary had found on the internet. Emma was surprised at how many of the clothes she actually liked. For the first time in all her 22 years, she was actually picking stuff out willingly. In the back of the shop, she came across a red leather jacket. It was a little big, but it'd work for when she got further along in her pregnancy. Trying it on, she remembered back to 9 years prior…

Mary guided Emma over to the racks of teen clothes and she started to sort through them. She wasn't used to shopping. Normally, she just got older foster sibling's hand me downs. The only thing she spotted was a red faux leather jacket. She picked it up and looked at the size. It was too big for her, but that just meant there'd be room to grow. Her foster mother saw her eyeing.

"That's so cute and it's perfect for spring and fall. It looks like it'll be a little big."

Emma felt a small smile go across her face. She still had that jacket, it just didn't fit like it used to now that she was pregnant. In fact, she had to buy another one before she even found out she was, because of how old it was. She still loved it, it meant the world to her. That shopping trip had been the first she had gone on that she was allowed to pick stuff out. Mary had spent so much money on her, not even flinching at the totals. Normally, she was forced to get hand-me downs or had to stand back while a foster parent picked out the cheapest thing, so the money could go to something "more important" (like their other children).

Mary walked over and grinned. "Should've known you were going to pick out something like that."

"These have always been my favorite, pregnant or not." Emma slid it off and threw it into the cart. She then noticed the large collection in Mary's. "Mom…"

"I knew you were going to go easy here. All of this is on me."

"No, wait…"

"I won't take no for an answer. You need new clothes, Em, and I'm your mother."

"I'm 22."

"Does that make me any less your mom?"

Emma sighed, knowing there was no getting out of it. She pushed her own cart to the check out, paying for her small amount. Mary did the same with her overflowing cart. She had gotten things for when Emma would be further along. She knew Emma would be happy rewearing the same things over and over again, so she had to step in.

When they were done, they headed to a little café nearby. Mary was very surprised when Emma ordered a salad.

"In all my years of knowing you, you've never done that," Mary said.

Emma sighed. "The baby has been craving vegetables. It sucks."

She laughed. "Who knows, maybe they'll be a health nut like their grandma."

"They better like grilled cheese."

Snow smiled. "And hot cocoa, that's a deal breaker for this family."

"Of course."


Neal was having a lot of fun at this birthday party, it was really taking his mind off of everything. Mason was a new boy in his class and he had invited everyone to try to make some new friends. There were clowns, face painting, a bounce house, even cotton candy! He was running around with Gideon and Mason, having a ton of fun.

The one drawback of Neal not knowing Mason very well, meant that his parents didn't know his own that well. Mrs. McNulty had only met Mary when she dropped him off that afternoon and had yet to get to know David yet. Neal didn't realize this, however. So, when Mrs. McNulty yelled into the backyard, "Neal, your father is here!" he thought nothing of it.

"Aw man, do you really have to go?" Gideon asked.

"Yeah." He made a face. "But I'll see you guys on Monday."

Heading through to the front of the house, he spotted Mrs. McNulty, but didn't know who the man she was standing with was. He was older than his own father, with graying blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He took a step back, but before he could tell his new friend's mother that this was definitely not his father, the man wrapped an arm around him.

"Thank you for having him, we'll see you soon."

When they got outside, Neal tried to fight against him, but it was no use. The man kept a tight grip on him as he lead him to his car, shoving him into the backseat. Looking for a way out, Neal realized the door handles and buttons to pull down the window had been torn off. His heart began racing as the man got up front.

"You're not my dad!" He shouted.

The man simply laughed. It wasn't like any he had ever heard before, from a real person anyway. It was almost like a cartoon villain, along the likes of Jafar or Hades. "Oh Neal, yes I am."

Neal recoiled in his seat. "How do you know my name?"

"Like I said, I'm your daddy. How else would I know?"

"My daddy is the sheriff! You're not him!"

"Neal, Neal, Neal," the man shook his head. "I don't know if you were told, but you were adopted."

Neal paused. How did this man know that? "Yeah, so?"

"So, in order for you to be adopted, it means you'd have to have another dad first." He flashed him a smile. "We've never been properly introduced. My name's Ed, Ed Swan. I'm your daddy."

Neal's eyes widened. Ed. The man that had hurt Emma, he'd touched her in places he wasn't supposed to. Neal tried to get out of the car, but it was too late, there was nowhere for him to go. Ed sickly smiled back at him, before zooming off. He was going so fast, that Neal almost fell over a few times. He quickly put on his seatbelt, not knowing what else to do. Where was Ed taking him?


Emma and Mary pulled up in front of the McNulty's, walking up to the door. Beth, the mother, opened the door with a confused smile on her face.

"Mary," she said. "What are you doing here?"

Mary cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean? I'm here to pick up my son."

"Your husband already did."

Mary knew that couldn't be right. David was working a double shift at the station. He rarely did them, but they came up every now and again as sheriff. Maybe he had convinced Graham to take over for him? Pulling out her cell phone, she quickly called her husband.

"Hey, honey," he said when he answered.

"David, are you still at the station?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't pick up Neal from that birthday party?"

"Was I supposed to?"

Mary's heart sank in her chest and she could feel Emma staring at her with wide eyes. If David hadn't picked up Neal, who had? Why would they be pretending to be him in the first place? She gulped and gripped Emma's hand.

"No, but I just showed up to get him and Beth said that his father already did," she said.

David's voice grew serious. "What?"

"I'm going to be at the station in 5 minutes."

As Mary hung up, Emma was scrolling through her pictures and finally came across one. She practically shoved her phone in Beth's face.

"Was this the man that picked him up?" She asked.

Beth took in the picture of David. "No, definitely not. The man was older."

Emma shut her eyes, willing herself to not jump to conclusions. Soon, she was looking through articles in Safari. She could barely hear her mom saying they had to go, her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. Finally, she came across the article that came out around the time Ed had gone back to prison. It included his mugshot.

"Was this him?" She asked.

Beth slowly nodded. "Like I said, he looked a little older…but that was definitely him. I'd know those eyes anywhere."

Emma felt as if she was going to puke. How was it possible?! Ed had been sent back to prison for raping a woman, they said he was going to be in prison for the rest of his life. She grabbed hold of her mom's arm and dragged her back to the car. Both were silent as they jumped inside, Mary zooming to the station. She couldn't believe this was happening. Ed had her baby boy, he could do anything to him!

The drive to the station would've normally taken longer, but Mary sped as fast as she could. The car was barely parked, when Emma jumped out and raced into the station. David placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Ed…he…he…"

David shook his head. "Emma, honey, Ed's in prison…"

"NO!" Tears spilled down her face. "Beth said it was him. He has him! Daddy, he has Neal!"

David's jaw clenched and he swallowed, hard. Mary raced into the station and he pulled his girls into his arms. Just then, Graham walked over to them. David had filled him in on his son being missing before they showed up.

"I'll call for an AMBER alert," he said. "I'll have Leroy head out to get a statement from Mrs. McNulty. We're going to find him, don't worry."

Emma pulled away from her parents and ran her fingers through her hair. She thought back to when she was 5-years-old and had been in the system for a few months. Ed was out on bail, awaiting trial. She had been at her new school, playing on the playground when she caught the familiar sight of his car. Running over to her teacher, she filled her in on everything. She was brought inside and hidden in the office. Police found Ed a block away and figured out what he was trying to do. He wanted to kidnap Emma, hurt her once again.

She slid down into her desk chair and brought her head in between her legs, trying to breathe, but she barely could. This wasn't happening, it couldn't. Ed had hurt her enough, he was never supposed to be able to touch her brother, he was going to die behind bars!

"How the hell did this happen?" David demanded. "He's supposed to be locked up!"

Graham settled down into his own desk, looking over some files on the computer. "It seems he got pardoned for good behavior…again."

"What the actual hell? The last time he did that, he raped someone!"

"We're going to find him, Dave, don't worry."

Emma looked up and saw her mother on the verge of tears. She walked over and wrapped a tight arm around her.

"Graham's right, but we won't do it by just sitting here," she announced. "We need to split up. Leroy's talking to Beth, we need to look over Storybrooke. There's no way he could've gotten far."

Mary tightened her grip on Emma. She knew she was a rookie on the force, but she didn't want her other baby anywhere out of her sight. "Emma…"

"Mama, I know. I love you, but I need to do this."

"I need to know where you are."

Emma thought for a minute. "The tracking app, I never took it off my phone. You two don't use it anymore, you can now. I'm going to be okay."

Mary and David exchanged a look. The latter wanted Emma to stay behind too. Not only was she pregnant, but she was their daughter. He was worried enough about Neal, Ed had to be looking for Emma too. At the same time, she was a grown adult, she was going to do what she wanted.

"Be careful," David told her. "Answer your phone when I call. If you don't, I don't care where you are, I'm coming."

"I know you will." Emma gave him a quick hug before turning to Mary, who had tears running down her face. "Mom…"

"Just…please be careful."

Emma threw her arms around her. "I will, I promise. I'm gonna get Neal back."

Mary let out a shaky breath and squeezed Emma tightly before letting go. Graham tossed Emma the keys to one of the squad cars and she took off. David hugged Mary tightly, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm going to bring our boy home," he promised. "And our girl."

Mary let out a shaky breath. "You be careful too, I can't lose any of you."

"You won't. I promise you, by tonight we'll be a family again."

Mary watched him head out the door. From the window, she could see her husband and daughter hug once again before getting into their separate cars and take off. She sunk down into a chair, feeling very faint. Graham handed her a cup of water, rubbing her back.

"They're going to be okay, Mary Margaret," he assured her.

She wanted to believe him, but for once…her hope was dwindling.


Emma sped down Main Street, trying to think of where Ed could be taking Neal. There was no way he'd be stupid enough to go back to Boston. As she came to a red light, her phone began buzzing with a FaceTime request. She didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyway. She nearly jumped at the image on the other side.

"Well, well, well," Ed said with a smirk. "Hello."

"Where are you, Ed?"

"I wouldn't worry about it. I'm getting my second chance to raise a family."

"Like hell you are! Where's Neal!"

"He's fine, just resting." Ed directed the phone to Neal, who was sleeping on a bed.

"What'd you do to him?!"

"Would you relax? I have no plans for him…for now. If you want to see your baby brother again, you better follow my instructions carefully. You showed up a few years ago, saying you were all big and bad. Prove it. Come take his spot." He paused. "And another thing, no cops. If I see your precious daddy pull up, this whole thing is over and well…you can go back to being an only child. I'll text you the address."

The phone dinged and Ed's face disappeared. A moment later, she got a text containing the address. She knew she should text her parents, but she couldn't risk it. Plus, she knew her father would be calling her. When she didn't answer, he'd come for her.

She just had to hope things would go according to plan.

Emma placed a hand on her baby bump. "Come on, it's time for your first real adventure." She hit the gas and headed off.


I think we'll leave it there…as always tell me what you think and what you want to see. Until next time friends…