A/N: This is a little shorter, mostly to finish the first part of the story and come to the next... where Emma doesn't live with her parents anymore. I don't know about you but I'm excited about it. Hope you still like - and thanks so much guys for all the enthusiasm, it's contagious.

That evening Emma found herself standing once again in the opening to Henry's improv bedroom knocking on one of the beams. Her son looked up from his book and tried a smile but he looked like he already knew he was in trouble.

"Hey, Henry," Emma said. "Can I come in?"

"You're asking permission to give me a lecture now?" He asked in a sharper voice than he had intended to. He sighed. "Sorry. Sure, come in."

"I take it, you already know what I want to talk to you about," Emma said as she sat down at the foot of his bed. Henry nodded in answer.

"My book project," he said.

"That's right. Snow says, you did poorly and that that's not like you at all because you love stories and books. So what happened?"

"I didn't really have enough time to... research everything," Henry said but he wasn't looking at her, he was looking down at the book that now lay closed in his lap.

"Well, that's strange because Regina told me you were pretty much working on it most of the time you were with her this week, including Sunday evening."

Henry looked up at Emma, his lower lip slighly protruding over his upper one.

"Is this how it's gonna be now, you two ganging up on me?" he asked in a miffed voice.

"No one's ganging up on you. I... didn't quite know what to say to you, to be honest. We haven't been at this point yet and I... needed parenting advice, that's all," Emma explained calmly and Henry immediately looked contrite.

"I'm sorry. I... I wasn't working on the project the whole time I was at mom's. I have... another thing that... it's a secret," he told her and she raised an eyebrow.

"A secret? It's not another mission, is it?"

"It kinda is, maybe. I mean... I can't really talk about it just yet but I've been thinking about it and... I wanted to do the project but..."

"This new mission of yours was more important than your schoolwork?" Emma asked, trying very hard not to make it sound like his missions weren't important. They obviously were for him. She just didn't want him to put them before his other responsibilities, and school was probably the most important one.

"It's not more important. It's just... something I hadn't thought of before and... it just took up a lot of time this week. It's not bad or anything, it's just something I need to think about a little, you know?"

"I wish you would share it with me, you know you can always tell me everything, right?" Emma told Henry.

"I have to think this through by myself first but I know. I'll tell you... at some point," he promised and smiled.

"Good. And no more ditching of responsibilities because of it, right?"

Henry nodded.

"Okay, that leaves the matter that you lied to your mom," Emma said and Henry groaned.

"I didn't mean to, it was just..."

"Easier?" Emma helped him out.

He nodded reluctantly.

"Well, that's why we lie, to make our lives easier but that doesn't mean we should. And after all that happened... your mom needs to know that she can trust you just as much as you need to trust her, you know."

Henry hung his head.

"I know. I'm not gonna do it again."

"Good. And you will tell her you're sorry. Now, for your punishment..."

Henry looked up at the word wide-eyed.

"You get to choose between not watching tv tonight and tomorrow or no dessert next time we're at Granny's," Emma told him in a stern voice.

The boy tried hard not to grin.

"I take the tv-thing," he said after a moment's contemplation.

"Which makes your mom officially better at punishing people," Emma said then smiled. "But I guess we already knew that."

Henry grinned.

"Actually, I think your punishment was worse that why I took hers," he said.

"Yeah, that makes sense, although I guess most boys your age would rather go without dessert than tv."

"I've got my books," Henry said lifting the one from his lap, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

"How many times have you read that now?"

"When I finish this, I have read the whole series three times," he told her. "Have you read them?"

Emma nodded.

"But only once so far," she said. "Who's your favorite? Harry?"

"Ron, actually. He's not born to fulfill a prophecy, he's one in too many siblings but he still helps Harry with everything and is his best friend. The fact that he's mediocre makes him extraordinary, I think."

"And you always thought like that?"

"No, I guess it's what I learned in Neverland. That sometimes it's not the big gesture that makes one a hero," he said and they smiled at each other.

"Who's your favorite?" Henry then asked.

"Hermione, of course. And I like Luna a lot," Emma answered without thinking about it.

Henry nodded.

"There's something else I wanted to talk to you about," Emma said after a while in which they had just sat and talked about the book series.

Henry looked questioningly at her.

"I may have found a place for us to live in."

"Really? Already?"

"Your mom helped. She suggested Doc's old place, you know it?"

"Yeah, I've been there a couple of times, helped Doc in the garden and stuff. It's a nice house," he said.

"It is but I'll have to talk to... some people about it. I just wanted to give you the heads up."

Henry nodded.

"Cool. Have you told grandma and granddad yet?"

"Not yet, I'll have to talk to... your dad about it first. Because obviously he's the owner now that... Mr. Gold is dead." Emma explained.

"Oh, right... that means that most of Storybrooke belongs to him, right?"

Emma nodded, only now registering herself what Regina had told her. She looked at Henry and he at her, both wide-eyed.

"Wow," she let out slowly.

"He's rich, isn't he?"

"Well, I'm not sure. I mean, owning almost all of Storybrooke is not like owning other places, I guess. I mean... Storybrooke's economy is a pretty closed off...," Emma tried to explain. "But compared to everyone else... except your mom, I guess. This place is so weird," she finally concluded.

Henry laughed.

"You're only finding that out now?" he asked.

"I guess the werewolf-waitress and the pixie-nuns should have given me a clue, huh?" Emma grinned.

"Yeah," Henry gave back. "So, have you looked at the house yet?"

"Regina showed it to me today," Emma said nodding. "It's cute... very well-kept. I was actually surprised but didn't want to mention it. In the Disney movie the dwarfs are such slobs."

"Not in the original fairy tale. They're actually very good at keeping house but they still keep Snow... I guess because they're nice." Henry said.

"Makes sense."

"When did you guys meet to look at the house?" Henry asked.

"Just before I came home... I didn't want to say anything over dinner... I have a feeling I need to ease your grandparents into this, especially since...," but Emma stopped there looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Since what?"

"Since the house is on Mifflin Street," Emma finished with a meaningful look.

"Where mom lives."

Emma nodded.

"Do you think they'll ever be able to forgive her - and she them?"

"I don't know, Henry. They've been through a lot... with each other, and not in a good way."

"But she's trying to change, she has... she has changed," he argued.

"You don't have to convince me of that, I know it. But it's more difficult to accept for Snow and David... and everybody else, I guess."

"They don't know her... they don't know how... hard it is for her now that she lives in this town where everyone hates her. And they're supposed to be the good people," Henry said sadly.

"They are... that's why they'll probably forgive her at some point. But it takes time, kid," Emma told him and rubbed his knee.

"Have you forgiven her?"

"As far as I'm concerned, Regina and I are friends... but I guess, the Fairy Talers know a different woman. From what I've heard and read in your book, the Evil Queen wasn't very likable," Emma explained.

"But mom is? To you, I mean?"

"I like her... she's different from how she wants to appear. More... vulnerable, less conceited. I like her sense of humor and... I like her," Emma closed because she didn't quite trust herself not to say something she rather wouldn't have Henry know.

"Good," he said and smiled.

"You wanna go back to your book?" she asked and he nodded. Emma rose from Henry's bed and was about to leave his 'room' when she looked back and found him watching her curiously. "Everything alright?" she asked and he nodded.

She looked quizzically at him but he only smiled at her.

"Okay, good night, Henry."

"Night, ma," he answered and she left him to his book.

Emma Swan didn't like to procrastinate on things that needed to be done. And thus she found herself visiting her ex the very next afternoon to talk about Doc's house. He was surprised to see her but caught on quickly what she wanted of him. He agreed to rent her the house immediately and the two of them spent the next half hour arguing about the rent. Neal wanted to just give her the house for free, then said he wanted Henry to have it. She told him to get an overview of everything his father left him and see if he couldn't think of something else to give Henry when he came of age. In the end, her rent wasn't even half what Doc had paid Mr. Gold but Emma realized she wouldn't get Neal to go any higher. Remembering that she needed to furnish the whole place, she let it go. But she made it clear that she didn't owe him anything, that she would be his tenant and that was it.

Neal consented and they met again on Saturday to draw up a lease. Emma got the key to the place and looked it over, wrote down some things she thought needed paint or plaster but mostly the house was in good shape.

That left talking to her parents which she did on Wednesday. Snow and David weren't happy about it but they agreed that they all needed some more space.

In the end, it didn't even take two weeks from the moment Regina had mentioned the house to Emma to her and Henry moving in. On Saturday, they met with their friends from Storybrooke and moved what little Emma and Henry owned into the house. And then they moved some things in that Emma didn't even own because everyone wanted to help and everyone had some end table, lamp, book shelf they didn't need anymore.

When the men carried in a heavy leather couch, Emma turned toward Ruby who smirked at her. It was the leather couch from the inn's living room - the one she and Regina had made out on.

"Is this a joke?"

"No, I figured since you already almost defiled it you might take it as... say inspiration?" Ruby grinned.

"I'm getting the indistinct feeling that you're trying to set me up with Regina. What's up with that?" Emma whispered as she didn't want anyone else to overhear her.

"It's not about setting you up, it's about you having some good and adult fun. And since you don't seem especially interested in the two guys who practically pine after you... might as well be the only person you've shown any interest in since you've been back from Neverland. And that's Regina," Ruby explained.

"It's not going into the living room," she told the men who were already heading in that direction. "It's going upstairs, bedroom on the right," she told them and received some grumbled complaints in return.

"I know it's awefully heavy, boys, but the lassie sure doesn't want the beast in her living room," Granny told them. Then she turned to Emma. "I've been wanting to get rid of this thing for years but Ruby says, it's a great couch, so I keep it. Now she tells me, Emma might want it. I don't know why. But I already got my new one and if you really want it..." She looked at Emma questioningly.

"It's comfortable and I need one in my bedroom anyways," Emma said quickly reassuring Granny and receiving another wicked grin from Ruby.

"Told you so," Ruby said to her grandmother.

"Ah, the girl, but she's got a head for business and she likes to help people out," Granny said as Ruby went by her. "Wish she was getting a husband, though. She's too stubborn, a lad could still correct that, I venture."

"Maybe she doesn't want a husband," Emma mused.

"A lad, a lassie, I don't care, as long as... they love her, and are good to her. And make her a little less stubborn." Granny gave back and then grinned.

Emma laughed. She hadn't expected Granny to be so open-minded but then she remembered what Regina had told her about homosexuality in the Enchanted Forest and how it was just taken as a fact of life. And now she was actually ready to believe it.