The one thing you can say about mankind is that there's nothing kind about man
Being swarmed by two people who look the same age as you but you know are actually your parents is an understandably strange feeling. Mary-Margaret... or Snow White and 'Prince' David both embraced Emma as though she were a life raft in troubled waters and she could feel tears on her... mother's face rubbing against her cheek. It was a bizarre feeling to suddenly connect the idea that she had family to a real, physical embodiment of that same thing. She returned the hug with a tentative squeeze just for a few moments before Mary-Margaret pulled her back to hold her at arm's length and David released her entirely, standing there with an odd half-smile on his face.
"Emma!" Mary-Margaret cried again, tears streaming down her face, but her smile was so bright Emma couldn't help but return it weakly. That was until Mary-Margaret lightly slapped her on top of the head and her ace turned to one of concerned parental fury, "Emma Swan where have you been?"
"Ow! Um what the hell Mare!" Emma yelped indignantly at the sudden change of mood. "I thought Snow White was meant to be all cuddly and nice?"
David snorted at that and Mary-Margaret sent him a death stare that nearly rivalled that of Regina. "I'm glad you know who we are already, this would've been an awkward conversation otherwise. And that you found us."
"Well you can thank Jefferson for that." Emma mumbled, thoughts flickering back to her companion and his currently fingerless state. Both of her parents looked confused and Emma realized that David had probably never actually met or heard of Jefferson, and that Mary-Margaret likely didn't know him other than as the madman who kidnapped both of them. Man... This would take a lot of explanations that she was far too tired to make.
"Well as much as I would like to stand here and ask you about a million questions, I need to go and find Henry." Emma stated briskly, carefully skating over the questions that she also knew her parents were dying to ask her in return judging by their faces.
"I saw him go visit Rumpelstiltskin again earlier today, he's been visiting him a lot since you disappeared." David's voice was laced with worry and his brow furrowed in further consternation. Emma understood his concern, from what she had heard about Rumpelstiltskin and from what she had seen or Mr Gold; she wouldn't trust the man with her son. Turning right back around, Emma strode hurriedly down the street, tattered dress flowing slightly behind her in the Maine wind, her forest green eyes fixated on the door of Mr Gold's shop.
She was aware of Mary-Margaret and David following close behind her as she slammed open the door, setting the little golden swan-shaped bell tinkling. She quickly saw Henry standing over by the counter with Mr Gold, a pretty young woman with long brown hair and large blue eyes dressed in a white gown and woollen coat, and finally, Henry. They arrived just in time to see the woman throw her arms around Gold's neck and begin to sob into his shoulder, gripping him tightly. Deciding not to question whatever the hell she was witnessing there, she focused solely on her son. Henry turned as Emma strode forward, his face lighting up like Christmas and he enveloped her in a huge hug, shouting her name in joy; it was odd to meet such a warm welcome more than once.
"Hey there kid." Emma said, burying her face into his hair and hugging him tightly to her, so glad to see him again that she couldn't even find the effort to wonder who the woman was and why she was hugging Gold, or why Henry was here in the first place. She just needed Henry to know one important thing first. "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you before Henry. You were right all along."
"I know I was." He said glibly, pulling back to look up at her with those big Neal-brown eyes of his, she felt tears sting her eyes once more. "I knew you would figure it out eventually. But where did you go? Was it the Enchanted Forest? Was it amazing? Were there dragons? Did you see the palace? How did you get back to Storybrooke? What-"
Emma cut Henry off before he could fire yet another question at her already overwhelmed system. "Whoa there Henry! One thing at a time! I promise I will tell you all everything, but right now I could really use something to eat... and a couple of days of sleep come to think of it."
Mary-Margaret smiled kindly at her, squeezing her arm gently and guiding her towards the door; shooting a glance back at Gold and his lady-friend, Emma realized that they were probably intruding on something private by the looks of it. She put her arm around Henry's shoulders and her parents joined hands on her other side as they left the shop. "If Granny's is open I think we could all do with some cinnamon buns and hot chocolate."
Emma smiled at Mary-Margaret tiredly and quickened her pace at the thought of the warm, oozing, sticky sweet treats; it seemed to have the same effect on Henry as well as his step turned to more of what could be described as a trot. She heard David laugh quietly and felt a smile spread across her face even as the tears continued to flow silently down her cheeks. She had a family. She was home. And Jefferson was alive.
Even if he was injured and still mentally unstable, she would be with him every step of the rest of the way if she had any say about it. Things were looking up for Emma for the first time in over a decade. She felt impossibly light, as if a weight had dropped from her that had been lingering so long that it had become a part of her. She felt both hollow and newly filled at the same time in an odd, euphoric kind of way. While Emma's body may have been exhausted, starved, traumatised and sore, her soul felt strangely better. Less numb.
This is not the last chapter as I am ending on a round 40 chapter fic, but it is the penultimate chapter that doesn't contain smut. CHAPTER 40 is going to be the long awaited MadSwan sex scene so be warned – it is not for the faint of heart.