Disclaimer: Not my characters.

A/N: This is a little Emma-centric but she does have some stuff to deal with.

Chapter 4: Step By Step

Emma sat down heavily on the small sofa in the den, her eyes never leaving the spot where the bottle of bourbon used to be. She swirled the glass in her hand absent-mindedly until she moved it too hard and a drop of the amber liquid was catapulted onto her hand. She eyed the tumbler as if it were a foreign object for a second, then lifted it to her mouth and emptied it in one gulp.

So Regina was still in Storybrooke.

That was the only explanation that made sense, unless she had somehow figured out a way to take her magic with her across the border. She made mental note to check with Gold if there was any way that was possible … and then she remembered that Gold wasn't there any more to ask because he had sacrificed himself in Neverland in exchange for Neal's life.

No, the only explanation was that Regina hadn't left town, at least not yet, and was just hiding somewhere. That woman, Emma groused silently. Her feelings vacillated heavily between anger and relief. How could Regina tell Henry that she would leave and then stay? Was it some sort of mind game? But she hadn't actually said that she would leave town, had she? her brain reminded her. She wished she had taken the letter with her to check. But no, she hadn't said that as far as she could remember. Just that she would leave, and judging by the state of her house and her personal belongings she had indeed left to parts unknown.

She was ripped out of her thoughts when her phone rang. She didn't even look at the display before answering. "Swan."

"Emma, honey, are you okay?" Emma groaned silently. She definitely should have checked who it was. "Henry said you weren't feeling well but it's been hours and I'm getting worried."

It's been hours already? "Last time I checked I'm an adult, Snow," Emma growled. She really wasn't in the mood for Snow's meddling and overprotecting urges. For all she knew Snow might have been one of the reasons why Regina felt the need to leave. "Why is it so hard for you to leave me alone?"

"But … Emma, sweetie …" Snow whined. "You left breakfast so suddenly, and Neal was worried, too …"

Emma pressed the empty tumblr against her forehead, silently cursing Regina for stealing that bottle away. "Snow, I want you to listen to me," she said slowly, enunciating each word. Maybe she was beginning to sound like Regina a little bit. "I don't care what Neal thought or was worried about, and he knows that. He should know better than to keep trying, and you need to stop helping him at every turn."

Emma could practically see Snow's wounded face at the other end of the line. "I'm just trying to help you because you're just as stubborn as your dad sometimes, Emma," Snow insisted. "And Neal is your true love, he told me so, and it's so clear—"

"He what?!" Emma erupted. "That fucking asshole! He can forget about seeing Henry ever again!"

"Emma!" Snow sounded scandalized, although Emma wasn't sure if it was by her tone, her swearing, or the threat. "You can't threaten the father of your child," she continued. "Henry needs both his parents."

Emma took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Henry has two parents, me and Regina," she said as calmly as she could. "Neal has known him for maybe ten minutes. He's not a parent, he's … he's … Henry's current favorite obsession. And you encourage him left, right, and center, Snow, and you have to stop."

Snow huffed. "You and Neal are Henry's parents," she said primly. "No matter what Regina says. Wait, are you with her right now? Is she putting these thoughts in your head?"

Emma laughed bitterly. She just wished she were with Regina right now. Oh, how she wished for that. Sometimes it felt like Regina was the only person in the world who got her despite all their fights. "No, I'm not," she told her mother truthfully. She decided not to mention that she was currently sitting in Regina's den, seriously contemplating staying here for the foreseeable future. Nobody would look for her here — well, apart from Henry, and he'd be welcome to join her. Hiding away from the world actually sounded … nice. No wonder Regina had run. "By the way, Snow, I don't need Regina to tell me what I know to be true. Regina raised Henry for ten years and she loves him with all her heart. Neal ejaculated and the condom broke. See the difference?"

Emma didn't have to see Snow in that moment to know the face she was making. She sighed. "I'm sorry if I'm being crass," she muttered half-heartedly because she wasn't really all that sorry. "But seriously, you need to stop pushing Neal at me." Or any other guy for that matter. She should probably be glad that her mother had no idea that she'd kissed Hook on Neverland, otherwise she'd be trying to sell her on his virtues next.

"I just want what's best for you and Henry," Snow finally said after a long silence, her voice soft and sad.

"The best thing you can do for me and Henry is to trust me to know what's best for us," Emma replied calmly. "I know you missed out on mothering me, but that train's left the station long ago, so please ... stay out of my love life."

"But … sweetie …"

"See you later," Emma interrupted another round of her mother's pleading and ended the call. She considered turning her phone off but she didn't dare in case Henry wanted to reach her. Or a certain someone.

Emma twirled her phone in her hand. Maybe I should just … Before she knew it she had dialed a familiar number. It rang twice before Regina's voice answered. "You have reached Regina Mills. I'm currently unavailable but you can leave a message." Emma swallowed hard. How had she not realized how much she had missed hearing that voice the last few days?

"Regina, its me," Emma said hesitantly. "Henry gave me your letter today. I know you told him not to … but I'm also pretty sure that you expected me to read it anyway. Look, I'm sorry we didn't read it before but Henry was scared of what it might say." She swallowed again trying not to sound desperate. "Where are you, Regina? Why did you run? You know that's my specialty. You're the clingy mom, not me. Henry misses you." I miss you. "Why didn't you talk to me? Come back, okay? Or at least call me so I know you're all right. Or call Henry if you don't want to talk to me. Just … you know … call."

Emma ended the call and got to her feet. She still needed to check the mausoleum.

o o o

Regina poured herself a generous helping from the magically acquired bottle and sat down on the bench outside her cabin to think.

There weren't too many explanations why Emma would be in her house, if indeed it had been Emma. But her presence was the only thing that made any sense at all, so Regina decided to just postulate it was her. Emma could have come to pick something up for Henry from his room, she supposed, but deep down she knew it was because Emma was looking for her.

The bigger question was: why now? Why not before? Why at all?

Regina sipped her drink, watching a crow resting in a nearby tree. She liked the dark birds — they were intelligent, resilient, and, best of all, had always refused to talk to Snow White. She imagined that Snow's inane chatter insulted their intelligence, and she made sure to befriend the different murders of crows on her land wherever she went. The crow met Regina's eyes for a moment, then inclined its head once before flying off in search of food.

Regina leaned her head against the wall of her cabin. She had disappeared five days ago, so why was Emma at her house now? Had Henry really kept the letter from his mother? Or had he simply not read it? Or, worst of all, read it and thrown it away?

Regina gasped at the thought. She wished she could find out what was going on and in the next second she chastised herself for caring too much. You wanted to let them go, now live with it, she told herself. But she was finding out that that was even harder than she thought it was going to be. Living without Henry and Emma proved to be like living with a wound that refused to heal, staying just barely scabbed over, itching all the time, driving her to pick at it again and again.

The mere thought of maybe leaving her hiding spot to see them — even from afar, from a safe hiding place — made her heart clench painfully in her chest, and she actually couldn't breathe for long, scary moments. How on earth did she ever think she could do this? How did she think she could stay hidden away in the woods around Storybrooke, when the two people she loved with all her heart were so close, yet so far, far away?

She took another sip of her drink, wondering what to do.

o o o

Emma had been to Regina's vault before but it had never felt as creepy to her as it did on this bright Sunday afternoon. It was at least 20 degrees colder inside than it was outside, and Emma shivered even in her leather jacket. Although, she considered, that could have been from more than the cold. It could just as easily have been dread.

Emma was convinced the place was empty as soon as she got to the sarcophagus covering the stairs. Everything inside the mausoleum felt stale and untouched, and the light dust cover on the sarcophagus provided evidence that it hadn't been moved in a while. She pushed against it nonetheless just to prove her own point, nodding at the very visible handprints she left in the spot she was pushing against.

"Might as well check it out," she muttered to the walls and descended to the lower level. It was soon clear that Regina was definitely not hiding in her vault. Dust covered every surface here as well, and it didn't look like Regina had been down here since long before their trip to Neverland.

Emma shook her head with a drawn-out sigh. Better head home and bring Henry up to speed. She climbed the stairs, shoved the sarcophagus back into place, and walked out into the sunshine with a feeling of relief. She had just shaken herself once to get rid of the last vestiges of dread when her phone rang. This time she checked who it was before answering with a smile. "Hey, kid."

"Ma!" Henry yelled into the phone. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the cemetery, why?" Emma started walking at a brisk pace. "What's going on, Henry?"

"You have to come quick," Henry explained, sounding a little out of breath and a lot excited. "I just saw mom! She's still in Storybrooke!"

Emma broke into a jog. "You saw Regina? Where?"

"I was walking home from dad's and I saw her car driving down Main Street," Henry replied, words tumbling all over each other in his haste to get them out.

"Where did she go?"

"She turned onto Portland from here. She should—"

"Be driving right past here," Emma finished for him, just as she spotted the black Mercedes speeding past the cemetery entrance and disappearing around the corner. She sprinted after the car, wishing like hell she'd taken her car, but when she got to the corner, the car was nowhere in sight.

"Damn!"