A/N: I have to thank my wonderful friend for, as always, making sure I got this done and she tried to catch all of my mistakes so any left are fully my own. I hope you enjoy.

"Well. She's alive. Sent a text to prove it" Mulan said solemnly as she lifted her gaze away from her phone an hour later. They'd been combing the town since the moment they'd found the blonde missing. "It's short and to the point. Basically she's at Snow's old place, and I need to keep you all away from her and the boy or else. Says she's leaving soon"

So the two man team quickly texted everybody else and agreed to meet at Ruby's apartment, everyone would need to discuss what the plan of action was. Whether they would allow Emma the night to cool things off or if they would go in like David and Snow's favorite way; guns blazing and swords raised high.

The apartment was the best because it was in the middle of town, not too far from Emma's location, and that was where Belle was busy digging through old records trying to find out what had happened to Emma's boy. Mulan and Aurora were just closing the door behind them as they heard Belle hollar, and everyone rushed towards the dark haired beauty.

"I figured out what went wrong today. Emma dropped Rhydian off for daycare, and she went to her new job as warehouse security. Not even two hours later a man, who had lost custody of his children, came in. He shot seven children. Three died, another four were wounded. Three of the children that were shot were his, but only one died. His two youngest children survived. And. Rhydian. He had pushed the man's little girl out of the way. The bullet lodged directly into his heart" Belle had tears in her eyes as she looked up from her computer screen.

They all began to digest that information, their minds playing out scenes much to graphic and heartbreaking for anyone to experience. Everyone sort of just found a seat, mouths drawn tight, minds racing. How could anyone get past something like that? You take a different job to give your son a better life, and the first day he gets killed trying to protect a friend?

Marching over to her house was put out of their minds as sadness and pain ate at their hearts. As silence fully overtook the small apartment, as a tense unseeable fog fell over the large group of people, not seven blocks away an apartment was filling with love giggles and happiness. A little boy wrapped up in his mother's arms, and a mother with a little boy that she should have never had a chance to hold again.

"Magicky books?" Asked the little boy as he snuggled deeper into his mother's lap. "Can I has a puppy? You says no puppy cuz puppy make potties on the floor. But magics can make the puppy not go potty on the floor."

"You get new clothes, toys, and a new bed and yet you still want that damn puppy?" Asked Emma with a half smile. Eagerly her precious boy nodded. How could she deny him something? So with an elongated sigh she continued. "Fine. What kind of puppy, find one on my phone and I will locate something to make him fully trained"

In less than thirty minutes he had found not only a cute one, but a dog that Emma would actually approve of. His final choice had been a doberman. Which was Emma's second favorite breed of dog. However, she would much prefer if he wasn't using her foot as a chew toy. She had, indeed, found a spell to potty train the little guy. Everything else there was no such spell. It seemed that magic wasn't all powerful. Just mostly powerful.

Emma had found a great many spells inside the books that she deemed useful. One of the first ones she had tried was an age reversal spell. Emma had decided that she needed to keep up with her son, and it would make much more sense for her to go back to the age she had been when he had gone away. So. She was now quite satisfied in her twenty-six year old body.

Despite being one of the biggest uber-bitches who ever had the misfortune of touching earth Cora had a wide variety of spells that covered most realms. Including legal paperwork, and even fucking with the internet system to make it appear like her shit was fully valid. So Emma had put those to good use. Changing all her stuff to the appropriate ages, as well as Rhydians. Erasing his death records. Moving his birth records.

Now, under normal circumstances Emma would have never done such a thing. However she had frozen his internal clock. Making it so he would stay the age he was in this moment until a week before his birthday, so she wouldn't have to change it. Beyond that he was her little boy, and having him this way for an extra few months wouldn't be bad. Not at all, especially considering what she'd lost. She'd treasure the next few months, those extra months with him at four years old. Even if she had to deal with a puppy too.

Leaving this town would be hard, there was no doubt in Emma's mind about that. There was so many things still here. Or, really, what it boiled down to was Regina. Henry. Her heart still ached, but with the rebirth of her son it was at least beating again. Her son, her little boy. Somehow, someway, he was alive and she would not leave him. To do that, she had to protect herself. To protect herself she had no choice but to leave everything she'd come to know behind. Far behind.

Soon enough the blonde was fast asleep in the large and comfortable bed. She had fallen asleep watching the rise and fall of his chest. Emma was only awoken when he began to climb into her lap. She'd simply smiled, secured an arm around him as he buried his face into her neck and fell back asleep.

The second time she woke up was to someone pulling a blanket over the two of them. At first she hadn't recognized the sensation, her eyes adjusting as she had tried to figure out what was going on, panic settling in that she would lose her precious boy. Then her eyes had landed on the person providing the blanket, Regina. She was standing to her left, the top of the blanket still in her hands. Frozen in mid-maneuver.

Shocked Emma just stared at the woman. Wondering why she, of all people, was standing there. Why she would even think to cover them with a blanket. Yes it was admittedly cold, but why would Regina care? Blinking Emma realized that it was time to wake up. The clock read just past two in the morning.

Before the incident they had been on a pretty strict schedule. Bed was at three in the afternoon, and they were up at midnight. However they'd been too excited with magic and seeing each other that they had been awake for far longer than they should have been and had simply fallen asleep sometime after five PM.

"It's the lady from the woods Momma" Yawned out the little boy as he rotated around so he was facing outwards. Curled up in one of his mother's arms so he could look out at the woman. "Hi" He said as he snuggled into his mother shyly.

"Go back to sleep little one" Emma said softly, she knew her son was still much too tired. That he needed more rest, and she knew he shouldn't be privy to any conversation she were to have with Regina.

Swiftly Emma got to her feet. The boy cradled carefully in her arms. She carried him like an infant, and he happily yawned and clutched one hand on the collar of her shirt. Emma knelt down in front of the bunk system. The top had a slide and a handful of toys, more like a play loft then a top bunk. After she laid him down onto the bottom she brushed his hair from his eyes and kissed his nose. He closed his eyes and was asleep before she even began to pull the blanket up his body.

Reluctantly Emma stood and turned around. From her new position she could see her parents and a few other people in the living area. With a sigh she followed Regina over to the couches. When all she really wanted to do was transport herself and Rhydian away, far, far, away. However, that would have to wait.

"Thank the gods you're) alive" Said a very relieved Snow. "The barrier finally fell, and we have been so scared" She spoke in a rush. Her eyes drifting past Emma to the little boy breathing deeply, his little nose scrunching at the loudness of her voice.

Like it was second nature Emma flicked her wrist, conjuring a near translucent barrier around the bunk. Even Snow could recognize that type of barrier, a sound barrier. Regina used it often to keep unwanted ears from conversations, they would be able to hear any sounds the boy made but he wouldn't hear them. However the mere fact that Emma was using magic shocked everyone there.

"Y-you. You are really using your magic?" David said in a worried tone, he disliked all magic save for faerie magic. Then he paused, his eyes roaming up and down his daughter's form. "Wait, you look so young" Brows crumpled as he appraised her once more.

"I turned back the clock, made myself the right age when. Rhydian. Left. Cora was a huge menace, but her spell books, her knowledge, was vast" Emma crossed her arms, and raised her chin as she spoke. Eyes untrusting. "What do you people want?"

Everyone glanced at each other, everyone felt a need to take a step back. As the woman was exuding an aura of power, of something they couldn't quite place their finger on. However, as they glanced at each other, they decided that it was a stupid move to back up. They didn't need to insult Emma any further.

"We just want to talk to you. Emma, please, calm down. I know you are in pain, but you have to stay here. This is your home. Your eldest son, your wife, they are here. We are your parents. You belong here, you have no choice but to stay." Snow demanded, most were surprised she hadn't stomped her foot like a young child.

This was, of course, the wrong thing to say. Everyone save Emma and David had flinched throughout Snow's speech. Emma's reaction was visible anger. Nails digging into her upper arms, teeth grinding together, her nose crinkling upwards to reveal a sharp incisor. To her credit she'd managed to last the whole thing without interrupting.

"I do not belong here. Furthermore. I can not survive here" Her voice was forceful, angry. "With this. With him" She placed a hand on her stomach as she glanced back at her sleeping little boy. "I may be immune to the forgetting potion, but that doesn't mean I can't do my very best to fight to build a good life for us. Fight to put this place, and everything that has happened the past twelve years, behind me."

All Emma wanted to do was to move on. To forget the entirety of her time here, but that was impossible. Because, before, she had wanted Regina to be the victim. For people to pity her, for them to be nice so she could be happy. Safe. That plan had gone to complete, and utter, shit. Right now, she had to keep it together. Had to survive, had to move on. For her son.

"NO!" Snow actually stomped her foot as she shouted at her grown daughter. Snow was constantly forgetting that Emma was a grown up, and that she was not a Queen. "This. You can't leave Emma! I forbid it. Everything is here. You can fix everything with Regina, she is your-"

"Will this make you happy?" Regina interrupted Snow before she could spill the secret that she knew would hurt Emma more than help in this situation. "Leaving, forging a life with Rhydian away from this place. Away from m-" Regina couldn't stand to say 'me' so instead she said "everything"

"What will make me happy is irrelevant. Wanting isn't a part of this decision. It's need. I need to be strong, and I need to do what's best for my baby" Emma sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Leaving. It's the only chance I have to be who he needs me to be. If I stay then I will be miserable, that's not healthy for him. If I go, if I leave, then maybe I can heal."

Her words cut deep, more deep than Regina thought something could. She had single handedly destroyed the most important person to her. A strong, loyal, loving, person. An idiot, but her idiot. If only she had trusted in their love then this would have never happened. Yet she couldn't turn back the hands of time, not in that sense at least.

"Then I will not stand in your way, nor will I let anyone else here do so. I just need you to do one thing. You must promise to stay in contact with Henry" Emma turned her gaze to the young man who was standing off to the side, just sort of staring at the sleeping boy.

"I will, of course I will. I planned on it. Under the condition that he promised not to fight me on my choices. As long as he accepts what I am too do. And. This is the most important, he does not reveal my location to any person that I have not given permission for him to tell." Emma paused. "You must not give any, and I mean any, information on me or my son"

There were many words, phrases, options that Emma could have used. However the one she chose cut Henry the deepest. Little brother would have stung. But the way she had said my son, with such pride and love. Yes, he knew that she was proud of him, and loved him. However he was jealous. The little boy had Emma as a baby, and so the love was different. But Henry pushed down his feelings and stared Emma in the eyes.

"I promise you." He stated firmly, and Emma nodded at him. Accepting his words. "I won't ever betray you again, not for anything" His voice cracked as he spoke, but he hid his embarrassment well. Not well enough that Regina didn't give him a sad look, but it made it past the two idiots.

"Now that everything is settled will you please leave" It was a demand, not a question. "I do not want my son around you, and would someone please unfreeze Apollo" Was stated as Emma pointed at the frozen doberman puppy. Rumple pointed a finger and the puppy resumed his barking.

"Apollo. Come" Emma told the dog in a stern voice, he let out a whimper and ran to her feet. Where he turned around and stood between her legs. Wagging his tail so he slammed into her calves. "We eat those who intrude upon my space, not get frozen" She warned.

In no way did the little guy look ferocious. However Emma was staring down at him as if he was meant to attack and kill on command at his tender age. It was rather adorable and Regina regretted never letting the woman talk her into a pet, it was clear Emma was adept at training.

"All of these books, they were Cora's?" Rumple asked as he tapped his cane against the floor, to gain Emma's attention. All over books were stacked in tall towers, some open and stacked that way. Children toys scattered around them.

"Yes. They are. I put my 'unsavory' background to good use for once. I will return them when I am done with them. I have already completely memorized three of them already. Though, I do not understand why you spin gold when it is much easier to just simply"

Emma held out her hand, palm facing up. As if she was going to conjure a fireball, but instead she conjured a cute little teddy bear. Then she waved her free hand over the object twice before muttering two words under her breath in elvish. The teddy bear turned to pure gold, her hand dropping almost an inch thanks to the weight.

"The last time Cora herself tried that spell she gave Midas his touch" Rumple spoke in complete awe. "It has only been perfected without incident by three users as far back as recorded magical history yet with no training you have mastered it"

"I wouldn't know anything about any of that. Nevertheless. This is the last time I ask you nicely. Leave this place, and do not return" With that Emma turned around, walked over to her chair. Crawling into it.

The puppy gave a pathetic little growl at them before circling the chair and jumping up onto his master's lap. Cuddling onto her lap and putting his head on the arm so he continue his pitiful growls until the people finally left. It was only then both he and his master fell back into a slumber.

A/N: As always leave behind any thoughts. Whether good or bad (i prefer constructive criticism or at least nice hate versus outright rudeness but hey, whatever,) or just tell me your favorite animal... or dino. I like dinos.