Disclaimer: I do not own the Once Upon a Time franchise.

Chapter Four

Six Months Later

"I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss your bride." Emma leaned up as Walsh leaned down, their lips just barely brushing. She was surprised that she'd teared up during the small ceremony. It wasn't as grand as Walsh's parents had wanted, but it was still more than she'd anticipated. And there were society photographers everywhere.

Glancing in the front row behind her, she smiled at Henry and August. Henry had gotten fidgety halfway through so August had scooped him up. Looking over at August and Henry, Walsh and Emma linked hands and both squatted down, letting Henry pummel them to the ground. She knew her heels were digging into the expensive wedding dress, probably tearing it in the process, but she didn't care. Somehow, she'd built a small family and looking at Henry and at Walsh, she knew she'd built a good one.

Two Years Later

Almost methodically, Emma pulled the dishes from the dishwasher to put them away. Henry was asleep in his room already and Walsh had late night. Another late night. Emma was wondering if he was cheating on her. He'd had so many in the last six months. She'd been afraid to say anything though. The market was faltering a bit and Walsh was on edge. He'd come home in a fit of rage almost every night for weeks now. It left her on pins and needles when the sun would set and she would wonder when the door would slam.

And if he'd been drinking. If he'd been drinking it would be worse for her. The nights he came home halfway through a bottle of scotch already meant she'd wind up with a least one bruise.

So far, he'd kept his temper away from Henry. Emma was just hoping that one night he'd actually want to talk and they could maybe work out whatever was bothering him. They were supposed to be a team, but it seemed like that had fallen apart rather quickly.

Emma glanced down at the phone on the kitchen counter as she tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear. She'd only emailed August over the last eight months. He'd been traveling all over the world writing. He seemed happy and free and Emma was thrilled for him. Thrilled that he was using his talents and doing something he loved. For the past two months he'd been in the Middle East, covering a news story for an outlet bigger than the Phoenix Harold and she didn't want to bother him with her problems. He'd needed to be focused on staying alive over there. It made her shiver to think he could get blown up at any moment. Still, he'd gotten back two days earlier and she hadn't reached out other than a text to make sure he'd landed in Phoenix safely.

When the door flew open, Emma took a breath to steady her shaking hands. Hopefully tonight Walsh would be willing to talk with her instead of simply scream at her. When he appeared in the kitchen, he tossed his briefcase on the island and made a beeline for the bar, pouring a glass of scotch. When he went straight to the bar that meant he'd already been drinking.

"Hey, Walsh." Emma put the final plates away and shut the cabinet door. She could hear her own voice shaking, and she hated herself for that. "How was your day?"

Walsh turned so quickly, Emma barely registered his movement until he was hovering over her. "What a stupid question." He snarled. "You know damn well that my days have been hard. And then I come home to you asking me stupid questions like that."

Emma pressed her hands on his chest and took a step back. He wreaked of scotch, like he'd been drinking before he even got home. "I didn't mean it like that." She murmured softly, trying to calm him, "I thought maybe you'd like to tell me why your day was hard. Maybe I could help?"

Tossing the glass at the countertop, it shattered and what was left of his scotch went all over the kitchen, Walsh grabbed her by her hair, "You and I both know there's nothing you can do to help. You're worthless Emma. I should've seen it from the start, but I bought into your silly stories of alone and unwanted. So, I gave you everything. I gave you the fairytale life and all you can do is bleed me dry. You and that little brat." He tossed her aside, letting her head hit the counter with a crack.

When Emma woke up it was to Henry shaking her shoulder with tears in his eyes. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself still on the kitchen floor, dried blood on her temple. And her head throbbed. "Momma?" His voice was small and unsteady. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Henry pummeled into her and she grimaced, "Momma, I want to go." He whispered.

Carefully, Emma sat up. It felt like Walsh had taken a few kicks at her stomach after she'd passed out. She rubbed her son's back and nodded, "Okay, we'll go." She agreed quietly. "We have to wait for him to leave though."

Henry glanced at the counter. "He left. I heard the front door."

Pressing a kiss to Henry's forehead, Emma nodded. She glanced toward the stove and saw that it was after ten in the morning, "Okay, baby, let me get up." It took her a moment to stabilize once she stood up. She wasn't sure where she was going to go or what she was going to do, but leaving did seem like the right option. Taking Henry's hand, she led him up the stairs to her bedroom. Reaching into the closet, she dug out their largest suitcase and began packing some of her clothes. She then rolled it into Henry's room and filled it with his clothes. She picked up a bag with his name embroidered on it and filled it with a few books and a couple of stuffed animals. Finally, she folded his favorite blanket from August on top.

Moving downstairs, she let herself into Walsh's office, instructing Henry to wait by the front door. Usually she wasn't allowed in there, but she did know the combination to the safe and she knew he kept cash tucked away. Carefully moving the picture that covered the safe, she dialed in the combination and pulled out the cash that was inside before putting the picture back in place.

Darting into the kitchen, she grabbed the phone off the counter and dialed information to get a cab to the house as she pulled out a couple of bottles of water and some snacks.

It took twenty minutes for the cab to arrive. Emma nervously watched from the front window, afraid that Walsh would return home for some reason and find them leaving. She knew she'd wind up dead if he did.

Henry tugged gently on her pant leg, "Momma, where will we go? To see Uncle Auggie?"

Emma thought about that for a moment. The first place Walsh would look would be August's place. They couldn't go anywhere near Phoenix. Maybe August could meet them somewhere.

Emma took Henry's hand when the cab pulled into the driveway, "I don't think so, baby, but I'm sure Uncle Auggie will meet us wherever we go."

On the way to the bus station Emma had the cab driver stop by a drug store. She bought hair dye and some scissors, hoping that a change in hair color and cut might slow Walsh down. Once they were back in the cab it seemed like it took forever to get to the bus depot. Once they were there, she paid the cab driver before dragging Henry into the handicapped bathroom. Locking the door to the one room, Emma pulled out what she'd bought at the pharmacy.

"Momma, what is that?" Henry asked.

Emma tried for a tight smile, "Momma is just going to make a little change." She dumped the products out on the small table in the corner and started with the shears. She tied her hair into two pigtails before taking a deep breath and cutting it. When she shook it out, she noted that it wasn't exactly even, but her curls would probably cover it. Her hair that once went down to the middle of her back now bounced around her shoulders. She tossed the two clumps of hair in the garbage can and picked up the box of hair dye. It'd been a while since she'd done this herself. For the past two and a half years she'd had her hair professionally done.

It took her a moment to read the directions and then even longer to get everything situated and her hair piled under the plastic cap. She just hoped she wasn't a brassy or bleach blonde when it came out. And she was going to have to rinse it off in the sink. She didn't entirely relish the thought of that.

When she looked in the mirror thirty minutes later, she was relieved to find that the blonde was only a few shades off of her natural color. Quickly she braided her damp hair and tossed a baseball cap on her head. Reaching down, she shoved one on Henry's as well. "Keep that on, Kid." She instructed before she shouldered the tote bag, grabbed Henry's hand and grabbed their one suitcase.

Once they were back in the midst of the chaos of the bus depot, she made her way to the counter, looking for the first bus out of Scottsdale to Los Angeles. She decided they could get lost in L.A. and then August could maybe meet them somewhere. At the very least she was going to have to call him and tell him what was happening.

The first bus out left in ten minutes. Emma all but dragged Henry through the depot to get to the departing bus. She would have to wait to call August until they reached California. She'd left her cell phone on the kitchen counter, along with her wedding rings.

It took them nearly eight hours to reach Los Angeles with the stops the bus made along the way, but she felt her shoulders relax a bit once they were inside the bus station. Henry was exhausted, he'd barely slept on the bus and it was about his bed time. "Come on, Henry, I just need you to hang on a little longer." She coaxed him, "We need to call Uncle Auggie." She reminded him.

It took her a while to find the bank of pay phones. The Los Angeles bus station was triple the size of the one in Scottsdale. Once they were squeezed into a booth, Emma shut the door and inserted the correct amount of change. She dialed August's number hoping he would pick up. She was sure he was still getting readjusted to the time changes.

"'Lo." A yawn accompanied the sleepy greeting.

Emma took a deep breath, "August? It's Emma."

August yawned again, "Emma? What's up?"

Emma hesitated, she wasn't quite sure where to start since she'd kept August in the dark as to what had been going on with Walsh over the past few months. "Henry and I are in Los Angeles." She finally blurted out.

That seemed to wake him up. "What?"

Emma nodded even though August couldn't see her. "Yeah, we ran."

"Ran?" She could hear, August moving around, likely looking for clothes. "From Walsh?" August had done a thorough background check on Walsh West once Emma decided to date him. It'd come back clean. The whole family had. And he didn't leave until he was sure Emma and Henry were happy. Walsh seemed like a nice guy, a good guy. Sure he was a little odd, but he doted on Emma and Henry, which was why August had felt comfortable beginning to pursue a real career in journalism.

Letting out a shaky breath, Emma replied, "Yeah, I haven't told you what's been going on, but it's not good. He's been. . ." she hesitated, looking down at Henry, "I've had to make a couple of ER visits these last couple of months and today we decided to just go. We hopped a bus to Los Angeles and just got here."

She could almost hear the gears turning in August's head as he worked through the information that Walsh was not who he said he was and that Emma had been hurt again. "Okay, look, just get on another bus. Get out of Los Angeles, pick another big city. I've got to make a few calls. Head north and then go east. Just zig zag around for a few days. Jump off at random stops and pick new destinations. Just keep on the move. Call me in twenty-four hours and I'll have a plan for you." He promised.

Emma's head bowed as she realized she was once again leaning on August to save her and Henry. "Alright, thanks, August. And be careful. Walsh is going to come looking for you too."

"That's not a problem. Does he know I'm back yet?"

"No," Emma answered, "we haven't really spoken in a couple of days. I never told him."

"Great," Emma heard the rustling of coat hangers. "I'm going to get out of town too." He agreed. He paused for a moment and Emma heard him muttering to himself. "I think I'm going to go buy another bike instead of bus hop." He determined. He'd sold his bike right before he left to travel for cash since he knew he wouldn't need it and knew he could always buy another. "I need to ditch this phone too." He thought for another minute and glanced over at the clock on the table. "I'm running out to buy a pre-paid phone. Stay in LA for at least another thirty minutes, then call me back. I'll give you the pre-paid number and ditch this phone. You didn't bring yours, did you?"

Emma shook her head, "No I left the phone and my wallet behind, so we don't have any ID or credit cards. I don't know if that was stupid or smart, but I just grabbed a bunch of cash and left. I probably have $5,000 on me."

"Good. Call me in half an hour." When she agreed he hung up and dashed out the door. There was a corner market two blocks over that sold pre-paid phones. He'd get one and then get Emma the number. Then he needed to get all three of them new IDs. Emma was right to think that Walsh would come after him too. They all needed to get the hell out of dodge.

When he got back to his apartment, he began packing a bag waiting on Emma's call. Once she called he gave her the new number, took the sim card and battery out of his old phone and smashed them to bits before flushing them down the toilet. Grabbing up the new phone, he dialed a number he'd used to get information before, but never for new IDs. He just hoped the guy came through.

Seven Days Later

"Emma," August breathed out a sigh of relief at her voice. He found himself doing that every time she'd called over the past seven days. He knew she was down in Atlanta at the moment. She'd been all over the country with Henry. He'd been doing the same. It had taken his contact three full days, but he had three social security cards, three birth certificates, the passports, two driver's licenses, and a motorcycle. And a lot of cash. Now he was in Boston with a plan finally in place.

"Yeah, we're here, August." Emma was hoping he had a plan now. She was tired of running, of sleeping on buses, and eating bus station food, and showering in bus station locker rooms. She knew Henry was too. She also knew that he was worrying. He was worrying far more than a 7-year old should worry.

"Hop a bus to Portland, Maine." August instructed. "Meet me at the Motel 6 off of Emerson Street. I've got everything we need."

"Portland." Emma agreed. "Alright, we'll be on the next bus out. Have you heard anything?"

"Yeah, he's looking for you, Ems. I've been keeping tabs on the police missing persons and you're both on there." August told her. "Maine should be far enough away without leaving the country that he shouldn't be able to find you."

"To find us." Emma corrected. "You know he's hunting for you too."

"True, but I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you and Henry." He admitted.

"We'll all be fine. We'll see you in a few hours." Emma hung up the phone and tugged Henry and their suitcase to the line of clerks to buy two tickets to Portland.

Twenty-Three Hours Later

Emma juggled Henry and their bags as she made her way through the Portland bus depot. He'd fallen asleep as the bus bumped up Interstate 95 and she hadn't had it in her heart to wake him. Now she was standing in the line of cabs waiting for one to pull up to her to take them to meet August. She knew she'd breathe a sigh of relief when she saw him.

The motel was one of the dingiest places she'd ever been to, but when August opened the door it was by far one of the best moments of her lives. "Uncle Auggie!" Henry was tired, but he still had a lot of enthusiasm for August.

Scooping him up, August gave him a squeeze before drawing Emma into his arms. "Come on in, there's a bed that's pretty comfortable and I think it's calling your name for a nap, Henry."

Once Henry was fast asleep, August turned to face Emma, his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. "You've been to the ER?" He asked. When she nodded, August continue, "He's hit you?" Emma nodded again, "And Henry?"

"No!" Emma cringed when her voice was loud enough to stir Henry. She let out a breath when he didn't wake. "He never touched Henry. Just me."

Gently, August reached out to touch the cut on Emma's temple. The bruise around it looked nasty. "Ems, why didn't you call me?"

Looking away, Emma shrugged, "It started about six months or so ago. I don't know what changed, but something did."

"You could've at least sent it in one of those damn emails you sent me." August leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. He wanted to scream at Emma for not running sooner or contacting him. Even more so, though, August was furious with himself for being on the other side of the fucking world when it happened.

"August," Emma rested her hand on his arm, "I was trying to handle it, I thought I could handle it. And I knew how happy you were. You deserve to be happy, August."

Pulling Emma into his arms, he squeezed her gently. "Okay, we'll be okay, you'll be okay. He's gone and we're here in Maine."

Looking up, Emma gave him a soft smile. "Thanks for coming to my rescue again, August." She whispered.

"Always, Ems. I thought we'd established that already." Pulling back, August led her over to the small table that was filled with different documents. "Sit." He motioned to a chair and Emma sat down. "Here's what I've got," he pushed one pile toward her, "Birth certificate, passport, and social security card for Henry." He pushed another pile toward her, "Birth certificate, passport, social security card, and driver's license for you. "Plus," he handed her an envelope, "cash, and no you can't pay me back or give it back and don't worry about where it came from. And finally," he held up a key with a swan key chain, "a sweet ride."

Emma hesitantly took the key and looked down at everything in front of her. "August, it's too much. . ." she murmured.

Ignoring her, August continued, "I have a birth certificate, passport, driver's license and social security card as well. And cash."

"August," Emma grabbed his wrist, "I can't take the cash." She pushed the envelope back to him.

"Actually, it's the cash you paid me back after you were established." Emma looked in the envelope at what had to easily be $10,000, if not more. She hadn't given him anywhere near that much. She raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "And maybe some extra." He finally amended, "Look, I've done well with the writing, plus while I waited on the IDs I sold everything in my apartment. Look, between the two of us we've got a hell of a lot of cash. Particularly if we go to a small town." He shoved the IDs aside and pulled out a map of Maine, "So, where do you want to go?"

Emma glanced down at the map, her eye's perusing the different towns. Up in the northeast corner she saw a name that struck her. "Here." Emma pointed.

August looked at where Emma's finger was, "Storybrooke. Figures." He shook his head with a fond grin. "By the way, did you check out your new last name?" He handed her the passport.

Emma opened it and rolled her eyes, "Swan. Emma and Henry Swan." She gave him a fond grin, "And what did you choose?"

August handed her his license, "August Wayne Booth. August W. Booth?" She shook her head at the name. "You're a special kind of strange, August." She admitted.

"And that, Emma Ann Swan, is why you love me." He gave her a salacious wink and tipped his chair back. Leaning forward again, August collected everything on the table, "Let's get some rest. I'm in the room next door. We'll head out first thing in the morning." He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he stood. "I'll see you in the morning, Ems."