Chapter Twenty-Three: Back Where They Belong

A few moments later, Emma and Tink were standing in the middle of a road…no, a street. Emma smiled when she realized just which one it was. They were home.

Tink glanced around, clearly already a little freaked out by everything. "What is this place?"

Emma couldn't help but laugh. "It's weird, but you get used to it." Across the way, she could spot Granny's. Snow's car was parked out front, which meant they had to be there. "Come on."

"No…" Tink shook her head. "You should be alone."

"Tink, August will want to see you."

"And he will," she promised. "But you should be the one he sees first." She walked over to the curb, sitting on it. She began fiddling with her hair that was still back in a messy bun, smoothing out her raggedy clothes.

"He loves you, Tink. He always has and he always will, no matter what you look like."

Tucking the wand into her pocket, Emma practically sprinted to the diner, her heart racing in her chest. It wasn't a surprise to her that the ringing bell on the door didn't draw any attention. The diner was pretty empty, one of the few booths occupied was in the back. Snow, Charming, August and Regina sat there. Her parents had their eyes on their mugs while Regina looked annoyed. None of them had slept since she left, evident by the bags under August's eyes. It hadn't been long, but she had missed them. Yes, her father's horrors were still haunting her brain and the dreamcatcher was still safely tucked away. But all of that could wait, if anything, she had learned who her family truly was. As she approached the table, she could hear Regina talking.

"I don't know what more we can do. The locator spell does us little good if we don't have a way to her."

"Jefferson's trying to work on a new hat, but it's not easy to find the materials," Charming added, his voice glum.

"What if you didn't need a hat?" Emma asked.

Four sets of eyes glanced up at her and for a moment, they all just stared at each other. Snow took in her baby girl, wearing the same outfit she had when she had been snatched. She had been crying, she looked exhausted herself but she was smiling.

"Emma," the words slipped from her mouth and had never tasted so sweeter. It dawned on her that it wasn't an illusion, it was real. Her daughter stood before her, she was home. "Emma!" She jumped out of her seat, throwing her arms around her in a hug. Charming joined in on it, his hand instantly going to cradle the back of her head. He had tears brimming in her eyes as she seemed to squeeze them back tighter. His daughter was in his arms, she was home.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"What happened? Where have you been?" Snow asked. "How did you get back?"

"It doesn't matter," Emma said, pulling off. "At least not right now. I'll explain all of it later."

Snow stroked her daughter's cheek, unable to believe she was really there. "We were so worried. We thought we were never going to see you again."

"I know," Emma told her, nodding. "But…I'm here." The tears sprung to her eyes again, this time happy ones. She looked over at Snow. "Mom." Her eyes glanced over at Charming and she took a deep breath. The title felt right, more than ever. "Dad. I'm home."

Snow and Charming felt as though their hearts had stopped. She had just called them "Mom" and "Dad". Their minds were already swirling from her sudden return, they had her back and now she thought of them as her parents? Nothing was going to be able to top that in their minds. Tears ran down both their cheeks as smiles spread.

"I love you both…and I missed you," she whispered.

"Not as much as we love and missed you, Princess," Charming told her, wrapping her back into his arms, once again cupping her head. Emma let out some air from her nose, this was her dad and she hadn't realized how much she had needed his hugs.

When they finally broke apart, she saw August standing there, looking like he was about to cry too.

"Auggie," she said, smiling in spite of her tears.

"Emmy," he replied, sniffling. He pulled her into his arms, giving her a bone crushing hug as he lifted her off the ground. She buried her head into his shoulder, never wanting to let him go. She wanted to apologize, to thank him, for everything. No matter who's fault it was, she would always carry guilt for the burdens he carried. But all that could wait, they were reunited. That was all that mattered.

"I love you," she mumbled.

"I love you too," he cried out, kissing her cheek.

Reluctantly, he eventually lowered her onto the ground. Emma glanced over at Regina and if she didn't know any better, she'd swear that she seemed relieved.

"Welcome home, Emma," she told her.

Emma nodded, smiling a bit. "Thank you, Regina."

"We want to hear everything," Snow said, pushing hair out of Emma's face. "But we should take you to see Whale, make sure you're okay."

"There's something I have to show you guys first…well, August."

August raised an eyebrow. "What? You got kidnapped and you bring me back a souvenir?"

"What can I say? I'm not normal."

Taking hold of his hand, she lead him out of the diner, Snow, Charming and Regina following close behind. She let go of his grip as soon as they hit the sidewalk and his eyes saw her. He instantly froze in place, his eyes widening.

It had been a year. He had thought he would never see her again. But there she was, same outfit, same hair. Her eyes were on her shoes, gnawing on her lower lip. August couldn't help but think she looked sexy when she did that. He turned to Emma, unsure if it was real. His baby sister coming back had been a miracle, he couldn't have gotten so lucky twice.

"She's real," Emma promised him, "Again, long story…I'll explain it all later."

August took one step off the curb, a million butterflies returning to his stomach. "Tink!" He called out.

Tink looked up, tears welling up in her eyes as she leapt up. She couldn't fly anymore, but it was as if she did across the street, straight into his arms. He swooped her off the ground, his lips crashing with hers. The tears poured down both their cheeks as they stayed in one another's arms, their foreheads touching when they pulled apart.

"You're here," he whispered.

"I'm here," she whispered back.

"But…how?"

Tink smiled, nodding towards Emma. "Why is it always her that brings us together?"

August looked down at his sister. "You saved her?"

"It's complicated," Emma shook her head.

August redirected his attention to his long-lost lover, kissing her again. Snow watched confused, but Charming was smiling. He didn't know the full story, but he did know how much August had missed her. He could relate losing his true love so long ago and how amazing it had been to get her back. Emma leant against him, clearly exhausted. She knew that she had stuff work through, it had been a terrible couple of days. But that all could wait, she didn't want to think about it. She just wanted to be with her family.

"Come on," Snow said, noticing that as soon as August put Tink down, she was running to greet Regina. "We need to get both of you to see Whale and then we can go home." Emma shut her eyes, nodding. She didn't even notice until she found herself halfway to the car, but Charming was carrying her.

A couple of hours, Emma and Tink laid in beds in the shared room they had insisted they have at the hospital. Snow and Charming sat next to Emma's bed while August was in between both of his girls, looking from one to the other. It was a busy day at the hospital, so it was awhile after the nurse took their vitals that Whale came in. He examined both the girls.

"Tinkerbell, for someone that's been held captive for so long, you certainly seem to be healthy," he announced. "I would say that you need to get lots of rest, but outside that, there's nothing to be worried about."

She smiled as August kissed her forehead. "What about Emma?"

"She's next."

Whale started the examination, not saying much during it. Emma could feel Snow clinging to her hand while he did so. Eventually, he stepped back, writing some things down on a clipboard.

"Emma, you said you had a magic preventing cuff on your wrist during your stay there, correct?" Whale asked.

"Yes."

"I think it drained you quite a bit, you have a rash where it once was, which is normal." Emma glanced down, noticing it for the first time. "You'll be okay, you just need to not itch it and I'll give you some cream for it. Other than that, just like Tinkerbell, you need to relax."

Emma nodded, smiling over at her parents who were doing the same with her. It wasn't long before the two girls were discharged. As they made their way to the front, they came across Red.

"You're back!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around Emma. She smiled, hugging her godmother tighter.

"I am."

"This is great, I was so worried about you. As soon as you settle down, we're going to have a welcome back party," she rambled on, still not releasing her grip.

Charming chuckled. "Red, release your grip. She's fine, but we don't need her to have to go back."

Red pulled away. "Sorry." She turned to Tinkerbell and August. "And I saw your little reunion. Jiminy filled me in on everything. I have a little welcome to Storybrooke present for you, Tink." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. "This is for a room at my grandmother's inn. You two can stay there for a few nights, reunite and all." She winked.

Emma made a face, not wanting to think about that while Tink giggled. August looked happy at the thought, but also unsure. He had just gotten Tink back, but Emma too. Emma could see his hesitance and put a hand on his arm.

"Go," she said.

"Emma…"

"We'll have plenty of time to talk, I promise. Go…relax with Tinkerbell."

August pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. She tightened the hug, shutting her eyes as she did. Her mind flashed with what she had seen in the dreamcatcher, suddenly never wanting to let him go again. She couldn't believe what he had hidden just to protect her from Derek.

"I love you, Auggie," she whispered.

"I love you too, Em."

Finally, they pulled apart and the reunited couple walked off with Red to her car. Charming put an arm around Emma.

"Ready to go home, Princess?"

Emma nodded. "Home sounds really good."

The three of them headed back to the loft. Emma had never been so happy to see it before. She settled down onto the couch with Snow sitting next to her, wrapping a tight arm around her. Charming fixed some hot chocolate for them, sitting on the other side when he was done. Emma knew it was time to have the conversation. She explained that Zelena had taken her to Oz and what she wanted to do. Finally, she pulled out the dreamcatcher, showing it all to them. By the end of it, they had pulled Emma into their arms, hugging her tightly.

"Oh Em," Charming whispered. "We are so sorry."

"Are you okay?" Snow asked.

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. It feels weird. Knowing the other stuff I do about him, it doesn't seem unbelievable. I just can't believe he's not who I thought he was."

"He won't ever be able to hurt any of your family again," Snow stroked her cheek. "You know that, don't you?"

She nodded. "All of this made me realize that he'll always be my family, but so are you two. I don't want to be separated from you again. No matter what happens, I want us to be a family."

Snow smiled. "And we always will be."

After the hot chocolate, Snow insisted that Emma lay down in their bed to get some rest while she went to pick up the cream that Whale had prescribed for the rash. She didn't want to be apart from her so soon, but knew it would only be for a few minutes. Charming tucked Emma in, putting her baby blanket under her arm. She looked up at him, her eyes seeming bigger than usual.

"Will you sit with me, please?" She asked.

Charming nodded. "Of course." He sat next to her, stroking her curls. "Emma, I have to be honest with you, I knew about Derek. Well, not what he did to Odette, but what he did to Tink. August told me."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You knew?"

"I decided August should be the one to tell you. I'm sorry that I kept it from you."

"You could've told me, you could've let me think all of this sooner, but you didn't." Her face softened. "You really were okay with me considering him as family."

"You had a life before me and your mother. It would be selfish to take that away from you. I just want to do what's best for you, sweetheart. It's what I've always wanted to do for you."

Emma sat up, throwing her arms around him tightly. He was caught off guard, but returned the hug, cradling the back of her head as he did. He had always fought for her, done what was right. She would always think of Derek as her father, but like she told him, Charming was her dad. She could have both, just as she could have two moms.

The rest of the day was spent with her drifting in and out of consciousness. She would shower, watch movies with her parents, have cream applied with her rash and eat warm food. She hadn't realized just how much she loved Snow's cooking until she was forced to eat the cold slop that the asylum provided. Later that night, she fell asleep with Snow and Charming cuddling her as close as she could. She woke up not long after, though, her sleep cycle all out of whack. She wormed her way out of their grip and made her way up to her room.

She looked around it, the bed just as she left it. The whittlings that August had made her lined her nightstand, her favorite books on the shelf. It wasn't anything like her room back at the palace, it was almost better. She felt comfortable in the clothes she wore. Maybe Rumple and Zelena stealing the only hats had been a good thing. Maybe it was where they belonged. Snow had removed the slippers from her feet when she took one of her naps, but she knew they could be used so she could finally see Alise. She just hoped she'd forgive her for all she had done.

Suddenly, she heard tapping on her window. She spun around, ready to blast whoever it was far away, until she saw it was August. She walked over, throwing open the window, watching him climb through.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack," she whispered.

"Sorry," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Where's Tink?"

"She's sleeping. I wrote a note so she wouldn't be worried."

Emma nodded and motioned for him to stay. She headed downstairs and scribbled out a note of her own for her parents so they wouldn't freak out if they woke up. She fixed some more hot chocolate and headed back upstairs. Together, they climbed out onto the fire escape, sitting together. They didn't say much at first, they just sipped their warm drinks.

"Tink told me everything," he finally said, softly.

Emma nodded. "I figured she would."

"I wish I was surprised, but…I can't be."

"After all I learned about him, I'm not sure I can be either."

"If I ever get my hands on him…" He trailed off when he remembered who he was talking to. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I can't say that I blame you," she looked up at him, biting her lip. "You never told me, about any of the other stuff. Why?"

August sighed. "I wanted to protect you. I knew how much you loved him, idolized him. I couldn't take that from you." He ran his finger around the rim of the mug. "Plus, a part of me worried you'd never believe me. That'd hurt worse than anything he ever did."

"Oh, Auggie." She put a hand on top of his. In that moment, she could see the pain in the moonlight. "I love you so much, of course I would've believed you."

"I didn't know that at the time."

"I'm so sorry for everything he ever did to you. You didn't deserve any of it."

August merely nodded. He hated thinking about what happened, the bruises left behind were enough of a reminder. While Emma had been gone, Charming had convinced him that he needed some help and he had agreed to talk to Jiminy.

"You know, your dad has been a real help for me," he admitted, softly. "I finally told Papa about everything. You know that Jiminy got his PhD through the curse, right?" Emma nodded. "I'm going to start having sessions with him."

Emma smiled. "That's great."

"Would you…would you want to come with me? I think it could be helpful for us both."

Emma thought about it for a minute. She didn't want to talk about what she had learned or how hard things had been for her over the past few months. At the same time, she didn't want to end up like Derek. Harboring so much anger and pain in her heart that she exploded and began to hurt people. She wanted to be different, better.

"I think that sounds like a good idea," she finally said. She leaned against August, who wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being my big brother, my protector. I know I have Charming in my life now, but he's my dad. I still need my big brother."

August smiled, cuddling her closer to him.

"I'll always be there for you, Em. No matter what."

A few days later, everyone in town seemed to gather at Granny's. A banner hung from the back wall that read "Welcome Back Emma and Tinkerbell". Emma was surprised to see so many people show up, she thought they'd all still be mad at her. She realized that they had a moment of panic, but it didn't represent who they really were. Regina even showed up, with a present for Emma. She knew that she was now in possession of Zelena's wands and decided to give her some potions to use in case she ever needed them. It was weird to have her being so nice after all she had done, but she was also grateful that she seemed to be changing.

Tinkerbell was reuniting with most of the fairies she had long since missed, especially Nova. As usual, Blue was nowhere to be found. Emma didn't even care, she knew that Tink and Nova had a plan to talk to her whenever they did see her, but for now, things were good how they were.

As Emma sat sandwiched in between her parents (they had barely left her side since that first night home), Grumpy walked over to her, looking a little sheepish.

"It's good to have you back, Emma," he said.

She nodded. "Thank you."

"I wanted to apologize for how I behaved at the meeting." Grumpy frowned. "I can be a bit explosive, but it's no excuse. You're my goddaughter, I should've treated you better. I'd like us to have a chance to start over."

Emma smiled, nodding. "Sounds good."

"Really?"

"Really. I think if anything, I've learned that forgiveness is important." She reached into the box of potions that Regina had gifted her, pulling one out. "I was just given these, but according to Regina, this one has the ability to give people back their memoires. Maybe it'd work on Sneezy."

She managed to get out of her parents' grip to hand it to him. He smiled and pulled her into a big hug. She returned it, smiling in return.

Some time passed on and great food was consumed, there was lots of dancing. Eventually, she was settled in the booth again with her parents, Tink, August, Nova and Grumpy. The bell above the door rang. Emma looked over and could see Blue had entered the diner. She glanced over at Tink, who was wringing her wrists. "You don't have to come with me when I do this."

"Yes, I do," the fairy replied. Her eyes went to Nova sitting next to Grumpy. She gave her a reassuring smile. "You ready for this?"

"For over 16 years," Nova confirmed.

Tink, Nova and Emma got up from the booth, heading straight for Blue. August, Grumpy, Snow and Charming followed closely behind.

"Emma," Blue gave her a soft smile. "You're safe." Her eyes drifted over to Tink. "Green…you're…"

"Alive, shocking, right? I mean, you only banished me. Also, it's Tinkerbell," she retorted.

Blue sighed. "You know I didn't wish for you to get into any danger."

"Oh please, you took my wings away because I tried to help someone. Which is what fairies are supposed to do."

Before Blue could say anything, she saw Grumpy behind Nova. "You two…"

"Are back together," Nova confirmed, firmly. "We won't let you tear us apart again."

"Nova, you're a fairy, he's a dwarf…"

"We're in love. We can still both do our jobs, together."

"Speaking of things you messed up," Tink interrupted. "I want my wings back."

Blue's eyes narrowed. "That's not possible."

"Oh, yes it is. You took them away and I want them back."

"You broke my rules…"

"Your rules are bullshit," Emma told her. That got the fairy's death glare on her. "Honestly, you say you're meant to help people but you don't, not really. You turned August into a real boy, but only by conditions…"

"All he had to do was be selfless, brave and true."

"When we're all born, it doesn't come with conditions. He should be no different. Not to mention, you ruined Nova and Grumpy for your own selfish reasons. You're giving Tink her wings back and you're giving reign over the fairies to Nova."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you'll be arrested for treason."

Blue's face dropped and for the first time, everyone was convinced she looked truly scared. Of course, that only lasted for a few moments. She cleared her throat and looked behind Emma to her parents, clearly thinking they'd have a different response. However, Snow and Charming just stared back at her. August and Grumpy had the same reactions. They were going to let the girls handle it themselves, but they were supporting them a hundred percent.

"Treason? You can't be serious," Blue finally said.

"Oh, but I am. You didn't tell my parents the truth about the wardrobe, causing a lot of unnecessary problems. You also refused to help Regina before she turned evil, which means that could've been avoided."

Blue glanced over and could see Regina and Geppetto sitting in separate booths. "But, they're still free! You said punishing any of us would make no sense."

"You're right, because it doesn't. However, we can change our minds and we will. Regina did a terrible thing and she's tried to make up for it."

"You were nowhere to be found when Emma went missing," Nova pointed out. "I was the one trying to help them."

"We don't want to do this," Snow piped up. "We don't think imprisoning any of you would do any good, but we will. For the good of this town, you cannot be left in charge."

Blue looked back to Tink and saw how close August was standing to her. "You two…how?"

"We met in a support group for people you screwed over," August replied, bitterly. Grumpy snorted and patted his back for that one.

"It's none of your business, how," Tink said, trying not to smile at her true love's response.

"Why do you want your wings back? You hated being a fairy."

"Actually, I didn't. I loved helping people, it's what I want to do. I can still do that and be in love with August. Nova and Grumpy have proven that."

"What's it going to be, Blue?" Emma asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Blue shut her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine," she said. A smile spread across Tink's face and she turned back to August, quickly pecking his lips. "You get your wings back. As for Nova being in charge…the fairies will have a vote. Is that fair enough?"

"I suppose, but if we find out you rigged it in any way, you're done," Emma told her.

Blue sighed again. "Deal." She removed her wand from her bag and aimed it at Tinkerbell, a glow going over her. "There, it's done."

"Her wings aren't there," Emma pointed out.

"It's okay," Tink smiled. "It doesn't work like that, they'll come back later, when I need them to. That's what's important."

Blue exited the diner without another word. Nova squealed, wrapping her arms around Grumpy. August pulled Tink into his arms, kissing the top of her head. Emma smiled, watching the two couples together. Snow put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so proud of you, baby," she said.

"It wasn't just me, they helped. They deserve their happy endings, just as much as anyone else."

Hope you all enjoyed! Writing about everyone standing up to Blue was so much fun. Just a couple of chapters to go, so if there's anything you want to see, please let me know. Until next time, my friends. =)