Emma ran up the stairs to the loft, taking two at a time. As she fumbled with her keys she could hear voices inside. Thankful that her father seemed to have returned home safely, she pushed the door open.
The moment she entered, Mary Margaret pounced on her. "Emma! David said you told him Hook was at the hospital and that you think Cora might be in town as well. What's going on! How did they get here?"
"I don't know… But Storybrooke's not safe anymore. Is Henry asleep?"
"Yeah… he never even woke up, but Emma – Cora! And Hook! What are we going to do?" Mary Margaret stressed.
"Well…" Emma begun, wary of how to tell her parent's her new plan. "I am going to fulfill the favor I owe Mr. Gold. And I'm taking Henry with me. He will be safer away from this mess.
There was silence. It was David who eventually broke it. "Wait… so you are going – leaving town with Rumpelstiltskin?" he asked his daughter, his eyebrows raised in a good imitation of her.
"And Henry" Emma corrected.
Silence ensued once again. Taking it as an opportunity to start packing, Emma made to move upstairs to her and Henry's room. However, Mary Margaret interrupted her, moving to block the stairs. "You and Henry can't go with him. It's not safe."
Emma rolled her eyes at her mother's defensive actions. "Well, it's not safe here with Cora and Hook floating around either. I'm taking Henry, and we are going with Mr. Gold to find his son. I need to get Henry out of town, as soon as possible."
"So… because you don't think this town is safe with Hook and Cora, you are deciding to leave us to go somewhere with Rumpelstiltskin…?" David exclaimed, as he reached out his hands to rest on Mary Margaret's shoulders in a comforting manner, whilst he stared in worry at his only child.
"Oh don't look at me like that!" Emma immediately plead as she closed her eyes and raised her left hand slowly to rub her temple. "He is nothing compared to Cora. He doesn't scare me. She does. She's …" Emma hesitated, looking for the right words to describe the witch.
"Vindictive? Evil? Narcissistic?" Mary Margaret suggested, "sounds a lot like Rumpelstiltskin to me… they are very similar Emma. You have seen his softer side, just you wait, something will set him over the edge and he will revert, just like Regina. And I don't want you or Henry anywhere near him when that happens."
"Oh really, well you may be my parents, but I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions. Henry and I are going with Mr. Gold." Emma insisted forcefully. Knowing that her words were harsh when Mary Margaret's face dropped suddenly, Emma all but shouted trying to cover up her previous statement. "It's what's best for Henry, and I don't want him here when all hell breaks loose. I can't have him in danger"
"But Mr. Gold!" Mary Margaret reminded Emma in a harried tone.
"He won't hurt Henry." David cut in, earning a thankful glance from Emma. "Whilst you two were gone, he helped Henry. At no cost. A few times," David explained, turning his wife around to face him. "Gold has a soft spot for Henry, and Snow, although I hate to say it, I think they would be safer with him." David looked into Mary Margaret's eyes, sensing the apprehension she had about the imminent separation of their family. Whispering to her quietly, David reminded his wife that "we have to do what is best for our family, and although you don't want to be pulled apart again… they will be safer outside of town."
Mary Margaret hung her head in defeat, before glancing to her daughter. "Alright… when are you going?"
Emma pulled out her phone from her pocket to check the time. "uhh… half an hour."
Her mother nods, "well then, let's get packing."
The trio made their way upstairs to where Henry was sleeping. Whilst Emma gently woke her son from his slumber, Mary Margaret found travel bags in the closet and David started to gather Henry's things.
"What's going on?" Henry asked, blearily wiping his eyes as Emma shook him awake. Seeing the suitcases his eyes popped open in alarm. "You're not going are you?" the boy asked, sitting up quickly to face Emma eye to eye.
"Yeah I am…" she begun, before being tackled by Henry screaming irrationally, "NO! NO! You can't leave me!"
"shhhhh" Emma soothed, "you're coming as well."
Upon hearing this new development, her son froze mid yell. After a few short breaths Henry whispered with the vulnerability of a hopeful child, "Really?"
"Yeah!" Emma reinforced, pulling back from their hug. "We're leaving soon though, so I'll explain in the car. You can stay in your pajamas, but you need to help gramps pack your things. Grab anything you may want for the next week or so. I doubt we'll be much longer than that." Emma informed her curious son.
"Okay" Henry said excitedly, jumping out of bed, most certainly awake. As Emma watched him race downstairs to grab his storybook, she sighed. She had hoped he would be tired enough to spend at least half of the road trip asleep in the back of the car.
"Emma," Snow called out from where she was rifling through Emma's underwear drawer, as only mothers do. "Do you think you'll need passports? Because, Henry doesn't have one…"
"I don't think so- if we do, I know where to get some." Emma replied quickly, not quite realizing what she had said until she noticed the shocked look on her parent's faces.
"Alright…" Snow replied, pushing Emma's passport into her daughter's bag anyway.
Within 15 minutes Emma and Henry were all packed. After quickly clearing out the backseat of the bug for Henry, Emma walked back up to the loft to see her parents saying goodbye to their grandson.
"Don't forget to call every day, and make sure Emma answers her phone, okay?" Mary Margaret was saying lovingly to Henry as she cupped both of his cheeks in her hands. The boy was smiling up at her and nodding. Whilst Emma walked over to her family Snow pulled Henry in for a big hug.
"We'll be fine grams," Henry promised as he was released from her hold.
As Henry moved on to say goodbye to his grandpa, Mary Margaret opened her arms for Emma. Smiling slightly at the gesture, Emma walked into the loving embrace of her mother. As they hugged, Mary Margaret instilled as much advice and instructions as she possibly could. "Make sure you call every evening. Don't talk to strangers. Don't trust Rumpelstiltskin. Pull over at a motel if you get tired driving. Be careful. As soon as you arrive you must call me." She fretted, patting Emma's back slightly.
Laughing Emma replied. "Well look who sounds like a mom! … I don't know if I can remember all of that… you might need to write it down for me." Emma teased, hugging her mother tighter before whispering in her ear. "I'll miss you."
Mary Margaret could feel tears pooling in her eyes. Imitating Emma and increasing her grasp, she whispered back, "I'll miss you too. Stay safe, I love you."
Emma nodded into her mother's shoulder, not yet ready to share her feelings aloud, before pulling away. Making eye contact with the teary eyed Mary Margaret Emma smiled once again. As her mother placed her hand on her cheek, Emma promised to call as soon as they arrived wherever it was they were going.
When Henry butted Emma out of the way for one final hug with his Grandmother, Emma came face to face with David. The pair hadn't had too much bonding time since she had arrived home from the Enchanted Forest, but it was more than obvious how similar they were. Especially in this moment as they faced each other off. Emma knew David wanted to hug her, but was hesitant to do so. Emma wasn't even sure if she could handle being hugged by him… but there was a first time for everything right?
David cleared his throat quietly, and gazed at his daughter. "Be careful," he murmured. "Although you owe Rumpelstiltskin, finding his son is not your number one priority. Remember that." he begun, becoming more confident. "You need to take care of yourself and Henry, alright?" He asked Emma, sounding like a … father.
Emma nodded. "I will." She replied quickly.
David nodded, unsure of what else to say. "Good" he eventually managed, as he shoved his hands in his pockets to keep himself from reaching out to her prematurely.
Emma stared at him for a moment, finding his nervousness slightly amusing. However, she had a few things she needed to say herself before she left. Reaching down to her belt, Emma unclipped the Sheriff badge, and handed it over to her father. Surprised, he took it.
"You managed the town well last time I was gone, I'm sure I can trust you with the badge whilst I'm gone." Emma started with a small smile. "I just have one favor to ask." She continued.
"Anything" David replied with a smile.
Glancing over to her son in the kitchen, Emma lowered her voice so that Henry and Mary Margaret, who were packing bag of snacks couldn't hear. "You need to call me if anything happens. I don't care about drunken brawls, but if anything reeking of Cora or Regina occurs – I need to know. Immediately." Emma demands, her eyes not wavering for a second from David's.
Nodding, her father promised to call if something happened.
Ultimately it was the slight fear on Emma's face that pushed him to comfort her. Reaching out, he finally pulled her in for a hug. At first it was uncomfortable, but once Emma wraped her arms around his back, the pair relished in each other's comforting embrace. With Emma's face nestled in the crook of his neck, Charming sighed happily. "Please call your mom… often. I don't think I can handle her stress if you don't" David murmured into her hair.
Emma laughed softly. "Once a day – I promise. But you better make sure she doesn't call me 10 times a day, because I can't assure you that I'll answer every time!"
Charming snorted. "Have you ever tried stopping her from doing something? It's almost impossible! ... But I will try." David assured her, pulling back from her slightly to place a kiss gently on her forehead. "Stay safe okay?" he asked before releasing her.
Emma stared at her dad, momentarily shocked by the affectionate kiss. "Sure," she replied with a smile, before walking over to Henry. "Are you ready to go kid?" she asked ruffling his hair as he covered a yawn with his hand.
"Yep" Henry agreed, picking up the snack bag from the table and heading over to the door. Emma smiled at her parents and made to follow her son.
"Emma!" Mary Margaret called. Surprised she turned around to face her mother, eyebrows raised. Before she could even get a word out, Mary Margaret had her wrapped in a fleeting hug. After a few moments that made Emma realize her mom was getting emotional she pulled back.
"See you soon," she promised, placing a kiss on Mary Margaret's cheek and walking to the door. As she and Henry stepped out of the apartment, she turned and waved slightly at Prince Charming and Snow White who were huddled together in the middle of the room.
After pulling up out front of Mr. Gold's house at 3:15 am Emma sent a text.
I'm here. Come out now. We need to leave.
After receiving a quick reply 'Ok' Emma looked over at her sleepy son. "How about you climb into the backseat now, Henry? Mr. Gold will need to sit in the front." Emma suggested calmly, trying to encourage a sleepy atmosphere so she wouldn't have to deal with hours of the question 'are we there yet?'
"Mmkay" Henry agreed, chucking his backpack into the backseat, and climbing clumsily through the small space between the front seats. Emma was intently watching her son, reminding him to put his seatbelt on and then draping a light blanket over his body. Therefore, when she heard a sharp tapping on the glass of her window, she almost had a heart attack.
Thankfully, it was Mr. Gold. She had forgotten that she'd locked the doors. Manually unlocking the passenger seat lock and then her own, Emma got out of the car, closing her door behind herself quietly.
"Are you ready Miss Swan?" Mr. Gold asked apprehensively. He wore an ugly scarf of some sort around his neck, and carried a small suitcase.
"Yep" she replied, walking around to open the trunk of the car.
Scoffing slightly, Gold swung his bag in next to Emma and Henry's. "It's going to be a long journey Miss Swan, I hope we don't stick to one word responses the entire time."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Look, it's 3 in the morning, Henry is in the car and I would really like it if he could sleep. He is no fun when he is grumpy, so not talking is a requirement if you want to take my car."
"Alright, I don't want to disturb the boy." Gold conceded as he climbed into the passenger seat quietly.
Emma started the Bug, and checked Henry in the rear-view mirror. Thankfully he already seemed to be dozing off. Releasing the handbrake, Emma paused. "Where are we going exactly? Do you even know?" she asked the man next to her.
Mr. Gold looked at her, amused. "Manhattan," he whispered, before turning his head to stare out of the front window as Emma drove off and away from Storybrooke.
So here is my second chapter. I was just squeezing some charming family stuff in there before we get into the swan/Cassidy/'stiltskin/mills side of the story.
– I hope you enjoyed :D let me know via a review what you thought :p