Big thanks to those who have supported this little story thus far. Just a couple of more chapters to go-hang in there, it gets good for our love birds in the next bit. :)

Chapter Five

Emma rolled the yellow Chevy onto Main Street, the town of Storybrooke an eerie quiet. Her headlights pierced the low fog, wisps of the heavy particles giving the road a mystical quality that it was trying so hard to hide. Emma saw right through it. The lamp that she parked under flickered at the disturbance. The neon lights from the cinema across the streets still had a bit of colored light radiating from them. Her memories-her magic-had fine tuned her senses again making the whole world a blast of saturated color, even in the dark. It had given her a headache but as they took the long drive back home, her pupils and muscles relaxed, settling back into their proper place. They had gotten tense and out of sorts for the past year. An entire year...what had happened? Where had everyone gone? Did they remember?

The Emerald King had been Rumple all along...but why? She couldn't turn in her son's grandfather...as much as she despised the man, he had done his best to save them, the whole town, her family. There had to be someone else, something else. Regardless, a firm thought suggested that Regina held the answers.

Emma turned off the car and peeked over at Henry asleep in the back. He was wrapped up in a blanket with a large book drooping from his fingertips. She quietly got out of the car, Killian following in her stead as he walked around the Chevy to meet her.

"I should see them," she told him. She had meant her parents, of course. A nervous excitement and dread rolled into her stomach and she was cautious to expel any other feelings in front of him. She looked over at the end of the block where Mary Margaret and David's apartment was nestled away. She had missed her little bedroom loft more than she had realized.

"Aye," he said in return, his hand now fiddling inside of a bag.

"Do you mind watching Henry for a bit? I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I'll keep the lad safe, love, don't you fret."

His hand pulled out the old hook he had previously fashioned on his left hand and put it on, smiling all the while. Emma rolled her eyes, recollecting past adventures. The thought of them deep in the jungles of Neverland brought a warmth to her cheeks. The thought of his lips on hers and her wanting to believe it was just a single act of gratitude...that set her face on fire. As if he could read her mind, he leaned toward her, his arm propped up on the roof of the Chevy. His eyes were piercing her, digging in to make sure she was all there. The shadows underneath them held secrets. She surprised herself when she realized she desired to know them all. A smile crept into the corner of his lips as his hook tipped the brim of his hat up, revealing more of his weathered features. "Why, Swan, is that a spike of longing I see in your face? I must say, the color suits you." Her eyebrows furrowed, cursing him in silence. He stepped forward again, his tie nearly brushing the front of her blouse. "I missed you, you know." Honesty was thrust into those vowels more than helpless flirtation.

Emma brought her hand to his chest and fixed the lapel of his coat. His eyes never left hers but his smile was beginning to droop in the corners from the shock of her touch. Emma leaned an inch, her mouth moving towards his ear. "Henry still doesn't remember so...watch your hands." A microscopic moan left his throat and he brought his thumb to his lips to silence it. She pulled away and walked towards the apartment, her heels echoing on the asphalt, the sound slapping Killian awake with every step.

-/-

Her hand hovered over the old wooden door in a loose fist, her fingers fidgeting. She wasn't used to knocking on it. It was all so familiar and strange-the feel of the splintering wood, the overall warmth exuding from the inside. She never noticed how good it felt when she was on the other end of it. She breathed it all in, her body shaking. She closed her eyes but before she could lower her hand on the oak, the door opened and a blast of that warmth hit her face. When she opened her eyes, David was standing before her. His white shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, a loose tie hanging from his neck and matching suspenders holding up worn slacks. His hair was perfectly gelled back, the usual loose lock dangling across his forehead. He looked like she'd imagined the heroes looked in those radio serials she listened to with Henry. The cigarette that was dangling from his mouth dropped to the floor at the sight of her.

"David, er, Mr. Nolan…? I apologize for the late hour. I just, I don't know if-"

But he stopped her from talking by embracing her. His palm braced the back of her head like a child, his other arm wrapped around her back. His chest let out a rattling breath, one that sounded like he had been holding it in for far too long. "Emma, my beautiful girl," he muttered, his grip on her tight. Emma felt her nerves go haywire, her entire body struggling to keep up.

"You remember?"

He finally let go, his hands still on her arms. He gave her a smile, one of those that filled up a room with sun. A streak of worry crossed his face but he kept it together. Emma could read the tension behind his eyes. "Yes, but...we only just arrived here, Emma. We don't know how or why, the last thing we remember was being in the Enchanted Forest and then we just showed up." His arm went behind her waist, ushering her into the apartment. "Though, not without some, um, developments."

"David, I-"

"Emma!"

Mary Margaret got up from her wicker chair, struggling this time from the weight. Her stomach was extended outward, a shapely bubble of baby nesting inside. Emma's eyes widened at the sight of her, wanting to embrace her more but now with restricted access. "New developments?" Mary Margaret blushed, her face a chaos of panic, happiness and a sudden self-awareness. She placed a hand on her belly and let out a sigh.

"Yes, well...that's how we figured the timing. Oh, Emma...how did you find us?"

"Hook. He found me, took me to the Emerald King and he gave me a potion to remember. There's a lot-"

Mary Margaret shook her head in a spasm, trying to process what Emma had just said. "You, what?"

"The Emerald King...I had been looking for him in Boston for a string of organized crimes. Hook found me, brought me to him. But there's another thing." Mary Margaret sat down, David closing the door and walking behind her chair, squeezing Emma's elbow on the way. "The Emerald King...it's Rumplestiltskin."

David's eyes enlarged at his name. Both of their bodies tensed in reaction as if expecting a fight. Years of practice had perfected it. "That's impossible. We watched him die."

"Just as surprised as you are, Pops. That's all that I could think of on the way here, and it was a long drive."

Mary Margaret looked up at David, squeezing his hand earnestly. Realization hit her and she gulped down her nerves. "What did you give him?"

Emma looked out the window out to the street, searching for Killian. He was leaning against the driver side door of the Chevy, his face a mask in the dark. He wasn't looking at her-an inkling of disappointment surfaced in her mind-but was instead looking up at the stars. He was analyzing the sky, making diagrams and pictures in his mind, praying to constellations for held his hat in his hand, his hair gently falling to the side of his face. He swayed slightly back and forth as if he were back on his ship again, feeling the power of the sea beneath his feet. Henry had been out cold and she expected to be nervous leaving him in the car, but an ease washed over her as she looked at Killian in the dark. She trusted him. The realization of that made her more nervous. Her fingers clutched the curtain. She wished her thoughts were just as tangible so she could settle them down. She turned back around and faced her parents. "He wants Regina. I need to bring her to him."

"Whatever for?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma shrugged, her curls now falling flat against her shoulders. "He wants to settle a score, things that happened during the past year."

"That doesn't make sense. Regina was with us," David refuted.

"But...we don't know for sure," Mary Margaret added as she stood up. "This new curse, whatever it is, we can't remember anything that's happened. Regina may have been here the whole time. She may have found a way back."

Emma crossed her arms. "Regina helped us. I'm not going to turn her over blindly. I'll figure something out."

David stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at Emma. "So, what do we do now?" It wasn't like the leader to ask her for advice but he trusted her enough to request it.

"Henry doesn't remember. If you guys can preoccupy him while I find Regina, it'll make things easier. I've told him I'm here for a case so just help me entertain the notion." They both nodded in response. She gave them a sad smile, wishing she could tell them everything. But the thoughts she had on the drive had overwhelmed her. Her memories had flooded in, everything from her true life mixed in with the implanted one. She had laughed silently in small moments and fought back tears for the majority of the rest. The pistol resting in her bag was a lie now, the thoughts of her former family dissolving in the air. She hadn't had time to filter, to be properly sad, to properly grieve, even if it wasn't one hundred percent real. She found herself pressing her foot on the gas a little harder, wishing that it had been real. She had been happy (frustrated but happy), Henry was happy. The idea of taking it all away from him was a heavy weight to carry. "A lot has happened," was all she could say, her voice hiccuping in the warm silence.

"We know," Mary Margaret echoed in the same tone, coming forward to take her hand.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours. You both just stay here. I'll try to stop by the diner and pick up some breakfast for him on the way back."

"Like hell, I'm coming with you," David told her. It wasn't even a question. He went to grab his coat and hat but Emma blocked the door.

"I can't risk you getting hurt. I can't involve more of you in this. I don't know what Rumple has up his sleeve but knowing his record, it's not going to be smooth sailing."

Another knock came at the door, this time with a sluggish Henry in the entrance. He was rubbing his eyes, his blanket draped across his shoulders, Killian's hand holding it in place. "Mom?"

"Hey kid, this is Mary Margaret and David. They're...old friends. You're going to stay here tonight while I track this lead, okay? They'll take good care of you."

He nodded drowsily, plopping his body in the chair that Mary Margaret had previously been sitting in. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he muttered in between fits of sleep. His book, previously nestled underneath his arm, fell onto the floor with a soft thud.

David let out a laugh, dropping his hat back on the coat rack and picking Henry up into his arms instead. "I got a bed upstairs with your name on it, kid." He looked over his shoulder at Killian, his face full of intention. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he repeated to Killian with consternation, happily resigning himself to grandfather duty.

-/-

Emma took in a deep breath, feeling the night air shift into early morning. The sunrise would be coming over the horizon in a couple of hours, the birds already starting to wake up from neighboring trees. She waited for Killian to join her, shaking her muscles loose of the crowding stimuli. He crept up behind her, one foot to her side, the other behind her as if he was ready to catch her at a moment's notice. As if aware of his exposed chivalry, he moved to her side. His presence felt familiar now, his body now tuned back to hers, reacting to each small movement. She hadn't realized what she'd missed, who she'd missed.

"Ready, love?" He stuck out the crook of his arm again and she took it, pushing away her apprehension. It was different this time. As much as she fought it, it still felt, well, not wrong. She kept the pistol in her garter and her guard up as they made their way down the street, strings of hope weaving in between them. She looked up at him, a smile making its way back to the corners of his lips. He was deep in thought, trying to think of things to say. No doubt he'd waited a long time to say them. She didn't push him, instead re-focusing her energy on the street in front of her.
Their breaths synchronized as they walked, clouds billowing out from their mouths. The fog was still thick around them, disguising houses and businesses, wrapping them in cloaks of secrecy. It also hid the car following them just a couple of blocks behind, headlights low and searching, waiting for the moment to strike.