Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me. No profit is being made from this endeavour.
Part 3
The kid had fallen asleep again, leaving Emma to her thoughts. They weren't far from their destination, but she was worried. She glanced towards the eastern horizon, which was already brightening with the impending sunrise. She had overestimated her car's top speed and it had ended up being closer to 3 hours to their destination. Her watch beeped and she frowned at the red warning text that scrolled across the screen. If they didn't get to Storybrooke soon, Emma was going to find herself in a rather awkward predicament. She cursed under her breath and berated herself yet again for her poor planning.
Emma was very relieved to spot the turnoff for Storybrooke a couple of minutes later. The access road was winding and cut through a thick forest, which was filled with an abundance of wildlife from what her ears were telling her. The car crested the top of a hill and she could see the town spread out below them. It was all very picturesque down to the sign she could see up ahead that proclaimed "Welcome to Storybrooke.
As the car drew level with the sign, Emma felt a searing pain in her chest. She slammed on the brakes, the car skidding to a halt as her world turned into white hot pain. She slumped over the steering wheel, as her entire body felt like it was burning up from the inside out.
"Emma!" The sudden stop had woken Henry and he was frantically calling her name.
Emma just concentrated on breathing, and to her relief the pain started to recede. "I'm ok Henry. Just give me a sec". She pushed back from the steering and closed her eyes and leant back against the seat.
After a few more moments of deep breathing, she cautiously opened her eyes. Emma blinked. Something wasn't right. Everything seemed out of focus, with the colours all washed out, almost like watching an old movie on a high definition TV. Her ears were ringing and underneath it all she could hear a steady metronome beat. She placed a hand on her chest, remembering the intense pain that had originated there and froze.
It couldn't be.
With a shaking hand she put the tips of her fingers to her neck, only to confirm what the hand on her chest had found. Emma slowly reached up and adjusted the rear view mirror so she could see her reflection. Her face was flushed, a thin sheen of sweat covering her skin, but the biggest shock were the two green eyes staring back at her. "It's not possible", she whispered.
"What's not possible"?
Emma had almost forgotten that Henry was in the car with her. He was pale and had his backpack clutched tightly to his chest like a shield. The fear on his face was enough to jolt her out of her turmoil. She took a deep breath and attempted a reassuring smile.
"It's not possible for a real place to look so pretty", she gestured lamely at the forest surrounding them and the town spread out below. Going by the look on Henry's face, she didn't think he was buying what she was shovelling.
"I'm ok kid. Just got a bit of cramp." For added effect, Emma reached down to rub the back of her right calf. "Guess I should have stopped to stretch my legs".
Henry continued to look at her sceptically, but his tight grip on his backpack loosened.
"Seriously I'm fine. Just give me a minute to walk it off and we can get going again."
Emma shot another reassuring smile at Henry and opened her door. She cautiously put both feet on the ground and gingerly stood up. Her balance definitely felt off and she made sure she had a firm grip on the door for stability. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The smell of pine sap and heated metal invaded her nose, but that was all. Her brow wrinkled in disquiet. Apparently her nose was telling her she was in a forest, standing next to a car, which was great if it wasn't already so blatantly obvious. There should be more, so much more. She took another breath, trying to get a grip on her disorientation. Still the same, pine sap and heated car, but now the acrid smell of sweat was starting to creep in.
Her own sweat.
Emma's eyes flew open and she stared sightlessly into the forest, disbelief and fear freezing her thoughts. Her hand once again crept to her chest. Even through her leather jacket, the rapid beat of her pulse was obvious against her palm.
"Emma"?
Once again Henry's voice jolted her out of reverie. Emma grimaced, pushing down her fear. She needed to get the kid home first before she could deal with whatever it was that was happening to her.
"One minute Henry". Emma forced herself to let go of the car and took a few uncertain steps away. It was like being a toddler again, trying to find her centre of balance. After a few more unsteady steps, she finally figured out that she needed to plant her foot more firmly instead of the lightfooted glide she was used to. Once that happened her stride became much more stable, but she suspected that she now moved more like a linebacker that her usual graceful ballerina glide. Her limbs felt awkward and heavy, like they were still recovering from a bad bout of pins and needles. After a couple more laps of the car, Emma was confident enough that she wouldn't be faceplanting any time soon. She got back into the car and flashed Henry a smile.
"See good as new." She started the Beetle and guided it back onto the road. "Let's get you home to your mom". As she expected the word mom acted like a red flag to Henry and he immediately began to protest.
"She's not my mom!" He launched into his fairytale spiel again, completely forgetting about Emma's odd behaviour.
Emma felt a little bit guilty about manipulating Henry, but it was for his own good. As she drove though, her eyes continually strayed to her image in the rear view mirror. Her lips compressed into a thin line. Something was definitely going on in Storybrooke, but she very much doubted it had anything to do with fairytales.
Thanks all for the reviews. They are really appreciated and motivate me to write that much faster. As for what AU world this is, I think this chapter has a few more clues in it ;)
Thanks again for the reviews.