See that pretty pink C? Or that beautiful 'Completed' at the top of this?

Let's just take a moment to enjoy it.

Ok. Go read now.

Epilogue:

A New Quest

She found him in a tavern, sitting at a table, getting a nice rich lady to show him how to play dice. She spotted him pulling coins from her purse, talking animatedly.

Emma rolled her eyes, approaching the scene. "Henry. What are you doing here?" She demanded. It suddenly all made sense. The unanswered questions about who had put him up to help her.

He didn't want to admit to being extorted by a fourteen year old.

However, poor Killian didn't know that this boy was no average one, he had conned many into giving him what he needed, from gold to food, to the occasional rescue. Henry was a force to be reckoned with when he had his mind set.

He was his mother's son after all.

Henry froze when he heard her, turning towards her, eyes flickering between the woman he was robbing and his mother. She could already see the story he was crafting spinning in his head, he was always good at spinning tales, enough that Emma often joked that he should be a writer. A wide grin appeared on his face before he ran to her. "You're alive!"

Sneaky kid, but she couldn't help it, she had gone so long without hugging her boy, she scooped him up into her arms, holding him close, smelling his foresty scent.

The kid needed a bath.

"What have I told you about robbing people?" She whispered in her ear.

"Don't get caught." He replied evenly. "And I haven't been."

She rolled her eyes as Henry turned and thanked the woman for taking care of him while his big sister was gone. She thanked him and half walked, half dragged him out of the tavern.

"Henry, what have we told you about leaving the Forest?" She demanded.

He flashed an innocent grin. "But I missed you mommy?" He pleaded making her eyes roll.

"Henry." She lectured. He shrugged.

"Fine, but Mom, something happened!" He admitted darkly, there was only honesty on his face now. It scared her. "Mom's gone. Grandma too"

Emma froze, it wasn't would never leave him behind, her sure, but never Henry. "The protection spell we cast is flawless, no one can break it." She ensured him. "What happened?"

He crossed his arms angrily. "Auntie came back with that guy again, they broke in, led Snow and her men right to the house. They took Mom and Grandma." She could see the fear that her kid was trying to hide. She bent down, whipping away the unshed tears as he continued. "I tried to fight them, but mom got me out of there with her magic." He was trembling now. "I was mad at her, I told her she wasn't my real mom and she still saved me." Emma reached in, holding him close as her brave little thief was close to breaking down. "Why did she do that?" He whispered.

"It's ok Henry, that's what moms do remember? I told you, I left you with her because I trusted that she would love you. She loves you so much, just like I do. I'll go get her ok? That's why you sent Killian on the task didn't you? To get me out?" Henry nodded, she could tell he was hiding something else, but he didn't look like he wanted to explain further. "Is Killian the sailor I conned?" He asked. "I thought he'd be dead by now." He muttered.

Emma rolled her eyes, seeing his attempt to block out his own pain with sarcasm, another trait of hers. "Henry, what did I tell you about tricking people into getting into dangerous situations?" She lectured.

"Make sure they can do what is needed. Come on mom, you're the first one to trade away a stranger's life for your own." He reminded her. Emma cursed under her breath. She didn't mean to pass on her darkness to her kid, perhaps she really did need Killian. His light had already had an… effect on her. She wanted a bit of it for her son. The whole reason for giving him up was to keep this from happening!

"Ok, let me go get Killian and then we'll go on a little adventure? Ok? You can give it a name and everything. We'll put things right again." Henry smiled. Oh how she missed that smile.

"You two are totallllly doing it." He teased.

"HENRY!"

Yes. Perhaps having an honorable man, a gentleman, accompany her and her son would be a good idea.

Xxx

A mother always knows.

She didn't need her dog to tell her that the Dark Swan had escaped her imprisonment; she didn't need her magic mirror to tell her that she had returned to Misthaven.

She was always so predictable.

While her escaping had been a bit of a blunder, she still had some time to torture the information out of her new guests. An act she'd quite enjoy, after all the time she'd been hunting the mother and daughter pair, she intended to enjoy her victory.

But that was besides the point.

The dagger, she just needed the dagger, then she could welcome her daughter home with open arms, settle her in her old room and everything would be better. The pair would be punished dearly for interfering with her family, for putting thoughts in her head, thoughts of hope and love.

Love was weakness, and Hope was deadly.

"My Queen?" Said a voice. She looked down at her Huntsman standing obediently at her door.

"What is it?" She snapped, not bothering to get the silver box that rested at her feet. He knew by now that he couldn't disobey her.

"She's traveling in a group." He told her. "One of my men saw her."

She tensed whirling around to her mirror, bringing up the image with a flick of her wrist.

Emma was easy to pick out, always masquerading as normal until the darkness in her couldn't take it any longer.

Besides her was a boy, she recognized him as the child fleeing her guards, fooling them with his traps. She had thought of him as nothing more than a flea.

There was a third member to the group, dressed in leather.

Snow White smiled. It appeared her daughter had found a new toy to play with.

A good mother knew exactly what to do when the child was bad. She'd take away all her little toys, break them if she had to, in order to prove her point. Emma tried to run and hide, but it was no use.

She would always find her.

This family really really doesn't like to give up.

The End.

Coming Soon:

(How soon? Hopefully a few weeks or so...)

A Purple Fairy: Once upon a time, there was Henry Mills, the Truest Believer, appearing before Emma Swan, the Savior hoping to reunite their family. This is not that time, this is not that place. This is the time of the Dark Swan hoping to reunite the family of her favorite little thief with the help of her Deckhand. But what can a Deckhand do against Sorcerers, Evil Queens and a gang of…cheery robbers?

Teaser:

"Killian!" Swan screamed again, a second too late as he felt something sharp enter his back, felt fire scorch through his chest as he gasped, he looked down at the blade protruding from his chest, blood seeping around his clothes. It took him a moment to realize what happened.

He stabbed me.

"Turn him around, I want her to see his face." The Queen laughed, but her voice sounded so far away.

He killed me.

Fun fact: Original reason for the sequel was because I couldn't kill Killian smoothly. Every time I tried, it ended up choppy.

No pun intended.

But here it is! The end of this little adventure! I appreciate all the support I've gotten for this! It's amazing and incredible.

I can not stress enough how this started as a DRABBLE, one of those things I start writing and eventually look at, get irritated at and delete. I NEVER imagined a 55K+ story from it, nor a sequel.

Ok, before I forget, I'm going to answer my guest reviewer.

andria: I'm glad you liked how I introduced Henry. Thank you for all your lovely reviews! I greatly enjoyed reading them!

I'd also like to thank all the other reviewers! You have no idea how much I enjoyed reading them! I can't wait to receive them when I finish the sequel and start posting it as well.

As soon as I post this, I'll upload a 'new story' made up of mostly one-shots of scenes I'd want to include but just don't fit right. You won't miss anything if you don't give it a read, but you may get an insight or two if you do. It's called Love of all Kinds.

~Lass Luna