Chapter 2.

"Hey George," Emma said when she walked into the lighthouse gift shop, dressed in a white sweater and red leather jacket.

"Well hello Miss Swan, haven't seen you in a while."

Emma just smiled at the man, "Henry upstairs?"

"Nope, the boy hasn't come in today. He miss school again?"

"Afraid so," Emma answered.

George was familiar with Henry's school absences. Most times whenever he was having a hard time at school or was off on some adventure of his he would end up here. Upstairs at the high top where the light was coming from the house a round of padded benches were circled around the light. They covered the walls of the room. On the floor were a sleeping bag and some binoculars.

Once Henry claimed to be searching for pirate ships or portals. Emma just laughed it off.

"Well I'll give you a call if he drops by," said George.

"Thanks," Emma said.

As she closed the door behind her, her cell rang.

"Emma Swan," she answered.

Emma listened closely. Henry had been found at the 18th Precinct. The cop told Emma that Henry had managed to sneak into the trunk of the car and then unlatched the door when they came to a stop at the precinct.

Emma was grateful that her son had been located but not so grateful that he was at the 18th Precinct where the cops had just whisked away Neal.

"Henry," Emma said coming into the precinct.

"There's your mom kid," Officer Wilson said to him.

"She's not my mom," Henry said sounding defeated, "She's just the woman who lied to me."

"She's still your mom kid," Wilson responded.

"What were you thinking kid," Emma said when she came over to Henry.

"I just wanted to meet my dad. You shouldn't have locked him up like that."

"I had to Henry."

"Why?"

"He was stalking us Henry."

"You don't know that, not for sure. You locked him up for something else. What did he do that was so bad? Why did you have to lie to me?"

Emma took a deep breath and sighed. She motioned Henry to some empty seats.

"I never meant to lie to you Henry, I'm sorry."

"Then why did you?"

"I was scared Henry. I was afraid of my past and Neal was a big part of that."

"I could have taken the truth you know, that he was alive. You didn't have to tell me he was dead."

"I know Henry, the problem was I couldn't. I never thought I'd see him again and I didn't want to. He was a bad guy and in the end he broke my heart. I didn't think it could be fixed until you came into the world. You were the only good thing he left me with."

Henry half smiled at that.

"But the rest of it," Emma said continuing, "I wanted to forget. That's why I didn't tell you, I was thinking about me and my fears. I didn't stop to think about what it would do to you."

"You've never lied to me before," Henry said in deep sadness.

"I know. Kid sometimes adults have to carry around secrets of their own and this was one of mine. It was wrong of me to keep it from you though."

"I don't want my dad in jail," Henry said bluntly, "I want to meet him."

Emma sighed in defeat. She wanted more than anything to leave Neal in jail. It had nothing to do with his behavior at the apartment though that was the reason she had given. Instead to her it was more of a poetic justice in which Neal had sent her to jail twelve years ago and now she had her payback.

She wanted to leave him there in definitely but it looked as if that wasn't going to happen. Nothing could take back the eleven months of incarceration, a time in which she had been away from Henry for two of those months while she served the rest of her sentence and babies were not allowed.

Neal had been in jail for less than three hours and that didn't seem like enough time but Henry would want him released and given the screw up she had just made she owed it to her son but she wouldn't make it easy. She was not about to lose her son to a man who had been out of their lives for twelve years and now all of a sudden wanted back in.

"Okay," Emma conceded.