DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely none of the wonderfulness that is Once Upon A Time and their characters or other later-mentioned characters (non-related to OUAT).

This is my first fic therefore, there is obviously no prequel but if you'd like a reference as to what I'm going to use as canon for most of Emma and Jeff's past then I'd recommend "Happily Never After" by L3ftOfCent3r. Plus, I think it's a rather brilliant fic in general so you should just read it anyways if you haven't.

Thank you all sooooo much for continuing to review and favorite and follow, it truly means the world to me! Anytime I get another email from FF notifying me about someone reviewing/following/favoriting this I always smile and it honestly just means so much that you all like it! :]] I hope you continue to and I hope you enjoy all of what I have done with this! :D

Chapter 10: He Will Forever Be Remembered As A Hero

Emma slowly opened her eyes to unexpected surroundings. She remembered falling asleep atop her stack of papers but found herself in her room, under the covers, wrapped in… what is that? Oh god, she was in Jefferson's arms! Did he really wait around for her all night? She was grateful for the warmth that currently surrounded her but she knew what today was and didn't really want him to wake up to her crying her eyes out because she was having another fit. She didn't want to leave the comfortable position she was in but knew she had to so she slid down and slowly wriggled out of his arms that unfortunately had a pretty tight grasp on her. As she pulled the last bit of her shoulders out from his arms she slithered out of bed with a sigh of relief.

She tip-toed across the room in an attempt to find her outfit for today and just as she was closing the drawer she pulled her dress from, she must have shut it too quickly for the end of the dress got stuck. She cursed herself for rushing but quickly tried to manage a way to silently pull it out. She first tried to tug ever so slightly on the dress but it would not budge. Then she gave a quick tug on the drawer but it was stuck too. She yanked harder and harder and she must have gotten pretty frustrated because once it finally let the loose, the whole drawer came flying out and slammed to the floor, leaving its contents sprawled across the stone tiling.

Jefferson shot up in bed and frantically gripped at the sheets around him as his head shot back and forth, searching for the source of the crash. He noticed a now-kneeling Emma on the ground and the discarded drawer and clothes and frantically asked, "Emma, are you okay?"

She looked past her shoulder at him weakly and apologized in a quiet voice, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I'm sorry… I didn't mean to wake you up."

Jefferson sighed a breath of relief as he climbed out of bed and went to join his wife on the floor, "No, no it's okay. I needed to get up soon anyways." He quickly scanned the clothes surrounding his wife and questioned with a smirk, "What in the world were you doing?"

"Oh nothing, just wrestling with the furniture, no biggie…" She replied with a small laugh, earning a smile at her from her husband.

Jefferson had hoped his wife would wake up fully open and ready to welcome him back but given how she woke up without waking him again and her current withdrawn posture he assumed she unfortunately wasn't there yet. Give her some space, she needs space. He kept telling himself to resist the urge to sit side-by-side with his beautiful wife and playfully throw some clothing at her or mock her clumsiness and ending up in some sort of play-fight that would make her smile that stunning smile and laugh that heavenly laugh of hers. His internal battle was won out by Belle's advice from yesterday so he sat a few feet away from her and silently helped her gather up the clothes and place them back in the drawer.

As Jefferson wedged the drawer back into its respective space in the dresser Emma grabbed her dress and quickly dismissed him, remarking, "I'm gonna go get ready."

"Okay," he answered with a frown. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Yeah, sure." She replied quickly, scurrying to the bathroom.

He lazily undressed out of his current clothing and put on a pair of black pants, borrowed from James (since most of his own were either leather or not black), a gray undershirt, and a black overcoat that ran down to his knees. After he was dressed he went to check on his kids and their progress on getting ready. He found Grace all dressed in her floor-length black dress with lace half-sleeves reading a book to pass the time and claiming she was too distracted to eat breakfast. He found Henry nearly ready but struggling to pull on his black suede jacket.

Jefferson gave a small laugh at his son's predicament causing Henry to playfully snap at him, "Hey, I'd like to see you try and get this thing on."

To that Jefferson simply apologized and effectively helped his son into the jacket. Once they both decided they were ready to leave they made their way to the kitchen and took a few small breakfast items to bring back to Emma and Grace. They solemnly greeted Snow and James who were finishing their breakfast and explained that they were nearly ready and just needed to get 'their girls' to eat something first.

Once they had brought the food back to their floor, it took some convincing but Grace finally downed a biscuit and a glass of milk. Jefferson then made sure they were both fully prepared before ushering them downstairs to wait for him and Emma.

He quietly walked back into his room and his eyes searched for Emma but he found nothing. It wasn't until he heard a rustling from the bathroom that he believed she was actually still in there. He then proceeded to call out, "Emma, are you ready?"

Sniffling back a few muffled tears she replied quietly, "Yeah, hold on."

She walked out of the bathroom as she reached behind her, pinning her hair up in a tight bun. She hid her face behind her arms as she reached around herself to fasten her hair then turned away as she reached to put on a necklace.

"Here. Why don't you eat something really quick?" he asked, tentatively handing her a muffin and mug of coffee.

"Sure." She quickly snapped, grabbing the muffin and snagging a quick bite of it before taking a sip of the coffee. She then slammed down the food onto her dresser and rushed for the door just as frantically as she had been when she had walked out of the bathroom, still keeping him from seeing her face. She was suddenly halted though, by Jefferson grasping at her shoulders.

He hadn't grabbed her violently, it was merely to stop her frantic pacing about, but she struggled in his arms trying to wrench herself free, grunting, "Jefferson, let go of me. We, we have to go."

Jefferson kept his grip on her and slowly approached, ever so slightly loosening his hold on her. She still struggled but he leaned down to her ear and whispered, pleading with her, "Emma, please… just calm down. Take a second and breathe."

She pushed against his grasp a few moments longer but then slumped in defeat, letting out a sigh and a few muffled sobs as she nearly fell back into him. He firmly held her weak form upright but just as he pulled her back into him she regained her strength and stiffened. Her slightly red and puffy eyes then turned around to look up to him abruptly and she whispered, "We've gotta go."

She turned on her heel and at a steady pace, headed out of the room as Jefferson trailed behind. Once they came to the foyer she went straight to her parents' sides. James soothingly ran his hand up and down her side as Snow took Emma's hand and held it with both of hers. Jefferson took the opportunity to make sure his kids were down there with them and once he found them, greet a few of their guests as they filed into the room. Once everyone had gathered James explained to the group that they would be led out to the forest and that is where the memorial would be held.

They opened the large doors to the bridge as sunlight came bursting into the room causing many to shield their eyes as they adjusted to the bright light. The procession consisting of The Charming family, Gepetto's family, Red and Granny, the seven dwarves, Rumplestilskin's family, and several knights accompanied by their families then marched slowly across the bridge from the castle leading to where the forest was, their heads hung down in respect. At the forefront of the silent crowd Snow and James led with Jefferson and Emma drifting a few feet apart, not far behind.

Jefferson glanced to his wife and could barely stand the sight of her so upset; tears were already slipping down her face again and onto her dress. He took a chance and closed the distance between them, now walking against her side, and slowly reached his hand for hers. It seemed like forever as it floated by her side, waiting for her to reach out to him. He cursed himself internally for thinking that she would want to be comforted by his touch. And to top it off, he probably had just made the situation between them worse by disregarding her need for space. Suddenly, he felt a hand clasp his tightly and grip it for dear life. He had to do a triple-take before he convinced himself he hadn't just imagined it. But he hadn't and she now continued crying but even harder though she felt the slightest bit at ease with Jefferson's hand now intertwined with hers.

Jefferson pulled a handkerchief out his coat pocket with his free hand and gingerly reached across them to gently wipe her eyes. She gave his hand a slight squeeze in thanks but shook her head for the tears had not stopped falling. Henry, walking just a few feet behind his parents, noticed his mother distraught form then his mind flooded with wonderful memories of time spent with sheriff. As each old, fond memory came back to him he grew more upset knowing that this poor man was gone and Henry's form now mirrored his mother's as he begun to feel tears sting his cheeks. It was then that Grace grew worried for her brother and instinctively grabbed his hand. He looked to her with red eyes and she was overcome with sadness as well. She truly wished she had known this wonderful man that her family so sorrowfully wept over.

They reached the edge of the forest but by then the sky had changed drastically. It was almost as though the weather sensed the somber mood amongst the crowd and grayed as their feelings did. Not far into the forest they were met by Graham's wolf standing at the head of the plot and a few of their servicemen waiting with Graham's coffin. They waited a few more minutes to be joined by Abigail's family, Ella's family, Giselle's family, a handful of fairies, and a concealed pack of wolves.

The large crowd assembled around the plot in the ground as a group of a few dozen knights assembled into their positions. The leader of their army called for the groups of knights, who stood in two equally divided rows, to withdraw their swords. Their swords rang as they were pulled from the scabbards attached to their belts and shot up into the air. Each knight crossed swords with the knight across from themselves and looked up to their respective sword, forming a bridge between the two lines of men. The servicemen pulled up Graham's coffin and slowly marched through the bridge of swords as the funeral march was played by a small band standing just past the soldiers.

Graham's pack of wolves lurked from beyond the bushes but their sorrow was felt all the same. They hung their heads just as low as the humans and murmured whimpers could almost be heard through the thick of trees separating the two parties.

The servicemen gently laid the coffin next to the plot as they tied a rope to each end of it. The men then picked up the coffin again to place it over the grave and gently lowered it into the deep hole. Snow then took a few steps forward to stand behind the headstone, wiping back a few tears, before silencing the band to begin her eulogy.

James joined her at her side once he noticed that she was breathing heavily and not speaking. He wrapped one arm around her waist and urged her to speak then she cleared her throat and started speaking slowly, "The Huntsman, or better yet, Graham, as most of us knew him, was an honorable man. He had the bravery and heart of a knight though he had no training to speak of. He was given up as an infant and raised with respect and honor by a brave pack of wolves. He saw humans to have no honor but once he found the goodness in them it was too late and he sacrificed his own heart for my own. I could never even begin to give even thanks or praise to him for his sacrifice… He served as a trusted and respected officer in Storybrooke and was finally given the opportunity to associate with other humans and, even make friends. He opened up and although he existed with no heart, it was as though he did for he was kind and giving and loving too." She paused for a moment as she heard her daughter choke back a sob but then continued remorsefully, sniffling back tears of her own "He was a wonderful man who did not deserve in any manner to die the way he did. But even so, he died in a valiant effort to save us all from the curse and he will forever be remembered as a hero. His life was one we should remember forever and be grateful that he existed among us. Even if you did not know him personally, he helped to save us all and I don't think there is any way we could ever pay enough respect for this man who died a martyr for all that is good."

Jefferson felt a slow trickle of warmth down his cheek as a single tear fell from his eye as he ran his arms up and down Emma's sides. He truly would be forever grateful to The Huntsman and only wished he could have thanked him in person for saving as beautiful of souls as Emma and her mother's. Nothing he could ever do would measure up to what this man had done for his inherited family and he simply thanked his lucky stars that such a man had lived to save them.

Emma unwillingly let the tears free-fall from her face onto her dress with a few splashing onto her son's head. Henry stood in front of her, clasping Emma's one hand that wrapped around him and rested on his chest, with both of his. Emma's other hand rested on her daughter's shoulder comfortingly. Both children and their mother quietly sobbed as Snow stepped from around the headstone and grabbed the shovel resting against it. She dug it into the ground, scooping up a pile of dirt then throwing it into the hole on top of Graham's coffin. James followed suit and repeated the same action then handed the shovel off to a serviceman to finish the job. Snow signaled for the band to start up again as the hole filled with dirt and the band played a song that filled everyone with great respect and remorse. Graham's wolf then stepped forward from the edge of the bushes and raised his head high as he let out a deeply sorrowful howl. The pack beyond the bushes joined in the chorus as many of the humans began to shed tears at the sight. Maybe they would never know this honorable man but it was true, he would always be remembered.

A Few Hours Later, Back At The Palace

"Hey Emma… are you alright?" Pinnochio asked as he gently rested a hand on her shoulder and sat down next to her on the bench in the hallway.

"You do realize that you are probably the fiftieth person to ask me that, right?" she remarked, sniffling between every few words.

"Just wanted to see if I could get a real response out of you instead of the one everyone else has been getting," he paused as she glanced up at him shyly from under her brow as he mimicked her, "oh, I'm fine. Thank you for asking though. Your concern is very sweet."

"Come on, I didn't say that to everyone…" Emma replied with a small laugh.

"Hey, there's that laugh I've been missing." He said, smiling back at her and laughing with her whilst hugging her from the side with one arm.

After they calmed their friendly laughter they sat in silence staring at their laps until Pinnochio broke the silence, "You know, you should talk to Jefferson…"

"Oh, well I—"

"No, just hear me out. You haven't said a word to him for at least a day and it's killing him. The only reason he's not right here smothering you right now is because he's got your kids to think about and everyone keeps telling him to back off because it's better for you," he paused to check her reaction but she was still staring down blankly so he continued, "But I know you Emma and you need him right now, so let him back in. Stop turning away from him when he tries to talk to you and just talk to him like you always do because like it or not, I know you want to, so I won't give up till you do."

Emma stayed staring down but responded quietly, "The last time I talked to him I ended up crying like baby…"

"And what's so wrong with that?! You're human, you cry. You're just trying to push him away because you're too proud to admit you have weaknesses. Everyone does Emma, deal with it."

Emma merely looked up flatly, gathering her thoughts. Maybe he was right… she had to admit, she felt lonely without Jefferson and wanted him with her but didn't want to end up crying again so maybe… "Maybe you're right," Emma quietly admitted, still too proud to actually accept that she was wrong for putting her walls up.

"Oh really? What did I just hear? I'm not sure I heard you right…" Pinnochio teased although he had heard full well what Emma had just said but playfully leaned towards her, cupping his hand to his ear as though to hear her better.

"You're, right." Emma gritted out slightly louder through clenched teeth.

"That's what I thought." Pinnochio proudly admitted as he stood up with smug grin and patted her playfully on the shoulder, causing her to glare at him. He was like the older brother she'd always wanted but now regretted wanting. "Now go find him and—"

"No," Emma said quickly shooting up from her seat, "I have to get away from here for a while."

"But I thought you—"

"I did," she reassured with a nod, "but you just do me a favor and find him and tell him that I left."

"But you just said—"

"I know but he'll know that I wouldn't have made it so obvious if I didn't want him to know where I was going."

"Uh, okay… just uh, don't go too far, and stay safe."

She rolled her eyes at him assured, "I will."

Pinnochio was left slightly confused but nevertheless as Emma walked out of the palace in the opposite direction he made his way back to the dining room and slid past the lingering guests from the service to find Jefferson who was still sitting with his kids in the corner.

He motioned for Jefferson to come to him and Jefferson slowly whispered something to both of his kids before standing from his seat.

"What's going on?" Jefferson asked, curious as to why the man stood with such a baffled expression on his should-be wooden face.

"Just a few minutes ago I uh, saw Emma heading out of the castle. She said she needed to get away from here." Pinnochio replied, still confused as to why this was significant to Jefferson and how in the world he would possibly know where Emma went.

"Oh okay, thanks for letting me know." Jefferson replied quickly before letting it sink in. But then he thought Pinnochio's words over for a second… If Emma had really wanted to get away without anyone knowing she would have easily done so but she let him see her, why? She knew that of anyone, especially her friend, would tell Jefferson so what kind of game was she trying to play here? Could she want him to find her? Was this her cryptic way of finally letting him back in? He decided the answer to his own questions was a 'yes', half because he was usually right when it came to figuring out Emma and half because he simply wanted 'yes' to be the right answer and to finally be able to actually be with his wife again.

He didn't leave without first making sure Henry and Grace were alright without him then leaving them with Snow and James just in case. He explained to them that he was off to find Emma and they completely understood so within minutes he was out the door and knew exactly where to go. There was only one place away from the castle they both truly felt safe in and only one place just the two of them knew about. It took around ten minutes for him to reach the clearing, almost sprinting there, and as he stepped through the thick of trees he was overcome with worry.

Everything within the meadow was relatively open and would reveal anything within it but he couldn't see Emma anywhere. Had he been wrong in his deduction? Did she really not want to see him and he had just been hoping too much? Did she get lost? Was she hurt somewhere? What if she never even left the castle and just said she was? She would be the person to do something like that to throw them off her trail. Dammit. Why hadn't he thought of that? He thought he knew his wife so well but he got cocky and took his first assumption and ran with it? What a fool he was!

He strolled slowly over to the log by the pond and slumped down onto it and threw his head into his hands in defeat, shaking it in distaste at his own stupidity.

"What did you do, run here?"

The second Jefferson heard that heavenly voice he whipped his head around and his worry vanished. He ran to her and pulled her up into his arms, lifting her feet off the ground, hugging her, nearly squeezing the life out of her.

"Uh, hi…" Emma replied awkwardly as he set her down and he cradled her head to his chest. Emma eventually gave in and wrapped her arms around his back and rested her head against him, his pull no longer forced upon her.

She looked up into his joy-filled eyes and her eyes glinted with tears as she quietly let out, "I'm so sorry."

He reached to cup a hand on her cheek as he replied, "No, no, no, don't apologize. It's okay. You needed space."

She gave a small, tight-lipped smile at his acceptance of her stubbornness and slowly took his hand holding her cheek in both of her hands and gently brought it down from its spot. She began leading him to sit down, now leaning up against the log with his hand still in hers as she explained cautiously, "Honestly it's just that when Graham was brought up, I didn't know what to think. I, I needed to clear my thoughts… I still do. I don't even know what I feel about him. It's been two years and I still can't even comprehend that he's gone. I barely knew him but somehow, he just stuck…"

Jefferson pulled her onto his lap as a few tears spilled down her face but he wiped them away gently and replied simply, "He was a hero who basically saved your life and is the reason you were born… that's hard to forget."

"Yeah I guess… Things just happened so quickly though, I never even got a chance to sort out my feelings for him then. One second, I was staying in town the next, I got a job then, he was kissing me, and the second I finally let him in, he just, died… You know I don't even know if I loved him, it's just…"

"You cared for him, I get it." Jefferson explained.

"Yeah… I guess I did." She choked out through her sobs, turning to face Jefferson. "Am I horrible for having moved on though? I almost feel like I'm cheating on him because we were never even given a chance. I don't regret us but do you think he would hate me for not grieving forever…?"

"You are not horrible at all," he soothed as he brushed away her tears and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You cared about him and though I didn't know him I am certain he cared for you and anyone who truly cares for you would only want you to be happy. And if you are happy right now, with us, I'm sure he wouldn't be celebrating it but he could never be mad at you for it, I promise you that."

Emma continued sobbing but after a minute took a second to breathe and that stunning smile of hers slipped across her face through puffy eyes and a red nose as she replied, still sniffling, "Of course I'm happy with us."

At the sight of his wife's smile back upon her perfect face and that smile being for him he couldn't help but let his own smile take over his visage as he leaned towards her and gave her a gentle kiss.

They pulled back, still smiling, as Jefferson questioned, "Are you ready to go back?"

She gingerly shook her head and replied, "No, I think we should we should just stay here a little longer.

She leaned back into his chest, resting her arms on his leg as he wrapped both arms around her, smiling like a fool. They both stared off into the lake as their minds wondered but Jefferson's kept going back to the same happy thought… his wife, was back, here in his arms and smiling. She was with him and they were both happy and in this moment, that is all that mattered.

YAY more Mad Swan cuteness! :D Hehe I hope you liked the bit more of fluff in this chapter (even though it was minimal and really only at the end)! :P I'm not too sure how much I like some of the ways I wrote things in this chapter so if you agree and think any of this was unsatisfactory PLEASE let me know and I'll see what I can revise! ;D I hope you liked it though and stay tuned for some interest occurrences to happen soon. Trust me, I think you'll be rather surprised! ;P