Author's note: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Chapter 12

Emma briefly considered selling her apartment in Boston so there would be no way she could leave Storybrooke again without being homeless, but then she realized that if something went wrong again, she'd need that living space. So she kept it, but did not intend to go back.

On the drive to Storybrooke, she was struck with memories about her first journey there. How Henry had sat in the passenger's seat, flipping through his book of fairy tales, telling her that she was in the book. She remembered the first time she'd seen Henry, how she'd almost called the cops on him. How similar he and Neal looked, which had shocked her so badly she could barely breathe. How she'd intended to drop Henry off and then go back to her lonely life, but ended up staying in Storybrooke and enjoying herself.

The closer she got to Storybrooke, the faster her heart started to pound. What if they were mad that she'd left? The first time Emma had tried to leave with Henry, Mary Margaret had scolded her, similar to how a mother would, but she of course she hadn't realized it at the time. What if they were so mad they'd refused to let her in? Emma didn't think she could handle that. Going back was already a big step for her emotionally, and if they refused her she didn't know what would do.

Emma tried to plan out what she'd say to explain why she'd left. But explaining herself was never her strongest feat. So she just gave up, figuring she could play it by ear.

She reached Storybrooke much too fast, for she'd driven straight there and had only stopped once for gas. Driving down the achingly familiar streets, she was glad to see that everything appeared relatively the same as she'd left it 2 months ago. Emma had been afraid that once she'd left, all hell would break loose.

Emma parked her car in its usual spot in front of Mary Margaret's apartment. Through the curtains, she could see the faint outlines of her parents and her son, bathed in a warm glow. She could even smell, just barely, Mary Margaret's cooking which made her stomach rumble.

I could still go back to Boston. She thought as she stared up at the window, the only barrier between her and her happy family. From the outside, they looked like a perfect family. Father, mother, and son. Emma didn't fit into their cozy little set up. Henry was probably better off with Mary Margaret and David, who would be much better parents than she could ever be. They could offer him a better life. Funny thing was, they were about her age so it wouldn't really be that big of a stretch.

But then she thought about all the sacrifices Neal had made, just to bring her here. Where she belonged. With her family. He too, had given up the thing he loved most, all in the name of giving her the life she'd yearned for all those years as a lonely foster kid. So no. She most definitely could not back down now.

Emma stepped up to the door and raised her fist to it, knocking on the wood once, twice, three times. As she heard footsteps approaching, she took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was to come.

The door swung open, and Mary Margaret gasped in surprise. "Emma?" Her eyes instantly filled with tears. "You're back." She gasped, wrapping her daughter in a tight hug.

Tears Emma didn't even know she had pooling in her eyes spilled down her cheeks as she hugged her mother back, breathing in her comforting scent. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed her.

"Mom!" Henry sprinted towards her. "You came back!"

"Yeah, kid." Emma sniffled as she hugged her son. "I'm back." Henry's use of the word Mom made her cry even harder.

As Henry slowly released her, Emma looked up at David, who too was crying.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, meaning it. They'd been nothing but nice to her after the curse was broken and she'd repaid them by leaving.

"Welcome back." He said, embracing her tightly. Mary Margaret hugged her from behind, as did Henry. And so they all just stood there, hugging and crying and laughing. It was the best day of Emma's life.

Author's note: NOT the ending! Y'all should know by now that I NEVER like to end with a happy ending. So there's a lot that's yet to come...