I'm so sorry for this late update. I'm afraid I suffered from a minor writer's block or something.. xD But I'm back. ;) I hope that the fact that this chapter is slightly longer than the previous ones make up for it. Thank you for bearing with me, and don't forget to review! :)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, just this profile ;)
Henry is completely in shock after Mr Gold's threat directed towards him. But there is no time to overthink the situation, as Emma already walks back into the room.
''Neal is on his way here,'' she says. She casts a worried glance first at Mr Gold and then at Henry, who's hands are trembling as he tries to hide them behind his back. His mother notices this, and walks over to him. ''What's wrong?'' she asks.
The boy quickly shakes his head. ''Nothing,'' he promptly says.
Mr Gold seems completely distracted, suffering from immense pains going through his whole body.
Emma gets over to the bathroom to get a cold, wet towel and she softly pats Gold's head with it, not sure what else she can do to help the man.
Gold tries to sit up a bit against the headboard.
Emma assists him, pulling up the pillow behind his back.
''Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?'' he asks her, while he breaths fast.
''Cause you are Henry's grandfather,'' she simply answers, continuing to pat his head with the towel.
At that moment, they are all startled by a knock on the door.
Henry walks over and answers, glad to see his dad standing in front of the door.
Neal takes a second to take in the situation and ruffles his son's hair. ''What happened?'' He asks Emma as he shoots a worried look at his father.
''Hook happened,'' replies the blonde. ''He barged in your father's hotel room and attacked him. It's poison,'' she explains as she sees Neal looking at the gaping wound, where the yellow substance is still dripping out from.
''But how? What? I don't understand…'' stumbles Neal.
Mr Gold suddenly takes his son's hand. ''We've to get back to Storybrooke. Now. There is magic there. That's the only way to save me.''
''I'll, I'll arrange a car to drive us,'' replies the other man, grasping on to his father's hand.
''There is no time. We need something faster. We need Hook's ship,'' determines Gold.
''Wait, you think his ship is here? In New York?'' asks Emma as she frowns an eyebrow.
But there is no time to answer that question, cause the blondes' phone starts to ring loudly. ''David?'' she asks as she walks out of the room.
''Emma, we have some situations here. First of all, Hook escaped.''
''Yes I'm aware of that,'' she replies sarcastically. ''He's here…''
''In New York? Emma are you alright? Is Henry alright? Did he hurt any of you?''
Her father's concern is touching and gives her a warm feeling inside. She still isn't quite used to the fact that there are people now that care about her. ''We're both fine. I knocked him out actually. Speaking about that, I think we should move him. He's now lying in a hotel room, and I don't think that the hotel staff particularly appreciates the fact that there is an unconscious captain in one of their suites. But David, how the hell could he get away? You had all these people watching him right? What happened?''
''Let's just say that in two minutes when someone needs to go to the bathroom, a captain can manage a lot. Apparently he wasn't as sick anymore as we all thought…''
''Well great, so now he's here and he poisoned Mr Gold.''
''He did what?''
''Yeah, I also didn't see that twist in the story coming, but apparently his hook is dipped in some sort of poison. Which means, we have to get Gold back to Storybrooke as soon as possible. That's the only way to save him. Latest that I heard is that Hook's ship is here and we need to use it to get back.''
''Do you know how to sail a pirate ship?'' asks her father with a little tone of sarcasm shining through.
''No I don't… I actually have no idea how we're going to manage that,'' sighs Emma when she comes to think about it. She turns around when she feels a hand on her shoulder.
''Em, we really have to go,'' says Neal.
''Neal, how do we ever getting that ship sailed back to Storybrooke?''
''Don't worry about that, I can sail a ship.''
''Where did you learn that?'' the blonde asks wary.
''Just trust me, okay?'' is his reply.
Emma sends him a questioning look and picks up her phone again. ''David, are you still there? I really have to go now. We will see you soon!''
''Okay Emma. Please, be careful.''
''I will. Say 'hi' to Mary from me, will you?''
''Of course. I love you Emma. Be safe.''
''Yes, me too. Bye!'' she quickly replies. The three simple words that her parents say to her like it's the most natural thing in the world, are still difficult for her. Deep inside, she knows that she desperately wants to say these words out loud to her parents, because love is what she's starting to feel for them, but there is still something holding her back.
After three hours they finally arrive back safely in Storybrooke. The place that Emma feels like it's her home by now.
Neal and Emma both have managed to drag the captain into an empty room in the hotel. There was no furniture or anything in that place, and dust had piled up like it had been gathering for years, indicating that probably no one ever uses the room, or even enters it. Luckily, as the move of the captain took place right in between the time that people checked out and that the cleaning staff entered their floor, it all happened unnoticed.
Neal didn't have the time to inform his fiancé about the sudden journey, so Emma is a bit wary of the woman's response and what her next move will be. Whatever it is, it can't be good…
Henry is the first one leaving the ship. He runs into Snow's and Charming's arms, as they have been waiting on their family to return.
''Oh Henry, are you alright? Is everything okay?'' cries the brunette as her eyes inspect him from top to bottom. As she is convinced that the boy is physically fine, she holds him in a tight hug, almost pressing the air out of the boy's lungs.
Charming squeezes Henry's shoulder softly. ''Welcome home buddy!'' He then walks over to the ship, where he helps Emma and Neal supporting Gold. They carry the shop owner into Charming's car and let him rest. ''How is he?'' asks the prince to his daughter. He casts a suspicious glance at Neal.
''Not good. It's getting worse with the minute,'' is his daughter's reply. ''And hi David,'' she quickly adds, embracing her father.
''Hi Emma,'' Charming answers, a bit taken aback by the sudden move of his daughter. He hugs her back.
Snow joins them and sighs. ''I'm so glad you're back home safe.'' She kisses Emma on the cheek.
The blonde, suddenly feels very self-conscious, and pulls herself away from the embrace with her parents.
Neal has taken a step back out of respect, and is now waiting for Emma to say something.
''David, Mary, this is Neal. Henry's father,'' she adds.
They all nod at each other, not sure what else to do.
''I think we should get going. We need to find a way to save your father,'' Emma says to Neal. ''Let's go to our apartment, that's probably the most comfortable for him now.''
When they arrive at the apartment, they help Mr Gold get on the couch.
''Emma, there is something else Mary Margaret and I need to talk to you about,'' says Charming. He signs that they both need to come with him to another room.
Neal stays with his father and Henry went quietly upstairs to unpack his bags. But her son's silence still doesn't feel right to Emma. The boy almost didn't say a single word on their way over here, while mostly she's the one who has to temper the flow of words that comes out of him. She decides to check up on him later.
When the three of them are in Charming's and Snow's bedroom, Charming explains: ''something happened with Belle while you were away. She and Greg both went missing all of a sudden, so we assumed he either kidnapped her, or she went with him voluntarily. Anyway, she came back to Storybrooke with Greg's car. She hit it against a tree.''
''Is she all right?'' asks the blonde worried.
''Physically yes, she only had a minor head injury and the doctors were able to stitch that. For the rest she is fine. But, the weird thing is, she seems like this completely different person. She went completely mental when we called her Belle, and she kept repeating that her name is Lacey. She acted so…'' he can't find the right word for it.
''Aggressive,'' helps his wife.
''Yes, I suppose aggressive is the proper word to use.''
''But what do you mean? Does she have her memories back?'' asks Emma.
''I think the crash did trigger something, but not the memories of Belle,'' explains her mother.
It starts to make sense for the blonde now. ''You think she has her memories back of her Storybrooke identity?''
Their parents both nod at the same time.
''But are you guys sure you've never seen her in town before? I mean, did Regina kept her imprisoned for 28 years in the hospital?''
''That is what we initially thought, because no one remembers her here. But it seems she still was given this other identity, a curse-identity,'' says Charming.
''And well, let's say… it's very different from Belle's,'' continues his wife.
''Where is she now?'' asks Emma, not wanting to waste any more time.
'''She's staying overnight in the hospital. She wasn't fully recovered yet when she left the hospital in the first place, so they want to keep her another night. She probably can stay at Granny's bed & breakfast from tomorrow on.''
''And does she remember anything from what happened with Greg?''
''No, she claims she never even heard his name before.''
''Perfect… So how are we going to bring this to Mr Gold?'' asks the blonde.
''First things first. We need to find a way to save him, otherwise there's no way that he ever can go back to Belle, or Lacey, or whoever she is,'' replies Charming.
They all go back to the living room where Neal is sitting with his father. He sits down in one of the armchairs and holds the other man's hand. ''My father has a plan,'' he explains.
Emma notices that Neal's eyes are watery. She wonders what just had happened between Gold and his son, when she and her parents had their private conversation.
''There is this flower. The Moonlight flower. It only grows during the night and has healing properties,'' explains Neal.
His father continues. ''I still have one flower seed somewhere in my shop. Kept it for a rainy day. You need to get it, and plant it at midnight in the woods. It has to be exactly 12:00am, otherwise it won't work. Sprinkle it with water and it should grow within an hour. When it's ready, you need to cut off the petals and bring these to me. That is what will save me.''
Snow sees that her daughter is completely exhausted. ''Me and Charming can go,'' she suggests.
''No!'' cries Gold. ''It's Emma who needs to do it.''
''Why me?''
''Because you have the magic necessary for this to work. It should be you.''
''Then I'm going with her!'' insists Snow. ''I'm not letting you go all by yourself.''
''I'll be fine Mary. I just need to plant a flower, that's all. How hard can it be?''
''It's not that that I'm worried about whether you can do it or not, I'm worried about who you might bump into on your way.''
''What do you mean?''
''When Red and I were searching for Belle, we ran into Regina. I'm sure she's working on a plan together with her mother.''
''Wait, and you didn't tell me this until now?'' cries Charming while he looks a bit offended.
''Well, everything was happening so fast, and I just didn't find the time to tell you yet,'' she defends herself.
''Okay, calm down guys. It's fine, you can come with me Mary.'' Emma glances at the clock above the sideboard. ''It's 8:00pm now, so that means we still have a couple of hours to get the flower seed and go to the woods.'' She turns around and walks up the stairs.
''Where're you going?'' asks Charming. But he only gets silence as a response.
Emma knocks on the door. ''Can I come in?'' she asks.
''Yes,'' is her son's short answer.
When she opens the door, she sees Henry lying on his bed, staring into nowhere with the book of fairytales clamped in his arms. Sometimes she forgets that he's only eleven years old. He always acts like an adult around her and his grandparents. But seeing him like this makes her realize that he still is a child. Sweet and innocent. She softly strokes his arm. ''Hey kid, what's wrong?''
''He blames me.'' He's still staring into the distance.
''What?''
''He blames me,'' he only says again.
''Who blames you Henry? And for what?'' She forces her son to look at her. It hurts her seeing him like this.
A deep sigh escapes from his mouth before he finally tells her. ''Mr Gold blamed me for what happened to him. He said that I brought him to New York, and that this is all my fault.''
''But Henry, that makes no sense… at all! Why would he say such things to you?''
''Because I'm the one who brought you here of course!'' he cries out. ''And because of you, the curse is broken, and that's why magic came back. That is what sent you and grandma back to the Enchanted Forest, and brought Cora and Hook back here… It all started with me. If it wasn't for me, Hook wouldn't be here and he couldn't have hurt Mr Gold.''
''Henry listen to me, none of this is your fault! Do you hear me? None of it! If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been together, as a family. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. And… you found me.'' Emma's voice breaks.
Henry sits up and wraps his arms tightly around his mother. ''Yes that's what we do in this family,'' he says with a watery smile.
Emma's glad that her son has got his sense of humor back. ''I'm sure it was only the pain talking when Mr Gold said these things,'' she says when she answers the hug with all the love she has in her body.
The boy pulls back, not completely convinced, but not wanting to think about it anymore. ''That first evening in New York... I want you to know that I really liked that.''
''Me too Henry, me too. Hey kid, don't worry about it okay?'' Emma is desperately trying to blink away the tears that are surfacing. She doesn't want her son to see her being vulnerable. Instead she focuses on the matter at hand. ''Henry, me and your grandmother have to leave for a couple of hours. There's a way to save Mr Gold, and Mary Margaret is going to help me do that. You stay with David and Neal, okay? I promise we'll be back in the morning. So if you just get some sleep, we'll be back as soon as you wake up.''
''Can't I come with you?'' the boy asks. His mother and grandmother leaving again doesn't feel good at all. He just wants them all to be together. This reminds him too much of when Emma and Snow were in the Enchanted Forest.
''No I'm sorry, that's really not going to happen this time. It's just too dangerous. But you know what, if you put on your pajamas now, I will sit with you until you fall asleep. Then you will not even notice that Mary and I are away. How does that sound?''
Henry mumbles an unintelligible word of disagreement, but still does what his mother has asked him to do.
Emma sits with her son until his eyes fall close. She could just sit there and stare at him the whole night if it would be possible. She never had expected to be able to feel so much love for someone. But her son showed her that it is possible to feel this unconditional love for a person, and she would always be grateful for that. She absently strokes Henry's arm.
The blonde is so focused on her son, that she didn't notice Snow quietly entering the bedroom.
Without realizing, mother and daughter go through the exact same emotions right now. Emma is completely focused on Henry, and Snow on her daughter. It is that Snow notices that it's getting late already, otherwise she could've stand there the whole night, watching her daughter and grandson, peacefully next to each other. She gently brushes her daughter's arm and points at the alarm clock that is standing on the nightstand.
The blonde nods understandingly and places a gentle goodnight kiss on her son's forehead. She then gets up and follows her mother outside, with casting one last look over her shoulder to her sleeping son.
When Emma and Snow are putting on their jackets, a low voice rises from the couch. ''You know where you can find the flower seed right?'' asks Gold to Snow. The man is clearly in pain, as he bites his teeth and his hands are fists.
''Yes I do,'' nods Snow. She looks at her husband and then at her daughter. ''Are you ready?'' she asks.
''Almost.'' The blonde walks towards Gold and hisses: ''you are a lucky man. I actually should have let you suffer and die. Don't you dare to express these kind of threats to my son ever again. Do you understand?!''
The whole room becomes completely silent. Her parents and Neal are all staring at Emma in bewilderment. They have no idea what this is all about. Only Gold continues to look straight to Emma with piercing eyes.
The blonde shakes her head and her attention shifts to Charming. ''David, watch Henry for me will you? Don't leave him out of your sight for even a second.'' She trusts her father on this moment better to take care of her son than Neal.
Neal did notice the hidden meaning of her words and looks down, not sure what to say.
''I will Emma, I promise,'' says Charming as he gently kisses her cheek. He then turns to his wife and places a soft kiss on her lips. ''Be careful the two of you. I want you both back home safe.''
''How hard can planting a flower seed be?'' grins Emma bravely. But in the back of her mind there are maybe a thousand things spooking around that possibly can go wrong.
Thank you for reading! xx